Chapter Summaries

Wanda considered which side she would choose in the coming conflict and said she might support Stark, while Michael said he would force both sides to agree. Tony returned to his lab, reflected on Black Knight’s technology and his coming clash with Captain America, then prepared to join the pursuit of the Captain’s Avengers.

• Wanda weighed the arguments for registration and for Captain America’s opposition, then said she might choose Stark for the sake of unity.
• Michael rejected neutrality and said he would beat up both sides until they agreed.
• Tony returned to his laboratory to study the upgrades Black Knight had added to his armor.
• Rhode confronted Tony about his feelings over opposing Captain America, and Tony admitted he cared but believed he was doing the right thing.
• Maria Hill told Tony that Captain America and his Avengers were fighting a metahuman terrorist group in the Middle East, and Tony ordered a squad dispatched before calling Rhode to join him.

Captain America’s resistance operation in the Middle East went wrong when a superpowered terrorist attacked civilians, and Iron Man intervened before confronting Rogers over the Act. As Iron Man’s forces surrounded the resistance, Captain America summoned heroes from across the world, bringing both sides to the brink of battle.

• Captain America led his team against a terrorist group, but its leader escaped into a crowded city and used his Contact Detonation ability to cause explosions.
• Iron Man knocked the terrorist unconscious and criticized Rogers’s operation, arguing that accepting the Act would earn the Avengers greater trust and support.
• Rogers defended his refusal to compromise, and Tony ordered the Iron Squad and his Avengers to surround Captain America’s team.
• Tony ordered his forces to protect civilians and capture Captain America, while Rogers told his team to begin the final plan.
• A black hole-like opening appeared over the battlefield, and heroes including Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and the Fantastic Four joined Captain America’s side.
• Captain America activated the energy shield Tony had given him and called the Avengers to assemble, and Tony answered with the same rallying cry.

Michael and Sherry left the Avengers’ civil war to continue while they focused on a more serious threat. On the battlefield, Iron Man overpowered several of Captain Rogers’s allies before facing the Captain himself, and the chapter ended as their duel began.

• Sherry told Michael that Stark's team and Captain Rogers's team had officially gone to war, and Michael ordered her to let them be.
• Captain Rogers used Cloak’s powers to transport his forces to the battlefield and challenge Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Iron Man fought his way through the Captain’s allies, knocking down Human Torch and Thing and breaking Invisible Woman’s force field.
• Iron Man questioned Mister Fantastic about the Fantastic Four’s split, and Mister Fantastic said they had an internal disagreement.
• Captain Rogers struck at Iron Man with his shield, and Iron Man called on him to settle their fight once and for all.

Tony defeated Captain America but refused to seriously injure him, trying to persuade Rogers to stop fighting. Seeing the destruction around them, Rogers recognized the battle had lost its purpose and surrendered.

• Tony shattered Captain America's energy shield, destroyed its activation device, and urged Rogers to surrender.
• Rogers kept attacking despite Tony's blows, then rose again after Tony paralyzed him with an electric shock.
• Tony asked Rogers to look at the devastation and consider what would happen if the battle continued.
• Rogers saw the injured heroes, endangered civilians, and ruined buildings, then admitted Tony was right.
• Rogers held out his hands to Iron Man and surrendered.

After Captain America was arrested and the Superhuman Registration Act’s supporters secured victory, Tony Stark visited Steve Rogers in the Raft. Tony explained that the victory felt like defeat because of everything it had cost, leaving their conflict unresolved.

• The government arrested Captain America and held him in the Raft, while his allies escaped and the Superhuman Registration Act advanced.
• Tony Stark became the apparent victor, but he felt crushed by the consequences of the civil war.
• Tony landed on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier and entered Steve Rogers's cell after cutting off outside communications.
• Tony told Steve that he would arrange better accommodations and admitted he had not expected to salvage anything.
• Tony compared their victory to Pyrrhus's costly win and said that victory could feel like total failure.

Tony explained to Rogers that he had foreseen a Hero War and chose to support the Superhuman Registration Act, believing his actions would prevent innocent deaths. He apologized for their broken friendship but said he did not regret his choice, then left Rogers alone in confinement.

• Tony told Rogers that he and Reed Richards had created an algorithm predicting a Hero War between heroes.
• Tony described how changing public expectations and the Superhuman Registration Act had led him to anticipate the Avengers’ division.
• Rogers accused Tony of compromising their principles and arrogantly treating people as variables in a program.
• Tony said he had chosen to become the war’s demon because he believed no one else could take that role and innocent people would otherwise die.
• Tony apologized to Rogers, said he did not regret his decision, and left the room.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Tim Bessimer and Louis lost their Quinjet and its valuable cargo to a disguised aircraft, while a S.W.O.R.D. commander secretly coordinated an infiltration. Michael caught the commander communicating with the thieves but chose to let him remain in place for now.

• Tim Bessimer and Louis discussed Captain America's imprisonment and the coming execution as they transported cargo toward the Helicarrier.
• An aircraft posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. escort seized the Quinjet with a tractor beam and carried it away inside its concealed hull.
• A S.W.O.R.D. branch commander used a secretly isolated room to contact an accomplice, who confirmed they had the cargo and would hold it for three more days.
• Michael watched the commander’s covert communication, and, despite Sherry offering to arrest him, ordered that they keep him around for a while.

Sharon Carter visited the imprisoned Captain America, while Tony Stark investigated the theft of an Arc Reactor and other S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment. After an unknown sender sent coordinates to a harbor, Tony recognized the likely source and headed there in his armor.

• Sharon Carter urged Captain America to leave his cage, but he refused, and she hinted that his mission had only just begun.
• Sharon joined Tony Stark and Maria Hill on the bridge, where they investigated stolen weapons, exoskeleton suits, and an Arc Reactor.
• Tony explained that the stolen reactor was an improved model and said he could track it by its emissions, though S.H.I.E.L.D.'s searches had found nothing.
• Jarvis received an anonymous message containing coordinates, and Tony identified the location as a harbor with a black cargo ship.
• Tony put on his armor, ordered Hill to arrange a cleanup team and seal off the harbor, and set out for the location.

Tony investigated a dark freighter and fought a massive unknown mech built with Stark Materials Technology, destroying it with his Iron Man armor. He suspected the machine had been powered by an Arc Reactor, though the reactor’s energy signature had been concealed.

• Tony searched the freighter but detected no life signs or Arc Reactor radiation.
• A huge mechanical tentacle and mech burst through the deck and attacked Tony.
• Jarvis identified the mech’s outer shell as Stark Materials Technology material but found its design unknown.
• Tony broke free from the mech’s tentacle and destroyed the machine with a powered-up Repulsor Cannon.
• Tony told Maria Hill the conflict was under control and said he believed the mech’s power source had been his Arc Reactor.

Tony Stark discovered that an armored attacker used Stark-patented materials and Arc Reactor components, leading him to suspect a mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Wanda visited Lorna Dane at the Mutant settlement and discussed her relationship with Michael, until he appeared and asked to examine her body.

• Tony Stark told Maria Hill that the destroyed armored suit contained Stark Technology patents and remnants of reactor components.
• Tony concluded that someone inside S.H.I.E.L.D. had leaked information, while Hill asked whether Hydra was responsible and Tony said he did not think so.
• Wanda visited Lorna Dane at the S.W.O.R.D. Mutant gathering point, where Lorna thanked Mr. Passo for giving the Mutants a peaceful home.
• Lorna teased Wanda about her relationship with Michael, and Wanda admitted they were dating but said he had been busy lately.
• Michael arrived through a spell portal and told Wanda to come with him so he could examine her body.

Michael subjected Wanda to extensive physical and mental examinations to confirm she was truly Wanda Maximoff, then revealed that Skrulls could impersonate people and might have infiltrated Earth, including S.W.O.R.D. He left Wanda facing the possibility that Earth had no reliable way to detect them.

• Michael took Wanda to a laboratory and put her through thorough technological, magical, and mental examinations.
• Sherry told Wanda the tests were not about a problem with her, but said Michael had personally examined her because she was important to him.
• Michael apologized for the uncomfortable tests and explained he needed to confirm that Wanda was truly Wanda Maximoff.
• Michael showed Wanda a dead Skrull in a Sky Sword Agent uniform and described the aliens’ ability to copy appearances, memories, and thoughts.
• Michael warned Wanda that Skrulls might have infiltrated governments, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and S.W.O.R.D., and admitted that even advanced surveillance had failed to identify them.

Michael told Wanda that Skrulls had infiltrated Earth and said he had a plan to deal with them. He asked her to use magic to check the enhanced team, while Steve Rogers encountered an identical version of himself in prison.

• Wanda feared that Skrulls could have infiltrated institutions and organizations across Earth, but Michael reassured her that he had begun preparing to fight them.
• Michael said Stark suspected a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D. but had not discovered the Skrulls, and listed Wanda, Elizabeth, Sherry, and himself among the few who knew the truth.
• Michael explained that Skrulls could not imitate souls and asked Wanda to examine the enhanced team with magic.
• Wanda asked why Michael had tested her before, and he admitted he had also wanted to give her a full physical examination.
• In an independent S.H.I.E.L.D. prison, Steve Rogers saw an identical version of himself appear inside his cell and claim to be Captain America.

Tony visited Reed at the Baxter Building to discuss the Fantastic Four backing the Act, but Doom Robots attacked the laboratory. After Tony, Reed, and the other Fantastic Four members fought off the robots, Doctor Doom arrived and confronted them.

• Tony told Reed that the Fantastic Four's support for the Act would ease the political deadlock, while Reed admitted Susan and Ben still disagreed with his choice.
• An explosion tore through Reed's laboratory, injuring Reed and bringing four Doom Robots into the room.
• Tony and Reed fought the Doom Robots, and Reed realized Victor must have found a way through his firewall.
• Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and Thing arrived after destroying another robot, but a blast from the ceiling knocked the group down.
• Doctor Doom descended into the laboratory in his armor and faced the Fantastic Four and Tony.

Doctor Doom attacked the Fantastic Four and Tony Stark, overpowering them with technology and magic while pursuing a hidden objective. He seized Susan and flew away, leaving the others behind.

• Tony confronted Doctor Doom, but Doom said he had come only for Reed Richards and attacked Tony with an invisible force.
• Johnny, Ben, and Reed tried to stop Doom, but he redirected Johnny's fire, blasted Ben, and electrocuted Reed.
• Tony fought Doom with his armor and repulsor weapons, briefly breaking through Doom's magical defense before Doom bound him with chains.
• Doom said he had more important matters to attend to, then broke through Susan's force field, seized her, and flew away.

Johnny urged the others to rescue Susan, and Tony brought reinforcements to Latveria, where Doom had imprisoned her. After Doom defeated the attacking heroes, he released Susan and ordered them to leave.

• Johnny demanded that the group save Susan, but Tony and Reed warned that invading Latveria could cause an international dispute.
• Tony revealed that he had called in reinforcements, and Hulk arrived aboard a stealth Quinjet.
• In Doom's laboratory, Susan challenged Doom while imprisoned in a transparent bubble.
• Doom detected Tony's stealth armor and struck him, prompting Hulk, Thing, War Machine, Human Torch, and Vision to attack.
• Doom repelled the attackers, disabling or tossing aside each one, while Reed moved to protect Susan.
• Doom released Susan and ordered the group to leave, and Reed embraced her.

Doom released Susan Storm and allowed the Avengers and Fantastic Four to leave Latveria, then revealed to Michael that she was a Skrull. With Skrull infiltrators spread through Earth and no way to find them all, Michael proposed attacking the Skrulls’ species instead.

• Doom insisted he had no scheme and ordered the Avengers and Fantastic Four to leave Latveria.
• Tony confirmed Susan was real, and Reed verified that she was the genuine, unharmed Susan Storm before the team departed.
• Doom reviewed data showing that Susan was a Skrull and told Michael that a Doomsday Guard captain he had killed had also been a Skrull spy.
• Doom and Michael discussed how to expose Skrull infiltrators but could not find a way to identify them all.
• Michael proposed using offense as defense and making the Skrulls remember the consequences of targeting Earth.

Tony Stark confronted Nick Fury after Fury returned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and warned that the organization’s infiltration threatened humanity’s survival. Fury left intelligence for Tony to review, then vanished before Maria Hill could meet with him.

• Tony reflected on the burdens of directing S.H.I.E.L.D. and kept its internal traitors secret from everyone except Maria Hill.
• Nick Fury appeared in Tony’s office and challenged him about taking the director’s seat.
• Fury warned Tony that the infiltration was far worse than a Hydra remnant and threatened the survival of the human race.
• Fury said he had copied his intelligence to Tony’s computer and left Tony to decide what to do next.
• Tony asked Jarvis to make Maria Hill wait, but Fury vanished from the office.

Tony Stark revealed to Reed Richards that Skrulls had infiltrated Earth, while the Skrull Queen learned their secret invasion had been discovered and decided to begin the war. The Queen ordered the Skrulls to attack Earth the next day and assigned Buttom to take Latveria.

• Tony Stark showed Reed Richards the corpse of a Skrull who had impersonated Mockingbird and warned that Skrulls had infiltrated Earth.
• A Skrull warrior reported to the Skrull Queen that Nick Fury had exposed the invasion to Stark.
• The warrior told the Queen that Reed Richards, Doctor Doom, and the Black Knight of S.W.O.R.D. also knew about the Skrulls.
• The Skrull Queen and her advisers decided to start the war the next day, and Buttom volunteered to attack Latveria.

Tony investigated a Skrull corpse with Reed and learned that even Nick Fury might be an impostor. He brought the warning of a worldwide Skrull infiltration to Avengers Headquarters and suspected that a spy was among the Avengers.

• Tony asked Reed to determine how Skrulls mimicked humans, and Reed questioned whether Nick Fury might himself be a Skrull.
• Tony left the corpse and its analysis to Reed, then flew to Avengers Headquarters burdened by the thought that no one could be trusted.
• Rhode and Banner discussed Tony’s strain as Vision announced his imminent arrival.
• Tony told Rhode, Banner, and Vision that Fury had warned him Skrulls could impersonate anyone and had infiltrated Earth.
• Rhode initially laughed at Tony’s claim, but Vision confirmed Tony was serious, and Tony warned that a Skrull spy might be among the four Avengers present.

Tony Stark accused the Avengers of harboring Skrull spies and ordered the team to suspend operations until the spies could be exposed. A crashed Skrull ship then brought another Iron Man, Hulk, Vision, and War Machine to Avengers Headquarters, leaving the two teams facing off.

• Tony Stark told the Avengers that Skrulls had infiltrated their ranks and demanded that they remain on standby.
• Banner and Rhode questioned Tony's plan, while Tony insisted that the threat justified suspending Avengers activity.
• A large spacecraft crashed into Avengers Headquarters, destroying much of the hall and disrupting Jarvis.
• Tony and the others emerged from the wreckage unharmed and prepared to meet whoever was inside the ship.
• An alternate Iron Man, Hulk, Vision, and War Machine stepped out, and both Iron Men prepared for a confrontation.