Chapter Summaries

Jude, Little Spider, and Ivy registered for the tournament on Qatar Star and learned that several powerful contenders would compete. The contestant list ended with Rocket revealing that Silver Surfer and Tyrant, heralds of Planet Devourer, had entered.

• Jude sold the Dyson Sphere's stored energy and deposited 10,000 energy coins into each of their accounts at the Universal Central Bank.
• Jude, Little Spider, and Ivy went to register for the tournament, where they met Rocket Raccoon and Groot.
• Rocket said more than a thousand contestants had registered and named Gladiator and Hyperion as seeded contenders, but Jude dismissed them.
• Rocket identified Nova, Starfire, a Reach Parasite Scarab, Lobo, and Hawkman and his spouse among the contestants, warning Little Spider about Nova and Lobo.
• Rocket found Silver Surfer and Tyrant on the list, prompting Jude to exclaim that Planet Devourer had fallen again.

Jude and Peter registered for the dangerous tournament on Qatar Star, while Jude investigated the Universal Central Bank chip and discovered the event’s betting frenzy. On the eve of the competition, Peter relaxed at the bar as his friends revealed they had bet their fortunes on him.

• Jude explained Planet Devourer’s origins, hunger, and heralds to Peter and Ivy through Rocket Raccoon’s account.
• Jude scattered energy crystals to clear the registration line, then registered himself and Peter despite the staff member warning them of the tournament’s dangers.
• Jude summoned Veronica, upgraded Peter’s armor, and discovered that Peter’s bank chip could store, track, and read minds, but his searches uncovered no useful information.
• Jude found the bank’s network defenses formidable and left a backdoor before withdrawing without changing his account balance.
• After registration closed, Qatar Star’s tournament groupings were announced and betting spread across the planet.
• At the bar, Peter enjoyed a massage before the tournament while Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot warned him they had bet their fortunes on him; broke after spending his coins, Peter asked to borrow money.

Jude and Little Spider entered the Grand Tournament, where Grandmaster offered the victor a chance to resurrect one person. Jude dominated his preliminary arena and faced a single surviving contestant.

• Jude and Little Spider passed through the portal to the tournament planet as Ivy and the others prepared to cheer them on.
• Grandmaster announced that the tournament victor would receive a chance to resurrect one person, then began the competition across 105 arenas.
• Jude kicked away a half-beastman, slapped down an alien who proposed an alliance, and used Cowboy 2 to clear part of his arena.
• More than three hundred contestants charged Jude, and Cowboy 2’s energy beams left only one of them standing.

Jude Herbert dominated Arena 63, then faced the armored survivor, whose name was Ravenous. After Jude shattered the armor and discovered Ravenous’s greater strength and powers, their fierce battle continued, ending with Ravenous declaring allegiance to Annihilus.

• Jude Herbert used Cowboy 2 to blast nearly every contestant in Arena 63, leaving only the yellow-armored alien standing.
• Ivy and the Guardians of the Galaxy celebrated their likely winnings while Star-Lord wondered where Gamora had gone, and the Collector and Grandmaster examined Jude’s information.
• Jude turned away after offering the survivor a chance to withdraw, but the alien attacked him with beams and missiles.
• Jude dodged the attacks, disabled the missiles with a gravity field, and shattered the alien’s armor with physical blows, revealing the green-skinned Ravenous.
• Ravenous became faster after losing the armor and clashed with Jude, who hurled him into a huge crater before Ravenous reappeared behind him and shouted, “For Annihilus!”

Ravenous, Annihilus’s second-in-command, fought Jude in the tournament while seeking Cosmic Energy to open a passage for the Annihilation Wave. Jude overwhelmed him and forced him to surrender, but Ravenous left determined to find another way to obtain the energy.

• Ravenous’s history revealed that he had entered the Prime Universe to find energy that could open a passage for Annihilus’s army, and he had targeted Silver Surfer and Tyrant to get it.
• Ravenous struck Jude from behind in the arena, but Jude gauged his strength and counterattacked with a punch to the groin.
• Jude chased Ravenous down, blasted him with eye beams, battered him against the ground, and sent him through a small mountain.
• Ravenous surrendered, and the tournament transported him and Jude back to Qatar Star.
• Jude taunted Ravenous as he left, while Ravenous resolved to find another way to acquire Cosmic Energy.

Jude entered the tournament’s main competition and faced Sinestro, the leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps, in a match tied to Sinestro’s feud with Hal Jordan. Jude struck first and sent Sinestro crashing into a mountain.

• Jude and Little Spider celebrated their preliminary victories at Mediocre People's Filthy Bar, where Jude bought drinks for the crowd.
• Star-Lord hired two alien girls for a private room after Rocket Raccoon warned him that he might not survive the tournament.
• The next day, Jude drew Sinestro, while the Green Lantern Corps had brought Hal Jordan to settle their conflict with Sinestro.
• Jude met Sinestro on an abandoned planet and traded insults with him as Sinestro focused on Hal Jordan’s presence.
• When the yellow energy barrier vanished, Jude attacked first and punched Sinestro into a distant mountain, shattering it.

Jude Herbert overwhelmed Sinestro in the arena, shrugging off his ring constructs and striking him out of the atmosphere. Sinestro summoned Parallax, leaving the battle to face a much larger threat.

• Cowboy 2 blasted Sinestro with crescent-shaped energy slashes, but Sinestro blocked them and counterattacked with a missile construct.
• Jude emerged unhurt from Sinestro’s nuclear-style explosion and mocked the power ring’s attacks.
• Jude punched through Sinestro’s mech and kicked him into the sky after Sinestro’s wavering will made the construct vanish.
• Sinestro recited the Yellow Lantern Oath and summoned Parallax, but Cowboy 2’s punch sent the glowing form beyond the asteroid’s atmosphere.
• The yellow light faded to reveal Parallax as a gigantic insectoid monster with many claws and segmented limbs.

Jude faced Sinestro and Parallax on an asteroid, shrugging off the entity’s fear illusions before overpowering it with Cowboy 2. After Jude nearly killed Sinestro with a punch, Parallax swallowed Sinestro whole.

• Parallax filled Jude’s mind with childish fears, but Jude dismissed the illusions and remained unaffected.
• Parallax broadcast its image across Qatar Star, terrifying billions and absorbing their fear to grow enormous.
• Jude activated Cowboy 2’s Overlimit Mode and fired a purple-flamed energy beam that destroyed Parallax’s claw.
• Jude charged through Parallax’s attacks, punched a hole through its throat, and struck Sinestro into near-death.
• Parallax swallowed Sinestro before Jude could finish him off.

Jude fought Parallax Demon as it drew strength from the fear of Qatar Star’s inhabitants, while the Collector and Grandmaster watched the match. Jude tricked Parallax into entering his mind, where it learned it was fictional and broke down, fleeing into space.

• Parallax merged with Sinestro and became Parallax Demon, then attacked Jude, who repeatedly overpowered it.
• Parallax Demon spread fear across Qatar Star and grew stronger by absorbing the inhabitants’ terror as it battled Jude across the asteroid.
• The Collector wanted to intervene, but Grandmaster stopped him and promised to restore the people after the match.
• Jude offered Parallax a chance to enter his body, and Parallax left Sinestro and searched Jude’s memories.
• Parallax discovered thoughts claiming its world was fictional, rejected the revelation, and tore at itself before fleeing into space.

After defeating Parallax, Jude met Hal Jordan and the Green Lanterns, then took Hal to an expensive tower to answer his questions. Hal waited for hours while Jude and Peter enjoyed themselves, and finally asked how Jude had defeated Parallax.

• The people on Qatar Star recovered from Parallax's attack, and the asteroid where Jude had fought it exploded.
• Hal Jordan, Kilowog, and Melgon approached Jude and Peter, and Hal introduced himself to his fellow Earthling.
• Jude invited Hal to talk over drinks at Qatar Star's tallest tower after learning the Green Lantern Corps did not pay its members.
• Jude and Peter spent hours entertaining themselves at the tower while Hal waited outside.
• Jude sent the alien women away, and Hal asked how Jude had defeated Parallax.

Jude defeated Blue Marvel in their arena match, killing him with three punches. He returned to Qatar Star and stayed behind, expecting Captain Marvel to retaliate and potentially target Little Spider.

• Hal Jordan left after speaking with Jude, warning him about Mongul's son and saying the Green Lantern Corps still needed to contain Parallax.
• Jude learned that his next opponent was Blue Marvel and told reporters he would beat him; spectators placed bets on Blue Marvel's defeat.
• Blue Marvel refused to forfeit and attacked Jude as soon as the energy barrier dropped.
• Jude activated Overlimit Mode and killed Blue Marvel with three punches before he could surrender.
• Jude returned to Qatar Star ahead of Little Spider's match and stayed to guard him in case Captain Marvel attacked.

After taunting Captain Marvel over Adam’s death, Jude drove her away and confronted Gormann, Mongul’s son, who threatened an imminent invasion. Jude decided to kill Gormann after learning Mongul had hidden the truth about his defeat.

• Captain Marvel tried to attack Jude over Adam’s death, but Talos stopped her by warning that the Grandmaster would punish her.
• Jude provoked Captain Marvel and blamed her refusal to surrender for Adam’s death, causing her to flee with Talos.
• Gormann approached Jude and was shocked when Jude insulted him and Mongul in front of the crowd.
• Gormann claimed Mongul would soon lead a fleet to attack the Milky Way and vowed to kill Jude.
• Jude suspected Mongul had lied to Gormann about losing and decided to kill him.

Little Spider defeated Koriand'r after his pants fell down, earning the nickname Lower-Body God of War. On Qatar Star, Ravenous offered Captain Marvel an Insect King Egg in exchange for help capturing the Silver Surfer or Tyrant, and she swallowed it despite Talos's objections.

• Little Spider explained that his pants had fallen after Koriand'r burned through his belt, and the crowd laughed as he fled.
• Little Spider's reputation as the Lower-Body God of War spread among the competitors.
• Talos urged Captain Marvel to abandon her revenge against Jude Herbert, warning that she could not defeat him.
• Ravenous visited Captain Marvel and Talos, offering an Insect King Egg in exchange for help capturing the Silver Surfer or Tyrant.
• Talos refused Ravenous's proposal, but Captain Marvel swallowed the egg and told Talos to leave Qatar Star.

Jude gave Peter a volatile potion and a million energy coins, then decided to bet against him to curb his growing defiance. Peter entered the arena confident ahead of his match against Silver Surfer, unaware that Jude planned to teach him a lesson.

• Jude gave Peter a potion and argued that Peter owed him for funding his fights, then transferred him one million energy coins as his requested share of the profits.
• After Peter left, Jude told Ivy he would bet on Peter's opponent because Peter had become too arrogant.
• Ivy observed that Peter's growing strength would naturally make him more independent, while Jude insisted that Peter had to remain under his control.
• The next day, Peter learned his odds against Silver Surfer were twenty-five to one, bet all his energy coins on himself, and entered the teleportation gate confidently.

Little Spider fought Silver Surfer, whose Cosmic Energy overwhelmed the Spider Armor and destroyed it. After Little Spider drank Jude Herbert’s potion, he transformed into a Cronenberg creature that could not be injured, but the pain eventually drove him to surrender.

• Little Spider entered the arena to face Silver Surfer, confident that his potion would help him win his 1 million energy coin bet.
• Silver Surfer neutralized Little Spider’s attacks, battered the Spider Armor, and destroyed it with a massive energy blast.
• Heartbroken over the loss of the armor’s AI, Gwen, Little Spider swallowed the potion and transformed into a Cronenberg creature.
• Silver Surfer attacked Little Spider for two hours but could not injure him, while Little Spider had no effective way to fight back.
• Little Spider surrendered because he could no longer endure the pain, ending the strange tournament battle.

Jude deliberately tampered with Little Spider’s potion, transforming him into a series of monsters before restoring him and revealing that he had profited from Little Spider’s loss. After they brawled, Jude sent Little Spider through a portal to Earth, where another Peter Parker was already present.

• Little Spider emerged from the portal as a Cronenberg monster, and Jude escorted him through Qatar Star’s busy streets to the laboratory.
• Jude repeatedly experimented on Little Spider, subjecting him to painful transformations until he returned to human form seven hours later.
• Little Spider apologized for losing the wager, then realized Jude had made a fortune from the twenty-five-to-one odds.
• Jude admitted he had tampered with the potion to punish Little Spider for refusing to obey him, and they argued before breaking into a brawl.
• Jude ordered Veronica to separate them, then kicked Little Spider through a portal to Earth and learned that another Peter Parker was there.

Little Spider returned to a changed New York and discovered that another Peter Parker had taken his place with Gwen Stacy and Aunt May. Convinced Jude Herbert had created an impostor, he attacked the other Peter, who challenged whether Little Spider was the real one.

• Little Spider emerged from a portal into Central Square, learned that New York had changed after the war, and called Gwen Stacy to pick him up.
• Gwen and Aunt May expected Peter to go to work at the Heissem Group, while Little Spider said he had spent months adventuring with Jude Herbert.
• The three compared their memories and realized that another Peter Parker had been living with Gwen and Aunt May.
• Little Spider blamed Jude Herbert, feared the other Peter was an impostor, and decided that only one Peter Parker could remain.
• Little Spider webbed up the other Peter when he came through the door and moved to kill him, but the captive asked how Little Spider knew he was not the clone.

Little Spider took his clone away from Gwen Stacy and Aunt May, then killed him and buried him in a war-scarred crater outside New York. He drove off after the violence left him exhausted and briefly dazed.

• The clone questioned whether Little Spider was the original, but Little Spider decided to take him away before their existence caused trouble.
• Little Spider drove the bound clone into the wilderness while Gwen Stacy worried about him and Aunt May dismissed the idea of calling the police.
• Aunt May began coughing violently, took medicine, and reassured Gwen that she was fine.
• Little Spider placed the clone in a crater, beat him to death with a rock, and stared at the body in a daze.
• Little Spider wiped the blood from his face, filled in the crater, and drove away.

After returning home and reuniting with Aunt May and Gwen Stacy, Little Spider rested while a secret gathering of powerful villains convened at a hidden Hydra base. The meeting’s final arrival was revealed as Hank Pym, shocking Bolivar.

• Little Spider returned home, reassured Aunt May and Gwen Stacy, and joined them for dinner.
• Crossbones welcomed Bolivar and MODOK to Hydra’s hidden Alpine base, where MODOK had regained control of Vanguard Technology and completed the Extremis Virus research with Killian.
• Red Skull gathered Bolivar, MODOK, Ra’s al Ghul, Vandal Savage, Murakami Shinichi, and Leader for a secret meeting.
• Red Skull revealed a hidden scientist, and Bolivar recognized him as Hank Pym.

Red Skull gathered Hydra’s allies to prepare a coordinated uprising against the United Government, with each faction revealing its forces and weapons. The conspirators worried that Superman could stop them, but Red Skull claimed he had secured help from another Kryptonian: General Zod.

• Red Skull introduced Hank Pym as Hydra’s senior advisor and announced that infighting within the United Government gave them an opportunity to strike.
• Bolivar insisted that his priority was exterminating Mutants, while the other conspirators revealed their personal motives for opposing the government and Jude.
• Leader, MODOK, Vandal Savage, Ra's al Ghul, Glasnost, and Hank Pym described their forces and preparations, including two hundred weakened Hulks, Extremis soldiers, assassination squads, upgraded Sentinel Robots, and Ultron.
• Red Skull said the only remaining problem was Superman and revealed that General Zod would help them defeat him.