Chapter Summaries

Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and their allies stopped Project Insight and exposed Hydra, forcing Alexander Pierce to abandon the plan and flee. As Hydra splintered into rival factions, Allen headed into space to join the struggle for the Power Stone.

• Coulson explained S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trade with Allen for souls, and Steve challenged the risks of collecting them.
• Skye opened the way to the bridge, where Steve and Tony defeated the Hydra crew and Quake exposed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets online.
• Pierce admitted his Hydra identity, killed the International Security Council representatives, and ordered his people to flee and destroy evidence.
• Maria Hill tracked Hydra forces, and the Avengers rescued Barton and his family before splitting up to pursue Pierce, Sitwell, and Brock.
• Daniel Whitehall broke away from Pierce to pursue his own faction and investigate people with superpowers.
• Allen left for the cosmos to enter the fight over the Power Stone.

Allen disguised himself as an alien mercenary on Xandar and joined a highly paid prison break, killing a bounty hunter who challenged his fee. He and more than a hundred other mercenaries departed for an unknown prison, with the rescue target’s identity still secret.

• Allen considered becoming a bounty hunter on Xandar so he could find Rocket and Groot and later pursue Star-Lord and the Power Stone.
• A fish-headed alien recruited Allen for a prison break, and Allen agreed to join for four hundred thousand after crushing a bounty hunter who objected to his pay.
• The fish-headed alien explained that the crew would enter the prison disguised as a supply delivery and had to secure it before its self-destruct system activated.
• The fish-headed alien paid Allen a deposit and kept the rescue target’s identity confidential.
• Allen and the other mercenaries boarded a transport ship and set off for the unknown prison.

Allen led the assault on Tusael Prison, suppressing the mercenaries who tried to flee and earning the fish-headed employer’s promise of extra payment. While Allen attacked the command tower and the Kree searched for Alesha, Rocket and Groot tried to escape and were attacked by prison aircraft until a spinning sword destroyed them.

• Allen killed the mercenaries who tried to force the pilot to turn back, then secured a promise of an additional two hundred thousand from the fish-headed alien.
• The transport ship entered Tusael Prison, where the bounty hunters and mercenaries killed the guards and prisoners in the unloading area.
• Allen smashed through the protective door and disabled the warning system before the fish-headed alien assigned the Kree to rescue Alesha from Area No. 42 and led the others toward the command tower.
• Rocket made a bomb and blasted open his cell wall, but prison aircraft attacked him and Groot in the corridor.
• Groot shielded Rocket from the aircraft’s fire until a black-glowing giant sword flew in and destroyed the attackers.

Allen, Rocket, and Groot fought their way through Tusael Prison toward its control tower, where they confronted warden Morak and his guards. Allen defeated Morak’s hammer-wielding bodyguard, while the battle with the remaining guards was still underway.

• Allen rescued Rocket and Groot, then persuaded Rocket to join him by promising a chance to seize Morak’s wealth.
• Rocket accepted an energy cannon from Allen and used it to obliterate prison guards and clear their path.
• When Morak ordered the floating turrets to attack, Groot grew vines up the control tower’s shaft and carried Allen and Rocket to the top.
• Rocket destroyed the energy source protecting the control tower, and Allen and his companions came face-to-face with Morak and four bodyguards.
• Allen charged a bodyguard wielding a massive technological hammer, caught his strike, took the weapon, and crushed him with its energy impact.

Allen and Rocket defeated Warden Morak’s bodyguards, seized Morak’s cryptocurrency, and negotiated how to divide his eighty million in assets. The chapter ended with the bounty hunters and mercenaries cheering over their share as Allen promised Rocket and Groot more opportunities to earn money.

• Allen killed Morak’s four bodyguards, with Rocket shooting the armed man and Allen cutting down the acid-spitting woman.
• Rocket confronted Morak at gunpoint, and Allen pressured the warden to reveal the passwords to his cryptocurrency wallets.
• Rocket unlocked the wallets and discovered that Morak had eighty million in assets.
• Allen allocated forty million to himself, thirty million to Rocket and Groot, and ten million to the bounty hunters and mercenaries.
• Rocket reluctantly distributed the funds, and the bounty hunters and mercenaries cheered over their share.

After escaping the prison, Allen returned to Xandar with Rocket and Groot and gave Rocket forty million to buy and customize a spacecraft. The trio visited Xandar’s black market, where they reached a modified-ship shop run by a Shi'ar.

• Allen and the surviving Bounty Hunters left the prison amid the riot, and the fish-headed alien paid them their promised rewards before departing with the rescued woman.
• At Xandar's spaceport, Allen gave Rocket forty million so he could choose a spacecraft instead of considering stealing one.
• Rocket told Allen that the black market offered powerful ship weapons and parts, and Allen let him handle the ship and its modifications.
• Allen, Rocket, and Groot entered the underground black market and surveyed its weapons, entertainment venues, and gambling spots.
• The trio arrived at a shop specializing in heavily modified spacecraft and discovered its owner was a Shi'ar.

Rocket and Groot bought ship components and antimatter materials on Xandar’s black market, while Allen went to a bar and joined a gambling game. The chapter left Rocket and Groot preparing to rebuild their ship and Allen watching the lizard race.

• A Shi'ar merchant welcomed Allen, Rocket, and Groot to her shop and admitted black-market sellers knew they had plenty of money.
• Rocket chose components from several ships, and Allen proposed that he also assemble the leftover parts in exchange for a discount.
• Rocket paid 54 million for the ship components and bought antimatter materials, then went with Groot to the spaceport to begin the modifications.
• Allen went alone to a bar, frightened a woman who grabbed him from behind with his killing intent, and then accepted an invitation to gamble.
• Allen bought 100,000 chips and watched lizards race from a predator while the bar’s patrons cheered and bet.

Black-market merchants investigated Allen, Groot, and Rocket, and one of them issued a huge anonymous bounty for Star-Lord and the Orb, drawing the attention of Thanos and other cosmic powers to Xandar. As the major players gathered, Allen left the black market to rejoin Rocket and Groot aboard their heavily armed ship.

• A black-market merchant learned that Allen had no obvious interests or weaknesses, then suspected he was connected to the Orb and ordered an anonymous bounty on Star-Lord and the Orb.
• The merchant offered five hundred thousand for Star-Lord’s whereabouts, ten million for his capture, and four billion for the Orb.
• Thanos learned that the Collector had funded a commission related to Star-Lord, then sent Nebula to Xandar to investigate the bounty’s issuer and watch Ronan.
• Thor arrived at Xandar on Odin’s orders, and a fleet under Sakura appeared nearby, prompting Xandar to place the Nova Corps on alert.
• Allen left the black market on the tenth day and met Rocket and Groot at the spaceport, where he saw Rocket’s heavily armed spacecraft.

Allen outfitted Rocket's ship and set off for Knowhere to pursue Star-Lord and the Orb while hiding his real intentions. Nebula began hunting for the bounty's source, while Star-Lord fled Yondu just as Ronan attacked the Ravagers near Knowhere.

• Allen discovered Rocket had spent nearly all their money on weapons and ordered food and water for the ship.
• Allen showed Rocket the four-billion bounty for the Orb and the ten-million bounty for Star-Lord, then bought information and directed the crew to Knowhere.
• After Allen left Xandar, Nebula questioned black-market merchants and learned that a bounty hunter called Blade had recently departed; she mistakenly suspected Allen had posted the bounty.
• Pluto Hisoka secretly watched Nebula while holding a statue emanating Dark Magic.
• Star-Lord saw the bounty on his terminal and fled Yondu in his own ship.
• Ronan attacked Yondu and the Ravagers, and the two sides began fighting near Knowhere.

Allen and Rocket used their heavily armed ship to drive Ronan’s forces away, then learned Star-Lord had fled with the Orb clue and set out to pursue him. After Nebula attacked them, Rocket destroyed her ship’s weapons and captured her escape pod.

• Rocket and Allen arrived during the Kree attack on Yondu’s Ravagers, and Rocket’s main cannon crippled the Dark Aster.
• Rocket wiped out the Kree fighter jets with antimatter bombs, forcing Ronan to flee with Gamora.
• Allen contacted Yondu and learned that Star-Lord had left in his own ship, apparently taking the Orb clue with him.
• Nebula appeared and attacked Allen’s ship while Yondu jumped away to pursue Star-Lord.
• Rocket disabled Nebula’s ship and captured her escape pod after she tried to escape.

Allen and Rocket captured Nebula, then continued pursuing Star-Lord and the Orb despite learning that Thanos might be interested. Meanwhile, Sakura was crowned Queen, formed an alliance with the Skrulls against the Kree, and made finding the Orb her highest priority.

• Rocket threatened Nebula until she surrendered, and she revealed that she was Thanos's daughter and had been investigating the bounty on Star-Lord and the Orb.
• Allen denied placing the bounty, rejected Nebula's offer to speak for Thanos, and jettisoned her escape pod into space.
• Allen convinced Rocket to pursue the four-billion bounty, and they followed the traces left by Yondu's Space Leap while Nebula sent a distress signal.
• Sakura was crowned Queen and agreed to form an alliance with the Skrulls to destroy the Kree Empire, while the Shi'ar envoy remained neutral.
• A legion leader informed Sakura that Star-Lord's location had been found, and she ordered her forces to monitor him and alert her when he found the Orb.

Allen and Rocket continued hunting Star-Lord while earning money from the bounty hunters they defeated. When Captain Marvel Carol Danvers confronted them over the destruction on Kamui Planet, Allen beat her brutally and left her defeated.

• Allen and Rocket discussed the profits from selling captured ships and weapons while continuing their search for Star-Lord.
• Carol Danvers entered the bar, identified Allen and Rocket, and questioned them about what happened on Kamui Planet.
• Allen attacked Carol before she could finish demanding their surrender, and he shrugged off her energy blasts.
• Rocket fired on Carol while Allen struck her with his hammer, then Allen overpowered her in close combat.
• After Carol exhausted her strength, Allen warned her not to challenge him again.

After Allen’s victory over Captain Marvel made him a target of interest across the universe, Carol struggled with her defeat while Ronan prepared to recruit Allen. Star-Lord retrieved the Orb on Morag, but Yondu and the Ravagers ambushed him and demanded it.

• Carol Danvers learned that major powers could find no useful information about Allen and was warned to recover from her defeat before renewed wars engulfed the planets she protected.
• Ronan told Gamora that the Kree intended to pay Allen and his partner to serve the Empire, while Gamora hoped Allen would prevent Ronan or Thanos from obtaining the Orb.
• Star-Lord flew to Morag, located the temple, and used a device to release the sphere containing the Power Stone from its energy field.
• Star-Lord returned to find Yondu and a group of Ravagers waiting beside his missing ship, and they demanded that he hand over the Orb.

Yondu took the Orb from Star-Lord, but Thor, Ronan, and Sakura’s Imperial Guard soon clashed over it, drawing multiple factions into battle. Ronan seized the Power Stone and unleashed its devastating energy across the planet.

• Yondu’s Ravagers captured Star-Lord and took the Orb, while Yondu promised the red-skinned woman a share of the bounty.
• Thor arrived and demanded the Orb, then Ronan the Accuser landed with Gamora and offered Yondu money for it.
• Sakura’s Imperial Guard arrived, and Yondu handed them the Orb in exchange for Sakura’s promised payment.
• Thor attacked the Imperial Guard, triggering a battle between the factions that spread from the planet into space as other forces joined in.
• Odin learned from Heimdall that Thor had started the fight, while Thanos and Sakura watched from afar; Captain Marvel Carol Danvers then arrived and destroyed several warships.
• Ronan knocked Yondu down, took the Orb, and embedded the Power Stone in his hammer, unleashing a catastrophic energy blast that devastated the planet.

Ronan the Accuser seized the Power Stone, defeated Thor and Carol Danvers, and set out to attack Xandar. Allen, Rocket, Thor, and Carol then clashed over whether to pursue Ronan, while Yondu discovered that Peter had escaped again.

• Ronan used the Power Stone to defeat Thor and Carol Danvers, knocked Gamora aside, slaughtered Sakura's Imperial Guard, and headed for Xandar.
• Allen and Rocket arrived at Morag, where Groot rescued Thor from a crack in the ground and Thor explained that Ronan had taken the Power Stone.
• Rocket wanted to abandon the hunt, but Allen said Ronan's control of the Stone was limited and demonstrated that he could reseal it in its container.
• Carol Danvers arrived and proposed joining forces against Ronan, but Allen and Rocket rejected her offer, and Thor joined them aboard their ship.
• After Allen, Rocket, and Thor left, Yondu's Ravagers emerged from hiding and told him that Peter had escaped after a woman removed his shackles.

Gamora manipulated Star-Lord into turning back toward Xandar, while Allen, Rocket, and Thor arrived ahead of Ronan and waited as the Kree attack devastated the city. Thor fought Ronan with an accidental vomit attack and a clash of thunder against the Power Stone, then Allen stepped in to face Ronan’s offer of employment.

• Gamora provoked Star-Lord into changing course for Xandar to stop Ronan and reclaim the Orb.
• Allen, Rocket, and Thor reached Xandar, where Thor asked to eat before the battle and the group stopped at a restaurant.
• Ronan’s Dark Aster attacked Xandar, broke through the Nova Corps blockade, and crashed into the city center.
• Thor ambushed Ronan, vomited over him after taking a punch, and gained an advantage while Ronan was distracted by the stench.
• Ronan and Thor clashed with the Power Stone and Thor’s thunder, creating a devastating energy blast that sent Thor flying.
• Allen caught Thor, took his place, and approached Ronan, who offered him and his companions money to join the Kree Empire.

Allen defeated Ronan and challenged Thanos's population-control plan as Odin and Thanos arrived on Xandar, followed by Sakura and the ancient god Sithorn. The gathering around the Power Stone ended with Sithorn proposing a game to decide who would claim it.

• Allen destroyed Ronan's weapon, endured the Power Stone's blast, and beat Ronan unconscious before killing him with an uppercut.
• Thanos and Odin arrived on Xandar and confronted each other over the Power Stone.
• Thanos explained that he intended to permanently halve every civilization's population, and Allen questioned his reasoning and mocked his claim of fairness.
• Sakura appeared amid falling snow, raising the tension between herself, Odin, and Thanos as they faced off over the Power Stone.
• Sithorn emerged from black mist, suggested a game to determine who would get the Power Stone, and addressed Allen as if they were old acquaintances.

Sakura and Odin fought Thanos for the Power Stone while Allen kept Sithorn from intervening. Sithorn escaped after Allen revealed he wielded three Infinity Stones, leaving Allen to reflect on how dimensional demon gods had lost their desire to fight.

• Sithorn recognized Allen, warned him about the Dark Egg and Dark Magic contracts, then proposed a game to decide the Power Stone’s ownership.
• Sakura froze the possessed alien and the city, but Sithorn escaped her magic with the Power Stone and placed it in Thanos’s hand.
• Odin attacked Thanos as their forces clashed across Xandar, and Sakura froze the Black Order and other nearby fighters with the Casket of Ancient Winters.
• Sakura joined Odin against Thanos and confirmed that Allen would honor their agreement if they secured the Power Stone.
• Allen stopped Sithorn from empowering Thanos, revealed his three Infinity Stones, and disrupted Sithorn’s connection to his true body.
• Sithorn vanished, and Allen wondered whether immortality had drained dimensional demon gods of their will to fight.

Allen took over the fight against Thanos and defeated him after a destructive battle that devastated Xandar. He claimed the Power Stone and teleported Thanos and the Black Order away, promising they would meet again when Thanos had all six Infinity Stones.

• Thanos grew exhausted fighting Sakura and Odin, and Thor was knocked aside when he tried to help.
• Allen stepped in to face Thanos, matching the Power Stone's force with his own strength and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
• Allen and Thanos's battle devastated Xandar, while Carol Danvers, Star-Lord, and Gamora watched from space.
• Allen broke through Thanos's energy barrier, overwhelmed him with a barrage of blows, and took the Power Stone.
• Allen told Thanos he would spare him and teleported him and the barely surviving Black Order away with the Space Stone.

Allen spared Thanos to preserve the timeline, then negotiated with Odin and Sakura amid Xandar’s destruction. After promising to protect Asgard, Allen restored Xandar, while Sakura borrowed the Power Stone and hired him to help with her plans against the Kree.

• Allen explained that he had let Thanos escape to avoid disrupting the timeline and offered Odin the Power Stone for four billion.
• Sakura recognized Allen, tested him with her weapon, and confronted him about coming to the universe without telling her.
• Odin warned Allen about Sithorn and asked him to protect Asgard and prevent Ragnarok; Allen promised to safeguard Odin’s family and people.
• Odin thanked Allen for changing Frigga’s fate and returned to Asgard, while Allen and Sakura discussed their alliance with the realm.
• Sakura took the Power Stone and said she planned to destroy the Kree Empire; she hired Allen as a bounty hunter and agreed to pay him for the Orb.
• Allen used the Reality Stone to restore Xandar and revive its dead civilians.