Recaps

Lynn and John rejected Godolkin’s offer to work for them, but Mesmer regained control of his body before Godolkin could detonate it. Lynn chose to spare Mesmer for now, and Mesmer offered to work for him if they spoke more closely.

• Lynn recognized Godolkin’s pleading as an act and said he found the man’s eyes disgusting.
• Godolkin offered his brains and technology in exchange for his life, but Lynn and John rejected him in unison.
• Godolkin began swelling his body to detonate it, but Mesmer’s consciousness fought back and stopped the explosion.
• Mesmer regained control of his body and realized Lynn did not intend to kill him.
• Mesmer offered to work for Lynn and asked him to come closer for a proper talk.

Mesmer explained that Edgar had used him in experiments as a child, leaving him convinced that Lynn was exploiting Homelander too. When Mesmer lunged to read Lynn’s memories, Homelander burned his hand with a red beam, leaving Mesmer screaming in the mud.

• Lynn approached Mesmer despite John’s concern, and Mesmer said Lynn had been a knot in his heart since he was six.
• Mesmer recounted how Edgar took him from Red River Orphanage and placed him with an adoptive couple who abused him and exploited his mind-reading power.
• Mesmer revealed that he had heard of Lynn from children who visited Long Island and from Neuman, but insisted that Lynn was using Homelander just as others had used children.
• Mesmer lunged for Lynn’s wrist to read his memories, but Homelander blasted Mesmer’s hand with a red beam.
• Mesmer crashed into the mud, clutching his charred wrist and screaming in pain.

John refused to let Mesmer probe Lynn’s mind, declaring that he trusted Lynn and not Mesmer. When Lynn invited Mesmer to read his memories, the mind reader was overwhelmed by Lynn’s traumatic childhood and thousands of memories of John killing him, and his head exploded.

• John stopped Mesmer and said he trusted Lynn but did not trust him.
• Lynn took Mesmer’s hand and asked him to enter his memories.
• Mesmer saw Lynn’s abusive childhood and fled ahead to the Vought Underground Laboratory.
• Mesmer witnessed young John use Heat Vision to kill Lynn in a memory.
• Thousands of memories of John killing Lynn flooded Mesmer’s consciousness, and his head exploded.

Lynn recovered memories of Deadpool killing him and threatening to purge every universe, realizing the madman could reach their world. He set the danger aside for the moment and left with John and Black Noir to celebrate John’s birthday.

• Mesmer's intrusion triggered Lynn's sealed memories, and Mesmer died from the shock of them returning.
• Lynn remembered Deadpool killing his older self and declaring he would slaughter everyone across every universe of The Boys.
• Lynn realized Deadpool could arrive at the Long Island Estate, but decided to make plans after they got home.
• Lynn had Vought employees remove Mesmer's body and left the ruins with John and Black Noir.
• Lynn told John they would stop at the supermarket to buy supplies and decorations for John's birthday celebration.

After a long day of upheaval, Lynn, John, and Black Noir bought groceries and walked home to Long Island Estate, where John received a birthday call from Reggie. Reggie wished him well and told him he had never blamed him for taking the blame and danger upon himself.

• Lynn, John, and Black Noir shopped for food, and John scared three would-be thieves into returning their stolen goods.
• Lynn led the others to collect a custom birthday cake, then they walked home together to unwind.
• At Long Island Estate, John found the house dark and Lynn and Black Noir went to check the backup generator.
• John answered the landline and heard Reggie wish him a happy birthday.
• Reggie told John he had never blamed him for driving them away and ended the call because he was due onstage.

John received birthday calls from his friends and family, whose jokes and bickering lifted his spirits. After Benjamin awkwardly wished him well, John answered one last call and recognized Lynn’s voice.

• Tommy called John to wish him a happy birthday before his match and hung up without waiting for a reply.
• Annie told John she missed him and Director Lynn, and John promised to bring everyone back to Long Island when he finished his work.
• Buddy and Kevin joined the call; Kevin relayed Charlie’s birthday blessing, then hurriedly hung up after John joked about it.
• Michelangelo and the other mutant turtles teased Benjamin into wishing John a happy birthday, and Benjamin finally told John that tough guys had to be happy every day.
• John answered a final call and heard Lynn warmly wish him a happy birthday.

Lynn and the children surprised John with a birthday party and a fireworks display, and the family celebrated together at the Manor. The celebration continued as Lynn and Black Noir prepared dinner while the others enjoyed cake in the living room.

• John answered Lynn's call and heard Reggie, Tommy, Annie, and Kevin wish him a happy birthday in the darkened house.
• The children revealed the decorated living room and birthday cake, and Annie placed a golden hat on John's head.
• Lynn arrived at the door and set off fireworks over Long Island, while Black Noir returned after lighting the display.
• John made a wish, blew out his candles, and joined the others as they began the party.
• Lynn sent Annie, Tommy, and Buddy out of the kitchen, then had Black Noir help prepare the birthday meal.

Annie reunited with Kevin and the others at Lynn’s home, where everyone shared a long-awaited meal together. Elsewhere, Deadpool trudged through a radioactive desert and found a battered sign identifying the ruins as the site of the most badass bar in Manhattan.

• Reggie challenged Tommy to Street Fighter, but Tommy defeated him while playing with his feet.
• Annie and Kevin caught up, and Kevin revealed that Charlie could now breathe on land.
• Annie joked with Buddy about whether he could swallow a ten-meter-long fish, and Buddy pretended not to hear her.
• Lynn served a meal, and John and the others gathered around the table to enjoy his cooking again.
• Deadpool crossed a radioactive wasteland and uncovered a sign reading, “The most badass bar in Manhattan.”

Deadpool searched the wasteland that had once been Manhattan, then found a comic convention where he encountered bizarre versions of familiar characters. Brian pointed him to the real Homelander, asleep on a bench disguised as a vagrant.

• Deadpool saw that Manhattan had been reduced to a scorched wasteland and left to find news about the world.
• Deadpool reached a comic convention in Round Clam City and killed a cosplayer dressed like him.
• Deadpool beat Pete and Chris after they caused chaos at the convention, then killed them and Lois and Megan in an alley.
• Deadpool approached Brian and Jiaozi, then asked Brian where Homelander was.
• Brian pointed out a vagrant sleeping on a bench as the real Homelander, leaving Deadpool stunned.

Deadpool discovered that Homelander’s powers may still be intact and provoked him by mentioning parallel universes. Meanwhile, Lynn and John attended a memorial at Godolkin University as Vought faced a major upheaval, though its decline might not be inevitable.

• Brian told Deadpool that Homelander had massacred millions before surviving a nuclear strike that supposedly stripped him of his powers.
• Deadpool aimed his sword at Homelander, then accused him of pretending to be powerless.
• Homelander reacted to Deadpool’s mention of parallel universes and asked whether he could travel between them.
• Lynn and John left the children at the Long Island Estate and went to handle cleanup and attend the Godolkin University memorial.
• John spoke for Vought at the memorial, while Lynn reflected that Godolkin might close and Vought’s superhero pipeline had been broken.

Lynn accepted Legend’s retirement and reassured Becca that she would keep her job and receive a promotion despite Butcher’s actions. Butcher blamed Homelander for killing his comrades in Europe, but Homelander denied encountering ordinary people, leaving Lynn to question how Butcher had survived.

• Legend reported Vought’s surging reputation and global sales before asking to retire, and Lynn approved his request with the highest pension rate.
• Ashley pretended to mourn Legend’s departure but revealed her delight at finally becoming a permanent employee.
• Becca brought Lynn her resignation letter, but Lynn refused to accept it and promised her a promotion and raise.
• Lynn asked Butcher how he had wronged Becca, and Butcher claimed Homelander had killed his comrades in Europe years earlier.
• Homelander recalled killing only wizards during that trip, so Lynn asked Butcher how he had survived if all his comrades had been killed.

Lynn explained that Godolkin had used a John Clone to frame John for the deaths of Butcher’s squad, then assigned Becca and Butcher to Vought’s Australian branch as punishment and protection. After Frenchie was released from detention, Lynn praised his actions and asked what he wanted in return.

• Lynn told Butcher that Godolkin’s Clone, not John, had killed his squad and used John as a scapegoat, leaving Butcher devastated and apologizing to John.
• Lynn sent Becca and Butcher to work at Vought’s Australian branch, and Becca thanked Lynn and John while urging Butcher to do the same.
• John said Becca and Butcher’s merits offset their offenses, and Lynn agreed with the decision.
• Frenchie arrived at Lynn’s office after being released from detention and admitted that he had helped Neuman and persuaded Butcher to join her group.
• Lynn told Frenchie that Mesmer had erased his memories, credited him for risking his life to defend Vought, and asked what he wanted.

Lynn arranged for Frenchie and his friends to travel to Japan to find Kimiko, giving them a chance at a stable life on the condition that Frenchie quit drugs. After Frenchie left with another envelope for Clark, Marge came to Vought’s president’s office, apparently ready to join Vought.

• Frenchie insisted that a just man should not be treated badly and said he had only acted to repay Homelander.
• Lynn gave Frenchie four tickets to Japan and assigned him to find Kimiko and bring her to Vought’s Japanese branch, with Vought covering the expenses.
• Lynn told Frenchie to quit drugs and offered him the choice of returning to New York or working in Japan after the assignment.
• Frenchie accepted the tickets and an envelope for Clark, then left to deliver it before traveling to Japan.
• Marge entered Lynn’s office, and Lynn and John regarded her as she appeared to have decided to join Vought.

Marge accepted a teaching job at Red River Orphanage, only to learn that John’s memory-wiped clone would be among her students. Meanwhile, Clark returned home after the television station melee, where his mother embraced him and wept with relief.

• Marge told Lynn she had no goals left and asked for a job at Vought, and he hired her to teach at Red River Orphanage.
• Lynn told Marge that John’s clone would also be her student, and explained that Mesmer had erased the clone’s memories.
• Marge resigned herself to teaching the clone and left Lynn’s office.
• Clark’s mother drove him home in silence after picking him up from the police station.
• Clark’s mother checked that he was unharmed, embraced him, and cried, and Clark apologized.

After helping save Vought, Clark said goodbye to Frenchie, who was leaving for Japan, and received a check and a note from Director Lynn. John’s message calling Clark the real Superman left him hopeful about his future.

• Clark read the news celebrating Vought’s return and remembered the danger of the television studio operation.
• Frenchie visited Clark to say he was leaving for Japan and promised to bring him gifts when he returned.
• Frenchie delivered an envelope from Director Lynn, then left for the airport as Clark called after him.
• Clark opened the envelope and found a $500,000 check and Lynn’s promise to cover his schooling and welcome him to Vought.
• Clark found John’s note calling him the real Superman, then put the check on the refrigerator for his mother to see.
• Clark went to sleep feeling at peace and dreamed he could fly, use Heat Vision, and fight crime.

Lynn told John that recovered memories showed Deadpool planned to gather Homelanders from other worlds and use the Lynns in those timelines to lure them. He explained that those Lynns had never grown up with their Homelanders, then asked John what made him different from the others.

• John planned to go on patrol, but Lynn asked him to stay and hear something important.
• Lynn revealed that Mesmer’s touch had restored memories of other worlds where he had met many Homelanders and never survived.
• Lynn said Deadpool had killed one world’s Homelander and threatened to destroy every Boys Universe, though John could likely defeat him in a direct fight.
• Lynn warned that Deadpool’s healing made him difficult to kill and might let him regenerate from a drop of blood.
• Lynn suspected Deadpool intended to bring every world’s Homelander into their world and use their Lynns as leverage.
• Lynn explained that those versions of him had been low-level Vought researchers whom their Homelanders barely knew, then asked John what made him different.

Lynn explained how Deadpool could provoke alternate Homelanders by showing them John’s loving family and home, making them want to take it for themselves. John grasped the threat and struggled to contain his anger as Lynn urged him to prepare and grow stronger.

• Lynn told John that alternate Homelanders were lonely and desperate for love because of their harsh upbringing.
• John realized Deadpool could show the alternate Homelanders footage of his happy life at the Long Island Estate and provoke them into attacking his family.
• John understood that the threat was countless versions of himself crossing the multiverse to seize his home and family.
• Lynn said Deadpool had revealed his plan in advance, giving them time to prepare, and urged them to increase their strength.
• John admitted he felt sick and could not calm down, so Lynn punched him and reminded him that they were not facing the danger alone.

Lynn and John discussed how to obtain more First-Generation Compound V to strengthen the younger Supes ahead of the Multiverse crisis. They decided to ask the Disaster Control Bureau to help find surviving recipients, while Lynn began considering other ways to boost their strength.

• John told Lynn that researchers could extract Original Compound V from Godolkin but could not identify its key catalyst or reproduce the formula.
• Lynn identified Bombsight as a source of another dose and planned to have Benjamin erase Bombsight’s powers so he would give it up.
• Lynn recalled that Torpedo and Private Angel had also received First-Generation Compound V and proposed using Vought’s resources to find them.
• Lynn and John independently named the Disaster Control Bureau as a global intelligence network that could help locate the missing veterans.
• Lynn dismissed magic as an impractical combat upgrade and considered teaching John and the others to cultivate Qi.

Lynn decided to take John to Huaxia, but first he sought help finding the old soldier through the Disaster Control Bureau. He offered Marcus a way out of the bureau by making him Vought’s special consultant, though Marcus warned that his access may already have been frozen.

• Lynn told John they would travel to Huaxia after contacting the Disaster Control Bureau to search for the old soldier.
• Ashley told Lynn and John that Agent Marcus was already in Vought Tower.
• Lynn and John found Marcus packing to resign while two agents tried to stop him, and Marcus explained that his superior wanted to punish him for disobeying orders.
• Lynn warned Marcus that resigning would not protect him from the bureau and offered him a position as Vought’s special consultant.
• Marcus said his superior would likely have frozen his access and would not let him use the bureau’s resources.

Lynn and John visited Vought Village to find Little Headliner, Bombsight’s former lover and their lead to the Original Compound V. Their arrival caused a stir when the elderly residents recognized John as Homelander.

• Lynn made Marcus his subordinate and ordered him to find Torpedo and Private Angel.
• Lynn and John went to Vought Village to seek Little Headliner.
• John told Lynn that Benjamin had once secretly lived at Vought Village.
• A guard let Lynn and John through the entrance after recognizing John’s imposing presence.
• An elderly resident spotted John and announced that Homelander had arrived, drawing the residents around him.
• John greeted the residents as they praised him and applauded.

Lynn and John approached Little Headliner to find Bombsight and his vial of original Compound V. Lynn explained their plan to strip Bombsight of his powers and urged her to stop pushing him away; she agreed to ask him to come.

• Lynn and John cleared the crowd so they could speak privately with Little Headliner.
• Lynn asked Little Headliner to help them find Bombsight and obtain his original Compound V, but she initially refused to be used as bait.
• Lynn convinced Little Headliner that Vought could have taken her by force, then explained that she had separated from Bombsight because she did not want him to watch her age.
• Lynn told Little Headliner he could remove Bombsight's powers and urged her to believe Bombsight would choose a mortal life with her.
• Little Headliner agreed to ask Bombsight to come.

Lynn and John met with Little Headliner and Bombsight to trade Bombsight’s last dose of original Compound V for a way to remove his powers. Bombsight trusted them and offered the vial, hoping to spend the rest of his life peacefully with Little Headliner.

• Little Headliner called Bombsight and asked him to come see her, and he agreed to arrive within half an hour.
• Bombsight rushed into Little Headliner’s room and shielded her when he saw John, but she reassured him that Lynn and John meant no harm.
• Lynn offered to exchange a way to remove Bombsight’s powers for the original Compound V he had kept for decades.
• After Little Headliner backed Lynn’s offer and John warned him against doubting them, Bombsight agreed to the deal.
• Bombsight opened his worn metal case, revealed the last dose of original Compound V, and held it out to John.

Lynn and John obtained the original Compound V from Bombsight, who chose to keep his powers to protect Little Headliner from the coming disaster. They returned to the Long Island Estate to warn their family, where Buddy immediately caused a commotion.

• Lynn warned Bombsight that a disaster was coming and advised him not to give up his powers yet.
• Bombsight rejected the idea of forcing Little Headliner to take the serum, handed the compound to Lynn, and chose to keep his own powers to protect her.
• Lynn asked Bombsight about former teammates Torpedo and Private Angel, and Bombsight said he believed they were still alive.
• Lynn and John flew back to the Long Island Estate, planning to tell their family about the coming disaster.
• Buddy rushed out hungry, and John tossed him into the pool before Kevin and Microwave Girl blasted him back outside.

Lynn warned the family that countless Homelanders from other universes might arrive and outlined plans to prepare them. He and John would travel to Huaxia soon to investigate cultivation methods, while the others trained with Buddy and sought more compound V.

• Lynn told the family about Deadpool’s plan and the possibility that hundreds or thousands of alternate-universe Homelanders would attack.
• Tommy explained how badly Reggie would fare against John, and Buddy’s clumsy reassurance lightened the mood.
• Lynn made obtaining original compound V a priority and assigned the others to learn Buddy’s Avada Kedavra Curse as a surprise attack against the Homelanders.
• Lynn said Black Noir would visit the North American Ministry of Magic to brief Joseph, and Buddy accepted the family’s requests to teach them.
• Lynn announced that he and John would go to Huaxia in a few days to see whether cultivation methods could safely strengthen the others.

Lynn and Black Noir deduced that Deadpool had to visit their world to obtain footage of John’s family, giving them a chance to stop the multiverse crisis before it began. Meanwhile, Deadpool ambushed Bombsight at Vought Village, but Bombsight escaped with Little Headliner, leaving Deadpool to track them by their blood.

• Black Noir warned Lynn that Deadpool could not obtain footage of John’s family from another world, so he would have to come to their world to film it.
• Lynn and John realized they could prevent the crisis by catching Deadpool before he took the footage back, just as an urgent phone rang.
• Bombsight told Little Headliner that they would move to the countryside together after his powers were washed out.
• Deadpool stabbed Bombsight through the door, but Bombsight grabbed Little Headliner and escaped through a window.
• Deadpool examined Bombsight’s blood and set off after the fleeing couple.