Chapter Summaries

Michael and Doom perfected a Terrigen-powered shockwave system while discussing Reed Richards’ upcoming space mission. Meanwhile, the missing Mind Stone remained unaccounted for until Heinrich Zemo revealed that he had Loki’s Scepter and was ready to reclaim his power.

• Michael tested the glove-powered shockwave system with Doom and shattered a row of water-filled glasses.
• Doom advised Michael that reproducing multiple Inhuman powers would require separate suits of armor, since the systems could interfere with each other.
• Michael told Doom that Reed Richards was preparing to lead a space exploration mission within a week.
• Michael considered the danger posed by the missing Mind Stone, which had vanished after Hydra took Loki’s Scepter.
• Heinrich Zemo picked up Loki’s Scepter and declared that he was ready to reclaim what belonged to him.

Gwen Grovene visited Alex after hearing that Alex’s father had died, but learned Alex believed the police had falsely labeled his death a drug overdose and refused to investigate. Gwen offered to seek help, but Alex sent her away, leaving the suspicious death unresolved.

• Gwen remembered how Michael had kept her away from the Battle of New York and felt frustrated at being treated as someone who needed protection.
• Gwen learned from Michelle Grace that Alex had missed school because her father had reportedly died of a drug overdose.
• Gwen visited Alex and discovered that Alex denied her father had ever used drugs.
• Alex said the detectives had rushed to close the case and accused them of avoiding the truth about her father’s death.
• Gwen offered to contact people in law enforcement, but Alex rejected her offer and slammed the door.

Gwen investigated the suspicious death of Alex's father, Locke Russell, and learned that the case was tied to Kingpin. After the detectives left, she took the case file, while Kingpin prepared to attend Michael Passo's fundraising gala.

• Gwen went to the NYPD headquarters and overheard Detectives March and Frank discussing Locke Russell's suspicious death and inconsistencies in the overdose ruling.
• March revealed that Russell had uncovered a major financial shortfall at work before his death, and Frank warned him to drop the case because Kingpin was involved.
• After March and Frank left, Gwen entered the office and took the case file, wondering who Kingpin was.
• Kingpin was shown overseeing New York's criminal underworld and preparing to attend Michael Passo's fundraising gala about rebuilding New York.

After an alien invasion devastated New York, Michael Passo announced a city-rebuilding project and urged the city’s elite to help fund it. He met Wilson Fisk at the banquet and agreed to discuss how Fisk could assist, unaware of no threat but fully aware of Fisk’s criminal identity.

• Michael Passo told the banquet guests that New York’s people, not its buildings, defined the city, and announced that the Passo Group would fund a project to rebuild and transform it.
• Michael thanked Elizabeth Betty for her work on the project and approved her request for a raise.
• Wilson Fisk praised Michael’s speech and advised him that influence and powerful friends mattered in New York.
• Michael asked Fisk to consider helping with the rebuilding project, and Fisk agreed to discuss it later.

Gwen followed Daniel Fish to a factory and overheard him confirm that Locke Russell had been murdered after reporting a financial issue. After defeating Shocker, she demanded to know about Kingpin, but another man appeared and offered to answer her questions.

• Gwen followed Daniel Fish to a dark factory, where he met a trench-coated man and three underlings.
• Fish admitted he had been worried that Russell's apparent drug overdose would look suspicious, and the trench-coated man promised to ensure no one asked questions.
• When Gwen tried to record them, Spider-Sense warned her of an attack, and the trench-coated man blasted through a wall with a shockwave.
• Gwen defeated the three gunmen and fought the trench-coated man, who revealed himself as Shocker.
• Gwen crushed Shocker's shockwave gloves, restrained him, and demanded information about Kingpin, but Shocker refused to talk.
• A fierce-looking man emerged from the darkness and told Gwen to ask him about Kingpin.

Gwen learned that Kingpin was Wilson Fisk, while Michael's development plans hit a roadblock over land Fisk feared to challenge. After Gwen told Michael what she had discovered, he ordered her to stop investigating Kingpin, and she reluctantly agreed.

• Gwen questioned Vladimir about Kingpin, and he revealed that Kingpin's real name was Wilson Fisk.
• Michael asked Fisk to resolve problems with the Midtown Circle industrial district, but Fisk said its owners were too powerful to confront.
• Michael told Elizabeth that the Passo Group would handle the Midtown Circle issue itself.
• Gwen called Michael and explained that she had uncovered Kingpin's identity while investigating a classmate's father's death.
• Michael warned Gwen to stop getting involved with Kingpin, and Gwen reluctantly agreed.

Michael investigated the abandoned factory owned by Midtown Circle Financial and discovered that The Hand was hiding Dragon Bones beneath it. As the Defenders arrived, he faced the group at the site.

• Michael investigated Midtown Circle Financial and went to the abandoned factory in his armor.
• Nine ninjas ambushed Michael, but he quickly defeated them and identified them as members of The Hand.
• Michael searched his records and realized that The Hand, led in part by Alexandra, had taken over the site to excavate Dragon Bones.
• Michael found a deep pit beneath the factory and concluded that Dragon Bones lay underground.
• The Defenders arrived at the factory and confronted Michael.

Michael ignored the Defenders’ questions and tried to leave through a portal, but Luke Cage stopped him. Michael quickly defeated all five heroes and entered the portal, leaving them wondering who he was.

• Michael opened a portal and began to leave without answering Daredevil’s questions.
• Luke Cage grabbed Michael’s wrist, and Michael broke free and struck him down with a Vibranium elbow.
• Michael knocked Daredevil and Elektra aside, then caught Jessica Jones before she fell into a pit and tossed her out of the room.
• Daniel Rand attacked with the Iron Fist, but Michael redirected the punch into a wall and sent Daniel crashing through it.
• Michael entered the portal and disappeared, leaving the five heroes battered and Jessica wondering who he was.

Gwen ignored Michael’s warning and tracked Wilson Fisk to a workshop, where she discovered a confrontation between Fisk and Vladimir. After Fisk began beating Vladimir, Gwen intervened, leaving her face-to-face with Kingpin.

• Gwen decided to investigate Kingpin and followed Wilson Fisk’s car from Fisk Tower to a workshop.
• Fisk confronted Vladimir over revealing his identity, while Shocker admitted he had switched sides.
• Vladimir’s followers defected to Fisk, and Vladimir attacked Fisk with a dagger but failed to pierce his armor.
• Fisk crushed Vladimir’s wrist and beat him unconscious, threatening to continue until Gwen stopped him with webbing and a kick to the jaw.

Gwen was captured by Kingpin after her attack went awry, but an attempt to identify her revealed that her fingerprints were protected by S.W.O.R.D. Michael learned of the breach, Kingpin fled before he could be caught, and Iron Man arrived to find Gwen tied up.

• Gwen confronted Kingpin and Shocker, dodging their attacks and fighting off the Russian thugs before Shocker struck her with a powerful blast.
• Kingpin's men restrained Gwen, removed her mask, and had Dyson scan her fingerprints to discover her identity.
• S.W.O.R.D.'s security intercepted the fingerprint request and alerted Michael, who asked Sherry to locate the scan without taking action.
• Dyson revealed that the server had been blocked and was tracking them, so Kingpin destroyed the laptop and ordered his crew to flee.
• Shocker tried to kill Gwen, but Kingpin stopped him and hurried everyone into the car; Iron Man arrived shortly afterward and found Gwen tied up.

After Gwen's reckless attempt to help Alex nearly exposed her identity, Michael gave her a chance to make things right by taking on Fisk and earning a place on the team. He left Gwen to prove herself while asking Sherry to watch her closely.

• Gwen admitted she had acted carelessly because she wanted to help Alex and win Michael's approval, and she apologized for making a mess.
• Michael explained that Gwen's actions could have exposed her identity and told her she had to resolve the trouble she had caused.
• Michael instructed Gwen to take care of Fisk and said she could earn direct recruitment to the team if she brought him down.
• Michael left through a magical portal, warning Gwen that she had not passed yet.
• Sherry questioned whether Gwen could handle the danger, and Michael asked her to keep a closer eye on Gwen while suggesting Kingpin would soon have problems.

Fisk told Wesley that a powerful organization appeared to be backing Gwen and decided to secretly leave New York. Gwen investigated Fisk’s surveillance system and arranged to obtain S.W.O.R.D. equipment that might let her access its stored footage.

• Fisk told Wesley that Gwen had exposed his identity and that advanced surveillance had traced his operation, so he ordered Wesley to arrange their secret departure from New York.
• Gwen posed as a Midras Holding Company employee and asked Bernard Technology about Fisk Tower’s surveillance system.
• Gwen learned that the system stored its footage on a protected mainframe that would erase its data after repeated failed access attempts.
• Gwen asked Elizabeth Betty for help, and Elizabeth told her she could request a standard S.W.O.R.D. device for cracking electronic locks and passwords.

Gwen infiltrated Fisk Tower and stole surveillance footage that could expose Fisk, but her escape ended with Wilson Fisk confronting her in the stairwell. Meanwhile, the Hand's five Leaders discovered that none of them had called their meeting just as a mysterious armored figure entered the darkened conference room.

• Alexandra, Madame Gao, Murakami, Sowande, and Bojue realized that none of them had summoned the meeting about the Dragon Bones.
• The lights went out, and a black steel figure appeared in the conference room doorway.
• Gwen used her S.W.O.R.D. watch to break into Fisk Tower's mainframe and download surveillance footage.
• Gwen fought her way through security guards and defeated Shocker after he blocked her escape.
• Gwen reached the stairwell, dodged Wilson Fisk's punch, and faced him as he glared at her.

Gwen defeated and restrained Wilson Fisk after he attacked her, while Michael killed the five leaders of the Hand and ended their attempt to reach the Dragon Bones. He left the Dragon Bones buried and cleared the way for the Passo Group’s construction project.

• Gwen dodged Wilson Fisk’s punches, mocked him, and kicked him down the stairs.
• Gwen webbed Fisk’s hands and feet to restrain him, then covered his face and left.
• Michael killed Alexandra with a Pulse Cannon after the other four Hand leaders had already been defeated.
• Michael arranged to remove Midtown Circle Financial as an obstacle so the Passo Group could acquire the construction site.
• Michael decided not to pursue the Dragon Bones and had their entrance buried again.

Gwen helped expose Wilson Fisk and passed Michael Passo’s assessment, while the Winter Soldier killed Fisk after his escape attempt. Michael offered Gwen a place on his team, leaving them to discuss the details of her joining.

• Sherry told Michael that Miss Grovney had retrieved the package, and Michael confirmed the information could convict Fisk and declared Gwen had passed her assessment.
• Fisk’s sedan was blasted off the road, and the Winter Soldier shot Fisk dead when he charged.
• Ben Urich found evidence of Fisk’s crimes and a message from “A helpful neighbor,” prompting him to take the evidence to the publisher.
• Gwen watched Urich enter the publisher’s office, then swung to the Empire State Building and celebrated bringing down Fisk.
• Michael Passo appeared on the rooftop, congratulated Gwen on passing, and offered to discuss her joining the team.

Jessica Jones investigated the disappearance of Elvis Yates and traced it to a lucrative smuggling operation. A frightened smuggler finally named the Passo Group as the client behind the job.

• After The Hand's plan was stopped by a mysterious armored man, Jessica returned to her detective work in Hell's Kitchen.
• Jessica accepted her landlord's offer to waive her overdue rent if she found his missing nephew, Elvis Yates.
• Jessica found evidence that Elvis had been involved with smugglers and questioned several of his associates about a major job.
• Jessica learned that Elvis had gathered people to join the job, while Harry Temple said he had tried to dissuade him.
• Jessica threatened Temple until he revealed that the Passo Group had hired them.

Gwen joined Michael’s organization after helping bring down Wilson Fisk, and she explored its enormous mothership with Wanda. Meanwhile, Michael learned that a classified item had vanished from a Passo Group warehouse and ordered the company to act as though nothing had happened.

• Gwen’s exposure of Wilson Fisk’s crimes caused public outrage, while Fisk and James Wesley disappeared; Michael revealed that Fisk was still in New York, buried underground.
• Michael told Gwen she had passed her evaluation and brought her through a portal to the alien mothership, where she marveled at Earth from space.
• Michael gave Gwen a room and access card, then left her with Wanda to get acquainted with the base and its crew.
• At Passo Group, Elizabeth reported that the classified item AXCR-3920 had vanished from its warehouse, and Michael reviewed the sealed file.
• Michael ordered Elizabeth to keep the departments operating normally and not to contact the police or other authorities.

Victor Von Doom sparred with Wanda Maximoff and lost, then admitted to Michael that he was impatient to learn powerful magic and save his mother. Michael reassured him that his progress was strong and promised to teach him advanced material after a few days.

• Doom and Wanda fought in the S.W.O.R.D. training room, where Wanda overwhelmed him with her Chaos Magic and knocked him down.
• Wanda offered Doom a hand after the match, but he slapped it away and stood up by himself.
• Michael praised Wanda's improvement and dismissed her before discussing Doom's frustration with his slow progress.
• Doom told Michael he wanted to learn powerful spells like those Michael had used against Mephisto so he could save his mother.
• Michael urged Doom to be patient, said his foundation was nearly ready for advanced lessons, and offered him a few days off.
• Doom declined the break, saying he would rather study alien materials in the lab.

Jessica Jones tracked Elvis Yates to a deserted dock and found him with a superpowered accomplice beside a Passo Technology container. After fighting the two men, she was ambushed by a huge black creature that identified itself as Venom.

• Jessica learned that smugglers tied to a Passo Group transport deal had vanished and traced the operation to a dock.
• Jessica found a Passo Technology shipping container holding a black cube marked AXCR-3920.
• Jessica recognized Elvis Yates when he caught her punch, but his Black companion kicked her into a container.
• Jessica fought Elvis and the Black man, knocking both unconscious despite their unnatural strength and lack of pain.
• A huge black monster ambushed Jessica, pinned her against the container, and declared, "We are Venom!"

Wanda took Gwen shopping and told her that Mr. Passo cared about her, prompting Gwen to realize how much his attention meant to her. Wanda sensed Black Magic near the harbor, where Jessica was overwhelmed by Venom and knocked into the Hudson River.

• Wanda dragged Gwen out for a day of shopping while Pietro stayed home to deep-clean their enormous house.
• Walking by the Hudson River, Wanda told Gwen that Mr. Passo's efforts showed he cared about her, and Gwen realized she wanted him to remember her.
• Wanda sensed Black Magic in the harbor and headed toward it with Gwen.
• Venom battered Jessica at the pier, overpowering her despite her punches and strength.
• Venom struck Jessica into the Hudson River, where she lost consciousness in the cold water.