In the previously leaked future videos from the quiz game, it's actually quite clear—even superheroes like Batman, Iron Man, and Spider-Man aren't perfect.
They all have their flaws.
But their belief in fighting crime and upholding justice is unwavering. That's something everyone has seen with their own eyes.
These traditional superheroes don't see being a hero as a profession—it's a dream, pure and simple.
If it were up to them, and they learned of a place plagued by high crime rates, would they ask for money?
Forget getting paid—they'd probably bring their own gear and food.
Guys like Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, billionaires with fortunes that could rival entire nations, not only provide security for free but actually pay out of pocket to support their crime-fighting efforts.
The Justice League and the Avengers couldn't even operate without funding from these two.
So with examples like that in mind, when you look at Vought International, something just doesn't sit right.
In the video projected from the Quiz game, when Vought tried to extort a ridiculous price, the Baltimore politician Steve didn't outright reject it. Instead, he countered, "Two hundred million for Prince Nubian. That's my offer."
Madelyn shook her head. Right now, it was a seller's market. If Baltimore didn't want the deal, other cities would line up for it. Everyone knew that crime rates in the U.S. were through the roof—just part of the national reality.
She was losing patience with the negotiation, but Steve seemed quite confident and in no rush. "I think you'll come around… I happen to know about Compound V."
Madelyn's face didn't change, her polite smile still in place, as she asked in return, "And what exactly is Compound V?"
Steve didn't mind explaining. "Rumor has it, it can strip your so-called heroes of all their shine... But nobody wants that. People need heroes. I can make sure it stays just a rumor—because I'm your friend. But friendship goes both ways."
He didn't say it outright, but anyone with half a brain could hear the veiled threat.
From that moment, viewers could easily tell—this politician had dirt on Vought, and he was using it as leverage to negotiate.
Outside the video, Billy Butcher suddenly perked up, staring intently at the screen. He muttered, "Compound V... That's the heart of it."
Hughie Campbell looked over, curious. "You've heard of this Compound V?"
Billy glanced at him and simply raised a finger to his lips—shhh. What was coming next in the video was way too important.
Back inside Vought, Madelyn and the few who were in the know started to panic. The earlier exposures of A-Train, The Deep, and Translucent were bad, sure, but not fatal.
Compound V, though—that was different. If it got fully exposed, the impact on Vought would be catastrophic.
Homelander looked like he was about to blast the screen out of the sky, grinding his teeth as he growled, "If I ever catch the coward hiding behind this, I'll show him what happens when you mess with us."
No one dared speak when he lost his temper.
Even Madelyn didn't dare approach to calm him down. She just sighed deeply. "That press conference didn't go well. We admitted The Deep's mistakes, which basically means admitting the videos are real. There's no way to spin this anymore."
Call it "crisis PR" if you want—plainly speaking, it was just gaslighting and damage control.
Initially, after discussions with the PR department, Madelyn wanted to flat-out deny everything. Once the storm passed, they could blame it all on "aliens," frame it as an intergalactic conspiracy to invade Earth.
And honestly? That kind of blatant denial sometimes actually works.
But things spiraled too fast. The Quiz game's impact was massive, and pressure came down from above, forcing Vought's leadership to respond. That's why they threw The Deep under the bus.
Madelyn could still recall the board's furious phone call, where someone practically screamed at her: "Alien or not, I don't care! Get your act together or you're done! If people want answers, then give them one! We have to learn to compromise!"
Capital is weak-willed. When Vought's stock started to tumble, billions evaporated into thin air, and investors panicked. They immediately tried to get in touch with the Quiz game's organizers—or whoever was behind it—to reach some private settlement.
Unfortunately, unless you were one of the chosen players, there was no way to contact the Quiz game. The rest were just spectators.
With no other option, Vought had to take the hit.
Madelyn assumed they were only planning to cut loose The Deep and a few other members of The Seven.
But the truth was far colder.
They were ready to abandon everything—including Madelyn herself and the entire company.
The collapsing stock prices said it all. The Quiz game hadn't even touched the stock market. But some of the bigger investors had already begun pulling out. That triggered a crisis of confidence, which in turn led to the price crash.
Back in the game video, Madelyn actually held her ground surprisingly well. Even after Steve dropped the bomb about Compound V, she didn't show panic, didn't lose her cool, and certainly didn't cave.
Instead, the smile slowly faded from her face. "I'm sorry, Steve. I have no idea what you're talking about. Three hundred million for Prince Nubian—or we take the offer to Atlanta."
She outright denied any knowledge of Compound V.
Cut to the next scene—Steve was in a car, heading to the airport, when he got a call from Madelyn.
Her tone had done a full 180.
"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?" she said over the phone. "Fine. I'll drop the price for Prince Nubian to two hundred and thirty million. Oh, and as for Compound V and the other slanderous rumors about our heroes—they're all complete lies. I appreciate you having the good sense to see through that."
Outside the video, Hughie's eyes widened. "Did she just admit that those rumors—and the Compound V stuff—were real?"
"As you saw," Billy sneered, the corner of his mouth lifting into a mocking grin, "Yes."
"Now you understand why you've never seen a single scandal about those super-pricks hit the news. When the stakes are high enough, any kind of filth can be polished up and served with a smile."
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