Chapter Summaries

Ashley visited Lucas to share intelligence from Soldier Boy about an extraterrestrial invasion, but Lucas dismissed and insulted Soldier Boy before taking the warning seriously enough to examine the evidence. The chapter ended with Lucas questioning a photograph of a giant creature that Ashley identified as a super octopus.

• Ashley waited at Lucas's office and insisted that he see her because she had urgent business.
• Lucas met Ashley and disparaged Soldier Boy, prompting Ashley to warn him not to insult Soldier Boy in front of Homelander.
• Lucas dismissed Ashley's warning and asserted that Vought's superheroes were no match for modern weapons.
• Ashley told Lucas that an extraterrestrial force planned to invade Earth and showed him Soldier Boy's photograph of a giant super octopus.
• Lucas examined the photograph in the documents and asked whether it came from a science fiction novel.

Lucas rejected Ashley’s account of an extraterrestrial threat and accused Vought International of testing his obedience, while Ashley defended Soldier Boy and Homelander. After deciding to resign and take responsibility, Ashley was arrested on Lucas’s orders as she left the White House.

• Lucas called the number Ashley provided, but Soldier Boy answered, insulted him, and hung up without believing he was the president.
• Lucas accused Vought International of overstepping and threw documents at Ashley, cutting her cheek as he rejected her claims about the super octopus and an impending invasion.
• Ashley defended Soldier Boy and Homelander, then confronted Lucas and left the reception room after saying they had other ways to deal with him.
• Ashley decided she would resign when she returned to Vought, hoping her departure might ease Lucas’s anger.
• Secret Service guards detained Ashley’s driver, arrested Ashley, and slapped her after she struggled, while Lucas watched from behind a window.

Soldier Boy learned that Stormfront had been intimidating criminals in Black communities and was content to let her continue. Homelander brought Ryan and Klee to Vought, then Soldier Boy received another call from Lucas.

• Soldier Boy asked Anika about Stormfront's absence and learned she had spent a week intimidating and beating up habitual criminals in Black communities.
• A-Train urged Soldier Boy to do something about Stormfront, but Soldier Boy waved him off and allowed her to continue.
• Homelander returned with Ryan and Klee, and Black Noir entertained Ryan with a mime after seeing his Teddy Bear.
• Homelander introduced Klee and asked The Seven to keep her safe while she stayed at Vought.
• Ryan and Klee left together to explore Times Square, and Homelander reviewed the heroes' recent cases.
• Soldier Boy answered a call from Lucas and angrily recognized him as the caller from earlier.

Soldier Boy learned that Lucas was the president after Ashley was arrested for assaulting him, but he continued to insult Lucas during a tense call with Homelander. The chapter ended with Soldier Boy heading to confront Lucas at the White House while the Seven watched anxiously.

• Soldier Boy dismissed Lucas's call as a scam and asked Anika to track the number, then Homelander told him Lucas was the current president.
• Soldier Boy told Homelander and the others that Ashley had been arrested for assaulting Lucas, prompting Homelander to call Lucas.
• Lucas said Ashley would face federal court and hinted that he might investigate her accomplices, while Homelander warned that Lucas had no right to detain her.
• Lucas noticed Soldier Boy on the call, and Soldier Boy threatened him; Lucas then challenged Soldier Boy to attend Ashley's trial before ending the call.
• Soldier Boy headed toward the Conference Room's sliding window to confront Lucas, while Queen Maeve and the others looked worried.

Soldier Boy demanded that the team help free Ashley, but they favored caution and Hughie failed to persuade Lucas to release her. As Soldier Boy’s anger awakened his powers, he prepared to act against Lucas and declared that he would rescue any teammate who was imprisoned.

• Soldier Boy asked the team to help Ashley, but Starlight and Homelander urged caution while A-Train avoided taking a side.
• A-Train said Hughie might be able to negotiate, and Soldier Boy waited for news as Homelander paced anxiously.
• Hughie told the team that Lucas had refused his offers and warned him not to act as Vought’s lobbyist.
• Soldier Boy’s anger stirred the Will of the Tyrant and restored his superpowers, which he demonstrated by shattering the conference room’s bulletproof window and resisting the glass shards.
• Soldier Boy flung Homelander away and told the team he would act the same way if any of them were imprisoned.

Homelander followed Soldier Boy toward the White House, while the rest of the Seven mobilized to join them. Their target, Lucas, remained unaware as he enjoyed Vought’s setback.

• Soldier Boy flew away, and Homelander followed him at tremendous speed after declaring that he could do whatever he wanted.
• Kenji flew out of Vought Tower, returned for Kimiko, and carried her toward the White House.
• A-Train raced through New York, while Queen Maeve decided to stand beside Homelander and Soldier Boy.
• Private Angel arrived in a helicopter with Starlight and Black Noir, and Maeve joined them as they set off for the White House.
• The Seven mobilized, while Lucas remained unaware and savored Vought’s setback.

Lucas dismissed Hughie's request to discuss Ashley and told Ashley he would prosecute her, claiming Homelander would abandon her to protect Vought. He mocked Soldier Boy as a clown who would not dare confront the White House.

• Lucas told his assistant that powerful people were bound by rules, then the assistant left the White House fearing Soldier Boy might come after them.
• Lucas visited Ashley in the holding cells and threatened to prosecute her for assaulting him, saying she could face decades in prison.
• Lucas claimed Homelander would support him and replace Ashley as Vought's CEO, leaving Ashley to imagine Homelander sacrificing her to protect the company.
• Lucas called Soldier Boy a clown and assumed Hughie was mediating at Soldier Boy's direction because Soldier Boy would not dare confront the White House himself.

Ashley rejected Lucas's offer to help him create a new Vought and learned that he had killed Henderson. Soldier Boy then stormed the White House, where Lucas fled for the bunker and Soldier Boy confronted an officer.

• Lucas offered Ashley freedom from prison and a place in his plan to establish a new Vought if she gave him Compound V data.
• Ashley refused, declared her loyalty to Vought, and taunted Lucas by proposing a virus that would kill his mother.
• Lucas confessed that he had killed Henderson and threatened Ashley, who remained unwilling to betray Vought despite fearing Homelander would abandon her.
• After Ashley's taunt continued to haunt him, Lucas received word that Soldier Boy was approaching the White House and fled toward the bunker.
• Soldier Boy ignored the guards' warnings, hung them from tree branches, and faced an armed army squad outside the White House.
• Soldier Boy rushed to the officer who ordered him to surrender and said he was furious.

Soldier Boy overpowered the forces guarding the White House and advanced toward the main building while the military failed to stop him. As a commander cursed and tried to contact Homelander, Homelander appeared and demanded to know what he had said.

• Soldier Boy nearly crushed the assault team's commander's neck, then let him go before attacking soldiers who tried to intervene.
• Soldier Boy shrugged off gunfire as National Guard reinforcements arrived, and a commander ordered everyone to cease fire.
• Soldier Boy raced through the troops, injuring more than half of the combined military and police force before heading for the White House entrance.
• The commander learned Vought had refused to send reinforcements and cursed Soldier Boy while trying to contact Homelander.
• Homelander appeared beside the helicopter and interrupted the commander, asking, "What did you just say?"

Homelander confronted a military commander who urged him to stop Soldier Boy, then turned against the troops after the commander continued to insult Soldier Boy. He told the gathered special forces that Lucas in the White House was a fake, claiming the confrontation was part of a secret Vought mission.

• The commander pointed out that Soldier Boy had entered the White House and begged Homelander to stop him, while Homelander noticed the soldiers had mostly avoided serious injuries.
• Homelander burned a soldier with Heat Vision, alarming the special forces leaders and revealing that he was not on their side.
• Homelander demanded that the commander repeat what he had said, and the terrified commander tried to accuse Homelander of treason.
• Max, the helicopter pilot, attacked the commander for insulting Soldier Boy, then asked Homelander whether he should throw the commander out of the helicopter.
• Homelander carried the unconscious commander to the assembled special forces, destroyed a stun grenade with Heat Vision, and claimed that Lucas in the White House was a fake.

Homelander tried to keep the federal forces from storming the White House by claiming Soldier Boy was on a secret mission to rescue the real Lucas. When the lieutenant colonel prepared to order an assault, Homelander saw that Soldier Boy had wandered off inside looking for Ashley.

• Homelander claimed Lucas was an impostor and told the troops that Soldier Boy was carrying out a secret mission.
• The federal lieutenant colonel challenged Homelander’s story but stayed silent under his threatening gaze.
• Homelander grew more confident as the troops hesitated, while the lieutenant colonel invoked federal law and prepared to order an assault.
• Homelander looked inside the White House and saw Soldier Boy destroying things and searching for Ashley.

Homelander stopped federal forces from entering the White House so Soldier Boy could continue his rebellion, then joined his father inside. The two learned Ashley was held in an underground cell and set out to retrieve her, while Soldier Boy also planned to make Lucas his guard dog.

• Homelander melted a long fissure into the ground and threatened the special forces until they stopped advancing.
• The federal lieutenant colonel ordered the scene sealed and learned that The Seven had been contacted, with Kenji saying they would arrive soon.
• Soldier Boy wandered through the White House, smashing walls as he searched for someone to guide him.
• Soldier Boy found Homelander in a hall, and the two shared a moment of understanding before agreeing to rescue Ashley.
• Homelander told Soldier Boy that Ashley was held in an underground cell, and Soldier Boy said Lucas should replace Pete as his guard dog.

Soldier Boy and Homelander broke Ashley out of the White House holding cell, where Lucas had imprisoned her. Ashley left with them, grateful for their loyalty and resolved to keep working for Vought, while Soldier Boy headed off to handle other business.

• Soldier Boy and Homelander went to the basement holding cell to visit Ashley.
• Soldier Boy kicked down the cell door and told Ashley to come with them.
• Ashley worried that their escape would implicate Vought, but Homelander assured her they would protect her.
• Ashley thanked Soldier Boy and Homelander and resolved to remain loyal to Vought.
• Soldier Boy brushed off Ashley's emotional reaction and said he had other business to take care of.

Soldier Boy and Homelander advanced through the White House toward Lucas’s bunker, while a federal lieutenant colonel assembled a group of Supes outside to stop them. A-Train arrived and urged everyone to wait for more Vought colleagues before confronting the pair.

• Ashley gave Soldier Boy a collar and chain, and Homelander revealed the route to Lucas’s hidden bunker.
• Soldier Boy headed for the bunker entrance and ordered Homelander to help break through its defenses.
• Black Left hurled a bus carrying the other Supes toward the White House, killing several special operations soldiers when it crashed.
• The eleven unaffiliated Supes introduced themselves to the federal lieutenant colonel and agreed to help stop Soldier Boy and Homelander.
• Black Left and Black Right arrived together, and the lieutenant colonel welcomed them as reinforcements.
• A-Train arrived, assessed the assembled Supes, and suggested they wait for his Vought colleagues.

A-Train pretended to support the federal forces before returning to Soldier Boy and Homelander, where he revealed his true allegiance. As Homelander broke through the bunker walls, A-Train committed to attacking the forces upstairs.

• The federal lieutenant colonel asked A-Train to persuade Soldier Boy and Homelander to stop, and A-Train claimed he was trusted by Soldier Boy before speeding into the White House.
• The lieutenant colonel questioned Black Left and Black Right about fighting Homelander, while the brothers expressed confidence in their abilities.
• A-Train rejoined Soldier Boy, Homelander, and Ashley on the bunker’s sixth underground level and bragged that he had fooled the lieutenant colonel.
• Soldier Boy ordered A-Train to kill the backup forces upstairs, and A-Train agreed.
• Homelander cut through the bunker’s thick wall and prepared to breach its final armored door, while A-Train declared he would crush the forces above.

A-Train returned with the Seven, whose members united to rescue Ashley and confront Lucas. Lucas lost contact with the outside world as Homelander and Soldier Boy battered down his bunker door, and he tried to flee in terror.

• A-Train revealed that he had brought the Seven to help, and Homelander felt a new sense of belonging among the group.
• Ashley regretted exploiting the superheroes for publicity as she realized they had come to save her anyway.
• Soldier Boy rallied the group to go after Lucas, while Homelander told Ashley to step away from the bunker door.
• Lucas watched Soldier Boy and Homelander wreak havoc at the White House and learned that communications with the surface had been cut.
• Homelander and Soldier Boy began warping the bunker door, and Lucas tried to escape through an emergency passage but fell and called for help.

Soldier Boy and Homelander broke into the White House bunker and trapped Lucas as he tried to escape. After their effortless defeat of the guards, Soldier Boy won a game of rock-paper-scissors for the right to keep Lucas for a month, and Lucas was left at their mercy.

• Lucas and the guards fled toward the bunker’s emergency escape passage while Soldier Boy and Homelander battered down the blast door.
• Homelander sealed the escape passage with Heat Vision, cutting off Lucas’s route to safety.
• The guards opened fire, but Soldier Boy and Homelander stood unharmed as Soldier Boy shattered an armor-piercing bullet and injured Lucas with its fragments.
• Soldier Boy and Homelander played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would keep Lucas, and Homelander won a month with him.
• The guards lowered their weapons, and Soldier Boy warned Lucas that he could find him anywhere before advancing on him.

Homelander and Soldier Boy took control of the bunker and terrorized Lucas, the president, while Ashley watched. Soldier Boy then gave Ashley a chance to trample Lucas, as the officials and soldiers witnessed the apparent collapse of the old political order.

• Homelander disarmed the soldiers guarding Lucas and summoned Ashley into the bunker.
• Soldier Boy ordered Lucas’s guards to leave, and Ashley made them roll across the floor.
• Soldier Boy struck Lucas and trampled his face while Lucas begged for mercy and offered to help control the country.
• Lucas appealed to Homelander by invoking Vought, but Homelander only showed Soldier Boy how to step on people without killing them.
• Soldier Boy invited Ashley to take her turn humiliating Lucas, then demanded a cigarette from the stunned onlookers.

Soldier Boy picked a trembling man named Bakun from the crowd, accepted his Double Happiness cigarettes, and recruited him as a follower. As Ashley continued attacking Lucas, Homelander considered how to keep his family together and searched for a Shapeshifting Supe while watching the surface.

• Soldier Boy demanded cigarettes from Bakun, then recognized the Double Happiness brand and asked whether Bakun liked it.
• Bakun carefully offered Soldier Boy whichever answer he wanted, and Soldier Boy renamed him Kunba and took him under his wing.
• Kunba disowned his former comrades and offered to lead Soldier Boy to Lucas's properties, but Soldier Boy said he had no room to keep the people there.
• Lucas threatened Kunba while Ashley scratched him, and Homelander restrained Lucas with a warning look.
• Homelander considered finding a Shapeshifting Supe and used X-Ray Vision to survey the situation aboveground.

A-Train stalled the Federal Lieutenant Colonel and the reinforcement Supes while learning about their abilities, as Homelander and The Seven’s movements raised suspicions. When a helicopter carrying Private Angel arrived, A-Train announced that the Lieutenant Colonel was surrounded by Vought.

• The Federal Lieutenant Colonel ordered A-Train to lead the Supes toward the White House, but he delayed her and asked the team to explain their powers.
• Black Left and Black Right described their linked abilities, and the White-Haired Youth explained his fear-inducing power and the brothers’ other abilities.
• The reinforcement Supes gathered around A-Train and listed their varied powers while he listened and continued stalling.
• The Federal Lieutenant Colonel learned that Vought had refused to send support and that The Seven had followed Homelander, then asked A-Train if he was truly helping her.
• A black helicopter arrived with Private Angel, and A-Train told the Federal Lieutenant Colonel to squat and put her hands on her head because she was surrounded by Vought.