Chapter Summaries

Thanos ambushed the Guardians of the Galaxy and demanded Gamora in exchange for the Soul Stone. After Xia Yu lost contact with the Guardians, he reached Vormir and found them grieving, with Gamora and the Soul Stone gone.

• Thanos appeared on Star-Lord's ship, and Star-Lord and the Guardians attacked him.
• Thanos defeated the Guardians' ambush and restrained Drax while Nebula explained she had not attacked.
• Gamora held a dagger to her throat and offered to go with Thanos if he spared her friends.
• Xia Yu realized he had lost contact with the Guardians and traveled to Vormir.
• Xia Yu found Star-Lord and the others on Vormir, but Gamora and the Soul Stone were missing.

After losing the Soul Stone to Thanos, Xia Yu met Stan Lee, who promised to contact the Watchers and urged him to protect those around him. Rocket’s Infinity Stone tracker then detected an enormous new energy signature on the moon, where Xia Yu appeared just as a cosmic wave swept toward Earth.

• Xia Yu angrily confronted Stan Lee about Thanos taking the Soul Stone and demanded help against the threat.
• Stan Lee said he was trying to contact the Watchers, told Xia Yu to protect people connected to the Infinity Stones, and warned him not to tamper with time.
• Xia Yu returned to the base and urged Rocket, Groot, and Thor to stay, but Rocket explained that he had built a device to track Infinity Stone energy so they could search for Thanos.
• Rocket’s tracker alarmed and showed an enormous Infinity Stone signature on the moon, and Xia Yu vanished to investigate.
• A cosmic energy wave swept out from the moon, and Xia Yu appeared there and held it back from reaching Earth.

Xia Yu struggled to keep the energy released by Thanos’s Snap from reaching Earth, using the Aether to resist it and calling on the Avengers and Infinity Stones for help. With their combined power, they began to match the force, but Doctor Strange warned that it would keep growing, leaving them without a clear solution.

• Thanos watched Xia Yu hold back the Snap’s energy, but the Black-Clad Man said the force would grow until Xia Yu could no longer resist it.
• The pressure overwhelmed Xia Yu and sent him flying toward Earth, so he formed the Aether into a vast membrane to slow his retreat.
• Stan Lee explained that only a rule could oppose another rule and urged Xia Yu to use the Aether as a medium.
• Xia Yu asked Tony to bring Thor and Vision to channel Infinity Stone energy into the Aether, and Doctor Strange and Wanda later joined them.
• The combined power let the group begin matching the energy, but Doctor Strange warned Tony and Xia Yu that it would keep growing rather than diminish.

Xia Yu and the Avengers rallied against the Snap’s Aether, but their combined power could not overcome it without one final strike. As the others withdrew their strength, Xia Yu grabbed the Power Stone and used his body as a hammer to crash into the Aether.

• Xia Yu ignored his worsening injuries and pushed the team forward, turning the tide as they advanced toward the moon.
• Doctor Strange warned that they were nearing their limits, while the Black-Clad Man and Thanos watched from the moon and expected the Snap to hold.
• Ancient One arrived with everyone from the Avengers’ base, and the newcomers joined the effort to channel the Infinity Stones’ power through Thor and Tony.
• Ancient One directed everyone to release their power together so Xia Yu could make one final strike and return immediately afterward.
• As the final surge reached him, Xia Yu grabbed the Power Stone and slapped it against his body before crashing into the Aether.

Xia Yu and Thanos collided while wielding the Infinity Stones, destroying Thanos and shattering the stones, the Aether, and Xia Yu’s body. As the Avengers sealed off the chaos on the moon, Xia Yu’s exposed soul began absorbing the released source energy, leaving his fate uncertain.

• The Black-Clad Man fled as Xia Yu attacked Thanos, who chose to fight rather than wait for death.
• Thanos drove all six Infinity Stones into his chest and tried to snap his fingers again as Xia Yu struck him.
• Thanos disintegrated, and the six stones, the Aether, Xia Yu’s body, and the Power Stone cracked apart in a chaotic explosion.
• The Ancient One stopped Natasha, Thor, and Tony from approaching, explaining that Xia Yu’s soul remained in a dangerous state of energy balance.
• Tony ordered F.R.I.D.A.Y. to seal off the lunar area, while the Captain vowed to keep Earth’s governments from interfering.
• Xia Yu’s shattered soul absorbed the released source energy, giving him a chance to repair himself and emerge stronger.

The TVA concluded that Xia Yu no longer posed a threat, while the Snap left S.W.O.R.D. in disarray and Earth commemorated Xia Yu’s sacrifice. Two years after he vanished into the lunar energy vortex, Xia Yu’s multicolored soul opened its eyes.

• The Black-Clad Man and his subordinates discussed Thanos’s death and the shattered Infinity Stones, deciding Xia Yu could no longer gather the Stones or travel between timelines.
• A Skrull reported that the Snap had killed 41.34% of the population and that untouched regions across several star systems formed a line ending at Earth.
• Captain Marvel resolved to visit Earth to investigate the spared area and seek a way to revive the dead, but first continued handling the crisis’s aftermath.
• Earth’s governments and the Avengers eventually revealed that Xia Yu had sacrificed himself to protect the planet, and May 18 became Resurrection Day.
• On Resurrection Day two years later, Xia Yu’s glowing soul opened its eyes amid the chaos on the moon.

After absorbing the Infinity Stones’ Source power for over two years, Xia Yu awakened with a solid soul and the ability to create matter, then formed a new body. He reunited with the Avengers and learned that Peter had died many years ago and the young man before him was Peter’s grandson.

• Xia Yu awakened after absorbing the Stones’ Source power and discovered the Soul Stone had helped him fuse their laws, though his power still felt incomplete.
• Xia Yu absorbed the chaotic energy surrounding the moon and created a new body for himself.
• Tony, Natasha, Thor, Captain, and the other Avengers arrived and reunited with Xia Yu, who transported them all to the Avengers Compound.
• Xia Yu recognized a young man as Peter, but Tony explained that Peter had died many years ago and the young man was his grandson.

After waking from a two-year coma, Xia Yu met Tony and Pepper’s daughter, Morgan, and learned Tony had transferred Xia Yu’s Herbal medicine Group shares to her. Later, Xia Yu questioned Tony about the Black-Clad Man and concluded that the man had escaped the moon and might be connected to the Quantum Realm.

• Xia Yu met Morgan, learned Tony and Pepper had married and had her while he was unconscious, and happily held his niece.
• Natasha revealed that Tony had transferred Xia Yu’s Herbal medicine Group shares to Morgan, prompting Xia Yu to confront Tony and demand his money.
• Morgan cried during the confrontation, and Tony escaped while Xia Yu soothed her.
• That night, Xia Yu dragged Tony back to the compound, gave him a black eye, and asked about the Black-Clad Man who had been beside Thanos on the moon.
• Xia Yu told Tony that the Black-Clad Man had escaped the moon and that his familiar gaze made Xia Yu suspect a connection to the Quantum Realm.

After waking from a two-year coma, Xia Yu asked Tony to develop technology for navigating the Quantum Realm so he could complete the Infinity Stone energy within him and prevent another Snap. Tony agreed, while Xia Yu learned what had happened during his absence and refused to meet Captain Marvel.

• Xia Yu told Tony he wanted to enter the Quantum Realm and asked him to build a locator that could navigate different space-times.
• Tony agreed to work on the device but warned that it would take a long time and might require luck.
• Tony told Xia Yu about events during his two-year absence, including Earth entering the space age and Captain Marvel visiting after Nick Fury was erased by the Snap.
• Xia Yu explained that his absorbed Infinity Stone energy was incomplete and that he could not restore the vanished lives without completing it.
• Xia Yu decided not to visit Captain Marvel and said she could come to him if she needed something.

Xia Yu clashed with Captain Marvel over Nick Fury and the Skrulls she had left on Earth. After she refused to visit him, he captured the Skrulls and forced them to summon her, leaving Captain Marvel enraged and heading to Earth to confront him.

• Xia Yu called Captain Marvel and demanded that she come to Earth and take the Skrulls with her, while she insisted they needed to discuss saving Nick Fury.
• Xia Yu mocked Captain Marvel’s attitude and refused to work with her, then warned her not to think he could not find the Skrulls.
• After waiting three days for Captain Marvel, Xia Yu scanned Earth and found twelve Skrulls living under the identities of people who had died in accidents.
• Xia Yu brought the twelve Skrulls to his base and told them to warn Captain Marvel that he would send them into space if nobody collected them within two days.
• Captain Marvel ordered a spaceship to Earth and activated Binary Mode, determined to beat Xia Yu up.

Captain Marvel broke into AC City and demanded to see Xia Yu, but Captain America stopped her when he sensed her anger. Their fight triggered the base alarm, and Tony went to watch.

• Captain Marvel tore through AC City's Energy Shield and entered the perimeter, where Captain America greeted her and asked if she had come to see Xia Yu.
• Captain Marvel refused to explain herself and tried to fly past Captain America, so he grabbed her ankle and demanded to know her intentions.
• Captain Marvel broke free and struck Captain America, who blocked her attack with his modified shield.
• Captain Marvel launched a full-strength assault, and their clash sent a shockwave through the area and triggered the alarm again.
• Tony saw footage of Captain America fighting Captain Marvel, turned off the alarm, and put on his Armor to watch.

Captain Marvel came to the Avengers base to confront Xia Yu but fought Captain America first and struggled to get past his defense. Tony Stark then provoked her into attacking him, and their fight continued as Captain America left to find Xia Yu.

• Captain Marvel grew frustrated as Captain America blocked her attacks with his shield and invited her to stop fighting and talk.
• Captain Marvel told Captain America she was looking for Xia Yu, and Tony joked that Xia Yu had romantic debts and a girlfriend.
• Captain Marvel fired an energy beam at Tony, who blocked it with a small shield, then continued teasing her.
• Captain Marvel struck Tony and sent him flying, but a golden-red Iron Man Armor appeared behind her and knocked her out of the sky with a hammer-like blow.
• Captain Marvel rose into the air and threatened Tony, who kept mocking her as Captain America decided not to intervene and went to find Xia Yu.

Xia Yu, Tony, and Wong trapped Captain Marvel in a spatial cage after she wrecked the Sky Temple during a fight. After keeping her imprisoned for three days, Xia Yu tried to talk with her, but she responded by attacking him, leaving him unsure whether the confinement had broken her spirit.

• Captain Marvel and Tony fought across the outskirts of the Avengers Compound, and their battle blasted a hole through the Sky Temple wall.
• Wong sent Captain Marvel through portals to the Arctic and Antarctica, then teamed up with Tony to trap her in a cage of linked portals.
• Xia Yu kept Captain Marvel imprisoned for three days and released her on the morning of the fourth day.
• Xia Yu offered Captain Marvel tea, coffee, and breakfast, then tried to discuss saving the universe and Nick Fury, but she stayed silent.
• Captain Marvel punched and clawed at Xia Yu, who blocked her attacks with a spatial barrier and wondered if he had driven her into silence.

Xia Yu told Captain Marvel that the Avengers planned to collect the remaining Infinity Stones and use them to restore Thanos’s victims, while asking her to take the Skrulls away from Earth. Tony and Xia Yu then learned that the Möbius strip simulation was complete, bringing them closer to preparing their time-travel equipment.

• Xia Yu explained the Avengers’ plan to collect the Soul, Reality, and Power Stones and bring back everyone Thanos had wiped out.
• Captain Marvel agreed to leave and wait for the Avengers’ equipment, and Xia Yu asked her to take the Skrulls away from Earth.
• Tony asked Xia Yu about the GPS positioning system, then learned that his lab’s Möbius strip simulation was complete.
• Tony admired the holographic Möbius strip and began its initial construction, crediting his good luck to Morgan Stark.

Xia Yu, Natasha, and Tony tested Tony’s redesigned Quantum Realm equipment by traveling to February 14, 2008, but Xia Yu was stopped by an invisible barrier while Natasha and Tony passed through. In 2008, they found no sign of Xia Yu or the Herbal medicine Tower.

• Tony redesigned the Quantum Realm Armor and called an Avengers meeting to decide whether to risk traveling through time to save lives across the universe.
• Xia Yu chose to test the equipment, and Natasha and Tony insisted on accompanying him.
• Natasha set the destination to February 14, 2008, and the three entered the Quantum Realm passage after Tony warned them not to change the past.
• Tony and Natasha passed through the time portal, but Xia Yu hit an invisible barrier and failed to follow them, even after attacking it with Infinity Stone energy.
• Tony and Natasha arrived in 2008 and discovered that Xia Yu and the Herbal medicine Tower were absent.

Natasha and Tony arrived in 2008 without Xia Yu and discovered that this timeline held no record of him. Trapped in the Quantum Realm, Xia Yu found the Time Variance Authority and attacked its buildings, recognizing the black-clad men as enemies.

• Natasha and Tony materialized in Los Angeles and realized Xia Yu had not arrived with them.
• Tony checked the date and location and found that this 2008 timeline contained no records of Xia Yu.
• Natasha checked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database, confirmed the same absence, and agreed with Tony to find somewhere safe.
• Xia Yu searched the Quantum Realm for the black-clad men and located the Time Variance Authority's hidden territory.
• Xia Yu slipped through the closing membrane, destroyed one of the Authority's buildings, and spotted a black-clad man among the survivors.

Xia Yu confronted three men in black in the Quantum Realm and discovered that they were soulless decoys. After breaking through the membrane beneath him, he fell toward the true location of the Time Variance Authority.

• Xia Yu smashed the men in black’s energy shield and demanded to know why he could not travel through time.
• The leader told Xia Yu that fate was predetermined, and Xia Yu killed two of the men in black.
• The remaining man urged Xia Yu to join them and help repair fate, but Xia Yu noticed his panic when the membrane shook.
• Xia Yu realized the men in black were not real people and shattered the membrane with repeated stomps.
• Xia Yu fell through the broken membrane toward the true location of the Time Variance Authority.

Xia Yu confronted more than a hundred Time Variance Authority members in the Quantum Realm, while Tony and Natasha learned that the world had rejected Xia Yu and encountered another Black-Clad Man. The Black-Clad Man began showing them the future and the original course of fate.

• Xia Yu landed at the Time Variance Authority headquarters, where the Black-Clad Man's followers prepared to attack him.
• Xia Yu pressured the assembled agents and charged into their crowd without relying on energy.
• Tony told Natasha that their world followed the original timeline and theorized that Xia Yu had been rejected by it.
• A second Black-Clad Man appeared before Tony and Natasha, claimed he repaired damaged fates, and said Xia Yu was safe.
• The Black-Clad Man waved his hand and made the world fast-forward to show Tony and Natasha what would happen.

Xia Yu defeated the Time Variance Authority agents and questioned their leader about their origins and purpose. Before the leader could reveal what had happened during an earlier mission, a golden beam vaporized the agents, and Xia Yu charged into the building to uncover what it was hiding.

• Xia Yu overwhelmed more than a hundred Time Variance Authority agents without using energy, leaving only their leader standing.
• Xia Yu questioned the man in black, who identified the group as the Time Variance Authority and said they were assigned to correct disruptions to fate.
• The man in black explained that each parallel universe or spacetime had its own identical Time Variance Authority, and began to describe an earlier deployment.
• The man in black clutched his head in pain, and Xia Yu sensed danger and leaped away.
• A golden beam from the building vaporized the Time Variance Authority agents, and Xia Yu rushed into the building to investigate.

After seeing the future the Black-Clad Man claimed was destined, Tony and Natasha rejected his argument and killed him. Xia Yu attacked the Time Variance Authority building after it killed its own agents, while another enormous structure in the Quantum Realm sounded an alarm.

• Tony and Natasha watched visions of the Avengers' future, including the deaths and sacrifices that followed Thanos's attack.
• The Black-Clad Man claimed that following fate would prevent greater chaos, but Tony and Natasha refused to accept his view and shot him together.
• Xia Yu's energy cannon destroyed the Black-Clad Man's fellow agents, so Xia Yu attacked the Time Variance Authority building.
• All four sections of the building fired lasers at Xia Yu, but his energy shield held as he pushed forward against their force.
• An alarm sounded inside a superstructure in the Quantum Realm, where it stood on a continent contained within a floating balloon-shaped membrane.