Chapter Summaries

Lynn, a Vought researcher who knew John would become Homelander, tried to win the boy’s trust and shape him into a hero so he might survive. He taught John an uncompromising idea of justice, leaving the child thoughtfully repeating that wrongdoers should be punished without mercy.

• Lynn recalled that John would one day kill the laboratory staff and decided to earn his trust by acting as a caring mentor.
• Madelyn warned Lynn not to treat John like family and ordered him to deliver lunch without speaking to him.
• Lynn sat with John, offered him a strawberry candy as a reward, and persuaded him to eat his nutrient paste.
• Lynn told John that his great power meant he was destined to be a hero who fought bad people.
• When John suggested reporting wrongdoing to the supervisor, Lynn insisted that justice allowed no excuses and that evil should be punished without mercy.
• John looked at his hands and repeated Lynn’s words about absolute justice and merciless punishment.

Lynn’s effort to teach little John to hate evil led John to break a logistics worker’s finger for stealing an apple. In the infirmary, Lynn learned more about the supernatural powers around the world and why Vought was raising John as its ultimate weapon.

• Lynn praised little John for hating evil and accompanied him during his corridor walk.
• Little John caught Bob stealing an apple, declared him evil, and broke his pointing finger.
• Lynn praised John’s restraint but warned him not to use heat vision over minor theft.
• Dr. Sarah treated Bob while scolding him for provoking John, and Bob complained about Vought’s plans.
• Lynn recalled Vought’s files on powerful supernatural groups worldwide and understood why the company saw John as its weapon against them.

Lynn gave John an apple and read him a story to teach him that heroes should match their punishments to the wrongdoing. John formed his own rule of justice and fell asleep beside Lynn, though he still thought minor offenders deserved broken legs.

• Lynn covered up John's attack on Bob as an accident, and Sarah warned Lynn to stay away from John.
• John told Lynn he had created a code of justice called John's Law.
• Lynn gave John an apple, which John eagerly ate, and a picture book about a puppy hero.
• As Lynn explained that minor wrongdoing should not be punished with lethal force, John decided that breaking an offender's legs was merciful.
• Lynn continued reading until John fell asleep against him, then covered him with a blanket and rested nearby.

Lynn was promoted to mid-level researcher and given authority over John's daily interactions and psychological counseling, which he planned to use to shape the boy's understanding of the outside world. After feeding John a real meal and teaching him about power and heroism, Lynn began an afternoon lesson with a tablet.

• John told Lynn he had dreamed of breaking naughty cats' legs to protect trash cans, and Lynn praised him before taking him for his routine tests.
• Madelyn confronted Lynn about Bob's broken finger, then explained the company's need for John to become a deployable weapon amid threats from the Outsiders and European spellcasters.
• Madelyn promoted Lynn and assigned him responsibility for John's daily interactions and counseling, approving better meals and outside reading and video materials subject to review.
• Lynn brought John a steak meal and told him that power was a tool and that a hero's worth depended on how he used it.
• John said he would break the legs of powerful rule-breakers, and Lynn began an afternoon lesson showing him what the outside world was like on a tablet.

Lynn taught John that powerful people who endanger ordinary people are bad, while Vought researchers discussed destructive superpowered fights breaking out in the world. John asked when he could go outside and punish those he saw as rule-breakers, and Lynn told him he was still too young.

• Lynn showed John surveillance footage of onmyōji fighting among civilians, and John called them bad people for causing chaos instead of protecting the weak.
• Lynn learned from researchers in Sector B’s lounge that ronin had fought in San Francisco and that superpowered clashes were causing widespread destruction.
• Dr. Sarah warned Lynn not to think of himself as John’s father, while breaking news showed a building collapsing during a fight between powerful figures.
• Lynn returned to John and explained that ordinary people were powerless and that those who fought without regard for them were bad.
• John asked when he could leave the facility to punish people who broke the rules, and Lynn told him he was still too young.

Lynn taught John to wait until he was older and stronger before facing the dangerous superpowered people outside, while Vought executives discussed his development and the company’s need for a stronger weapon. The chapter ended with Lynn teaching John, through a new picture book, how a hero should respond when many bad people cause trouble at once.

• Lynn told John that ancient supernatural traditions gave some outsiders powers far more practiced than those granted by Compound V, and urged him to stay inside until he could control his abilities.
• Young Stan Edgar learned from Madelyn that Vought had covered up a San Francisco disaster caused by ronin fighting over a magical artifact, while two superheroes were seriously injured.
• Madelyn reported that John was developing rapidly and responding well to Lynn’s psychological counseling, which was teaching him a fanatical idea of justice.
• Edgar authorized Lynn to use whatever resources he needed and demanded an obedient Homelander capable of deterring the world within ten years.
• Lynn told John they would skip Puppy Hero and began teaching him how heroes should handle many bad people causing trouble in a city.

Lynn used a Rubik’s Cube to teach John patience and restraint in the underground laboratory. John stopped trying to crush the puzzle and proudly showed Lynn that he had completed one red face.

• Lynn gave John a Rubik’s Cube and told him he could only solve it by turning the pieces, not by using his powers.
• Old Mike warned Lynn that the company’s leaders saw John as their last lifeline amid growing trouble from Outsiders and Wizards.
• John crushed the cube and began to glow with Heat Vision, but Lynn stopped him and explained that a hero needed patience to work within rules.
• Lynn demonstrated how to turn the cube, admitted he could not solve it either, and encouraged John to keep trying.
• Near lunchtime, John showed Lynn a cube with one complete red face and no crushed pieces.

Lynn rewarded John’s patience with a burger feast and introduced him to a Walkman and popular music. John listened to Queen for the first time and began moving to the beat.

• John completed Lynn’s patience trial by solving a Rubik’s Cube without smashing it.
• Lynn traded cigarettes with Jimmy for a Walkman and tapes of popular music.
• Lynn brought John burgers and cola, and told him heroes protected ordinary people so they could live safely.
• Lynn showed John how to use the Walkman and played Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”
• John’s initial shock gave way to curiosity, and he began nodding along to the rhythm.

Lynn introduced John to rock music and taught him about ordinary people, work, and the complicated difference between good and bad. Madelyn approved Lynn’s unusual counseling methods, while Black Noir returned from a bloody mission and was sent to recover.

• John listened to Queen and told Lynn the music felt powerful enough to tear down a wall.
• Lynn explained that music could be a way for ordinary people to fight boredom, repression, and unfair rules.
• Madelyn told the surveillance technician to leave Lynn alone, approved the cassette player and tapes as counseling tools, and gave Lynn authority over John’s daily contact.
• Black Noir returned from a covert mission in Texas, and Madelyn directed him to have his wounds treated and rest.
• Lynn taught John that people could make mistakes without being irredeemable, but John said he would break wrongdoers’ legs before patiently teaching them the rules.
• Lynn offered to play John the song on the other side of the tape.

Lynn explained the meaning of “We Are the Champions” to John and helped him understand his name as one associated with protecting others. Meanwhile, Dr. Sarah treated Black Noir’s severe wound, and the chapter ended with John quietly watching Lynn sleep.

• John listened to “We Are the Champions” and asked Lynn what the song meant and whether punishing rule-breakers would make him a champion.
• Lynn told John that a champion also protected the weak and earned people’s trust, not just defeated bad people.
• Dr. Sarah treated Black Noir’s fire-scorched wound and ordered him to stay at headquarters until it healed.
• John asked Lynn why he was named John, and Lynn told him it was a powerful name associated with brave protectors.
• John vowed to become the greatest John and teach bad people named John a lesson.
• Lynn went to sleep, while John sat beside him wearing the headphones and watched him rest.

Stan Edgar summoned Lynn and John to a combat testing ground and ordered John to kill a violent man empowered by an overdose of Compound V, threatening Lynn if he failed. As the man charged, Lynn told John to stop him his own way.

• John solved the Rubik's Cube and explained that he had calculated the moves in advance.
• Stan Edgar summoned Lynn and John to the Number Four Combined Testing Ground in Area C to judge Lynn's teaching.
• Lynn led John past armed guards and wary researchers to the testing ground, where Stan Edgar and Madelyn waited.
• Stan Edgar released a violent gang leader who had lost control after taking too much inferior Compound V and ordered John to dispose of him.
• The man charged at Lynn, and Lynn told John that he was breaking the rules and to stop him his own way.

John followed Lynn’s rules by brutally disabling a monster in the testing arena, impressing Stan Edgar and earning Lynn the authority to oversee his education. They moved into a furnished apartment in Area B, where John watched Transformers on television for the first time.

• John caught the monster’s punch, broke his arm and leg, and returned to Lynn after stopping him.
• Lynn praised John for following their rules, while Stan Edgar approved his restraint and granted Lynn the highest clearance.
• Stan Edgar ordered a private living area established for Lynn and John in Area B and barred others from interfering with John’s education.
• Lynn and John moved into the furnished apartment, and John explored its carpet, sofa, and refrigerator.
• Lynn switched on the television, and John watched Transformers.

Lynn taught John that heroes needed to restrain themselves and earn ordinary people's trust, while Vought executives planned to shape John into a public-facing symbol. The chapter ended with Lynn enforcing a no-superpowers rule in the kitchen as John tried to speed up cooking with his Heat Vision.

• John watched a Transformers cartoon and asked why Optimus Prime did not kill Megatron outright.
• Lynn explained that heroes needed to protect civilians, control their brutality, and present a reassuring image, then taught John how to smile sincerely.
• Stan Edgar told Madelyn that Vought could use John's attachment to Lynn to control him and wanted John to become The Chosen One in five years.
• Lynn cooked steak while John offered to help by using his Heat Vision on the gas flame.
• Lynn stopped John and made him promise not to use superpowers in the kitchen.

After nearly three months of teaching John, Lynn faced a deadly containment breach in their apartment when Vought deliberately released No. 73 to test John. John killed the attacker to save Lynn, and Lynn reassured him that protecting family came before his rule against killing.

• Lynn taught John during their daily lessons and played Monopoly with him when the lights failed and a containment-breach alarm sounded.
• Madelyn discovered that No. 73 was heading toward Sector B, and Stan Edgar admitted he had arranged the breach to test whether John would protect Lynn and break his no-killing rule.
• No. 73 melted through the apartment wall and attacked Lynn with acid, while John shielded him from the corrosive spray.
• John tore off No. 73's arm, then vaporized his head with Heat Vision when Lynn was endangered by the monster's infrasound.
• John worried that Lynn would be angry because he had killed No. 73, but Lynn praised him and told him that protecting family was the highest rule.

After recovering from an assassination attempt, Lynn saw Stan Edgar turn his bond with John into Vought’s means of control. Back in their rebuilt home, Lynn began teaching John to use his power with precision and prepare for the wider world’s factions and schemes.

• Lynn woke in the medical room, where Dr. Sarah treated him and John revealed how fiercely he had guarded his bedside.
• Lynn persuaded John to stop treating the doctors as threats and to distinguish friends from enemies.
• Stan Edgar told Madelyn that Lynn was John’s fuse and promoted Lynn, granting him greater security, status, and privileges to keep him loyal to Vought.
• A week later, Lynn and John returned to their refurbished apartment, where John vowed to protect their home and stop holding back his power.
• Lynn taught John that strength required precision and announced lessons on the world’s factions, plots, and schemes.
• John accepted Lynn’s plan to train him into a powerful ruler who could establish his own order of justice.

Lynn taught John about the powerful groups and abilities in the world, then explained why he could not gain powers himself. When John feared losing Lynn and vowed to eliminate anyone who might hurt him, Lynn urged him not to harm innocent people and reassured him that following the rules and growing stronger would protect them both.

• Lynn showed John a map of Vought International, European Wizards, and Huaxia's Outsiders, explaining their powers and warning him not to become arrogant.
• John asked why Lynn was ordinary despite knowing about Compound V, magic, and qi, and said he wanted to make Lynn stronger.
• Lynn explained that adult Compound V injections were dangerous, magic required wizarding blood, and he could not leave the company to learn qi cultivation.
• John decided he would get rid of everyone who might hurt Lynn, fearing that he could lose the only family he cared about.
• Lynn warned John not to treat the whole world as an enemy or hurt innocent people, then reassured him that he could protect Lynn by following the rules and growing stronger.

Lynn learned that the world held many supernatural powers and reviewed secret reports about them while John continued his training. Madelyn introduced Sparks, a new A-rank electric-powered recruit, to Lynn.

• John resolved to find a way to give Lynn powers so Lynn could protect himself, then challenged him to another game of Super Mario.
• Stan Edgar decided Vought could exploit John's desire to protect Lynn by promising him a power-granting reward for dangerous or unethical missions.
• Lynn reviewed classified reports of magic, martial arts, and other supernatural powers from around the world.
• John caught 120 glass marbles fired at him without cracking any, demonstrating precise control and exceptional reflexes.
• Madelyn brought Sparks, a new recruit with high-voltage electricity powers, to meet Lynn, and Sparks sat down with his feet on Lynn's desk.

Lynn arranged a combat assessment to test John’s strength and emotional control, but John defeated Sparks in seconds while following Lynn’s rules with chilling literalness. The test ended with Sparks unconscious and badly injured, while Lynn realized he still had to teach John empathy.

• Madelyn delivered President Edgar’s order for a dynamic combat assessment, and Lynn introduced Sparks as John’s opponent.
• Sparks attacked John with a powerful bolt of lightning, but John remained unharmed and reprimanded him for launching a sneak attack.
• John shattered the bones in Sparks’s right arm, then threw him into the Alloy Wall and knocked him unconscious.
• John explained to Lynn that he had followed the rules and left Sparks able to appear on television, calling his injuries considerate.
• Lynn praised John’s control and promised fried chicken, then privately recognized that John still needed to learn human empathy.

Lynn tried to teach John empathy by giving him a golden retriever puppy named Buddy to care for. John began to bond with Buddy, but that night he secretly left the apartment through its retinal-locked door.

• After seeing John's emotionless obedience during the combat test, Lynn decided to teach him empathy with a pet.
• Lynn brought home Buddy, a golden retriever puppy, and explained that John had to care for the fragile animal.
• John carefully held Buddy, felt the puppy's trust, and agreed to feed and look after him.
• Late that night, John tucked Buddy's blanket around him and quietly opened the apartment door using his access privileges.

John went to Area D to interrogate Takeda, seeking a way to make Lynn stronger without Compound V. Takeda revealed that the Yasakani Blood Jade could strengthen and protect an ordinary person, and John left to retrieve it from Vought headquarters.

• John entered the Special Interrogation Room and asked Takeda how an ordinary person could gain power without Compound V.
• When Takeda refused to answer, John crushed his right kneecap and threatened to hurt him further unless he talked.
• Takeda revealed that the Yasakani Blood Jade could strengthen an ordinary person's constitution, slow aging, and protect its owner from one fatal danger.
• Takeda said Black Noir had brought the Blood Jade to Vought headquarters after the clash in San Francisco.
• John broke Takeda's remaining kneecap for being bad and rude, then left the interrogation room.