Agamemnon Contingency: File 5
Code Name: Patriot Act
John Gillman, known publicly as the hero Homelander, was born and raised in unusual and tragic circumstances. His conception was facilitated in a sterile lab under the supervision and control of Vought International: a multi-billion dollar corporation whose primary goods focus entirely on media and popular culture. While he was still in his mother's womb, John was injected with a substance known as Compound V. This serum caused John to be granted superpowers that he had no hope of controlling at just a ripe and volatile age. Even as an infant, this lack of control led to horrific instances of death and collateral damage, including the death of his birth mother.
Throughout his childhood, John was subjected to psychological conditioning that emphasized cultural indoctrination to shape him into a hero that could fit the profile of an American icon. This would give him mass appeal to an American audience and help to maximize Vought International's profits in the coming decades. Much of John's time was spent not receiving the proper education and emotional nurturing required for anyone to grow up to become a stable, well functioning member of society. Instead, he was treated like a living patriotic advertisement and a science experiment.
Another fracture in his mental development was when his uncontrolled strength killed someone dear to him. Young John had grown attached to a female doctor under Vought's employment, but in his attempt to give her affection by hugging her, he crushed her spine. Such a traumatic experience no doubt had a lasting impact on his psyche.
Though John was on his way to becoming a monster due to his upbringing, Vought's experiment to create a powerful superhero under their control was a success. To briefly summarize Homelander's powers and capabilities, he has the standard characteristics of superhuman strength, speed, and durability. Rather coincidentally, he shares many of the abilities that Superman possesses, including flight, laser vision, and X-ray vision. More uniquely, Homelander can shout so loudly that his voice effectively becomes a sonic weapon, capable of causing structural damage and extreme injury to living things that are too close to him in proximity.
The upper limits of his capabilities are largely unknown. He can fly at supersonic speeds and lift a jet with only one arm. His heat vision is powerful enough to graphically slice through anyone unfortunate enough to be targeted by him. However, it appears that the range and magnitude of these capabilities still pale in comparison to Superman's higher level feats.
Homelander's durability is perhaps the greatest element to consider. If hearsay is to be believed, Homelander can withstand any weapon created by mankind in his own universe, which would include knifes, tasers, all caliber of firearms, and even including hydrogen bombs. However, it should be noted that no evidence backs up the latter part of this claim. For my contingency, I will assume that more subversive measures will be required to prevent collateral damage.
Far more disturbing than Homelander's overwhelming power and array of abilities, is his psychology.
I can say with grave certainty that Homelander's mindset perfectly fits within what is traditionally known as the Dark Triad: a combination of psychological behaviors associated with psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. To start with his sociopathic inclinations, Homelander regularly makes impulsive decisions whenever engaging opponents and challenging situations, resorting to lethal force no matter the circumstances. It is not in his nature to wield his powers in a responsible or controlled manner: whether facing off against terrorists highjacking a plane, or receiving criticism from others, his first response is disproportionate and often fatal. John has also displayed utter remorselessness when killing or maiming innocent civilians, frequently entering the realm of callous dismissal of the value of human life. It is unclear whether genetics are a contributing factor to his mental condition, but what cannot be disputed is that his upbringing without a loving family fostered a sociopathic personality.
In the realm of narcissism, Homelander practically feeds off of grandiosity, his public image being more important to him than any concerns by the very public he is supposed to be protecting and inspiring. He considers himself a god, and everyone who has no superpowers is a peon whose job is to praise and worship him. John resents the restraint that others try to impose on him, reacting in anger when anyone, including Vought International, try to tell him what to do.
Examining the Machiavellian aspect of his mind, John has demonstrated calculating and manipulative behavior with the ulterior goal of garnering more power and authority to himself. When he deliberately allowed a damaged passenger airplane to crash into the ocean, he exploited the tragedy that he carelessly helped to create by feigning a mournful reaction and publicly advocating for more freedom to act.
The only concerns Homelander has are the public image he tries to maintain, and the desperate hope to experience something akin to a loving family: an experience denied to him throughout his young life.
In terms of contingency plans, Homelander is higher on my list, not because of his power, but because of his dangerous charisma and ability to engage in mass manipulation. Allowing Homelander to imbed himself into the society of the United States would present another angle of concern. If John gains mass appeal to the general public, he could weaponize it to silence his critics and undermine any attempts to contain him. The goal, therefore, is to incapacitate Homelander before he can scheme his way into popular culture.
My contingency against John Gillman take his most fervent desires and to weaponize them against him. I will disseminate a challenge to Homelander, playing up the role of a villain via an advanced droid or holographic decoy to lure Homelander into a confined space. This environment would limit Homelander's mobility while being sturdy enough to resist his superhuman strength and heat vision. From there, I will further undermine John by using a one-two assault of modified fear toxin and sedative gas.
By attacking Homelander's psyche with his own insecurities, regarding family, it could inspire confusion and doubt into his actions. The sedative gas would further incapacitate him. If he continues to struggle despite the gases entering his airways, I'll confront him whilst wearing an enhanced and well armored Batsuit that will keep me safe from his attacks while ensuring my dexterity and agility is relatively unaffected. Homelander's power may be great, but his fighting skill is poor, and he will struggle against an enemy that can match his strength but exceed him in martial skill.
After Homelander has been incapacitated, containment will be essential. Binding his limbs to prevent him from leveraging his strength while confining him to a highly durable cell should do the trick. Heat resistant materials will be a major component; in fact, I might discuss a possible test run with Superman to test his own heat vision against specially designed ceramic plates. As for neutralizing Homelander's powerful screams, a surgically implanted hypersonic will do the trick: throwing his own scream back at him and leaving him with an aching head and a very sore throat.
Depowering Homelander will be the coup de grace of his threat level. I'm currently strategizing a means to acquire a sample of Compound V from within Homelander's universe. Using boom tube technology to monitor Vought International is easy enough, but taking such an enigmatic substance from its high security R department will take time and delicate planning. If I can perform a spectroscopy on Compound V, I may be able to chemically engineer a non-toxic neutralizing agent which, after injection, will strip Homelander of his power for good.
I do not exaggerate when I say that Homelander represents a formidable threat level. Though his power may pale in comparison to several members of the league, his manipulative cunning and charisma make him a villain who can ingratiate themselves into the fabric of polite society with little effort. I see a disturbing number of parallels between John Gillman and Lex Luthor, in that both wield legitimacy and public perception as weapons to support their illicit activities. However, even Homelander has his weaknesses, particularly in the realm of his dark psyche. By exploiting his mental weak points and carefully subduing and depowering him, I can ensure that his murderous brand of patriotic chauvinism never threatens the world that I protect.