In the footage, Ashley's reasoning for choosing the new member of The Seven sounded less like the careful selection of a superhero and more like casting for a movie or pop group.
Natasha couldn't wrap her head around it. Shouldn't superheroes be chosen for their morals and abilities?
Tony Stark shrugged, spreading his hands.
"I told you — Vought looks like a security company that provides superheroes for the public. But in reality, it's a biotech corporation experimenting with dangerous serums… and also an entertainment company."
Bruce Banner blinked rapidly.
"That's… really not what I expected."
On-screen, Homelander wore an ever-growing smile, clearly pleased with Ashley's choice for the new candidate — a blind man who could fight with incredible precision by relying solely on his heightened hearing.
The blind man "noticed" them and hurried over to greet them, saying he was a huge fan of Homelander.
Homelander beamed.
"Listen, buddy — you're the real hero. Not because of your job, but because of the challenges you've overcome."
Such an inspiring, heartfelt speech.
Tony Stark even chuckled and clapped.
"This guy's unbelievable. Just earlier he was calling the Watcher and me hypocrites, but if we're talking about fakes, who could beat our dear Homie?"
Hands on his hips, Homelander snapped,
"Shut up! Don't project your filthy, shameless behavior onto me!"
Tony ignored him and nodded toward the footage.
The blind man was visibly moved.
"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."
Homelander's smile didn't waver.
"No problem, my friend. But… I just have one question."
He stepped forward, spreading his hands.
"What would happen… if I did this?"
Without warning, he clapped both hands hard over the man's ears — a brutal double ear slap.
CRACK!
The blind man crumpled to the floor, clutching his ears, writhing in pain as blood streamed from his ears, nose, and mouth.
Homelander stared down coldly.
"Now it turns out you're just a useless blind man. Are you joking with me, Ashley?"
He turned on Ashley with venom.
"How could you think I'd let a disabled person join The Seven? God, Ashley — don't look at him, Look At Me!"
Ashley was frozen in shock, and frankly, anyone in her shoes would have been.
Even outside the footage, the players watching were wide-eyed. No one expected such a sudden, savage turn — especially after the light-hearted banter just moments before.
Tony Stark's mouth hung open.
"Wow, Homie… I underestimated you. I thought you'd at least keep up the smiling act and just veto the guy behind closed doors. But you… you actually did that?"
The poor man had already proven himself with his super-hearing. Instead of recognizing that, Homelander destroyed the one thing that gave him an edge.
Thinking back to his earlier "motivational" words and comparing them to this cruel act sent a chill down the spine — even Erik, not exactly known for his soft heart, felt it.
Bruce Banner's face was tight with anger.
"You're insane. You're a sick, amoral monster without a shred of conscience!"
He was disgusted with himself for ever feeling sympathy for the man.
Homelander crossed his arms in an "X" and declared solemnly:
"Fake news! It's all fake! I swear that blind hero is alive and well. Nobody hurt him. Everything you're seeing is a lie — part of an alien trap! You need to think for yourselves and not fall for it!"
Bruce shook his head.
"He's gone. Totally gone."
Tony gave a short, cold laugh.
"He's not talking to us — he's talking to his supporters and fans."
Natasha blinked in disbelief.
"You're joking… He actually has fans?"
Tony shrugged.
"I didn't believe it at first either. But after the quiz game revealed so many future videos, me, Steve, Bruce, and other heroes became the talk of the multiverse — basically, celebrities. People even made popularity rankings. You wouldn't believe it, Natasha — you rank below Thanos, the corrupted Scarlet Witch, evil Doctor Strange, and Gorr the God Butcher. And now that Ultron's here, he'll probably outrank you too — at least in my world's list."
"So yeah… if people can adore Thanos and Ultron, then Homelander? He's had top-tier celebrity status in his world for years. As long as even a few still believe in him, he wins."
And Stark was right.
In The Boys' world, plenty of people who heard Homelander cry "fake news" believed him. They were convinced the quiz videos were nothing but alien fabrications.
They'd say things like:
"Technology's so advanced now. With Photoshop and AI deepfakes, making a video like this is easy. I trust Homelander — he's my hero."
Years of "patriotic" education and Vought's relentless PR had built a loyal base of fans. Many even took to the streets, banners in hand, demanding government action against the supposed alien conspiracy.
The authorities, meanwhile, were just as frustrated: If we had that kind of power, don't you think we'd have used it by now?
While the outside world simmered with chaos, the footage rolled on.
After destroying the poor blind man's hearing, Homelander tore into Ashley with a blistering verbal assault, leaving her utterly humiliated.
___
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