Chapter Summaries

After Brainiac briefly went offline during an evolution, he returned as a new kind of life-form and proposed an expedition against Apokolips. The chapter left Lex preparing to study the Anti-Life Equation while Pride and Greed continued their bickering in a peaceful Gotham.

• Brainiac went offline for several seconds, and Lex told Clark that Brainiac was evolving rather than necessarily malfunctioning.
• Brainiac returned, announced that he had transcended electronic life, and proposed a counterattack against Apokolips after contact with Greed, whose internal codename was Schiller Rodriguez.
• Lex agreed to study the Anti-Life Equation in a high-level laboratory, provided he could ask Pride for permission to use the equation on his umbrella.
• Pride agreed to send the umbrella to Brainiac for research after Lex explained that he wanted to study it.
• Pride and Greed argued over the umbrella and their reputations as they shared a quiet afternoon in Gotham.

After the Multiverse war, Schiller and Strange discussed Earth’s leadership bid for the Interstellar Council and the candidates for its representative. Schiller explained why he would refuse the role, leaving Strange to ponder the difference between guiding people and directly commanding them.

• Schiller prepared a position paper for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s meeting on humanity’s place in the Interstellar Council.
• Strange visited Schiller to collect medical records and described sweeping through damaged galaxies to gather equipment and relics.
• Strange admitted he had not written his position paper, and Schiller explained that the meeting would help choose a leader for Earth.
• Strange suggested Nick as a candidate, while Schiller named other contenders, including the Director of the Divine Spear Bureau, Iron Man, Doctor Doom, Magneto, Professor X, and Jarvis.
• Strange asked whether he could vote for Schiller, but Schiller refused, explaining that he could guide people into choices but would not directly command them.

Strange debated Greed and the choice to lead, then tried to decide which candidate would best serve mages. After nominating himself, he was unanimously acclaimed as humanity’s political leader at the Interstellar Council, leaving him suspicious that Schiller and Nick had arranged the outcome.

• Schiller told Strange that people could refuse Greed’s offers, but Strange recognized that he had repeatedly chosen ambition and advantage himself.
• Schiller abstained from choosing a leader and told Strange to consider which candidate would bring mages the greatest benefits.
• At the meeting, Strange rejected Nick, Magneto, Doctor Doom, and Stark as candidates, then decided to recommend himself.
• Strange submitted a written proposal endorsing himself, and Nick presented it as a selfless sacrifice to lead humanity.
• The attendees applauded Strange’s appointment, and he noticed Schiller exchanging a knowing look with Nick.

Nick struggled to find someone willing to become Speaker of the Interstellar Council, so Schiller maneuvered Strange into volunteering by presenting the position as humanity’s political leadership. Strange realized he had been tricked and received notice to attend the election, then insisted Schiller accompany him to the Interstellar Council.

• Nick told Schiller that Professor X and Magneto had refused the Speaker position, and Schiller argued that the job carried heavy responsibilities but little real power.
• Schiller persuaded Nick to present the position as humanity’s political leadership, and Strange later realized Schiller’s arguments had led him to volunteer.
• After Strange submitted his opinion paper, the meeting ended with attendees treating him sympathetically, and an invitation arrived naming him a candidate in the Speaker election.
• Strange considered why humanity had to accept the position despite the Three Great Empires’ control of the Interstellar Council and the dangers awaiting a human Speaker.
• Strange confronted Schiller and demanded that he attend the election with him, and Schiller agreed.

Strange attended the Interstellar Council election as a candidate for Speaker, using his Sorcerer Supreme robes and imposing presence to command respect. The election began with representatives voting, and Strange easily advanced as the Three Great Empires had prepared the position for him.

• Strange chose his Sorcerer Supreme robes for the election and persuaded his restless Cloak to accompany him.
• Strange portal-arrived at the Council’s guest planet, then took a Shi'ar spacecraft to the Council planet after reception staff warned that teleporting directly would violate campaign tradition.
• Strange entered the spherical meeting hall, ignored his assigned floating seat, and meditated in midair while attendees watched and kept their grievances against humanity to themselves.
• A Skrull opened the election proceedings, and after a long speech the representatives began voting among more than a hundred candidates.
• Strange advanced past the representatives’ vote because he was famous across the universe and the Three Great Empires had arranged for him to become Speaker.

Strange’s speech about expanding magical education disrupted the Three Great Empires’ election plans and won him an overwhelming vote to become Speaker. He settled into his new office with Jarvis’s help, then began signing the confusing documents placed before him.

• Strange gave a speech proposing joint development of magic and science and wider magical education, prompting delegates to consider how magic could undermine the Three Great Empires’ control.
• Delegates reconsidered their arranged votes, and Strange won more votes than the other four candidates combined.
• Strange mistook the delegates’ anxiety over their votes for hostility from the Three Great Empires, while some civilizations sought ways to curry favor with him.
• Strange found his Speaker’s office well equipped and learned that Jarvis had come to serve as his electronic personal secretary.
• Jarvis explained that the documents were written in difficult language, and Strange signed one without reading it.

Strange appointed Schiller to advise him on forming a cabinet designed to frustrate the Three Great Empires, then met the Interstellar Council’s permanent office staff. He ended the chapter introducing himself as Sorcerer Supreme rather than Speaker.

• Jarvis explained that Strange had one week to appoint ministers and deputies for the Interstellar Council’s seven departments, then showed him candidates from across the universe.
• Strange questioned why Schiller had recommended a capable Featherfolk businessman for Security instead of Commerce, and Schiller explained that Strange’s power came from the Three Great Empires and he should not make their rule more effective.
• Strange accepted Schiller’s plan to assign candidates to departments that did not match their expertise, and Schiller requested an office beside Strange’s.
• Strange attended the evening meeting and discovered that the permanent office staff came from the Three Great Empires, including the Supreme Intelligence as his Executive Secretary.
• Strange introduced himself to the staff as Sorcerer Supreme Stephen Strange and asked them to use that title instead of Speaker.

Strange challenged the Interstellar Council’s ideals of racial equality and stability, arguing that the Three Great Empires’ dominance had weakened the universe and that civilizations needed competition to evolve. After the council shifted back to protocol, Strange questioned whether he could dismiss or replace his Kree Executive Secretary, then adjourned the meeting.

• The Supreme Intelligence’s Executive Secretary objected to Strange’s refusal to use formal titles, prompting Strange to reject equal treatment for robots and Demon Gods.
• Strange argued that interstellar peace depended on the Three Great Empires’ control and warned that their weakening could return the universe to ruthless competition.
• Strange invoked humanity’s Multiverse war and said the council’s civilizations were unprepared for another large-scale conflict because the Three Great Empires had kept them too secure.
• A young official from Sparta explained the council’s functional and permanent positions, introduced himself as the Administration Department Minister’s Executive Secretary, and identified Strange’s Kree Executive Secretary.
• Strange asked whether he could fire or replace his Executive Secretary, learned that permanent staff could not readily be dismissed or promoted quickly, and adjourned the meeting until the new ministers were chosen that night.

Strange refused to set aside humanity’s interests as Speaker, and the Supreme Intelligence failed to persuade him to adopt a new identity. After Strange claimed to have reviewed and sorted his predecessor’s paperwork, the Supreme Intelligence checked the documents and was astonished by his work.

• The Supreme Intelligence confronted Strange about setting aside racial prejudice, but Strange insisted he would use his position to benefit humanity.
• Strange rejected the idea that becoming Speaker required him to adapt to a new role, remaining firmly attached to his identity as humanity’s Sorcerer Supreme.
• The Supreme Intelligence recognized that Strange was difficult to manipulate and shifted the conversation to his predecessor’s documents.
• Strange said he had signed routine documents and placed the ones he objected to in another folder.
• The Supreme Intelligence reviewed Strange’s paperwork and wondered whether Strange was both mentally formidable and unusually talented at government affairs.

Strange reviewed and approved the Interstellar Council’s new department heads while Schiller persuaded the Supreme Intelligence to accept his appointments. The chapter ended with Strange signing the list, including a new Environmental Protection Department.

• Jarvis rapidly processed the Council’s accumulated documents for Strange, while the Supreme Intelligence struggled to understand how the work had been done so quickly.
• Schiller brought Strange the proposed department-head list, and the Supreme Intelligence insisted on reviewing it before Strange signed.
• Schiller defended Pellot’s appointment to the Security Department by arguing that restoring confidence in the Great Portal’s safety would help revive interstellar trade.
• Schiller argued that an Administration Department employee should lead Finance so Schiller could conceal the Council’s enormous deficit, and the Supreme Intelligence moved on without pressing him.
• The Supreme Intelligence questioned the addition of an Environmental Protection Department, but Strange signed the list and told Schiller to send out the notice.

Strange and Schiller discussed how to use an interstellar environmental review to pressure officials and establish grounds for punishing rule-breakers. Schiller rejected Strange’s plan to target the Kree Empire immediately and said the Supreme Intelligence would have no choice but to resign voluntarily.

• Strange received a plan to solicit opinions on interstellar environmental standards and asked Schiller what the review was meant to accomplish.
• Schiller explained that reviews and warnings could pressure officials to restrain themselves without requiring a full investigation.
• Strange understood that repeated publicity and selective enforcement could isolate offenders and make them easier to punish.
• Strange suggested removing the Supreme Intelligence so Schiller could become Secretary-General, but Schiller said it was too soon to target the Kree Empire.
• Schiller told Strange that the Supreme Intelligence had no other choice but to resign voluntarily.

Strange explained why he had assigned ministers to unfamiliar departments and ordered them to adopt human customs. He then urged them to cooperate on environmental protection and began teaching them about Eternity and the deeper laws of the universe.

• Strange told the ministers that their unfamiliar assignments were meant to break with the Three Great Empires’ methods and encourage cooperation.
• Strange ordered everyone to wear suits instead of Imperial uniforms, reminding them that the Kree and Skrull Empires had recently invaded the Nine Realms.
• Strange asked the ministers to work together on the Interstellar Council’s new environmental protection effort.
• The Minister of Resources asked Strange what different perspective he had gained, and Strange described his visit to the Temple of Eternity and the Cosmic Entities.
• The ministers began recording Strange’s explanation, and he continued his lecture about Eternity.

Strange warned the Interstellar Council that dark matter threatened the universe and used alarming readings to spur support for his environmental review. After asking for genuine opinions on the review, he learned from Schiller that his demand could force his subordinates to challenge the Three Great Empires, leaving him worried about the chaos to come.

• Strange told the Interstellar Council that resource consumption was driving dark matter toward a catastrophic outbreak and ordered them to prioritize reducing it.
• Strange secretly used Thomas Rogers’s dark matter abilities to trigger alarming readings, then promised he could prevent a full-scale outbreak for nearly a hundred years.
• Strange asked the ministers to gather genuine opinions on the environmental review, but they struggled to find a suitable way to do so.
• Strange rejected a proposal to gauge opinions through a Web post and ended the meeting after the ministers said they needed more time to devise an official method.
• Schiller explained that Strange’s demand for genuine opinions effectively challenged the Three Great Empires’ control, and Strange asked him to identify loyal subordinates before settling down to complete a psychological evaluation.

Strange realized Schiller might be pushing the Interstellar Council toward an aggressive plan that could put Earth and its neighbors in danger, so he tried to slow him down by bringing the Supreme Intelligence into the dispute. He left Schiller to explain the new initiatives, only for Schiller to begin by tracing them to Strange’s trip to the Temple of Eternity.

• Jarvis warned Strange that the junk documents from the Supreme Intelligence could leave Schiller free to drive events into an uncontrollable crisis.
• Strange feared Schiller was planning to provoke an interstellar war and make Strange take the blame, then summoned him to the office.
• Schiller reported that he had already assessed which political figures could be trusted, persuaded, or treated as opponents.
• The Supreme Intelligence demanded details about the new departments and work directives, and Strange used the meeting to direct him toward Schiller.
• Strange insulted the Supreme Intelligence’s robot nature, then handed the explanation of the environmental protection initiative to Schiller.
• Schiller began explaining that the matter originated with Strange’s visit to the Temple of Eternity.

Schiller used the Supreme Intelligence’s concern about staff anxiety to argue that the Interstellar Council should advance environmental protection rather than delay it. He left the Supreme Intelligence cornered by framing obstruction as a burden on hardworking employees and interstellar society.

• Strange and Schiller confronted the Supreme Intelligence over whether the dark matter outbreak justified delaying environmental protection work.
• Schiller warned that rejecting environmental protection could make the Supreme Intelligence responsible for future disasters and accused him of negligence over leaked information.
• The Supreme Intelligence carefully described council members as worried rather than panicked to avoid Schiller using their supposed panic against them.
• Schiller proposed hiring himself as the council’s psychologist, and the Supreme Intelligence hurriedly rejected the idea.
• Schiller argued that delaying a major undertaking would burden diligent employees with guilt, pressing the Supreme Intelligence to support environmental protection.

Schiller explained how the Supreme Intelligence could sabotage environmental work by turning it into empty slogans and entangling it in bureaucracy, then showed Strange how his supporters could counter that effort. Strange decided to meet the people who had sided with him, leaving him poised to build a political faction.

• The Supreme Intelligence agreed to arrange environmental work, and Strange and Schiller discussed how he might delay or undermine it.
• Schiller advised Strange that the Supreme Intelligence could dull public interest by repeating environmental slogans and make implementation cumbersome by involving many departments.
• Schiller explained that Strange’s public break with the Three Great Empires had already attracted supporters who could use the work to prove their loyalty and challenge the empires’ faction.
• Schiller said Strange could back his supporters, punish obstruction, and expose the dark matter outbreak if the Three Great Empires sabotaged environmental work.
• Strange recognized the political lessons and asked Schiller to notify the people who had sided with him so he could meet them.

Strange reshaped the Interstellar Council’s work around environmental protection and reorganized its departments, prompting disputes over authority and publicity spending. The meeting ended with officials arguing over whether to buy advertisements from New Ring Video.

• After Strange banned Imperial attire, Council employees wore tailored human suits to the regular meeting, and Strange rearranged the seating according to departmental responsibilities.
• General Skrull questioned why the Armament Department had been moved to the back, and Strange said the Security Department was better suited to community-level environmental work.
• The head of the Propaganda Department defended buying Interstellar News Network headlines, while the Finance Department warned that the spending could create a deficit.
• Strange accepted the publicity campaign’s strong engagement results but cautioned against wasting resources.
• The officials debated advertising environmental protection on New Ring Video, with one side praising its reach and the other objecting to creators’ high fees.

Strange and Schiller used the Interstellar Council’s publicity spending to put pressure on its finances while Schiller prepared a scheme to address the Council’s mounting deficit. The Supreme Intelligence explained how centuries of emergency loans had created the debt, and Schiller promised results by that night.

• Strange approved a larger propaganda budget, and the Finance Department Minister warned that the Council could not afford the spending.
• Schiller learned that the Interstellar News Network charged six million Universal Credits for a rotating banner and told the Finance Department Minister to approve all future publicity requests, including requests funded by the military budget.
• Strange agreed to protect Leta from any retaliation by the Armament Department, while Schiller gave the Finance Department Minister documents and instructed him to follow them.
• The Supreme Intelligence visited Schiller and described how thousands of emergency appropriations, interest, and late fees had accumulated into the Council’s trillion-credit deficit.

Schiller and Strange exploited the Interstellar Council’s accounting mess to make the Supreme Intelligence’s faction appear responsible for a massive propaganda shortfall. After the Finance Minister transferred twenty trillion to the Propaganda Department, Strange and Schiller set out to arrest someone, leaving the Supreme Intelligence unable to cover the deficit.

• The Supreme Intelligence explained why the Three Great Empires had accumulated Interstellar Council debts and needed to keep the Council operating despite their losses against the Nine Realms.
• The Supreme Intelligence learned that the Finance Minister had approved twenty trillion for environmental protection propaganda and rushed to investigate.
• Schiller defended the transfer by claiming the funding covered a ten-thousand-year publicity plan, while the Finance Minister admitted he had miscalculated and transferred the money.
• The Supreme Intelligence realized the Council’s accounts showed a twenty-trillion deficit, while Schiller said the Supreme Intelligence could not produce enough money to fix it.
• Strange and Schiller decided to arrest someone and use the missing funds to pressure the Supreme Intelligence to protect his subordinate.

Strange confronted the Minister of the Propaganda Department over the department’s budget, while Supreme Intelligence tried to contain the political fallout. The minister’s attempt to blame Supreme Intelligence failed, and Strange demanded that he account for the missing funds.

• Strange trapped the Minister of the Propaganda Department in a golden cage and lifted Supreme Intelligence into the air before letting him down.
• The minister argued that Strange had approved the spending, then discovered the budget record had changed from tens of millions to two trillion.
• Supreme Intelligence watched the Propaganda Department’s system but failed to stop an unseen culprit from altering its data.
• The minister accused Supreme Intelligence of arranging the scheme, claiming he had been told to pressure the Minister of Finance and create a funding crisis.
• Schiller dismissed the minister’s accusation as an attempt to frame Supreme Intelligence, and Strange demanded that the minister reveal where the funds went.