Chapter Summaries

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.

Mother's Milk asked to join Vought, and Ashley accepted him on a one-month trial after Frenchie vouched for him. After settling into a Vought apartment, he wrestled with whether to use Novichok to pursue revenge or protect the stability he had gained.

• Ashley questioned Mother's Milk about his past attacks on Vought, and Frenchie vouched for his loyalty.
• Ashley approved Mother's Milk's trial membership and said his wife and daughter could return from Belize, revealing that Vought had tracked them and Soldier Boy had stopped Homelander from bringing them back.
• Ashley told Mother's Milk that Soldier Boy had ended Vought's shady operations after taking power, leaving him confused by the claim.
• Frenchie celebrated Mother's Milk's canceled wanted notice and offered him a place to stay, then Mother's Milk moved into an apartment on Vought's sixty-fourth floor.
• Mother's Milk took a bottle of Novichok from his backpack and struggled over whether to sacrifice his newfound stability for revenge.

Ryan spent a terrifying night alone in the Amazon Rainforest after Black Noir used a monkey to imitate Homelander’s voice and lure him into the bushes. Ryan fled in panic, while Black Noir saw that the ordeal had pushed his running speed beyond ordinary limits.

• Ryan stayed awake in his tent, unaware that the poisonous fruit he had eaten came from a fake survival guide made by Soldier Boy.
• Black Noir watched Ryan from the canopy and planned to frighten him by exploiting the uncanny quality of an ordinary thing behaving strangely.
• Ryan left his tent to relieve himself, then heard a voice from the bushes claiming Homelander had come to pick him up.
• Ryan followed the repeated voice and found a red-eyed monkey imitating Homelander, then screamed and ran in terror.
• Black Noir watched Ryan run in circles and flee, then discarded the monkey’s corpse and noted Ryan’s extraordinary speed.

Ryan fled a frightening encounter in the Amazon, discovered he could fly, and awakened Super Speed, while Black Noir tracked and filmed him. Soldier Boy and Private Angel urged Black Noir to intensify the trial, and Homelander learned what had happened and gave Noir new instructions.

• Ryan panicked after seeing the red-eyed monkey imitate Homelander's voice, then flew above the rainforest in an attempt to escape.
• After flying for over an hour without finding the forest's edge, Ryan cried, landed in a tree, and fell asleep clinging to its trunk.
• Black Noir tracked Ryan's bracelet, recorded him crying, and reported that Ryan appeared to have awakened Super Speed.
• Soldier Boy received a system reward that raised his Super Speed to level 4 and, after consulting Private Angel, told Black Noir to make the trial more intense.
• Homelander learned that Ryan had been frightened and awakened Super Speed, then told Black Noir not to imitate his voice when scaring Ryan again.

Black Noir followed Soldier Boy’s new plan to frighten Ryan into growing stronger, while Soldier Boy’s careless treatment of Mother’s Milk drove him to finally confront his family’s past. The chapter ended as Mother’s Milk pulled out neurotoxin and moved to spray Soldier Boy.

• Black Noir placed Soldier Boy’s supernatural-tales book in Ryan’s tent and went searching for fierce beasts to drive toward him.
• Soldier Boy extended Pete’s confinement by a month and Neuman’s by two months, then went to breakfast with Homelander.
• Soldier Boy told Homelander that Ryan had cried from fear and that he had given Black Noir more advice, leaving Homelander unable to raise his concerns.
• Frenchie introduced Mother’s Milk to Soldier Boy and Homelander in the dining hall.
• Mother’s Milk asked Soldier Boy if he remembered him, and Soldier Boy said he did not recognize him.
• Mother’s Milk recalled his family’s suffering, lost control, and pulled out neurotoxin to spray Soldier Boy.

Mother's Milk tried to kill Soldier Boy with Novichok, but Soldier Boy shrugged off the toxin and demanded to know why he had attacked. Mother's Milk's failed revenge attempt ended with Soldier Boy knocking him away, while Homelander and the gathered Vought employees watched.

• Mother's Milk sprayed Soldier Boy with nerve agent, but Homelander quickly knocked him down and pinned him by the throat.
• Soldier Boy inhaled the remaining toxin, recognized it as Novichok, and revealed that even the entire canister barely affected him.
• Homelander released Mother's Milk at Soldier Boy's request, and Soldier Boy asked why he had attacked him.
• Mother's Milk cursed Soldier Boy and punched him twice, furious that Soldier Boy did not remember him.
• Soldier Boy dodged Mother's Milk's next punch and countered with a blow to his side that sent him flying several meters.

Soldier Boy beat Mother's Milk before learning that his actions had caused Mother's Milk's family tragedy, leaving both men shaken. Homelander stopped the employees from recording the incident as Vought's medical team arrived.

• Soldier Boy punched Mother's Milk until he explained that Soldier Boy had killed his grandfather and that his father had died fighting Vought for justice.
• Soldier Boy realized he had no memory of the incident, lowered his knee, and struggled with how to respond as Mother's Milk broke down.
• Homelander's murderous intent toward Mother's Milk faded as he watched him cry.
• Hughie and Ashley arrived, and Soldier Boy ordered Ashley to bring the medical team; Frenchie came to Mother's Milk's side.
• Homelander ordered the employees to delete their videos and caught a bald employee trying to save a copy.
• Vought's medical team arrived and began examining Mother's Milk.

Homelander watched Soldier Boy apologize to Mother's Milk and choose to release him with financial compensation. Seeing his father take responsibility and restrain his anger helped Homelander embrace Soldier Boy’s idea of being a true superhero.

• Homelander noticed his doubts about Soldier Boy came from the contrast between his teachings and his actions, then warned the medical staff about Mother's Milk's brain injury.
• Soldier Boy apologized to Mother's Milk for the harm his past actions had caused, and Mother's Milk silently cried as he let go of his long-held obsession.
• Soldier Boy reassured Ashley that the incident was not her fault, then punished Frenchie by assigning him another week of toilet cleaning.
• Soldier Boy told Homelander he would release Mother's Milk and provide financial compensation because he had been in the wrong.
• Homelander saw his father restrain his anger and decided he, too, could become a true superhero.

Soldier Boy refused to have Private Angel heal Mother's Milk again, while Butcher discovered Mother's Milk had left him and agreed to help Becca find Ryan. In the rainforest, Ryan found his tent, unaware that Black Noir had placed it there as bait for nearby jaguars.

• Homelander asked Soldier Boy why the first generation of superheroes did not age, but Frenchie interrupted before Soldier Boy could answer.
• Soldier Boy told Frenchie to have Ashley bring Mother's Milk's wife and daughter back from Belize and stop troubling them.
• Butcher found Mother's Milk's farewell letter and realized Mother's Milk had drugged him with sleeping pills before defecting to Vought.
• Becca told Butcher that Homelander had taken Ryan and she could not reach him, and Butcher agreed to come help her.
• Ryan cautiously descended from a tree and found his tent in the rainforest, while Black Noir left meat nearby to lure jaguars toward him.

Black Noir lured two jaguars toward Ryan’s tent as Ryan dismissed the strange book he had found. The jaguars attacked Ryan, but his super durability protected him, and he discovered that he could barely fly while carrying their weight.

• Black Noir watched two jaguars approach Ryan’s tent while the Animal Friends discussed the trap.
• Ryan struggled to read the Eastern Strange Tales Collection, then tossed it out of the tent, accidentally hitting the male jaguar.
• Ryan stepped outside and the jaguars attacked, pinning him down and biting him.
• Ryan realized the jaguars’ teeth could not pierce his skin and regained his confidence.
• Ryan tried to escape using super flight but could only rise briefly before falling back down.

Ryan’s first unstable burst of strength let him escape a jaguar attack, but he mistook the danger in the Amazon for bad information in his survival guide. After bathing in a pool, he was seized by a huge anaconda while Black Noir watched from nearby.

• A female jaguar tore Ryan’s pants and lunged at his crotch, triggering him to punch the male jaguar hard enough to kill it.
• Black Noir concluded that Ryan had shown only the first signs of Super Strength, while the female jaguar fled.
• Ryan blamed the guide’s publishers for claiming the Amazon had no jaguars and went looking for water to wash off the saliva.
• Ryan found a pool, entered it to bathe, and failed to notice a seven-meter anaconda approaching beneath the surface.
• The anaconda bit Ryan and wrapped its thick coils around him, while Black Noir watched from above.