Chapter Summaries

Harvey discussed the Grandmaster’s resurrection ability and the Void Cult’s safeguards with Odin, then accepted Pepper’s invitation to dine with her and Tony. At the villa, Tony explained his plans to lead Earth into the interstellar age, while Harvey raised concerns about who would guide humanity afterward.

• Harvey told Odin that the Grandmaster knew why he had been spared and could be summoned if the Void Cult needed his resurrection ability.
• Odin invited Harvey to visit Asgard, and Harvey agreed while joking that Odin should prepare enough wealth to host him properly.
• Pepper invited Harvey to share a meal with her and Tony, and Harvey accepted so he could discuss Tony’s plans and teach him to transform directly using Void magic.
• Tony explained that he wanted to lead Earth into the interstellar age, then serve with Banner and Steve as a guardian rather than become humanity’s leader.
• Harvey questioned whether future leaders might squander Tony’s work, and Tony said humanity could find a capable leader like Iraani Rael.

Harvey explained why the Sorcerer Supreme’s successor would emerge soon and discussed Wanda’s potential and risks with Tony. Tony agreed to keep observing Wanda and Pietro before deciding whether they could be entrusted with Earth’s future.

• Harvey told Tony that the Sorcerer Supreme’s successor would enter the world soon and explained why Ancient One had not raised him from childhood.
• Harvey said he hoped to recruit the future successor as a Void Cult magic instructor, while noting that Loki could also earn the role.
• Tony asked Harvey about Wanda, and Harvey confirmed she was a natural-born witch with extraordinary potential and an extremist side that could surface after severe trauma.
• Harvey warned that Wanda’s power could become dangerous if she lost control, and Tony resolved to observe her carefully before entrusting her with responsibilities.
• Harvey left the choice of Earth’s future guardians to Tony, Banner, and Steve, while Pepper watched their friendly conversation.

Tony, Steve, and Banner moved against the American leadership as Tony secured the nuclear launch systems and planned a new government. Steve began eliminating corrupt politicians, leaving the reckoning against America’s leaders underway.

• Tony told Steve and Banner that Kassadin had dealt with Captain Marvel and Nick Fury, and Steve guessed that Captain Marvel had justified her attack by branding the Void Cult evil.
• Steve and Banner reflected on the Void Cult’s conquest of Knowhere and the strength needed to make rules, while Tony assured Steve that Jarvis had disabled the politicians’ communications and blocked the mobile nuclear weapons.
• Tony planned to select peaceful, capable leaders and guide America into the interstellar era, though he worried about the burdens of his ambitions.
• Steve entered an American political center, ignored the soldiers’ gunfire, killed a politician who condemned him, and then killed the politician’s trusted followers.
• Steve destroyed the politician’s documents and speech drafts before heading to other rooms in the building.

Pietro completed his first deployment by assassinating all eighty-seven politicians assigned to him, demonstrating the skills he had gained through Steve’s training. After Tony raised the team’s salaries and began covering up the killings, Pietro returned to the Private Island and expressed his ambition to join the Void Cult and explore the universe.

• Pietro used a dagger to assassinate all eighty-seven politicians assigned to him without collateral damage, then reported his success to Steve.
• Steve praised Pietro’s growth, and Tony raised each team member’s annual salary from five million dollars to fifteen million dollars.
• Tony began manipulating public opinion and fabricating explanations and evidence to conceal the politicians’ deaths.
• Steve, Banner, and Pietro returned to the Private Island, where Zhao Hailun praised their power after seeing the operation’s records.
• Pietro said he hoped to join the Void Cult someday, while Wanda reminded him that they had not yet left Blue Star.

After several days of political killings in America, Spider-Man Peter Parker went to Stark Mansion to find out why Tony Stark had become a killer. Tony allowed Jarvis to guide Peter inside, where Peter was about to meet him.

• Banner told the exhausted Zhao Hailun and Wanda to rest, while Steve gave Pietro three days off.
• Three days later, news reports revealed that numerous American politicians had died, prompting Peter Parker to investigate Tony Stark.
• Peter put on his Spider-Man suit and approached Stark Mansion, where Jarvis identified him and informed Tony of his visit.
• Tony learned that Peter admired him before and allowed him one chance to meet, so Jarvis guided Peter through the grounds.
• Peter followed the path to the villa, and Tony invited him inside.

Peter Parker visited Tony Stark to ask why he had killed so many people, but Tony first challenged Peter’s ideas about heroes, justice, and fairness. Tony explained that he had killed the politicians and soldiers who tried to force Stark Industries to abandon its plans, then warned Peter that the public could turn against him for his powers.

• Peter Parker entered Tony Stark’s villa and asked why Tony had killed so many innocent people.
• Tony questioned Peter’s definitions of heroism and justice, arguing that the world offered only relative fairness and that the strong made the rules.
• Tony explained that the Void Translator and Stark Industries’ planned energy distribution threatened powerful American politicians who wanted to control his company.
• Tony said General Ross had led an armed force to pressure him, and that he had killed his enemies rather than submit.
• Tony praised Peter’s kindness and potential, then warned him that people who feared and despised him could determine his fate unless he was truly a threat to them.

Tony guided Peter Parker without taking control of his growth, then monitored him as events surrounding Tony’s plans reshaped Blue Star. After the Void Translators reached buyers and Arc Reactor sales remained under review, Tony continued laying groundwork to push humanity toward the interstellar age.

• Tony told Peter Parker that the world was not as beautiful as he imagined, urged him to follow his own path, and asked Jarvis to alert him if Peter faced trouble beyond his abilities.
• Zheng Xian and Weather Witch assessed Tony’s control over public discourse and America’s Mushroom Clouds, while the Divine Spear Bureau prepared to contact him about Void Translators and energy.
• T'Challa and Suri considered the implications of Tony’s new technologies, and Suri decided to help while learning about them.
• America held emergency elections, restored order without using Mushroom Clouds, and Stark Industries delivered Void Translators to buyers around the world.
• Tony kept Arc Reactor sales on hold while requiring an agreement against using reactor-powered weapons in Blue Star’s internal wars.

Tony advanced his plan to prepare Earth for the interstellar era and celebrated its smooth progress. Zhao Hailun told him she was ready to test genetic enhancement injections, and Tony approved using carefully vetted death row inmates and willing volunteers.

• Harvey visited Tony and discussed the risks, timeline, and funding for Tony's plan to bring Earth into the interstellar era.
• Tony explained that he planned to spread technology and genetic enhancements so humanity could enter space safely without depending on him for every step.
• Harvey declined Tony's banquet invitation, and Tony traveled to Private Island to celebrate with the group.
• Zhao Hailun praised Tony's achievements and told him she had mastered the materials needed to develop genetic enhancement injections.
• Zhao Hailun asked Tony whom to use in the experiments, and Tony approved carefully reexamined death row inmates as well as volunteers who needed money, offering to pay them.

As 2015 ended, Stark Industries expanded its technology projects, Spider-Man protected Queens, and Star-Lord celebrated the New Year on Void Island while hoping to encounter Kassadin again. Harvey reviewed the Void Cult’s plans with Sonia and agreed to take her to Blue Star for a one-day visit.

• Tony recruited people to build factories and train talent, Zhao Hailun began researching genetic enhancement serums, and Suri arrived at Stark Industries to work with Zhao Hailun.
• Peter Parker’s decisive actions made Spider-Man famous in Queens and sharply reduced its crime rate.
• Harvey returned to Void Island for the New Year, where Star-Lord celebrated with the Void Cult and called Gamora, Nebula, Rocket, Drax, and Groot.
• Sonia reported that Asgard had handed over its divine artifact forging and Bifrost techniques, but the Void Cult lacked the resources and strength to use them safely.
• Harvey told Sonia he planned to bring Stephen Strange to Void Island as a magic instructor, then offered to take Sonia to Blue Star for one day.
• Sonia accepted the visit and planned to leave the next night, then stayed up late to finish her work ahead of schedule.

Harvey took Sonia to Blue Star for a day off, showing her the villa where he lived alone and sharing that the planet reminded him of a hometown he could never return to. They planned to explore the city, leaving Sonia curious about Harvey’s past but choosing not to visit Tony.

• Sonia changed into winter clothes, and Harvey used a Void Black Hole to take her from Xandar to Blue Star.
• Sonia explored Harvey’s villa and noticed that its wine cabinet and kitchen appeared unused.
• Harvey explained that he had bought the nearby estates to avoid contact with neighbors and that Blue Star could be considered his hometown.
• Sonia asked whether Harvey could return to his true hometown, and he said he could not; she comforted him by calling the Void Cult his new home.
• Harvey offered to take Sonia out, and she decided not to visit Tony because she did not want to disturb him.

Harvey took Sonia around New York on her day off, showing her Earth’s food and shops while she compared the planet with Xandar. After enjoying the meal, Sonia planned to bring Earth’s farming methods and ingredients to the Void Cult, then asked Harvey to accompany her shopping.

• Harvey drove Sonia through New York and explained the city’s dangerous streets and America’s approach to freedom.
• When men harassed Sonia outside a hotel, Harvey used Void Power to make them collapse and told her she did not need to tolerate people who spoiled her day.
• Harvey and Sonia shared a meal, and Sonia decided to have the Bounteous Ones bring Earth’s ingredients and farming methods back to the Void Cult.
• Sonia explained that exporting food could help an emerging interstellar civilization earn Universe Coins, and Harvey agreed that Tony Stark had likely considered the idea.
• Sonia asked Harvey to take her shopping for clothes, and he agreed.

Harvey took Sonia shopping in New York, buying her favorite Cheongsams and other clothes while assuring her that money was no concern. Back on Private Island, Tony and the others learned that Harvey and Sonia were shopping together, and Tony called it a date, leaving them eager to meet the famed Void Envoy.

• Harvey took Sonia to a Cheongsam shop, where she admired the clothes and fabrics.
• Harvey ordered the shop to send all its high-end Cheongsams and fabrics to his estate, giving the owner a ten-million-dollar advance payment.
• Harvey and Sonia visited more Chinese stores and bought large quantities of clothing and fabric.
• Jarvis told Tony and the others that Harvey had ordered clothing deliveries from New York, and Tony learned Sonia was with him.
• Tony called Harvey and Sonia's shopping trip a date, while Jarvis warned Pietro and the others not to disrespect Sonia or stare at her if they met her.

Harvey took Sonia on a daylong date on Earth, then escorted her back to Void Island through a rose-colored star field. Later, Sarah made a Cheongsam from fabric Sonia gave her and agreed to visit Asgard as a friend when her duties allowed.

• Harvey and Sonia spent the day shopping and dining in New York before Sonia chose to return to Void Island that night.
• Harvey took Sonia on a slow journey through a crimson sea of stars and then brought her back to Void Island.
• Several days later, Harvey delivered the clothes from Earth, and Sonia gave fabric to Sarah and Lalatina; Sarah made herself a Cheongsam.
• Thor and Loki saw Sarah wearing the Cheongsam and realized Sonia had quietly traveled to Earth with Harvey.
• Loki invited Sarah to visit Asgard, and Sarah agreed to organize her duties and visit as a friend.
• Sarah registered Thor and Loki's departure for at least half a year, with no fixed return date.

Thor and Loki returned to Asgard after a year of growth, and Odin tested their resolve to take on the kingdom’s future. Loki reaffirmed his choice to support Thor, and Odin scheduled Thor’s succession ceremony for three days later.

• Sarah blessed Thor and Loki as they left Void Island, and they discussed finding a recorder for Asgard on their journey home.
• Thor and Loki returned to Asgard, where Heimdall noticed their confidence and improved strength.
• Odin asked Loki whether their agreement about the throne still stood, and Loki promised to help Thor govern and protect Asgard.
• Odin offered Loki the throne, but Loki refused, saying Asgard’s glory did not depend on being king.
• Thor told Odin he had prepared to rule and would consult Loki before making major decisions, so Odin announced the succession ceremony would take place in three days.

Thor became Asgard’s new king and Loki was appointed Protector Prince, while Odin prepared to retire with Frigga. On Earth, Harvey monitored Stephen Strange’s development before turning his attention to shopping and Void Island’s clothing order.

• Thor accepted the throne from Odin, and Heimdall, Asgard’s gods, soldiers, and commanders swore loyalty to him.
• Odin appointed Loki Protector Prince and urged the brothers to rule together and serve Asgard’s people.
• After the succession ceremony, Odin regained his youthful appearance and celebrated his freedom with Frigga, while Thor and Loki overheard his remarks about marriage and succession.
• Harvey assessed Thor and Loki’s growth, considered Odin’s plans for Hela, and decided Stephen Strange was not yet ready to join the Void Cult.
• Harvey went to buy a physical copy of a game and added a twenty-million-dollar advance payment for cheongsams and silk fabrics for Sonia, Sarah, and Lalatina.

After the energy-war treaty was signed, Arc Reactors spread worldwide, and the Divine Spear Bureau studied their potential to bring Earth into the interstellar age. Tony completed the initial Void Translator factory and visited Harvey, whose AI security system and Jarvis’s knowledge of his movements came up in conversation.

• On February 9, 2016, nations signed Tony Stark’s treaty prohibiting energy wars, and Stark Industries began delivering Arc Reactors around the world.
• Zheng Xian and Weather Witch discussed the Arc Reactor’s potential, speculated that Tony had been to space, and ordered the Divine Spear Bureau to analyze one and use the others for research.
• Militaries worldwide began studying Arc Reactors, while the Divine Spear Bureau purchased one hundred and Stark Industries’ revenue surged.
• Tony completed the initial Void Translator factory using plans from Lalatina and prepared to train workers to make Universal Communicators.
• Tony drove to Harvey’s estate to visit him, and Harvey reassured Jarvis that he would not punish him for knowing some of his whereabouts.

Harvey and Tony discussed the Void Cult’s plans to develop Uru-metal forging and search for new sources, while Tony learned Thor had become Asgard’s king. Harvey also raised the possibility of exporting Earth’s food, leaving Tony asking him to explain the idea in detail.

• Tony asked Harvey about Sonia’s visit to Earth, and Harvey said she had enjoyed its culture and food but disliked New York’s public safety.
• Harvey urged Tony to address lawlessness in America, and Tony said he would consider separating some people onto other planets in the future.
• Harvey explained that the Void Cult needed forging talent and Uru metal to begin making divine weapons, and asked Tony to build detectors to search for Uru deposits.
• Tony agreed to investigate detector materials through Asgard, and Harvey told him that Thor had recently become king alongside Loki’s new responsibilities.
• Harvey asked Tony whether he had considered exporting Earth’s food, and Tony asked him to explain the plan in detail.

Tony learned from Harvey that Blue Star could sell food to other civilizations to earn Universe Coins and decided to study Xandar’s history for guidance. Odin visited Harvey and explained that he wanted to draw Hela out but could not convincingly fake his death, leaving Harvey to suggest a riskier alternative.

• Harvey told Tony that Blue Star could export delicious food for Universe Coins and advised him to study the history of the Xandar Empire.
• Tony had Jarvis buy copies of Xandar’s history and arranged for Banner to bring them to Void Island.
• Tony thanked Harvey for the advice, stayed to eat with him, and discussed Blue Star’s development.
• Odin arrived by Bifrost, damaged Harvey’s lawn, and agreed to use Space Teleportation on future visits.
• Odin said he wanted to lure Hela out by faking his death, but worried she could sense that he was still alive.
• Harvey suggested that Odin die for real and have the Grandmaster revive him, but Odin doubted the Grandmaster could bring him back.

Odin explained why he wanted to draw Hela out and asked Harvey whether he could stop her if she could not be brought back or sealed. The Grandmaster and Ancient One arrived at Harvey’s estate, where Harvey prevented Ancient One from leaving and gathered everyone to talk.

• Harvey summoned the Grandmaster at Odin’s request while Odin explained to Tony that Hela’s return was a trial Asgard still had to face.
• Harvey warned Odin that Hela’s Asgardian blessing could let her reassemble as long as Asgard remained, so he could not guarantee he could kill her; Odin accepted that sealing her might be necessary.
• The Grandmaster arrived at Harvey’s estate and knelt before him, while Ancient One followed through a portal and found she could not close it.
• Harvey stopped Ancient One from leaving and invited her to sit, while Odin recognized her and welcomed her into the gathering.
• The Grandmaster took a distant seat, Ancient One sat down, and Tony felt overwhelmed by the gathering of powerful figures.

Harvey summoned the Grandmaster to discuss reviving Odin and helping him fake his death, but the Grandmaster’s plan to remain on Earth sparked a confrontation with Ancient One. Kassadin stopped the dispute by declaring the Nine Realms Void Cult territory, and the Grandmaster left for Sakaar.

• The Grandmaster told Odin that reviving him with his full power would require doing so within twenty hours, and Odin revealed that he planned to fake his death in a few months.
• The Grandmaster agreed to help Odin and said he would stay in the Nine Realms until Odin was ready.
• Ancient One objected to the Grandmaster staying on Earth, and he threatened to let Dormammu in and warned her not to provoke him.
• Odin tried to defuse the argument, and Kassadin declared the Nine Realms Void Cult territory and ordered the Grandmaster not to attack them.
• The Grandmaster agreed to leave for Sakaar, warned Ancient One again, and vanished from the courtyard.
• Odin explained that the Grandmaster had resented being ordered around, while Kassadin reassured Ancient One and Tony reflected on the gap between powerful figures.