Chapter Summaries

Stephen Strange arrived at the New York Sanctum to reinforce its defenses against Kaecilius, but Wong refused to let him inside because of the controversy over the Ancient One’s use of Dark Energy. When Wong could not reach Mordo at the Hong Kong Sanctum, Strange realized something might have happened there.

• Stephen Strange arrived at the New York Sanctum and found it still standing, reasoning that Kaecilius had not attacked yet.
• Wong confronted Stephen Strange and refused to let him enter the Sanctum, citing his connection to the Ancient One and her use of Dark Energy.
• Stephen Strange asked Wong to contact Mordo so he could share his precognitive dream and warn him about the coming danger.
• Wong tried to reach Mordo by magic and phone but received no answer.
• Wong told Stephen Strange that Mordo was at the Hong Kong Sanctum, and Strange grew alarmed.

Ancient One negotiated with Dormammu and entered the Dark Dimension to delay his curse, after sending warnings to Odin and Stephen Strange. Stephen arrived at the bloodied Hong Kong Sanctum and received her final message: not to trust He-El.

• Ancient One offered Dormammu cooperation and said she could delay his curse, so Dormammu agreed to take her into the Dark Dimension.
• Dormammu pierced Ancient One's chest, and after she died, a radiant force tried to receive her soul before she chose to enter the Dark Dimension.
• Ancient One sent golden messages to Odin and Stephen Strange, then voluntarily entered the Dark Dimension with Dormammu.
• Dormammu withdrew from Kaecilius's body, troubled by Ancient One's unusual conduct and uncertain whether he could control her.
• Stephen Strange and Wong arrived at the bloodied Hong Kong Sanctum, and Ancient One's message warned Stephen not to trust He-El.

Stephen Strange found Ancient One mortally wounded at the Hong Kong Sanctum and captured Kaecilius, but could not find Ancient One’s soul. Kaecilius said the Dark Dimension had absorbed her, leaving Stephen to face that Ancient One was dead.

• Stephen Strange and Wong rushed into the Hong Kong Sanctum, where they found Ancient One with a fatal wound and Kaecilius newly awakened.
• Stephen Strange bound Kaecilius with a spell whip and demanded to know what he had done to Ancient One; Kaecilius claimed she had become a child of darkness.
• Wong confirmed that Ancient One’s injuries were beyond saving, and Stephen projected his soul to search the Sanctum for hers.
• Stephen found no trace of Ancient One’s soul and asked Kaecilius where it had gone.
• Kaecilius said the Dark Dimension had absorbed Ancient One, and Stephen punched him before accepting that she was dead.

He-El learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. had detected an abnormal spacetime coefficient in the United Kingdom and that the Ancient One had died. Nick Fury summoned him to the Helicarrier to prepare for a crisis involving Asgard, while Dormammu remained unable to contact He-El because Kaecilius had been imprisoned.

• Nick Fury told He-El that S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony, and Dr. Banner had confirmed abnormal spacetime readings at an abandoned British factory.
• Nick Fury reported the Ancient One's death, and He-El concealed his relief while wondering why Dormammu had not contacted him.
• The narration revealed that Kamar-Taj had captured Kaecilius, leaving Dormammu without a suitable follower through whom to descend to Earth.
• Nick Fury told He-El that Stephen Strange was attending the Ancient One's funeral and asked him to meet at the British Helicarrier in two days.
• He-El agreed to meet Nick Fury and considered obtaining the Reality Stone his most urgent priority.

He-El joined Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Bruce Banner aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier to prepare for an approaching spacetime breach. With the opening expected in about nine days, the group discussed who would stay on the Helicarrier, and Stephen Strange was waiting in the conference room.

• He-El arrived on the Helicarrier and met Tony Stark and Peter Parker, who showed off Tony's upgraded armor and Peter's new suit.
• He-El reviewed Bruce Banner's spacetime calculations, which estimated that the breach would open in seven to fifteen days, while Vivian's calculation put it at nine days, thirteen hours, and twenty-nine minutes.
• Hawkeye told He-El and the others that the spacetime readings were becoming abnormal and recommended stationing another Avenger on the Helicarrier.
• Tony Stark volunteered to help, but told Peter Parker he could not join because he had exams coming up.
• Bruce Banner volunteered to stay aboard the Helicarrier and analyze the breach while coordinating with Tony on the artificial intelligence.
• He-El, Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Bruce Banner entered the conference room, where Stephen Strange looked up at He-El.

Stephen Strange settled the dispute over the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation, gained Kamar-Taj’s support, and joined the Avengers’ meeting about the Reality Stone. Nick Fury reported that the United Kingdom and S.H.I.E.L.D. had detected abnormal spacetime readings and warned that a powerful alien army was coming.

• Stephen Strange told Mordo that the Eye of Agamotto contained the Time Stone and refused to return it to Kamar-Taj.
• Mordo challenged Stephen Strange for the Sorcerer Supreme title, and they fought to a draw without using magical artifacts.
• Mordo remained acting Sorcerer Supreme, while the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation stayed with Stephen Strange.
• Stephen Strange met with the Avengers, accepted their condolences for Ancient One, and urged them to focus on the Reality Stone.
• Nick Fury arrived with Hill and told the group that the United Kingdom and S.H.I.E.L.D. had detected abnormal spacetime readings and would face a powerful alien regular army.

The Avengers learned that the spatial opening would appear in seven to fifteen days and that the Dark Elves, an ancient enemy of Asgard, might target whoever held the Reality Stone. With Asgard ignoring Earth’s attempts to contact it, Hawkeye proposed giving Asgard the Stone, but Stephen Strange rejected the plan.

• Tony Stark corrected Nick Fury’s claim that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s research team had helped estimate when the spatial opening would appear.
• Stephen Strange identified the Dark Elves as the likely enemy and explained their history with the Reality Stone and their power.
• Bruce Banner and Tony Stark worried that the Dark Elves could destroy Earth, and the Avengers recognized how outmatched they might be.
• He-El asked whether Earth had contacted Asgard, and Nick Fury said its calls had received no response.
• Hawkeye proposed handing the Reality Stone to Asgard and supporting it from the rear, but Stephen Strange said no.

Stephen Strange opposed giving the Reality Stone to Asgard because Odin would eventually send it to The Collector, where Thanos could claim it. The Avengers agreed to move the fight against the Dark Elves away from Earth, while Tony Stark revealed he had built giant automated armors.

• Stephen Strange explained that Odin would not keep two Infinity Stones in Asgard and that sending the Reality Stone away could deliver it to Thanos.
• He-El and the Avengers supported giving the Reality Stone to Asgard, but Stephen warned that doing so would risk handing it to Thanos.
• Tony Stark suggested using Stephen's portals to move the Dark Elves' warships to a remote location in space.
• Steve Rogers proposed a decapitation strike, and Tony said he had built automated armors larger than the Hulk.
• Bruce Banner wondered when Tony had secretly built and controlled the giant armors.

The Avengers discussed whether they could withstand and break a Dark Elves warship’s defenses, while Nick Fury proposed testing weapons developed with Vibranium and Wakandan energy technology. As they prepared to retrieve the Reality Stone without relying on Asgard, Stephen Strange objected to He-El sending Vivian and offered to seal it himself, prompting He-El to question his motives.

• He-El questioned whether Tony Stark could break the Dark Elves' warship shields, and Tony admitted he could not know without data on their ships.
• Nick Fury said S.H.I.E.L.D. had created high-intensity energy-impact weapons using Vibranium and Wakandan energy technology, and asked Tony Stark and Bruce Banner to meet him afterward.
• Natasha asked whether they would keep the Reality Stone, and Hawkeye noted they could not contact Thor because he was occupied with unrest across the Nine Realms.
• Steve Rogers called for preparations to retrieve the Reality Stone, and He-El said Vivian would wait for it to emerge and take it.
• Stephen Strange refused to let Vivian retrieve the Reality Stone and offered to seal it himself.
• He-El suspected Stephen Strange wanted to keep him from obtaining the Stone and asked whether Ancient One's death had unsettled him or whether he was using the Avengers to collect Infinity Stones.

The Avengers grew suspicious of Stephen Strange after he tried to prevent He-El from obtaining the Reality Stone, and Stephen questioned whether He-El could be trusted. The group considered how to secure the Stone, then He-El said he would use it if it were entrusted to him.

• The Avengers suspected Stephen Strange might want to gather the Reality Stone alongside the Time Stone, while Stephen worried that He-El was the one manipulating events.
• Nick Fury and Tony Stark challenged Stephen, who denied wanting to collect the Infinity Stones but could not persuade the others to trust him with another Stone.
• He-El defended Stephen but agreed that one person should not hold two Infinity Stones, and the Avengers planned to keep the Reality Stone away from Thanos.
• Nick Fury ruled out safeguarding the Reality Stone himself, and the Avengers considered He-El the only suitable keeper.
• Stephen asked He-El what he would do with the Reality Stone, and He-El replied that he would use it.

He-El announced that he would use the Reality Stone to create new base materials, prompting excitement from Avengers who saw the potential for a technological leap. Stephen Strange opposed the plan because of the Infinity Stones’ dangers and challenged He-El about his past use of the Mind Stone and whether he had ever used the Time Stone.

• Stephen Strange objected to He-El using the Reality Stone, warning that the Infinity Stones could harm their users and disrupt the universe.
• Nick Fury, Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers asked He-El why he wanted the Reality Stone, and He-El said he would use it to arrange new base materials.
• Bruce Banner explained that improved base materials could unlock major advances across human technology and space exploration.
• Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, T’Challa, and Peter Parker voiced support for joining He-El’s project.
• Stephen Strange reiterated his opposition, and He-El asked whether Strange had ever considered humanity.
• Stephen Strange defended his position and asked He-El whether he had ever used the Time Stone.

He-El explained that the Infinity Stones could be used safely by following their fundamental nature, arguing that the Reality Stone could create materials already permitted by the universe’s rules. Stephen Strange remained opposed to using it, and He-El angrily confronted him.

• He-El asked Stephen Strange about using the Time Stone, and Stephen revealed that he had used it to observe 14,000,723 futures.
• He-El corrected Stephen’s belief that only the Time Stone could be used safely for observation, explaining that each Infinity Stone had a nature that could be followed.
• He-El explained that the Mind Stone amplified emotions and should not be wielded, which clarified why he had entrusted the Mind Scepter to Nick Fury.
• He-El argued that the Reality Stone could create basic materials without harm if their compositions already existed within the universe’s rules.
• Bruce Banner and Tony Stark said they understood He-El’s reasoning, but Stephen still opposed using the Reality Stone, prompting He-El to angrily challenge him.

He-El argued that humanity could not depend solely on the Avengers and insisted that the Reality Stone was necessary to advance human civilization and defend Earth. Stephen Strange was left speechless as He-El warned him not to interfere and rallied the others toward stopping Thanos and the Dark Elves.

• He-El challenged Stephen Strange’s opposition to using the Reality Stone, arguing that humanity must protect itself rather than rely on a handful of heroes.
• He-El described how his technologies and projects had advanced human civilization, and the Avengers recognized that their pride had narrowed their perspective.
• Nick Fury understood that He-El wanted humanity to become capable of defending itself instead of depending entirely on the Avengers.
• He-El declared that he would use the Reality Stone to help humanity build starships within a year and threatened to charge Stephen with treason if he tried to stop him.
• He-El urged everyone to obtain the Reality Stone, stop the Dark Elves, prevent Thanos from destroying half of life, and lead humanity into the stars.

He-El organized Earth’s defenses for the coming Dark Elves attack, ordering an evacuation and preparing forces to strike the enemy fleet. He revealed that General Ross and five hundred soldiers had received Crimson Gene Serum, leaving the Avengers shocked at the scale of the new army.

• He-El ordered Nick Fury to identify the abnormal spatial site in Waltham Forest and called for evacuating everyone within fifty kilometers in five days.
• He-El assigned the United Kingdom, S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony Stark, and Stephen Strange to prepare artillery, weapons, and teleportation magic against the Dark Elves fleet.
• He-El told Steve Rogers to equip non-core Avengers members for a mission to sabotage the enemy warships.
• He-El apologized to Bruce Banner and revealed that General Ross had become the Red Hulk through his Gene Serum.
• He-El disclosed that he had prepared five hundred weaker Crimson Gene Serums, prompting alarm among the Avengers, then ordered everyone to prepare for battle within five days.

S.H.I.E.L.D. and its allies prepared Earth’s defenses for the Dark Elves’ expected invasion, while Steve Rogers went to the Deep-Sea Great Prison to bring Bucky into the fight. Captain Bob greeted Steve formally and led him to Prisoner James Buchanan Barnes, unlike the friendly reception Steve remembered.

• He-El arranged evacuations and hidden spatial defenses around the anomaly in Waltham Forest as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the United Kingdom mobilized.
• Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Hawkeye, Natasha, and Peter Pakkun prepared for the invasion, while Stephen Strange brought Kamar-Taj mages to establish teleportation arrays.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. planned for the Dark Elves’ main warships to be sent off-world and deployed the Crimson Giant Corps, Stark’s weapons, and a modified Helicarrier for Earth’s defense.
• Steve Rogers flew to the Deep-Sea Great Prison with the president’s warrant to see Bucky and recruit him for the coming battle.
• Captain Bob formally greeted Steve and escorted him to Prisoner James Buchanan Barnes, surprising Steve because Bob had been warm and friendly on his previous visit.

Steve Rogers sensed that something was wrong at the Deep-Sea Great Prison but quietly followed Captain Bob to Bucky and secured Bucky’s release. Steve and Bucky left in the Quinjet without confronting the suspicious guards, while the prison’s danger remained unresolved.

• Steve Rogers noticed Captain Bob and several soldiers acting strangely as Bob led him into the Deep-Sea Great Prison.
• Steve Rogers confirmed his suspicions when Captain Bob claimed he had divorced his wife and did not recognize their previous conversations about transferring posts.
• Steve Rogers reached Bucky’s cell, and Bucky challenged him before agreeing to leave after Steve said they would talk once they were out.
• Captain Bob released Bucky from his shackles and disabled the prison’s lethal devices under the president’s order.
• Steve Rogers stopped Bucky from making a move inside the prison, and the two boarded the Quinjet and flew away.

Steve Rogers and Bucky reported that impostors had replaced Captain Bob and other personnel at the Deep-Sea Great Prison. Nick Fury suspected an attempt to rescue Ebony Maw but ordered everyone to hold position until they knew more.

• Steve Rogers and Bucky left the Deep-Sea Great Prison in a Quinjet after realizing that Captain Bob had been replaced by an impostor.
• Steve Rogers contacted Nick Fury and reported his suspicions while flying with Bucky to the Helicarrier above the United Kingdom.
• Nick Fury questioned Steve Rogers and Bucky, while Hill confirmed that the prison had submerged and cut off all signals.
• Nick Fury concluded that if the attackers were aliens, they were likely trying to rescue Ebony Maw.
• Steve Rogers, Hawkeye, and Natasha prepared to act, but Nick Fury told them not to act rashly and to maintain the current situation.

Thor returned to Asgard after pacifying a war across the Nine Realms and reassured Frigga that he could govern while Odin slept. In his divine mind realm, Odin considered Ancient One’s dangerous plan for dealing with He-El’s growing curse and chose to wait for a safer option.

• Thor visited Odin’s bedchamber and asked Frigga why Odin had entered Odin’s Sleep again.
• Frigga told Thor to keep quiet and revealed that Odin had grown gloomy since Geri and Freki died after his visit to the divine mind realm.
• Thor reassured Frigga that he would handle Asgard’s affairs while Odin slept, and Odin watched them leave with relief that Thor had matured.
• Odin examined Ancient One’s message and hesitated over her plan, fearing it could cause the curse to destroy the universe.
• Odin set the message aside and decided to observe longer or seek a more reliable method.

Thor visited Heimdall after Asgard’s victory celebrations and learned that the Convergence of the Nine Realms was near, while He-El was caring for someone Thor cared about. On Earth, Tony Stark inspected a heavily guarded spacetime anomaly in East London as Vivian prepared to receive the Reality Stone.

• Thor left Asgard’s victory banquet and joined Heimdall at Himinbjorg to discuss the approaching Convergence.
• Heimdall told Thor that the person he asked about was well and that He-El was caring for her.
• Tony Stark arrived at the militarily locked-down Waltham Forest Industrial Area to inspect an abnormal spacetime location.
• Tony Stark argued with General Ross before Ross allowed him through the security barriers.
• Vivian directed Tony Stark toward the anomaly in B1 and told him she was preparing to receive the Reality Stone.

Bruce Banner and Tony Stark investigated escalating spacetime anomalies in East London, while the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. prepared for a sudden opening. Tony approached a distorted corridor before a mysterious woman stopped him, and an ancient warship awakened as the Convergence began.

• Bruce Banner matched the new spacetime coefficients to Asgardian Rainbow Bridge data and concluded that a space was about to open.
• Tony Stark found objects floating and vanishing in a repeating spatial passage, then lost contact with Bruce as the anomaly exceeded its predicted threshold.
• Peter Parker alerted the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. after Bruce warned that the space was about to open near Tony.
• Tony tried to retreat but followed rising Rainbow Bridge coefficients toward a distorted corridor, where a slender female hand pinned him in place and told him to leave.
• An ancient warship awakened in the darkness and declared that the Aether had awakened them and the Convergence had begun again.