Chapter Summaries

He-El and the Avengers learned that the Reality Stone would possess Jane Foster during the convergence of the Nine Realms, before eventually reaching Thanos. They planned to intercept it, and He-El offered to move Jane to the Cross-Galaxy National Alliance’s astronomy department to keep her away from the danger.

• He-El was surprised to learn the Reality Stone would possess Jane Foster, while Bruce Banner and Tony Stark fixated on his secret robots.
• Stephen Strange explained that he had seen a parallel future in which Thanos defeated the Avengers and destroyed half of all life, but that the future could still change.
• Stephen Strange described the Aether’s history and foresaw Jane entering the space that sealed it during the Nine Realms’ convergence, followed by the Dark Elves’ attack and Thanos eventually obtaining the Stone.
• Tony Stark and the Avengers agreed they needed to intercept the Reality Stone, but Stephen Strange said they could reach its sealed location only when the convergence created a spatial distortion field in the United Kingdom.
• He-El volunteered to build a container for the Reality Stone and said he would use his authority to transfer Jane to the Alliance’s astronomy department.

He-El assigned the Avengers to locate the Mysterious Space in the United Kingdom, secure the Reality Stone, and prepare to fight the Dark Elves. As the meeting ended, Stephen Strange and Ancient One approached He-El.

• He-El ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to obtain partial access to British airspace and stationed Barton and Natasha on the Helicarrier to seize the Reality Stone before the Dark Elves.
• He-El tasked Tony Stark and Bruce Banner with building a device to detect abnormal spacetime gravitational fields and warned them to prepare for the Dark Elves.
• He-El asked T'Challa to supply Vibranium and directed Steve Rogers to train auxiliary members as a reserve force.
• He-El told Tony Stark to make Peter Parker a new suit and asked Barton to coordinate Vibranium and combat-suit distribution.
• He-El asked Stephen Strange to determine when Thanos would obtain each Infinity Stone, then adjourned the meeting.
• As the Avengers began preparing to leave, Stephen Strange and Ancient One approached He-El.

He-El discussed the threat of Thanos and the Infinity Stones with Stephen Strange, then questioned Ancient One about her intentions and her knowledge of him. As Ancient One prepared to leave, He-El stopped her to ask whether she knew strange spells or curses.

• Tony Stark and Bruce Banner discussed modifying anomaly-detection instruments as they left, while Peter Parker followed them, and Steve Rogers, Natasha, Hawkeye, and T'Challa departed on their own business.
• He-El and Stephen Strange discussed changing the future and prepared to determine when Thanos would obtain the Infinity Stones.
• Ancient One privately questioned He-El about his view of the world and why he would not use the Mind Scepter.
• He-El declared that he disliked the Infinity Stones and would hide the Mind Scepter and safeguard any other Stones they found.
• Ancient One denied wanting the Stones and prepared to leave with Stephen Strange, but He-El stopped her and asked whether she knew strange spells or curses.

He-El questioned Ancient One about curses while pretending to seek help, hoping to lay groundwork for concealing his Omega Effect curse and securing the Infinity Stones. Ancient One and He-El left each other wary, and Nick Fury signaled He-El after their meeting.

• He-El suspected Ancient One knew about his role in cursing Odin and realized his Omega Effect could threaten powerful figures like her and Odin.
• Ancient One and Stephen Strange wondered whether He-El wanted help with a curse, while Ancient One privately recalled that even the Dark Lord could not withstand Odin’s curse.
• He-El asked Ancient One to explain curses and describe the strongest curse she could cast, presenting himself as merely curious.
• Ancient One claimed her curses could only cause vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and nausea, then departed through a portal with Stephen Strange.
• After the portal vanished, He-El’s smile faded as he looked toward Nick Fury, who gestured to him from around a distant corner.

He-El and Nick Fury discussed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s growing cooperation with Kamar-Taj and the danger posed by Kaecilius. He-El ordered Nick to share any news of Kaecilius with both him and Ancient One, while insisting that Nick keep the Mind Scepter in his possession.

• Nick Fury told He-El that Kamar-Taj was based in Kathmandu, had begun cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D., and had transferred some sorcerers to work with the agency.
• He-El asked whether Kamar-Taj had faced trouble, and Nick Fury reported that Kaecilius had stolen a forbidden book and contacted Dormammu while seeking immortality.
• Nick Fury said S.H.I.E.L.D. was searching for Kaecilius, and He-El ordered him to report any news to both He-El and Ancient One.
• He-El agreed to deepen cooperation with Kamar-Taj because the Mind Scepter might be why they wanted to work with S.H.I.E.L.D.
• He-El warned Nick Fury not to tell him about the Mind Scepter and told him to keep it in his hands.

Nick Fury used He-El’s approval to continue experimenting with the Mind Scepter and ordered Hawkeye to track down the rogue sorcerer Kaecilius. The chapter left Fury contemplating an old pager after Hawkeye set out on the mission.

• He-El gave Nick Fury permission to use the Mind Scepter, and Fury resolved to keep his inhumane experiments secret.
• Nick Fury ordered Hawkeye to lead a combat team for a planned Helicarrier deployment over the United Kingdom, then assigned him a tracking mission.
• Nick Fury warned Hawkeye to treat magic as dangerous and ordered him to locate Kaecilius and quietly bring him to the HY:517 secret base.
• Hawkeye accepted the mission, gathered his gear, and left to track Kaecilius.
• Nick Fury watched Hawkeye leave and thoughtfully handled an old pager.

He-El prepared to monitor the Reality Stone while S.H.I.E.L.D. located Kamar-Taj’s traitor, Kaecilius. After hearing Nick Fury’s doubts about the Ancient One, He-El ordered Kamar-Taj to handle Kaecilius themselves.

• He-El secured British cooperation for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s space-time monitoring operation, moved Jane Foster to an astronomy department under surveillance, and assigned Vivian to the Helicarrier.
• Nick Fury told He-El that Barton had found Kaecilius performing a dark ritual in Manchester and had survived an encounter with his followers.
• Nick Fury explained that Kaecilius sought to resurrect his family and accused the Ancient One of using dark magic to prolong her life.
• Nick Fury questioned whether Kamar-Taj and the Ancient One could be trusted, while He-El ordered him to inform Kamar-Taj of Kaecilius’s location.
• Nick Fury sent He-El footage of Barton’s operation.

He-El watched Hawkeye’s footage of Kaecilius’s interrupted sacrifice and learned that Dormammu had sensed Ancient One’s aura. He considered dangerous alliances and began preparing to consolidate power, then summoned General Ross and showed him a blood-red Gene Serum.

• He-El watched Hawkeye’s footage, which showed Kaecilius and his followers sacrificing civilians to summon dark energy.
• Hawkeye destroyed the sacrificial array, and Dormammu briefly possessed Kaecilius before demanding to know where he had sensed Ancient One’s aura.
• He-El wondered whether he could cooperate with Dormammu and resolved to secure the military and the people’s faith for his future plans.
• He-El considered using a stronger political force to oppose S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and Kamar-Taj, and examined the Red Giant Gene Serum.
• General Ross entered the Oval Office, saw the serum, and restrained his desire to ask whether He-El had prepared it for him.

He-El detected mystical negative energy near the Oval Office and let Vivian identify it as a Kamar-Taj-style intrusion, which he suspected came from Kaecilius. He-El chose not to activate anti-magic defenses and continued his meeting with General Ross while waiting for Kaecilius to appear.

• He-El's defense program detected rising negative energy near him, and he ordered an analysis.
• Vivian traced the energy to a Kamar-Taj mage who had guided it from another dimension, but found it too weak to threaten He-El.
• He-El suspected Kaecilius had tracked him through Hawkeye and declined Vivian's offer to activate anti-magic defenses.
• He-El told Vivian to keep monitoring spacetime anomalies over the United Kingdom, and she began analyzing the region's air and particles.
• He-El continued working and greeted General Ross, saying they had not met in a long time.

He-El met with General Ross and presented him with the completed Red Hulk Gene Serum, which promised Hulk-like strength and at least three hundred years of life. As He-El began to tell Ross to use it to defend something, dense black mist appeared around them.

• General Ross met He-El in the Oval Office, anxious that He-El might bring up his past demands for the Gene Serum.
• He-El teased Ross about their earlier meeting, and Ross carefully flattered him and acknowledged his authority.
• He-El asked Ross whether he remembered the Gene Serum, and Ross credited his past actions to Loki while offering to serve the president.
• He-El handed Ross the completed Red Hulk Gene Serum and explained its strength and longevity.
• Black mist suddenly rose around He-El and Ross as He-El began to tell Ross to use the serum to defend.

Black negative energy sealed the Oval Office as Kaecilius appeared to confront He-El. General Ross shielded He-El, then injected the Gene Serum and faced the intruder.

• He-El analyzed the negative energy surrounding the Oval Office and found that its danger level had risen to moderately weak.
• General Ross stepped in front of He-El, tried to call for help, and discovered that communications had been cut off.
• General Ross recalled his long-held ambition to create a super-soldier army and was stunned when He-El had given him the Gene Serum.
• Kaecilius emerged from the darkness on the presidential emblem and ordered General Ross to get out of his way.
• General Ross injected the Gene Serum into his thigh and roared that Kaecilius could not run wild there.

General Ross transformed into Red Hulk and resisted Kaecilius’s spells inside the Mirror Dimension. After Kaecilius trapped him among shifting White House buildings to speak with He-El, Ross broke free and charged at him again.

• General Ross transformed into the three-meter-tall Red Hulk and tore apart Kaecilius’s binding spell.
• General Ross charged Kaecilius, but Kaecilius reshaped the Mirror Dimension and moved the White House buildings around them.
• He-El’s detection and defense systems activated, deploying two Atomic Armor drones and analyzing the Mirror Dimension.
• Kaecilius used the shifting buildings to evade Ross’s punch and bury him beneath them, then turned to speak with He-El.
• General Ross smashed his way out, tore free a huge pillar, and charged at Kaecilius with it.

General Ross transformed into the Red Hulk and attacked Kaecilius in the Mirror Dimension while obeying He-El’s command. After Ross overwhelmed Kaecilius in close combat, Kaecilius opened a portal and sent him out of the Mirror Dimension.

• General Ross burst free from the White House wreckage, warned He-El to stand back, and declared that he was not like the Hulk.
• Ross charged across the shifting buildings and smashed through Kaecilius’s defenses with a powerful punch, destroying his arm and hurling him through a window.
• Kaecilius recognized Ross’s speed, strength, and combat skill, then opened a portal in the path of his next charge.
• The portal engulfed Ross and removed him from the Mirror Dimension.

He-El and General Ross vanished from the Oval Office after an enemy sent them into the Mirror Dimension, leaving the White House in a panic. Ross returned alone, reported that He-El was still trapped, and angrily confronted Nick Fury over S.H.I.E.L.D.'s failure to protect the president.

• White House officials discovered He-El and General Ross were missing and searched for them as alarms sounded.
• A spark-filled ring appeared in the Oval Office, and Red Hulk General Ross burst through it, smashing the president's desk before returning to human form.
• Ross told the cabinet members that an enemy had sent him and He-El into another space, then expelled him after their fight.
• The cabinet members urged Ross to seek help from S.H.I.E.L.D., while Ross found no way to return to the Mirror Dimension.
• Ross called Nick Fury and demanded to know how S.H.I.E.L.D. had allowed He-El to be taken.

After He-El was captured by Kaecilius, General Ross told Nick Fury how the attack unfolded and urged S.H.I.E.L.D. to find the president. Nick Fury identified Kaecilius as a mage who had turned to demons and ordered Hill to gather the mages from Kamar-Taj.

• Nick Fury reacted with shock to the news that He-El had been captured and suspected his communications had been cut off.
• General Ross warned Nick Fury that He-El’s disappearance threatened S.H.I.E.L.D. and described Kaecilius’s attack on the White House.
• Ross’s staff searched national databases, found Kaecilius’s basic profile, and showed it to Ross.
• Nick Fury recognized Kaecilius as a mage who had abandoned the righteous path and turned to demons.
• Nick Fury left his office and ordered Hill to gather the mages from Kamar-Taj.

Nick Fury brought Baron Mordo and the Kamar-Taj sorcerers to investigate Kaecilius’s attack and rescue the president from the Mirror Dimension. As Mordo admitted they could not enter Kaecilius’s domain, the Ancient One arrived and offered to handle it.

• Nick Fury told Baron Mordo that Kaecilius had taken the president into a space of inverted buildings and ordered the sorcerers to open a portal to the Oval Office.
• Baron Mordo sent one sorcerer to notify the Ancient One and led the others through a portal to investigate the Oval Office.
• General Ross began transforming into the Red Hulk when the portal opened, then stopped when he saw Nick Fury and the sorcerers.
• The Kamar-Taj sorcerers identified Kaecilius’s dark aura, while Baron Mordo explained that they could not invade his Mirror Dimension.
• The Ancient One opened a portal and offered to enter the Mirror Dimension herself.

Kaecilius summoned Dormammu, who possessed him and confronted He-El, blaming him for the Omega Effect Sanction. He-El’s drones overwhelmed Dormammu’s limited attack, leaving the Dark Lord wary of facing another opponent like Ancient One.

• Kaecilius sent General Ross, the Red Hulk, out of the Mirror Dimension, but Ross had already destroyed Kaecilius’s right arm.
• Dark mist poured from Kaecilius and formed a massive head as Dormammu temporarily possessed him and drew on the Dark Dimension.
• He-El recognized the Omega Effect Sanction in Dormammu’s possession and wondered how Odin had passed it to Dormammu.
• Dormammu fired dark rays at He-El, but two Atomic Armor No. 1 drones countered them with Nir-Matter Destruction Cannons and blasted apart part of Dormammu’s head.
• Dormammu demanded to know who He-El was, then realized He-El’s defenses erased his corrosive attacks and that his limited possession left him unable to overpower He-El.

Dormammu confronted He-El and revealed that Ancient One had infected him with the Omega Effect curse. He-El and Dormammu agreed to target Ancient One in exchange for He-El withdrawing the curse, and Dormammu promised to return for him afterward.

• Dormammu explained that the Omega Effect curse was eroding his power and authority over the Dark Dimension.
• Dormammu told He-El that Ancient One had given him the cursed divine consciousness.
• He-El realized Ancient One knew about his curse and decided she could not be allowed to remain.
• Dormammu threatened He-El and demanded that he withdraw the curse.
• He-El implied that Dormammu should deal with Ancient One, and they reached a deal: Dormammu would kill her in exchange for He-El removing the curse.

Ancient One and Stephen Strange joined the search for the missing president and confirmed that Kaecilius had taken him into the Mirror Dimension. Stephen’s skill and Ancient One’s trust in him deepened Baron Mordo’s fear that he would not become Sorcerer Supreme.

• Ancient One entered the Oval Office through a portal, followed by Stephen Strange, while General Ross and the Cabinet waited for news of the president.
• Baron Mordo reported that Dark Energy and Kaecilius’s aura showed the president had been taken into the Mirror Dimension.
• Ancient One asked Stephen Strange to examine the wall, and he confirmed the location where Kaecilius had opened the passage.
• Ancient One asked Stephen to open a passage into the Mirror Dimension, and he confidently began drawing sparks as Mordo realized he could not perform the same feat.

Stephen Strange led Ancient One and the others through a portal to the Mirror Dimension, where they found Dormammu possessing Kaecilius. He-El used Dormammu as a pretext to cast doubt on Kamar-Taj and delay cooperation, while Ancient One faced an accusation over her own use of Dark Energy.

• Stephen Strange created a precise tracking and teleportation spell circle, and Ancient One led the group through it to the Mirror Dimension’s Oval Office.
• Baron Mordo identified Dormammu’s Dark Energy in Kaecilius as the Kamar-Taj sorcerers began purging it with a magical array.
• General Ross and Nick Fury found He-El unharmed, and He-El said Dormammu had told him something interesting about Ancient One.
• He-El’s remark made Nick Fury suspect problems with Kamar-Taj, while Ancient One worried that her use of Dark Energy would damage their cooperation.
• Ancient One reflected on how she controlled Dark Energy while Kaecilius had been consumed by it, then mourned his choice.
• Dormammu called Ancient One a thief who stole Dark Power.