Todd didn’t bother returning to school.
There was only one class left, and after the adrenaline rush of his debut, sitting through another boring lecture felt pointless.
Instead, he soared through the city at a relaxed pace, cape fluttering behind him as he scanned the streets below.
A man was running down an alley with an old woman’s purse.
Todd dove down like a red-white-and-blue missile, landing directly in front of the thief.
One casual backhand sent the robber flying into a dumpster.
Todd picked up the bag, dusted it off, and returned it to the shocked grandmother with a charming smile.
“Here you go, ma’am. Stay safe.”
The old woman beamed at him.
“Thank you, young man! God bless you!”
Next, he heard a child crying.
A small kitten was stuck high up in a tree.
Todd floated up gently, plucked the terrified animal from the branch, and delivered it safely into the little girl’s arms.
The child hugged the kitten tightly and looked up at him with wide, starry eyes.
Farther along, a bright red balloon slipped from a boy’s hand and floated away.
Todd caught it mid-air with ease and returned it, ruffling the kid’s hair before taking off again.
These were small, mundane acts, far from the world-saving heroics glorified in comics.
Yet, a strange, quiet satisfaction bloomed in Todd’s chest.
If you asked him, he’d tell you he hated the hero gig.
The endless expectations, the constant threats, the suffocating responsibility, it wasn’t a life he’d ever wanted.
But fate, in its infinite randomness, had gifted him these powers, and to simply let them lie dormant felt… wrong.
Moreover, in this brutal world, where death lurked around every careless corner, where a moment of inattention could mean oblivion, getting stronger wasn’t just an ambition; it was a necessity.
And for now, doing these small acts, accumulating tiny moments of public goodwill, gaining a flicker of fame.
It felt like a Homelander thing to do. The source of this chapter is g.com.
______
Meanwhile, deep underground in the Global Defense Agency headquarters, Cecil Stedman watched the surveillance feeds with sharp interest.
“Excellent!” Cecil slammed his fist on the console, a rare grin breaking across his usually stoic face.
On multiple screens, footage replayed Todd’s brutal yet theatrical takedown of the Flaxan forces, the devastating Texas Smash, the way he prioritized and dismantled the heavy tanks first, the casual slaughter with lasers and raw strength.
“To think Gamma Jack’s son had this kind of power,” Cecil muttered, remembering one of Earth’s fallen powerhouses who died years ago fighting a maniacal villain.
Donald pushed up his glasses while reviewing the incoming data on his tablet.
“Director, his flight speed when arriving at the scene reached Mach 1.53 rivaling Red Rush when he first got his powers. Strength output during the fight is estimated at well over 100 tons. Durability appears extremely high as well.”
“At last, some good news,” Cecil sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“The Global Guardians have been wiped out. Metro Man is gone. Omni-Man is severely injured and recovering. We’ve had nothing but terrible news lately.”
He stared at the footage of Todd floating dramatically above the battlefield, cape flowing, eyes glowing.
“Mark Grayson has shown impressive potential, but Todd… Todd is a full-blooded Earthling with this level of power.” Cecil’s eyes narrowed.
“Keep eyes on him but carefully. We need him.”
______
By the time Todd returned home, the sun had already set.
He slipped through the back door quietly, suit covered in alien blood and scorch marks.
Elena wasn’t home yet, probably still out on assignment.
He followed the instructions Alexander had tucked into the suit case.
The special detergent worked surprisingly well, though Todd grumbled the entire time while hand-washing the cape and torso in the laundry sink.
“This is going to be a pain in the ass,” he muttered.
“Having to clean this every single time I fight… I need a better solution eventually. But right now, my budget is basically zero.”
After cleaning and hanging the suit to dry, Todd showered, changed into comfortable clothes, and dropped onto his bed with his laptop.
He immediately opened multiple tabs.
The internet had exploded.
MYSTERIOUS NEW HERO ‘HOMELANDER’ SINGLE-HANDEDLY TURNS THE TIDE AGAINST ALIEN INVASION!
“Who Is Homelander? Blonde Superman Arrives!”
Videos and GIFs were spreading like wildfire. The source of this chapter is g.com.
One popular clip showed him floating down dramatically with his hands behind his back, cape flowing, right before delivering the final laser sweep.
Comments flooded in:
“HE’S SO HOT 🔥🔥”
“Finally, a hero who actually looks like he means business!”
“That punch tho omg”
Todd smirked, leaning back against his headboard.
“Heh. I look damn handsome in those shots.”
He kept scrolling, absorbing more information about this merged world.
Thanks to the Incredibles crossover, there were significantly more active heroes than he remembered from the original Invincible series.
Names like Frozone, Elastigirl, and Mr. Incredible had solid reputations.
Multiple hero agencies operated globally, recruiting powered individuals and coordinating with the Global Defense Agency.
Dangerous threats, kaiju attacks, major alien incursions, were usually handled by the Guardians of the Globe.
Now that the Guardians were gone or missing, response times had slowed.
More people were dying.
More cities were taking damage.
The power vacuum was real.
Todd’s eyes narrowed as he cross-referenced what he knew.
With Metro Man gone, Megamind won’t stay quiet for long.
He’ll probably create Tighten just like in the movie.
“If I can get my hands on that serum… it could boost my base power permanently. Can’t rely only on the system.”
He also knew Omni-Man was likely recovering from his injuries right now.
The second Flaxan invasion had already happened, which meant Nolan would be waking up soon.
And Cecil… Cecil was definitely suspicious and watching him already.