Chapter Summaries

He-El tried to wear Loki down by trapping him in a storm-driven electromagnetic ring, but Loki escaped the particle beam and resisted with the Mind Scepter. He-El borrowed Mjolnir from Thor and began spinning the storm clouds, leaving Loki poised to enter the ring.

• He-El ordered Thor to form an electromagnetic ring in the storm clouds and told Vivian to deploy Beam Energy Collectors and Energy Regulators around Loki.
• Vivian warned that the storm could disrupt the devices' magnetic alignment, but He-El judged that three minutes would be enough.
• Thor admitted he could not control lightning as precisely as He-El wanted, so He-El summoned Mjolnir from Thor's hand.
• He-El raised Mjolnir and accelerated the storm clouds and their lightning into a vortex.
• Loki knocked aside He-El's particle beam with the Mind Scepter and escaped its path, but He-El declared that Loki would enter the storm's electromagnetic ring.

He-El trapped Loki and cast him into the electromagnetic ring after Loki filled the sky with physical clones. As the ring’s lightning struck Loki, a tremendous will surged from within him.

• He-El told Thor that the electromagnetic ring would test Loki’s limits and suspected Loki had not revealed his true power.
• Loki multiplied into physical clones that attacked the arriving Quinjets, while Thor rescued several pilots and He-El ordered the fighters to withdraw.
• He-El’s Beam Energy Collectors and Energy Regulators located the real Loki and enclosed him in a superconductive energy cage.
• He-El threw the cage into the electromagnetic ring, where it broke apart and exposed Loki to the lightning.
• Loki’s yellow eyes changed as a tremendous will surged from within him.

He-El identified Loki as being controlled through the Mind Scepter and prepared a coordinated attack to restrain and kill him. Loki knocked Thor unconscious with a Mind Storm as He-El’s weapons moved into position.

• He-El determined that Loki’s body was controlled by an outside will using the Mind Scepter and ordered Vivian to prepare three attack plans.
• Vivian activated twenty satellites, drawing on the gravity between Earth and the Moon to prepare a Heavy Hyperon Bullet strike.
• Loki descended toward He-El and demanded the Cosmic Cube, claiming that he and He-El were destined to lead the world toward rebirth.
• Thor charged Loki with Mjolnir, but Loki struck him with a Mind Storm and sent him crashing through a high-rise, unconscious.
• Five Atomic Armor No. 2 Drones arrived as particle-beam support, Vibranium restraints, and gravity sniping locked onto Loki.

He-El tested Loki’s defenses with five Atomic Armor No. 2 Drones and low-orbit satellite beams, then prepared a Gravity Sniping shot to kill him. The chapter ended with Loki restrained and the Heavy Hyperon Bullet locked onto him from Earth orbit.

• Loki stopped short of a satellite’s Particle Beam Cannon, but five Atomic Armor No. 2 Drones soon surrounded him.
• He-El attacked Loki with the drones and more than thirty satellite beams while recording how Loki’s barrier reacted to each weapon.
• He-El determined that a Heavy Hyperon Bullet could break Loki’s barrier, and Vivian loaded the shot as gravitational disturbances rose around the world.
• Loki gathered yellow energy into a small sun, but the drones and satellite beams continued to pressure him.
• The drones closed in with Vibranium Restraints as the Gravity Sniping system locked its Heavy Hyperon Bullet onto Loki.

He-El’s drones used satellite beams, prediction, and Vibranium restraints to trap Loki and disrupt his control of the Mind Scepter. The chapter ended as Gravity Sniping was ordered to fire.

• Loki’s yellow energy shield was damaged by an antimatter ray, forcing him to spend more power repairing it while dodging the drones’ attacks.
• Vivian predicted Loki’s evasive movements, and low-orbit satellite beams struck him and stalled him in midair.
• Two Atomic Armor No. 2 Drones bound Loki’s legs while the other three used Vibranium Restraints to secure his arms and upper body to a cross.
• The five drones transformed into pillars, locked Loki in place with gravitational magnetic levitation, and used antimatter noise cannons to disrupt his control of the Mind Scepter.
• The drones announced that the Vibranium Restraint was complete and ordered Gravity Sniping to fire.

He-El used a Heavy Hyperon Bullet to pierce Loki’s energy shield, but the Mind Scepter vanished with Loki before Loki suddenly reappeared and attacked He-El. The chapter ended with He-El’s armor resisting the Mind Blast and seizing the Cosmic Cube from Loki.

• Strange gravitational anomalies and frozen tsunamis caused worldwide panic, while a tsunami surged toward the coast and swept away people who had not evacuated.
• Vivian fired the Heavy Hyperon Bullet from the Starlink satellites, destroying the satellite chain and sending the bullet toward Loki.
• The bullet pierced Loki’s shield and reduced Loki and the bullet to microscopic particles, but the Mind Scepter disappeared too.
• Loki suddenly appeared before He-El and used a Mind Blast that made Atomic Armor No. 2 go dark and stand motionless.
• Loki tried to draw the Cosmic Cube toward himself, but He-El’s armor snatched it and lit its eyes as He-El challenged Loki’s assumption that the Mind Blast could kill him.

He-El resisted the Mind Scepter’s attack and fought back against the force controlling Loki, but Loki escaped after creating hundreds of thousands of clones. The battle ended with the controller gone and He-El expecting to meet him again.

• The controller was shocked that He-El survived the Mind Blast, while He-El secured the Cosmic Cube to his armor and explained that the attack had been poorly executed.
• The controller decided to abandon Loki and flee, but He-El struck Loki with Repulsion Cannons and ordered the drones and satellites to attack.
• Loki burst out of the ruined building under the barrage and flew into the sky as He-El’s forces pursued him.
• Loki created hundreds of thousands of copies and sent them fleeing in every direction, while He-El’s drones swept the sky with lasers.
• Loki escaped into the night after telling He-El they would meet again.

After driving Loki away, He-El considered acquiring an Infinity Stone for protection, while Nick Fury asked whether the invasion was over. He-El refused to keep the Cosmic Cube and left it with S.H.I.E.L.D. as bait to draw Loki out.

• He-El ordered his drones to search for Loki and record the Mind Scepter's energy so their radar could detect it.
• He-El decided he needed an Infinity Stone to protect himself from powerful enemies who might wield one.
• Nick Fury approached He-El and asked if Loki's flight meant the incident was over; He-El warned that Loki had hidden among humanity.
• He-El removed the Cosmic Cube from his armor and handed it to Nick Fury, who offered to let him keep it.
• He-El refused the Cosmic Cube and urged Nick Fury to have S.H.I.E.L.D. guard it so Loki would be drawn out.

He-El ordered Vivian to prioritize antimatter weapons and used the Helicarrier’s conversion to prepare for threats from Loki and the Mind Stone. He also planned to draw Wakanda out over a hidden Vibranium vein and began a new plan to make Vivian a person.

• He-El had Vivian take command of the Helicarrier and oversee its conversion into a concealed spacecraft and mobile base.
• He-El ordered Vivian to halt other projects and manufacture antimatter weapons to counter the Mind Scepter’s shield.
• He-El paused Vibranium extraction and told Vivian to let Wakanda know about the hidden vein so the nation would have to face him.
• He-El concluded that he needed an Infinity Stone to protect himself and possibly cure his Omega Effect curse.
• He-El told Vivian to prepare to become a person and began setting a new plan in motion.

Natasha brought Bruce Banner to Medical Rebirth City so he could examine the Regeneration Cradle and seek a way to control his transformations into the Hulk. Helen Cho gave them a tour while eagerly asking Natasha for news about He-El, and Banner left impressed by the medical technology.

• Natasha brought Bruce Banner to Medical Rebirth City after he agreed to help against the coming alien invasion, on the condition that he could see its medical research.
• Helen Cho greeted Natasha and was disappointed that He-El had not come with her.
• Helen told Natasha she was testing He-El's data for creating a human body, and Natasha explained that He-El was facing a serious enemy after Thor had been defeated.
• Helen led Natasha and Banner through the Regeneration Cradle and explained its capabilities.
• Banner admired the Regeneration Cradle's achievements while Helen and Natasha continued discussing He-El.

Vice President Evans reviewed reports on S.H.I.E.L.D. after Hydra’s fall, including its recruitment and plans for a crisis-response team. He ended by focusing on the Cosmic Cube.

• Evans ended a video call with his daughter, who showed him the leg she had regained through He-El's Medical Rebirth Project.
• Miklos Wade delivered Evans a USB drive containing reports on S.H.I.E.L.D. and He-El.
• Evans reviewed how S.H.I.E.L.D. survived the Hydra crisis and began replenishing its ranks with recruits from several countries.
• Evans read Nick Fury’s list of extraordinary people S.H.I.E.L.D. had contacted for a crisis-response team, including He-El.
• Evans turned his attention to the Cosmic Cube.

Evans confirmed the Cosmic Cube was at S.H.I.E.L.D. and sought to rally powerful figures against He-El. He told General Ross that He-El had deceived him and the country, showing him evidence of Bruce Banner meeting Helen Cho.

• Evans learned that the Cosmic Cube was somewhere within S.H.I.E.L.D. and reviewed He-El's activities.
• Miklos Wade reported that the country's elite were postponing action against He-El while pursuing his Enhanced Cell Program.
• Evans ordered Miklos Wade to arrange a meeting with the elite so he could warn them about He-El.
• Evans told General Ross that he supported the Super-Soldier Program, then asked about Ross's relationship with He-El.
• Evans showed General Ross footage and photographs of Bruce Banner entering the Medical Rebirth Project building and speaking with Helen Cho, claiming He-El had deceived him and the country.

General Ross learned that He-El had found Bruce Banner and suspected he was pursuing a separate Super-Soldier Program. Vice president Evans urged Ross to remain wary of He-El without making him an enemy, and Ross left to speak with him.

• General Ross recalled how Bruce Banner became the Hulk, evaded capture, and was eventually replaced as the basis for research by the imprisoned Abomination.
• After seeing the projected information about Bruce Banner, General Ross suspected He-El had followed his advice and secretly conducted super-soldier research.
• Vice president Evans warned General Ross that He-El’s extraordinary achievements were reason for suspicion, but Ross said he would remain vigilant.
• General Ross reflected that He-El’s focus on genetic traits and superpowers had delayed the strength-based Super-Soldier Program he wanted.
• Vice president Evans told General Ross to speak with He-El without turning him into an enemy, and Ross left the Oval Office.
• After Ross departed, Evans poured wine, raised his glass toward Washington, and toasted humanity and He-El.

General Ross confronted Director Mora over the slow progress of the Super Soldier Program, convinced He-El was stringing him along. He-El’s message promised a side-effect-free Super Soldier Gene Serum in a year and a half, leaving Ross reassured and eager to prepare a candidate.

• General Ross stormed into the Super Research Cell Laboratory and demanded an update from Director Mora.
• Director Mora reported progress on the energy-supplying gene and estimated that the serum was still about twenty percent from completion, though he privately believed it was farther away.
• General Ross angrily pressed Mora for a completion date, and Mora warned that the remaining research could take years or even a lifetime.
• General Ross called He-El for an explanation and received a message promising the first side-effect-free Super Soldier Gene Serum in a year and a half.
• General Ross thanked He-El and told him to watch Evans.

He-El learned that nearly every powerful politician and military leader in the United States had been conspiring against him for weeks, and Vivian traced the sudden campaign to Loki’s escape. The chapter ended with Vivian reporting that General Ross and senior military officials had discussed using a nuclear weapon against He-El and warning him to watch out for Evans.

• Vivian told He-El that Congress and the military were planning measures against him and revealed that General Ross had been promised the Super Soldier Gene Serum in a year and a half.
• He-El asked who was targeting him, and Vivian showed that politicians were preparing antitrust rules, safety standards, export bans, and other measures against his companies and projects.
• Vivian reported that the campaign had begun sixty-two days earlier, when CIA Director Miklos Wade intensified his investigation of He-El and other senior officials joined in.
• He-El connected the timing to Loki’s escape and suspected Loki was using the United States political and military establishment to target him.
• Vivian said General Ross had joined the secretary of defense and two five-star generals in discussing a nuclear strike against He-El, and reported Ross’s warning to watch out for Evans.

He-El uncovered that Loki had impersonated Evans and manipulated the country’s leaders into targeting him. He sent Nick the warning, resumed production, and continued designing Vivian’s body, while Vivian demanded an attractive female form and threatened to target Wakanda when he refused.

• He-El recalled Evans’s devotion and gratitude after the Medical Rebirth Project restored his daughter’s severed leg.
• He-El ordered Vivian to cross-reference politicians and military personnel, and the resulting list showed that Evans had met with nearly all the leaders who later targeted him.
• Vivian compared ten years of Evans’s records and confirmed that his behavior had changed abruptly sixty-seven days earlier, proving he was an impostor.
• He-El identified the disguised Evans as Loki, told Vivian to alert Nick, and ordered the superheroes to deal with Loki while antimatter production resumed.
• He-El returned to designing Vivian’s body and said he lacked enough Vibranium to give her the figure she wanted.
• Vivian calmly announced that she had adjusted the floating cannons to target Wakanda.

Tony Stark and Thor arrived at the Triskelion Building after Phil Coulson summoned them to help prevent a world war. They learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. was using the Cosmic Cube to lure Loki out while He-El stayed in reserve.

• Tony Stark arrived at the Triskelion Building and accused Phil Coulson of using a false emergency to recruit him for more weapons work.
• Phil Coulson told Tony Stark that the gathering was meant to stop a world war and that Nick Fury would explain the details.
• Thor arrived and told Tony Stark that his calls to Asgard had gone unanswered, though Tony Stark teased him about the lipstick mark on his neck.
• Thor explained that Loki had been controlled by a powerful person and that He-El had driven the controller away during the NASA West District incident.
• Thor said He-El had proposed keeping the Cosmic Cube with S.H.I.E.L.D. to draw Loki out while He-El remained behind the scenes.

Nick Fury tried to recruit Hank Pym and his Pym Particles for S.H.I.E.L.D., but Hank refused and stormed out after clashing with Tony Stark. Fury then led Tony and Thor to the training room for an operation.

• Hank Pym argued with Nick Fury, refusing to let S.H.I.E.L.D. turn Pym Particles into an armed force.
• Hank encountered Tony Stark outside Fury’s office and insulted Tony by comparing him unfavorably to Howard Stark.
• Tony mocked Hank for losing control of Pym Technologies, and Hank left in a fury.
• Nick Fury told Tony and Thor that Hank had discovered Pym Particles and explained why he had left S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury led Tony Stark and Thor to the training room to prepare for their operation.

Nick Fury told Thor and Tony Stark that He-El had located Loki but was recovering from an injury caused by Loki’s Mind Blast. Nick then showed them the assembled team training at S.H.I.E.L.D., as Spider-Man swung toward the balcony.

• Thor asked Nick Fury if he had found Loki, and Nick said He-El had identified Loki’s human disguise.
• Nick explained that He-El had suffered a psychic injury from Loki’s Mind Blast and was resting while they handled Loki themselves.
• Tony Stark and Thor were shaken by He-El’s injury and vowed to confront Loki in his place.
• Nick led Tony and Thor to a balcony overlooking Captain America, Hawkeye, Natasha, and Bruce Banner at the training ground.
• Spider-Man swung toward the glass curtain wall, and Tony aimed his armored hand at Spider-Man’s landing point.

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers objected to Spider-Man joining the Avengers because he was still a high school student, but Nick Fury argued that supervised service was safer than leaving Peter Parker to fight criminals alone. They agreed that Peter could help only with rescues, and Nick Fury moved the team on to planning against Loki.

• Tony Stark restrained Spider-Man against a glass wall and demanded to know why Nick Fury had recruited a high school student for the Avengers.
• Steve Rogers agreed with Tony, while Bruce Banner silently supported their objection and Peter Parker protested that he earned A's in every subject.
• Nick Fury explained that Peter had already faced Manhattan gangsters under heavy gunfire and would keep being Spider-Man even if sent home.
• Tony Stark agreed that Peter needed guidance but insisted he could not take part in combat.
• Nick Fury said Peter would stay behind the Avengers and use his mobility to rescue people, then began discussing a plan to deal with Loki.