Chapter Summaries

Homelander found Becca and Butcher’s cabin, injured Becca, and took Ryan, whose emerging powers convinced him the boy was his son. Butcher vowed to get Ryan back and asked John for help, leaving John with a chance to act against Homelander.

• Homelander broke into Becca’s cabin, recognized Ryan as his son, and tried to take him with him.
• Becca attacked Homelander to protect Ryan, but he struck her down; Ryan fought back and briefly showed signs of Heat Vision.
• Homelander carried Ryan away through the cabin’s roof despite Becca’s pleas.
• Butcher returned, found Becca injured and Ryan gone, then called Mallory and asked for help tracking Homelander.
• Butcher told Becca he would bring Ryan back and contacted Mother’s Milk.
• Mother’s Milk informed John that Homelander had taken Ryan and that Butcher would agree to John’s Compound V1 proposal if John helped.

The Deep used his new ocean-sensing abilities to locate Homelander and Ryan, while John’s team prepared a diversion to rescue the boy. Homelander pursued Butcher’s van, then realized Ryan had been left alone and raced back to the cabin.

• The Deep sensed fish and other ocean life gathering near Homelander’s cabin and reported that Homelander was hiding there with a child.
• John told the team they would move around eight, and Frenchie and Mother's Milk prepared a sonar emitter to lure Homelander away.
• Homelander tried to comfort Ryan with a game console and promised to take him for ice cream, but Ryan insisted that he wanted to go home.
• Homelander heard the emitter and flew from the cabin after the false supe signal.
• Butcher drove the van south with the emitter, and Homelander landed on its roof and tore it open.
• Butcher crashed the van and taunted Homelander, who realized Ryan was still at the cabin and raced back toward him.

John fought Homelander after sending Ryan south to find Uncle Butcher. Homelander escaped, and John realized his identity was exposed and he could no longer stay hidden.

• Homelander arrived at the mudflat, found John holding Ryan, and accused him of being a knockoff.
• John told Ryan to run south to Uncle Butcher, then faced Homelander alone.
• John caught Homelander's punch and battered him, but Homelander broke free and struck back with Heat Vision and punches.
• John and Homelander exchanged Heat Vision before John slapped him, seized him, and drove him into the sea.
• John pinned Homelander underwater and nearly killed him, but Homelander escaped and flew west.
• John rose from the sea and saw that the World Distortion Level had reached 60%, realizing he could no longer hide his identity.

Soldier Boy returned after thirty-eight years and learned that Payback and Vought had arranged his capture, then prepared to confront Edgar. Meanwhile, Homelander brooded over his defeat, threatened Ashley over a marketing proposal, and ordered her to find Vought’s intelligence-type superhuman files.

• Soldier Boy confronted The Legend, who revealed that Edgar proposed betraying him in Nicaragua and that Crimson Countess, Gunpowder, Mindstorm, and Black Noir had all gone along with it.
• The Legend retrieved Soldier Boy’s uniform, shield, and cigars, and Soldier Boy dressed before Vought representatives arrived on Edgar’s behalf.
• Soldier Boy refused The Legend’s suggestion that he escape and told him to open the door so he could hear what Edgar wanted.
• Homelander spent three days alone in his wrecked quarters, convinced that Vought had created a stronger copy of him after his fight with another version of himself.
• Ashley told Homelander that Starlight was outpolling him in some demographics and suggested a joint publicity campaign; Homelander threatened her and ordered her to tell marketing to stop proposing such plans.
• Homelander ordered Ashley to obtain Vought’s records on superhumans with intelligence abilities before that night, then sent her away.

Starlight grew disillusioned with Vought’s orders and exchanged contact information with Hughie after telling him about the company’s cover-up. Meanwhile, Soldier Boy met Edgar, agreed to work with Vought in exchange for help finding his former teammates, and was asked to locate the Boys Squad and their allies.

• Ashley told Starlight to wear a revealing costume for a promotional appearance and ordered her to perform at a children’s nightclub, leaving Starlight furious and in tears.
• Starlight met Hughie and Little Terror in Central Park, and Hughie advised her to save evidence of Vought’s misconduct.
• Starlight told Hughie that Vought had concealed an attack on a senior executive, and they exchanged contact details so he could help her share information with the media.
• Soldier Boy arrived at Vought headquarters and confronted Edgar, who offered to restore his place in The Seven and help him find Crimson Countess, Gunpowder, and Mindstorm.
• Soldier Boy agreed to become Vought’s ally, and Edgar gave him a photograph of the Boys Squad, Kimiko, Cate, and a masked man to find.

Soldier Boy tracked down Crimson Countess to learn why she had betrayed him, but she revealed that Liberty had recruited the team to help Vought get rid of him. Soldier Boy began to kill Crimson Countess, leaving the truth about Liberty still to be verified.

• Soldier Boy found Crimson Countess living in an RV in the Adirondack Mountains and knocked her unconscious before tying her to a ladder.
• Soldier Boy questioned Crimson Countess about why she had betrayed him, and she said she had volunteered because she hated him.
• Crimson Countess attacked Soldier Boy with energy beams, but he endured them and overpowered her.
• Crimson Countess revealed that Liberty had approached her, Gunpowder, and Mindstorm with a plan to help Vought remove Soldier Boy and benefit the team.
• Soldier Boy said he would verify Crimson Countess's claims, then fired a brilliant white beam from his chest at her.

Homelander recruited Jessica, whom he renamed Sister Sage, to help him respond to the threat posed by John and his weakening abilities. Sage proposed searching for Vought’s old V1 project and testing it on subjects from Godolkin University.

• Sister Sage recognized Homelander at her Newark apartment and deduced from his injuries that he was facing a crisis in his power and position.
• Homelander offered Jessica a place in The Seven, and she accepted the name Sister Sage and agreed to help him.
• Sister Sage analyzed Homelander’s account of his fight with John and suggested John might be his clone or a weapon developed by Vought.
• Sister Sage proposed finding the records for Vought’s powerful, dangerous V1 catalyst as a way to make Homelander’s body powerful again.
• Homelander suspected Edgar had kept a copy of the V1 records, and he said they could find test subjects at Godolkin University.

Hughie and the Boys tried to identify Vought’s Compound V1 facility when Soldier Boy burst into their Manhattan apartment and overwhelmed them. As Kimiko recovered from his attacks, Soldier Boy began charging an orange-red glow in his chest.

• Hughie decoded Butcher’s message about Compound V1 and considered asking Annie for information about Vought.
• Soldier Boy tore the apartment door off its hinges and confirmed that Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother’s Milk were the people he had come to find.
• Frenchie and Mother’s Milk shot Soldier Boy, but their bullets failed to harm him.
• Soldier Boy hurled Frenchie into the refrigerator and broke Mother’s Milk’s nose with a backhand.
• Kimiko attacked Soldier Boy with a series of strikes and a joint lock, but he crushed her jaw and threw her into the television.
• Soldier Boy noticed Kimiko’s healing ability and began gathering an orange-red glow in his chest.

John and Cate infiltrated Shetty’s experimental base, where John discovered a hidden ward filled with altered test subjects. After the subjects attacked him, John prepared to fight the entire crowd.

• John used Lamplighter’s information to locate Shetty’s base and asked Cate to neutralize the guards in the surveillance room.
• John tore open a blast door, endured gunfire, and defeated the armed guards before entering the base’s main passage with Cate.
• John led Cate to a zinc-lined basement wing, where he heard at least a hundred people gathered behind a fire door.
• John and Cate entered the ward, and a test subject charged John but was knocked unconscious.
• The test subjects lunged at John as his eyes glowed red.

John slaughtered and subdued the surviving test subjects, while Cate learned that Shetty’s Supe Virus research was nearing completion and Soldier Boy had joined Vought. John sent Cate to obtain the formula and moved to rescue Hughie and the others; meanwhile, Soldier Boy entered a party and found the TNT Twins.

• John used Heat Vision to kill most of the test subjects, then froze Pyro, broke the barrier man’s shield, killed the healing woman, and defeated the brute.
• Cate invaded the barrier man’s consciousness and learned that Shetty was developing the Supe Virus and keeping her database on basement level two.
• Cate received Hughie’s message that Soldier Boy had found them and was with Vought.
• John told Cate to get Shetty’s formula and recruit the test subjects through mind control, then sent a message to Lamplighter and set out to rescue Hughie and the others.
• Soldier Boy entered a debauched villa, asked after the TNT Twins, kicked open the inner lounge doors, and recognized them.

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.