Chapter Summaries

Harvey warned Tony that the Reality Stone would soon appear on Earth, prompting Tony to confront the pressure he felt to protect everyone. After Harvey reminded him of the Void Cult’s equal Code and the danger of being consumed by desire, Tony regained his composure and left to celebrate with Kyle and the others.

• Harvey told Tony that the Reality Stone, a treasure of Odin kept on Earth, would soon draw attention and cause minor unrest.
• Tony worried about ordinary people suffering in conflicts and nearly let the desire to gain strength quickly take hold of him.
• Harvey warned Tony that violating the Void Cult’s Code would mean his death, and reminded him that even powerful beings faced limits and regrets.
• Tony thanked Harvey, regained his clarity, and left to hold a celebration banquet for Kyle and the others.
• Harvey told Sonia he would visit Earth and stay there for a while, while she agreed to watch over Void Island.
• Sonia began investigating the backgrounds of people involved in spatial technology development.

Tony completed the setup for producing space-wormhole jump technology, returned to Blue Star, and learned that Pepper had killed Aldrich Killian and dismantled his organization. The chapter left Tony angry that Killian had tried to poach Pepper, though he accepted that Killian was already dead.

• Tony funded Sonia and arranged for six islands to handle separate space-jump production processes while she contacted major clients.
• After supervising the production of three sample versions, Tony handed operations over to Lalatina and returned to Blue Star with alien technology and materials.
• Tony reunited with Pepper, who told him she had discovered Killian’s Extremis Virus and its dangerous side effects.
• Pepper revealed that she had killed Killian, destroyed his organization, and rescued captives after uncovering his terrorist attacks.
• Tony learned that Killian had wanted to hire Pepper and resented him, then grew angry before Pepper reminded him that Killian was dead.

Tony returned from the Upper Universe to check on Banner and Steve at Private Island, where he found Banner had gained control over Hulk’s power. The chapter ended with Tony and Banner beginning a sparring match and testing Banner’s improved strength.

• Tony arrived at Private Island, met Peggy Carter, and learned that Steve was swimming and Banner was training.
• Tony found Banner training as Hulk beneath a waterfall and was impressed by his control.
• Banner explained that Hulk had merged with him and usually slept, while Banner could retain his rationality when transformed.
• Tony challenged Banner to spar, and Banner agreed, warning that he might hurt Tony.
• Tony attacked, but Banner blocked his kick and produced a shockwave; Tony retreated and praised Banner’s training.

Tony and Banner fought to test Banner’s control and strength, but Tony revealed his Vibranium armor and defeated him. Banner accepted the loss, while Steve and Peggy headed toward the battle after hearing its impact.

• Banner transformed into the Hulk and attacked Tony, who dodged his blows and summoned the Vibranium armor.
• Tony and Banner exchanged punches; Banner’s rapidly evolved recovery healed his injury, and he challenged Tony to bring out his armor.
• Tony revealed his crimson Vibranium armor and giant axe, then struck Banner with overwhelming force.
• Tony knocked Banner through trees and into a mountain, breaking his arm before declaring himself the winner.
• Banner thanked Tony for showing mercy and admitted he had underestimated the difficulty of real combat, while Steve and Peggy went to investigate the noise.

Tony returned to Earth and sparred with Banner, then discussed the Void Cult’s strongest fighters and their paths of evolution with Banner and Steve. He warned them to prepare for new threats from space, helped them financially, and left the timing of his next departure uncertain.

• Tony defeated Banner in a sparring match, breaking his arm before Banner healed from the injury within minutes.
• Tony revealed that he had evolved 297 times and named Renoli, Sonia, and Lex among the Void Cult’s top fighters, while encouraging Banner and advising Steve on his balanced evolution path.
• Tony told Steve and Banner that Harvey had warned Earth would soon face trouble, though Tony did not know what threat was coming.
• Tony offered Banner money to enjoy himself in New York and gave Steve money to travel with Peggy.
• Tony said he had developed spatial wormhole jump technology and other systems for a Cosmic Battleship, and he asked Banner to help develop a Super Optical Brain later.

After returning to New York under a new identity, Banner ran into Harvey and learned that he could approach him for guidance as a member of the Void Cult. Banner left Stark Mansion planning to relax for another month before helping Tony develop thrusters.

• Tony brought Banner back to New York, where Banner used his new identity, Bruce Hulk, and Tony's money to look for a villa.
• A week later, Banner encountered Harvey while driving and nervously thanked him for helping him control Hulk's power.
• Harvey told Banner he could enjoy himself as long as he obeyed the Void Cult's precepts, then drove away.
• Banner hurried to Stark Mansion and told Tony that he had met Harvey.
• Tony advised Banner to stay humble and ask Harvey for guidance if the opportunity arose, then told him to join the thruster research after he had settled in.
• Banner promised to return in a month and drove off.

Thor arrived at Stark Mansion to ask Tony and Banner for help after Malekith of the Dark Elves awakened and threatened to seize the Aether. Tony and Banner agreed to join him in Asgard, while Tony prepared to bring Jarvis and notify Pepper.

• Tony and Banner studied cosmic thrusters when Thor arrived at Stark Mansion seeking help.
• Thor told Tony and Banner that Malekith had awakened alongside the Aether and could threaten the universe.
• Thor revealed that the Aether was inside Jane Foster, who was in Asgard, and that Asgard was preparing for war.
• Tony agreed to travel to Asgard, and Banner joined him because Malekith could threaten Blue Star.
• Tony said he needed an hour to prepare, bring Jarvis, and tell Pepper before leaving.

Thor brought Tony Stark and Bruce Banner to Asgard to help fight Malekith, while Pepper supported Tony’s decision and began considering how to become stronger herself. In Asgard, Heimdall welcomed the pair and revealed that Banner could fully control Hulk’s power, improving their odds of victory.

• Pepper supported Tony’s decision to help Thor and resolved to focus more on becoming stronger so she could better support him.
• Thor took Tony and Banner from Stark Mansion to Asgard through the Bifrost.
• Tony and Heimdall exchanged greetings, and Heimdall thanked Tony and Banner for joining the war.
• Banner apologized for his past, but Heimdall praised his growth and said he had seen Banner’s efforts to control Hulk’s power.
• Banner told Thor he could now transform freely, and Thor celebrated the news as a boost to their chances of victory.

Thor led Tony and Banner through Asgard and toward Odin’s temple after bringing them to help, while Banner marveled at Asgard’s blend of ancient architecture and advanced technology. Tony confronted Loki over his sarcasm, then agreed to speak with him after meeting Odin.

• Thor escorted Tony and Banner across the rainbow bridge and described Asgard’s magic and the technological powers of the Kree and Xandar empires.
• Banner expressed interest in visiting Xandar, and Tony promised to take him there if circumstances on Earth allowed.
• Loki taunted Tony, who threatened to beat him, but Thor intervened and Tony let Loki off with a warning.
• Loki told Thor he had expected to be informed about bringing Tony to Asgard, and Thor explained that he had waited until he knew whether they would help.
• Tony and Banner followed Thor and Loki to Odin’s temple, where the guards and solemn atmosphere made them more respectful.

Tony Stark and Bruce Banner arrived in Asgard to help with the coming war, while Odin questioned Tony about Kassadin’s position. The group left the palace for Thor’s residence, where Banner immediately asked Jane Foster about the Aether.

• Odin asked Tony whether Kassadin knew about Malekith and intended to intervene, and Tony said he was acting independently as a citizen of Blue Star.
• Odin stopped questioning Tony and ordered Thor and Loki to entertain their guests.
• Loki accused Thor of telling Odin about his visit to the Void Cult, but Thor denied it, and Tony explained that Odin could have learned about it on his own.
• Tony and Thor told Banner that Loki had nearly died at the Void Cult, and Loki warned Banner not to go there.
• Thor brought Tony and Banner to his palace, where Jane Foster recognized Tony and met Banner.
• Banner asked Jane about the Aether, and Tony pulled him back and reassured her that Banner meant no harm.

Jane confirmed that Bruce Banner was alive, and the group discussed the Aether’s powers and possible origins. Loki warned that powerful enemies might covet it, then outlined Asgard’s entry routes as the group considered how Malekith would invade.

• Jane recognized Bruce Banner as the scientist rumored to have died, and Banner reassured her after she apologized.
• Jane described how the Aether warped physical laws, altered gravity and space, and connected different worlds.
• Tony asked about the Aether’s origin, and Loki compared it to the Tesseract and warned that powerful figures might seek it.
• Tony decided that protecting Jane and eventually studying the Aether mattered, since it was inside her body.
• Tony asked Loki how Malekith might enter Asgard, and Loki explained its three routes before judging the main gate the most likely.

Tony realized Malekith could have learned Asgard’s defenses and anticipated an attack, so he kept Thor from being lured away and sent Banner to protect Jane. Malekith’s forces breached the Divine Palace, where Thor fought Malekith and the Cursed Warrior, while Malekith set out to capture Jane and obtain the Aether.

• Tony asked how long Jane had possessed the Aether, and she said it was already the third day since she discovered it.
• After a prison break was reported, Tony warned Thor that Malekith might be using it to draw him away, and Thor sent Loki to check the dungeons with Sif and the others.
• Thor and Banner took Jane toward the Divine Palace as the Dark Elves breached its defenses and attacked Asgard’s soldiers.
• Thor confronted Malekith, while Banner carried Jane away after the Cursed Warrior charged at them.
• Thor judged Malekith weaker than expected, but the Cursed Warrior blocked Mjolnir and knocked Thor into a wall.
• Malekith left to pursue Jane and the Aether, telling the Cursed Warrior to kill Thor.

Thor struggled to defeat the Cursed Warrior while Odin sensed Kassadin watching Asgard. Tony and Banner captured Malekith before he could reach Jane, but agreed to let him try extracting the Aether from her, and the process began dangerously.

• Thor blasted the Cursed Warrior with lightning, but the warrior barely took damage and prepared to attack him again.
• Odin told Frigga that Kassadin was watching Asgard and held back from confronting Malekith so he could keep Asgard safe.
• Banner punched Malekith’s ship off course, and Tony rescued Malekith from the wreck before destroying the ship.
• Banner caught Malekith and held him captive, but Malekith warned that the Aether inside Jane would drain her life and offered to remove it in exchange for his life.
• Tony agreed to let Malekith try extracting the Aether, and Jane began levitating as her eyes turned black and red liquid emerged from her body.

Tony and Banner experimented on Malekith’s Aether-fueled healing before Tony killed him and concluded the Aether could turn thoughts into reality to a limited extent. Banner rushed to the Divine Palace, where Thor was struggling against the Cursed Warrior, and the chapter ended as something crashed through the ceiling and knocked the Cursed Warrior down.

• After the Aether healed Malekith from Tony’s and Banner’s attacks, Tony cut off Malekith’s head and theorized that the Aether could make thoughts real to a limited extent.
• Tony sent Banner to check on Thor, and Banner leaped toward the Divine Palace while Tony ended Void Mode.
• Thor, badly injured, continued delaying the Cursed Warrior amid the ruins rather than retreating and leaving Asgard exposed.
• The Cursed Warrior lunged for Thor’s head, but something smashed through the ceiling and knocked him face-first to the ground.

Banner defeated the Cursed Warrior, but the battle destroyed Asgard's Divine Palace, and Thor reassured him that the victory had saved Asgard. Tony and Banner discovered that the Aether had condensed into a stable ruby, which Thor agreed to discuss lending after consulting Odin, while the Dark Elves were wiped out and Odin prepared to host the visitors.

• Banner arrived to help Thor, then fought and killed the Cursed Warrior with his strength, causing the already damaged Divine Palace to collapse.
• Thor comforted Banner over the destruction and said Malekith's invasion had been stopped; the two returned to Thor's residence to find Tony with the Aether.
• Tony explained that Malekith's death had condensed the Aether into a stable ruby, and Banner examined it before Tony asked Thor to lend it for research.
• Thor said he needed Odin's permission before lending the Aether, and Banner returned the gemstone to him.
• Loki, Sif, and Asgard's soldiers wiped out the leaderless Dark Elves, while Odin sent Thor a message to host Tony and Banner at the victory banquet.

Harvey reflected on the Reality Stone, Odin’s uncertain future, and whether to recruit him into the Void, while Tony and Banner stayed in Asgard after the victory over the Dark Elves. The chapter left Tony and Banner enjoying the victory banquet and eating voraciously as curious Asgardians watched them.

• Harvey saw Banner kill the Cursed Warrior and the Aether condense into the Reality Stone, then considered how the Stone might be used and where the remaining Infinity Stones were.
• Harvey weighed whether to recruit Odin, deciding to observe his attitude and focus first on spreading belief in the Void among the people of Asgard.
• Harvey considered whether Nick Fury would contact Steve Rogers before Hydra’s purge plan began, then returned his attention to his game.
• Tony and Banner remained in Asgard for the fallen soldiers’ funeral and the victory banquet after the Dark Elves were defeated.
• Tony and Banner ate frantically at the banquet, attracting the curiosity of Asgardians while avoiding the attention of interested women.

Odin decided to lend the Aether to Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as a favor to Kassadin, hoping to secure help for Asgard in the future. He then urged Loki to support Thor and help protect Asgard and the Nine Realms, while affirming that both sons could be worthy rulers.

• Odin reasoned that lending the Aether to Tony Stark would effectively place it in Kassadin's hands, so he chose to make the loan himself and build goodwill.
• Thor and Loki vouched for Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, explaining that they had independently agreed to help Asgard and wanted to study the Aether.
• Odin told Thor to hand over the Aether as a loan in repayment for Tony and Banner's help during Malekith's invasion.
• Odin stopped Loki and explained that Thor's loyalty and optimism made him a strong future king, while Loki's different perspective could complement him.
• Odin asked Loki to work alongside Thor to protect Asgard and the Nine Realms, and told him that neither son was excluded from becoming king.

Loki agreed to help Thor after Odin explained that he and Frigga had always watched over him and entrusted him with Asgard’s future. Thor told Tony and Banner that Odin would lend them the Aether, and they prepared to return to Blue Star with it.

• Odin told Loki that he and Frigga had always watched over him, and Loki agreed to help Thor.
• Thor told Tony and Banner that Odin had agreed to lend them the Aether, surprising them with his generosity.
• Tony explained that Odin could take the Aether back whenever he wished, and Thor handed the Aether’s ruby to Tony.
• Tony said they would prioritize developing a Blue Star cosmic battleship before researching the Aether in depth.
• Tony asked Thor to send him and Banner back to Blue Star, and Thor agreed to have Heimdall send them.

Tony and Banner returned to Earth with the Reality Stone and asked Harvey to safeguard it, but he told them to keep it and explained its connection to the Infinity Stones. The chapter left them aware of the Stones’ immense power and the locations of several of them.

• Tony and Banner returned to Stark Mansion, where Tony asked Jarvis Two to tell Pepper he was safe.
• Tony and Banner discussed keeping the Aether secure, and Tony called Harvey to ask him to safeguard it.
• Harvey told them the Aether was the Reality Stone and explained that Odin had lent it as a gift to win Harvey’s future help for Thor.
• Harvey revealed that Odin was near death and warned Tony and Banner not to tell Thor.
• Harvey explained that gathering the Infinity Stones could let someone wipe out the universe with a snap, and identified the Time, Mind, Space, and Reality Stones’ locations.
• Tony recognized that the Tesseract was the Space Stone, and Harvey confirmed that Loki’s Mind Scepter had contained the Mind Stone.

Harvey explained the Infinity Stones’ nature and why he did not need to collect them, while Tony and Banner discussed the danger of a future invasion. Tony’s anxiety eased when Banner pointed out that any enemy seeking all six Stones would have to confront Harvey for the Reality Stone.

• Harvey told Tony and Banner that the Mind Stone had limited usefulness and that he had no need to collect the Infinity Stones.
• Harvey warned Banner not to spread what he knew about the Stones, then ended the call with Tony.
• Tony told Banner that the Chitauri’s master knew the Stones’ true nature and might attack Earth in 2017, after the Ancient One and Odin were gone.
• Banner reminded Tony that Harvey possessed the Reality Stone, meaning anyone seeking all six Stones would have to face him.
• Tony realized the enemy would have to confront Harvey and felt much of his anxiety lift.