Chapter Summaries

Dormammu accused Ancient One of using Dark Energy and announced that he intended to kill her, while Stephen Strange tried to keep the sorcerers focused on driving Dormammu away. The Dark Energy receded, leaving Baron Mordo shaken by doubts about his teacher.

• Stephen Strange sent two sorcerers to help He-El's group and urged the others to drive Dormammu back.
• Ancient One warned that the Mirror Dimension would soon fail and Dormammu would retreat, while Baron Mordo questioned why he had brought the president there.
• Dormammu accused Ancient One of using Dark Energy to prolong her life and claimed she would soon become part of the Dark Dimension.
• Baron Mordo asked Ancient One whether Dormammu's accusation was true, stunned that his teacher might have used the power she condemned.
• Dormammu laughed as his image faded and Kaecilius became visible, while the Dark Energy tide receded.

Stephen Strange tried to protect the Ancient One and preserve Kamar-Taj’s cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, but Dormammu’s revelation fueled Baron Mordo’s suspicion. The Ancient One admitted she had used Dark Energy to extend her life, leaving the mages wary and Stephen unable to defend her.

• Stephen Strange rebuked Baron Mordo for trusting Dormammu over the Ancient One and worried that the revelation would disrupt cooperation between Kamar-Taj, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Avengers.
• He-El watched the conflict unfold and considered that its effects might create an opportunity to obtain the Reality Stone.
• Baron Mordo demanded that the Ancient One answer whether she had used Dark Energy, while the surrounding mages watched her with suspicion.
• Kaecilius accused the Ancient One of being sustained by Dark Energy, then opened a portal and left the Mirror Dimension.
• The Ancient One apologized to Stephen Strange and admitted that she had used Dark Energy to extend her life.

Ancient One admitted that she had used Dark Energy to extend her life, and Baron Mordo and the other Kamar-Taj sorcerers rejected her for breaking their strictest prohibition. After all ten sorcerers left for Kamar-Taj, Ancient One opened a portal for He-El and the others as the Mirror Dimension began to fail.

• Ancient One admitted that she had used Dark Energy to extend her life, shocking Baron Mordo and the Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
• Baron Mordo condemned Ancient One as unworthy of being Sorcerer Supreme, while Stephen Strange tried to defend her.
• Ancient One stopped Stephen Strange from speaking and refused to explain or excuse her use of Dark Energy.
• Baron Mordo opened a portal to Kamar-Taj and left, followed by all ten sorcerers he had brought.
• Ancient One told Stephen Strange and the others to leave the failing Mirror Dimension and opened a portal for He-El and the group.

He-El returned to the Oval Office with Ancient One and Stephen Strange after Kamar-Taj rejected Ancient One over her use of Dark Energy. He-El and Nick Fury agreed to keep working with Ancient One and Stephen, leaving their alliance intact despite concerns about dark power.

• He-El dismissed the cabinet members and soldiers from the Oval Office, where Ancient One and Stephen Strange soon joined him, Nick Fury, and General Ross.
• Ancient One said she expected to lose her position as Sorcerer Supreme, and He-El regretted that Kamar-Taj had lost such a powerful leader.
• Ancient One offered to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers as an individual alongside Stephen Strange, and He-El welcomed them to the Avengers.
• Nick Fury asked what Dark Energy was, and Ancient One explained that it could corrupt its users and affect people nearby, though she had a way to prevent that harm.
• He-El declared that the Avengers trusted Ancient One and Stephen and would continue cooperating with them.

Ancient One and Stephen Strange agreed to live and work with S.H.I.E.L.D. after Kamar-Taj rejected her, while Stephen reconsidered his lost chance to become Sorcerer Supreme. Nick Fury asked Ancient One to teach magic to S.H.I.E.L.D., and He-El then requested a private conversation with her.

• Nick Fury offered Ancient One and Stephen Strange secluded accommodations through S.H.I.E.L.D., and both accepted.
• Stephen Strange reflected that Ancient One’s exposure, Baron Mordo’s departure from her side, and the changed events had derailed his expected path to becoming Sorcerer Supreme.
• Nick Fury asked Ancient One to teach magic to S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, and she agreed to look for people with the talent to become mages.
• He-El told Nick Fury to stop pressing Ancient One and asked him to leave so they could speak alone.

He-El confronted Ancient One about why she had considered using Dormammu against him, and she explained that his mysterious curse and unknown ambitions made her unsure whether to protect him. He-El denied wanting the Infinity Stones and ended the conversation, leaving his intentions uncertain.

• He-El sent General Ross to choose five hundred elite soldiers for a special unit, while Nick Fury suspected He-El could create a Red Hulk force.
• After Ross, Nick Fury, and Stephen Strange left the Oval Office, He-El asked Ancient One why she had wanted Dormammu to kill him.
• Ancient One admitted He-El had done nothing to harm her, Kamar-Taj, or the world, but his cursed existence and unknown goals unsettled her.
• Ancient One said she might protect He-El but needed to know what he wanted, given his apparent curse and extraordinary power.
• He-El described his experiences in another Earth and said he did not believe Stephen's account of the six Infinity Stones.
• He-El denied seeking the Infinity Stones and ended the conversation, saying he wanted to see how far humanity could prosper with his support.

He-El prepared two Crimson Giant Corps, one for the military under General Ross and one for his private forces in New Century Supertown. He arrived at Area 51 in Nevada to meet General Ross and the gathered military officers.

• Stephen Strange warned Tony Stark and Bruce Banner about the danger of creating Ultron, while Vivian and S.H.I.E.L.D. continued monitoring space-time for anomalies.
• He-El produced Crimson Giant Gene Serum and ordered General Ross to form a military unit; Ross reported that the Crimson Giant Corps had reached five hundred members.
• He-El sent seven modified Red Giant Gene Serums and additional Crimson Giant Serums to Supertown, where seven captains would form a private superpowered corps from the mercenaries.
• He-El's transport aircraft landed at Area 51, where General Ross, senior officers, and troops waited to greet him.

He-El visited Area 51 and learned that 677 soldiers had died in the creation of the Crimson Giant Corps. He honored the fallen and ordered the Corps’ equipment protected from military interference before going to see the future warriors.

• He-El arrived at Area 51, dismissed the troops assembled to greet him, and spoke with General Dalton Pacheco and General Ross.
• He-El asked how many soldiers had died, and General Ross reported that 677 elite soldiers had been lost.
• He-El called the dead heroes and ordered General Dalton Pacheco to ensure their honors and compensation were not withheld.
• He-El ordered the Crimson Legion’s initial equipment transferred to the Ordnance Department and told Dalton to bring any objections to him.
• He-El set off with the generals to see the Crimson Giant Corps.

He-El inspected Area 51 and learned how the United States used extraterrestrial technology to strengthen its military. At the base’s lowest level, he saw the five hundred soldiers of the Crimson Giant Corps transform into Red Hulks and praised them as future heroes.

• He-El visited Area 51 with General Ross and Admiral Dalton Pacheco, and saw its advanced military research and manufacturing facilities.
• Admiral Dalton Pacheco explained the base’s efforts to adapt extraterrestrial aircraft and weapons for human use as the group descended underground.
• General Ross ordered five hundred soldiers of the Crimson Giant Corps to transform, revealing a disciplined force of Red Hulks.
• He-El praised the Crimson Giant Corps and told the soldiers they would become heroes in human history.
• He-El joked to Ross that the transformed warriors needed highly elastic shorts.

Thanos considered how Ebony Maw’s capture and the loss of the Mind Scepter had disrupted his plans to obtain the Infinity Stones. After learning where Ebony Maw was imprisoned, he ordered his forces to wait for a better opportunity to rescue him.

• Thanos concluded that losing the Mind Scepter had forced him to start over and delayed his plan to seize the Power Stone from the Nova Corps.
• Thanos decided that rescuing Ebony Maw was essential because Maw’s agents and preparations were key to breaching the Nova Corps.
• A communications officer reported that Ebony Maw was imprisoned beneath a deep-sea jail in the Pacific Ocean and described the forces watching Earth.
• Thanos ordered the reconnaissance troops to remain cloaked behind the far side of the moon and await further orders.
• Thanos decided to wait until chaos spread before rescuing Ebony Maw and pursuing the Power Stone.

In East Africa, the seven captains assembled He-El’s newly enhanced Crimson Giant army for an inspection, and Maria brutally punished a soldier who mocked her. As the injured man lay unconscious, He-El arrived in a Manta Ray spacecraft.

• Arno ordered the Crimson Giants to assemble and told them He-El was coming to inspect them.
• The Crimson Giants speculated that their new powers meant He-El was preparing them for an alien battlefield.
• Maria demanded that the soldiers show respect to He-El, then transformed into a Red Hulk and smashed a mocking soldier until he lost consciousness.
• A captain warned Maria that He-El had arrived, and the assembled soldiers saw his Manta Ray spacecraft approaching.

He-El arrived at the training grounds and found the Crimson Hulk mercenaries growing arrogant and testing their discipline. He decided to remind them who was in charge, and crushed all 499 of them under immense pressure.

• He-El arrived by spacecraft as Maria returned to human size and put on the trench coat he handed her.
• Maria said some mercenaries had gotten out of line, while He-El observed the unconscious man she had defeated.
• He-El explained that the mercenaries’ new powers had made them less disciplined, unlike General Ross’s trained soldiers.
• He-El invited the Crimson Hulks to attack him, but they mocked the idea and demanded better pay and other privileges.
• He-El pointed downward and subjected all 499 Crimson Hulks to ten thousand times the pressure, crushing them into the ground.

He-El used his gravity powers to crush the Red Hulk mercenaries who tried to resist, then forced them to stand under threat of death. He planned to turn the surviving elite mercenaries into a force that could carry out missions for him across the universe.

• He-El praised the Red Hulk mercenaries for pushing themselves up, then increased the pressure and crushed the arms of those who resisted.
• He-El withdrew the gravity field and reminded the mercenaries that he had paid them well and given them their powers before ordering them to stand.
• Some mercenaries stood immediately, while injured men forced themselves upright despite their broken arms.
• He-El killed one mercenary who delayed getting up and warned the others that they would die if they disobeyed.
• The surviving Red Hulk Warriors stood at attention as He-El considered using their combat experience and ruthlessness for future missions.

He-El silenced the Crimson Giant mercenaries’ dissent, offered them a chance to leave, and secured their loyalty with enhanced benefits. After ordering the Crimson Legion to prepare for training, he received Vivian’s warning about an abnormal spacetime distortion coefficient.

• He-El killed two Crimson Giant mercenaries who had challenged or insulted him, then demanded the others obey his orders.
• He-El offered the mercenaries a chance to withdraw safely, but explained that leaving meant receiving a gene-reversal injection and losing their memories of the training ground.
• One mercenary tried to withdraw, but Maria injected him with the gene-reversal agent and carried him away.
• He-El promised the remaining mercenaries lifespans of at least three hundred years and salaries ten times higher, and they pledged to obey him.
• He-El told Arno and the others to arrange training and equipment for the Crimson Legion, then heard Vivian report an abnormal spacetime distortion coefficient.

He-El learned that the space containing the Reality Stone could not be located or entered for at least thirty days, so he ordered Vivian to wait for S.H.I.E.L.D. to detect the anomaly rather than conceal it. He then contacted Kaecilius and ordered him to have his master kill Ancient One and take her soul to the Dark Dimension.

• He-El redirected the Manta Ray toward the White House while considering Ancient One's surveillance of him and the Avengers.
• Vivian reported that the abnormal spacetime distortion would become detectable within three hours to thirty days, but the space could not be located or entered until at least thirty days had passed.
• Vivian offered to tamper with the Helicarrier's detection results and enter the space alone, but He-El refused to risk attracting Ancient One's suspicion.
• He-El ordered Vivian to remain on standby and let S.H.I.E.L.D. discover the anomaly naturally.
• He-El contacted Kaecilius and ordered him to have his master kill Ancient One and take her soul to the Dark Dimension.

Kaecilius destroyed the London Sanctum with explosives delivered through a portal, prompting Stephen Strange and Ancient One to realize Dormammu was making his move. As the Sanctums’ destruction threatened Earth and stirred the demon gods, Dormammu secretly feared the curse consuming the Dark Dimension.

• Kaecilius used explosives and a portal to blast apart the London Sanctum, killing the sorcerers stationed there.
• Stephen Strange and Ancient One recognized the attack and understood that Dormammu was coming.
• Ancient One explained that the three Sanctums protected Earth from demon gods and that their destruction would leave humanity vulnerable.
• The demon gods eagerly anticipated Dormammu’s assault, hoping to take revenge on Ancient One and destroy Earth.
• Dormammu feared the curse spreading through the Dark Dimension, which could kill demon gods permanently.

Stephen Strange and Ancient One prepared to defend the New York and Hong Kong Sanctums after Kaecilius destroyed the London Sanctum. As Stephen feared Ancient One would meet the same fate he had seen in his precognitive dream, she taught him that he had to accept his own unimportance.

• Stephen Strange warned Ancient One that Kaecilius was targeting the New York Sanctum and Dormammu might attack the Hong Kong Sanctum.
• Ancient One suspected there was more to Dormammu's dealings with He-El and proposed that she defend New York while Stephen went to Hong Kong.
• Stephen remembered Ancient One's death in his precognitive dream and insisted on taking her place at the New York Sanctum.
• Ancient One refused to exchange assignments or give him the Eye of Agamotto, then reminded him that fear of failure held him back.
• Stephen understood Ancient One's final lesson: he was not important.

Stephen Strange overcame his fear of his precognitive dream and agreed with Ancient One to defend the Sanctums against Dormammu and other dimensional demon gods. Ancient One reached the Hong Kong Sanctum, where she found Mordo and several sorcerers unconscious and bleeding, as Kaecilius revealed he had anticipated her arrival.

• Ancient One told Stephen Strange that he was not important, helping him accept that he was himself rather than the person in his precognitive dream.
• Ancient One and Stephen Strange agreed to go to the Hong Kong and New York Sanctums, respectively, to set up warning wards and protective arrays.
• Ancient One entered the Hong Kong Sanctum using her knowledge of its unchanged defenses.
• Ancient One found Mordo and several Kamar-Taj sorcerers unconscious in the main hall, with blood soaking the carpet.
• Kaecilius stood on the staircase and told Ancient One that he had been right to expect her at the Hong Kong Sanctum.

Ancient One confronted Kaecilius at the Hong Kong Sanctum after he attacked Mordo and accused her of hypocrisy for withholding forbidden magic. She defeated Kaecilius’s followers and blasted him into a wall, but dark liquid and smoke engulfed him as the fight’s outcome remained uncertain.

• Ancient One checked Mordo and asked Kaecilius who he was, while Kaecilius accused her of hypocrisy for using Dark Energy and restricting forbidden spells.
• Kaecilius trapped Ancient One in a mirror reversal arena and ordered his ten subordinates to attack her.
• Ancient One fought the sorcerers at close range and knocked down several of Kaecilius’s subordinates.
• Kaecilius fired an energy cannon through one of his own subordinates, shattering Ancient One’s spell circle and breaking her right arm.
• Ancient One killed the remaining attackers and struck Kaecilius with a spell circle, blasting him into a wall.
• Black liquid and smoke poured from Kaecilius’s body as he shouted Ancient One’s name.

Ancient One confronted Dormammu, who emerged from the Dark Dimension intending to kill her under a deal with He-El. After exposing Dormammu’s hope that He-El could remove their shared curse as likely deception, Ancient One proposed that they work together.

• Dormammu emerged through Kaecilius's corpse and reached for the injured Ancient One with a hand of dark flames.
• Ancient One stopped Dormammu by asking whether he wanted to resolve the curse affecting the Dark Dimension.
• Dormammu admitted that He-El was the source of the curse and revealed that they had made a deal for him to kill Ancient One.
• Ancient One inferred that He-El had promised to remove Dormammu's curse and argued that He-El could not do so while cursed himself.
• Dormammu insisted that he still had to act, and Ancient One proposed that they work together.