Chapter Summaries

Butcher met Homelander at a Brooklyn café, where their insults escalated into a confrontation over Becca and Homelander’s claim on her. Butcher pulled the pin on a grenade and threw it at Homelander, leaving the fuse burning as people noticed the danger.

• Butcher waited in a café for Homelander, who arrived by descending through a rift in the clouds.
• A waiter brought Butcher free water and stale popcorn, then recognized Homelander and rushed to fetch free cheesecake samples.
• Homelander mocked Butcher’s poverty, and Butcher compared him to a stray dog.
• Homelander taunted Butcher about Becca and claimed Vought’s Matrix could make the public believe she was his lawful wife.
• Butcher pulled the pin on a grenade and hurled it at Homelander as the fuse began to burn.

Butcher attacked Homelander with a grenade, but Homelander shielded a nearby couple and dragged Butcher out of danger before the blast. Homelander brought Butcher to a remote cabin and accused him of endangering innocent lives, leaving Butcher confused by his anger.

• Butcher threw a grenade at Homelander, who caught it and shielded a kissing couple when it began to explode prematurely.
• The blast wrecked the coffee shop, but Homelander’s body protected the couple, and he pulled Butcher away from the fragments.
• Butcher realized Homelander had saved him from the grenade debris, though he suspected Homelander had done it to torment him.
• Homelander grabbed Butcher and flew with him to a cabin, where Butcher prepared to fight, believing Homelander planned to kill him.
• Homelander condemned Butcher for risking the lives of people nearby, including a pregnant woman, and Butcher struggled to understand why he seemed genuinely angry.

Homelander beat Butcher and used Heat Vision to burn a humiliating tattoo into his back instead of killing him. Butcher remained baffled by Homelander’s motives and demanded to know why he had brought him there.

• Butcher mocked Homelander and searched for a chance to escape after realizing they were near the cabin where Becca had been held.
• Homelander punched Butcher down, pinned him, and burned two lines of lettering into his back with Heat Vision.
• Homelander revealed the tattoo read “I'm gay” and “Muscular men are welcome to hit on me,” then laughed at his handiwork.
• Butcher discovered he was alive and felt the painful burn on his back while Homelander claimed he had only scorched his skin as punishment.
• Butcher questioned Homelander’s motives and asked why he had invited him out there.

Homelander told Butcher he could take Becca and Ryan away without interference, leaving Butcher unsure whether to trust him. Meanwhile, Soldier Boy and Private Angel went to a bar, where Soldier Boy fought a group of men before spotting Butcher surrounded by trouble.

• Homelander told Butcher that Becca and Ryan were inside the cabin and said Butcher could take Becca away.
• Butcher questioned Homelander's motives, and Homelander promised that no one would interfere wherever Becca and Butcher went.
• Soldier Boy and Private Angel partied at a New York bar while disguised, but Soldier Boy grew annoyed when men approached him instead of women.
• Jay's drunken group confronted Soldier Boy, who slapped Jay and scattered the men after they recognized him.
• Soldier Boy prepared to leave the bar with Private Angel, then heard Butcher's voice and saw him surrounded by burly men.

Soldier Boy watched Butcher get surrounded and attacked after a bearded man taunted him as a loli. Private Angel joined Soldier Boy, and Butcher was still fighting nine men as the chapter ended.

• Soldier Boy reached Butcher’s bar and watched as a bearded man flirted with and taunted him.
• The bar’s security confronted Soldier Boy, who slapped the gold-chain man away after learning he recognized him as Soldier Boy.
• The bearded man called Butcher an adorable little loli, prompting Butcher to smash a beer bottle over his head.
• The bearded man sent a crowd after Butcher, who fought back while Soldier Boy cheered him on.
• Private Angel touched the gold-chain man, causing painful lumps to grow across his body before he fled the bar.
• Private Angel joined Soldier Boy and laughed as Butcher continued fighting nine men.

Butcher killed the bearded man in a bar, and Soldier Boy got him away from the police. Butcher told Soldier Boy that Homelander had offered him money and a chance to take Becca away, but Becca refused because she feared Ryan’s growing powers.

• Butcher stabbed the bearded man to death, and the fleeing thugs abandoned him.
• Soldier Boy and Private Angel joined Butcher; Private Angel killed the bearded man after Soldier Boy decided not to save him.
• Soldier Boy used Ashley’s intervention to persuade the police to let him take Butcher away.
• Soldier Boy told Butcher that he wanted to discuss Homelander, but Butcher accused him of pretending not to know about Homelander’s visit.
• Butcher said Homelander had offered Becca freedom from him and given him a five-million-dollar check, but Becca refused to leave because she worried Ryan was becoming more like Homelander.

Soldier Boy warned Butcher not to try taking Ryan away from Homelander as Butcher resolved to stay with Becca and win her back. Butcher rejected Soldier Boy’s offer of more money, called the compensation a loan, and left as Private Angel revealed she had spotted a tattoo on his back.

• Butcher told Soldier Boy he would stay by Becca’s side even if she refused to leave with him, and said he could accept Ryan as his wife’s son.
• Butcher suggested taking Ryan with them, and Soldier Boy warned him that Ryan was Homelander’s bottom line.
• Soldier Boy explained that he was trying to take responsibility for Homelander’s past mistakes, and Butcher said he understood.
• Soldier Boy offered to raise the compensation to fifty million dollars, but Butcher angrily called the five million a loan and promised to repay Homelander within a year.
• Butcher walked away, and Private Angel laughed as she told Soldier Boy she had seen a tattoo on his back.

Soldier Boy spotted Bombsight and faced a system mission ordering him to avoid contact in exchange for 200 Exchange Points. He chose to ignore the warning and flew toward Bombsight with Private Angel.

• Private Angel recognized a distant figure as Bombsight by his illness, and Soldier Boy hurried toward him, hoping to obtain his first-generation Compound V.
• Old Popsicle issued Soldier Boy a mission to leave and never contact Bombsight, offering 200 Exchange Points.
• Soldier Boy recalled a similar reward tied to Stormfront and suspected the system had a reason for keeping him away from Bombsight.
• Soldier Boy turned down the reward, carried Private Angel into the air, and flew toward Bombsight.

Soldier Boy and Bombsight mistook each other for attackers and fought fiercely before recognizing one another. The two old Supes reconciled under the streetlights, but neither had a lighter for their cigars.

• Bombsight suddenly attacked Soldier Boy, who struck him in the head and sent him flying more than a hundred meters.
• Bombsight got back up and charged again, so Soldier Boy seized him and slammed him into the asphalt.
• Soldier Boy punched Bombsight three times before Bombsight recognized him and called him Ben.
• Bombsight explained that Soldier Boy’s menacing presence had made him think he was under attack, and Soldier Boy eventually accepted the explanation.
• Soldier Boy offered Bombsight a cigar, but they realized they had no lighter because Bombsight had smashed his and Soldier Boy had lent his to Butcher.

Soldier Boy reunited with Bombsight and Private Angel, then took Bombsight to confront him about Golden Geisha and the first-generation Compound V. Bombsight’s resentment toward Soldier Boy reignited, and the chapter ended with Soldier Boy choking him unconscious after their fight.

• Private Angel recognized Bombsight and joined him and Soldier Boy, and the three caught up while sharing cigars.
• Soldier Boy flew with Private Angel and Bombsight to find a quiet place, then told Bombsight he knew about Golden Geisha and wanted his first-generation Compound V.
• Bombsight’s old resentment toward Soldier Boy erupted, and he attacked him in midair.
• Soldier Boy and Bombsight fought, and Soldier Boy choked Bombsight unconscious.

Private Angel caught up with Soldier Boy and Bombsight after their fight and used her healing power to mutate Bombsight’s arm. Soldier Boy then brought Bombsight and Private Angel to Vought’s Supe Retirement Home while seeking the Original Compound V.

• Private Angel found Soldier Boy and Bombsight and attacked Soldier Boy for throwing her into a ditch.
• Bombsight laughed at Private Angel’s muddy appearance, so she used her power to heal him until a lump of muscle grew on his arm.
• Soldier Boy realized Private Angel’s healing could reshape cells and cause mutations when overused.
• Soldier Boy asked Bombsight for the Original Compound V, but Bombsight refused because he wanted to live forever with Golden Geisha.
• Soldier Boy brought Bombsight and Private Angel to Vought’s Supe Retirement Home, where they remarked on its high cost.

Soldier Boy offered to remove Bombsight’s Compound V so he could grow old with Golden Geisha, and Bombsight agreed to trade him the Original Compound V. While they talked, Soldier Boy awakened super vision and tested it by flying around the nursing home.

• Soldier Boy, Bombsight, and Private Angel arrived at Golden Geisha’s residence, where Bombsight and Golden Geisha shared an awkward reunion.
• Soldier Boy told Bombsight that his Nuclear Chest Blast could remove Compound V and let him grow old with Golden Geisha.
• Soldier Boy questioned the Old Popsicle System about its mission involving Bombsight, but it refused to explain.
• Soldier Boy used the Super Vision Awakening Card and gained level 1 super vision.
• Soldier Boy flew around the nursing home to test his new vision while Bombsight and Golden Geisha talked.
• Bombsight told Soldier Boy he had decided to have his powers removed in exchange for the Original Compound V.

Soldier Boy obtained a dose of Original Compound V and debated whether Homelander should receive it after Private Angel warned that it could make him nearly impossible to control. He decided to gauge Homelander’s reaction to his proposed Supe Act first, then summoned The Seven for a meeting.

• Bombsight gave Soldier Boy the Original Compound V, and Soldier Boy questioned whether the dose had been altered before setting the concern aside.
• Soldier Boy used his chest energy to erase Bombsight’s powers, and Bombsight confirmed that his wound no longer healed.
• On the way to Vought, Private Angel confirmed the Compound V appeared genuine and warned Soldier Boy that it could make Homelander far stronger than anyone could threaten.
• Soldier Boy told Private Angel about his proposed Supe Act and decided to wait for Homelander’s reaction before choosing whether to give him the Compound V.
• After they ate breakfast, Soldier Boy contacted Ashley and asked her to summon The Seven to the conference room.

Soldier Boy and Homelander discussed Ryan, family, and plans for a trip while waiting for the Seven's meeting. A-Train arrived and asked for support in marrying the Female, and Soldier Boy and Homelander approved, leaving Soldier Boy hopeful about Homelander's changed behavior.

• Homelander brought Soldier Boy half of an apple he had taken from an orchard, and the two laughed about it.
• Soldier Boy asked Homelander about visiting Butcher, and Homelander explained that he had given Butcher money to take Becca away so Ryan could still see his mother.
• Homelander described his hopes for family life with Soldier Boy and Ryan, and Soldier Boy proposed a trip that Homelander agreed to take in two weeks.
• A-Train told Soldier Boy and Homelander that he planned to marry the Female and asked for their approval and attendance.
• Soldier Boy promised to attend A-Train's wedding, and Homelander congratulated him and approved holding the wedding at Vought.

Soldier Boy told the assembled Supes that they were ordinary people made powerful by Compound V, not gods, and argued that their powers gave them no right to abuse others. After Ashley distributed records of Vought-covered Supe atrocities, Homelander recognized some incidents as his own.

• Soldier Boy gathered the Seven and other Supes, and Homelander resolved to use the meeting to remove Translucent from the team.
• Soldier Boy asked the group what they believed they were, then said he considered himself an ordinary person who gained powers through Compound V.
• Homelander revealed to Starlight that Vought made Compound V and that she had been injected with it as a fetus, shattering her belief about her origins.
• Soldier Boy condemned Supes who abused ordinary people and asked the group to consider the fear and hatred such actions would provoke.
• Ashley handed out documents detailing Supe atrocities Edgar had covered up, and Homelander felt guilty before freezing as he read further.

Homelander wrestled with his past as Soldier Boy proposed strict oversight of Supes, and Homelander agreed to lead the new Sword of Damocles plan. After the meeting, Soldier Boy and Homelander each asked someone to stay behind, leaving their conversations unresolved.

• Homelander reviewed a list of people harmed by him and questioned whether he had the right to be a hero.
• Soldier Boy presented restrictions on Supes, including a Vought oversight department and a public reporting hotline.
• Soldier Boy asked The Seven to help enforce the rules, and the members present raised their hands in support except Homelander.
• Homelander asked whether sincere repentance could make up for past mistakes, then pledged to take primary responsibility for the plan.
• Homelander named the initiative the Sword of Damocles, and Ashley helped shape it into a tiered oversight structure.
• After the meeting, Soldier Boy asked Homelander to wait, while Homelander told Translucent to stay as well.

Homelander removed Translucent from the Seven and let him resign publicly, then feared Soldier Boy had kept him behind to confront him about his past victims. Soldier Boy instead showed Homelander the original Compound V and explained that the first-generation heroes had been created with it, hinting at why they did not seem to age.

• Homelander dismissed Translucent from the Seven and gave him a week to arrange a resignation announcement with PR.
• After Translucent left, Homelander worried Soldier Boy intended to hold him accountable for the crimes documented in the victims’ files.
• Homelander promised to contact the people he had hurt, but Soldier Boy explained he had kept him behind for another reason.
• Soldier Boy said his appearance had not changed in decades and indicated that first-generation heroes did not seem to age.
• Soldier Boy showed Homelander the original Compound V and told him that all first-generation heroes had been products of it.

Soldier Boy gave Homelander the last vial of Original Compound V, then took him to a remote wasteland to inject it. Soldier Boy’s mission to stop the injection came too late, and Homelander collapsed as the compound transformed him.

• Homelander thanked Soldier Boy for giving him the Original Compound V and prepared to inject it.
• Soldier Boy stopped Homelander from injecting the compound inside Vought and flew with him to a deserted area outside New York.
• Soldier Boy received a mission to stop Homelander from injecting V1, but hesitated over the reward and a possible loophole.
• Homelander injected the entire vial before Soldier Boy could stop him.
• Homelander roared in pain and fell to his knees as the compound flooded his body with surging power.

After Homelander injected V1, his uncontrolled Heat Vision split the sky and caused alarm across the Northern Hemisphere. Soldier Boy retreated from the growing heat and discovered that Old Popsicle had gone silent, though the system and his Exchange Points still worked.

• Homelander fell to his knees as V1 overwhelmed him and sent two powerful beams of Heat Vision into the sky.
• Soldier Boy sensed the beams could threaten him and backed away from Homelander.
• People across Manhattan, the Pacific, Toronto, an international flight, London, and other places witnessed the crimson pillar or detected unusual radiation.
• After ten minutes, Homelander's Heat Vision continued, and Soldier Boy moved more than two hundred meters away from the heat.
• Soldier Boy called for Old Popsicle but received no reply, then checked that the system panel and his Exchange Points remained intact.
• Soldier Boy recalled Old Popsicle's past schemes, including making him scare The Deep beneath a table.

Soldier Boy lost contact with Old Popsicle while Homelander endured the effects of the Original Compound V. Homelander emerged vastly stronger, and Soldier Boy ended the chapter eager to test him in a spar.

• Soldier Boy tried and failed to contact Old Popsicle, then wondered whether Homelander's injection had caused the connection to disappear.
• Homelander's heat vision finally faded, and he rose from the ground exhausted but apparently stronger.
• Homelander told Soldier Boy that he had flown to the Arctic and back and felt his abilities had multiplied.
• Soldier Boy checked Homelander's stats and found that his powers had increased in level and that he had gained physical immortality.
• Soldier Boy challenged Homelander to a spar.