Chapter Summaries

Lynn addressed a global livestream from the ruins of Godolkin University, reassuring viewers about John and identifying the forces behind the conspiracy. He ended by accusing the world’s major powers of orchestrating the crisis.

• Major powers recognized Lynn as the man who had recently slaughtered or abducted leaders in their territories, and the dark web filled with bounties on his life.
• Ashley warned John that the record-breaking bounties had appeared, and Lynn calmed him before he could retaliate.
• Lynn summoned Eddie and asked him to set up the camera so he could address the world.
• Lynn introduced himself as a Vought director who had watched John grow up, and said no one knew John better.
• Lynn pointed to the dead woman and the vacant-eyed boy as participants in the conspiracy, then said the world’s powers had been the ones to set it off.

Lynn exposed the hidden reason global factions had targeted John: for decades, they had supplied Vought with people for Compound V experiments and feared their crimes would be revealed after Homelander ended their partnership. Their captured leaders confessed on a worldwide livestream, leaving the public and underground organizations in shock.

• Lynn explained that Vought had operated only in America for ten years, then snapped his fingers and replaced the livestream with feeds of dozens of kneeling captives.
• Viewers around the world recognized officials and supernatural leaders among the frightened captives, including MP Robert and a former underground-organization leader.
• Robert confessed that he had erased illegal immigrants' records and sent them to Stan Edgar, while other captives described supplying Vought with refugees and orphans for experiments and research.
• The captives admitted that Vought paid them with money and shares, and that they had suppressed reports of disappearances and provided bodies for Compound V research.
• The captives revealed that Homelander ended the agreements and cut off exports of Compound V after taking over Vought ten years earlier.
• The factions confessed that they had organized the overseas boycott to destroy Vought and conceal their collaboration.

Lynn exposed the global leaders who trafficked people for Compound V experiments, then explained that nine-year-old John had halted Vought’s production a decade earlier. As the public turned against the remaining powers, they redirected their campaign toward all Supes created with Compound V, and Lynn stayed calm, ready for this next phase.

• Lynn appeared across the feeds and killed the guilty leaders and chiefs after their confessions.
• Lynn told the world that John had stopped Compound V production ten years earlier, when he was nine, and revealed the deaths caused by the experiments.
• The public stopped abusing John, while the remaining powers realized their plans to remove Homelander and seize Vought had failed.
• The powers launched a final media campaign arguing that Supes made with Compound V should not exist, shifting public outrage onto every superhuman.
• Ashley informed Lynn of the growing backlash, but he remained composed because he had been waiting for it.

Lynn defended the 5,241 Supes as ordinary people who were not to blame for being given Compound V, then introduced Reggie during a live broadcast. Reggie revealed he was a Supe and demonstrated his incredible speed before a stunned stadium.

• Lynn addressed the global audience, arguing that the Supes were innocent of the circumstances of their birth and mostly lived ordinary lives.
• Lynn said some Supes had earned their success through hard work, then introduced one who could run faster than ordinary people.
• The broadcast cut to Reggie's final South American tour concert, where he stood quietly before tens of thousands of fans.
• Reggie told the audience that he was a Supe, surprising his fans and viewers around the world.
• Reggie vanished in a burst of wind, stole a spectator's baseball cap, and returned to catch his falling microphone before it had dropped ten centimeters.
• Reggie put on the cap and said he ran pretty fast.

Reggie told the stadium how John and the Vanguard Camp helped him escape Vought’s brutal experiments and begin a free life as a singer. The worldwide broadcast then introduced Tommy, who admitted he was a Supe while demonstrating that his power was telekinesis, not the source of his gaming records.

• Reggie described how his awakened speed repeatedly broke his bones during two years of forced training in Vought’s laboratory.
• Reggie said seeing John on television inspired him, and Madelyn later brought him to the Vanguard Camp, where John and Director Lynn treated the children like family.
• Reggie explained that John disbanded the camp, erased their Vought records, and told him to leave and pursue his own dreams.
• The worldwide livestream switched to Tokyo, where Tommy introduced himself as the arcade-record holder and admitted he was a Supe.
• Tommy claimed his gaming records came from practice and hand speed, then used telekinesis to float a cola can into a distant trash bin.

Tommy explained that his gaming records came from hard work, then introduced Kimiko, who thanked Kevin, Tommy, Lynn, and Homelander for saving her and her brother. The livestream reached Kevin in Australia, where a volunteer recognized his name and thought Kimiko looked familiar.

• Tommy showed his calloused hands and insisted he had earned his gaming records through practice, not telekinesis.
• Tommy admitted he had been part of Vanguard Camp and brought Kimiko on camera to introduce the next person.
• Kimiko explained that she now worked as a convenience store cashier and thanked Tommy for taking her in and Kevin for saving her and her brother.
• Kimiko thanked Lynn and Homelander for giving them new lives, then bowed to the camera.
• Kevin watched the broadcast at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Conservation Base as a volunteer questioned why Kimiko had thanked someone with his name and said Kimiko looked familiar.

Kevin addressed a worldwide audience, recounting his childhood in Vought International’s laboratory and his place in Director Lynn’s Vanguard Camp. After his broadcast left his coworker stunned, Annie watched the segment in Paris and smiled at Kevin’s affection for Charlie.

• Kevin’s coworker recognized him on the television and dropped her soda when she realized he was broadcasting live.
• Kevin introduced his goldfish, Charlie, and described being bullied in Vought International’s laboratory for lacking superpowers.
• Kevin said he had imagined being able to talk to fish, but was grateful that his supposed ability had earned him a place in Director Lynn’s Vanguard Camp.
• Kevin praised the camp for treating him like family, then ended the broadcast to return to cleaning turtles and feeding Charlie.
• Kevin apologized to his stunned coworker and went to fetch a mop for the spilled soda.
• Annie watched Kevin’s broadcast at a Paris gallery, smiled at his devotion to Charlie, and left.

Annie told a global audience how Lynn and John rescued her from an exploitative childhood and how Black Noir taught her to paint, then defended them against online accusations. Lynn reminded viewers that Supes were people with ordinary lives and loved ones, and John ended the broadcast by thanking them.

• Annie spoke to the camera about her mother exploiting her glowing power and selling her to Vought International.
• Annie said Lynn removed her mother from her life, John comforted her, and Black Noir taught her to paint.
• Annie defended John and Lynn, saying she hoped there would be more people like them, then left the broadcast with Buddy.
• Lynn told viewers that Supes were people and urged them not to judge all of them by Vought International's worst actions.
• John, relieved by Lynn's support, stepped before the camera and said, "Thank you."

Benjamin watched John thank the cameras and vowed to retaliate against the people smearing his son. After Donatello traced their enemies’ hideouts, Benjamin and the four turtles set off from Siberia in a helicopter to attack them.

• Benjamin grew furious over the online campaign against John and argued with Michelangelo about their organization’s name, Four Turtles and One Man.
• Donatello traced the groups spreading false information and displayed their safe houses and command centers on a world map.
• Benjamin armed himself with his black military overcoat and alloy shield while Leonardo and Raphael prepared to leave the base.
• Benjamin and the four turtles boarded a warmed-up attack helicopter and flew into the Siberian blizzard to visit their targets.

After the Godolkin University massacre, Lynn arranged care for Marge and considered who should guide the blank-slate Clone. He and John then confronted Mesmer, who begged for his life and offered to become their obedient dog.

• Lynn helped the Vought workers recover bodies from the ruins, and he sent the unconscious Marge to headquarters for medical care.
• Lynn found the Clone who resembled John and decided Marge could guide him once she recovered; John accepted Lynn’s choice without question.
• Workers brought out Godolkin’s body, and John told Lynn he had kept the researchers who extracted serum from Stormfront alive.
• Lynn and John approached Mesmer, who had been pretending to be unconscious, and John threatened to kill him unless he opened his eyes.
• Mesmer sprang up, blamed Neuman and Doctor for forcing him to help, and begged Lynn and John to spare him, offering to become their dog.

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.