Recaps

Lu Zhao became Soldier Boy, returned to New York, and revealed to Homelander that he was his father. As they confronted the people who had hurt Homelander and challenged Vought, Soldier Boy gained influence while Homelander grew attached to him; the arc ended with Stormfront’s return and a system mission to kill her.

• Lu Zhao awakened as Soldier Boy in a Russian military base, blasted his way out, and traveled to New York after accepting his new identity.
• Soldier Boy confronted Homelander in public, withstood his heat vision, and revealed that Vought had created Homelander using his genetic material.
• Homelander learned the truth from Stan Edgar, while Black Noir’s reaction exposed his role in Soldier Boy’s betrayal.
• Soldier Boy and Homelander went to the Redwell facility, where Soldier Boy killed researchers who had tortured Homelander and Homelander chose which others to punish or spare.
• Soldier Boy destroyed the facility, then demanded control of the Seven and a share of Vought from Edgar before taking Homelander to meet the team.
• Soldier Boy spared Black Noir and promised Homelander guidance and the spotlight, while Homelander killed Waynes for insulting his father.
• Soldier Boy upgraded his speed, and Madelyn tried to manage Homelander as he admitted killing Waynes.
• Stormfront returned as Clara and spoke with Soldier Boy about his changed attitude and Vought’s betrayal, while Homelander overheard them and the system ordered Soldier Boy to kill her.

Soldier Boy brought Homelander closer to his teammates while Homelander struggled through a disastrous plane rescue and the fallout from Vought’s schemes. The arc ended with Homelander killing Madelyn and Soldier Boy taking him away from Vought Tower.

• Soldier Boy brought Stormfront into The Seven, arranged for Annie January to join the tryouts, and intervened when The Deep threatened her.
• Homelander killed Soldier Boy’s former teammates, but Soldier Boy thanked him for the revenge and their relationship grew closer.
• Homelander and Maeve fought a giant flying cobra, but the damaged plane crashed despite Homelander, A-Train, Stormfront, and Starlight rescuing passengers.
• Soldier Boy defended Homelander at the press conference, and the team celebrated the rescue together, helping Homelander feel accepted by his teammates.
• Soldier Boy unlocked Super Flight while Homelander rejected Madelyn’s attempt to reach him and accused her of treating him like a tool.
• Starlight burned Madelyn and Roger’s eyes after Madelyn tried to force her to comply, then Homelander offered Starlight his help and killed Roger.
• Homelander accused Madelyn of betraying him and lying about Soldier Boy, then killed her with his heat vision after detecting her lie.
• Soldier Boy found Homelander beside Madelyn’s body, pulled him to his feet, and led him out of Vought Tower past Roger’s body.

Soldier Boy and Homelander uncovered Edgar’s experiments with Red V and destroyed his operation after Edgar’s forces ambushed Soldier Boy. Homelander then found Ryan, learned his son’s powers were awakening, and introduced him to Soldier Boy, while Becca remained wary of them.

• Soldier Boy and Homelander grew closer, but Soldier Boy rejected Homelander’s matching stars-and-stripes suits and later freed Black Noir from his fear and old injuries.
• Homelander discovered mutated sea creatures and recovered Number 17, while Soldier Boy learned that Red V made its subjects stronger but destroyed their reason.
• Soldier Boy freed Kimiko from a gang’s basement, then kept her at Vought Tower as he and Homelander investigated a suspected lure tied to Edgar.
• Edgar’s forces ambushed Soldier Boy at the university, and Soldier Boy’s chest blast destroyed much of the campus before Homelander arrived and killed the attackers.
• Homelander and Soldier Boy tracked Edgar to his laboratory, where Homelander killed Edgar and Dr. Vogelbaum revealed that Ryan was Homelander’s son.
• Homelander and Soldier Boy visited Ryan, and Homelander gave him gifts, destroyed the signal jammers, and saw Ryan’s eyes flash red as his powers emerged.
• Homelander told Ryan about his powers and asked him to call him Dad, then introduced Soldier Boy as his grandfather while Becca resisted their influence.

Homelander brought Ryan into Vought Tower and tried to draw him closer, while Soldier Boy repeatedly checked Homelander’s impulses and helped reunite Kimiko with Kenji. The arc ended with Homelander returning Ryan to Becca after Ryan was overwhelmed by his newly awakened super hearing, then investigating how Carl Howard knew his identity.

• Becca let Ryan leave with Homelander after Ryan asked to spend time with his father, and Homelander took him and Soldier Boy to Vought Tower.
• The Deep bullied Ryan in a restroom, and Homelander threatened him before Soldier Boy injured him and had him removed from The Seven.
• Homelander and Soldier Boy brought Ryan home, where Becca warned Homelander not to encourage Ryan to use his powers or teach him that strength ruled the world.
• Homelander faced Butcher, revealed that Ryan was his son, and brought him to Becca, where Butcher confronted the truth about his family.
• Soldier Boy enlisted The Deep to find Kenji, captured him, and brought him to Kimiko, allowing the siblings to reunite and argue over whether to return to Japan.
• Ryan awakened his Super Strength while skipping a phone across a lake, then became overwhelmed by reporters and fans when Carl Howard challenged Homelander over the land.
• Homelander carried Ryan away and urged him to stop fearing ordinary people, but Ryan asked to go home to Becca, so Homelander apologized and returned him to her.
• Homelander told Soldier Boy he feared being a bad father, and the two returned to Vought Tower to question Ashley about Carl Howard and her knowledge of Ryan’s parentage.