Chapter Summaries

He-El survived Destruction’s attack by emerging in Atomic Armor No. 1, while news coverage showed the battle to a panicked public. The armor’s systems passed their preliminary test, and its assistant recommended that He-El leave the battlefield.

• An NBC reporter broadcast that Destruction had defeated Iron Man and buried He-El beneath a collapsed annex.
• The news spread worldwide, and people feared for He-El while criticizing the police and government.
• Destruction fired another barrage into the dust, but a red-eyed armored figure dodged the blasts.
• He-El revealed Atomic Armor No. 1, whose systems reported normal operation and whose agility surpassed Iron Man’s armor.
• The armor’s assistant warned that it lacked external weapons and recommended that He-El leave the battlefield.

He-El piloted Atomic Armor No. 1 to fight the Destroyer, rescued a damaged Apache, and repeatedly warned the helicopters and police to leave. NBC’s crew ignored him and flew closer, and the Destroyer destroyed their helicopter before pursuing He-El into the sky.

• He-El used Atomic Armor No. 1’s gravitational magnetic levitation to evade the Destroyer’s beam and kicked its head into the concrete at supersonic speed.
• He-El caught a spiraling Apache helicopter, warned the aircraft and police to retreat, and told the special forces commander that human technology could not handle the Destroyer.
• The special forces commander ordered an attack and retreat, but the NBC live broadcast helicopter advanced toward He-El despite his warning.
• The Destroyer fired rapid energy spheres that struck and instantly destroyed the NBC helicopter, then burst through the missile explosions and lunged after He-El.

He-El carried an Apache helicopter out of Destroyer’s energy barrage, then led Destroyer high above New York to keep the fight away from civilians. After Vivian identified possible energy nodes, He-El prepared to bring Destroyer down and warned everyone near the Super Technology Building to evacuate.

• Destroyer’s attack struck the NBC helicopter, killing its host, while He-El dodged the barrage and protected the Apache helicopter.
• He-El told the soldiers to put on parachutes, removed the helicopter’s rotor, and threw the aircraft clear of Destroyer’s energy blasts so the soldiers could escape.
• He-El and Destroyer chased each other into the stratosphere, where Vivian reported 120 additional possible energy nodes and warned that He-El’s armor could not fly beyond 65,000 kilometers.
• He-El ordered Vivian to warn people near the Super Technology Building that Destroyer might fall and cause a nuclear-scale explosion.
• Police, military personnel, and civilians received repeated warnings to evacuate at least 2,000 meters from the Super Technology Building.

He-El used the Atomic Armor’s accumulated energy and Earth’s gravitational and geomagnetic pull to drive the Destroyer into the ground, causing massive destruction in New York. As Thor and Steel arrived, the Destroyer began to stir, and He-El ordered Vivian to attach external weapons.

• Police and military forces evacuated the area around the Super Technology Building as news stations left cameras to record the scene.
• He-El asked Vivian to confirm the area was clear, then used gravitational and geomagnetic traction to accelerate himself toward the Destroyer.
• He-El stomped on the Destroyer’s chest and drove it into the ground, creating a vast crater and sending shockwaves through New York.
• Thor and Steel arrived and watched He-El standing over the damaged Destroyer.
• Vivian warned that the Destroyer was not completely dead, and He-El ordered her to attach external weapons.

Thor arrived as He-El crushed Destroyer into a vast crater, then realized Mjolnir had recognized He-El. Tony Stark confronted He-El over the destruction, only to learn He-El held Stark Industries’ second-largest stake, while Thor warned them Destroyer could still move.

• Thor saw He-El stomp Destroyer from the sky and drive it into the ground, leaving a huge crater.
• Thor realized Mjolnir had recognized He-El and watched him warily.
• Tony Stark complained that He-El had nearly destroyed Stark Tower, and He-El calmly offered to pay for the damage.
• He-El revealed that he was Stark Industries’ second-largest shareholder and threatened to challenge Pepper Potts’s position as CEO.
• Tony Stark realized he had become He-El’s employee, while Thor warned them that Destroyer could still move.

He-El prepared a pair of high-frequency particle-vibration blades to cut through the recovering Destroyer after his earlier attacks failed to destroy it. Tony Stark and Thor watched as He-El readied his weapon for another strike.

• The Destroyer began recovering in the crater, and He-El floated back while Tony Stark fired particle beams that failed to damage it.
• Tony Stark asked Thor who he was, and Thor identified himself as Thor Odinson of Asgard and explained that Loki had sent the Destroyer after him.
• Tony Stark asked whether the Destroyer had a weakness, but Thor began to claim he could defeat it before He-El interrupted him.
• He-El summoned a three-meter white blade, split it into two weapons, and activated their high-frequency particle vibrations.
• Tony Stark realized He-El intended to cut the Destroyer, though he doubted the blades could pierce its Asgardian metal.

Thor explained that the Destroyer was made of nearly indestructible Uru Metal and believed only Mjolnir could defeat it, while Tony Stark agreed to cover Thor after He-El's blades failed. As the Destroyer rebuilt itself, Loki ordered it to self-destruct, and the sleeping Odin witnessed his command.

• Thor dismissed He-El's blades and explained that the Destroyer's Uru Metal armor was nearly indestructible and that Mjolnir could break it.
• Tony Stark asked Thor to wait for He-El's attack to fail, then cover him while he struck the Destroyer with Mjolnir, and Thor agreed.
• The Destroyer reassembled itself in the crater as He-El's High-Frequency Particle-Vibration Blade arrived.
• Loki saw Thor on Earth, blamed his father's favoritism and his own humiliation, and ordered the Destroyer to self-destruct.
• The sleeping Odin saw Loki's order.

He-El stopped the Destroyer from self-destructing with his Atomic Armor and twin High-Frequency Particle-Vibration Blades. He-El ultimately tore the Destroyer apart, leaving Thor and Loki stunned by his power.

• Odin watched over Asgard during Odin's Sleep and wondered why Mjolnir seemed to recognize He-El.
• The Destroyer began building energy to self-destruct, prompting Thor and Tony Stark to prepare to intervene.
• He-El slashed through the Destroyer's armor and severed an energy node, briefly halting its self-destruction.
• When the Destroyer rebuilt its energy node and resumed charging, He-El repeatedly struck its armor to keep its power from rising.
• He-El unleashed a flurry of blade strikes, broke apart the Destroyer's steel body, and came to a stop behind its collapsing remains.

Loki, Thor, and Tony Stark struggled to understand how He-El had defeated the Destroyer, while JARVIS explained that He-El had severed the tiny energy junctions holding it together. The chapter left Tony shaken by He-El’s detection technology, which he believed far surpassed anything humans could create.

• Loki lost control of the Destroyer’s image and reacted in disbelief when it vanished.
• Thor questioned how humans could have dismantled the Destroyer with swordsmanship and technology.
• Tony Stark asked JARVIS how He-El had defeated the Destroyer.
• JARVIS explained that He-El’s High-Frequency Particle-Vibration Blade severed the Destroyer’s energy junctions, preventing it from reshaping or gathering energy.
• Tony realized He-El must have used detection methods far beyond Earth’s technology and felt deeply unsettled by the gap between them.

He-El dismantled Odin’s Destroyer by severing its magical energy convergence points, astonishing Odin and leaving Thor and Tony Stark confused. Thor mistook a faint glow on a piece of Uru Metal for an attempt to reassemble the Destroyer and smashed it with Mjolnir, while Odin closed his eye, judging that his son still needed experience.

• He-El severed the Destroyer’s energy convergence points, preventing it from reassembling without damaging its Uru Metal components.
• Odin sensed He-El’s precise technique, opened his eye, and turned his attention toward Earth to question who He-El was.
• Tony Stark challenged Thor’s claim that human weapons could not harm the Destroyer, but Thor admitted he did not understand what had happened.
• Thor spotted a faint golden glow on a fragment of the Destroyer and struck it with Mjolnir, claiming he had destroyed its attempt to reassemble.
• He-El and Tony Stark stayed silent at Thor’s explanation, and Odin closed his eye, thinking his son needed more experience.

After He-El defeated the Destroyer, the president and senior officials celebrated his survival and assessed the damage to New York. The president grew alarmed that He-El had become indispensable to the United States and began treating him as a serious national risk.

• The president and senior officials watched footage of He-El defeating the Destroyer and rejoiced that he had survived.
• The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development described the costly damage to central New York, while officials weighed reconstruction and its benefits.
• The president noticed that the officials were focused on He-El and wondered whether the nation had become dependent on him.
• The president recognized that He-El could address major national problems that no one else could solve or finance.
• The president raised his assessment of He-El's danger, fearing that abandoning He-El's projects could plunge the United States into an economic crisis.

The president weighed He-El’s immense contributions to the United States against the danger of him becoming irreplaceable and gaining political power. Suspecting He-El might ultimately want the presidency, he contacted Alexander Pierce to ask whether he knew him.

• The president sent his Cabinet to handle He-El’s affairs while he remained alone in the Oval Office.
• He recognized that He-El’s investments and technology had addressed the country’s fiscal, healthcare, employment, and energy problems, making the United States dependent on him.
• The president realized that politicians and voters might support He-El if he ran for president, while opposing him could cost the country the benefits he provided.
• He concluded that He-El’s influence needed to be restrained, divided, and absorbed so that no single person could threaten the nation.
• The president called Alexander Pierce and asked, “Do you know He-El?”

Alexander Pierce learned that the president planned to investigate He-El and suspected he wanted to seize He-El’s interests. To protect the funding He-El provided to S.H.I.E.L.D., Pierce ordered Hydra to monitor the president and vowed to protect He-El.

• The president asked Pierce about He-El, and Pierce directed him to He-El’s Level Ten classified files.
• The president reviewed the files describing He-El’s battle with Loki and ordered Pierce to watch He-El closely.
• Pierce suspected the president intended to move against He-El and immediately ordered his subordinates to monitor the president’s plans.
• Pierce decided Hydra would protect He-El because He-El’s funding supported the Helicarriers and Project Insight.

After defeating the Destroyer, He-El worried that a powerful Asgardian had noticed him and asked Tony Stark to claim responsibility for building his Atomic Armor. Tony initially refused, but He-El offered him a complete Gravitational Magnetic Levitation System, leaving Tony furious and the deal unresolved.

• He-El sensed that the mysterious gaze watching him had vanished and resolved to build stronger armor before Asgard or other powers targeted him.
• He-El contacted Tony Stark and reminded him of the times he had saved or helped him, prompting Tony to realize He-El wanted a favor.
• He-El asked Tony to tell reporters, the military, and the government that Tony had made the Atomic Armor for He-El's safety.
• Tony Stark refused, questioning why He-El would hide his role in building the armor.
• He-El offered Tony a complete Gravitational Magnetic Levitation System in exchange for his cooperation, but Tony angrily claimed he could improve the technology himself.

He-El returned to the Super Technology Group factory after the battle with the Destroyer and ordered upgrades to the Atomic Armor and Sensor Suit. General Ross tried to recruit him to help develop super soldiers, sending him Hulk videos as proof of their power.

• Tony Stark told reporters that he had built He-El's armor to protect him, then insisted his own armor was more attractive.
• He-El returned to the factory district in the Atomic Armor, where robotic arms dismantled the suit.
• He-El ordered Vivian to send Tony Stark the Gravitational Magnetic Levitation System data and requested upgrades to the armor's stealth and cushioning systems.
• He-El moved the Sensor Suit up the production list and ordered a mind-control disruption function added to its design.
• General Ross urged He-El to join his team and research super soldiers, then sent him videos of the Hulk displaying his strength.

He-El ordered Vivian to establish a nanomaterials company so he could develop safer armor, then received calls from the president and Hydra leader Alexander Pierce. Pierce invited He-El to the Triskelion to share his knowledge of gods and other extraordinary events.

• He-El ordered Vivian to establish a company that would manufacture nanomaterials exclusively for his armor.
• The president called He-El to check on his safety and remind him of his importance to the country.
• He-El realized that his financial support for S.H.I.E.L.D. might have indirectly helped Hydra grow.
• Alexander Pierce contacted He-El, thanked him for helping Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., and invited him to visit the Triskelion.

Loki brought Laufey into Asgard, killed him in Odin’s bedchamber, and attacked Thor after Thor discovered his scheme. At the Rainbow Bridge, Loki redirected its planet-destroying power from Jotunheim toward Earth, seeking vengeance against the mortal who had humiliated him.

• Loki used the Rainbow Bridge to bring Laufey and several Frost Giants from Jotunheim to Asgard while Heimdall remained frozen.
• Heimdall broke free, summoned Thor from Earth, and warned him that Loki had let Laufey into Asgard and they were heading for Odin.
• Thor reached Odin’s bedchamber and found Laufey dead, while Loki tried to prove his worth to his mother and Odin.
• Loki attacked Thor with his scepter, then went to the Rainbow Bridge and prepared to destroy Jotunheim.
• Loki remembered the mortal who had humiliated him, redirected the Rainbow Bridge toward Earth, and fired its planet-destroying energy.

Ancient One investigated He-El after sensing that his arrival had altered the future, then discovered he was an outsider from another universe. As she headed toward New York, she diverted the Rainbow Bridge into a dimensional demon’s realm.

• Ancient One watched He-El battle Destroyer and sensed that something about him was unusual.
• Ancient One worried that He-El’s Medical Rebirth Project might prevent Stephen Strange from becoming her successor and began investigating the altered future.
• Ancient One used the Eye of Agamotto to observe the future and past, discovering that He-El was an outsider who had appeared in the desert and later fought Destroyer.
• Ancient One set out for New York, but when the Rainbow Bridge’s energy approached Earth, she opened a rift and redirected it into a dimensional demon’s realm.
• The dimensional demon roared at Ancient One and threatened that she would die a horrible death.

Thor confronted Loki after Loki aimed the Rainbow Bridge at Earth, but discovered its firing mode could not be stopped. He resolved to destroy the bridge himself and raised Mjolnir to strike it.

• Thor saw the Rainbow Bridge firing toward Earth and rushed to Himinbjorg to confront Loki.
• Loki said he had targeted Earth because he saw humanity as a future threat to Asgard, and he fought Thor.
• Thor defeated Loki, took his scepter, and tried to stop the Rainbow Bridge, but found Loki had locked it to fire for at least half an hour.
• Loki admitted he wanted He-El and Earth destroyed out of anger and humiliation, while Thor said he would not let their mistakes destroy Earth.
• Thor retrieved Mjolnir, leaped into the air, and brought it down toward the crystalline bridge surface as Loki shouted in alarm.

Thor shattered the Rainbow Bridge to stop its beam from reaching Earth, but the explosion sent him and Loki into the World Tree’s abyss before Odin rescued Thor. Ancient One arrived on the damaged bridge, and Odin confronted her over Asgard’s actions against Earth.

• Thor ignored Loki’s warnings and smashed the Rainbow Bridge, cutting off its energy supply and triggering a massive explosion.
• The blast damaged the Rainbow Bridge’s control mechanism and exposed the World Tree’s abyss, whose pull dragged Thor and Loki toward it.
• Odin caught Thor and Loki, but Loki broke free from Thor’s grip and fell into the abyss after realizing Odin had never intended him to become king of Asgard.
• Odin pulled Thor to safety as the abyss closed, and the two mourned Loki’s disappearance.
• Ancient One stepped through a portal and told Odin that Asgard had taken actions that could destroy Earth; Thor urgently asked whether Earth was safe.
• Odin summoned Gungnir and told Ancient One that she had crossed the line.