Chapter Summaries

Solomon exposed Homelander’s crude fighting and revealed that Soldier Boy was alive and was Homelander’s biological father. Homelander rushed to seek answers from Vogelbaum, but Solomon stopped him to warn him about Soldier Boy’s deepest hatreds.

• Solomon blocked Homelander’s punch, struck his abdomen, and criticized his repetitive fighting style.
• Solomon told Homelander that Soldier Boy was alive and explained that the first-generation Compound V Supes could live almost indefinitely.
• Solomon warned Homelander that Soldier Boy would seek to reclaim his former status and then revealed that Soldier Boy was Homelander’s biological father.
• Homelander rejected the revelation at first, but Solomon explained that Black Noir had helped Edgar conceal the truth and suggested asking Vogelbaum.
• Homelander set out to find Vogelbaum, but Solomon stopped him and said Soldier Boy hated three kinds of people most.

Solomon persuaded Homelander to face Soldier Boy with strength rather than seek his affection through weakness, and Homelander left to verify the truth with Vogelbaum. Solomon returned to the Apartment and reviewed his upgraded abilities, reflecting on the power he had gained from Maeve and other Supes.

• Solomon outlined three kinds of men and asked Homelander how he would reveal their relationship to Soldier Boy.
• Homelander chose to challenge Soldier Boy and prove that he was the strongest Supe, accepting Solomon’s advice to train and grow stronger.
• Homelander felt grateful and dependent on Solomon, but Solomon mistook his intense stare for romantic interest and told him he was not into men.
• Solomon urged Homelander to find Vogelbaum and verify the truth; Homelander flew from the 99th Floor while Solomon returned to the Apartment.
• Solomon checked his superpower panel, noted that nearly all his attributes had reached level 4, and recognized that Maeve had contributed more power than the other Supes.

Homelander secretly visited Dr. Vogelbaum to ask about the truth of his birth after learning he might have a biological father. Vogelbaum began to repeat the old cover story, but Homelander interrupted him by asking what he thought of Soldier Boy.

• Homelander arrived at Dr. Vogelbaum’s estate late at night and entered his bedroom while he slept.
• Vogelbaum woke from a nightmare about Homelander’s violent birth and the deaths of people in the laboratory.
• Homelander asked Vogelbaum whose sperm and egg had been used to create his embryo.
• Vogelbaum tried to claim Homelander’s parents had died long ago, but Homelander interrupted him and asked what he thought of Soldier Boy.

Vogelbaum confirmed that Soldier Boy was Homelander’s biological father and explained that Homelander’s mother was an ordinary Supe who had died years ago. Learning Soldier Boy was still alive, Homelander resolved to become strong enough to earn his father’s recognition.

• Vogelbaum admitted that Vought had created Homelander using Soldier Boy’s sperm and said Soldier Boy had supposedly died years earlier.
• Homelander asked about his mother, and Vogelbaum explained that Vought’s original plan to use Private Angel’s egg had failed because of genetic rejection.
• Vogelbaum said Homelander’s mother was an ordinary Supe with no special background and had died many years ago.
• Homelander demanded to know what kind of person Soldier Boy was, and Vogelbaum described him as proud, defiant, powerful, and contemptuous of the weak.
• Homelander decided to become strong enough to overwhelm Soldier Boy and earn his biological father’s approval.

Solomon and Homelander arrived at Godolkin University, where Indira Shetty welcomed them. Recognizing Shetty’s role in developing a Supe-killing virus to avenge her family, Solomon resolved to stop the research before it began, then headed toward the stadium where the students had been gathered.

• Ashley introduced Indira Shetty to Homelander and Solomon when they landed at Godolkin University.
• Solomon recalled that Homelander had caused the deaths of Shetty’s husband and daughter, and that Shetty would later lead the development of a Supe-extermination virus.
• Solomon decided the virus could not be allowed to emerge, while Homelander chatted warmly with Shetty.
• Solomon signaled Ashley to lead the way and walked toward the stadium where the students had been assembled.

During Homelander’s visit to Godolkin University, Solomon secretly harvested the abilities of nearly every student in the stadium. He left the top ten Supes for later and discovered that his accumulated powers had raised all his base attributes to level four and greatly upgraded several abilities.

• Homelander basked in the students’ cheers as Shetty led the group into the stadium, while Solomon watched from the podium.
• While Shetty delivered her speech, Solomon used Mind Suppression on groups of forty students, defeating them for three seconds at a time and acquiring their abilities.
• Solomon rested between each batch and covertly harvested the abilities of all the students in the stands, copying 290 powers in half an hour.
• Solomon left the absent top ten Supes unharvested and checked his status, finding that all eight base attributes had reached level four.
• Solomon reviewed major upgrades to his Super Speed, Shapeshifting, Ant-Man Transformation, Super-Speed Healing, Laser Eyes, and Teleportation.

Solomon reviewed the more than 290 abilities he had harvested from Godolkin’s ordinary students and adjusted to the major boost in his powers. After the ceremony’s speeches, the showcase of the school’s top ten students began, ending with Luke Riordan’s entrance to a roaring crowd.

• Solomon assessed upgrades to his teleportation, storage, flight, telekinesis, electromagnetic pulse, and other abilities.
• Solomon noted that most of the harvested powers were bizarre and impractical, while only the top ten students and the Underground Experimental Facility’s test subjects remained as targets.
• Solomon sat through Principal Shetty’s speech while his enhanced senses and super brain processed his new abilities.
• Shetty finished her speech, Ashley spoke, and Homelander addressed the stadium before the top-ten showcase began.
• The host announced the ranked students, and Luke Riordan’s appearance drew thunderous cheers.

At Godolkin’s combat assessment, Vought offered the top ten students a chance to join The Seven, and Translucent challenged them to fight him together. After Luke, Jordan Li, and Andre Anderson failed to hit the invisible opponent, Translucent knocked two students unconscious and left the remaining eight on guard.

• A Godolkin administrator praised Luke as a possible successor to Homelander, prompting Ashley to cut him off when Homelander’s mood darkened.
• The host announced that Mr. Translucent would assess the top ten students, with an exceptional offer to join The Seven as the reward for excelling.
• The top ten students faced the challenge with varying confidence, while Luke, Jordan Li, and Andre Anderson stood out as the strongest direct combatants.
• Solomon turned invisible and told all ten students to attack him together.
• Luke and Jordan Li attacked the spot Andre Anderson identified, but Translucent evaded them and knocked the tenth- and ninth-ranked students unconscious.

Solomon overwhelmed Godolkin University's students with invisibility and speed, leaving Golden Boy Luke and Jordan to face him together. Their coordinated attacks failed against Solomon's defenses, and he caught Jordan by the neck and slammed him toward the ground.

• Solomon used invisible, high-speed attacks to defeat seven students while Luke, Jordan, and Andre struggled to locate him.
• Andre tried to track Solomon with magnetic-field disturbances and iron nails, but Solomon knocked him out.
• Luke unleashed a battlefield-wide sea of flames, allowing Jordan to spot Solomon through an unnatural hollow in the fire.
• Luke and Jordan attacked Solomon together, but he caught their fists and flung them away.
• Jordan fired energy pulses while Luke launched a fireball, but Solomon redirected the attacks and shielded himself with telekinesis.
• Solomon appeared behind Jordan, grabbed her by the neck, and slammed her toward the ground; Jordan switched to his male form to reduce the impact.

Solomon overwhelmed Jordan and Golden Boy in the assessment bout, then reviewed the abilities he had harvested at Godolkin University. After Jordan and Luke were named reserve members of the Seven, Solomon went with Homelander, Ashley, and Shetty to the university’s underground research facility, where Dr. Cardosa awaited them.

• Solomon pinned Jordan, withstood Golden Boy Luke’s flames, and threw Jordan out of the arena.
• Solomon subdued Luke in a chokehold, ending the bout in under three minutes as the crowd cheered for Translucent.
• Solomon told Homelander that Jordan and Luke were promising, while Homelander proposed making them reserve members of the Seven.
• Solomon inspected his harvested abilities, including newly strengthened mind control, and concluded his ability harvesting at Godolkin University.
• The university named Jordan and Golden Boy reserve members of the Seven, and Solomon headed to the underground research facility with Homelander, Ashley, and Shetty.
• Dr. Cardosa, the facility’s chief director and creator of a virus capable of killing Supes, waited at the entrance.

Solomon visited Vought’s underground research facility and harvested the abilities of all twenty-one Supe test subjects. He ordered the virus research shut down, then exposed Principal Shetty’s hatred of Supes and her revenge scheme, leaving Homelander suspicious of her.

• Solomon took the test-subject list from Cardosa and used Mind Control to defeat Sam, gaining Super Jump.
• Solomon defeated Becky and harvested the abilities of the remaining test subjects, including improved Super Hearing, Sonic Boom, Laser Eyes, and Teleportation.
• Solomon ordered Ashley to shut down the facility’s experiments and banned Vought researchers from developing viruses targeting Compound V.
• Cardosa panicked over the loss of his research project, while Principal Shetty pleaded with Solomon not to terminate it.
• Solomon told Shetty that he knew she hated Homelander and wanted to wipe out all Supes, exposing her concealed revenge plot.
• Shetty denied Solomon’s accusation, but Homelander trusted his judgment and grew suspicious of her.

Solomon exposed Shetty’s motive for developing a virus against Supes, and Homelander killed her before Solomon stopped him from killing Dr. Cardosa. As they left Godolkin University, Solomon ordered Ashley to replace its president and refocus the school on developing Supes’ abilities.

• Homelander accused Shetty of plotting genocide against Supes, and Solomon revealed that her name was Lily Shetty.
• Homelander connected Shetty to the deaths of her husband and daughter on Flight 37, then killed her when she denounced him.
• Homelander turned on Dr. Cardosa, but Solomon stopped him and ordered that Cardosa be given a new research project for Vought.
• Solomon left the Underground Research Facility with Homelander and Ashley, then criticized Godolkin University for prioritizing fame over developing students’ powers.
• Solomon instructed Ashley to hire a new president and establish a teaching system focused on helping every Supe grow stronger and hone their abilities.

Solomon learned that Soldier Boy had been freed from a Russian military base and ordered his people to track Soldier Boy and watch Crimson Countess. Homelander's hope of rescuing his father himself was dashed, while Solomon turned his attention to Neuman and prepared to leave Godolkin University.

• Solomon asked Ashley for progress on locating the first-generation Supes and the secret Russian base, but she reported that most leads had gone cold.
• Solomon told Ashley to prioritize finding Bombsight and to enlist the Russian gang leader Nina to help search for the base; Homelander insisted on going to Russia himself.
• Ashley received news that an unknown woman had raided a Russian military base, where soldiers were killed by precisely exploded heads, and escaped with a mysterious man.
• Solomon identified the woman as Neuman and concluded she had released Soldier Boy, then ordered Ashley to monitor Crimson Countess and alert him if Soldier Boy appeared.
• Solomon asked Ashley to compile information on Congresswoman Neuman, while Homelander grew furious that someone else had freed his father.

Mother's Milk and the others fled after Susan was killed in front of them, then received a photograph pointing to Soldier Boy's location. Butcher returned to the hideout, promising to take charge as the group faced the prospect of Soldier Boy and Homelander colliding.

• Mother's Milk told Susan about the smuggled Supe and the massacre, but Susan's head suddenly exploded, forcing the group to flee to their hideout.
• Frenchie's gang-connected friend delivered an anonymous photograph of Soldier Boy with a hotel address written on the back.
• Mother's Milk recognized Soldier Boy and prepared to hunt him, driven by the decades-old hatred stemming from his family's deaths.
• Frenchie tried to stop Mother's Milk, while Hughie warned that the anonymous lead might be a trap intended to pit Soldier Boy against Homelander.
• Butcher arrived at the hideout, examined the photograph, and declared that he was home.

Solomon confronted Neuman in her villa, where her blood manipulation failed against him. He used memory reading to uncover her role in Edgar’s plot and the schemes she had set in motion, while Neuman’s fate remained unresolved.

• Neuman returned to her villa and found Translucent, who was actually Solomon, waiting inside.
• Neuman tried to control Solomon’s blood, but her ability failed and caused her nose to bleed.
• Fearing for her child, Neuman surrendered and revealed that Edgar had sent her to free Soldier Boy and use him against Solomon.
• Neuman told Solomon she did not know where Edgar was because he contacted her through anonymous numbers.
• Solomon revealed that he could see her memories, exposing her dealings with Soldier Boy, Susan’s murder, and her use of Hughie and his companions.
• Solomon moved his hand from Neuman’s shoulder to her neck as her hidden schemes came to light.

Solomon spared Neuman after she offered to serve him, then used Mind Control to force her to inject her daughter with Compound V as a warning. He gained Blood Manipulation +1 and left Neuman terrified of his power and furious at Edgar.

• Solomon tightened his grip on Neuman’s neck and threatened to send her daughter to the Red River Institute.
• Neuman offered to help Solomon find Edgar and use her political position to support Vought, so Solomon spared her and ordered her to seek the presidency.
• Solomon gave Neuman Compound V for her daughter and secretly used Mind Control to take control of her.
• Neuman was forced to inject her sleeping daughter with Compound V, then regained control of her body when Solomon released the psychic restraint.
• Solomon gained Blood Manipulation +1, which doubled the ability’s power and precision and let him trigger blood explosions.
• Neuman realized Solomon had controlled her as a warning and cursed Edgar for concealing the danger and using her as a pawn.

Butcher and Hughie searched for Soldier Boy at a motel, then found him outside Legend’s apartment and tried to recruit him. As Soldier Boy began asking about their target, Homelander appeared and landed in front of them.

• Butcher and Hughie found Soldier Boy’s motel room empty and realized Neuman’s lead was outdated.
• Butcher decided to seek information from Legend, Vought’s former vice president, and drove Hughie to Legend’s apartment building.
• Butcher and Hughie spotted Soldier Boy leaving the building, and Soldier Boy mocked Hughie before dismissing them.
• Butcher followed Soldier Boy and offered to help him understand the current world and find whoever he was seeking.
• Soldier Boy asked Butcher who he was and whether someone had sent him, but Homelander descended before he could finish questioning him.

Homelander confronted Butcher and Soldier Boy, then attacked Soldier Boy after the latter mocked him. Solomon watched from hiding with Hughie as the fight began, leaving Soldier Boy struggling to withstand Homelander’s lasers.

• Homelander blamed Butcher for freeing Soldier Boy and threatened him, while Hughie hid behind a car and feared for their lives.
• Solomon appeared beside Hughie and assured him that Homelander and Soldier Boy would soon fight, since he had arranged their confrontation.
• Soldier Boy mocked Homelander as a cheap knockoff, prompting Homelander to declare himself his ultimate upgrade and attack.
• Soldier Boy broke Homelander’s chokehold with his shield and tried to punch him, but Homelander dodged and fired lasers at him.
• Soldier Boy blocked the lasers with his shield, which heated, blackened, and began to crack under the attack.

Homelander defeated the weakened Soldier Boy, who unleashed a devastating chest blast before collapsing from exhaustion. Butcher sent Hughie and Solomon away and approached Homelander, betting that Becca would keep him from being killed.

• Soldier Boy’s shield broke, but Homelander caught both of his punches and kicked him to the ground.
• Homelander realized Soldier Boy was weakened and offered to let him recover before they fought again, enraging Soldier Boy.
• Soldier Boy unleashed his chest blast, destroying a parked car, then collapsed unconscious from exhaustion.
• Homelander checked that Soldier Boy was alive while Butcher, Hughie, and Solomon watched in shock.
• Butcher ordered Hughie and Solomon to leave, then approached Homelander, gambling that Becca would restrain him.

Butcher confronted Homelander and revealed that he knew Ryan was his son, then tried to bargain for Becca’s freedom by offering to help Homelander gain Ryan’s acceptance. Homelander rejected the proposal and grew more enraged, leaving Butcher in mortal danger as Solomon and Hughie approached.

• Butcher provoked Homelander by suggesting that Ryan might be his own son, and Homelander admitted that Ryan was his child with Becca.
• Butcher reasoned that Becca’s influence over Ryan was why Homelander had spared him, then taunted Homelander about being a stranger to his son.
• Homelander seized Butcher by the collar and threatened him, while Hughie urged Solomon to flee.
• Solomon calmly walked toward Homelander, and Hughie chose to follow and stand beside him.
• Butcher offered to help Homelander win Ryan’s acceptance in exchange for freeing Becca, but Homelander became more furious and tightened his grip.