Chapter Summaries

He-El vaporized nearly all the invading Clone He-Els with his Heat Vision, leaving only three powerful variants. As the survivors argued over who would face him, Dark Dimension Overlord He-El attacked while pretending to beg for mercy.

• Ancient One and the assembled heroes watched He-El's Heat Vision pierce and vaporize the attacking Clone He-Els almost simultaneously.
• Dark Dimension Overlord He-El, King of Gods He-El, and Cosmic Emperor He-El remained, and each dismissed the others' confidence or offered to fight He-El first.
• Tony Stark worried as the heroes turned their attention to He-El and the three surviving variants.
• Dark Dimension Overlord He-El unleashed a flood of dark energy, rushed at He-El, and mockingly asked him to spare him so he could return to his universe.

He-El faced three of his clones as Dark Dimension Overlord He-El tried to escape defeat by flooding Earth with negative emotions. He-El absorbed the Dark Energy and swallowed the Overlord, leaving King of Gods He-El and Cosmic Emperor He-El to witness his overwhelming power.

• Dark Dimension Overlord He-El asked He-El to let him return to his own universe, and the others were stunned by his shameless plea.
• He-El explained that he had been using altered vision to search for the clones’ underlying existence and said the fight would end in one or two moves.
• Dark Dimension Overlord He-El unleashed his Dark River, flooding Earth with negative emotions and corrupting its inhabitants, Odin, Ancient One, and Dormammu.
• He-El gathered the Dark Energy into a vortex sphere and pulled it out of everyone, clearing the sky.
• Dark Dimension Overlord He-El tried to flee as Dark Energy, but He-El’s vortex absorbed him; King of Gods He-El and Cosmic Emperor He-El reacted with surprise.

He-El absorbed Dark Dimension Overlord He-El's Dark Energy and defeated him, alarming King of Gods He-El and Cosmic Emperor He-El. King of Gods He-El's surprise attack could not penetrate He-El's magnetic field, and He-El explained that his entropy-based power had failed to reach him.

• Natasha Romanoff and the others recovered from the Dark Energy's influence after He-El absorbed Dark Dimension Overlord He-El.
• King of Gods He-El and Cosmic Emperor He-El became wary after seeing He-El easily defeat Dark Dimension Overlord He-El.
• King of Gods He-El launched a surprise attack from behind He-El, but his finger stopped before reaching He-El's back.
• King of Gods He-El tore off his arm to escape the force holding it, then regenerated it and realized the gap between him and He-El was immense.
• He-El told King of Gods He-El that his entropy still had room to improve and explained that The End had failed because it could not penetrate his magnetic field.

He-El faced Cosmic Emperor He-El, whose connection to his universe and enormous invading army threatened Earth. As Earth’s heroes hoped He-El would sacrifice an arm to protect them, He-El revealed that he had become the Infinity Stones.

• He-El judged that King of Gods He-El could not harm him and turned his attention to Cosmic Emperor He-El.
• Cosmic Emperor He-El opened a view into his universe, displaying his vast fleet, army of gods, and conquering forces.
• Cosmic Emperor He-El demanded one of He-El’s arms in exchange for leaving Earth unharmed.
• Earth’s heroes saw the invading army and feared they had no way to stop it.
• The heroes privately hoped He-El would sacrifice an arm or otherwise save Earth, while feeling ashamed of their dependence on him.
• He-El smiled and announced that he had become the Infinity Stones.

He-El recognized that Cosmic Emperor He-El had become the Infinity Stones, though he suspected the Soul Stone had taken over his identity. He-El then subdued King of Gods He-El, who realized that the clone universes had copied He-El rather than created independent versions, before He-El killed and absorbed him.

• He-El revealed that Cosmic Emperor He-El had become the Infinity Stones, leaving Tony Stark and the Avengers despairing over how to fight him.
• Cosmic Emperor He-El invited He-El to guess how he had transformed himself, while King of Gods He-El watched warily.
• He-El guessed that Cosmic Emperor He-El had replaced the Soul Stone and used it to control the other five, but might no longer know whether he was himself or the Soul Stone.
• He-El reached through space and seized King of Gods He-El by the throat, freezing his body, powers, and thoughts before dragging him close.
• King of Gods He-El realized that the Parallel Universes had copied He-El incompletely and that the clones had never existed as independent beings.
• He-El crushed King of Gods He-El, whose particles of light were absorbed through He-El's left hand.

He-El effortlessly absorbed King of Gods He-El and faced Cosmic Emperor He-El, who threatened Earth after demanding peace in exchange for one arm. He-El summoned his forces from across the multiverse, and the chapter left Cosmic Emperor He-El staring at the vast armies assembled before him.

• He-El absorbed King of Gods He-El and took in his memories, experiences, and knowledge of his power.
• Cosmic Emperor He-El grew uneasy but threatened Earth, believing his legion gave him control.
• He-El declared that he had seen through Cosmic Emperor He-El’s essence, and a Traversal Vortex opened behind him.
• Savitar and Reverse-Flash led the Speed Force Legion in kneeling before He-El.
• Athena led the Olympian gods and their Divine Legion out of the vortex to pay their respects to He-El.
• Scarface’s Seven Lantern Corps, Aizen Sōsuke’s 6.5 million Bleach members, and Zero’s mechanical forces appeared and saluted He-El.

He-El confronted Cosmic Emperor He-El while Earth’s heroes prepared to shield the planet from their war. He-El defeated the Cosmic Emperor inside the Traversal Vortex and departed with Hela, leaving Tony Stark’s question unanswered.

• Steve Rogers warned that the battle could destroy Earth, so Stephen Strange, Ancient One, Star-Lord Peter Quill, Groot, and Tony Stark worked to protect the planet.
• Cosmic Emperor He-El ordered his forces to attack, but He-El teleported to him and touched his forehead as the Traversal Vortex swallowed their battlefield.
• The vortex contained the war, and He-El soon emerged dragging the broken Cosmic Emperor He-El by his hair.
• He-El told Hela to come with him, and she eagerly entered the Traversal Vortex.
• Tony Stark asked whether He-El was still their superhero, but He-El smiled without answering and left with Hela as the vortex vanished.

One year after He-El’s departure, the Avengers were summoned from their separate lives to stop a clone from opening the Dark Dimension and spreading a curse. As they entered the portal, a photo of the Avengers with He-El drifted away behind them.

• Tony Stark received a metal-armored Barbie doll for Morgan, then left home after an urgent Avengers call.
• Natasha Romanoff left the He-El statue site to answer an emergency transmission.
• Clint Barton said goodbye to his family and flew to the Avengers base, while Bruce Banner left his laboratory for the mission.
• T’Challa and Peter Parker answered the call and traveled to the Avengers base.
• Stephen Strange told the assembled Avengers that a clone planned to open the Dark Dimension and spread the curse, and that Thor and Loki were already there.
• Tony Stark charged through Strange’s portal, and the Avengers followed as Natasha’s photo with He-El blew from her pocket.

After a century away, He-El returned to New Krypton through a Traversal Vortex, reuniting with his people and military forces above Earth. He arrived with Hela, his legions, and prisoners and spoils of war, and declared his return as emperor.

• A vast Traversal Vortex darkened Earth's sky as New Krypton's military forces mobilized for an unknown threat.
• Kal-El recognized the vortex as He-El's work, and Ciri joined him in watching the sky.
• The vortex receded and revealed He-El in his Black Suit, prompting Kal-El, Ciri, the soldiers, and New Krypton's citizens to kneel and greet him.
• He-El's forces emerged behind him, including Hela, Athena's Divine Legion, Zero's Mechanical Corps, Scarface's Seven Lantern Corps, and Aizen's Death Legion, along with captured warships and prisoners.
• He-El surveyed his people and announced, “New Krypton, your emperor has returned!”

After He-El returned from a century away, New Krypton celebrated as he ended martial law and reunited with the leaders who had governed the realm. The Oa Star Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance’s war against New Krypton remained unresolved, but the people could finally resume ordinary lives under their Emperor’s protection.

• Zero recalled her warship and lifted martial law after He-El returned, ending the century-long regime of grueling work and rationed resources.
• The chapter recounted how the Oa Star Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance had waged near-annual wars against New Krypton, whose roughly twenty-five stellar-level powerhouses faced more than two hundred from the divided alliance.
• He-El announced six-hour workdays and three days off each week, and the people of New Krypton celebrated their Emperor’s return.
• He-El headed to the Moon with Hela, Father Izaya, Athena, Kal-El, and other leaders who had governed New Krypton in his absence.
• Zero explained that she had sent nearly all available forces to the Traversal Vortex as soon as she discovered He-El’s return, trusting that New Krypton would endure as long as he was there.

After returning from the Marvel Universe with captured ships and supplies, He-El reassured New Krypton’s leaders that he could handle the Oa Star Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance. He arrived at the Moon War Base and reviewed the alliance’s latest assault beyond the Oort Cloud Ring Perimeter Defense Line.

• The Mechanical Corps and Seven Lantern Corps salvaged Cosmic Emperor He-El’s ships and equipment after He-El killed him and routed his forces.
• Father Izaya warned He-El that lifting martial law could leave New Krypton vulnerable to the Oa Star Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance’s war of attrition.
• He-El told Father Izaya that his power had surpassed the star level and that Zero could use his knowledge of cosmic power and the Omega Effect to overcome the Zeroers’ knowledge blockade.
• Athena said nothing had happened worth He-El’s attention, while Kal-El, Father Izaya, and Scarface concluded that the alliance was no match for his return.
• He-El entered the Moon War Base command room and examined a hologram of star-level enemies and fleets attacking beyond the Solar System’s Oort Cloud defenses.

He-El ordered New Krypton to kill Lobo Rob, a stellar-class fighter serving the Oa Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance, as another battle began at the Solar System’s perimeter. Kal-El, Athena, and Father Izaya pledged their forces, leaving New Krypton poised to break the long-standing balance and risk a wider war.

• The Mechanical Corps dismantled the warships and cosmic motherships captured from Cosmic Emperor He-El’s forces, bringing New Krypton a vast haul of resources.
• He-El examined Lobo Rob’s image while Kal-El explained the bounty hunter’s history and his sporadic appearances in battles along the Oort Cloud Ring Perimeter Defense Line.
• Kal-El described how the Oa Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance’s war of attrition had consumed most of New Krypton’s military resources while neither side had lost a stellar-class powerhouse.
• He-El calmly ordered his forces to kill Lobo Rob, despite the risk that capturing and killing a stellar-class fighter would ignite a larger war.
• Kal-El accepted the order, Athena promised the Divine Realm’s support for General Karu, and Father Izaya joined the campaign before He-El declared that no one could oppose his conquest.

He-El sent Hela to study New Krypton and earn the strength and knowledge needed to command her own corps. He then heard Scarface explain why she had brought the Seven Lantern Corps to New Krypton, convinced that He-El’s conquest would bring stability to the universe.

• He-El ordered Ciri to show Hela around New Krypton and send her to the War Academy, explaining that she must prove herself before leading soldiers.
• He-El allowed Hela to choose soldiers and build a corps under her command, and Hela vowed to forge an invincible corps.
• Ciri took Hela away from the command room to familiarize her with New Krypton.
• He-El questioned Scarface about joining New Krypton and establishing the Seven Lantern Corps there.
• Scarface said she had supported New Krypton because she believed its conquest would secure the universe and its people, and added that her power could not be left to drift among the stars.

He-El welcomed Scarface’s Seven Lantern Corps into New Krypton and ordered her to deliver an ultimatum to the Oa Star Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance. Scarface accepted her role in the coming war as He-El declared that the universe would bear New Krypton’s name.

• He-El learned that Zhang Beihai’s Green Lantern Corps remained outside New Krypton’s core because Zero did not trust Scarface.
• Scarface explained that only her Green and Yellow Lantern Corps were complete, while the other five remained incomplete because she lacked their power sources and faced obstruction from the Guardians of the Universe.
• He-El admitted Scarface’s Seven Lantern Corps into New Krypton, and Scarface chose to support him because she believed New Krypton would prevail.
• He-El ordered Scarface to tell the Oa Star Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance that he had returned and demand submission or face destruction.
• Scarface knelt and accepted the order as He-El declared that the name of the universe would be New Krypton.

He-El learned that the Shinigami World had become New Krypton’s research and supply base, with the Death Legion ready to join the coming war. He-El heard of Rangiku Matsumoto’s death and her son’s resentment toward him, then asked Savitar how he felt.

• Scarface led Sinestro and the Green Lantern Corps commander away to announce He-El’s return to the Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance on Oa Star.
• He-El learned from Aizen that the Shinigami World had completed Reishi Energy Conversion Equationization and could send its Bleach forces to fight for New Krypton.
• Gin told He-El that Rangiku Matsumoto had died before the research was completed and that her son resented the father he had never met.
• He-El ordered Aizen, Ichimaru Gin, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni to prepare the Death Legion for the coming war and set aside other matters.
• After the three leaders left the command room, He-El asked Savitar how he felt.

He-El met with Savitar and Reverse-Flash, whose Speed Legion was running short of energy for the coming war. He gave them an Earth-sized Speed Force Crystal and promised New Krypton would eventually make the Speed Force a permanent force of the universe.

• He-El asked Savitar how he felt as commander of the Speed Legion, which he and Reverse-Flash had formed with Zero’s support.
• Savitar reported that the Speed Legion lacked enough Speed Force energy to sustain the war.
• He-El examined the Speed Genes Savitar and Reverse-Flash had developed after losing access to the Speed Force of The Flash world.
• He-El produced a Speed Force Crystal the size of Earth and sent it to Savitar, promising that New Krypton would eventually have its own Speed Force Wall.
• Savitar and Reverse-Flash knelt and fervently accepted the crystal from He-El.

He-El reunited with Zero and transferred knowledge drawn from the six Infinity Stones to help her and the Mechanical Corps grow stronger. Zero left with the AllSpark and instructions to overcome the technological blockade imposed by the world of The Three-Body Problem.

• After Savitar and Reverse-Flash left, Zero formed a body of liquid metal before He-El and told him she had feared losing the New Krypton he created.
• He-El reassured Zero that they mattered more than New Krypton and that they could build again if necessary.
• He-El transmitted knowledge about the Infinity Stones and the universe’s underlying forces into Zero, storing the information she could not hold in the AllSpark.
• He-El gave Zero the AllSpark and ordered her to use the knowledge to remake herself, strengthen the Mechanical Corps, and break the technological blockade imposed by the world of The Three-Body Problem.
• Zero accepted the AllSpark and agreed to follow He-El’s instructions.

The Guardians of the Universe called the Oa Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance’s Stellar-class leaders to account for turning their anti-He-El coalition into a trading market. When one leader suggested destroying the Solar System, another reminded the gathering that He-El had killed Darkseid.

• More than two hundred civilizations reshaped Oa Star into the Oa Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance, which had become a prosperous trading hub within a century.
• The Stellar-class leaders gathered at the decade-long meeting and spent it bargaining, advertising goods, and arranging trades.
• A Guardian of the Universe demanded that the leaders remember why the alliance had been founded: to stand against He-El.
• The leaders argued that trade did not conflict with their efforts against New Krypton and questioned why the Guardians had not simply destroyed the Solar System.
• One leader asked whether they had forgotten He-El, the man who killed Darkseid.

The Stellar-class powerhouses of the Oa Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance argued over whether He-El, Emperor of New Krypton, was truly dead after killing Darkseid. The chapter left them divided between confidence in the alliance’s strength and fear that He-El might return, since they believed none of them could stand against him.

• The Stellar-class powerhouses fell silent as they recalled Darkseid’s past attacks and the threat he had posed.
• A powerhouse said He-El had perished with Darkseid in the Black Domain, while others questioned his death because his remains had never been found.
• The powerhouses noted that Darkseid’s ability to kill beings of their rank was gone, but He-El had already proved strong enough to kill Darkseid himself.
• Some alliance members claimed its two hundred Stellar-class powerhouses could defeat any threat, while others warned that those who had never faced Darkseid underestimated him.
• An ancient powerhouse said the younger members would learn the truth through defeat, and another admitted that none of them could withstand He-El if he returned.

Young and ancient Stellar-class powerhouses argued over the Oa Pan-Stellar Domain Alliance’s cautious war against New Krypton, with the young demanding action and accusing the elders of cowardice. They agreed to reward those who captured New Krypton’s Stellar-class combatants with Trade Council shares, then turned to the seventeen Guardians of the Universe.

• Young Stellar-class powerhouses dismissed the elders’ warnings about Darkseid and claimed the Alliance’s two hundred members could defeat New Krypton.
• An ancient Stellar-class powerhouse challenged the young to face General Karu or one of the Twelve Olympians and explained that Darkseid’s absence and the Emperor of New Krypton’s disappearance emboldened them.
• Young powerhouses demanded an assault on the Solar System, unaware that Earth’s stability was crucial to the universe and the Antimatter Universe.
• A young powerhouse proposed awarding Trade Council shares to those who captured New Krypton’s Stellar-class combatants, and both young and ancient powerhouses approved.
• After trading insults over who would claim the rewards, the Stellar-class powerhouses turned toward the seventeen Guardians of the Universe.