Chapter Summaries

Noah and Strange met two versions of the Ancient One, who discussed how their universes differed. Before Noah returned to his own universe, he gave Strange Natasha’s soul and instructions for reviving her, while the Ancient One warned him that Strange’s encounter with Dormammu was approaching.

• Noah watched the two Ancient Ones communicate and joked with Strange about teaching the other-universe Strange to play the violin.
• Noah remembered Natasha’s soul, handed Strange the diamond containing it, and taught him a method of soul manipulation for her revival.
• The spirit-form Ancient One reflected that Noah’s universe might avoid disasters, while the tangible Ancient One said established events could not simply be changed.
• The spirit-form Ancient One departed, and Noah’s teacher greeted Strange and discussed the coming encounter with Dormammu.
• Noah admitted he had watched events from the other universe, and his teacher opened a passage to send him home.

Thor and Loki returned from celebrating their victory over Thanos in another universe, and Odin asked Noah to help when he released Hela. Noah then questioned Odin about the World of the Dead and learned that it connected to every universe, alongside the Void and the material Creation World.

• Thor and Loki arrived retching after golden light dragged them through a spatial passage, and Odin decided to take them away.
• Odin told Noah that he planned to release Hela and asked him to help Thor and Loki make her recognize reality.
• Noah agreed to use Dragonborn magic if necessary to help deal with Hela.
• Noah asked Odin about the World of the Dead, and Odin explained that it existed independently of dimensions and connected to every universe.
• Odin told Noah that the material world was called the Creation World and that the World of the Dead and the Void surrounded it.

Noah reflected on the Void and the World of the Dead, wondering whether he could use another universe’s knowledge of souls to resurrect the dead. Meanwhile, Stephen Strange tracked down Jonathan Pernell, who pointed him toward Kamar-Taj’s powerful mage in London.

• Noah questioned the system about the Void and its silver power, but the system said it knew nothing about their true nature.
• Noah considered whether parallel universes with soul-related powers could offer a way to summon the dead and decided he might visit Egypt or Japan.
• Stephen Strange approached Jonathan Pernell and described his paralysis, asking how Jonathan had recovered.
• Jonathan told Strange that a mage from Kamar-Taj had healed him and become his teacher.
• Jonathan directed Strange to London, where Kamar-Taj’s sage’s successor—the order’s most powerful mage—could be found.
• Strange repeated, “London?”

Tony discovered that Bucky had murdered his parents while brainwashed by Hydra, and learned that Bucky was now trying to atone without knowing his past. He met Stephen Strange, who sought help finding a way to heal his hands, but Tony told him to watch a newly released movie first.

• Tony found the unedited 1991 mission report and learned that Bucky had killed Howard and Maria Stark.
• Tony searched government and former Soviet records, discovering that Hydra had frozen and brainwashed Bucky into serving as the Winter Soldier.
• Tony learned Bucky had recovered with Noah's help and that a former Hydra colonel in Cleveland held the code that controlled him.
• Strange visited Tony and explained that a sorcerer had directed him toward Kamar-Taj and then London to heal his hands.
• Tony asked whether Strange had watched a newly released movie and told him to see it before seeking further help.

Tony revealed that Bucky had killed his parents while under Hydra’s control, then demanded that Steve and Bucky obtain Pym Particles so he could travel to the past. After Bucky agreed, Tony went to London with Strange, who hoped to find wizards willing to help him.

• Tony showed Steve and Bucky a video proving that Bucky had killed Howard and Maria Stark in 1991 while controlled by Hydra.
• Tony demanded Pym Particles and threatened Steve and Bucky with his magic-and-technology armor if they refused.
• Bucky agreed to help Tony despite Steve’s objections, and Tony left Avengers Base through a portal to explain his actions to Noah.
• Strange watched the Noah Finneal trilogy, became hopeful that magic might help his condition, and planned to travel to London.
• Tony met Strange outside the theater and said he would accompany him to London.

Noah told Tony that traveling to a parallel universe could be acceptable and explained how Tony’s counterpart had sacrificed himself to save the universe. Meanwhile, Strange arrived at the London Sanctum seeking help for his damaged hands and was suddenly transported into an office.

• Tony told Noah he wanted to return to the past, but Noah warned him against changing history and agreed to a trip to a parallel universe instead.
• Noah gave Tony the universe locator made by his counterpart and described how that Tony had snapped his fingers, died, and left Pepper and Morgan Stark behind.
• Tony remembered that he had brought Strange, a doctor with damaged hands, to the London Sanctum to seek help.
• Strange followed Tony through a portal from New York to London and marveled at the magical Sanctum while waiting to meet its owner.
• Strange was suddenly transported from the Sanctum’s main hall into an office.

Stephen Strange sought Noah's help to heal his damaged hands, and Noah offered to fix them through magic if Strange joined the mages. Strange chose to stay, but Noah then insisted that he sign a contract.

• Noah asked Strange why he had come, and Strange explained that ordinary science could not repair his hands.
• Noah told Strange that magic could heal him but asked why he should help, prompting Strange to ask what Jonathan Pernell had paid for his healing.
• Noah explained that Jonathan had become Mordo's apprentice without paying a price and told Strange he would have to accept becoming a mage.
• Strange weighed his lost medical career against his only chance to recover and decided to stay.
• Noah proposed a contract, and when Strange questioned it, Noah told him to leave and find another mage if he refused.

Noah brought Strange into Kamar-Taj’s magical world, healed his trembling hands with magic, and arranged a new look for him. Strange settled into Noah’s Sanctum and eagerly awaited his training, while Noah told Wong that Strange had been the Sorcerer Supreme in another universe.

• Strange signed Noah’s contract and officially entered the magical world as Noah’s apprentice.
• Noah showed Strange his room in the Sanctum and used magic to stop his hands from trembling, explaining that Strange would need to master the skill himself.
• Noah told Wong to arrange a perm, a clean shave, and new clothes for Strange, including a brown trench coat and long scarf.
• Strange settled into the Sanctum, emailed Christine Palmer to say he was safe, and looked forward to learning magic.
• Noah told Wong that Strange had been the Sorcerer Supreme in another universe and joked that the other universe’s Wong was fatter.

Steve and Bucky debated whether to help Tony steal the Pym Particles, with Steve refusing Bucky’s plan to take the blame alone. At the London Sanctum, Strange learned more about Noah Finneal and prepared for his first lesson.

• Steve warned Bucky that helping Tony steal the Pym Particles could split the Avengers, but refusing could get them killed.
• Bucky proposed stealing the Pym Particles and letting Steve report him, but Steve rejected the plan.
• Steve said he still owed someone a promise and wanted to see what would happen.
• Strange discovered that his hands had recovered and learned about the people living at the London Sanctum.
• Strange learned that Noah Finneal had defeated an alien invasion as a dragon and then prepared for his first lesson.

Strange studied the magical world under Noah’s guidance, taking lessons in Herbology, Potions, and magical creatures while discovering how much he had to learn. Noah arranged practical experience for him with Constantine and Angela once Strange completed his initial studies, and claimed 221B Baker Street as a place to use.

• Strange studied Herbology with Professor Neville Longbottom at Hogwarts and learned that magical plants could have powerful medicinal effects.
• Strange began studying magical creatures and learned about vampires, their weaknesses, and the value of their blood and fangs.
• Noah visited Constantine and Angela at 221B Baker Street and asked them to arrange practical work with magical creatures for Strange.
• Constantine agreed to help but suggested Noah guide Strange himself; Noah declined and said he would find another arrangement.
• Noah asked to use 221B Baker Street, and Constantine told him he could have it.

Steve and Bucky began their covert operation to steal Pym Particles from Hank Pym’s office at Avengers Base, while Strange continued his magical training in London. Wong gave Strange an annotated spellbook and told him Noah wanted him to use a British accent and would take him somewhere after breakfast.

• Steve and Bucky used Scott Lang’s patrol assignment and Hank Pym’s hazardous-material delivery as a distraction to lure Hank out of his office.
• Bucky sabotaged the power supply, and Steve and Bucky prepared to search Hank’s office for the Pym Particles while he was away.
• Strange reflected on his month of study and his newly acquired magic power, though he still could not cast spells.
• Wong explained that the Library’s living books deserved respect and gave Strange Noah’s annotated copy of Beginner’s Spells—Elemental Magic.
• Wong told Strange that Noah would take him somewhere after breakfast and instructed him to use a British accent.

Noah brought Strange to 221B Baker Street and assigned him to work there as an exorcist while continuing his magical training. Strange accepted the post and learned that he would use the name Sherlock Holmes.

• Noah took Strange to 221B Baker Street, the former office he had established with the exorcists.
• Strange answered Noah’s questions about vampires and Harpies, but Noah challenged him to learn how to investigate damaged scenes rather than rely on textbook facts.
• Noah told Strange he would work as an exorcist at the office and study spellcasting, with Noah providing any necessary help.
• Strange agreed to stay and asked whether he could find an ordinary person as an assistant or roommate; Noah said he could.
• Noah told Strange that his name at the office would be Sherlock Holmes.

Fury struggled to contain a crisis after Pym Particles were stolen from Avengers Base and Hill uncovered a video of Bucky killing Howard and his wife. Steve and Bucky delivered three vials of Pym Particles to Tony, while Fury feared the revelations could tear the Avengers apart.

• Fury learned that more than three vials of Pym Particles had been stolen from Avengers Base, and he suspected an Avenger was involved.
• Hill told Fury that the leaders wanted the theft resolved and Hydra-related records organized.
• Hill showed Fury a video of Bucky murdering Howard Stark and his wife, and said she was the only person who had seen it.
• Fury ordered Hill to keep the video secret and considered visiting someone living in London.
• Steve and Bucky brought Tony three red vials of Pym Particles, and Tony told them to leave him to his work.

Strange investigated a murder confession at 221B Baker Street while using the alias Charlotte Holmes, then prepared to meet a new neighbor. Meanwhile, Tony carefully studied the Pym Particles he had obtained but lacked the data needed to experiment with them.

• A Belarusian man told Strange that he had stabbed Karen after an argument, but Strange corrected his grammar and dismissed the man's claims that magic had caused the murder.
• Strange reflected on how Noah had placed him in the role of Charlotte Holmes and how his work had exposed him to murderers who blamed magical creatures.
• Strange decided to meet his prospective neighbor, an injured American former pilot who had come to London.
• Tony examined the Pym Particles and a device for testing his theory, but hesitated because he had little data about how the particles worked.
• Tony blamed his lack of information on Howard's poor relationship with Hank Pym.

Tony examined a locator made by another version of himself and continued working on a way to travel between universes, accepting that the other universe might reach his first. In London, Everett Ross prepared to meet Sherlock Holmes, his prospective housemate, after leaving the CIA and moving to Baker Street.

• Tony realized the locator was meant to help people from another universe visit his, but he kept working despite lacking Ant-Man suit data to control Pym Particles safely.
• Tony decided to honor his promise to Steve and Bucky after they obtained Pym Particles and focused on building a suit and transport machine himself.
• Everett Ross recalled how Ulysses Claw and Erik had foiled his CIA operation in Milan, leaving him wounded and dismissed from the agency.
• Everett moved to London, found a shared-rental listing on Baker Street, and set out to meet his prospective housemate, Sherlock Holmes, at the British Museum.

Wanda passed Noah’s test on magical creatures and asked to train as an exorcist to learn more about the magical world. In London, Strange met Everett while posing as Sherlock Holmes, concealing his identity despite Everett recognizing his resemblance to Stephen Strange.

• Wanda accurately described fire dragons and Chimeras, and Noah congratulated her on passing his test.
• Noah told Wanda she could visit Logan, Constantine, and the others to broaden her knowledge of the magical world.
• Wanda denied wanting to follow Strange and insisted she had no interest in a middle-aged man.
• Strange waited outside the British Museum for his future roommate, Everett, and recognized his leg injury.
• Everett recognized Strange’s face and asked if he was Dr. Stephen Strange, but Strange denied it and introduced himself as Sherlock Holmes.

Strange and Everett agreed to share an apartment after introducing themselves under false names, while Noah trained in the System Space and learned that the fusion of the six Infinity Stone energies was complete. The chapter ended with Noah asking the System to reveal the result, just as it warned him there was something he needed to explain first.

• Everett introduced himself to Strange as John Watson, and Strange accepted the false name while revealing he had deduced Everett's CIA background and failed mission.
• Strange introduced himself as Sherlock Holmes and an exorcist, then invited Everett to view the apartment with him.
• Noah returned to the System Space, lost another combat simulation, and reflected on his growing ability to resurrect himself.
• The System interrupted Noah's training to announce that the six Infinity Stone energies had finished fusing.
• Noah eagerly asked the System for the result, but it said it first needed to make something clear to him.

Noah learned that the energy of the six Infinity Stones could let him witness a universe’s destruction and reconstruction, but only after reaching Tier 10, and that his mission reward included a hidden space rule in his domain. As he wondered about the quiet state of the world and Tony’s research into parallel universes, the magatama he carried began to stir.

• The system explained that restoring the six Stones’ energy would reveal a universe exploding, but Noah could not benefit from observing it until he reached Tier 10.
• Noah learned that the mission reward included a subtle, relatively complete space rule hidden in his domain, whose purpose he would discover as he grew stronger.
• Noah decided not to waste the energy on a powerful snap, despite wishing he could use it to eliminate Thanos and his fleet.
• Noah reflected on the changed state of the world, including Strange’s arrival, Spider-Man’s activities, and Tony’s research into gifts from a parallel universe.
• Noah considered visiting parallel universes to train against their versions of Thanos, then sensed the magatama he carried stirring.

Nagini returned to the Sanctum and told Noah that the Druids were thriving, then warned him that dark, corrupted wizards from Kamar-Taj had been buying strange magical materials. Meanwhile, Strange and Everett solved their first exorcism case by discovering a Bat Demon had caused a young man's fatal hallucinations.

• Nagini returned from Leeds and described how the Druids had settled into the magical community, attended Hogwarts, and lived under her management.
• Noah told Nagini that he and Hermione were together, and they joked about his roommates and their relationships.
• Nagini relayed William Moore's warning that wizards from Kamar-Taj had been buying dark magical materials and appeared corrupted by evil power.
• Strange and Everett left Witchey Raitis's manor after identifying a Bat Demon as the cause of his son's hallucinations and drowning.

After Strange and Everett defeated a bat demon, Ellie Comia asked the Baker Street investigators to find her missing friend, whose disappearance followed a wolf’s howl and nightmares. Strange and Everett set out to investigate, suspecting Comia was hiding something.

• Strange told Everett that exorcists were real and recalled how authorities had once angered them by dismissing their findings.
• Strange recounted how he used a Shattering Skull Spell to kill the bat demon and how he later helped heal Everett’s injured leg.
• Ellie Comia came to 221B Baker Street and asked Strange and Everett to investigate her missing friend, saying she had heard a wolf howl and suffered nightmares.
• Strange agreed to investigate and traveled with Everett, who suspected Comia was concealing details about what she had experienced.