Chapter Summaries

Homelander imagined killing the reporters who blamed him for the plane disaster, but Soldier Boy defended him at the press conference and Stormfront revealed the giant snake that had attacked the plane. A young survivor and Queen Maeve also spoke in his favor, leaving the reporters without an easy rebuttal.

• Homelander imagined using his Heat Vision to kill the reporters questioning him, then came back to his senses as the press conference continued.
• Soldier Boy arrived and challenged the reporters for condemning Homelander after he had saved more than a hundred passengers.
• Stormfront showed satellite footage of the giant flying snake and explained that Homelander had acted to save the passengers from an otherwise fatal threat.
• A young girl who had survived the plane crash said Homelander and Miss Maeve had saved her and asked why the reporters were speaking badly about him.
• Homelander thanked the girl and imagined having a child of his own.
• Queen Maeve said Homelander had tried every possible way to save the passengers and declared that she would stand by him.

After Soldier Boy defended Homelander at the press conference and presented footage of his rescue attempts, the team left the reporters behind and celebrated their solidarity. They returned to find Private Angel and the others had prepared a surprise party, though the heroes were too stunned to react.

• Maeve stood up for Homelander, and Soldier Boy struck a reporter who challenged him before ordering Stormfront to show the rescue footage.
• The footage showed Homelander trying to save the plane and carrying passengers to safety, and Soldier Boy led the supes out while Stormfront stayed to face the reporters.
• Soldier Boy reassured Starlight and the others that they did not have to keep explaining themselves, easing Homelander's worries about Vought's reaction.
• Homelander's mindset change earned him a Super Speed upgrade, raising it to Level 3.
• Soldier Boy led the team back to his room, where Private Angel, Translucent, and The Deep revealed a surprise party.

Soldier Boy held an informal victory party for The Seven and gave Homelander a model airplane as a heartfelt gift. The party remained tense because the others were wary of Homelander, so Soldier Boy urged him to mingle with them.

• A-Train searched for cameras, but Soldier Boy told the team to relax and enjoy the food and music at their private celebration.
• Maeve and Starlight joined the party, while Homelander stayed in the doorway, quietly taking in the scene.
• Soldier Boy gave Homelander a model airplane based on the plane they had saved, and Homelander treasured it as a sign of fatherly affection.
• The Seven acted guarded around Homelander, while The Deep unsuccessfully asked Private Angel to heal his injuries.
• Soldier Boy noticed the party's strained atmosphere and told Homelander to take his drink over to A-Train and mingle.

Homelander tried Soldier Boy’s advice to ease tensions at the party, shared a milkshake with A-Train, and began enjoying the company of his teammates. The gathering ended with Soldier Boy leading a toast to Homelander for saving more than a hundred plane passengers.

• Homelander swallowed his criticism of A-Train’s milkshake and asked for one himself, then thanked A-Train for helping with the rescue.
• A-Train joked that he had thought Homelander absorbed sunlight like a god, making Homelander laugh genuinely and drawing Maeve into their conversation.
• Private Angel started dancing, and Soldier Boy danced with Starlight before passing her to Private Angel as the party grew livelier.
• Homelander watched his teammates relax and realized that smiling and spending time together felt good.
• Soldier Boy raised a toast to the hero who had saved more than a hundred survivors, and the gathered teammates joined him in honoring Homelander.

Soldier Boy unlocked and struggled to master Super Flight, then rampaged through unfinished buildings as he tested his new power. Meanwhile, Homelander treasured Soldier Boy’s model airplane and resisted Madelyn’s attempts to touch it, leaving their relationship tense.

• Soldier Boy spent 300 Exchange Points to unlock level-one Super Flight, then crashed into the street after jumping from Vought Tower.
• Soldier Boy discovered that a Superman-style crouch and fist-to-ground launch let him fly, though he moved only as fast as a high-speed train.
• Soldier Boy flew through unfinished buildings, causing widespread damage and complaints across New York.
• Homelander carefully displayed the model airplane while Ashley Barrett reported that his approval rating had fallen by two percent and Klee’s remarks were spreading online.
• Madelyn arrived in Homelander’s room, reached for the model airplane, and was stopped by Homelander.
• Madelyn told Homelander that Soldier Boy had blinded him, and Homelander asked what she meant.

Homelander confronted Madelyn over her lies and her suspected role in the giant king cobra incident, while Madelyn decided to use Starlight to appease Roger. Madelyn tried to force Starlight out of The Seven and into Roger’s clutches, but Starlight unleashed her powers on them.

• Homelander accused Madelyn of treating him like a tool and lying about the king cobra, then ordered her to leave his room and Vought.
• Roger threatened to pull his investments unless Madelyn arranged for him to get Starlight, so Madelyn agreed and planned to exploit Starlight’s low approval rating.
• Ashley told Starlight that Madelyn wanted to see her, and Starlight tried unsuccessfully to call Soldier Boy before going to Madelyn’s office.
• Madelyn showed Starlight a video of her beating two men and said she could lose her place in The Seven unless Roger helped her.
• Madelyn claimed Soldier Boy had approved the plan and was unreachable, but Starlight rejected her story and flashed her eyes and hands at Madelyn and Roger, burning their eyes.

Starlight attacked Madelyn and Roger after Madelyn tried to force her to sleep with Roger, then struggled to find help as she feared Vought’s retaliation. Meanwhile, Homelander filmed a publicity segment blaming the White House for the air disaster and prepared to meet two survivors.

• Starlight blinded Madelyn and Roger with a burst of light, then called Madelyn a “madam in a suit” and left the office.
• Madelyn threatened to ruin Starlight’s reputation and have her removed from The Seven, while Roger demanded medical help.
• Starlight called Soldier Boy for support, but he did not answer because he was flying around after resolving the disturbance at the Fried Chicken Shop.
• Starlight called Donna, but hung up when her mother focused on advertisers instead of asking how she was doing; she then considered turning to Homelander.
• Homelander filmed a segment blaming the White House for the air disaster, complained about needing public support to join the National Defense System, and agreed to meet the two survivors.

Homelander gave Klee a limited-edition figurine after filming a promotional video, then listened as Starlight reported Madelyn’s actions. He promised to deal with the situation and protect Starlight, while insisting that Soldier Boy must not hear about it.

• Homelander filmed a promotional video with Klee and gave her a limited-edition figurine.
• Starlight told Homelander that Madelyn had arranged for Roger to have her punished.
• Homelander used his X-ray vision to see Roger receiving medical treatment and asked Starlight what outcome she wanted for him.
• Homelander told Starlight he now called the shots at Vought and asked her not to tell Soldier Boy about the incident.
• Homelander took Starlight to the vice president’s office and promised her a satisfying outcome, leaving Roger and Madelyn stunned.

Homelander forced Roger to jump from Vought Tower after Roger had angered him, while Madelyn failed to stop him and learned that Homelander would not let her leave. Stormfront arrived afterward, misunderstood Starlight’s explanation of Roger’s death, and praised Homelander to Soldier Boy.

• Homelander cut through the office window and ordered Roger to jump, ignoring Madelyn’s pleas to stop.
• Homelander shoved Madelyn aside after she asked whether Soldier Boy had returned, and Roger fell to his death.
• Stormfront spotted the broken window and flew into Madelyn’s office to ask what had happened.
• Starlight told Stormfront that Homelander killed Roger because his heart was black, but Stormfront misheard her and assumed Homelander had killed a Black man.
• Stormfront laughed and told Soldier Boy that his son was pretty good.

Homelander confronted Madelyn over her betrayals and killed her when he realized she was still lying. Soldier Boy found him grieving, took him away from the office, and helped him shift his attention to spending time together.

• Homelander sent everyone out and accused Madelyn of betraying him, lying about his father, and arranging Starlight's ordeal in Soldier Boy's name.
• Madelyn insisted she had acted for Vought and Homelander, but Homelander used his Super Hearing to detect her lie and killed her with his heat vision.
• Homelander collapsed in grief, while Starlight told Stormfront what had happened and Soldier Boy learned that someone had fallen from the Vought building.
• Soldier Boy found Homelander beside Madelyn's body, pulled him to his feet, and told him to relax instead of discussing Edgar.
• Homelander followed Soldier Boy out of Vought Tower, where they noticed Roger's body and Soldier Boy mocked its appearance.

Soldier Boy and Homelander flew to a lake, where Soldier Boy learned how powerful Homelander was and the two spent the day skipping stones. Homelander left feeling comforted by their time together after killing Madelyn.

• Soldier Boy revealed that he could fly, and Homelander quickly overtook him as they headed toward a lake.
• Soldier Boy checked Homelander's stats panel and learned that Homelander had numerous powerful abilities, including level-nine gene stability.
• Soldier Boy wondered whether something had been wrong with the Original Compound V Bombsight gave Homelander, then decided to investigate later.
• Soldier Boy and Homelander spent the afternoon skipping stones beside a lake and then decided to get Chinese food.
• Homelander looked back at the lake and said Madelyn's death had been eased by the family time he shared with Soldier Boy.

Homelander handled Madelyn’s death, promoted Ashley, and ordered The Seven to find Edgar while Maeve took Starlight on a real rescue mission. Later, he showed Soldier Boy a new suit designed to announce their father-son relationship, and Soldier Boy reacted with fury.

• Homelander told The Seven that Madelyn had betrayed him and that he had sent her away.
• Ashley explained that Vought had blamed Roger for Madelyn’s death, and Homelander appointed her Vice President in Madelyn’s place.
• Homelander ordered The Deep to find Edgar and warned A-Train to take his race against Shockwave seriously.
• Maeve invited Starlight to join her on a genuine rescue mission, and Starlight agreed.
• Homelander joined Soldier Boy and Stormfront for barbecue, then presented Soldier Boy with a stars-and-stripes suit meant to publicize their father-son relationship.
• Soldier Boy called the suit hideous and angrily told Homelander to leave him alone.

Soldier Boy rejected Homelander’s father-and-son suit idea but reassured him and invited him to share a barbecue again. Later, Soldier Boy enlisted Private Angel to heal Black Noir as a way to make amends for his original body’s past actions.

• Homelander showed Soldier Boy a matching suit design, but Soldier Boy rejected it, and Stormfront mocked it and joked about dressing Edgar in it.
• Soldier Boy explained that he appreciated Homelander’s gesture but did not want the suit, then shared beer and barbecue with him and agreed to invite him again.
• Homelander left after receiving a lead on Edgar.
• Soldier Boy visited Private Angel and asked her to heal Black Noir, agreeing to her condition that he owed her a favor.

Soldier Boy visited Black Noir in the hospital and asked why he had endured years of abuse instead of running away. Black Noir wrote that he had wanted to become an actor, then accused Soldier Boy of destroying his chance and revealed that Soldier Boy had feared being surpassed.

• Soldier Boy went to Vought Medical Center with Private Angel and entered Black Noir’s guarded hospital room.
• Black Noir reacted to Soldier Boy with terror, and Soldier Boy assured him he had come to talk rather than kill or beat him.
• Black Noir wrote that he had endured the abuse because he wanted to become an actor and believed persistence would bring him a chance.
• Black Noir recalled how Soldier Boy had ruined his acting opportunity, beaten him, and threatened to kill him, leaving him afraid and forcing him to wear a mask.
• Black Noir wrote that Soldier Boy was afraid of other people surpassing him.

Black Noir revealed how deeply Soldier Boy’s abuse had wounded him, and Soldier Boy ordered Private Angel to heal his old injuries. After she restored his face and body, Soldier Boy released him and told him to live as he wished, ending their past; Black Noir left the hospital into the night.

• Black Noir wrote that he had once believed he could earn Soldier Boy’s respect as a teammate, leaving Soldier Boy to recognize the depth of his betrayal.
• Soldier Boy asked Private Angel to heal Black Noir, and she demanded a promise before using her power.
• Private Angel spent her vitality healing Black Noir’s old injuries and restoring his face.
• Black Noir recoiled from Soldier Boy, but Soldier Boy told him he was free to pursue fame and that their past ended there.
• Black Noir touched his restored reflection, then jumped out of the hospital window and vanished into the night.

Soldier Boy helped Private Angel after she used her healing ability to restore Black Noir, then spent a special upgrade card on his Nuclear Chest Blast. Meanwhile, The Deep’s search for Edgar was interrupted by a mass slaughter of marine creatures, whose survivors begged him to save them.

• Soldier Boy received a special ability upgrade card for completing the hidden quest to release Black Noir.
• Private Angel explained that healing Black Noir had exhausted her, then collapsed into a deep sleep after reminding Soldier Boy of his promise.
• Soldier Boy settled Private Angel in her room and used the upgrade card to raise his Nuclear Chest Blast to level six.
• Homelander confronted The Deep at sea for failing to find Edgar and threatened to kill the marine creatures if he did not get useful information.
• The Deep sensed marine creatures fleeing in terror, and a battered octopus told him that someone was slaughtering them.

The Deep and Homelander discovered that a mysterious substance had driven sea creatures into a murderous frenzy, and Homelander slaughtered many of them while searching for its source. The Deep identified a supe twenty kilometers west as the cause, and the chapter ended with a sperm whale vowing to kill Homelander.

• The Deep saw sea creatures attacking one another and warned Homelander that they had gone mad.
• Homelander swept the sea with his Heat Vision, killing huge numbers of creatures as The Deep watched in grief.
• An elderly sea turtle told The Deep that a human covered in blue liquid had polluted the ocean and driven the creatures mad.
• Homelander connected the sea creatures' mutations to failed Compound V injections and wondered what Edgar was planning.
• The Deep warned Homelander that a supe on the seabed twenty kilometers west had caused the frenzy, and Homelander flew toward him.
• A sperm whale told The Deep it wanted to kill Homelander, and The Deep warned it against trying.

Homelander found the out-of-control supe who had attacked sea creatures, defeated him, and brought him away for questioning. During the flight to New York, Homelander noticed the supe reacting to a remote warehouse and landed there to investigate.

• The sperm whale told The Deep that an out-of-control supe had survived underwater and might be powerful enough to challenge Homelander.
• Homelander searched the ocean, found the out-of-control supe, and carried him to the surface after stopping his attacks.
• Homelander severed one of the supe's arms with Heat Vision, but the man continued biting and attacking him.
• Homelander showed the injured supe to The Deep, who confirmed that he was responsible for the trouble among the sea creatures.
• While flying toward New York, Homelander noticed the supe staring and struggling toward a remote warehouse, so he landed and released him.
• The out-of-control supe crawled toward the warehouse instead of attacking Homelander.

Homelander discovered an underground Vought laboratory and found evidence that Edgar had developed a variant of Compound V that caused extreme aggression. After bringing Test Subject 17 to Vought Tower, Homelander prepared to have him studied and decided to ask Soldier Boy about the substance.

• Homelander found a zinc-hidden elevator beneath the warehouse and entered a ruined underground laboratory where Test Subject 17 licked leaked incubation fluid.
• Homelander identified the fluid as a variant of Compound V and watched surveillance footage showing Test Subject 17 escaping containment.
• Homelander brought Number 17 to Vought Tower, where the subject lunged at him and revealed rapid self-healing; Homelander severed his remaining limbs for Vought’s researchers.
• Homelander’s Heat Vision accidentally destroyed a man’s electric scooter, prompting the man to swear he would never forgive superheroes.
• Homelander heard the man’s wail, dismissed the damage, and planned to find Soldier Boy and ask about Edgar’s Compound V.

Hughie and Butcher crossed paths as strangers, while Soldier Boy warned Stormfront against plotting with Homelander. The next morning, Homelander told Soldier Boy he had news about Edgar, and Soldier Boy questioned the system about an altered plot.

• Hughie bought coffee and Robin’s favorite sandwich, then briefly passed Butcher in a convenience store without either man recognizing the other’s importance.
• Hughie forgot to buy milk, so he returned to the store after Robin reminded him; Butcher watched him and called him lucky.
• Soldier Boy warned Stormfront to abandon her schemes to rule the world, and she promised to comply.
• Homelander visited Soldier Boy early the next morning and said he had information about Edgar.
• Soldier Boy invited Homelander to breakfast, where Homelander described Edgar’s work and an out-of-control Supe No. 17.
• Soldier Boy confronted the system over the changed plot and the system’s failure to warn him.