Recaps

Soldier Boy confronted the former TNT Twins about his betrayal and learned that Liberty had orchestrated his capture, sending him into a violent rage. Meanwhile, Starlight freed Hughie and the others from the smart prison and led them out, leaving them to face the consequences of her help.

• Soldier Boy confronted Gary and his wife at their party, demanding to know who had arranged the Nicaragua operation.
• Soldier Boy tortured Gary until his wife revealed that Liberty had planned the ambush and supplied the Russians with information about his powers.
• Soldier Boy remembered his past with Liberty and, overwhelmed by fury, unleashed a blazing surge of energy from his chest.
• Starlight used Edgar's orders as cover to free Hughie, Frenchie, Mother's Milk, and Kimiko from the smart prison.
• Hughie gave Starlight his shirt in the elevator, and she thanked him before telling him she would handle any trouble caused by helping them.

Old Tom discovered a massacre at a Nevada villa, triggering public outrage and a crisis for Vought. Edgar redirected the backlash through Victoria Neuman’s Senate campaign, then ordered Vought to prepare for war after seeing footage of Homelander fighting a matching, unidentified supe.

• Old Tom found the villa in ruins, discovered the bodies of dozens of supes, and called 911; Sheriff Hank sealed the scene and contacted the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs.
• News of the Nevada massacre leaked, sparking anti-supe protests and a public-relations crisis for Vought.
• Edgar postponed Soldier Boy’s planned return and arranged for Victoria Neuman to use her Senate campaign to redirect public anger and advance Vought’s military ambitions.
• A video showed Homelander fighting an unidentified supe with similar powers, leading Edgar to suspect the man was connected to the Mangrove raid and Black Noir’s injuries.
• Edgar ordered Neuman’s campaign accelerated, activated the War Preparation Plan, and directed Clara to investigate the unidentified supe.

Sage and the Emissary discussed Homelander’s instability and their plans for him and Marie Moreau, while Homelander visited A-Train and effectively pushed him out of the Seven. John tested New Compound V in an underground tank, learned more about World Weight, and was left anticipating Hughie and the others’ return from Nevada.

• Sage told the Emissary that Homelander believed her story and that his worsening instability brought their plan closer, while the Emissary dismissed Marie Moreau as useless and said they would keep her as a backup candidate.
• Homelander visited A-Train, mocked his declining speed, and said he would remove him from the Seven roster; A-Train begged to stay, and Homelander left him trembling and convinced that only John might help him.
• John emerged from a tank of undiluted New Compound V after twelve hours of testing, while The Deep reported that the liquid level had dropped by two centimeters.
• John learned that World Weight had three tiers and that, at his current tier, he could receive feedback from only one manually selected anchor; New Compound V had no effect on him.
• The Deep told John that Hughie and the others had returned with materials from Nevada, and John came up with an idea.

Soldier Boy confronted Edgar about Liberty’s role in his capture, but Edgar showed him a file indicating she had vanished decades ago and warned that Soldier Boy remained wanted for treason. Soldier Boy agreed to lie low while Edgar promised to clear his record and help find Liberty, as Edgar tightened security and expanded Vought’s preparations.

• Soldier Boy demanded that Edgar reveal Liberty’s whereabouts, blaming her for arranging the ambush that led to his capture.
• Edgar showed Soldier Boy Vought’s file stating that Liberty had disappeared after leaving her cabin near Fairbanks twenty years earlier.
• Edgar warned Soldier Boy that the government still considered him a traitor and could imprison him if he caused trouble, so Soldier Boy agreed to lie low.
• Edgar privately noted that Starlight had rescued The Boys Squad and that he had implanted tracking devices in the team members.
• Edgar ordered Storm’s debut postponed, raised her security level, and expanded Vought’s war preparations, including recruiting mind controllers.

Edgar ordered Vought to turn captured supes into obedient weapons and recruit psychics as the company pursued the original Compound V formula. As Vought approached Frank and the surviving first-generation supes for the formula, Private Angel recovered a memory involving Soldier Boy and offered to hand over the drug if Vought met his conditions.

• Edgar selected Kenji Miyashiro and a masked giant for testing and ordered Vought to prepare twenty brainwashed supes for the battlefield within two weeks.
• Frank told Lamplighter that recreating the original formula required studying the living cells of its surviving test subjects, and said Vought would find him whether he cooperated or not.
• Sage explained that Bombsight possessed the only complete original Compound V and proposed offering him a custom dose for Little Headliner in exchange for it.
• Vought agents visited Private Angel in a psychiatric hospital, where a psychic helped her recover memories of Soldier Boy.
• Private Angel recognized Soldier Boy and told Vought's personnel to meet her conditions in exchange for the drug.

Victoria Neuman rallied support against superhuman privilege while Vought prepared a public-relations counteroffensive and unveiled Stormfront as Black Noir’s replacement. Soldier Boy recognized Stormfront’s eyes and realized she belonged to his past, leaving him staring at the screen in shock and anger.

• Victoria Neuman gave an impassioned speech at Madison Square Garden, condemning Vought and superhuman privilege as her coordinated signal triggered the next phase of the plan.
• Ashley reported Neuman’s rising approval to Edgar, who explained Vought’s plan to manipulate public opinion and pass a Superhuman Regulation Act that would benefit Vought.
• Soldier Boy watched Neuman’s speech from his monitored penthouse while taking pills and drinking whisky.
• Ashley announced Black Noir’s retirement and introduced Stormfront as the new member of The Seven.
• Soldier Boy recognized Stormfront’s eyes on the television and reacted with shock and fury.

Maeve tracked the Boys Squad to an abandoned subway station, where she fought off their ambush and captured Kimiko. The Deep appeared alongside the group and refused Maeve’s demand to step aside, leaving them on the brink of a fight.

• Maeve followed the trackers to the Boys Squad’s hideout and found Butcher, Frenchie, Mother's Milk, and Kimiko waiting for her.
• Butcher’s team opened fire, but Maeve deflected the bullets with her sword.
• Kimiko attacked Maeve, who overpowered her and pinned her to a wall with rebar.
• Kimiko tore off her pinned hand and bit Maeve’s thigh, but Maeve threw her away.
• The Deep emerged from the shadows and told Maeve he was free with the Boys Squad; Maeve ordered him to move, and he replied that people changed.

The Deep used his new water-manipulation abilities to defeat Maeve, but Homelander arrived before he could finish her. Maeve attacked Homelander by surprise, only for him to stop her sword with one finger and reveal himself.

• The Deep manipulated water from the pipes and sewage pool to overwhelm Maeve, bind her, and nearly drown her.
• Homelander emerged from the tunnel and stopped The Deep from continuing the attack.
• Maeve pretended to be incapacitated, reclaimed the Queen's Sword, and struck at Homelander.
• Homelander halted Maeve's sword with one finger and greeted her, leaving her stunned to recognize him.

Vought thawed and reconditioned Torpedo under Edgar’s orders while John confronted Maeve with the truth about Flight 247 and Vought’s surveillance of Elena. John offered Maeve a chance to join the fight against Vought, leaving her weighing whether an alliance with someone who looked like Homelander was any safer than remaining Edgar’s tool.

• Vought agents retrieved Torpedo’s cryogenically preserved body, and Vought researchers revived him with his memories erased and basic instructions loaded.
• John trapped Maeve’s sword, revealed his strength, and confronted her about Homelander’s role in the Flight 247 crash and her complicity.
• John told Maeve that Edgar had placed cameras and listening devices around Elena, and warned that Vought could make her suffer an accident.
• Maeve relived her guilt over the doomed passengers and recognized that Edgar had kept her under his control despite her attempts to protect Elena.
• John invited Maeve to show her sincerity by joining his opposition to Vought, then left her alone to consider the offer.

After failing to capture the Boys, Maeve lied to Edgar, who reminded her that Vought could expose a damaging secret from her past. Edgar then revealed Vought’s plans for the recovered Compound V1 and its political maneuvering, while Maeve concealed her anger at the Deep and denied seeing him.

• Maeve returned to Vought after losing the Boys and told Edgar that they had discovered their tracking chips and escaped an ambush.
• Edgar reminded Maeve that Vought had kept an incident from her past secret and threatened to make it public if she stopped serving the company.
• Maeve decided she could no longer trust Vought and asked Edgar about the company’s recent activity.
• Edgar explained that Vought had recovered a vial of first-generation Compound V1 and that Sister Sage, The Emissary, and their team were trying to recreate it for mass production.
• Edgar said Vought planned to upgrade its supes with V1, while using Stormfront’s conflict with Neuman to keep both factions dependent on the company.
• Edgar asked whether Maeve had seen the Deep; concealing her anger, Maeve denied it and asked whether he had disappeared again.

Maeve learned that Vought planned to interrogate Starlight with a dangerous psychic and decided to contact John to make a deal. Meanwhile, Cate received a Compound V injection at the Boys' Brooklyn hideout and awakened a powerful mental ability that could not penetrate John's defenses.

• Edgar told Maeve that A-Train was being forced into retirement and that Starlight was imprisoned for helping The Boys.
• Maeve left Edgar's office determined to help Starlight and called John to propose a deal.
• Starlight searched her cell for a way out while A-Train resisted injecting leftover Compound V and headed for the Boys' hideout.
• Frenchie injected Cate with Compound V as John held her hand, and Cate released a psychic shock wave that incapacitated Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother's Milk.
• Cate discovered she could sense minds around her, but her mental probe bounced off John, who watched her as she realized he knew.

Cate demonstrated her new mind-reading and control abilities, and Kimiko gained retractable claws after taking the compound. As Cate sensed a speedster approaching, John intercepted a failing A-Train before he crashed into rebar.

• Cate read Hughie's thoughts and briefly controlled Frenchie, making him blow a kiss at Hughie.
• Kimiko chose to take the compound, which gave her retractable claws strong enough to cut through a thick steel plate.
• Cate tested the range of her psychic senses and detected a superhuman rushing toward the laboratory.
• John vanished from the laboratory as A-Train sprinted toward the entrance, exhausted and suffering heart pain.
• John caught A-Train by the collar and stopped his momentum before he struck the rebar, and A-Train pleaded for help.

John used Freeze Breath and his Bioelectric Field to stop A-Train from sinking into the concrete after injecting the New Version of Compound V. Maeve then agreed to help John’s group in exchange for rescuing Starlight and protecting Elena, and John’s team began planning their operation.

• John brought the exhausted A-Train to the lab, where A-Train insisted on taking the New Version of Compound V despite the danger to his heart.
• Frenchie injected A-Train, whose body began vibrating uncontrollably and sinking into the concrete.
• John used Freeze Breath and his Bioelectric Field to slow A-Train’s particles, stabilize him, and leave him unconscious.
• John’s group hid A-Train before Maeve arrived, and John warned Cate not to test Maeve’s mental resistance.
• Maeve agreed to help John’s group if they rescued Starlight from Vought’s superhuman prison and guaranteed Elena’s safety.
• Cate’s psychic tendril failed to get past Maeve’s resistance, and Frenchie spread a blueprint of Vought Tower across the table.

John planned a chaotic prison breakout to rescue Starlight, her little brother, and Elena, while Sage and The Emissary chose to develop a weakened, mass-producible version of V1. The chapter left Godolkin and Sage alone in a secured office to discuss encrypted project data.

• John assigned Maeve to unlock cells in section A, draw security away, and suppress the breakout while Cate disrupted the remaining surveillance staff.
• John planned for Kimiko to rescue Starlight and her little brother through a service passage, and told Maeve that The Deep had gone to collect Elena.
• Sage reported that every attempt to break down V1's molecular core had failed and that the analysis was only 72.4% complete.
• The Emissary proposed abandoning complete reverse engineering and mass-producing a stable, weakened V1 that retained the core sequence but removed recipients' growth potential.
• Sage judged the weakened version technically feasible and asked to review Godolkin University's encrypted control parameters privately with The Emissary.
• Godolkin activated a signal jammer in his office, securing the room for his private discussion with Sage.

Sage confronted The Emissary about abandoning their original plan to reverse-engineer V1, and they agreed to present a weakened formula for mass production while secretly preparing the original serum for Homelander. After Sage promised Homelander the original serum by the morning after tomorrow, she saw an emergency prison-riot alert requesting reinforcements.

• Sage questioned The Emissary about changing the plan, and he explained that Marie Moreau had not awakened her abilities and that the nested formula made complete reverse engineering impractical.
• The Emissary revealed that the weakened formula would serve as a cover while Sage distracted Edgar’s inspectors and he secretly processed the original solution.
• An assistant told Sage that Homelander wanted to see her, and Sage left the laboratory to meet him in his new office.
• Homelander grew angry when Sage described the weakened formula, but Sage convinced him that the only original serum was being reserved for him after safety checks.
• Homelander demanded the serum by the morning after tomorrow, and Sage promised to deliver it with monitoring equipment.
• Sage saw a CCTV alert announcing a prison riot and requesting reinforcements as she reached the elevators.

Maeve used a stolen access card to free the superhuman prisoners in Vought Tower’s fifty-fifth-floor high-security block, triggering a violent breakout. After joining Green Flash and Iron Fist in the fight, she turned to hold off the remaining prisoners while worrying about the Boys Squad’s rescue of Starlight and Homelander’s unexpected return.

• Maeve used a stolen access card to unlock the cells in the fifty-fifth-floor high-security block, and the released prisoners began rioting.
• Steamroller led the prisoners against Vought’s guards, while Green Flash and Iron Fist fought back and killed him before being overwhelmed by the crowd.
• Maeve arrived with her sword and rescued Green Flash and Iron Fist, then attacked the prisoners and helped the guards regain hope.
• Maeve checked that the nearby area holding Starlight remained undisturbed and continued facing the prisoners while waiting for the Boys Squad.
• Maeve worried that Homelander’s return could disrupt the plan to rescue Starlight and escape Edgar’s control.

Kimiko, Cate, and Frenchie infiltrated Vought’s surveillance room and altered the security footage and patrol logs before Kimiko reached Starlight’s hidden cell. Kimiko found Starlight, but a Mesmer ambushed them with Kenji Miyashiro, whom he had turned into a weapon, leaving Kimiko facing her brother.

• Kimiko killed four guards outside the surveillance room, and Cate incapacitated the three operators inside without altering their memories.
• Frenchie used a controlled operator to replace the freight elevator footage and delete a patrol entry, while Cate exhausted herself controlling the operators’ movements.
• Kimiko cut open the unmarked cell door and found Starlight, who urged her to leave when she noticed someone approaching.
• A Mesmer appeared and revealed he had been waiting for a rescuer, then introduced Kenji Miyashiro as a weapon cultivated by the Mesmers.
• Kenji raised his hand toward Kimiko, and she recognized the childhood gesture before declaring that she wanted him dead.

Kimiko fought Kenji while a psychic controlled him, and Cate battled the psychic inside Kenji’s mind to break the control. Kenji’s power erupted and left him attacking everyone indiscriminately until John arrived and blasted him into a wall.

• Kenji used telekinesis to hold Kimiko in the air and attack her with rubble and pipes while the psychic ordered him to kill her.
• Frenchie and Cate entered the corridor; Frenchie’s shot was stopped and redirected by Kenji, while Cate attacked the psychic’s hold on Kenji’s mind.
• Cate and the psychic fought over Kenji’s mental anchor until Kenji convulsed and unleashed a telekinetic blast that killed the psychic and pinned Kimiko, Frenchie, Cate, and Starlight.
• Kenji broke free of the control but lost awareness, treating everyone nearby as a threat as he raised concrete and rebar to attack them.
• John arrived and struck Kenji with a red beam, knocking him into the wall and releasing the telekinetic pressure on the others.

Homelander crushed the riot on Vought Tower's fifty-fifth floor, then encountered John and backed away after memories of their past confrontation shook him. Elsewhere, Soldier Boy agreed to go to the riot after Edgar called, and he prepared to leave his luxury apartment.

• Homelander destroyed the alarm television and flew to the fifty-fifth floor, where he killed several prisoners with brutal ease.
• Homelander saw John across the wrecked corridor and, shaken by memories of John's past strength, decided to postpone confronting him until after he received V1.
• John recognized Homelander but avoided starting a fight because his teammates still needed to escape and help him obtain Compound V.
• Soldier Boy answered Edgar's call, learned the riot was on the fifty-fifth floor, and prepared to go there with help from the guards.

Soldier Boy mistook John for Homelander and fought him after John exposed the truth about his fabricated military record and Clara’s role in his past. Soldier Boy’s chest blast overwhelmed John’s defenses, and the chapter left Soldier Boy reliving his Soviet torment before he rejected the need to keep enduring.

• Soldier Boy emerged from the elevator in the wrong place, then found John standing amid the wreckage of a corridor.
• Soldier Boy assumed John was Homelander, but John denied it and exposed the forged story of Soldier Boy’s wartime service and Clara’s betrayal.
• Soldier Boy charged John, and the two fought, with John landing heavy blows while Soldier Boy’s shield and resilience kept him in the fight.
• Soldier Boy charged and fired his chest blast; John dodged the first wave and used the shield to block the second.
• Soldier Boy knocked John down and prepared to continue, but memories of Soviet experiments returned as he finally shouted that he was done enduring.

John rescued Cate, Kimiko, Frenchie, and Kenji while fighting Soldier Boy, then beat Soldier Boy in a clash of energy beams. Soldier Boy tricked John with a point-blank blast, and the resulting fire trapped the others until Starlight appeared.

• Soldier Boy unleashed his Chest Cannon, and John dodged its sweeping beam while carrying Cate, Kimiko, and Frenchie to safety.
• Kenji woke under his brainwashing, raised a weak shield, and John knocked him unconscious before Cate and the others took him into the stairwell.
• John fired Heat Vision against Soldier Boy’s Chest Cannon, overwhelmed the beam, and blasted Soldier Boy through walls.
• Soldier Boy pretended to be defeated, then fired his Chest Cannon at John from close range.
• The blast set the emergency stairwell ablaze, and Kimiko shielded Cate and Frenchie as they weakened in the smoke and heat.
• Starlight appeared in the flames and ordered the group to go.

John survived Soldier Boy’s chest blast, discovered his powers had grown stronger, and beat Soldier Boy unconscious before escaping the tower ahead of the media and Vought guards. Meanwhile, Elena received Maeve’s warning to leave her safe house, but Vought agents intercepted her in the alley.

• Soldier Boy recovered from firing his chest blast and expected to find Homelander dead, but he saw John standing unharmed in the ruins.
• John realized his abilities and senses had been boosted, and the World Distortion Level had risen to 85%.
• John battered Soldier Boy into unconsciousness but spared him, then flew out of the tower before the arriving helicopters and guards could reach him.
• Elena received a message from Maeve telling her to leave immediately, packed a bag, and found a black Ford blocking the alley’s exit.
• A man and a woman confronted Elena and identified themselves to her as Vought agents.

Elena tried to escape Vought agents who were keeping her under house arrest, but The Deep intervened with his newly developed ability to control water in the human body. The female agent recognized him and accused him of betraying Vought.

• Elena tried to trick the agents into letting her leave, then struck the female agent with her backpack and ran.
• The female agent caught Elena, but Elena broke free briefly by hitting her in the nose.
• When the female agent tried to knock Elena unconscious, her arm froze in midair as The Deep used his ability from the alley entrance.
• The Deep revealed himself, and the female agent recognized him and demanded to know whether he was betraying Vought.

Homelander injected first-generation V1 and gained a major boost in power, while Edgar publicly declared John and his allies wanted fugitives. John demanded loyalty from his group as Stormfront coerced Neuman into opposing Edgar by threatening her daughter.

• Homelander injected V1 in an abandoned quarry, endured a violent surge of power, and unleashed far stronger Heat Vision before flying back to Vought Tower.
• Sage measured Homelander's increased abilities and confirmed that V1 had not shown signs of rejection.
• Edgar announced a high-priority manhunt for John and his allies, offering a five-hundred-million-dollar bounty and accusing them of joining anti-Vought extremists.
• John warned his allies that the conflict was escalating and invited anyone unwilling to continue to leave; Mother's Milk departed, Butcher said he would finish one last job, and Hughie asked John for the new Compound V.
• Stormfront called Neuman, revealed that she knew about Neuman's powers, and threatened her daughter Zoe to force Neuman to oppose Edgar's proposed manhunt budget.

Hughie chose to risk an injection of the improved Compound V and survived, gaining the ability to teleport. Meanwhile, Homelander reveled in V1’s new precision control as Godolkin and Sage advanced their plan, and Neuman prepared to attend a congressional hearing after Storm sent proof that Zoe was safe.

• Hughie chose to receive the improved Compound V directly, and Frenchie monitored him as he endured intense pain before his condition stabilized.
• John told Cate that he was searching for his biological parents and reflected on his determination to break free of the forces controlling him.
• Homelander tested his newfound precision after injecting V1, while Godolkin and Sage confirmed that the first-stage mental anchor had connected and agreed to continue their plan.
• Neuman received a recording from Zoe, understood that Storm had outmaneuvered her, and told her political secretary she would attend the congressional hearing.
• Hughie recovered and accidentally teleported across the lab, prompting Frenchie and A-Train to recognize his new power.