Chapter Summaries

Aaron learned that Odin had arranged his meeting with Hela in hopes of preventing Ragnarok, then sent Hela and the others to safety while preparing to face Surtur. Elsewhere, Thanos discovered that Aaron’s Thought Form was immune to the Soul Stone and recognized him as a member of the Gaius family, famed as saviors.

• Odin revealed that he had arranged Aaron and Hela’s meeting and planned for them to grow close, while Thor and Loki admitted they had known about the scheme.
• Aaron punched Odin, and Hela destroyed Odin’s ice body after asking whether he had acted to stop Ragnarok.
• Rocket and Groot arrived to rescue Thor, and Aaron opened portals for Hela, Thor, Loki, Rocket, and Groot to leave as Surtur began to rise.
• Aaron told Hela he had a thirty percent chance of surviving and promised not to die before their daughter was born.
• Thanos used the Soul Stone against Aaron’s Thought Form, but the attack failed because Aaron’s soul was immune to soul-based attacks.
• Aaron’s Thought Form revealed the Gaius family mark, and Thanos recognized him as Aaron Gaius, a member of the legendary family of saviors.

Aaron revealed to Thanos that he had intervened in Ragnarok only to save Hela, but blamed Thanos for exposing his identity and challenged him over his destiny. As Aaron blocked Thanos from reaching Earth, powerful figures across the universe watched Ragnarok and chose to wait before acting.

• Aaron told Thanos that he had come to Asgard to save Hela and had no interest in Thanos's plan until Thanos made him an enemy.
• Aaron showed Thanos the battle in Wakanda, where Captain Marvel and Earth's forces were defeating the invading army, and warned that Thanos would face powerful heroes if he arrived too late.
• Thanos tried to open a portal to Earth, but Aaron sealed it and declared that anyone who came to Asgard would be treated as an enemy.
• Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades watched from the Pantheon, while Zeus decided not to help or harm Aaron and hoped he would survive.
• Mephisto ordered Witchcraft Demon to seize Aaron's soul and said he would use his son's body to help.
• Arishem considered going to Earth to free Tiamut, but Jemiah warned him against it, and the powerful observers chose to wait until Ragnarok ended.

Aaron sent Wanda and Banner to safety, then faced Surtur on the Bifrost as Ragnarok began. After Surtur’s flames failed to kill him, Aaron revealed his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and began devouring Surtur’s Eternal Flame to build the power he needed to return home.

• Thanos accepted the Thought Form’s offer to leave, while Wanda and Banner entered Aaron’s Divine Kingdom for refuge.
• Aaron checked his mission panel and planned to stop Thanos, kill Surtur, and absorb enough energy to reach the power required to return home.
• Aaron revealed that he was Horn Gaius’s descendant, and Surtur attacked him with the Twilight Sword’s flames.
• Aaron swallowed Surtur’s fire, endured his attacks, and devoured Eternal Flame leaking from Surtur’s wounded palm.
• Aaron revealed his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and dragon-like transformation, then thanked Surtur because he could consume flames to replenish his magic power.

Aaron fought Surtur across Asgard, using magic and Star Abyss to humiliate and batter him while keeping him alive as a sparring partner. As Surtur struggled to recover, Aaron replenished his magic by devouring the flames on his body, intent on delaying Ragnarok until Yak and the others seized the Infinity Gauntlet.

• Aaron attacked Surtur at close range, mocked him, and used portals and Dragon Slayer Magic to evade and strike him while absorbing his flames.
• When Surtur spread destructive fissures across Asgard, Aaron froze and reversed time, undoing the destruction and forcing Surtur to withdraw the Twilight Sword.
• Surtur counterattacked with flaming slashes and spikes, but Aaron blocked them with magic and drew Star Abyss, a Divine Artifact forged for him.
• Surtur overpowered Aaron with the Twilight Sword and caught him in his hand, but Aaron escaped by redirecting the blade through a portal and then struck Surtur with Star Map Chronicle.
• After Surtur survived the bombardment and began healing, Aaron devoured flames from his body to restore his magic, provoking Surtur while keeping him alive until the Infinity Gauntlet mission was complete.

Thanos arrived in Wakanda and overwhelmed the superheroes with the Power Stone while searching for Vision and the Mind Stone. Tony Stark was badly wounded trying to hold him off, and the chapter ended as Carol arrived to join the fight.

• Vision woke during his operation and left with Mantis to reach the battlefield before Thanos could find them.
• Thanos arrived in Wakanda, learned that his army had suffered heavy losses, and ordered Ebony Maw to find the Mind Stone's holder.
• The superheroes attacked Thanos in succession, but his strength and the Infinity Stones let him repel them with ease.
• Tony Stark and T'Challa regrouped, but Thanos broke through Tony's defenses, stabbed him, and knocked him away.
• Thanos incapacitated Rhodey as he tried to help Tony, then Carol arrived beside the wounded Stark.

Carol overwhelmed Thanos on Earth, but he sent her to Titan and forced Strange to surrender the Time Stone. Meanwhile, Thor obtained the newly forged Stormbreaker at Nidavellir and prepared to return to Earth, while Eitri warned that Thor still could not defeat Hela.

• Carol battered Thanos and nearly pulled off his Infinity Gauntlet, but he used the Power Stone to blast her away.
• Thanos used the Space Stone to send Carol to Titan, then threatened Strange until Strange handed over the Time Stone.
• Heimdall transported Thor, Rocket, and Groot to Nidavellir, where Eitri revealed that Odin had ordered Stormbreaker forged for Thor.
• Groot fused his arm to Stormbreaker and cut it off to complete the axe's handle.
• Thor took up Stormbreaker, gained armor and a red cape amid lightning, and learned from Eitri that he still could not defeat Hela.

Bucky, Thor, and the World Tree helped bring Thanos to the brink of defeat, but Thanos still snapped his fingers and escaped to Garden Planet. There, Yak, Ramon, and Naga took control of his body and trapped his consciousness in a dream.

• Barton rescued Vision from Ebony Maw, and he and Peter Parker learned from Nearly Headless Nick that the Avengers had nearly lost and that Thanos was coming for the Mind Stone.
• Thanos arrived, restrained Barton and Peter Parker, tore the Mind Stone from Vision, and placed it in the Infinity Gauntlet as the World Tree protected Nearly Headless Nick and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
• Thor attacked Thanos with Stormbreaker while Bucky fired an elemental beam at him, leaving Thanos badly wounded and pinned beneath Thor's axe.
• Thanos snapped his fingers, burning his hand and damaging the Gauntlet, then escaped through a portal as half the universe—including T'Challa—turned to ash.
• On Garden Planet, Yak controlled Thanos's body while Ramon trapped him in a dream and Naga's disease dulled his consciousness.

Yak and the others defeated Thanos and left him trapped in a convincing illusion, while Aaron turned his fight with Surtur into a demonstration of overwhelming power. Aaron killed Surtur, sealed him, and used Star Abyss to drain his origin as he prepared to consume him.

• Yak removed the Infinity Gauntlet from the nearly dead Thanos and explained that Thanos had destroyed all six Infinity Stones after using them to erase half of life.
• Yak restored the Gauntlet to Thanos and planned to leave him believing his dream was real until the transformation magic failed, trapping him on his chosen retirement planet.
• Aaron received Yak's report, then used Star Abyss to wound Surtur and giantification magic to match his size.
• Aaron blasted Surtur across the universe with elemental magic and killed him with the Crimson Lotus Phoenix Sword technique, alarming the watching Celestial Father-level figures.
• Surtur resurrected and realized Aaron could erase his origin, but Aaron bound him with chains and spells before driving Star Abyss into his chest to drain his power.
• Aaron fully transformed into a black dragon and prepared to eat Surtur.

Aaron devoured Surtur’s origin while Mephisto tried and failed to lure him into signing a contract for Hell’s protection. Mephisto’s deception drew Shuma-Gorath to Aaron, who learned the demon blamed Trick Gaius for sealing his true body.

• Aaron pinned Surtur down and drained his origin, while Surtur begged for mercy and mistook him for Níðhöggr.
• Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon discussed Aaron’s strength, while Jemiah persuaded Arishem to wait rather than act against him.
• Mephisto offered Aaron protection in exchange for a drop of blood, but Aaron replaced his contract with one that would force Mephisto to risk everything for him.
• Aaron burned Mephisto’s Witchcraft Demon body with Fiendfyre, and Lucifer mocked Mephisto for helping Aaron buy time.
• Shuma-Gorath appeared in an avatar, explained that Trick Gaius had sealed his true body, and demanded to know whether Aaron would help him.

Aaron split off an identical avatar, who sealed Shuma-Gorath’s avatar inside Wei Zheng’s Jar with Mafuba while the original continued devouring Surtur. The watching Demon Gods hesitated to attack, leaving Aaron time to finish consuming Surtur’s remaining origin.

• Shuma-Gorath attacked Aaron with dark-purple energy and tentacles, but Aaron resisted his mental assault and realized other Demon Gods were preparing to join the hunt.
• Aaron invoked the Tiger Talisman to create an equally powerful evil avatar, then continued devouring Surtur while the avatar faced Shuma-Gorath.
• Evil Aaron used Mafuba to draw Shuma-Gorath into Wei Zheng’s Jar and sealed it with a talisman bearing his blood.
• Evil Aaron warned the imprisoned Shuma-Gorath that he might refine the demon’s origin once he grew strong enough, then stored the jar in a Space Magic Array.
• Evil Aaron threatened the spectators with his sword and magic, and the gathered Demon Gods chose not to approach while Aaron finished devouring Surtur.

After killing Surtur, Aaron gained enough power to leave the universe, but cosmic beings trapped him and demanded his Divine Kingdom, blood, and Wanda. Aaron used Fairy Law to devastate the gathered attackers, then faced Mephisto again as the chapter ended with Aaron slapping him through a portal.

• Aaron checked his status, claimed the reward for killing Surtur, and bought Fairy Law and Word Magic.
• Aaron tried to leave through a portal, but cosmic beings redirected it and trapped him in a domain that prevented his escape.
• The beings demanded Aaron's Divine Kingdom, blood, and Wanda, and Mephisto revealed he was the source of Wanda's magic.
• Aaron warned the gathered attackers to leave, then used Fairy Law to strike the domain, killing most sub-Celestial Fathers and injuring others.
• Mephisto and the cosmic beings discussed dividing Aaron's possessions, but Aaron opened a portal and slapped Mephisto before he could finish taunting him.

Aaron summoned Trick through the ring left by his ancestor, turning the attack by the Celestial Fathers into the start of a second purge. Trick punished Nearly Headless Nick on the Helicarrier, then reunited with Aaron and prepared to eliminate the gathered cosmic enemies.

• Aaron revealed the ring as his final trump card and used his blood to summon a World Tree that withstood the cosmic beings’ attacks.
• Trick appeared aboard the Helicarrier, read Nearly Headless Nick’s thoughts, and removed Carol Danvers’s Infinity Stone energy before restoring her and sending her away.
• Trick cursed Nearly Headless Nick for his ambitions, then vanished along with the World Tree.
• Trick emerged beside Aaron, who pretended to have been badly wronged, and the two discussed how Horn and Trick’s plans had drawn their enemies together.
• Aaron explained that the gathered enemies had fallen into Trick’s trap, and Trick began the second purge.

Aaron secured compensation from Trick for the women affected by the coming changes and received the Infinity Gauntlet, while Trick prepared to battle the gathered Lords of Dimensions. Back on the Helicarrier, Aaron explained Nick Fury’s curse and planned to return home after reuniting Pepper and the others with their families.

• Aaron asked Trick to sever Chthon’s connection to one of his women and to preserve Hela’s status as a Lord of Dimensions, and Trick agreed to arrange compensation.
• Aaron summoned Yak, who presented him with the Infinity Gauntlet, and Aaron handed it to Trick for the coming fight.
• Trick used the Infinity Gauntlet to break the cage holding Aaron, then sent Aaron away before confronting the Lords of Dimensions.
• Aaron arrived on the Helicarrier, where Hill explained that Nick Fury had offended Trick and been cursed.
• Aaron demonstrated the curse’s power and told Nick Fury he would need to curb his ambition and repair the damage from his past, or die quickly.
• Aaron opened portals that returned Pepper and the others from his Divine Kingdom, then said he would go home and asked the Helicarrier crew to notify their families.

At the Avengers base, Aaron revealed his role in the fight against Thanos and refused to join the Avengers’ plan to confront him. He left them to pursue Thanos without knowing that Aaron already held the Infinity Gauntlet and all six Infinity Stones.

• Steve and the Avengers learned from Nebula that Thanos had gone to a garden planet, and they debated whether to pursue him despite the danger of another failure.
• Aaron arrived, explained that he had been dealing with Surtur, and told Thor that he had left Bohart Star for Asgard to rebuild on.
• Aaron revealed that he had fought Thanos with four Infinity Stones and that his follower Bucky had dealt Thanos a fatal blow during the Battle of Wakanda.
• Aaron summoned Bucky, reminded Steve that Bucky was alive as his follower, and explained that he had also helped Bruce Banner reconcile with Hulk.
• Tony asked Aaron to help the Avengers recover the six Infinity Stones, but Aaron declined and said he did not want to see Thanos again.
• Aaron dismissed Peter Parker’s death as bad luck, while the Avengers prepared to go after Thanos without him.

The Avengers traveled to Thanos’s refuge to stop him, only to discover his Infinity Gauntlet was fake and the Stones had not been destroyed. Thanos realized Aaron Gaius had likely stolen them and trapped him in a false dream; after learning Gamora was dead, the Avengers killed Thanos and returned to Earth hoping Aaron had the Stones.

• Aaron refused to join the mission, claiming Thanos was gravely weakened and assuring the Avengers they could defeat him.
• The Avengers arrived at Garden Planet and ambushed Thanos, with Thor severing his left arm and Rocket discovering the Infinity Gauntlet held no Stones.
• Thanos claimed he had destroyed the Infinity Stones, but the Gauntlet began to vanish, revealing it was an illusion and making him realize he had been deceived.
• Thanos concluded Aaron Gaius had taken the Stones and subjected him to a realistic dream, while the Avengers considered how Aaron’s magicians could have found his refuge.
• Thanos admitted he had sacrificed Gamora to obtain the Soul Stone, and Rocket told Thor to kill him; Thor beheaded Thanos.
• Steve led the Avengers back toward Earth, hoping the six Infinity Stones were in Aaron’s hands.

Aaron revealed how his followers deceived and killed Thanos, then used the Infinity Gauntlet to restore everyone erased by the snap. He held a farewell banquet for his friends before preparing to leave the universe, leaving Strange with the Time Stone and memories of Aaron’s departure.

• Aaron explained that Yak, Ramon, and Naga had ambushed Thanos after his snap, replaced his Infinity Gauntlet with a fake, and killed him while he was trapped in a dream.
• Aaron took the Infinity Gauntlet from Thor, snapped his fingers, and restored every life erased across the universe.
• Aaron gathered his friends and followers in an enchanted banquet hall, explained that the gathering was his farewell, and asked everyone to enjoy the celebration without questioning him.
• Strange thanked Aaron for returning the Time Stone and asked about his departure, his friends’ memories, and the other Infinity Stones.
• Aaron told Strange he would preserve his memories of the universe and said he would make arrangements for the remaining Infinity Stones before leaving.

Aaron gave Strange a Resurrection Card and helped the Guardians of the Galaxy secure a path to revive Gamora before returning home with Abe. His family already knew he was bringing back a pregnant Hela, and after explaining what happened to his wives, Aaron was pulled upstairs by Kriya.

• Aaron gave Strange a Resurrection Card in exchange for Kamar-Taj’s promise to help any future Gaius who came to the universe.
• Aaron gave Peter Quill a Dog Talisman to restore Gamora’s body and explained that the Guardians had to return the Soul Stone to Vormir and hide the other Infinity Mu Jins to free her soul.
• Aaron and Abe returned through the World Tree portal to the Gaius family’s Secret Chamber, where Jeans warned him that Trick had revealed Hela’s pregnancy and Aaron’s new powers.
• Aaron entered the hall and found his parents and three wives waiting; Vico took his wife away while Aaron prepared to explain Hela’s pregnancy.
• Aaron told Hermione, Pheobe, and Kriya how he and Hela had ended up together, and Kriya took him upstairs, saying they would not let Hela get ahead of them.