Chapter Summaries

Evenson and Dottie traced Killian’s hostage plot to an abandoned shipyard, while Tony Stark infiltrated Killian’s estate and was captured after discovering the Mandarin was an actor. Peggy Carter and Captain America arrived to rescue Tony but spotted a bald man in a black suit leaving an ice cream truck and entering the woods.

• Dottie reported the Mandarin’s threat to kill the President and warned Evenson that Killian had ties to the Vice President.
• Evenson suspected S.H.I.E.L.D. was avoiding the case for political reasons and decided to seek an explanation later.
• Dottie used surveillance to locate three hostages at an abandoned shipyard, and Evenson recognized two of them as Holmes and Watson.
• Tony Stark entered Killian’s estate, discovered the Mandarin was a fake, and was knocked unconscious and captured.
• Peggy Carter and Captain America prepared to enter the estate to rescue Tony, but Peggy noticed a bald man in a black suit leaving an ice cream truck and slipping into the woods.

Agent 47 infiltrated Killian's estate and reached the room where Maya Hansen was being held, while Tony Stark was restrained and Killian used Pepper's transformation into Extremis to threaten him. Agent 47 awaited the chance to secure the highest-priority target.

• Two guards in the boiler room celebrated having avoided Tony Stark's assault, but Agent 47 killed them after distracting them with a coin.
• Agent 47 reported his successful infiltration to Dottie, who ordered him to secure the highest-priority target.
• Agent 47 entered the house, killed a patrol guard, and reached the room where Maya Hansen was being held.
• Agent 47 saw Maya Hansen, Tony Stark handcuffed to a metal bed frame, Killian, and two armed guards inside the room.
• Killian showed Tony Stark a live broadcast of Pepper being transformed into Extremis and threatened to make Tony obey him.

Killian tried to force Tony to bargain by revealing that Pepper and Holmes and Watson were in danger, but Agent 47 intervened when Maya Hansen threatened to kill herself. Agent 47 escaped with Maya after a fight with the regenerating Killian, leaving Tony in Killian’s custody.

• Killian showed Tony images of Holmes and Watson in cultivation tanks and claimed that dozens of Extremis soldiers waited at his headquarters, but Tony insisted Agent 47 could handle them.
• Maya Hansen threatened to inject herself with a fatal dose to stop Killian, prompting Agent 47 to act before she died.
• Agent 47 used a coin to distract Killian and the guards, then shot them and knocked Maya unconscious.
• Killian recovered from his head wound and withstood Agent 47’s gunfire and knives, declaring himself an immortal god.
• Agent 47 blinded Killian with a flashbang and escaped with Maya Hansen.

After 47 escaped with Maya Hansen, Killian ordered his exposed base evacuated and burned its computer files while his men moved Tony Stark. Killian then tried to force Rhodey out of his armor, but Captain America attacked the estate, leaving Killian to strike Rhodey in the stomach as his Extremis soldiers rushed to meet the assault.

• Killian realized his base had been exposed and ordered his subordinates to evacuate immediately.
• Killian burned the computers containing the base's files, and his guards carried the strapped-down Tony Stark out of the room.
• Killian visited Rhodey, who was trapped inside his overheated War Machine armor, and demanded that he give it up.
• Killian heard that Captain America was attacking and sent six Extremis soldiers out to fight.
• Fearing more Avengers might be with Captain America, Killian slammed his fiery palms into Rhodey's stomach.

Captain America and Peggy Carter ambushed the convoy transporting Tony Stark and rescued him, then discovered that the Mandarin was actually an actor named Trevor Slytherin. The group captured Trevor, while Peggy warned Tony that she would deal with him later.

• Captain America and Peggy Carter watched Killian’s men prepare to move Tony Stark and the Mandarin from the manor.
• Peggy Carter destroyed the lead vehicle with Havoc, and Captain America disabled the rear vehicle with a brick, trapping the convoy.
• Captain America and Peggy Carter defeated the bodyguards and freed Tony from the truck.
• Peggy Carter and Captain America found the Mandarin cowering in a jeep and pulled him out.
• Tony explained that there was no real Mandarin and revealed that the actor’s name was Trevor Slytherin.
• Trevor enthusiastically greeted Captain America as his idol and said he could pretend to talk to nonvenomous snakes.

Peggy Carter and Captain America fought Killian’s Extremis guards while Tony Stark’s armor failed to arrive. Killian escaped in War Machine’s armor after ejecting and knocking out Rhodey, leaving Peggy and Steve at the scene.

• Tony Stark tried to summon his armor to fight the approaching guards, but it failed to appear.
• Peggy Carter spun Captain America into six Extremis guards, scattering them and pinning two beneath him.
• Peggy Carter transformed and incinerated the four guards who charged her, then shattered their remains.
• Captain America defeated the two guards he had pinned with the help of his shield.
• Killian ejected Rhodey from War Machine’s armor, knocked him unconscious, and escaped through the ceiling in the armor.
• Peggy Carter and Captain America arrived to find a hole in the ceiling and Rhodey unconscious on the floor.

Killian escaped in his armor, but Peggy Carter and the others learned that he planned to attack the President and Vice President using the Lawrence oil ship. The Vice President took the warning seriously and ordered a response, though Ross’s presence near his daughter left his loyalties uncertain.

• Killian escaped through the ceiling, while Tony Stark arrived in low-powered armor and failed to take flight.
• Peggy Carter proposed questioning the Mandarin, and Captain America woke him and learned of a plan involving the Lawrence oil ship and the Vice President.
• Tony Stark identified the ship and connected its owner to the President, leading Captain America to conclude that Killian planned to target both political leaders.
• The group took a yacht toward the Lawrence oil ship, while Tony warned the Vice President that the President was in danger aboard Air Force One.
• Rhodey told the Vice President that a terrorist had used the Iron Patriot as a Trojan horse, and the Vice President ordered agents to warn the President and prepare air support.
• The Vice President watched Ross entertain his daughter, and Ross gave him a meaningful smile.

The Eredar Twins uncovered Killian’s plan to help the Vice President seize power and boarded Air Force One to meet the President. After claiming they could bring comprehensive innovation to U.S. military technology, Saloras sensed a searing energy approaching the plane.

• The Eredar Twins learned that Killian had recruited the Vice President to help remove the President and put him in office.
• The President received a warning from a Secret Service agent, boarded Air Force One in a hurry, and ordered it to take off early.
• Saloras and Aurelles spoke with attendant Alice and asked her to stay near them during the flight.
• The Eredar Twins met the President with Luther and promised military technology that would transform weapons and protective equipment.
• Saloras sensed a searing energy rapidly approaching the plane.

Aurelles pitched her company’s advanced products to the President, explaining that its first offering avoided the cost and legal problems of copying Iron Man’s armor. Just as she began to introduce the company’s true project, an attack struck the plane and Iron Patriot burst into the meeting room.

• The President’s aides questioned Aurelles about her company’s promised technological revolution, and she said its products were inspired by Tony Stark’s ideas but were more widely applicable and legally safe.
• The President offered to make Aurelles’s company the Department of Defense’s largest partner if its products met the military’s needs.
• Aurelles revealed that the products they had discussed were only an appetizer and began introducing the company’s real project.
• An unidentified object struck the plane, causing cabin damage and pressure loss as gunfire and screams erupted in the corridor.
• Iron Patriot smashed into the meeting room, and the agents opened fire while Aurelles calmly raised one finger.

Killian attacked the presidential meeting, but after Luther protected Aurelles and Alice, he revealed his bionic strength and fought Killian in his War Machine armor. Aurelles presented Luther as the company’s M-type Bionic Man, Doomsday Iron Fist, while he continued battling Killian.

• Killian shot the Secret Service agents and threw a sharp ornament toward Saloras and Aurelles.
• Alice tried to pull Aurelles out of danger, but Luther caught the ornament before it struck them.
• Saloras ordered Luther to kill Killian after most of the agents had been killed.
• Luther crushed the ornament and sent Killian flying through the conference room partition with a bare-handed blow.
• Luther transformed his right arm and struck Killian through several partitions with his Sky-Piercing Iron Fist.
• Aurelles introduced bionic augmentation technology to the president and identified Luther as the M-type Bionic Man: Doomsday Iron Fist.

Luther fought Killian aboard the plane while the Eredar Twins and the President watched, and Killian’s identity as the Mandarin was exposed. Luther sent Killian falling from the plane, where Aurelles caused his body to explode, ending the attack.

• The Eredar Twins waited for the President’s group to feel threatened before Luther intervened against Killian.
• Luther caught Killian’s punch, crushed part of his armor, and forced him to remove the suit.
• The President recognized Killian and angrily confronted a military officer about the military’s support for him.
• Killian used his speed to evade Luther until Aurelles urged Luther to stop playing around.
• Killian revealed his dragon tattoos and declared himself the Mandarin before Luther smashed him through the plane.
• Killian fell toward the ocean, but Aurelles unleashed his unstable power and made him explode into ash.

Luther defeated the intruder aboard Air Force One, and the Eredar Twins used the demonstration to pitch combining biological enhancements with powered armor to the President. The President agreed to recommend the company as a government partner, while Tony Stark lost control of his armor and could no longer see what was happening aboard the plane.

• Luther struck an empty Iron Armor that had attacked him, then returned to the conference room and reported that the intruder was dead.
• The President praised the Eredar Twins' biological enhancement technology and asked why their company had also developed powered exoskeleton armor.
• Aurelles and Saloras explained that their goal was an Ultimate Weapon combining Super Soldiers with powered armor, and Saloras said Luther could have defeated War Machine faster with his specialized gauntlets.
• The President said he needed to consult the Cabinet and Department of Defense but believed the government would partner with the company.
• Peggy Carter asked Tony Stark what was happening aboard Air Force One, and Tony admitted that his armor had fallen apart and he had lost sight of the situation.

After the crisis ended, Ross revealed how the Vice President had avoided ruin by following his advice and offered him a path to future cooperation. Ross savored his newfound influence and wondered about the unseen third member of the Triumvirate.

• Colonel Rhodes told the group that Air Force One was safe and that the President and others were unharmed.
• Ross explained to the Vice President that Aldrich Killian’s mistakes had doomed the plan and that Ross had saved him by steering him away from it.
• The Vice President thanked Ross and agreed to cooperate with him and the people behind Soros in the future.
• Ross left the Vice President’s house, reflected on his rise to power, and wondered who the Triumvirate’s third member was.

Tony and his allies raced to rescue Pepper and the others from Killian’s shipyard, while Tony sent his House Party armor reinforcements and asked Evenson to hold off the Extremis soldiers. Evenson rescued the captives through a portal and faced the attackers just as a green meteor descended, leaving Tony’s hoped-for dramatic entrance imminent.

• Tony reassured Rhodey that he had more armor and ordered Jarvis to activate the House Party Protocol, sending dozens of Iron Armor suits toward Miami.
• Tony called Evenson, who revealed that he had reached the shipyard control room and found Pepper and the others but had been discovered after Tony’s phone call interrupted his rescue.
• Evenson explained that he had infiltrated the shipyard cautiously to avoid explosions collapsing the unsafe structure and endangering the captives.
• Tony urged Evenson to stall the Extremis soldiers until his reinforcements arrived because he wanted to impress his aunt and avoid her scolding.
• Evenson sent Pepper and the others through his Demon Portal, then pointed the pursuing Extremis soldiers toward the sky as a green meteor plunged toward them.

Evenson used a summoned Hellfire to devastate the Extremis attackers, then discovered that its Fel energy replenished whenever it killed them. As the survivors began to flee, Evenson detonated five of them for his phone game, only to complain that his sacrifice earned him another one-star result.

• Evenson lit a cigarette with the hand of a badly burned Extremis, who soon died from his injuries.
• Evenson explained that Tony Stark's phone call had forced him to summon the Hellfire he had prepared as a contingency.
• The Hellfire crushed and burned through the Extremis, and Evenson noticed that each kill replenished its Fel energy.
• Several Extremis tried to escape, but Evenson triggered explosions inside five of them.
• Evenson checked his phone and angrily complained that sacrificing the five men had yielded only a one-star result.

Evenson defeated the remaining Extremis soldiers before Tony Stark’s remotely controlled armor arrived, leaving Tony to stage a destructive attack on the empty dockyard. After Tony found Evenson, he saw Pepper unconscious in an open cultivation tank while Evenson reached toward her.

• Evenson used Hellfire to kill the last Extremis soldiers and prepared to leave through the Demon Portal.
• Tony’s armor arrived at the dockyard, but Evenson left Tony to deal with the apparent enemies scattered across the area.
• Tony pretended his armor had arrived in person and ordered a missile barrage against the empty dockyard.
• Tony arrived with Peggy Carter and declared the danger eliminated after his armor destroyed parts of the battlefield.
• Tony located Evenson and saw Pepper unconscious in an open cultivation tank as Evenson reached toward her.

Evenson explained that he could remove Pepper’s Extremis energy with magic, though Tony refused to let him treat her after learning his precision relied on a feeling. With Pepper and the others safe, Peggy asked Evenson to accompany her to S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate its suspicious conduct.

• Evenson told Tony that Extremis was an energy-driven transformation and claimed he could reverse it by extracting the energy from Pepper.
• Tony had Jarvis scan Holmes and Watson, confirmed they were physically normal but weak, and insisted on treating Pepper himself.
• Evenson agreed not to touch Pepper, secretly pleased that Tony had taken over.
• Peggy Carter and Captain America arrived, and Captain America told Tony that the team was family; Tony objected to his relationship with Peggy.
• Peggy asked Evenson to go with her to S.H.I.E.L.D. and investigate its abnormal behavior, and he agreed.

Tony dismissed Evenson as his health consultant and chose Dr. Bruce Banner to help him talk through his problems and focus on work. After Evenson left, Tony went to his laboratory and discovered his two-million-dollar security door was missing.

• Tony told Evenson he had hired Dr. Bruce Banner as his new therapist and no longer needed him.
• Evenson learned that Peggy Carter had forced Tony to confess the truth about the battle and ordered him to write a 200,000-word self-criticism.
• Tony explained that he planned to develop new armor and combat methods to protect himself and those around him, and thanked Evenson for his earlier advice.
• Tony asked Evenson to leave, and Evenson agreed to pack his things and go.
• After talking with Dr. Bruce Banner, Tony went to work in his laboratory and realized his security door had disappeared.

After returning home, Evenson found Kreia away and Hubbs back from the shelter, then joined Peggy Carter to confront Nick Fury over S.H.I.E.L.D.’s inaction during the recent terrorist crisis. Peggy recognized Fury’s explanation as a clumsy cover for his inner conflict and suspected he was planning another 9/11.

• Evenson returned home, learned Kreia had gone to Kamar-Taj for an important meeting, and found Hubbs back from the shelter after nearly being euthanized.
• Evenson rested at home for a day, then went with Peggy Carter to demand answers from Nick Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury said he had identified Aldrich Killian as the real mastermind but had withheld support because Killian’s ties to the US Military made him suspect a government-staged affair.
• Peggy Carter dismissed Fury’s explanation as a clumsy excuse, and Evenson agreed that it did not account for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s conduct.
• Peggy Carter told Evenson that she suspected Nick Fury was planning another 9/11.

Peggy Carter explained to Evenson how 9/11 helped S.H.I.E.L.D. regain authority after the Cold War and suggested the agency’s current inaction might be intended to repeat that pattern. They left the elevator suspecting Hydra had deeply infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and might even be influencing Nick Fury.

• Peggy Carter asked Evenson why S.H.I.E.L.D. had done nothing to prevent 9/11, and he wondered whether the failure had been deliberate.
• Peggy Carter explained that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s predecessor had gained importance during the Cold War, then faced possible dismantling after the Cold War ended.
• Peggy Carter said 9/11 helped S.H.I.E.L.D. escape its decline and gain greater authority, even though the agency had been largely inactive at the time.
• Evenson suggested S.H.I.E.L.D.’s current abnormal behavior might be meant to create a crisis that would grant it more power.
• Peggy Carter worried that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. so deeply that it could influence Nick Fury.