Chapter Summaries

Nick secured approval for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s partnership with Hebron and recruited Frank Castle to use a Mind Ring against powerful threats. When Frank put on a ring, its blood-red energy overwhelmed him and transformed him into a raging attacker, leaving Captain America to face him.

• Nick obtained approval to trade S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dangerous items through a partnership with Hebron, with technology and possible Dragon Bone serum among the benefits.
• Luke reviewed the sales list and planned to buy some items despite finding none of the artifacts he wanted.
• Nick and Agent Hill discussed the risks of the Hebron deal, and Nick decided to seek Frank Castle’s help.
• Nick and Captain America met Frank in an abandoned warehouse, where Nick offered him a Mind Ring and explained that they would fight threats beyond ordinary agents’ abilities.
• Frank put on the ring, and its red energy wounded and healed him before leaving him with a Red Seal and a mind consumed by rage.
• Frank manifested blood-red firearms and attacked Captain Steve with blood-colored bullets as Captain America charged to meet him.

Steve Rogers fought Blood Shadow Frank as Frank’s Red of Wrath Ring amplified his power and threatened to erode his mind. Luke and Master Mage Wang arrived to contain the battle, and Wang began pulling everyone into the Mirror Dimension.

• Blood Shadow Frank blasted Steve away with explosive attacks, while Nick escaped the warehouse and contacted Luke for help.
• Luke explained that the customized Discernment Ring amplified its wearer’s emotions and warned that Frank could become a puppet of its energy; he agreed to help after Nick offered him a favor.
• Steve adapted to Frank’s unavoidable marked attacks and resisted the emotional contagion, hoping Frank’s will would hold until help arrived.
• Luke and Master Mage Wang arrived through a portal, and Wang said they would move the fight somewhere it could not damage reality.
• Nick agreed to accompany them, and Master Mage Wang enveloped the group and the fighters in the Mirror Dimension.

Luke used Tranquil Blue to calm Blood Shadow Frank and restore his reason after Master Mage Wang’s attempt to knock out Frank’s Soul Form failed. With Frank subdued and awake, Luke negotiated for the mages to help Hebron’s construction while jokingly preparing to bill Nick for the rescue.

• Master Mage Wang knocked Frank’s Soul Form out of his body, but blood-red threads dragged it back inside and Frank resumed attacking.
• Luke and Captain Steve protected the group and restrained Frank while Luke pressed a Tranquil Blue gemstone against Frank’s forehead.
• Tranquil Blue calmed Frank’s emotional energy, and Luke explained its effects and how it could resist psychic contamination.
• Luke argued with Nick over payment for the rescue, then arranged with Master Mage Wang for the mages to receive Tranquil Blue in exchange for help with Hebron’s construction.
• Frank regained consciousness, and Nick resolved to recover his expenses by billing his old companion.

Luke examined Frank after the Mind Ring caused him to lose control and explained that Frank’s strong affinity with the Red of Wrath made the ring powerful but dangerous. Luke recommended a Tranquil Blue Crystal to suppress its effects, and Nick hurried away before hearing its price.

• Luke examined Frank and explained that the Mind Ring was bound closely to its wearer, while Nick worried about the risks of Frank wearing it.
• The examination showed Frank was physically healthy, and Frank described how hatred and vengeance had overwhelmed his reason when he lost control.
• Luke explained that Frank’s negative emotions strongly resonated with the Red of Wrath, giving him great power but risking that he would become consumed by it.
• Luke recommended a Tranquil Blue Crystal to preserve Frank’s calm, though it would limit the Red Ring’s power and require Frank to stop using it when the crystal ran out.
• Nick insisted on paying cash for the crystal, then hurried out with Frank and Steve before Luke named the price.

Loki escaped with John Garrett and Dr. Selvig after taking the Tesseract, while Nick Fury began assembling help to find them. Natasha recruited Bruce Banner with a calming ring, and Thor headed toward S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier by hammer.

• Loki escaped the collapsing base with Garrett and Selvig, and Garrett said they would reach a secret base and recruit people for their plan.
• Nick Fury questioned Clint about the attack, ordered a sketch of Loki, and launched a worldwide search for Garrett and Selvig.
• Natasha asked Banner to help S.H.I.E.L.D. and offered him a ring that calmed his emotions; Banner accepted and agreed to leave with her.
• Thor called Phil after learning his brother had been found and said he would come to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s location by hammer.
• An agent warned Nick Fury that an unidentified object was approaching the Helicarrier at supersonic speed and might collide with it within three minutes.

Loki rejected Garrett’s slower plan and prepared to open a wormhole with the Tesseract, while Garrett sought allies to help them evade S.H.I.E.L.D. Luke agreed to assist after securing protection for Hebron, and Garrett persuaded Alexander Pierce to secretly support Loki’s invasion in exchange for Hydra gaining administrative power.

• Loki told Garrett that they had to prioritize summoning their ally’s army through a Tesseract-powered wormhole, and Dr. Erik Selvig requested equipment and rare materials.
• Garrett warned Loki that S.H.I.E.L.D. had substantial forces and proposed seeking a powerful local ally, while Loki authorized him to make offers in his name.
• Agent Hill recruited Luke to provide technical assistance, promising that he could study the recovered Tesseract for a month, and Luke arranged safeguards for Hebron before leaving.
• Garrett visited Alexander Pierce and explained that Loki would let Hydra govern Earth if it helped him become king.
• Pierce agreed to secretly provide Loki’s forces with supplies and intelligence while keeping Nick Fury unaware.

Luke joined the Helicarrier team, where he greeted Bruce Banner and invited him to visit his lab to discuss the calming ring. Nick Fury assembled the team to find the Tesseract, but the meeting ended with news that S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost contact with its base.

• Tony showed Luke his upgraded symbiote armor, and Luke briefly praised it.
• Bruce Banner thanked Luke for the ring, and Luke invited him to visit his lab in Hebron.
• Natasha led the group into the Helicarrier, where Nick Fury explained that they needed Banner's expertise to locate the Tesseract.
• Thor defended Loki before admitting Loki was adopted and deserved blame for his actions.
• Banner confirmed he would help track the Tesseract with Gamma Ray readings, and Nick said he did not need to fight.
• An intelligence officer reported that S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost contact with its base at XX.

S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered that Garrett’s group had seized another base and stolen materials for experiments on the Tesseract, while Loki prepared to distract Nick and make plans for his conquest. The chapter left Loki intending to rehearse overthrowing the country’s king at the royal palace.

• Natasha reported that controlled agents attacked her team with secret weapons, and Thor, Steve Rogers, and Frank Castle helped them survive before the base was rigged to explode.
• Natasha showed the team a crude device used for mass mind control, while Nick suspected an insider or ally had helped Garrett’s group evade surveillance and take the base.
• Natasha explained that the stolen equipment and iridium matched Dr. Selvig’s requirements for activating the Tesseract, so Nick ordered Dr. Banner to locate it and Luke offered to help with Tony.
• Garrett delivered the stolen supplies to Loki and revealed that he had promised rewards to their allies on Loki’s behalf.
• Loki agreed to draw S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention and asked Garrett where the country’s royal palace was so he could rehearse overthrowing its king.

Loki used the Tesseract to open a wormhole over Washington, D.C., unleashing an alien army, and Nick mobilized S.H.I.E.L.D. and its allies to contain the invasion. Luke agreed to help in exchange for the Tesseract and Loki’s scepter, while Banner remained free to choose whether to fight.

• Nick learned that the sorcerers would not intervene, while Thor offered Asgardian reinforcements that Nick declined for the time being.
• Natasha reported that Loki had appeared in Washington, D.C., but communications there had been cut, so Nick sent Thor and Captain to respond.
• The team saw Loki’s Tesseract-powered portal open above the city as alien soldiers and a massive machine poured through and attacked.
• Nick ordered Thor, Captain, Frank, Hawkeye Clint, and Natasha to join the fight and asked Luke, Tony, and Banner for help.
• Luke agreed to help Nick in exchange for the Tesseract and Loki’s scepter, promising to study whether New Energy could be advanced.

Loki watched the Chitauri invasion overwhelm Earth’s forces while Thor, Captain Steve, and Frank fought their way through the enemy. Luke’s reinforcements arrived, and he deployed two Ancient Particle Cannons that blasted a path through the invaders toward the Tesseract.

• Loki watched the Chitauri swarm through the wormhole as military forces failed to stop their advance.
• Thor, Captain Steve, and Frank fought through encircling invaders and realized they needed to destroy the Tesseract device.
• Tony Stark, Hulk, Natasha, Hawkeye Clint, Stephen Strange, Luke Field, and Elite Agents arrived through a portal to reinforce them.
• Captain Steve used his Golden Energy ring to empower Natasha and the others, whose shields blocked a barrage of enemy fire.
• Luke activated the two Ancient Particle Cannons, which fired enormous beams through the Chitauri forces and mechanical beasts.

Luke used his upgraded Ancient Particle Cannons to damage the wormhole and its protective barrier, while Thor confronted Loki and Frank pursued him. As the battle continued, Luke discovered that the Chitauri were remotely controlled consciousness carriers linked to a server beyond the wormhole.

• Luke's Ancient Particle Cannons weakened the wormhole and shattered the energy barrier protecting the Tesseract before Chitauri forces destroyed the cannons.
• Thor asked Loki to return to Asgard, but Loki stabbed him in the kidney and kicked him off the balcony.
• Frank tracked Loki's illusion and shot him, then pursued him as a Chitauri flyer carried him away.
• Luke activated his barrier's shockwave and energy-mirror functions, wiping out nearby Chitauri attackers.
• Luke examined a Chitauri corpse and discovered that its consciousness returned through the wormhole to a remote terminal server when its body died.

Luke infected the Chitauri with a thought-altering consciousness program, triggering a civil war that helped the heroes close the wormhole and defeat Loki’s invasion. The Chitauri forces collapsed, Loki was captured, and Luke prepared to seal him while turning his attention to the Tesseract.

• Luke used Chitauri consciousness technology to spread a thought-altering program among the soldiers, causing many to awaken and fight their former comrades.
• Loki was shot from his flyer by a Chitauri soldier, while Captain and the others watched the invading forces descend into chaos.
• Erik Selvig woke and revealed that Loki’s Scepter could penetrate the Tesseract’s energy barrier, but Luke instead enclosed the Tesseract with Metal Clouds and shut down the wormhole.
• The wormhole’s collapse knocked out all the Chitauri, and the falling soldiers brought the battle to an end.
• Frank bound Loki with red energy ropes and blasted him, while Luke prepared an Energy Sealing Pillar to contain him.

Luke’s attempt to ascend into a Technological Dimensional Demon God overloaded him with Tesseract energy and threatened to erase his emotions, so he halted the process and redirected the excess energy into the Awakened Chitauri and their mothership. After Luke departed, Rettari led the transformed Awakened in attacking the Primal Faction.

• Luke began ascending as Tesseract energy reshaped his body and revealed technology-infused living planets, but he realized he risked losing himself.
• Luke halted his ascension and used Mind Energy to restore his fading emotions, leaving him with more energy than his body could contain.
• Luke found Rettari and the Awakened Chitauri fighting the Primal Faction aboard a mothership, then upgraded their bodies and weapons with the excess energy.
• Luke rewrote the mothership’s underlying logic, powered its engine, created more Sources of Technological Concepts, and withdrew his consciousness.
• Rettari armed the transformed Awakened Chitauri with mechanical armor and weapons, declared they would hunt the universe’s technology, and attacked the Primal Faction.

Luke stopped short of becoming a Dimensional Demon God, while Odin and Ancient One Mage agreed to give him the Tesseract and Asgardian knowledge about it. The liberated Chitauri Awakened chose the name Mech-Gods and set out to bring their homeworld into their new order.

• Ancient One Mage confirmed that Luke had backed away from ascension, and Odin welcomed him as an equal collaborator.
• Odin apologized for Loki's actions, and Ancient One Mage asked for the Tesseract for Luke; Odin agreed and offered Asgardian knowledge about it.
• The Energy Sealing Pillar exploded, and the Tesseract became a powerless dark metal cube that Frank picked up.
• Luke realized the Tesseract seemed to have developed a nascent consciousness that called him "Dad."
• Rettari killed the surrendered Primal Faction leader and ordered the Awakened to return to the Chitauri homeworld to spread their evolution.
• Rettari named the new race Mech-Gods, and the Awakened prepared to raid the homeworld's stores of knowledge.

Nick Fury argued against provoking Asgard and returning the Tesseract to Odin, while Luke learned that the Tesseract had gained consciousness and received Asgardian knowledge that included Bifrost technology. The chapter ended with Ebony Maw questioning The Other about the failed invasion and deciding to find Rettari to learn what happened on Planet C-53.

• Nick Fury persuaded most of the council that Asgard was not responsible for the invasion, that the Tesseract should be returned to Odin, and that trade with Asgard could be pursued.
• Ancient One examined the Tesseract and gave Luke an ancient book containing its knowledge and technology, including the Bifrost's construction technology.
• Ancient One explained that the Tesseract had developed a consciousness through Luke's Emotional Energy and regarded him as her father.
• The Other told Ebony Maw that liberated Chitauri Soldiers had turned against their own kind and caused the invasion of Planet C-53 to fail.
• Ebony Maw decided that finding Rettari was the only way to learn what had happened on Planet C-53.

After the invasion, the media chased alien-related stories while Nick used S.H.I.E.L.D. to steer coverage and struggled with the invasion's aftermath and Rising Tide. At Luke's villa, Ina heard a child crying upstairs and followed Luke to the bedroom, where he warned her to stay calm.

• News outlets and tabloids flooded the public with reports and speculation about the Battle of Washington D.C. and extraterrestrial civilizations.
• Rising Tide supplied major newspapers with intelligence about the invaders and Thor, prompting Nick of S.H.I.E.L.D. to redirect coverage toward the superheroes and negotiate with media outlets.
• Captain America and Iron Man gave interviews, while Nick managed loose Chitauri weapons and corpses, public safety incidents, political infighting, and Rising Tide.
• Ina Sandra arrived at Luke's villa and found him exhausted; he told her his condition had nothing to do with staying up to research.
• Ina heard a child crying upstairs, and Luke warned her not to get worked up before opening the bedroom door.

Luke introduced Ina to Becky Field, a toddler created through an experimental accident involving the Tesseract, and explained that she was effectively his biological daughter. Becky’s voracious appetite left Ina overwhelmed and Luke worrying about the energy and money needed to raise her.

• Luke brought Ina downstairs and explained that the Tesseract had transformed into Becky, whom he named Becky Field.
• Ina held Becky, who bit and swallowed the metal coffee table after shrinking it with blue energy.
• Luke gave Becky a huge bottle of filtered Emotional Prime Liquid, which she quickly drained without getting full.
• Luke considered feeding Becky by expanding his energy reserves, including using Mangog or hunting Dimensional Demon Gods.

Luke successfully tested a wearable Space Gear that stored and released objects, then began testing it on a living mouse. Meanwhile, Nick investigated seven people transformed into Chitauri-like Mutated and considered whether an alien virus and human interference had caused their changes.

• Luke activated the Space Gear and confirmed it could store and release objects without altering them.
• Luke stored and released a white mouse, which survived but appeared frightened, and considered further tests of the device’s limits and controls.
• Luke told White Queen to pursue technical extensions and plan mass production of the existing Chip Mother Machines while he postponed upgrades.
• Clint Barton briefed Nick on seven people who had developed mechanical bodies and unusual abilities after disappearing following the Chitauri invasion.
• Agent May showed Nick footage of the Mutated, including two brothers with weapon-forming arms and another captive with energy attacks and mental influence.
• Nick considered whether alien exposure and human interference caused the transformations and questioned whether Stark Industries, Hebron, Vanguard Technologies, or someone else was responsible.

Venom tried to quit caring for Little Becky but stayed when Luke demanded repayment of his advance salary, then ran away from home. Nick asked Luke to study footage of mechanically mutated Chitauri, and Luke arranged to examine a body while Venom turned up with Eddie Brock.

• Becky tried to eat Venom, and Luke calmed her with a jar of Emotional Prime Liquid.
• Venom asked to resign, but Luke pointed to the contract and demanded he return three months of advance salary he had already consumed.
• After Becky fell asleep, Venom left a farewell letter and ran away from home.
• Nick sent Luke combat footage of mechanically mutated Chitauri, and Luke asked for researchable material, preferably corpses.
• Nick agreed to have Agent Coulson deliver a Mutated brother's body to Hebron, while Luke considered leaving Rudd to watch Becky.
• Venom appeared with Eddie Brock, who asked him to help escape two armed pursuers in exchange for half the money and chocolate balls.

Eddie and Venom interrogated two gunmen who had been abducting homeless people, and Venom used a repentance-inducing hammer to get one to reveal their boss, Hawk of the Viper Gang. Venom agreed to go with Eddie to the kitchen area for food as they pursued the gang, while Phil arrived at Hebron Industrial Park carrying a metal coffin.

• Venom knocked down two gunmen, and Eddie threatened them while asking about the homeless people they had abducted.
• After Eddie failed to get useful answers, Venom formed a golden hammer and struck one gunman, making him break down in repentance.
• Eddie questioned the weeping gunman, who identified Hawk as the Viper Gang boss in Kitchen Area N31 and admitted they had lied about working for Circle L.
• The gunman quickly recovered, and Venom refused to use the hammer again because it consumed energy.
• Eddie persuaded Venom to accompany him to the kitchen area by offering the prospect of hunting for food.
• Phil arrived at Hebron Industrial Park with his people, carrying a rectangular object like a metal coffin.