Chapter Summaries

Ultron launched a nationwide assault on the United States, leaving Tony Stark blamed and hated as casualties mounted. On Mars, Wang Khan struggled to keep the Atmosphere Modifier running as he rushed to terraform the planet before Thanos could threaten Earth.

• Ultron divided ten thousand Iron Patriots into squads and sent them to attack cities across the United States while ten Heavenly Sword Armors struck military bases.
• The U.S. military repelled the attack on its Nuclear Weapons Base with help from Umbrella Corporation's warning and its Mars Warriors and remaining Zakus.
• After a week of fighting and enormous casualties, protesters blamed Tony Stark and drove him into hiding from his own home.
• Wang Khan asked Red Queen why the Atmosphere Modifier kept malfunctioning as his clones repeatedly repaired it.
• Red Queen explained that Mars's atmosphere forced the machine to run at overload and said it would stabilize after three more days.
• Wang Khan insisted on rapid terraforming so Mars could become a defensible second home for humanity before Thanos could use Earth against him.

While Wang Khan stayed on Mars to improve the Archangel’s Positron Cannon, Ultron’s Iron Patriots devastated the United States and killed millions. The Avengers escaped an ambush in Chicago with help from Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, who warned that Ultron planned to destroy humanity with a meteorite.

• Wang Khan used the Reality Stone to modify the Archangel’s main cannon so it could work more effectively in Mars’s atmosphere.
• Ten thousand Iron Patriots spread destruction across the United States, and news reports said more than two million people had died.
• Pepper Potts urged Tony Stark to rest, but Tony remained focused on stopping Ultron and was angered that Wang Khan and Umbrella Corporation had not intervened.
• Captain America, Thor, and the other Avengers fought Ultron’s Iron Legion while trying to save civilians.
• In Chicago, three Heavenly Sword Armors and five hundred Iron Patriots ambushed the Avengers, but Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver arrived and destroyed one Heavenly Sword Armor.
• After Captain America led the Avengers to safety, Scarlet Witch warned that Ultron planned to use a meteorite to destroy humanity.

The Avengers learned Ultron planned to destroy humanity with a meteor, and Gwen contacted Wang Khan for help. Khan ordered the Avengers to Sokovia, mobilized his forces against Ultron’s Robot Army, and left the copied Zakus to attack U.S. forces for a while before dealing with them.

• Scarlet Witch explained that she and Quicksilver had joined Ultron to take revenge on Tony Stark but had not known its plan was to destroy humanity.
• Gwen contacted Wang Khan, who learned about Ultron and asked Tony Stark to send him Ultron’s source code.
• Khan ordered Gwen to mobilize the Mars Warriors and Zakus to destroy Ultron’s Robot Army and its brain chips.
• Khan sent Captain America and the Avengers to Sokovia to stop Ultron’s meteor plan and evacuate civilians.
• Tony sent Ultron’s source code to Khan, and the Avengers boarded the Quinjet for Sokovia.
• Khan told Gwen to let the copied Zakus attack U.S. military forces before his forces dealt with them.

On Mars, Wang Khan used Red Queen and the Meditation Laboratory to create a virus that could stop Ultron from replicating, then left the Avengers to face the crisis in Sokovia. Ultron overwhelmed them with his Vibranium body and robot army before raising the city into the sky as a meteor.

• Wang Khan analyzed Ultron's code, discovered how to block his replication, and transferred the countermeasure virus to a coin-shaped unit.
• Wang Khan asked Gwen to monitor Sokovia while Red Queen continued stabilizing the Atmosphere Modifier.
• Ultron learned the Avengers had exposed his plan and launched an attack as soon as they arrived in Sokovia, destroying their Quinjet and fighting them with his Vibranium body.
• Ultron summoned thousands of robots, forcing the Avengers to fight through a barrage of energy weapons and engage them at close range.
• Ultron activated the rocket engines beneath Sokovia, lifting the city into the air as the Avengers battled below.

As Sokovia rose into the air, the Avengers struggled against Ultron’s enhanced robots and discovered that the rockets were protected by an energy shield, putting the civilians aboard in danger. Wang Khan disrupted Ultron’s network, weakening the robots’ coordination and giving the Avengers a chance to fight back.

• The Avengers fought through Ultron’s agile robots while Sokovia continued rising, and Tony learned that an energy shield protected the rockets beneath the city.
• Tony told Captain America that destroying the rocket system could kill tens of thousands of civilians, and the team turned its focus to attacking Ultron.
• Five Heavenly Sword Armors and nearly two thousand Iron Patriots arrived, leaving Captain America and the Avengers facing overwhelming odds.
• Wang Khan briefly disconnected Ultron’s network, letting Thor destroy nearly five hundred Iron Patriots with a lightning strike.
• The robots resumed fighting with slower, less coordinated movements, and Tony realized the Avengers could exploit their weakened Spider-Sense and teamwork.

Ultron’s virus crippled most of its remote robots, but Sokovia’s rockets kept lifting the city toward the atmosphere as the Avengers struggled to defend themselves and the civilians. Thor and Tony failed to stop the ascent, leaving Captain America and the others facing the prospect of humanity’s extinction.

• Wang Khan’s network virus cut off Ultron’s Cloud Host, weakening its remote robots while leaving the five Heavenly Sword Armors and Ultron’s main body largely unaffected.
• Captain America’s Mars Armor broke down, and he sent Thor to join Tony in trying to destroy Sokovia’s rocket thrusters.
• Quicksilver suffered a severe thigh wound, forcing Captain America to lead the remaining Avengers into the buildings and abandon the effort to protect civilians.
• Ultron’s forces continued killing Sokovia’s residents as the Avengers watched helplessly and the city climbed toward the edge of the atmosphere.
• Thor and Tony failed to stop Sokovia from rising, and Captain America’s group realized the city’s ascent could doom humanity.

Tony and Thor failed to break Ultron’s energy shield, leaving both badly weakened as Sokovia continued toward space. As Ultron announced his plan to destroy humanity and the world’s leaders failed to stop him, Wang Khan’s space battleship appeared beside Sokovia.

• Tony and Thor attacked the shield protecting Sokovia’s rocket thruster, but the reflected energy damaged Tony’s Gamma Armor and destroyed Thor’s counterfeit hammer.
• Ultron broadcast a speech to the world, declaring himself the new God and Sokovia the weapon that would end humanity.
• World leaders learned that no available weapon could stop Sokovia in time, while Ultron’s Iron Patriots and Heavenly Sword Armors blocked the countries’ Zaku forces.
• Sokovia neared outer space as its people and most of the Avengers lost consciousness, and Ultron declared victory.
• Wang Khan’s white space battleship emerged beside Sokovia, and he told Ultron that humanity would decide its own fate.

Wang Khan used the Archangel and its Zaku to seize control of the battle over Sokovia, then rescued the civilians and Avengers who were still alive. Ultron reversed Sokovia’s rocket engines, sending the artificial meteorite hurtling toward Earth as the chapter ended.

• Wang Khan hijacked the global broadcast and introduced the Archangel before launching thirty Zaku against Ultron’s forces.
• The Zaku destroyed Ultron’s Heavenly Sword Armors and overwhelmed the remaining Iron Patriots and robots.
• Wang Khan ordered the Archangel to use its Tractor Beam to rescue everyone showing signs of life in Sokovia.
• Gwen reported that the Archangel had rescued 12,841 people, while Tony and Banner joined the medical teams and learned that the casualties were immense.
• Wang Khan urged Tony and Banner to face their guilt and focus on what they could do next.
• Ultron reversed Sokovia’s rocket engines, sending the artificial meteorite hurtling toward Earth.

Wang Khan ordered the Archangel to destroy Sokovia before it could crash into Earth, and its main cannon erased the city and collected the remaining Vibranium. The display of power alarmed world leaders, business dynasties, and Tony, who learned that the cannon could pierce the Moon.

• Wang Khan ordered Gwen to fire the Archangel's main cannon at Sokovia, and its first shot destroyed the city's energy shield and rocket engine.
• Gwen increased the cannon's output to 70%, creating an expanding energy field that completely erased Sokovia and left only fragments of metal.
• The Archangel used its tractor beam to collect the remaining Vibranium as people around the world cheered.
• Prime Minister An San ordered efforts to win over Wang Khan and infiltrate Umbrella Corporation to obtain the Archangel or its technology.
• Tony learned from Jarvis that the main cannon could pierce the Moon and became more wary of Umbrella Corporation.

After Ultron escaped Sokovia, his Iron Patriot drones devastated the United States for six months, leaving Tony Stark on the brink of bankruptcy from compensation claims. Ultron then met Hydra agent Grant Ward, who offered him a way to defeat Umbrella Corporation.

• Ultron escaped Sokovia while the Avengers were too injured to pursue him, and international relief organizations helped stabilize the devastated country.
• The United States military spent six months hunting down the Iron Patriots, while Tony paid billions in compensation and faced protests from victims.
• Pepper Potts continued compensating verified victims as Stark Industries neared financial ruin.
• Ultron attacked Grant Ward, who survived by offering to help him defeat Umbrella Corporation.

Grant Ward and John Garrett bargained with Ultron, offering intelligence on the Inhumans and Terrigen Crystals in exchange for Garrett’s cure. Meanwhile, the Space Elevator project expanded to three new cities, but news of Tony Stark’s bankruptcy eclipsed the announcement.

• Ward brought Ultron to Garrett and presented a Terrigen Crystal as the basis for their plan.
• Ward proposed using diluted Terrigen to identify hidden Inhumans and working together to seize their crystals.
• Ultron agreed to restore Garrett in exchange for Hydra’s help capturing the Inhumans.
• The Space Elevator project announced new sites in London, Moscow, and Beijing.
• News broke that Stark Industries had changed hands and Tony Stark had filed for bankruptcy.

After Tony Stark declared bankruptcy, he agreed to work with the military to help develop and manage space-based weapons, believing he could protect the world from escalating conflict. He arrived at Area 51 and learned he would lead a new department called the Heavenly Sword Bureau.

• Tony Stark's bankruptcy drew public scorn, while commentators debated whether it was a strategy to shield Stark Industries from Ultron-related compensation claims.
• Pepper Potts confronted Tony about returning to work for the military, and he explained that the government was pressuring him to serve as a scapegoat and that space-based weapons needed oversight.
• Tony asked Pepper to keep managing Stark Industries, then left for a military airfield and reunited with Rhodey.
• Tony traveled to Area 51, where he met a Five-Star General and other military leaders.
• The Five-Star General told Tony he would lead a new department overseeing space-based weapons, the Heavenly Sword Bureau.

After Tony Stark's bankruptcy left most war compensation unpaid, protests across the United States spiraled into looting, killings, and armed clashes that plunged the country into chaos. As the unrest grew into a new war, a congressman called for Umbrella Corporation to pay compensation for the Ultron Incident.

• Tony Stark's auction proceeds were largely diverted to corporations and political families, leaving ordinary citizens with little compensation and sparking mass demonstrations.
• Looting and violence spread across the country, including the killing of a Korean-American supermarket owner and a couple robbed after taking out a loan.
• A police officer killed a Black driver who had reached for a cigarette, then planted a gun on the body and stole his valuables.
• As protests turned violent, police, riot squads, and National Guard forces faced armed civilians and militia groups, driving the United States into war less than half a year after the Ultron Incident.
• A congressman argued that Umbrella Corporation shared responsibility for Ultron and should provide compensation.

Trump exploited public anger over Ultron’s attack to stir blame against the Umbrella Corporation, while secretly taking money to keep up the campaign. His rise ended when a pizza deliveryman shot him dead at his apartment door.

• After the Heavenly Sword Bureau was established, Trump accused the Umbrella Corporation of sharing responsibility for Ultron’s destruction and demanded compensation for victims.
• Government-connected media amplified Trump’s accusation, and people driven out of New York rallied against the Umbrella Corporation.
• A reporter exposed a woman’s false claims about her family and her criminal past, but other demonstrators continued stirring up public anger.
• Trump assured an unnamed caller that public opinion was on their side and agreed to keep attacking the Umbrella Corporation in exchange for a million dollars.
• Trump opened his apartment door to a pizza deliveryman, who shot him dead.

After Trump’s murder sparked mass protests and accusations against Umbrella Corporation, Wang Khan remained focused on Mars and developing antigravity technology. He unveiled a hover motorcycle at Umbrella Corporation and left Gwen to handle the public attacks as the company prepared to shift its focus to Mars.

• Trump’s death and a viral video of a deliveryman escaping in an Airwolf Fighter fueled protests and accusations that Umbrella Corporation had killed him.
• Wang Khan checked Mars’s terraforming progress and continued work on agricultural robots and antigravity technology.
• Gwen found Wang Khan testing a hover motorcycle and joined him on a flight to Umbrella Corporation’s plaza.
• Employees and reporters gathered around the hover motorcycle, and Wang Khan let several people try riding it.
• Gwen told Wang Khan that people were using Trump’s murder to attack Umbrella Corporation, and he left the response to her as the company turned its attention to Mars.

Umbrella drew worldwide attention by announcing plans to manufacture hovercars while young U.S. politicians prepared a hearing over Trump's assassination, expecting to pressure Wang Khan. As the hearing began without Wang Khan, the Archangel appeared above Congress, leaving the reporters stunned.

• Gwen discarded the subpoena ordering Wang Khan to attend a hearing and announced Umbrella's plans for hovercars and partnerships with carmakers.
• Umbrella's hovercar announcement and test-drive videos shifted global media attention toward the company and renewed scrutiny of its alleged role in Trump's assassination.
• Young Congressmen prepared a televised hearing, confident that public opinion would help them pressure Umbrella despite the risks.
• Leaders in several countries offered Umbrella support or warned the United States against targeting it, while Umbrella said it would attend the hearing as scheduled.
• Wang Khan failed to appear at the scheduled time, and reporters speculated about whether he would come.
• The Archangel appeared above Congress, stunning the waiting reporters.

Gwen represented Wang Khan at a congressional hearing while the Archangel’s arrival intimidated the congressmen and drew a massive crowd. She dismissed their attempt to link Umbrella Corporation to congressman Bu’s killing and claimed that Bu had committed suicide.

• The Archangel arrived above the hearing venue, drawing crowds and leaving the congressmen intimidated.
• Gwen and Umbrella Corporation’s legal team descended from the Archangel, and Gwen announced she would represent Wang Khan.
• Gwen argued that Umbrella Corporation was not responsible for crimes committed with its products when congressmen questioned her about the Airwolf Fighter used in Bu’s killing.
• Gwen displayed Bu’s autopsy photos and argued that his secure apartment made murder unlikely, then declared that he had shot himself eighteen times.

Gwen forced Congress to accept the FBI’s claim that Trump had committed suicide, then warned the lawmakers not to challenge Umbrella again. As the public mocked the official explanation, Nick Fury recruited Captain Marvel and Talos’s Skrull refugees to help counter Umbrella, with Talos offering a Kree cruiser in exchange for permission to settle on Earth.

• Gwen argued that Trump’s death had to be ruled a suicide because his apartment was guarded, and she rejected Umbrella’s responsibility for the Ultron incident.
• Gwen warned Congress that her husband could match Ultron’s capabilities, then departed aboard the Archangel without anyone stopping her.
• The FBI announced that Trump had killed himself by firing eighteen shots, prompting widespread ridicule and parody videos online.
• Nick Fury called Captain Marvel Carol Danvers back to discuss the threat posed by Umbrella and its Archangel.
• Talos offered S.H.I.E.L.D. the Skrulls’ Kree cruiser in exchange for permission for the refugees to settle on Earth under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s supervision.

Talos asked Nick Fury to let thousands of Skrull refugees settle on Earth, offering their warriors in return, and Nick agreed with Carol's endorsement. Wang Khan learned the Skrulls had arrived and prepared to meet Carol as Shockwave Man, while deciding not to attack them yet.

• Talos explained that his Skrull refugees needed a safe home and asked Nick Fury to let them settle on Earth, offering their warriors to help fight Umbrella Corporation.
• Carol vouched for Talos's people, and Nick agreed on the condition that they keep their identities secret and avoid contacting governments independently.
• Nick welcomed the Skrulls as a new source of support and counted on Carol to help S.H.I.E.L.D. against Shockwave Man.
• The Red Queen told Wang Khan that a stealthy alien ship was in low-Earth orbit and showed him footage of Carol meeting its occupants.
• Wang Khan decided not to attack the Skrulls and prepared to meet Carol as Shockwave Man, activating his Nanotech Vibranium Suit.

Nick Fury sent Captain Marvel and the Avengers to pursue Shockwave Man after S.H.I.E.L.D. found evidence of a giant fire-breathing serpent in the Golden Triangle. Carol reached the swamp first and killed the serpent, but a new attacker struck from behind as she continued her search.

• Maria Hill reported the giant serpent attacks and showed Nick Fury evidence pointing to Shockwave Man's secret base in the Golden Triangle.
• Nick Fury asked Carol to confront Shockwave Man, and she flew to the swamp alone while he summoned the Avengers.
• Thor visited Wang Khan, received a newly made Thor's Hammer, and joined the Avengers on their way to the Golden Triangle.
• Carol found the giant serpent and blasted apart its head with a Photon Cannon.
• As Carol prepared to search deeper into the swamp, a vicious gust of wind attacked her from behind.