Chapter Summaries

Tony planned to preserve the Avengers as an independent team by converting a Stark family warehouse into their base and focusing on Hydra. He introduced Dr. Helen Zhao as their medical provider, but Natasha and Maria Hill recognized her as an Umbrella Corporation employee and challenged Tony about her identity.

• Tony and Captain America discussed whether Evenson would join the Avengers, while Tony explained that he had transferred the organization under his name to protect it.
• Tony proposed renovating his father's secret warehouse into an Avengers base, and Natasha supported the plan while Captain America hesitated over the team's ties to S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Tony argued that Hydra remained a global threat and persuaded Captain America to support continuing the Avengers.
• Sarah pointed out that the base needed medical facilities, and Tony introduced Dr. Helen Zhao and her Bio-Cradle technology as the team's medical support.
• Natasha and Maria Hill recognized the Umbrella Corporation badge on Helen Zhao's suit and asked Tony whether he knew who she was.

Tony Stark questioned Umbrella Corporation’s ties to Pepper, and Maria Hill’s accusations unraveled as evidence tainted by Hydra. Evenson linked Umbrella Corporation to an ancient shield-bearing faction that had opposed Hydra, leaving Hill to wonder whether Umbrella was that faction.

• Tony asked Peggy Carter and Maria Hill what crimes Umbrella Corporation had committed, and Hill admitted S.H.I.E.L.D.’s case rested on questionable intelligence about human-enhancement technology.
• Peggy pointed out that Sitwell and Rumlow, both Hydra agents, had obtained and acted on the intelligence, suggesting the operation had targeted Umbrella Corporation.
• Hill recalled intelligence claiming Umbrella Corporation originated with the Third Reich and had a base on the dark side of the moon, then revealed that Evenson had supplied it.
• Evenson blamed the claims on a deceased dark wizard who worshipped Dagon, then argued that the name connected to Hydra might reflect a deeper link between ancient groups.
• Peggy explained that Hydra predated Red Skull and that ancient factions had divided over their beliefs; Evenson said one faction was symbolized by a shield that represented protection.
• Hill wondered whether Umbrella Corporation was the ancient shield-bearing group that had opposed Hydra throughout history.

Maria Hill reasoned that Umbrella Corporation had long fought Hydra and had maneuvered to undermine Pierce’s Project Insight, while S.H.I.E.L.D. had been manipulated by Hydra’s framing. The group identified Jill Valentine’s role in Umbrella Corporation’s actions, and Hill concluded that the organization had helped bring about Project Insight’s destruction.

• Maria Hill connected Umbrella Corporation to Dr. Hawkins, the improved Super Soldier Serum, and the hidden conflict with Red Skull’s Hydra faction during the Third Reich.
• Hill concluded that Hydra had framed Umbrella Corporation and manipulated Evenson into helping convince Nick Fury that it was an evil criminal organization.
• Hill reasoned that Dottie Underwood’s appearance during the Battle of New York had helped restore Nick Fury’s view of Umbrella Corporation.
• Natasha confirmed that Jill Valentine belonged to Umbrella Corporation and recalled meeting her at Hammer Industries and aboard the Star of Moria, where Jill let her copy Project Insight files.
• Hill concluded that Umbrella Corporation had helped turn Nick Fury against Project Insight and contributed to Pierce forcing the plan forward and its eventual destruction.

Tony, Peggy Carter, Hill, and the others debated whether Pepper should continue working with Umbrella Corporation, then concluded that its Bio-Dome project could support human settlement on Earth and eventually enable extraterrestrial colonization. Tony supported Pepper’s partnership, but when he proposed continuing the Avengers, Captain America declined to officially join.

• Tony urged the group to end Pepper’s cooperation with Umbrella Corporation, but Peggy Carter warned that abruptly canceling the deal could turn a business dispute into a personal grudge.
• Tony explained that Umbrella Corporation, now called Gospel Company, wanted to use his intelligent robots to build a Bio-Dome pilot site in an extreme environment.
• Tony and Natasha reasoned that Bio-Domes could transform deserts and other harsh regions into habitable land, giving Umbrella Corporation considerable political influence.
• Tony suggested that improved Bio-Dome technology, combined with Gospel Company’s aerospace capabilities and his robots, could make extraterrestrial colonization possible.
• Tony decided to support Pepper’s cooperation with Umbrella Corporation, and Hill agreed that working with the company could help them understand it.
• Tony proposed continuing the Avengers, but Captain America said he would help if needed and refused to officially join.

Evenson refused Tony Stark’s offer to join the new Avengers, warning Peggy Carter that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s absence made the team’s future dangerous. Talbot then took Maria Hill to help locate Coulson, who had reached S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secret base Heaven’s will with Melinda and met its agent Eric Koenig.

• Tony Stark offered Evenson generous pay and benefits to join the Avengers, but Evenson firmly refused, saying he had never wanted to be a hero.
• Peggy Carter asked Evenson why he declined, and he explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. was gone and the Avengers would lack the organization that once held them accountable.
• Air Force Brigadier General Talbot arrived at Tony Stark’s property and pressured Maria Hill to help find Coulson; Hill left to assist under the terms of her immunity.
• Coulson triggered Nick Fury’s hidden clue and reached the secret base Heaven’s will with Melinda, where they met the agent Eric Koenig.
• Koenig explained that the base had lost its funding after S.H.I.E.L.D. began investigating its logistics accounts, then served Coulson and Melinda unpleasant liquid food and energy bars.

Coulson pursued John Garrett after The Fridge fell, while Garrett planned to legitimize Hydra through a deal with the US government and find a way to survive his Hellfire injuries. Lena fled after discovering that Garrett’s men had killed a nurse whose location and circumstances terrified her.

• Coulson learned that The Fridge had fallen and that Garrett and Ward were missing, so he focused on hunting Garrett’s followers.
• Garrett and Ward escaped with The Fridge’s prisoners and dangerous stored items, then joined Ian Quinn and Lena at a secret base in Cuba.
• Garrett learned that Hydra’s branches had stopped responding and discussed Quinn’s negotiations to sell soldier-enhancement technology to the US government.
• Lena warned Garrett that Hellfire still threatened his life and that GH325 required a neutralizing agent, so Garrett sought blood from people with Coulson’s constitution.
• Garrett showed Lena a file about a New York nurse his men had killed, and Lena transformed into vipers and fled toward Hell.

At Green Garden Sanatorium, Wednesday’s memories returned when Nurse Moon was murdered, revealing him to be Odin. After discovering that Hydra had killed Moon and taken her blood, Odin sent his ravens to track the culprit and vowed to punish them.

• Wednesday remembered how he had once given his medicinal wine to an elderly resident, who drank it and lost his memories, and he continued avoiding the wine afterward.
• Wednesday found Moon dead in the pharmacy and mourned her as thunder shattered the effects of Loki’s Magic and Frigga’s potion.
• Inspector Marcus Bell questioned Wednesday, who revealed himself as Odin and demanded that the police find Moon’s killer.
• Odin used Hugin to view Moon’s final memories and saw a man in black kill her and draw her blood, then identify Hydra as responsible.
• Odin ordered Hugin and Munin to track the killer, and the ravens transformed into wolves Freki and Geri and followed the trail.

Melinda Qiao Lianmei exposed the limits of Koenig’s lie detector, while Ward passed the test and waited for a chance to pursue his mission. After Coulson and Melinda left the base, Ward killed Koenig when Skye’s investigation threatened to uncover his Hydra ties, then took Skye aboard the plane and destroyed its teleportation magic circle.

• Koenig lied that Nick Fury had died and put the agents through a lie-detector test, but Melinda admitted to limited deception and then used her powers to take control of the machine.
• Melinda left after Koenig warned her that Nick Fury had ordered her not to contact Evenson, and Ward passed the test through careful, ambiguous answers.
• Coulson left to deal with Daniels and excluded Melinda because their conflict over the Tahiti secret had damaged their trust.
• Melinda left alone to help Coulson, giving Ward an opening to investigate his mission to capture Skye and decrypt Coulson’s files.
• When Skye and Koenig began seeking footage that could expose Ward, Ward killed Koenig and hid his body.
• Skye discovered Koenig’s corpse, boarded the plane with Ward, and watched him destroy Evenson’s teleportation magic circle.

Coulson’s team captured Daniels with help from McNair, who killed him and let Coulson and Fitz go. Before leaving, McNair warned them that Grant Ward was Hydra, leaving Coulson to investigate the betrayal when he returned to his scattered team.

• Coulson’s team lured Daniels to Audrey, then Simmons got Audrey to safety while Coulson and Fitz confronted him under bright lights.
• Daniels revealed that Hydra had enhanced his powers and knocked Coulson and Fitz down with black smoke.
• McNair arrived and shot Daniels when he began attacking, then told Coulson she had no orders to arrest him and let him leave.
• McNair warned Coulson that Grant Ward was Hydra, citing surveillance footage of Ward helping John Garrett release prisoners from the Fridge.
• Coulson told Fitz to contact Simmons and prepare to return, while he turned toward the direction Audrey had fled.

Skye tricked Ward into exposing himself at a restaurant and escaped after he fought off the police, but Death Warrior blocked her path. Luther rescued her and claimed she was a Black Badge Division undercover agent, while Ward escaped.

• Coulson's team discovered that Ward was Hydra's mole after finding the deserted base, Skye's message, and Koenig's corpse.
• Skye lured Ward to a restaurant, secretly alerted the authorities, and revealed that she had given them the lead when police began clearing the crowd.
• Ward overpowered the officers and pursued Skye, who escaped in a stolen police car, but Death Warrior stopped her on the road.
• Luther attacked and drove off Death Warrior, while Ward recognized Luther and fled.
• Luther told the police that Skye was their undercover agent and took her to meet her companions.

Coulson’s team discovered Ward’s betrayal, but before they could rescue Skye, Talbot’s troops and the Black Badge Division seized Heaven’s will. Maria Hill explained that the Black Badge Division had tracked them, then joined Coulson in considering a way to save Skye and pursue Garrett.

• Coulson confirmed that Ward was Hydra’s mole after the team found Koenig dead and discovered Skye’s message, and he concluded that Ward had likely killed Victoria Hand and taken Skye.
• Coulson and Trip located the Air Bus, but armed American soldiers stormed Heaven’s will and disabled its security systems.
• Talbot demanded the team surrender, and Coulson learned that Maria Hill had led the soldiers to the base after following the Black Badge Division.
• Ada Wong and Kara Wong arrived with Soldier 76, and Hill warned Coulson that the Black Badge Division had tracked his team using its satellite capabilities.
• Hill revealed that Umbrella Corporation’s ambitions might serve humanity’s interests, but Coulson insisted that Ward had kidnapped Skye and that Garrett was still alive.
• Coulson and Hill discussed making amends by pursuing Ward, and they considered taking Ada Wong and Kara Wong hostage as a way to escape.

Coulson and Hill tried to seize the Eredar Twins as hostages, but they badly underestimated them and Soldier 76. The failed ambush ended with Soldier 76 unharmed by a gunshot and furious after losing two teeth.

• Coulson and Hill met Ada Wong and Kara Wong, who introduced themselves as Aurelles and Saloras while Soldier 76 guarded the door.
• Coulson tried to distract the twins by bringing up Tahiti, but they revealed they had already excavated the secret base and had no interest in the project.
• Coulson lunged at Soldier 76 as Hill attacked the twins, but Saloras easily stopped Hill and crushed her tranquilizer pistol.
• Soldier 76 restrained Coulson, who grabbed his pistol and accidentally shot him in the face during their struggle.
• Soldier 76 spat out a deformed bullet and two teeth, then seized Coulson and hurled him against the wall.

Saloras and Aurelles ended the fight with Hill and Coulson, then covered up the clash when Talbot arrived with soldiers. After revealing that Skye had been rescued, the twins gave Coulson intelligence about John Garrett and Ian Quinn and left him with a plan to act against them at an upcoming military meeting.

• Saloras urged the fight to continue until Talbot and his soldiers entered, and the twins claimed the gunfire had been part of a demonstration.
• Talbot ordered the conversation to end, but Saloras and Aurelles refused, and he left without forcing them to comply.
• After the soldiers departed, the twins asked Coulson and Hill whether they had intended to kidnap them, then asked Coulson why he wanted to escape.
• Aurelles showed Coulson footage of Skye, and Saloras told him their agents had rescued her and could secretly hand her over.
• The twins told Coulson that John Garrett had a base in Cuba and had reunited with Ian Quinn, who would appear with him at a military meeting in three days.
• Aurelles left Coulson a bottle of antidote and a bottle of paralyzing nerve gas so he could act against Garrett and Quinn after the twins departed.

The Eredar Twins left Talbot in charge of Coulson, then used Moira’s nerve gas to keep him and his soldiers incapacitated while Coulson escaped. The Twins then prepared to use Coulson to undermine Quinn International and the politicians promoting it, leaving their next move underway.

• The Eredar Twins handed Coulson and his team over to Talbot, then withdrew from the base.
• Talbot woke the next day and learned Coulson had escaped, but he accepted sole responsibility after the Twins pointed out that the agents had been missing for a day.
• Talbot and his soldiers remained stuck at the base because Moira’s nerve gas had left them waiting for their clothes to be washed.
• Saloras and Aurelles discussed how Quinn International’s talks with John Garrett were intended to challenge Gospel Company’s technological monopoly and weaken the ruling Republicans.
• The Twins decided that Coulson should seize Garrett and expose his alleged ties to Hydra, discrediting the politicians backing Quinn International.

Garrett injected the Tahiti drugs and regained his strength, then learned his Cuba base had been destroyed by a supernatural storm. Coulson uncovered his own role in Project TAHITI and prepared to correct his mistakes, while a mysterious white-haired man summoned an eight-legged steed and set out on a journey of revenge.

• Garrett injected the Tahiti drugs without the hard-drive data and felt renewed, though Hellfire still burned in his body.
• Garrett learned that his Cuba base had been destroyed and watched footage of the supernatural thunderstorm that annihilated it.
• Melinda gave Coulson the intelligence hidden in his grave, revealing that Coulson had led Project TAHITI and later lost those memories.
• Coulson and his team found the Cuba base reduced to a crater, and footage showed a colossal storm striking it with lightning.
• Coulson suspected Thor had caused the storm, while Melinda noted that Thor was in Australia.
• A white-haired man burned Savage Betty and summoned an eight-legged white steed, then announced that they would begin a journey of revenge.

Ian Quinn's attempt to win a military contract for his Super Soldier technology collapsed amid clashes with the Eredar Twins, and John Garrett attacked Lieutenant General Alvin Hogg. As Centipede Warriors closed in, an Umbrella Corporation coffin crashed into the facility and released a Tyrant.

• Ian Quinn worried that Garrett's resurrection had consumed the miracle drugs and left him mentally unstable before the military meeting.
• Ward found Garrett covering a wall with strange symbols and declaring that they would all become gods.
• Lieutenant General Alvin Hogg toured Quinn International's facility with the Eredar Twins, who challenged Quinn's limb-replacement plan and threatened him with a patent lawsuit.
• Quinn promised to produce one hundred Super Soldiers daily and replace the military's special forces and Secret Service, prompting Hogg to threaten to cancel the contract.
• Garrett entered with Ward, insulted Hogg, and drove a hand into his abdomen; the Eredar Twins pulled Hogg away as they activated a security protocol.
• Centipede Warriors surrounded the group, but a coffin bearing the Umbrella Corporation logo crashed through the facility and a Tyrant emerged.

The Eredar Twins abruptly withdrew with Hogg and another officer after revealing their magic, leaving Ward to reject Garrett and flee. Coulson and his team attacked the Hydra base, where Melinda joined the fight as the Chaos Knight and knocked away Death Warrior.

• The Eredar Twins dismissed Garrett’s claim to godhood, then burned the remaining people and escaped through a portal with two unconscious captives.
• Ward realized the Twins’ powers resembled Evenson’s magic and decided to leave Garrett and Hydra behind, while Ian Quinn escaped with his valuables.
• Ward ordered Death Warrior to protect Garrett and ran for the exit as Death Warrior fought Tyrant inside the warehouse.
• Coulson and his companions attacked the Hydra forces, and Melinda transformed into the Chaos Knight and joined the assault.
• Death Warrior was kicked outside, recognized Melinda as Iron Cavalry, and was immediately kicked away by her.

Death Warrior faced Melinda and Tyrant while Coulson tried to capture Garrett without killing the coerced soldiers. Tyrant overcame the Centipede Warriors and transformed after Death Warrior detonated a truck of oxygen tanks.

• Death Warrior prepared to fight Melinda, but Coulson stopped them and explained that Peterson had been coerced into serving Garrett.
• Coulson revealed that Trip, Fitz, and Simmons were attacking Quinn International’s information center to free the Super Soldiers and alter their commands.
• Coulson entered the warehouse to capture Garrett while Melinda watched Death Warrior and Tyrant battled the Centipede Warriors.
• The Centipede Warriors used traps and chains against Tyrant, but he broke free and killed several of them.
• Death Warrior detonated a truck full of oxygen tanks beside Tyrant, whose armor was destroyed as his body grew and transformed.

Coulson entered the warehouse to arrest Garrett, teamed up with Nick Fury, and fought off Garrett’s Centipede Warriors before Tyrant’s Phase Two transformation turned the battle brutal. Melinda protected Death Warrior and confronted Tyrant, but an elderly man arrived on an eight-legged horse and crushed Tyrant’s upper body.

• Coulson hid from Tyrant and the Centipede Warriors, then tried to sneak up on Garrett but was stopped by Jian De.
• Nick Fury appeared, gave Coulson a weapon, and helped him knock down the Centipede Warriors and shoot Garrett.
• Garrett declared himself God as Tyrant entered Phase Two and swiftly pulverized the Centipede Warriors.
• Death Warrior fired a rocket at Tyrant, but Tyrant caught it and sent it back; Melinda saved Death Warrior and wrestled Tyrant.
• An elderly man arrived on a golden eight-legged horse, which landed on Tyrant and destroyed its upper body.

After the Eredar Twins rescued General Hogg, they pressured him into supporting Gospel Company’s proposal and helping expose Hydra agents in the government. Meanwhile, Odin arrived to confront John Garrett, who claimed to be a god as the chapter ended.

• General Hogg watched the battle with the Eredar Twins and learned that John Garrett was Hydra’s Clairvoyant, leaving him terrified of being implicated.
• Aurelles and Saloras offered to clear Hogg’s name if he used his military influence to support Gospel Company’s proposal.
• Saloras warned that Hydra agents might still be hiding inside the US government, and Hogg realized the Twins wanted him to spread their accusations.
• Hogg watched an unidentified old man destroy Tyrant, and the Eredar Twins revealed that they had retreated because of him.
• The old man identified himself as Odin and challenged John Garrett to an ancient ritual of Revenge.
• Garrett claimed that he was a god too, and Odin accepted him as a worthy opponent.