Chapter Summaries

Solomon realized Starlight had become more attached to him than to Hughie after he saved her from Homelander. He let Starlight stay at his apartment while he entered an invisible, unresponsive dormant state, leaving her curious about him.

• Solomon realized Starlight viewed him as her rescuer and had lost much of her trust in Hughie.
• Solomon tried to discourage Starlight from accompanying him, but she insisted on supporting his arm as they left the conference room.
• Starlight admitted she feared Homelander would have killed her, and Solomon comforted her on the way to the apartment.
• Starlight asked to stay because she was afraid to go back alone, and Solomon agreed before lying down and turning invisible.
• Solomon explained that he stopped breathing and his heart stopped while he slept, then became unresponsive as his clone entered a dormant state.
• Starlight cautiously touched Solomon's invisible face and, increasingly curious, reached down along his chest beneath the blanket.

Solomon ambushed A-Train at Hughie's empty house, broke his leg, and gained super speed +1. After discovering the upgrade quadrupled his speed to Mach 4, Solomon realized he needed training to control it and noticed he still had many abilities he could upgrade.

• Solomon went invisible to Hughie's house, where he waited for A-Train to arrive.
• Solomon broke A-Train's leg with a crowbar, knocked him unconscious, and gained super speed, which upgraded to super speed +1.
• Solomon returned to his apartment and sensed something unusual involving his duplicate.
• Starlight reached toward a bulge beneath the blanket beside Solomon's duplicate, then panicked when Solomon spoke and hurried out.
• Solomon checked his superpower panel and found that super speed +1 doubled his speed and control, letting him reach Mach 4.
• Solomon realized he could not yet control speeds above Mach 2 and saw that many of his abilities remained available for upgrades.

Solomon decided to postpone targeting Black Noir and chose Starlight as his next potential target, while Maeve confronted him over revealing her secret about Irina. He explained that Irina would likely have exposed herself to Homelander eventually, then revealed Homelander had tried to kill him because he smelled Maeve on him.

• Solomon planned to wait for a dangerous Supe criminal to appear so he could observe Black Noir before attempting to take his ability.
• Solomon chose Starlight as his next target but decided to let her recover before approaching her.
• Maeve confronted Solomon in his apartment and demanded to know why he had told Homelander about Irina.
• Solomon argued that Irina would eventually have sought Maeve out, allowing Homelander to discover their connection anyway.
• Solomon told Maeve that Homelander had tried to kill him because he smelled her scent on him.

Solomon made peace with Maeve, who hinted that the people responsible for Translucent’s death had escaped Homelander at the Faith Expo. He then found Ashley fired and packing her things, but ordered her to find him a new Supe target and promised to speak to Madelyn after dealing with Flame.

• Solomon told Maeve that he had killed him three times in retaliation, and she accepted that they were even before leaving.
• Maeve hinted that Translucent’s killers had been hiding in the Faith Expo crowd and escaped when Homelander left unexpectedly.
• Solomon suspected Maeve knew too much but decided he needed to acquire more Supe abilities to strengthen his offense.
• Solomon found Ashley packing after Madelyn fired her as a scapegoat for the Faith Expo scandal, then insisted she continue finding Supe targets for him.
• Ashley arranged for Solomon to face Flame, whose mouth could unleash powerful high-temperature flames, and Solomon told her to stay while he spoke to Madelyn afterward.

Solomon tested Flame’s combat ability at the training ground and defeated him, gaining the Flame Jet ability. He then planned to meet Madelyn and keep Ashley in her position so he could learn about Vought’s secret facilities.

• Solomon reassured Ashley that he would try to keep her from being fired, then went to assess Flame at the training ground.
• Flame attacked Solomon with a sustained stream of fire, but Solomon remained unharmed as his uniform burned away.
• Solomon walked through the flames, knocked Flame unconscious, and acquired the Flame Jet ability.
• Solomon noted that Ashley had arranged the medical and security follow-up, then planned to meet Madelyn and seek information about Vought’s secret locations.

A Supe terrorist destroyed a Navy SEAL team, leaving FBI agent Susan convinced that Vought and its Supes could no longer be controlled. Back at Vought, Solomon challenged Madelyn over Ashley’s firing, but Homelander arrived before she could respond.

• A shirtless Supe appeared at a terrorist base in Syria and detonated an explosion that killed the Navy SEALs, then walked away unharmed.
• Homelander watched the destruction from the sky before flying off, while FBI agent Susan reviewed the footage and realized ordinary forces could not stop Supes.
• Madelyn returned to Vought after questioning by federal authorities and the CIA, relieved that the Supe attack had shifted attention away from her.
• Solomon told Madelyn that Ashley should remain in her role and argued that The Seven, not Vought, should decide whether to keep her.
• Madelyn felt the familiar pressure of someone she could not control, but relaxed when Homelander entered her office.

Homelander confronted Madelyn about concealing the truth that Becca had died while carrying his child, then revealed that he had created the Supe terrorist to distract from Vought’s crisis. Solomon left the office after agreeing that the Seven should control their own staff, and Homelander’s confession left Madelyn stunned.

• Homelander backed Solomon’s claim that the Seven should decide the fate of their personnel and told Solomon to leave so he could speak privately with Madelyn.
• Homelander told Madelyn he had visited Vogelbaum and learned that Becca had died while carrying his child, and Madelyn admitted that Vought had hidden the truth to protect him.
• Homelander rejected Madelyn’s attempt to comfort him and suggested that the Supe terrorist’s timely appearance had been deliberately arranged.
• Homelander admitted that he had created the Supe terrorist by having A-Train distribute Compound V to extremist Jihadists around the world.

Homelander celebrated how the Supe terror crisis had strengthened Vought and secured political support, then grew suspicious when Madelyn described the death of their child as a miscarriage. He left to confront Dr. Vogelbaum and find out what had really happened.

• Homelander told Madelyn that the crisis he orchestrated would leave Vought and The Seven as the only force able to control Supe villains.
• Madelyn realized the crisis had diverted scrutiny from Vought and cleared its path into the military sector, then became intimate with Homelander.
• Madelyn said members of Congress had called to support Vought and promised Homelander she would keep no more secrets from him.
• Madelyn described the loss of their child as a miscarriage, but Homelander remembered Dr. Vogelbaum saying the fetus had killed both mother and child.
• Homelander became unsure whether Madelyn or Dr. Vogelbaum had lied and hurried out to verify the truth with Vogelbaum.

Madelyn worried that Homelander was growing beyond Vought’s control and resolved that Solomon and Starlight were liabilities. Meanwhile, Hughie and Butcher split over whether to rescue their captured friends or pursue Madelyn, and Hughie was left weighing Butcher’s advice to seek Solomon’s help.

• Homelander ordered Madelyn to keep Ashley, then left, while Madelyn feared Solomon had encouraged him to defy Vought and decided Solomon and Starlight had to go.
• Solomon arranged to meet Gecko and the Supe test subjects at the underground club at ten that night.
• After the CIA arrested Frenchie, Mother's Milk, and Kimiko, Butcher told Hughie he planned to approach Madelyn, while Hughie insisted on rescuing their friends.
• Butcher and Hughie parted ways, and Butcher told Hughie that Solomon could help him rescue the captured companions.
• Left alone, Hughie remained furious with Butcher but considered his suggestion to ask Solomon for help.

Hughie kept calling Annie for help, while Butcher trapped Madelyn in her darkened home and rigged her with bombs to lure Homelander. Solomon secretly contacted Madelyn and offered to save her child in exchange for access to her memories, undermining her confidence that Homelander would rescue her.

• Hughie repeatedly called Annie, hoping she could free Frenchie and the others from CIA custody, and the call finally connected.
• Butcher ambushed Madelyn at her home, tied her to a chair, covered her with bombs, and sent Homelander a message to make him come.
• Madelyn remained confident that Homelander would save her, while Butcher waited with the bomb remote.
• Solomon spoke to Madelyn from inside her ear and offered to save her child if she let him read some of her memories.
• Solomon warned Madelyn that Homelander might kill her and her child after learning the truth about Becca and his son, leaving her pale and trembling with doubt.

Solomon used Memory Reading on Madelyn to uncover Vought’s hidden facilities and key secrets, then secured her silence with a clone placed inside her head. He began carrying out his promise to save her child, Teddy, by anesthetizing him so he could be taken away safely.

• Madelyn agreed to Solomon’s demands because she wanted to protect her child, and Solomon read her memories.
• Solomon learned about Vought’s secret facilities, Stormfront and Lamplighter’s bases, and the location where Becca and Ryan were hiding, but found no information about Soldier Boy.
• After confirming Madelyn had not considered betraying him, Solomon placed a dormant clone in her head as a lethal safeguard.
• Solomon sent a clone into the nursery, where it found Teddy awake and the nanny, Maria, unconscious.
• Solomon’s clone used the anesthetic left by Butcher to put Teddy into a deep sleep.

Solomon discovered that Teddy had Teleportation, rescued him from Madelyn’s villa, and brought him safely to City Center Hospital, gaining a major boost to his energy. Back at the villa, Homelander arrived and asked where Teddy was, while Butcher realized someone had taken the child and Homelander noticed his reaction.

• Solomon sedated Teddy and learned that the child had Teleportation, which he immediately used to escape the villa with him.
• Solomon’s energy rose to level 3.219, and he teleported Teddy to City Center Hospital before returning to the villa.
• Homelander arrived at the villa, where Butcher waited with the bomb remote and Madelyn remained bound to a chair.
• Homelander asked where Teddy was, making Madelyn realize he had come for the child and relieving her that Teddy was safe.
• Butcher wondered who had taken Teddy, and Homelander noticed his reaction and addressed him as Billy Butcher.

Solomon secretly watched Homelander kill Madelyn and escape the explosion with Butcher. Afterward, Solomon sent his duplicate to clean up and returned to Vought Tower, where he went to meet Supes waiting at the Vought Club.

• Homelander questioned Butcher and cruelly taunted him about Becca, but Butcher stayed silent and refused to react.
• Homelander killed Madelyn with his laser vision before Butcher could carry out his revenge.
• Butcher detonated the bombs on Madelyn, destroying the villa, while Homelander carried him out of the blast.
• Solomon emerged from hiding and ordered his blood-covered duplicate to wash before returning to Vought Tower.
• Solomon entered the Vought Club, where the manager respectfully escorted him to a private room.

Solomon met Gecko’s fellow Research Department subjects and acquired their abilities by knocking them unconscious. He left the club after learning that no new Supes had appeared that evening.

• Gecko introduced Solomon to Thermal, Scavenger, and Hamster, and Solomon learned that Hamster’s mouth contained two vacuum storage spaces.
• Solomon thanked the three men for supporting Gecko and asked them to look after him in the Research Department.
• Solomon knocked Hamster unconscious and acquired his storage space ability.
• Solomon knocked Thermal and Scavenger unconscious and acquired thermal physiology and immunity to all poisons.
• Solomon promised Gecko help with trouble at work, then left the club after finding out there were no new Supes that evening.

Solomon gained three practical abilities and a dramatic improvement to his vision, then planned to master his new powers and eventually investigate the Red River Institute. Outside the CIA’s Black Prison, Annie decided to act after Hughie challenged her understanding of Vought, and she rushed inside when gunfire broke out.

• Solomon found that his level 3 energy gave each mouth-side storage space a capacity of one hundred cubic meters, while thermal physiology and poison immunity protected him from extreme temperatures, toxins, and viruses.
• Solomon’s vision reached level 2, letting him see fine details and track motion, but the strain caused pain and dizziness, so he closed his eyes and used echolocation to return to the Apartment.
• Solomon decided to master his abilities before looking for a chance to reach Becca and Ryan, and he added the Red River Institute to his plans.
• Solomon realized that the teleporting child at Red River might be Teddy, whom he had already rescued and whose teleportation ability he had acquired.
• Annie reconsidered her loyalty to Vought after Hughie revealed the truth about Compound V and called her a superhero.
• Annie heard gunfire erupt inside the CIA’s Black Prison, resolved to act, and charged inside.

Starlight helped Hughie’s group escape the CIA black site, then agreed to spar with Solomon the next day. Solomon learned that Ashley had become Vought’s vice president and that Vought planned to publicly make him the new Translucent, a development he strongly disliked.

• Starlight knocked out the guards around Hughie and the others, helping them escape the CIA black site, then returned to Vought Tower without telling Solomon about her betrayal.
• Solomon invited Starlight to spar the next day, and she confidently agreed to meet him in the training room.
• Solomon adapted to his enhanced vision and planned to use the sparring match to obtain Starlight’s power and explore flight.
• Ashley told Solomon that Madelyn had died and that she had become vice president, thanking him for helping her keep her position at Vought.
• Ashley announced that Vought’s bill had passed and that The Seven had to attend a celebration that night.
• Ashley told Solomon that Vought would announce him as the new Translucent and build a public brand around him, leaving him alarmed by the prospect of increased exposure.

Solomon sparred with Starlight to test her strength, discovering that her blasts had limited damage but that she was far tougher than expected. Starlight unleashed a massive close-range attack while Solomon held her down, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Ashley gave Solomon a USB drive containing updated Supe information before leaving to meet Homelander.
• Solomon met Starlight at the elevator, and they went to the training grounds for their sparring match.
• Starlight destroyed much of the training room’s electrical equipment with a wide-area blast that knocked Solomon into a wall.
• Solomon dodged Starlight’s next blast, punched her abdomen, and found that she could withstand the hit and counterattack.
• Solomon caught Starlight’s arm, threw her to the floor, and pinned her by the neck.
• Starlight intensified the electricity in the room and unleashed a level-three surge of light energy at Solomon’s head.

Solomon defeated Starlight after she exhausted the electricity in the training ground and lost access to her powers. He acquired Electricity Conversion and Control, learning that Starlight absorbed electricity and converted it into light energy, and left her unconscious on the floor.

• Starlight used powerful light blasts that knocked Solomon back but failed to injure him, while the attacks burned out the training ground's electrical equipment.
• Starlight ran out of electricity and could no longer use her ability, so Solomon struck her until she surrendered.
• Solomon reminded Starlight that the match ended only when she was unconscious, then choked her out.
• Solomon acquired Starlight's Electricity Conversion and Control ability and read that it absorbed external electricity and converted it into controllable light energy.
• Solomon examined his stat increases and reflected that Starlight had never learned to store electricity, leaving her powers dependent on her surroundings.

After defeating Starlight, Solomon explained the weaknesses in how she used her powers and suggested she store electricity in her body. Starlight thanked him, then asked whether the Seven were really the heroes Vought advertised, leaving their conversation focused on her disillusionment with the team.

• Starlight woke after Solomon had knocked her unconscious and admitted she had underestimated his strength.
• Solomon told Starlight her defenses were stronger than expected, but her crude and limited offense was weaker than he had imagined.
• Starlight explained that the training room’s power outage had weakened her light attacks, and Solomon suggested she store electricity inside her body for later use.
• Starlight thanked Solomon and said she would test his idea, then offered to treat him to a feast if it worked.
• Starlight asked Solomon whether the Seven matched their public image and described how Vought’s heroes seemed selfish, hypocritical, and violent.

Solomon told Starlight that Vought and Homelander depended on each other, but suggested that Soldier Boy might have been strong enough to challenge Homelander. Starlight recognized Soldier Boy’s supposed death as a possible Vought cover-up and left to investigate, while Solomon reviewed the new Supe files and planned to seek out Maverick.

• Solomon told Starlight that he had joined The Seven to find opponents and that Vought and Homelander were inseparable.
• Solomon suggested Soldier Boy might have been able to stand against Homelander, prompting Starlight to question the official story of his death.
• Starlight left to contact Hughie and Butcher and investigate the secrets surrounding Soldier Boy.
• Solomon returned to his apartment, opened the updated Supe files Ashley had delivered, and found Maverick’s profile.
• Solomon decided to seek out Maverick to upgrade his Carbon-Fiber Super Skin and planned to master electricity control to fly.