Recaps

Soldier Boy decided to protect his room by forcing Governor Pete to guard its door, and Black Noir brought Pete to him. Pete agreed to the month-long confinement after Soldier Boy threatened his daughter and demanded a suicide note that would end Pete’s governorship.

• Soldier Boy spared Frenchie, Kimiko, and Kenji after they stole his liquor, but ordered them to clean the toilets for a week.
• Soldier Boy decided to chain Pete outside his room and use him as a guard.
• Black Noir found Pete at home, showed him a photograph of his daughter at school, and abducted him.
• Soldier Boy chained Pete to a post beside a small wooden hut and ordered him to guard the door for a month.
• Soldier Boy threatened to have Black Noir take Pete’s daughter and asked Pete to write a suicide note blaming his guilt over framing Homelander.
• Pete agreed to guard Soldier Boy’s door for a month and began writing the note, while Soldier Boy promised to provide food and bathroom assistance.

Soldier Boy had Anika search Vought’s archives for Sage while Homelander’s live apology unraveled after an audience member challenged him about his father. Homelander left the stage, feared the damage to his approval rating, and then received a bizarre call from Soldier Boy.

• Soldier Boy asked Anika to find Sage, a former member of the Vought Young Heroes Squad, in Vought’s archives.
• Ashley urged Homelander to follow the apology script, and Starlight began defending him during the live broadcast.
• An audience member asked why Homelander’s father was not apologizing, and Homelander declared that he and his father never made mistakes before walking offstage.
• Ashley improvised a response to calm the audience while Homelander returned to his room and worried that his approval rating would fall.
• Soldier Boy called Homelander, whose phone played a strange song before he answered.

Homelander received Soldier Boy’s approval for his speech, then learned his approval rating had risen by 24 percent. Meanwhile, Soldier Boy arrived at Sage’s apartment after the system assigned him a mission to eliminate her superpower, and he knocked on her door.

• Soldier Boy praised Homelander’s speech and said he had inherited his tough-guy blood, lifting Homelander’s spirits.
• Ashley told Homelander that his approval rating had risen by 24 percent and that many older male fans supported him.
• Homelander suspected Stormfront had changed his ringtone, then flew off to share the good news with Ryan.
• Soldier Boy reached Sage’s apartment building and received a system mission to eliminate Sage’s superpower for 200 exchange points.
• Soldier Boy agreed to test the system’s theory about Sage and knocked on her door.

Soldier Boy visited Sage to recruit her for Vought and tested her intelligence, while Sage used surveillance and analysis to anticipate his actions. After deciding she had failed his final test, he began charging up his chest beams as Sage watched in surprise.

• Sage used a hidden camera to watch Soldier Boy arrive, then explained that she had predicted he would seek her out.
• Sage inferred Soldier Boy's plans for Vought and described a supposed sensitivity to bright light, while the system told him he was simply ill-mannered.
• Soldier Boy dismissed Sage's analysis as fabricated and gave her one last chance to predict what he would do next.
• Sage predicted that Soldier Boy would offer favorable terms to recruit her, but he called her answer wrong and lit up his chest beams.

Soldier Boy stripped Sage of her superpowers and carried her back to Vought, while Homelander brought Ryan to visit him and discovered Governor Pete locked in a small cabin outside Soldier Boy’s room. The chapter ended with Soldier Boy arriving and tossing Sage onto the floor as Homelander, Ryan, and Pete were gathered in the hallway.

• Soldier Boy used his Nuclear Chest Blast to remove Sage’s Compound V powers, then carried her back to Vought.
• Homelander visited Ryan, encouraged him to give speeches, and took him to Vought despite Becca’s concerns.
• Homelander brought Ryan to Soldier Boy’s room and found Governor Pete sleeping in a cabin outside it.
• Pete explained that Soldier Boy had hired him to guard the room for a month, and Homelander mocked him as his father’s pet.
• Soldier Boy arrived and tossed Sage onto the floor in front of Homelander, Ryan, and Pete.

Soldier Boy brought the brain-damaged Sage back to Vought and injected her with Compound V to restore her intelligence. Sage regained focus after a painful transformation, while Homelander learned a cruel new way to punish enemies by keeping Pete as a chained guard.

• Soldier Boy carried Sage into the hallway, where Homelander and Ryan greeted him and Homelander mocked Pete for guarding Soldier Boy’s door.
• Homelander proposed charging people to visit Pete, and Soldier Boy approved the idea as Pete cried over his remaining sentence.
• Soldier Boy introduced the disoriented, drooling Sage as a rare intelligence-based supe, but she clung to Homelander and smeared saliva on his clothes.
• Homelander scorched Sage’s cheek with restrained Heat Vision when she reached for his face, and Soldier Boy warned him not to kill his strategist.
• Soldier Boy injected Sage with Compound V, and after more than ten minutes of agony, her eyes refocused and her memories began reconnecting.

Soldier Boy and Homelander chose Hughie to take over a political role so Ashley could continue managing Vought. The next morning, Soldier Boy joined Homelander and Ryan for breakfast, where Homelander struggled to swallow the food he had ordered.

• Soldier Boy welcomed Sage into their group after testing her and sent her to contact Ashley about a room.
• Soldier Boy asked Homelander to find someone at Vought to replace Pete, and Homelander suggested Ashley.
• Homelander proposed that Ashley manage Vought while serving as governor, then recommended Hughie for the role; Soldier Boy agreed to appoint him.
• Homelander woke Soldier Boy the next morning and took him and Ryan to breakfast at Vought, where he revealed he had hired Chinese chefs.
• Soldier Boy offered Homelander West Lake Vinegar Fish and gave Ryan Fish Mint, while Homelander forced himself to swallow the unpleasant fish.

Soldier Boy tricked Homelander and Ryan into tasting fish mint and douzhi, then ordered normal food after laughing at their reactions. Homelander sent Ashley a furious message demanding that Vought sue the Chinese chefs and fire the human resources staff.

• Ryan tried fish mint and forced himself to swallow it after Soldier Boy told him not to waste food.
• Soldier Boy persuaded Homelander to eat fish mint by telling him a story about his mother, and Homelander pretended to enjoy it.
• Soldier Boy served Homelander and Ryan douzhi, and both spat it out after tasting it.
• Soldier Boy laughed, ordered Western food, and watched Homelander and Ryan recover from the meal.
• Homelander messaged Ashley to sue the Chinese chefs for poisoning and fire everyone in human resources, and Ashley followed his orders.

Homelander, Soldier Boy, and Ryan spent the morning capturing wild animals so Ryan could see them up close, enjoying a playful family outing. When Homelander had to leave for work, Ryan reluctantly accepted that they would have more time together later.

• Homelander and Soldier Boy packed the leftover breakfast dishes for Mr. Pete and arranged for A-Train to deliver them.
• Ryan asked to visit a zoo, and Homelander and Soldier Boy offered to catch animals for him instead.
• Homelander captured bears, deer, a bobcat, a moose, and other animals, bringing them to cages in an abandoned industrial area for Ryan to see.
• Soldier Boy tested his toughness by putting his hand in a cougar's mouth, and the cougar could not hurt him.
• Homelander stopped the outing at noon because he had Vought work, and Ryan reluctantly agreed to leave.

Homelander asked Soldier Boy to train Ryan, then left for Vought. Soldier Boy began pushing Ryan into increasingly dangerous falls, and Ryan’s first crash ended the chapter.

• Homelander promised Ryan he would make more time for him and asked Soldier Boy to help train Ryan.
• Soldier Boy agreed, and Homelander flew back to Vought while Ryan watched enviously.
• A system notification told Soldier Boy that helping Ryan awaken superpowers could earn him random rewards.
• Soldier Boy tossed Ryan higher and higher, then stepped aside as Ryan fell toward the ground.
• Ryan slammed face-first into the ground, and his intense fear triggered a sudden change in his body.

Soldier Boy pushed Ryan through a dangerous test until Ryan awakened super durability, then helped him discover its limits with a hard punch. Ryan insisted he was fine and begged Soldier Boy not to tell Becca what happened.

• Soldier Boy dropped Ryan from a height to force his powers to awaken, and Ryan survived the fall without injury.
• Ryan's super durability awakened, and Soldier Boy's super speed increased to level 3.
• Ryan celebrated his new ability and asked Soldier Boy to hit him with all his strength.
• Soldier Boy punched Ryan, sending him flying and leaving him in pain despite his durability.
• Ryan got to his feet and begged Soldier Boy not to tell Becca about the incident.

Soldier Boy repeatedly hurled Ryan into the air to force him to awaken flight, while Ryan relied on his durability to survive each fall. After a fall from 1,500 meters, a warm current swept through Ryan and eased his pain as Soldier Boy flew over.

• Soldier Boy mistook Ryan’s guilty expression for an injury, then proposed training him to fly.
• Soldier Boy threw Ryan about 100 meters into the sky, but Ryan fell without awakening flight.
• Soldier Boy launched Ryan from increasingly greater heights, and Ryan survived each impact while pleading for him to stop.
• Soldier Boy found Ryan hiding in a patch of woods and threw him again, sending him to about 1,500 meters.
• After Ryan crashed to the ground, a warm current spread through his body and quickly eased his discomfort.

Ryan awakened super flight after Soldier Boy repeatedly dropped him from great heights, then trained until he could fly freely. He returned to Vought with Soldier Boy and surprised Homelander by flying into the Seven's Meeting Room.

• Ryan's super healing awakened during Soldier Boy's training, earning Soldier Boy 100 Exchange Points.
• After falling from five thousand meters, Ryan awakened super flight and hovered above the ground before flying toward Soldier Boy.
• Soldier Boy decided to postpone training Ryan's other abilities and flew with him back to Vought, guiding him through hours of flight practice.
• Ryan improved his flight and mental resilience during the journey, then followed Soldier Boy through a window into the Seven's Meeting Room.
• Homelander saw Ryan fly in and asked in shock whether his son could fly now.

Ryan showed Homelander that he had awakened flight and super durability, and Soldier Boy revealed that Ryan had also developed super healing. Maeve challenged Soldier Boy over his dangerous training methods, then learned he had raised the stakes gradually and reluctantly accepted his reasoning.

• Ryan flew around the conference room and impressed Homelander, who felt proud that his son shared his abilities.
• Ryan tested his durability with a fruit knife, which broke without harming him, and Homelander told him he might someday become stronger than his father.
• Soldier Boy said Ryan had also gained super healing and offered to demonstrate by punching him, but Ryan fled behind Homelander.
• Homelander asked how Soldier Boy had awakened Ryan's powers, and Soldier Boy admitted he had thrown the boy thousands of meters into the air.
• Maeve rebuked Soldier Boy for risking Ryan's life, then heard that he had increased the height gradually and conceded that his method had some logic.

Homelander and Soldier Boy agreed to train Ryan by sending him into a tropical rainforest without supplies, while Maeve objected. After Ryan left, Homelander showed Soldier Boy footage of Stormfront brutally beating Hank and his two bodyguards.

• Homelander told Soldier Boy that Ryan had awakened super hearing and asked him to help awaken Ryan's other powers.
• Soldier Boy proposed a wilderness survival test, and Ryan agreed despite Maeve's objections.
• Homelander sent Ryan back to his room, then asked Soldier Boy if he remembered Hank.
• Homelander showed Soldier Boy surveillance footage of Stormfront torturing Hank and his two bodyguards while claiming she wanted to question them.

After learning that Vought shareholders had plotted against him and Homelander, Soldier Boy backed Homelander’s plan to kill them and share out their stock. The shareholders gathered to plan their survival, but Soldier Boy found them, while Billy escaped through a hidden door.

• Stormfront tortured Hank for information, and Hank revealed that his cousin Billy and other Vought shareholders had close ties to Governor Pete before Hank died.
• Homelander told Soldier Boy that the shareholders had leaked Ryan’s identity and helped steal evidence from his phone, and he proposed killing them and dividing their shares among himself, Soldier Boy, and Vought allies.
• Soldier Boy supported Homelander’s plan, and the two shared a smile.
• Billy gathered five other Vought shareholders in a New York apartment and warned them that Pete might have exposed them to Soldier Boy.
• When Soldier Boy burst into the meeting, Billy fled through a hidden door, leaving the other five shareholders facing him.

Homelander and Soldier Boy took control of Vought's largest individual shareholdings and gave Ashley a portion of the shares. They sent Ryan to begin a month-long rainforest survival trial, with Black Noir secretly assigned to protect and frighten him into awakening his powers.

• Homelander killed Billy as Billy tried to flee, leaving his head on the floor and terrifying the onlookers.
• Vought announced a redistribution of shares that made Homelander and Soldier Boy its largest individual shareholders, and Homelander gave Ashley a considerable portion of his shares.
• Homelander and Soldier Boy agreed to start Ryan's survival trial early after Ryan eagerly prepared to leave for the rainforest.
• Soldier Boy assigned Black Noir to secretly protect Ryan and proposed using scares and Compound V-enhanced animals to push him toward awakening his powers.
• Homelander dropped Ryan in the Amazon Rainforest for his month-long trial, while Black Noir watched from a tree in secret.

Soldier Boy checked Ryan’s abilities and learned that, unlike powers enhanced by the system, Ryan still needed training to master his. Meanwhile, Homelander reviewed Hughie’s campaign plan and told him Soldier Boy believed in him, leaving Hughie ready to pursue the governorship.

• Soldier Boy used the Old Popsicle System to inspect Ryan’s abilities and saw that his awakened powers could grow.
• Soldier Boy questioned Ryan’s level-three flight ability, and the system explained that Ryan had not yet mastered his powers while Soldier Boy had received maximum proficiency.
• Homelander received Black Noir’s report that Ryan had made camp and learned that Black Noir planned to frighten him and wreck his tent.
• Ashley told Homelander that Sage’s campaign plan for Hughie had an 80 or 90 percent chance of success.
• Homelander told Hughie that Soldier Boy had chosen him to run for governor because he believed in him, and Hughie vowed not to disappoint him.

Homelander overheard Frenchie urging Butcher and Mother's Milk to stop fighting Vought, while Frenchie defended his comfortable new life under Soldier Boy. After the call, Homelander confronted Frenchie and asked why Soldier Boy valued him so highly.

• Homelander used his X-Ray Vision and Super Hearing to discover Frenchie calling Butcher and Mother's Milk.
• Frenchie described his job, apartment, salary, girlfriend Kimiko, and luxuries at Vought, then urged Butcher and Mother's Milk to give up.
• Butcher rejected Frenchie's offer and said he and Mother's Milk would destroy Homelander and Vought; Mother's Milk privately regretted his circumstances but agreed to continue.
• Frenchie ended the call feeling he had fulfilled his obligations, then complained about Pete stopping him from stealing booze.
• Homelander appeared behind Frenchie, reassured him that he was not about to kill him, and questioned why Soldier Boy valued him.

Homelander interrogated Frenchie about his connection to Soldier Boy, but learned nothing before Sage interrupted them. After Frenchie called Kimiko, Homelander turned his attention to Neuman, his political rival and Hughie’s opponent.

• Homelander confronted Frenchie about why Soldier Boy treated him differently and whether he knew anything about Homelander’s father.
• Frenchie feared Soldier Boy might be attracted to him, but Homelander explained that his father insulted everyone and disliked gay people.
• Sage came upon Homelander intimidating Frenchie, told them she would keep what she saw secret, and left.
• Homelander departed without learning anything, while Frenchie called Kimiko and boasted that he had sent Homelander packing.
• Homelander hovered over New York and watched Neuman, recalling her opposition to him and her efforts to smear him and Soldier Boy.

Neuman tried to expose Compound V and bring down Vought, but Homelander stopped her after her powers failed to hurt him. Private Angel woke after a month of recovery and went to Soldier Boy to collect on his promise.

• Neuman prepared to expose Compound V at a hearing, but Homelander intercepted her outside the House Office Building.
• Neuman tried to use her powers to explode Homelander's head, but the attempt failed and ruptured blood vessels in her nose.
• Homelander flew Neuman back to Vought, intending to hand her over to Soldier Boy.
• Private Angel woke after sleeping for over a month and remembered Soldier Boy's promise.
• Private Angel found Soldier Boy in his room, and he welcomed her back before she asked whether he remembered what he had promised.

Private Angel teased Soldier Boy with a string of requests after waking from a month-long sleep, while Homelander brought Neuman to Soldier Boy's room. Homelander discovered that the woman making his father protest was Private Angel.

• Private Angel asked Soldier Boy to bring her food, liquor, nuts, and water, and he indulged her because she had sacrificed her life energy to save Black Noir.
• Homelander carried Neuman to Soldier Boy's room, where they encountered Pete, whom Neuman had believed dead.
• Homelander told Neuman she could pet Pete, who had become Soldier Boy's captive, while Pete urged her to stay calm.
• Homelander heard a familiar woman's voice inside Soldier Boy's room and followed Neuman in.
• Homelander saw Private Angel teasing Soldier Boy and recognized the woman who had once sexually harassed him.

Homelander brought Neuman to Soldier Boy and Private Angel, revealing that she had hired trolls to mock Soldier Boy online. After Neuman provoked the supes and hinted at Vought’s secrets, she secretly tried to use her power on Private Angel, then focused her attack on Soldier Boy.

• Soldier Boy recognized Neuman and learned from Homelander that she had hired the trolls who posted humiliating images of him.
• Soldier Boy grabbed Neuman by the hair and threw her into a wall after she taunted him about wearing maid outfits, while Private Angel laughed and Homelander struggled to hold back his own laughter.
• Neuman insulted Homelander and revealed that Vought’s drug production could be exposed, making Homelander angry as Private Angel urged Soldier Boy not to kill her.
• Neuman tried to use her power on Private Angel but found that Private Angel could withstand it, then gathered her strength to attack Soldier Boy.

Neuman tried to use her blood-control power to kill Soldier Boy, but his strength and roar caused her attack to backfire and fracture her skull. Private Angel healed Neuman, leaving Soldier Boy, Homelander, and Angel together as Homelander wondered at the power of the first-generation superheroes.

• Neuman failed to affect Soldier Boy with her power, and he shoved Homelander aside to confront her.
• Neuman’s attempt to attack Soldier Boy’s eyes backfired when his roar disrupted her control, fracturing her skull and leaving her unconscious.
• Private Angel sensed that Neuman would die without treatment, while Soldier Boy complained that she might escape his revenge by dying.
• Private Angel agreed to help and healed Neuman, though the effort left her tired.
• Homelander watched Private Angel’s power restore Neuman and wondered whether all first-generation superheroes were so powerful.

Soldier Boy stripped Neuman of her powers and chained her beside Pete as a guardian for his home. Meanwhile, Frenchie brought Mother's Milk into Vought, where he hoped his standing would keep them safe.

• Soldier Boy used his Nuclear Chest Blast to remove Neuman's powers, then told Homelander to arrange a kennel for her beside Pete's.
• Soldier Boy explained his power-stripping ability to Homelander, who felt relieved that his father seemed to be the only person capable of taking away powers.
• Neuman woke up chained in a cramped kennel beside Pete and learned that Soldier Boy expected them to guard his home.
• Ashley brought Neuman and Pete their meals and called them Soldier Boy's guardian beasts, while Neuman discovered she could no longer use her powers.
• Frenchie reassured Mother's Milk that his influence at Vought would protect him as they followed Ashley inside.