Chapter Summaries

Butcher took Becca to dinner, where a Wild Wolf Gang member's attack triggered a street shootout that left Becca gravely wounded. John learned the gangs had opened fire early, punished three bullies, and raced toward Brooklyn as casualties mounted.

• Butcher and Becca shared dinner and named the bulldog puppy Little Terror.
• A Wild Wolf Gang member harassed Becca, and Butcher broke his finger and shot him when he reached for a gun.
• The shot triggered an early gang shootout, and a stray bullet pierced Becca's abdomen while Butcher shielded her.
• Ashley told John the Brooklyn shootout had begun two and a half hours early, before civilians could be evacuated.
• John used his lasers to disable three bullies in an alley, then flew toward Brooklyn.

John saved Becca from bleeding to death after killing the gang members attacking the street, leaving Butcher stunned by the rescue. In Brazil, Reggie raced to recover Hughie's stolen backpack, but Robin stepped into his path as he sped toward the motorcycles.

• John descended into the gang battle and killed the armed gang members with his Heat Vision.
• John used controlled Heat Vision to cauterize Becca's wound, then told Butcher that Vought's medical vehicle would arrive in two minutes.
• Hughie failed to meet Reggie after the concert, and two bikers stole his backpack containing Reggie's album.
• Reggie heard Hughie's calls for help and sped after the bikers to retrieve the backpack.
• Robin ran out from a blind spot into the road just as Reggie approached at full speed.

Reggie rescued Hughie and Robin from bikers, signed Hughie’s album, and left before the police arrived. Elsewhere, Kevin joined a sea turtle monitoring mission near the Philippines while Kimiko remained trapped in a militant camp, where a research vessel had just been spotted.

• Reggie used Bullet Time to dodge Robin and retrieve Hughie’s backpack without seriously hurting anyone.
• Hughie recognized Reggie, got his album signed, and promised to keep the encounter secret before Reggie sped away.
• Kevin fed Charlie on a volunteer research vessel near the Philippines, then tucked the goldfish into his vest pocket when a colleague called him to help.
• Kimiko continued resisting the militants’ indoctrination while working in the camp alongside her younger brother.
• An armed militant reported that the camp had spotted a World Animal Protection research vessel to the northeast.

Kevin used Charlie to stop terrorists who attacked the research vessel, then helped Kimiko and her brother plan for a new life in Japan. After rescue boats and police arrived, Kimiko bowed to Kevin in gratitude.

• The terrorists surrounded the research vessel and shot a security guard when he reached for his weapon.
• Kevin summoned sharks and whales to rock the speedboats, then threw Charlie into the leader’s boat, where Charlie transformed and destroyed it.
• Kimiko recognized Kevin as the one who had saved the captives, but kept her discovery to herself.
• Rescue boats and police arrived, and the freed prisoners were handed over to them.
• Kevin gave Kimiko an address in Tokyo and told her to find his wealthy friend Tommy, who could help her and her brother.
• Kimiko thanked Kevin with a deep bow before he returned to the research vessel’s cabin.

Marge returned to the United States intending to trade her life to Homelander to free Duke, but Neuman and Mesmer found her and took her down after she refused to join them. Mesmer learned her plan, though his knowing smirk hinted he had concealed something from Neuman as they headed for Godolkin University.

• Marge cautiously let Neuman and Mesmer into her motel room and demanded to know how they had found her.
• Neuman said a powerful Supe had tracked Marge and asked her to return to Godolkin University, but Marge refused and said she had urgent business.
• Marge rejected Neuman's claim that they could kill Homelander, arguing that Edgar's greed had caused their suffering and she would not avenge him.
• Neuman used her power to incapacitate Marge after Marge tried to leave, then ordered Mesmer to read her memories.
• Mesmer told Neuman that Marge planned to surrender to Homelander in exchange for Duke's freedom, while concealing his own reaction as he prepared to carry her away.

Marge and Duke escaped Mesmer and Neuman, then traveled to New York to find Homelander. They chose to stay in a small restaurant and wait for the police, accepting that Vought would not let them go.

• Mesmer tried to steal the original Compound V from Marge’s backpack, but Duke stabbed him before he could inject it.
• Neuman sensed Duke and attacked him with her powers, but Marge knocked her unconscious.
• Marge and Duke agreed to find Homelander together and reached New York, where police and wanted posters were searching for them.
• Marge and Duke shared beef and potato stew, recalling how Edgar had used the meal to draw them into Vought’s control.
• After the restaurant owner called the police over Duke’s floating spoon, Marge and Duke stayed seated and listened to the sirens approach.

Homelander searched Godolkin University for the hidden cause of his unease, then rushed to a restaurant after Ashley reported Marge and Duke had appeared. Duke accused Marge of betraying him and held her hostage as Homelander approached.

• Homelander delivered a speech at Godolkin University, where he found no trace of what he suspected was concealed beneath the campus.
• Ashley told Homelander that Marge and Duke had appeared, and he burst through the Great Hall’s dome to leave.
• Duke asked Marge for water, then secretly took the case containing Original Compound V from his backpack.
• Homelander landed outside the restaurant and walked toward the entrance as police and reporters made way.
• Duke dropped his invisibility, grabbed Marge by the throat, raised the case, and accused her of betraying him to Vought.

John obtained the dark red serum after Duke died and returned to the Long Island Estate, where he opened Lynn’s Cryogenic Chamber and injected it into him. Black Noir watched, struck by the possibility that Lynn might awaken.

• Duke used Marge as a shield while threatening John, then shoved the serum case into her arms and charged at John.
• Duke collapsed in agony and exploded after accusing Marge of poisoning his food, while John remained protected by his force field.
• John took the serum case from Marge, retrieved the test tube, and flew from New York to the Long Island Estate.
• Black Noir was tending Lynn’s Cryogenic Chamber when John arrived and opened it.
• John injected the dark red serum into Lynn as Black Noir watched.

John revived Lynn with original Compound V, and Lynn woke after ten years to find John and Black Noir waiting for him. As John reunited with Lynn, Deadpool discovered a bloodied old man and reacted excitedly to the blood.

• John changed into an old gray hoodie and waited with Black Noir as Lynn’s heartbeat returned and he woke in the Cryogenic Chamber.
• Lynn recognized John as “Little champ,” and John broke down crying in his arms.
• John told Lynn he had been asleep for ten years and that he had sent Reggie, Annie, Tommy, Buddy, and the others away from the United States.
• John described taking control of Vought International and cleaning up America and much of the world, and Lynn thanked him for his hard work.
• John offered to cook for Lynn, but Black Noir went to the kitchen instead while John sat beside Lynn, smiling.
• Deadpool tasted blood from a dead old man and exclaimed that he had found someone.

Neuman brought the badly injured Mesmer to the Doctor, where he revealed that Marge had carried Original Compound V. The Doctor said Homelander had not injected it and announced that a new Supe had appeared beside him, then revealed his name as Thomas Godolkin.

• Neuman warned Mesmer to explain himself to the Doctor and brought him through a hidden elevator into the underground laboratory.
• Neuman blamed Mesmer for ruining their attempt to bring Marge back, and the Doctor demanded to know what Mesmer had seen in Marge's memories.
• Mesmer confessed that he had found Original Compound V in Marge's backpack and tried to keep it for himself.
• Neuman feared Homelander might use the first-generation potion, but the Doctor said Homelander had not injected it and sensed a new Supe beside him.
• The Doctor reassured Neuman and identified himself as Thomas Godolkin.

Lynn reflected on the ten years he had missed while frozen and listened as John explained why he had sent the children away for their safety and freedom. As Lynn struggled to recall an important missing memory, Ashley reported that the police had arrested Marge, leaving John and Lynn staring at each other.

• Lynn looked over the quiet backyard and mourned the years he had missed with the children.
• John explained that he had sent the children away because enemies targeting him made it dangerous for them to stay, and he wanted them to pursue their dreams.
• Lynn reassured John with a gentle touch, and the three men shared a peaceful meal in the backyard.
• Lynn retraced his memories from childhood through his time with John but could not identify the important thing he had forgotten.
• John asked whether Lynn was suffering from a side effect of cryogenic sleep, and Lynn said his head felt heavy.
• Ashley reported that the police had arrested Marge and asked John whether to transfer her to Vought's Supe prison; John and Lynn exchanged a stunned look.

Lynn learned that John had broken his promise to Marge and Duke while trying to recover the Compound V that could revive him, and he thanked John for saving him. After hearing how Duke died to protect Marge, Lynn told John to decide her fate, and John ordered her released.

• John confessed that he had hunted Marge and Duke after they took the only dose of original Compound V that might bring Lynn back.
• Lynn thanked John and reassured him that he did not blame him for breaking his promise to save a family member.
• John told Lynn that Duke had blown himself up to make it appear that Marge had killed him and thereby protect her.
• Lynn told John that he respected his judgment and would not overrule his decision about Marge.
• John told Ashley to release Marge, and Ashley asked in disbelief whether she had heard him correctly.

After being released, Marge mourned Duke’s death and was approached by Neuman, who tried to recruit her into an organization seeking Supe rule. Marge rejected the pitch by suggesting Neuman apply to Vought, but Neuman warned that Supes and Vought would disappear within a few years.

• Marge left the sheriff’s office, realized she had nowhere to go, and bought one bottle of water after remembering Duke.
• Neuman and Mesmer found Marge outside the convenience store, and Neuman accused her of sacrificing Duke to secure Homelander’s favor.
• Neuman offered Marge a place in her organization and claimed Homelander had given the original compound V dose to someone else.
• Marge asked about the organization’s goal, then told Neuman that an elite Supe should apply for a job at Vought.
• Neuman said Supes were disappearing because Homelander had allegedly stopped producing compound V, and declared that her group had to eliminate him.

Lynn walked through Manhattan with John and saw that the city’s residents treated John as a beloved hero. At Vought Tower, employees recognized Lynn despite his ten years in the Cryogenic Chamber, and John awkwardly reacted when Lynn asked how they knew him.

• John had the SUV stop several blocks from Vought Tower so he could walk through Manhattan with Lynn.
• Pedestrians recognized John and thanked him for protecting the city, and John greeted them warmly and helped a child who had fallen.
• A café manager gave John coffee as thanks, and John passed one cup to Lynn, who praised him with a pat and a thumbs-up.
• At Vought Tower, employees greeted Lynn as though he had never been away, while Bob recognized him and fled after seeing John.
• Lynn asked John why the employees knew him, and John paused, looked away, and scratched the back of his head.

Lynn learned that John had secretly halted Compound V production after discovering Vought was extracting supernatural power from people imprisoned on a Pacific island. Though John's actions led to Vought's worldwide isolation, Lynn recognized the injustice John had suffered and decided to seek justice for him.

• John told Lynn he had used a Supe called Puppet Man to make a lifelike body visit Vought once a month while Lynn was presumed dead.
• Lynn found that John had stopped Compound V production and read the confidential file revealing that Vought extracted supernatural power from imprisoned people on a Pacific island.
• John explained that ending overseas supplies prompted foreign elites to expose and exaggerate Vought's scandals, leading to boycotts and the expulsion of Vought Supes around the world.
• John said he was content with his life in the United States and his home on Long Island, despite the world's rejection of him.
• Lynn decided that John deserved justice and resolved to act on his behalf.

Godolkin laid out a plan to destroy Homelander’s reputation before killing him and taking over Vought, then Neuman recruited Frenchie as a potential hacker. Frenchie refused to join, saying Homelander’s purge of the criminal underworld had helped him escape addiction and build a peaceful life.

• Godolkin explained that his group would first ruin Homelander’s reputation so they could kill him and take over Vought without becoming irredeemable villains.
• Marge questioned whether Homelander had any dirt, and Godolkin argued that his status as a Supe could fuel public suspicion through online propaganda.
• Neuman recommended Frenchie as a skilled hacker, and Godolkin told her to recruit him herself rather than control him.
• Neuman, Marge, and Mesmer visited Frenchie, who appeared healthy and said he had quit drugs.
• Neuman asked Frenchie to join their organization and bring down Vought, but he refused.
• Frenchie explained that Homelander’s purge of gangs had spared him and helped him leave addiction behind, and he chose to keep his honest job and peaceful life.

Neuman and Mesmer erased Frenchie’s memories of his recovery and made him an addicted, Vought-hating recruit again. Frenchie left with them, unable to recognize the children he had adopted, while Marge followed in silence.

• Frenchie refused Neuman’s invitation and said he planned to take the children to Japan.
• Neuman used her powers to incapacitate Frenchie, and Mesmer erased his positive memories of Vought and his recovery from addiction.
• Neuman placed drugs beside Frenchie, and he relapsed before agreeing to help bring down Vought.
• Marge realized they had destroyed the life Frenchie had rebuilt but did not intervene.
• Frenchie failed to recognize his three adopted children, mocked Mesmer as their father, and left with Neuman, Mesmer, and Marge.

Neuman and Frenchie uncovered hidden footage suggesting Vought staged a gang shootout to make Homelander look like a hero. The footage also revealed Butcher at the scene, and Neuman decided to recruit him against Homelander.

• Frenchie searched Vought's database and found a hidden report and raw footage of a Brooklyn gang shootout.
• The footage showed Homelander killing the gangsters and comforting civilians before a Vought employee retrieved a camera planted in advance.
• Neuman concluded that Vought had staged the shootout and planned to use the footage to inflame public anger against the company and Homelander.
• Frenchie recognized Butcher in the footage and told Neuman that he had a blood feud with Vought.
• Neuman decided to find Butcher and recruit him, ordering Frenchie to locate where he lived.

Butcher struggled with his hatred of Homelander after the Supe saved Becca’s life, but footage revealed that Vought had staged the shootout and rescue. Once he learned Becca had been treated as expendable for Homelander’s image, Butcher agreed to help Frenchie’s group bring down Vought and Homelander.

• Butcher watched over Becca in the hospital and wrestled with owing Homelander for saving her during the street shootout.
• Frenchie brought Neuman, Mesmer, and Marge to meet Butcher and proposed that they join forces against Vought and Homelander.
• Butcher described Homelander as a seemingly flawless savior, and Neuman showed him footage of Vought’s rescue team finding and destroying the hidden camera.
• Neuman told Butcher that Vought had arranged the shootout to film a staged rescue, making Becca and other bystanders expendable.
• Butcher asked Frenchie how they would strike back, and Neuman said they needed to stir up excitement among internet users across America.

Lynn learned that Vought’s overseas partners had supplied and trafficked in human materials, and decided to seek justice in his own name so John would not bear the blame. Afterward, Lynn discovered the Yasakani Blood Jade had cracked, suggesting it had once saved him from fatal damage, and wondered how he could have died ten years earlier.

• Ashley noticed that John acted unusually close to Lynn as they left Vought together.
• Lynn cooked dinner at the Long Island Estate, where John ate before leaving to patrol and Black Noir joined them.
• Lynn told Black Noir he planned to punish the overseas powers involved in supplying human materials, and insisted he would act in his own name to protect John.
• Black Noir warned Lynn that the killings could worsen John’s reputation and that Lynn would face danger alone.
• Lynn examined the cracked Yasakani Blood Jade and suspected it had blocked the Old Minister’s Killing Curse ten years earlier, though he could not explain how he had died.