In the video on the glowing screen, Homelander held a photo of himself with Madelyn, his expression unusually complex.
From outside the screen, Tony stepped in as commentator.
"This is from the timeline after Homelander killed Madelyn. Right—Madelyn, the vice president of Vought, the woman in that photo with him, and… the woman he's obsessed with as a 'mother figure.'"
"Wow, that's complicated," Natasha said, genuinely curious. "Honestly, I still don't fully understand what Vought is. Some kind of superhero organization? Like the Avengers?"
Tony gave a dry laugh. "Put it this way, Natasha—if I, Thor, Steve, and you all suddenly became selfish, power-drunk jerks, then the Avengers could just rename themselves 'Vought.'
You'll understand once you keep watching."
Homelander's face darkened; his jaw clenched as he kept silent.
In the future footage, he was also silent, staring at the photo as if lost in nostalgic thought.
Moments later, he opened a nearby fridge, quickly locating a frozen baby bottle.
Outside the footage, Natasha's eyes widened.
"Wait… that doesn't look like regular milk."
Tony grinned wickedly. "Bingo—it's not cow's milk. It's breast milk! Clearly, our dear 'Babylander' is reminiscing about mommy's flavor."
"Shut up, you idiot!" Homelander snapped, his eyes flashing red as he glared at Tony.
Tony leaned forward, deliberately provoking him.
"Go on—fire those stupid laser beams at my head if you've got the guts. If you don't, be a good boy. Since you know everything here is being broadcast live, maybe try smiling for the camera. Aren't you supposed to be good at acting? This is exactly when you should put on a performance—great way to sharpen those acting chops."
Tony had been putting up with this guy for a long time. Now that he had a perfect opportunity, he wasn't holding back, laying on the sarcasm thick. It nearly made Homelander lose it entirely.
The footage delivered an even harsher blow—on screen, Homelander stared at the bottle with a disturbing obsession, eyes glowing red. He fired two heat beams, not to destroy, but to thaw and warm the milk.
Powerful enough to melt steel, the lasers here served only to prepare a warm drink.
Clearly, Homelander was a man of "refined tastes."
He had to drink his milk warm—probably because it felt closer to the temperature of fresh breast milk.
Then came the infamous scene—he sniffed the bottle, his expression growing even more entranced, then gently licked the tip. He looked almost high, as if the taste alone sent him into a euphoric state.
The sensation was so intense he couldn't hold back anymore—he closed his eyes and began gulping it down, his face radiating pure bliss.
Outside the video, Tony chuckled.
"Babylander, you really are a baby."
Natasha and Erik couldn't help but snicker, while Bruce Banner just looked puzzled.
"Is that supposed to be funny? I think he's just… starved for affection. Must've had a rough childhood."
This Bruce Banner was from another timeline—he didn't know Homelander's history. Having lost his own parents young, he could easily empathize with someone who had deep maternal issues.
Tony shook his head.
"Don't waste your sympathy, Bruce. Keep watching—you'll see this guy doesn't deserve even an ounce of pity."
In the video, Homelander's milk-drinking session was interrupted when Ashley entered.
If you'd seen Annie's earlier footage, you'd recognize her—back when Annie joined Vought, Ashley was her HR handler.
By this point in the timeline, though, Ashley had been promoted—taking over Madelyn's office and position.
It was Homelander who had helped her climb the ladder. Their conversation revealed he'd pinned Madelyn's death on Billy Butcher—not entirely implausible, since Butcher had left plenty of evidence behind.
Ashley also mentioned they'd found a new member for the Seven.
Homelander smiled broadly.
"Already? Great—take me to see them."
Outside the video, Erik raised an eyebrow.
"Every time I see you smile like that, I get chills. Honestly, you're the best fake-smiler I've ever met."
Homelander mirrored the smile from the footage.
"Oh, trust me—whenever I smile like this, it's because I genuinely think you're… laughable."
The smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold glare. Arms crossed, he sneered,
"There's no need to keep watching. It's all fake news! You've all been fooled by this twisted game—there's no 'future footage,' no 'quiz.' All of it is fake!"
Tony stared at him.
"Wow, did this rattle you so badly you've gone off the deep end?"
Natasha shook her head.
"Doesn't look like a real breakdown. He's acting."
The rest ignored him, eyes glued to the screen—especially Bruce and Natasha, still curious about Homelander's story.
Back in the footage, Homelander followed Ashley into a gym, where they saw the new candidate for the Seven—a blindfolded young man moving with impressive agility.
Though blind, he could locate targets by sound alone, fighting with uncanny precision.
Ashley explained that his selection wasn't because of his powers, but because he was from a minority group—fitting Vought's diversity image.
Natasha frowned.
"They pick superheroes like they're casting for a movie or assembling a pop group?"
_____
T/N:
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