Deadpool couldn't stop laughing. "The all-powerful, godlike Homelander… turns out he's just a creepy little mama's boy! Hahaha, this is way more entertaining than the original Superman!"
Everyone else looked like they'd seen a ghost. Annie was especially stunned, her face full of disbelief. "Oh my god… who would've thought Homelander had this kind of side to him?"
And the biggest shock was yet to come.
In the video, when Madelyn said she didn't need Homelander's help, this supposedly invincible force of nature suddenly looked like a heartbroken child—his face crumpling with hurt and pitiful longing.
Countless viewers were left slack-jawed.
Then, when Homelander pressed his hand against Madelyn's and looked up at her with those big, pleading eyes, nervously asking if she would always protect him—everyone watching was completely stunned.
They couldn't connect this needy, emotionally-starved man with the sunny, all-powerful superhero they thought they knew… let alone the cold-blooded murderer they'd just seen exposed.
All people could do was sigh: everyone has more than one side. Even superheroes.
Ironically, this new scandal actually won Homelander a new group of fans—"mom fans." Just goes to show, there's no limit to the weirdness of the world.
Outside the screen, Annie shook her head and said, "Homelander must've had a really messed-up childhood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up this… twisted."
Stephen nodded. "Yeah, with someone like him, it's usually childhood trauma. That's where all this warped stuff comes from."
But Billy was staring hard at Madelyn in the video, thinking to himself—She's the weak spot. Homelander's soft underbelly. That's leverage.
Back in the footage, the camera cut to Billy, Hughie, and Frenchie. After some coaxing, threats, and manipulation from Billy, Frenchie finally joined their plan. The three of them locked Translucent in a sealed room.
Then, they started figuring out how to kill him.
Electric shocks worked to knock him out—but not to kill. His skin was like diamond, completely impervious to bullets or blades. Regular weapons were useless.
With no better option, they kept him locked up for now. Thankfully, they'd planned ahead—the room was rigged with signal-blocking materials to stop the chip in his body from revealing their location.
Frenchie and Billy talked about how to kill a man like they were debating what to eat for dinner. Calm, casual, cold.
Hughie stood to the side, stiff and uncertain, like an outsider who didn't belong. He hadn't accepted the role he'd fallen into, and he asked anxiously, "Hey, guys, are we really talking about killing one of the most famous person on the planet? A literal national icon? People are going to notice."
Billy looked him dead in the eye. "If we let him go, what do you think The Seven are going to do to us? A smear on the sidewalk doesn't bother a train."
Hughie said quietly, "I'm not a killer."
Billy shrugged. "Good thing I am."
Watching from outside the screen, Hughie looked crushed, his face twisted into something between a smile and a sob. "I… I haven't even done anything yet. But I'm already doomed to be a killer?"
Annie gave him a sympathetic look. "No. This hasn't happened yet, Hughie. Don't overthink it. Translucent is still alive."
"You're right. Yeah, you're right. None of this has happened yet…" Hughie took a deep breath, talking himself down. "I don't have to get involved in this. I don't have to become a killer…"
But Billy didn't let him have that hope for long. "Hughie, listen to me. You can lie to yourself, fine—but don't expect to fool The Seven."
"Translucent's still alive. Sure. But that's not good news. Once we leave this place, we're all targets. Think about it—if you were him, and you knew some ordinary guy would try to kill you in the future, would you let him walk away?"
Hughie's face fell, crushed. "But I didn't do anything…"
Billy just shook his head. "Doesn't matter. They won't believe that."
Stephen added, "Billy's right. The second these future videos come out, you, me, all of us—we're on every radar. If our world were a movie, or a TV show, or a comic… we're the main characters now."
Deadpool perked up with a grin. "Doctor Strange, I like you. Smart guy. You get it. That's right—we are characters in a comic book!"
Stephen rolled his eyes. "It was a metaphor."
Deadpool just spread his hands. "Truth's hard to swallow, huh?"
Thor coughed awkwardly. "Enough of this nonsense. Let's just keep watching."
Back in the video, Billy and Frenchie were still trying to find a solution. They were both men of action, after all.
Frenchie had hesitated before joining the mission, but now that he was in, he was all in—obsessed with finding a way to kill their prisoner.
Turns out, he was pretty good at modifying weapons. After analyzing Translucent's physiology, he worked tirelessly to craft a custom-built bullet specifically designed to pierce his defenses.
Billy, always the man of action, immediately grabbed the gun, loaded the special round, and fired without hesitation.
The bullet struck true—but bounced right off. It didn't even break the skin. Instead, it ricocheted wildly, nearly hitting Billy himself.
In the electrified cage, Translucent burst into laughter. "You dumb son of a bitch! You see that? I'm invincible! I'm the goddamn Translucent! They're gonna find me, sooner or later!"
The attempt was a total failure. Billy turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
But none of them noticed—the bullet had shattered part of the signal-dampening material in the wall.
Sure enough, over at Vought headquarters, a signal blip appeared. Vice President Madelyn immediately ordered a team to investigate the area.
She didn't think The Invisible Man was in any real danger, so she only sent a standard security team.
Of course, they were armed.
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