Chapter 2: The Garden of Life
~ 1957: South Dakota ~
Jonathan, now age six, has learned a lot since meeting Mister Wilson.
Aside from a basic education, he's now aware of his superhuman powers.
He's already nearly strong as the adults, honing his enhanced senses, and even has something they don't have called "heat vision". He wasn't too keen on using it at first, as it strained his eyes and burnt things he didn't mean to. But thanks to Mister Wilson's encouragement, plus continuous doses of Suppressant V, he's gradually gaining control of it. He also knows that when he grows up, he'll use his incredible gifts to become what he aspires to be: a hero!
Today he's especially excited because his caretaker has a surprise for him.
"What is it, Mister Wilson? A new toy? An extra candy bar?"
Yes, our young protagonist has been given the luxury of childish delights. After his daily 8-5 training sessions, he immensely enjoys these rewards for good behavior.
Though not as much as he treasures the nurturing of his fatherly benefactor. From the moment they met, Mister Wilson has provided genuine affection and important lessons so he can grow as a person. Not just a mere product with the sole purpose of filling the pockets of his soulless creators.
"Even better! For today…"
Mister Wilson leads him into the large auditorium where he improves his physical abilities.
"There's someone who wants to meet you!"
Sure enough, there's another man waiting for him. He looks older and more rugged than Mister Wilson; sporting brown hair graying at the muttonchops, a big grin topped with a ceramic pipe, and a squinted left eye.
"Ahoy there, slugger! Wanna see a magic trick?"
The visitor kneels down and reaches for the boy's ear, pulls out a silver dollar, then places it in his palm.
"Neato! Thanks, Mister…!"
"O'Fiúra. Nixton O'Fiúra. But you can call me Uncle Nix!"
As his new "uncle" nuzzles his hair with a chuckle, Jonathan somehow knows this man will be another staple in his life.
"With that said, I'VE got a surprise for you too!"
Uncle Nix rises and slowly turns around, revealing a small girl clinging onto his back, who quickly dismounts and approaches Jonathan.
The girl – auburn haired, blue eyed, and about an inch shorter – gives him a curtsy and a smile.
"This lovely lady here is yer sister, Margaret!"
Sister?
"Say hi to yer brother, Mags!"
Brother?
"Eeey, Jon-Jon! Fancy a hug?"
The boy is understandably bemused by this sudden introduction. But since this is his first encounter with another child, he wants to make a good impression. Plus the prospect of having a sibling certainly delights him.
"Sure! I love hugs!"
Margaret giggles and gives him a warm embrace. Then – to his amazement – he notices that both of them are rising from the ground. Soon they're hovering well over the adults!
"Ta-da! I've got super powers too!"
"Wowzers!"
Jonathan lets go out of surprise and is caught by Mister Wilson. His equally amazed caretaker looks up at the still floating Margaret than back to Uncle Nix.
"Sh-she knows how to fly already?!"
"Eh-heh-heh! Since last month! Was swinging 'er up and down in my arms, and PRESTO! Little bugger lifted me a grand three inches offda floor!"
Jonathan's eyes widen with wonder, though the feeling is quickly overcome by a minute bit of envy.
"Awww… I wish I could fly…"
"Don't'cha worry about that, slugger! One day, you'll be soaring in the sky with 'er too!"
"F-FOR REALS?"
"For real, Johnny. For real.'
Mister Wilson encourages the boy before putting him down, followed by Margaret landing beside him.
"Now go and play with each other. Uncle Nix and I are going to chat for a while."
The two happily oblige by starting a game of tag. While Jonathan chases after her, he curiously taps in on the men's conversation with his super hearing.
"So what of her other abilities, Nix?"
"Her strength and speed are definitely picking up. Won't have heat vision, but she can kick up tiny wisps of air by swooshing 'er arms. Trainers are keeping an eye on that. Though from what I heard from the geek squad, she ain't gonna be in the same league as Wonder Boy."
"By intentional design or budgetary constraints?"
"No clue. I'm just flummoxed by the double-down alone. Little Johnny wasn't even a year old when Vought offered me to be caretaker fer his yet-to-be-conceived sib. Firstborn hasn't even started making coin fer the dumb schmucks yet!"
"Probably because you offered to contribute towards her expenses. Speaking of which, why did you arrange for an English teacher from Dublin?"
"Thought it'd be funny to have Mags talk like my good ol' stepdad."
"Hm. That explains your Italian-American heritage and Irish surname."
"As fer the overall reason I took the damn job at all: #1, figured it'd be nice to have a daughter. #2…"
Jonathan hears Nix puff his pipe.
"…I wanted to be involved in the raising of two potential living nukes. Seen enough crap in World War 2 to know how badly south this particular business venture could go."
"Ah yes, I've heard you're a military man. How did your working history qualify you for this position in the eyes of Vought?"
"Got a good reputation fer mind games, whether with soldiers or civilians. Though frankly, I think it's my connections the company's more interested in. Make of that what ya will. How bout you?"
"Behavioral and psychological background. Built up three decades worth of experience, with several degrees and accolades to boot…"
The conversation starts to get boring, so Jonathan shifts his full attention to Margaret. He's just about to tag her when she suddenly takes flight again.
"Nee hee hee! Can't catch me now!"
"Heeey! No fair!"
Jonathan pouts as he futility hops up and down, unable to reach his target now fluttering nearly seven feet above him. As Margaret playfully mocks him from afar, he gradually gets more flustered until he starts feeling an emotion he rarely experiences…
"Hg… Hng… HHEEEEEEENH!"
Anger.
"I'M GOING TO GET YOU!"
And with a sudden roar that alerts both men, Jonathan leaps as high as he can and slaps her in the face.
-SMACK!-
The force is enough to send her spiraling like a downed plane, though Nix is able to catch her safely. Mister Wilson isn't as fast, so Jonathan makes a hard three-point landing. As he recovers from the impact, he sees Margaret reeling from the blow, eyes wide open and touching her reddened cheek. After some minutes of shock, the pain finally registers and she breaks down crying.
"Wahhhhhhh!"
The remorseful Jonathan rushes towards her sister, who's flailing in Nix's arms.
"Margaret! Are you okay?!"
"NOOO! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"
She covers her face with her hands and backs away from him in intense fear. Seeing that she's completely inconsolable, Nix cradles her and turns towards the exit.
"Marone! Gonna have to end the playdate early today!"
Mister Wilson shakes his head ruefully.
"Unfortunately so. Hopefully the consequences won't be too severe upon reporting this."
"You don't think they'll keep 'em separated afterwards, do ya?"
"I highly doubt it. Regardless, I'll be having a talk with my ward here to prevent another outburst. Now go. I'll update you tonight."
"Right. Later then!"
"Wait! Don't leave! MARGARET, I'M SORRY!"
Jonathan desperately wants to follow, but is grasped by the shoulders. Once his uncle and sister have left, the boy looks up to his caretaker with tears of regret.
"I didn't mean to make her cry!"
"But you did, Johnny. Regardless of intent, you still hurt your sister. And hurting people solely out of anger is something that simply shouldn't be done. What if Uncle Nix didn't reach her in time? She could have broken an arm or worse!"
The boy sniffles and nods, understanding the seriousness of the matter. For he knows that as a superhuman, he must be especially considerate of others' physical and emotional wellbeing. Otherwise how he can be a hero if he doesn't care for the people he's supposed to help?
"Do… Do you think she hates me now?"
"Of course not. You saw how happy she was to meet you."
"But that was before I hit her! What if she never wants to see me again?"
"She'll definitely need some time to settle down after today. But I believe she'll be willing to forgive you."
Jonathan still looks unsure, so Mister Wilson pats him on the head.
"It will be okay. I promise."
~O~
A few weeks later, Jonathan finally sees Margaret and Uncle Nix again. He takes a deep breath and nervously approaches her, twiddling his thumbs as he goes. Once he's nearly a foot away, he looks into her eyes guiltily.
"Margaret? I'm REALLY sorry for hurting you. Y-you don't hate me now, do y-"
She immediately pulls him in for another hug.
"Course I don't hate you, ya mucker! We're brother and sister, fer f*ks sake!"
As Mister Wilson snickers and Uncle Nix grimaces, Margaret leads a relieved Jonathan by the hand.
"Now c'mon! It's Friday, so let's get fluttered on Lucky Cs and coco-moo!"
"Awesome! By the way, what does 'f*k' mean?"
And so the two youngsters spend a magical weekend together at Margaret and Uncle Nix's personal quarters. It's similar to his and Mister Wilson's – with a living space, kitchen, and two bedrooms – only more decorated with wartime memorabilia and loaded with sugary foods. The first night begins with a delicious spaghetti dinner, where they share tales of their training sessions over the table. As Margaret tells Jonathan more about her powers, his heart swells at the thought of them being superheroes together!
Some fun and games later, the two are snuggled in her bed while Uncle Nix reads them a bedtime story. Instead of Mister Wilson's usual nursery tales, they're treated with "The Twelve Tasks of Hercules"! It's a simpler adaptation, but Jonathan is enthralled by his uncle's presentation of the ancient hero.
"Wow! He's got super strength, just like us!"
"Yup! Just like yous! But ya know what's equally important as super strength?"
"What?"
"Super smarts! Sometimes, you'll come across something ya can't fix just by jabbing and stabbing! So ya gotta think outside of da box! Like the Nemean Lion, with a fur coat that no-sells arrows and swords! And the Lernaean Hydra, that grows back any heads lopped off! Hercules's usual weapons didn't do jack against them, so you know what he did?"
"Tell us! Tell us!"
And so he does, the best way one can describe premeditated – albeit fantastical – murder to children. For the Lion, Hercules grabbed it by the throat and strangled it to death, effectively bypassing its impenetrable coat. As for the Hydra, he torched the neck stumps after severing its heads, preventing new ones from taking their place.
As for the topic of murder, Jonathan has already been introduced to the concept of death. It saddens him to think that all living things must die, but Mister Wilson told him it's a natural part of life.
Anyways, after the captures of the Ceryneian Hind and the Erymanthian Boar, Nix tucks in the children with the promise of covering the remaining eight tasks Saturday and Sunday. Once the light goes out, Margaret snuggles with her brother.
"Mmm… G'night, Jon-Jon."
Filled with familial love for his sister, Jonathan reciprocates and falls into a peaceful slumber.
~ 1958 ~
A year has passed, with Jonathan and Margaret being closer than ever. Vought, not wanting them to bond too much, has limited their interactions to twice a month.
This sadly means Jonathan's sister isn't there when he first takes flight.
He dislikes being unable to grow alongside her. But he's come to accept that while Mister Wilson and Uncle Nix are their parental figures, the company is ultimately the one that makes all the rules.
He's particularly upset when Vought cancels two consecutive playdates. Something about the trainers wanting to boost her "arm-swooshing" ability. To placate him, Vought allows Jonathan to visit the complex's greenhouse, where Mister Wilson is caring for his portable garden.
Though not quite the same as his bimonthly sibling visits, he finds his caretaker's delicate treatment of the various floras captivating. What really catches his eye is how Mister Wilson handles some small unsightly plants sprouting about. After being plucked from the ground, they're promptly discarded into a bin meant for compost.
"What are those you're pulling out, Mister Wilson?"
"They're weeds, Johnny. Removing them is part of gardening."
"But doesn't that kill them? I thought you told me killing was wrong."
Yet another ideal imprinted onto him. Which is about to lead to Jonathan's first lesson in moral duality.
"Killing is wrong. But in some instances, it's regrettably necessary."
"Necessary? How?"
Mister Wilson sighs as he contemplates his response.
"If this were a perfect world, all living beings – sentient or not – would work together for the greater good. While they might take from others to meet their own needs, they would be inclined to give back more. Thus maintaining a unique balance to cultivate and preserve the Great Garden of Life. Unfortunately, as it stands:"
He raises a gloved hand over another weed. An ugly thing with gnarled leaves and sharp prickles…
"This is an imperfect world we live in. Hence there are some beings that are… malignant. Like a parasite. Taking and taking without giving back, thoughtlessly to the detriment of others. Or worse,"
…Clutches it tightly in his grasp...
"Like a blight. Actively harming those unfortunate to be in their midst. If such beings are unable to change…"
…Violently pulls it out by the roots…
"They must be removed. So that while they pass into oblivion…"
…And tosses it away, with a frighteningly uncharacteristic glower.
"Others are free from their destructive ways, and allowed to flourish."
Mister Wilson, seeing that Jonathan is visibly disturbed, places a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"It's a tragic truth, I'm afraid. Sometimes… the bad must die for the sake of the good. Have I answered your question well enough?"
The first thought that comes to Jonathan's mind is "yes". Only to be followed by one unsettling implication: Could this also apply to living beings other than plants?
Not wanting to mull over it any longer, he vigorously nods his head.
"Yes, Mister Wilson."
"Good. I'm sorry if I frightened you with my reply. Now how about something special for lunch?"
With that, Mister Wilson removes his gloves and leads Jonathan to the cafeteria. Completely unaware how deeply the allegory would influence his ward in the future…
~ Author's Notes ~
Fun fact: I had to spend about an hour of research to get a dated record of Homelander's youth and Vought's corporate operations. There was A LOT of info to filter from all of those text bubbles. Most underlying history in the first handful of chapters will be derived from Issues 19-20, which shouldn't be read whilst eating, and 53-54.
Little Margaret – AKA Queen Maeve – was canonically born after Homelander's debut at age 18. So of course introducing her this much earlier will have a huge impact on him and the world. She'll also be receiving a bit of the Amazon treatment here. I've planned a clash of sorts between her TV and comic appearances, so stay tuned on that.
And YES: "Uncle" Nixton O'Fiúra is supposed to be a goofy parody of super-spy Nick Fury, specifically the MAX version by Garth Ennis. If you've read the Punisher MAX comics, you'll soon be spotting some similarities.