Starter Villain

Morrison finds Charlie outside, troubled. Morrison reveals that the cats are genetically modified and starts explaining Jake's business when Tobias, "The Stabber," appears. Morrison positions herself protectively in front of Charlie as tension rises. Tobias, attempting to ease the situation, mentions that he could have killed Charlie at the funeral home. Morrison and Tobias exchange insults, hinting at a past romance. Tobias hands Charlie an envelope, but Morrison insists Tobias open it, revealing an invitation. After a warning, Tobias leaves.

Inside, Hera informs Charlie he is now a target for Jake's rivals and reveals her dual role of surveillance and security. She details the attack on Charlie's house, suggesting the figure he saw in the window was likely CIA. Andy calls, offering a week's stay at a local motel covered by insurance. Andy also states that the FBI visited him and asked about Charlie. Considering his options, Charlie decides to stay in the hotel.

However, Morrison and Hera propose another plan: Charlie taking over Jake's businesses, including car garages and villainy, and attending the Lombardy Convocation, a villain conference detailed in Tobias's invitation. They have prepared escape documents in the name of Desmondo Jose Ruiz. Before anything else, Morrison suggests visiting the volcano lair.

Situated on Saint Genevieve, a Caribbean island five miles north of Grenada, lies the "volcano lair." This volcanic island boasts a complex history, resulting in a vast subterranean complex. Currently owned by Allegheny Hospitality, Saint Genevieve provides a secure working environment for various research and development departments under Baldwin Holdings LLC, Jake's company.

Charlie is taken aback by the ease of his journey to the island using his fake passport. Upon arrival, Morrison gleefully reveals that her organization orchestrated an explosion in Charlie's insurance-funded hotel room, leading everyone, except Jake's associates, to believe Charlie is dead.

Once on Saint Genevieve, Morrison introduces Charlie to Joe Williams, the general manager of Allegheny Hospitality, responsible for overseeing all island operations. At Charlie's request, Williams accompanies him to meet the island's guard dolphins, who are considering going on strike.

Charlie, Morrison, and Williams go to the Cetacean Division, where six dolphins quarrel with Astrud Livren, a female representative from the Cetacean Relations Department. The dolphins communicate through a microphone and display a general lack of respect for humans. Jake's refusal to recognize animal unions has left the dolphins furious about their labor conditions. Despite being crucial members of Saint Genevieve's Security and Intelligence teams, they struggle to strike due to their limited bargaining power. Although the dolphins technically have the freedom to leave, their genetic modifications hinder their ability to interact with wild dolphins. Charlie departs amidst a flurry of insults from the dolphins. He turns to Morrison for her opinion on the situation, but she chooses not to comment.

Eve Yang, the head of Allegheny Hospitality's Human Resources department, delivers a PowerPoint presentation to Charlie on villainy's misrepresentation in media. This presentation is a standard part of the new hire process for executives and managers, emphasizing that villains are not inherently good or evil but rather "professional disrupters." Charlie remains cynical and sarcastic throughout, questioning the use of the term "villain" altogether. Eventually, Morrison suggests ending the presentation, sensing Charlie's lack of receptiveness.

Charlie remarks that villainy goes beyond world-threatening plots with giant lasers, only to be shown the Chauc 4, a disruptive laser commissioned by the US Department of Agriculture. While ostensibly designed for rainmaking, the Chauc 4 possesses additional capabilities to track, disrupt, destabilize, and even destroy satellites using energy from Saint Genevieve's volcano.

Instead of using this technology for blackmail, Baldwin Consultants, Jake's umbrella company for more nefarious ventures, offers a yearly subscription granting access to the technology. While none of the clients utilize the technology, they find comfort in the knowledge of its availability. Furthermore, certain clients, who are direct competitors, feel compelled to maintain the subscription as a precautionary measure, fearing that their rivals might exploit the technology against them.

Morrison and Charlie return to the main complex, where Williams explains that they have apprehended a CIA agent, a not-uncommon occurrence. Williams and Morrison clarify that typically, captured operatives are interrogated and subsequently eliminated since the island lacks facilities for long-term detention.

Morrison escorts Charlie to interrogate the agent, Evan Jacobs. Jacobs provides a verification code, prompting Morrison to reveal that one of their services includes identity construction and destruction. Jacobs is there to fake his death and assume a new identity. Jacobs informs Charlie that he is no longer under investigation for the federal agent's death and that his alias, Desmondo Jose Ruiz, has been compromised. Furthermore, the CIA is uncertain about the identity of those behind the attempt on Charlie's life but suspects a connection to the Lombardy Convocation. Members of the convocation are apprehensive about Charlie's intentions to carry on his uncle's business strategies.

Shifting gears, Morrison presents Jacobs with options for his simulated demise, and Jacob defers, letting Charlie decide.