Chapter Summaries

Seventy years after Chen Mo disappeared, he returned to the Martial Arts School and found the Seven Precepts Gang thriving under Wang Kun’s family. Wang Kun recognized his former master at the door and greeted him with overwhelming emotion.

• Chen Mo walked through the familiar neighborhood and arrived at the Martial Arts School he had entrusted to Wang Kun.
• Wang Kun’s great-grandson Wang Jin trained under Wang Kun, while the family’s Seven Precepts Gang had grown into a powerful nationwide organization that still followed Chen Mo’s rules.
• Wang Kun sent Wang Jin to answer a knock at the door during their sparring session.
• Wang Jin opened the door and met Chen Mo, who asked to see Wang Kun.
• Wang Kun recognized Chen Mo’s voice, hurried to the entrance, and called him Master.

Chen Mo stayed at the Martial Arts School with Wang Kun and his family, sparring with Wang Kun while waiting for the right moment to intervene in Tony Stark’s story. After learning Tony would travel to Afghanistan in three days, Chen Mo prepared to leave, and a visitor knocked at the door as he announced his departure.

• Wang Kun urged Wang Jin to kneel and pay respects to Chen Mo, but Chen Mo refused and asked them not to summon the younger generation.
• Chen Mo stayed in his preserved room at the Martial Arts School and spent the following days drinking tea, practicing swordsmanship, and sparring with Wang Kun as Wang Jin watched.
• Chen Mo decided not to interfere with Tony Stark’s kidnapping and the creation of the Iron Man suit, then learned from HYDRA that Tony would travel to Afghanistan in three days to demonstrate the Jericho Missile.
• Wang Kun’s wife brought Chen Mo Crystal Osmanthus Cakes, and Chen Mo praised them before storing the whole plate in his space.
• Chen Mo told Wang Kun he should leave, and someone knocked on the Martial Arts School’s front door.

Agent Phil Coulson delivered Chen Mo’s promotion to Major General and appointment as commander of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Special Operations Team. Chen Mo visited Howard Stark at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hidden base, then accepted the appointment by transferring Coulson to his team.

• Agent Phil Coulson told Chen Mo that he had been promoted to Major General and appointed commander of the Special Operations Team with Level Ten clearance.
• Chen Mo secretly traveled to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hidden base beneath an abandoned factory in New York.
• Howard Stark greeted Chen Mo, showed him the base, and heard about Chen Mo’s plans.
• Chen Mo stopped Howard from awakening Colonel Phillips, Steve, and the others, then left the base.
• Chen Mo accepted the appointment and told Agent Coulson that he had been transferred to the Special Operations Team.

Chen Mo accepted a US Army major general rank and command of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Special Operations Team, while Tony Stark was captured after a successful Jericho Missile demonstration and began building an armored suit to escape. As Dr. Ethan risked his life to buy Tony time, gunfire erupted outside the cave.

• Chen Mo accepted his military rank and Special Operations Team command, and drafted Agent Phil Coulson to assist him.
• Tony Stark demonstrated the Jericho Missile at Bagram Air Base and celebrated the weapon's success with US and Afghan military officers.
• Terrorists attacked Tony's convoy, killed his guards, and captured him after a Stark Industries missile wounded him.
• Dr. Ethan saved Tony's life by removing shrapnel and helping him replace his chest electromagnet's car battery with a miniaturized Arc Reactor.
• Tony and Dr. Ethan completed the Mark I and prepared to escape, but Dr. Ethan drew the terrorists away as gunfire suddenly erupted outside the cave.

Phil Coulson and Brock Rumlow rescued Yinsen from the terrorists, then found Tony Stark emerging in his improvised steel armor. Tony learned they had come to rescue him but remained confident he could escape on his own, while Rumlow’s hidden identity as a HYDRA spy remained unknown to him.

• Phil Coulson and Brock Rumlow killed the terrorists in the cave and asked Yinsen where Tony Stark was.
• Phil Coulson explained that Chen Mo had ordered the rescue after Tony disappeared, and that a prolonged search had finally found the terrorist base.
• Tony Stark emerged from the cave in his steel armor, and Yinsen stopped him and the agents from attacking one another.
• Phil Coulson identified himself as an agent sent to rescue Tony, while Brock Rumlow introduced himself as captain of the Special Operations Team.
• Tony dismissed the need for rescue, unaware that Brock Rumlow was a HYDRA spy and that Chen Mo secretly controlled HYDRA.

Tony Stark escaped the terrorist base in his Mark I suit, but its thrusters failed and left him stranded in the desert. Chen Mo rescued him, then claimed to be his father.

• Tony Stark flew away from the cave in his Iron Man suit while Phil Coulson and Brock Rumlow explained that only three people had been deployed to rescue him.
• Chen Mo arrived, learned Tony had left, and ordered two helicopters before setting out to find him.
• Tony's suit lost power, crashed into the desert, and left him lost and struggling through the heat.
• Chen Mo's helicopter found Tony as he neared collapse and brought him to his feet.
• Tony asked Chen Mo who he was, and Chen Mo solemnly said, "I'm your father."

Tony Stark returned to New York after Chen Mo rescued him, accepted that Chen Mo was his long-lost godfather, and announced that Stark Industries would stop making weapons. At Tony’s villa, he began building the Mark II with Chen Mo and Dr. Ethan present, while Brock Rumlow secretly recovered the Mark I and its blueprints for HYDRA.

• Tony Stark learned from Yinsen and Phil Coulson how Chen Mo had rescued him and that Chen Mo had been found frozen in the ice, then accepted him as his godfather.
• Tony reunited with Pepper Potts and met Sharon, whom he believed was the orphaned daughter of one of Howard’s comrades; Chen Mo recognized her as Sharon Rogers, Steve and Carter’s daughter.
• Tony announced at a press conference that Stark Industries would shut down its weapons division, while Chen Mo let him make the decision.
• Chen Mo left Brock Rumlow in Afghanistan, where Rumlow and HYDRA agents collected the Mark I wreckage and blueprints before Rumlow contacted Obadiah Stane.
• Tony began building the Mark II at his seaside villa and allowed Chen Mo and Dr. Ethan to watch and help.

Tony Stark, Chen Mo, and Dr. Ethan completed the Mark II Iron Man suit, incorporating Chen Mo’s improvements to its armor, flight systems, and environmental protections. Tony tested the suit in flight, exhilarated by its capabilities, and began climbing toward the SR-71’s altitude record.

• Tony Stark shared his Iron Man suit designs with Chen Mo, who identified flaws and suggested improvements while Dr. Ethan assisted and learned from them.
• Pepper Potts told Tony that Obadiah was waiting upstairs, and Tony later returned from a tense meeting after refusing to hand over his miniature Arc Reactor.
• Tony, Chen Mo, and Dr. Ethan finished building the Mark II and tested its systems, including its armor, controls, and heads-up display.
• Tony flew the Mark II outside while Chen Mo and Dr. Ethan monitored its video and performance data.
• Tony asked J.A.R.V.I.S. about the SR-71’s altitude record and challenged himself to break it.

Tony Stark and Chen Mo improved Mark II and developed a more powerful third-generation Arc Reactor while Obadiah Stane acquired the Mark I prototype and built the Iron Monger suit. After Agent Phil Coulson exposed Stark Industries' weapons sales, Tony confronted Obadiah and realized that someone he had trusted had betrayed him.

• Tony Stark tested Mark II at extreme altitude, then worked with Chen Mo to improve the suit and develop a third-generation Arc Reactor.
• Brock Rumlow foiled Obadiah Stane's attempt to rob him, cut off Obadiah's left hand, and still completed HYDRA's deal for Mark I and its blueprints.
• Obadiah returned to New York, had Iron Monger built from the prototype and blueprints, and remained unable to solve its power needs.
• Agent Phil Coulson showed Tony photographs of Stark Industries selling weapons to armed groups, including the Jericho Missile.
• Tony called Obadiah, who admitted he had persuaded the board to restrict Tony's authority, leaving Tony shaken by the betrayal.

Tony Stark destroyed the weapons Obadiah had sold to terrorists, while Pepper Potts uncovered evidence of Obadiah’s crimes and his role in Tony’s kidnapping. Obadiah discovered the evidence, seized Tony’s Arc Reactor, and left Tony apparently dying as he prepared to activate the Iron Monger.

• Tony flew Mark II across the Atlantic, destroyed the weapons at the locations in Coulson’s intelligence, and evaded F22 fighters after Chen Mo arranged for the Air Force to recall them.
• Tony asked Pepper to hack Stark Industries’ mainframe, where she found evidence of Obadiah’s arms deals, Tony’s orchestrated kidnapping, and Sector Sixteen’s Iron Man suit research.
• Obadiah caught Pepper in Tony’s office, but Coulson escorted her away with the copied evidence before Obadiah could stop her.
• Obadiah discovered the files had been copied and decided to use the Iron Monger, whose construction was complete except for its Arc Reactor.
• Obadiah went to Tony’s villa, paralyzed him with a neural inhibitor, removed the Arc Reactor from his chest, and admitted his crimes.

After Obadiah stole Tony Stark’s Second-generation Arc Reactor and left him helpless, Chen Mo saved Tony with a Third-generation Arc Reactor and helped secure Pepper Potts. Tony flew to confront Obadiah’s Iron Monger, and their battle rose into the sky as Chen Mo arrived too late to join the fight.

• Obadiah admitted ordering the attack on Tony and stole the Second-generation Arc Reactor, leaving Tony paralyzed and dying.
• Chen Mo installed a Third-generation Arc Reactor in Tony and told Phil Coulson to evacuate Pepper Potts and people near Stark Industries.
• Tony donned his upgraded Mark II armor and flew to confront Obadiah, while Chen Mo and Yinsen followed by car.
• Obadiah’s Iron Monger overwhelmed Tony with its strength, armor, and weapons, but Tony escaped its missile and took the fight into the air.
• Obadiah activated the Iron Monger’s thrusters and chased Tony skyward as Tony recalled Chen Mo’s warning about flying too high.

Tony lured Obadiah’s Iron Monger to high altitude, where the cold disabled it, but Obadiah recovered and ambushed him after landing. As Obadiah battered Tony’s damaged Mark II, Tony faced imminent death just as a brilliant silver sword light appeared above him.

• Tony drew Obadiah upward, and high-altitude icing caused Iron Monger’s systems and thrusters to fail.
• Iron Monger restarted during its fall, landed safely, and Obadiah hid until Tony lowered his guard.
• Obadiah seized Tony and repeatedly struck the Mark II’s head with his Impact Hammer, while its armor absorbed the blows and gradually deformed.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. warned Tony that the head armor was nearing destruction, and Tony feared no one could save him in time.
• A brilliant streak of silver sword light flashed above Tony’s head.

Chen Mo saved Tony Stark by severing Iron Monger’s head, then warned him not to assume the fight was over. Obadiah emerged unharmed and attacked with a hidden Sonic Cannon, but Chen Mo blocked it with his shield, leading Obadiah to recognize him as the legendary Special Operations Team Commander.

• Chen Mo cut off Iron Monger’s head and saved Tony, who excitedly called him Dad.
• Chen Mo reminded Tony that the battle was not over until the enemy was confirmed dead, and Tony realized Obadiah had survived inside the armor.
• Obadiah emerged from Iron Monger and demanded to know who Chen Mo was.
• Obadiah revealed a Sonic Cannon in his left hand and fired at Chen Mo and Tony.
• Chen Mo blocked the blast with his shield, and Obadiah recognized him as the Special Operations Team Commander from the past.

Chen Mo stopped Obadiah from ambushing Tony with a sonic cannon and left Tony to decide his enemy’s fate. After Tony publicly declared himself Iron Man, he killed Obadiah and joined Chen Mo in moving to reclaim control of Stark Industries.

• Obadiah recognized Chen Mo, but Chen Mo identified the sonic cannon in Obadiah’s prosthetic as a weapon supplied by Ulysses Klaue.
• When Obadiah aimed the cannon at Tony, Chen Mo shielded him and disabled Obadiah’s arm with a Throwing Knife, then told Tony to finish him.
• At a press conference the next day, Tony ignored Phil Coulson’s prepared statement and announced, “I am Iron Man!”
• Tony reflected on Obadiah’s crimes, decided he was too dangerous to let live, and killed him with a repulsor blast.
• Chen Mo had Tony summon Stark Industries’ board of directors to begin reshuffling the company’s leadership.

Chen Mo attended a Stark Industries board meeting with Tony Stark and revealed that he owned the company through a long-hidden controlling share. The directors questioned how the contract could be genuine, and Tony identified Chen Mo as his father Howard's wartime comrade, the Commander of the Special Operations Team.

• Tony Stark brought Chen Mo, Phil Coulson, and Pepper Potts to a board meeting, where the directors challenged Chen Mo's presence.
• Chen Mo declared that he owned Stark Industries, and Coulson and Pepper distributed documents proving his claim to sixty percent of the company's shares.
• The directors learned that Howard had sold Chen Mo the shares seventy years earlier and had directed the dividends toward research for the Stark family.
• A director questioned whether Chen Mo could really be the person named in the old contract.
• Tony told the board that Chen Mo was his father's former comrade and the Commander of the Special Operations Team.

Chen Mo revealed himself as the legendary Commander, and a televised military announcement confirmed that the Commander had awakened after being frozen for seventy years. He asserted control over Stark Industries and announced plans to privatize the company under Tony Stark.

• The Stark Industries directors rejected Tony Stark's claim that Chen Mo was the Commander.
• Chen Mo asked Pepper Potts to turn on the television, where a military officer announced the Commander's return after seventy years frozen in ice.
• A second announcement named Tony Stark as the first member of a new super-hero strategic response team led by Chen Mo.
• Chen Mo announced that he would dissolve Stark Industries' board and delist the company.
• Chen Mo announced plans to buy back minority shares and transfer his sixty percent stake and the repurchased shares to Tony Stark.

Chen Mo forced Stark Industries’ directors to surrender their shares, making the company Tony Stark’s private property, and Tony appointed Pepper Potts as CEO. After returning to work on the Iron Man suit, Chen Mo went to HYDRA headquarters and requested intelligence on Ulysses Klaue and Wakanda.

• Chen Mo showed the directors evidence of their crimes, and they signed over their Stark Industries shares to avoid prison.
• Chen Mo told Phil Coulson to hand the directors’ criminal evidence to the police, while Tony Stark signed an agreement making Stark Industries entirely his own.
• Tony Stark appointed Pepper Potts as Stark Industries’ CEO and returned to the mansion laboratory with Chen Mo and Dr. Ethan to develop the Iron Man suit.
• Chen Mo left Tony Stark and Dr. Ethan to continue their work, returned to HYDRA headquarters through secret channels, and ordered Albert to find intelligence on Ulysses Klaue and Wakanda.

Chen Mo left Tony Stark to develop the Iron Man suit’s rapid-equipping system and investigated Ulysses Klaue and Wakanda. HYDRA’s intelligence revealed Wakanda’s hidden technological power, while Chen Mo considered how HYDRA’s forces and Cosmic Cube technology compared with it.

• Chen Mo explained his ideas for the suit’s automatic assembly system to Tony Stark, then left the villa to handle other matters.
• Chen Mo reviewed Albert’s intelligence on Ulysses Klaue, learning that Klaue worked with Erik Killmonger to steal and sell ancient Vibranium weapons.
• Chen Mo learned that Wakanda had secretly developed advanced technology using its Vibranium deposits while disguising itself as a poor, undeveloped nation.
• HYDRA’s intelligence described Wakanda’s Border Tribe defenses, Vibranium equipment, and cloaking technology.
• Chen Mo concluded that HYDRA could defeat Wakanda through its Cosmic Cube weapons, stronger forces, and Winter Soldiers.

Chen Mo learned that Erik Killmonger was a HYDRA-raised operative whose loyalty had been carefully cultivated, and he approved a plan to eliminate Ulysses Klaue. After Klaue and Erik stole a Vibranium weapon, Erik received the kill order and aimed his pistol at Klaue’s back.

• Chen Mo discovered Erik Killmonger's Wakandan origins, his father's death, and his connection to Ulysses Klaue.
• Albert assured Chen Mo that HYDRA's lifelong cultivation had made Erik's loyalty resistant to the Heart-shaped herb, then explained HYDRA's operative training and brainwashing methods.
• HYDRA's call ordered Erik to eliminate Ulysses Klaue after the pair stole an ancient Vibranium weapon from a museum.
• Erik followed Klaue to their warehouse hideout, drew his pistol, and aimed it at Klaue's back.

Erik Killmonger killed Ulysses Klaue and his men, then carried Klaue’s body to a hidden HYDRA fighter. The aircraft took Erik to Zero Secret Base, where he was set to become an internal member of HYDRA.

• Erik Killmonger shot Ulysses Klaue repeatedly and killed him after Klaue tried to ambush him.
• Erik used a rifle grenade to destroy the first SUV carrying Klaue’s men, then shot the four survivors from the second vehicle.
• Erik took Klaue’s Vibranium weapon and body, drove to a secluded valley, and boarded a hidden fighter jet.
• The fighter flew to the Scandinavian Mountains in Norway and entered a concealed passage in the mountainside.