Chapter Summaries

Leo killed the six crime bosses and several key underlings listed in the files, then urged Zost’s brothers to take over their territory. While flying to Africa with Mike, Leo spoke with Voss Brandon about a deal to help establish control over Queens.

• Dick told Zost that the people at the old boss’s location were dead, and Zost warned his brothers to obey Leo.
• Leo killed the crime bosses and key underlings across Queens, then returned to the fast-food restaurant and gave Dick a golden light buff.
• Leo carried Mike away and told Zost’s group to bring him good news the next night; Zost rallied his brothers to seize their rivals’ territory.
• Leo flew toward Africa with the unconscious Mike and received a call from Voss Brandon, Walker’s father.
• Leo told Voss that his subordinates would become Queens’ largest underground force and asked to cooperate, and Voss asked what benefits he would receive.

Nick Fury was shot by the Winter Soldier after secretly warning Steve Rogers that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been exposed, and Rogers pursued the assassin but failed to catch him. Fury was taken to surgery as Natasha rushed to the hospital, while Fury remained conscious enough to realize the Golden Light had kept the bullets from killing him.

• Nick Fury warned Steve Rogers through his phone that someone was listening through the wall and that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been exposed.
• The Winter Soldier fired three blind shots through the wall, critically wounding Fury, who gave Rogers a USB drive and told him not to trust anyone.
• Kate revealed that she was S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Agent 13 and began treating Fury while Rogers pursued the attacker.
• Rogers caught up with the masked Winter Soldier, who caught and flung back Rogers's shield before escaping.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements took Fury to the hospital, and Natasha rushed to his side after hearing he was near death.
• Fury suppressed the Golden Light as he lost consciousness and realized it had deflected the bullets that struck near his heart.

Leo returned to Wakanda and resumed cultivating in a Vibranium mine, continuing to strengthen his bones. T'Challa and Shuri failed to locate him, but Shuri believed her upgraded drones could find him.

• Leo explored the Pacific Ocean, healed an injured baby sea turtle, and flew toward Wakanda after concluding that strengthening his Iron Bones was his priority.
• Leo bypassed Wakanda's defenses and disappeared into a mine, while King T'Chaka and T'Challa failed to track him down.
• Leo began absorbing energy from Vibranium deposits, and his Iron Bones strengthening progress advanced from 77% to 78%.
• T'Challa asked Shuri for help finding Leo, and Shuri said her upgraded drones could penetrate four meters of mine wall.

Leo encouraged Dr. Banner to face Hulk and learn to coexist with him, then resumed his training inside Wakanda’s Vibranium meteorite. Elsewhere, Loki gained Thanos’s trust by promising to retrieve the Tesseract.

• Banner told Leo that Hulk had nearly emerged and described his efforts to share Hulk’s anger and control himself.
• Leo created a metal model showing Banner and Hulk changing between forms, and Banner thanked him for the gift.
• Leo visited Mike’s African tribe, then flew to Wakanda and entered the Vibranium meteorite to continue strengthening his Iron Bones.
• Banner took the model to work, Tony watched the Mark VII take shape, and Erik continued studying the Tesseract’s energy.
• Loki told Thanos he could open a one-way portal and retrieve the Tesseract once its energy was fully awakened.

Leo and Lorelei traveled with Red Whale to Xandar, where Leo reflected on the advanced civilization as they approached the planet. The chapter then showed Jason running a successful shop on Xandar while still grieving his murdered wife and children.

• Lorelei asked whether Red Whale could perform a Space Warp, and Leo explained that it could travel without using hidden wormholes.
• Leo sent Red Whale coordinates for the Xandar System, and the whale warped there with Leo and Lorelei.
• Leo told Lorelei that Xandar was a hub where intelligent beings from more than two thousand civilizations had gathered.
• Jason sold a secondhand battery to a Xandarian customer and privately celebrated the profit.
• The narration revealed that Jason had built a respectable shop on Xandar after Leo sent him there two years earlier, but he still grieved over his wife and children.

Leo moved Jenny and George to Shanghai to keep them safe while preparing to confront the crisis at S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, Rogers and Natasha uncovered Project Insight’s threat, but an armored attacker killed Sitwell before they could call Leo.

• Stark rejected warning every S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, and he and Leo agreed to get Jenny and George out of danger.
• Leo urged Jenny and George to leave immediately, and George recognized that Leo was worried about their safety.
• Leo transported Jenny and George to Shanghai on Red Whale and planned to return to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s crisis.
• Rogers and Natasha recovered the Falcon Wings, recruited Sam Wilson, and extracted information from Sitwell about Zola’s algorithm and Project Insight.
• Rogers, Natasha, and Sam drove Sitwell toward Triskelion Headquarters to infiltrate the Helicarriers, but an armored hand seized Sitwell from the car and threw him beneath a truck.

Maya tested the Extremis Serum on Reiz, restoring his severed leg and greatly enhancing his strength, speed, and reactions. After Zost wounded him during a sparring match, Leo watched fiery-red cracks spread from Reiz’s neck wound.

• Reiz’s severed leg regrew in less than a minute after he received the Extremis Serum.
• Maya explained that the serum cost about thirty million dollars per dose and that she had only developed it with Chen Haoran’s help.
• Reiz demonstrated his enhanced jumping ability and dodged Zost’s punch, showing that his reactions had improved.
• Zost sparred with Reiz and found that Reiz’s strength and durability surpassed his own expectations.
• Zost changed tactics and cut Reiz’s neck, leaving Leo to inspect the fiery-red cracks spreading from the wound.

Nick Fury gathered intelligence on Loki and sought approval to form a response team, then recruited Steve Rogers to help recover the Tesseract. Tony detected Leo’s signal in Wakanda and expected him to appear soon.

• Tony told Fury that Leo was somewhere on Earth, then J.A.R.V.I.S. detected Leo’s signal in a forest in Wakanda before it vanished.
• Fury reviewed Loki’s powers and concluded that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed help, including Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Clinton Barton, and Leo.
• Fury argued with the council members that he needed a response team to face Loki, despite their objections to relying on unusual individuals.
• Fury found Rogers training in a veterans’ center and told him the world needed saving.
• Fury gave Rogers a file about the Tesseract and explained that Loki had stolen it, and Rogers agreed to join the effort.

Tony Stark spent time with Pepper before Phil Coulson interrupted their date with urgent files about extraordinary people and objects. After Coulson left, Tony studied the Tesseract information and wondered what Leo knew, while Nick Fury called to ask whether he had any leads on Leo.

• Tony and Pepper discussed their energy project and worried that Leo had been out of contact for seven months.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. announced Coulson's urgent call, and Coulson arrived to deliver files about the Avengers Initiative.
• Tony and Pepper examined footage and information about Thor, Captain America, Banner, the Hulk, the Tesseract, and the Arc Reactor.
• Pepper promised Tony they would have another date, then kissed him before he offered Coulson a ride to the airport.
• Tony projected an image of the Tesseract and wondered whether it was the Infinity Stone Leo had mentioned.
• Nick Fury called Tony and asked whether he had any leads on Leo.

Reiz awakened a powerful flame ability while fighting Zost, but exhausted himself and collapsed after Chen Haoran stopped the resulting fire. As Leo prepared to leave the laboratory, J.A.R.V.I.S. called to report an incident under a program Stark had established.

• Reiz unleashed a scarlet blast that destroyed Leo's Blade Rings and surged toward the people behind them.
• Chen Haoran met Reiz's fire dragon with one of his own, creating a wall of flames that left everyone on the other side unconscious.
• Leo carried Reiz to Maya, who found him dangerously exhausted and rushed him away for a nutrient-solution injection.
• Leo told Zost to test three doses of the Extremis Serum before deciding how to use it.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. called Leo under Stark's program to notify him and Stark of an incident, and Leo asked what had happened.

Leo examined the Mind Stone aboard the aircraft and tried to test its energy, but Thor arrived and took Loki. Leo set off to bring them back as Tony and Rogers pursued them.

• Leo recovered Loki's Mind Scepter and identified the Mind Stone inside it, suspecting Thanos had given it to Loki as part of a larger plan.
• Leo reached toward the Mind Stone to test whether he could absorb its energy, but Tony stopped him.
• Thor landed on the aircraft, struck Tony, freed Loki, and carried him away.
• Leo secured the scepter and left to resolve the misunderstanding and bring Thor and Loki back.
• Tony flew after Thor, and Rogers followed by jumping from the aircraft with a parachute.

Loki forced a crowd to kneel and fought Captain Rogers and Leo, but Leo resisted the Mind Scepter and drove him back. As Loki faced Leo, Iron Man arrived and aimed his weapons at him.

• Loki armored himself, blocked the crowd’s escape with illusions, and ordered hundreds of people to kneel.
• An elderly man defied Loki, and Rogers reflected Loki’s laser with his shield as the crowd began to stand.
• Loki’s Mind Scepter struck Leo, but its energy could not affect his mind, and Loki sent Rogers flying during their fight.
• Leo kicked Loki away, returned Rogers’ shield, and walked through Loki’s blasts as Rogers and Natasha held back.
• Iron Man arrived, hit Loki with his Pulse Cannons, and unfolded his weapons while telling him not to move.

Thor confronted Loki over the Tesseract and his plan to rule Earth, while Leo restrained Loki and explained that he wanted the Avengers to unite against a common enemy. Thor and Tony then fought until Leo stepped between them and asked them for a favor.

• Thor confronted Loki and demanded the Tesseract, but Loki denied knowing where it was.
• Leo restrained Loki with handcuffs and used his powers to pin Loki against a boulder.
• Tony attacked Thor after Thor returned for Loki, and their argument escalated into a fight.
• Thor and Tony exchanged blows, and Thor's lightning powered up Mark VI before Tony blasted him away.
• Leo intervened, pushed Thor and Tony apart, and asked them to do him a favor.

Zost’s group cleared the Black Prison Tower of Hydra agents and began questioning the few genuine S.H.I.E.L.D. members they found. At Headquarters, Leo warned Nick Fury that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be devastated even if they stopped Hydra, and the group prepared to act.

• Zost, Rando, and Reiz killed most of the thirty people in the Black Prison Tower, identifying only four as genuine S.H.I.E.L.D. members.
• Zost sent the police officers away, then told Rando to help Chen Haoran dispose of the bodies while he questioned the four survivors.
• Leo reviewed reports and surveillance showing Hydra agents inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and learned that their number had reached 2,400.
• Leo told Nick Fury he could only reduce S.H.I.E.L.D. casualties and warned that the organization would lose at least half its personnel.
• Nick Fury thanked Leo, and Leo said there were at least three thousand Hydra members before the group prepared to go out and stop them.

Leo rescued Tony and Rogers, then learned that Coulson had fallen; he and Fury used Coulson’s apparent death to inspire the Avengers to unite. After Fury spoke to Tony and Rogers about the Avengers Initiative, the separated heroes began recovering, and Barton learned Leo had freed him from Loki’s mind control.

• Leo rescued Tony from the turbine and pulled Rogers back onto the Helicarrier, then shot a Hydra soldier with his own bullet.
• Fury announced that Coulson had fallen, but Leo confirmed Coulson was alive and recognized that Fury planned to use the staged death to unite the heroes.
• Fury showed Tony and Rogers Coulson’s bloodstained Captain America cards and explained the Avengers Initiative; Tony left without speaking.
• Thor escaped his cage and landed on a plain, while Banner woke in an abandoned factory and reassured an old security guard that he had hurt no one.
• Natasha told the restrained Barton that Leo had knocked him unconscious and cleared his mind, and Barton said he thought he knew Leo.

Agent Hand ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to prove their loyalty as an encrypted transmission exposed Hydra’s activation signal. Aboard the Airbus, Skye decoded the message, and Coulson suspected Hand was the Clairvoyant while Garrett’s reactions raised May’s suspicions.

• Hand told Agent Shaw and the assembled agents that they had to remain loyal or die after an encrypted message disrupted S.H.I.E.L.D. communications.
• Garrett arrived aboard the Airbus and learned that the aircraft was heading toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. center, where Coulson suspected Victoria Hand was waiting.
• Coulson argued that the Clairvoyant was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent using high-level clearance, and Garrett questioned whether Hand could be responsible.
• Skye decoded the transmission, which announced “HYDRA,” and identified it as an activation signal sent to Hydra members inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Coulson accused Hand of being a Hydra agent, while Garrett remarked that Hydra had infiltrated deeply and May watched him with suspicion.

Leo helped contain the Chitauri invasion on Manhattan, then joined the Avengers as they reorganized to defend civilians and hold back the advancing forces. After boosting Rogers and Natasha, he flew to confront a Leviathan while giving Barton a buff.

• Leo killed nearly a hundred Chitauri Soldiers in seconds and told the group he had dealt with around seven or eight thousand while keeping the invasion contained on Manhattan Island.
• Loki ordered the Chitauri Soldiers to charge, and several Leviathans came through the portal, prompting Leo to ask the others for help.
• Rogers assigned Barton to track enemy movement, Tony to defend the airspace, Thor to slow the portal’s advance, Leo to handle the Leviathans, and Natasha and Hulk to fight on the ground and rescue civilians.
• Leo restored Rogers and Natasha with Golden Light before flying off with his Metal Darts, while Hulk began smashing Chitauri across the buildings.
• Leo gave Barton a burst of Golden Light as Barton fired arrows at the Chitauri aircraft, then flew toward a Leviathan.

Zhang Huan questioned Jenny and George about Leo’s Mandarin, unsettling them with the possibility that Leo had a family in China. After reassuring them and promising their safety, Zhang Huan ordered Dragon Fang to investigate Leo’s origins and protect his adoptive parents.

• Zhang Huan asked Jenny and George who had taught Leo Mandarin, and they admitted he had already known the language when they first met him.
• Jenny and George feared that Leo’s biological parents might still be alive and searching for him, while George grew angry at Zhang Huan for raising the subject.
• Zhang Huan showed them Leo’s appointment with him, promised they would face no restrictions, and offered them massage-room service cards.
• After leaving the restaurant, Zhang Huan ordered an investigation into child trafficking and boys taken abroad around 1998, assigned two special-operations teams to protect Jenny and George, and demanded reports about Golden Legend.

Leo brought the bound Bucky to Wakanda and asked King T'Chaka to use Wakandan medical technology to undo his brainwashing and subconscious command. T'Challa took responsibility for Bucky as Leo released him into Wakanda's care.

• T'Chaka ordered the Dora Milaje and Border Tribe warriors to assemble, sent Ramonda to watch Shuri, and led T'Challa toward the target location.
• T'Chaka and T'Challa flew with Wakanda's forces to the coordinates, where they found Leo beside the Red Whale and a bound figure.
• Leo stopped the Red Whale from eating Wakanda's Vibranium and greeted T'Chaka as the Wakandan aircraft hovered nearby.
• Leo identified the bound man as Bucky and asked Wakanda to treat his brainwashing and remove his subconscious command.
• T'Challa offered to handle Bucky, and Leo removed his mechanical arm and released his restraints.

George and Tony hid Leo’s disappearance from Jenny, while Tony began searching for him and the Ancient One retrieved a book from Leo’s home. Leo reappeared on a desolate meteorite in space, surrounded by the power of the Tesseract and the blue gemstone.

• George secretly put Jenny’s phone away and asked Tony not to tell her that Leo had disappeared.
• George told Jenny that Leo had to help S.H.I.E.L.D. investigate the alien invasion, and she returned to New York with him.
• Tony asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to search satellite data for the spatial fluctuations linked to Leo’s disappearance.
• The Ancient One retrieved Leo’s copy of Astral Projection, then told Mordo that the New York Sanctum had suffered no damage.
• A new student asked Mordo why Kamar-Taj had not helped fight the aliens, and Mordo explained that the threat had not required the sorcerers’ intervention.
• Leo appeared on a desolate meteorite as the Tesseract vanished and a small blue gemstone floated behind him.