Chapter Summaries

Ben used Wildmutt’s heightened senses to locate Muse’s hidden base, then changed back and headed through Manhattan’s sewers to rescue the captives. At the base, Muse began sawing the arm off a dying prisoner and turned his attention to Andrea.

• Peter told Matt that Wildmutt was Ben and showed him the blood-smeared painting; Matt said the killer had harmed at least 113 people.
• Ben expanded Wildmutt’s senses across New York and located a blind spot that revealed Muse’s position.
• Ben hid what he had found from Peter and Matt, carved a message into the floor, and left for the rooftops.
• Ben changed back, used Eunice to map Manhattan’s underground pipes, and marked Muse’s base, where nearly a hundred captives were held.
• Muse sawed at a dying prisoner’s arm and then looked toward the bound Andrea.

Ben rescued Andrea from Muse, discovered Muse had an Inhuman genetic defect, and collected his blood before killing him. After returning to Primus, Ben prepared to travel to New Mexico, while Steve recovered at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and Nick offered him a new mission.

• Ben found Muse about to mutilate Andrea and confronted him in the blood-covered sewer.
• Ben broke Muse's arm, detected a defective gene in his blood, and learned that Muse was an Inhuman.
• Ben killed Muse, collected his blood, and arranged for Eunice to contact Andrea's mother through an encrypted phone.
• Ben stored the blood in Primus and asked Eunice to book him a plane ticket to New Mexico.
• At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Steve woke after Nick used Osborn's Self-Healing Serum to save him, and Nick offered him a new mission.

Steve joined Coulson at the site of the hammer in New Mexico and learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. feared someone might try to claim it. Ben raced to the site to collect Asgardian genes, planning to target Thor and Loki.

• Steve reflected on how the modern world differed from the one he had fought for before Brock Rumlow escorted him off the Quinjet.
• Coulson told Steve that nobody could move the hammer and explained that Fury had sent him to guard it from anyone who might take it.
• Steve went with Coulson to the hammer while Brock organized soldiers to build a temporary base around it.
• Ben ran from Texas to New Mexico as XLR8 and asked Eunice to locate the hammer's landing site.
• Ben said he intended to collect Thor's and Loki's genes, and considered using Heatblast to overpower Loki.

Steve and Coulson investigated Mjolnir at the crash site, where Thor arrived to reclaim it. Thor attacked Steve but was knocked down, leaving Steve surprised by how weak the god seemed.

• Thor wandered through the wilderness, seeking Mjolnir after Odin had exiled him and stripped him of his powers.
• Steve and Coulson examined Mjolnir at the fenced crash site, and Coulson invited Steve to try lifting it.
• When Steve touched the hammer, Brock alerted Coulson to an intruder, and Thor burst into the base.
• Thor demanded that Steve move aside, declared himself the Prince of Asgard, and attacked him.
• Steve knocked Thor to the ground with his shield and called him a weak god.

Coulson and Steve interrogated Thor, who explained that Odin had stripped him of his divine power and banished him to Earth. When Steve approached Mjolnir, he lifted it easily, leaving Thor stunned.

• Coulson and Steve questioned Thor about his identity and purpose on Earth, but Thor initially refused to cooperate.
• Thor announced that he was the Prince of Asgard and God of Thunder, and explained that Odin had banished him and taken away his divine power.
• Thor challenged the Midgardians to let him reclaim Mjolnir, and Coulson realized Steve might be able to lift it.
• Steve walked to Mjolnir and lifted it effortlessly while Thor watched in disbelief.

Steve lifted The Hammer of Thor and gained the power to control lightning, while Thor watched in despair. Loki stabbed Steve from behind, and Ben prepared to seize the chance to obtain Frost Giant and Asgardian genes.

• Ben watched as Steve lifted The Hammer of Thor, while Odin and Loki observed from Asgard.
• Steve gained the power to control lightning, then returned the hammer to its place despite Thor’s despair.
• Coulson warned Steve not to give Thor back his power because Thor might threaten Earth.
• Loki appeared behind Steve and stabbed him in the lower back with a dagger.
• Thor mistook Loki’s attack for an attempt to save him, while Ben recognized an opportunity to obtain Frost Giant and Asgardian genes.

Loki declared himself king of Asgard, blamed Thor for Odin’s death, and attacked Steve and Coulson. Ben arrived as Four Arms and swiftly overpowered Loki, leaving the self-proclaimed god beaten into the ground.

• Loki introduced himself as Loki Odinson and claimed that Odin had made him the new king of Asgard.
• Loki told Thor that Odin had died because of Thor, leaving Thor overwhelmed with grief.
• Loki attacked Steve with Gungnir, but Steve blocked the beam and landed a series of blows before Loki unleashed his power.
• Loki threw Steve away and hurled a car at Coulson, but Ben appeared as Four Arms and stopped it.
• Loki arrogantly challenged Ben, who grabbed his ankle and slammed him into the ground until he lay beaten in a crater.

Ben beat Loki into a crater, allowing the Little Broken Watch to collect Loki’s blood and acquire Frost Giant genes, then left as Loki escaped. After the chaos buried the temporary base and left Captain America and Coulson recovering, Ben activated Capture Mode in a nearby town.

• Ben transformed into a Tetramand and attacked Loki, pounding him into the ground while Thor could not reach them through the shockwaves.
• Ben stopped before killing Loki, whose divine armor had cracked and whose horn had broken, and Loki escaped using an illusion spell.
• Ben left the scene, while Coulson dug himself out of the sand and Captain America explained that he had been knocked dizzy and trapped by the shockwaves.
• Ben bought a giant burger and a large drink in a town fifty miles east of the crater, then activated Capture Mode on his watch.

Ben used Capture Mode to collect genes from Thor and discovered that the strand contained two distinct gene types. He transformed into the Asgardian Cosmigod and an Earth-linked Eldergod, then sensed that the latter had an Ultimate Form developing within him.

• Ben placed Thor's hair on the Little Broken Watch, which recorded the data locally after failing to connect to Primus Planet.
• Ben found that Thor's strand produced two gene silhouettes and selected one to transform into Cosmigod, gaining immense strength, flight, and cosmic energy manipulation.
• Ben switched to the second form, gaining ancient elemental power that seemed to draw an endless supply from Earth.
• Ben named the second form Eldergod and sensed an Ultimate Form gestating within him.

Ben added Loki’s Frost Giant DNA to the watch and waited for Loki to send the Destroyer. After Peter questioned him about killing Muse, Ben ended their call and prepared to face the Destroyer as it arrived on Earth.

• Ben considered adding Ultimate Evolution to the watch, then entered Loki’s DNA without transforming.
• Peter called Ben and asked whether he had saved Councilwoman Andrea’s daughter and the other victims.
• Ben admitted he had killed Muse and argued that the brutal criminal deserved to die, while Peter objected to taking a life.
• Ben told Peter that his trip would be extended while Peter assumed Ben felt guilty about the killing.
• After the call, Ben saw a massive tornado and darkening sky as the Destroyer arrived.

After being beaten by Ben, Loki returned to Asgard and decided to use Laufey to kill Odin while planning to destroy Earth with the Destroyer. On Earth, Coulson treated Steve as Thor sat devastated, and they waited for Fury to arrive.

• Loki returned to Asgard with his injuries healed but remained shaken and furious over Ben's beating.
• Loki realized he lacked the authority to deploy Asgard's army and blamed Odin and Thor for preventing him from being recognized as king.
• Loki secretly traveled to Jotunheim to make a deal with Laufey, intending to have the Frost Giants kill Odin and to take the Destroyer to Earth.
• Coulson bandaged Steve and explained that the Super Soldier Serum was scarce and that Fury wanted to study its composition.
• Steve and Coulson discussed Thor's condition and waited for Fury, who might detain him.

Nick Fury arrived in New Mexico as Thor warned that Earth would face Asgard’s wrath, but Loki sent the Destroyer to attack them. With Thor knocked unconscious, Steve moved to face the Destroyer and The Hammer of Thor flew toward him.

• Nick Fury arrived in New Mexico, tried and failed to lift The Hammer of Thor, and ordered Coulson to investigate Four Arms.
• Fury confronted Thor, who declared that Midgard belonged to Asgard and threatened humanity with destruction.
• A storm gathered over the desert, revealing the Destroyer, which Thor recognized and accused Loki of deploying.
• The Destroyer blasted Thor unconscious, and Loki vowed to destroy the Midgardians before returning to execute his brother.
• Steve approached the Destroyer, and The Hammer of Thor flew toward him.

Steve used the Hammer of Thor to overpower Loki’s Destroyer amid a storm, while Ben watched and decided to wait until the armor was defeated so he could claim it. The chapter ended with Steve channeling the storm’s lightning into a devastating blow against the Destroyer.

• Nick ordered Coulson and the others to retreat by Quinjet, leaving Steve to face the Destroyer alone.
• The Hammer of Thor healed and strengthened Steve as he fought the Destroyer through the storm.
• Loki powered the Destroyer remotely from Asgard, but Steve blocked its flames and struck it with his hammer and shield.
• Ben judged that Loki was using the Destroyer poorly and chose not to join the fight, planning to claim the armor afterward.
• Steve gathered the storm’s lightning into his hammer and brought it down on the Destroyer.

Steve used Thor’s hammer to overpower the Destroyer, while Fury worried that the conflict could lead to war and ordered a search for the missing Thor. The Warriors Three and Sif arrived on Earth and found Thor unconscious, as Ben revealed his identity to them.

• Steve blasted the Destroyer away and continued striking it with Thor’s hammer, though Ben saw that the attacks caused little damage.
• Fury considered Loki’s position and imagined supporting Thor to prevent an Asgardian invasion, then learned Thor had been left behind.
• Fury ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to search for Thor, and Coulson and Brock reported that they could not find him.
• The Warriors Three and Sif arrived, saw Steve fighting the Destroyer, and mistook him for Thor.
• Hogun mocked the unconscious golden-haired man as a weak Midgardian, and Ben told the warriors that the man was their prince.

Thor reunited with Sif and the Asgardian Warriors, learned Odin was alive, and was urged to stop Loki, who appeared on Midgard with the Casket of Ancient Winters. Ben struck Loki while Captain America rebuked him for his language.

• Sif and the Asgardian Warriors told Thor they had come to take him home, but Thor refused because he believed Odin had died and asked them to help stop Loki.
• The warriors revealed Odin was alive and said Heimdall suspected Loki of conspiring with the Frost Giants; Ben warned that Loki might be attacking Asgard.
• Thor doubted Loki would betray their family, but the warriors agreed to defeat the Destroyer and return to Asgard.
• The Bifrost struck the battlefield and Loki arrived, carrying the Casket of Ancient Winters to attack Captain America.
• Ben shot a sharp crystal-like object into Loki's face and insulted him, while Captain America told Ben, "Language."

Loki unleashed the Casket of Ancient Winters against Ben, Steve, and the Asgardian Warriors, revealing that he was a Frost Giant. Ben proved immune to the cold, seized the casket, and stored it in his body, leaving Loki stunned.

• Loki grew furious when Ben called him a Jotunheim native and vowed to kill everyone present.
• Steve asked who the four Asgardian Warriors were, and Fandral demanded that he put down The Hammer of Thor.
• Loki released the Casket of Ancient Winters, freezing the surrounding desert and turning his skin blue.
• Hogun recognized Loki as a Frost Giant, while Loki pushed the casket's power further and engulfed the area in a freezing storm.
• Ben, in Diamondhead form, grabbed the Casket of Ancient Winters and stored it inside his body, leaving Loki dumbfounded.

Loki used the Destroyer Armor to attack Ben and the others, but Ben survived and led a counterattack. Ben intended to use the battle as an excuse to activate the Bifrost and travel to Sakaar.

• Loki enveloped himself in the Destroyer Armor, dismissed Thor’s concern, and declared himself king of Asgard.
• Loki blasted Ben with the Destroyer’s energy beam, but Ben reconstructed himself from the shattered crystals without injury.
• Ben, the Asgardian Warriors, Sif, and Steve attacked Loki together, though the Destroyer’s shell resisted their blows.
• Ben held back from using the Casket of Ancient Winters because he wanted Loki’s power to provide an excuse to activate the Bifrost and reach Sakaar.

Ben restrained Loki so Heimdall could use the Bifrost to exile them to Sakaar, but the rainbow beam carried them away and left Steve and the others with no sign of Ben.

• Loki's attacks overwhelmed the heroes, and Sif concluded that the Bifrost was their only chance to stop him.
• Heimdall agreed to use the Bifrost to exile Loki, and Ben asked him to send them to Sakaar.
• Ben trapped Loki inside an immense, indestructible crystal formation and held him there as the Bifrost descended.
• The Bifrost blasted apart the crystal mountain and carried Ben and Loki away, leaving Steve unable to find any trace of Ben.

Ben survived the Bifrost by becoming Ghostfreak and possessing Loki, then arrived with him on Sakaar. The Bifrost’s arrival drew scavengers and prompted Valkyrie to pursue the falling light.

• Steve and Sif wondered whether Ben had survived, while the Asgardians assumed Diamondhead was dead.
• Ben hid the Casket of Ancient Winters underground, changed into Ghostfreak, and possessed Loki as the Bifrost struck them.
• Ben and Loki reached Sakaar alongside falling space debris, drawing the attention of the planet’s scavengers.
• Valkyrie saw the Bifrost’s light, crushed her wine bottle, and chased after it.

Ben hid the Destroyer fragments and planned to infiltrate Sakaar’s arena, take over the planet, and recruit its gladiators. As he pretended to be unconscious beside Loki, Valkyrie arrived and blasted the other scavengers’ ships out of the sky.

• Ben detached himself from Loki, gathered the Destroyer Armor fragments in a crystal, and buried them underground.
• Ben decided to infiltrate Sakaar’s arena and use its gladiators to overthrow Grandmaster and build a Galactic Plumbers base.
• Ben canceled his transformation and pretended to be unconscious beside Loki when scavenger ships arrived.
• Valkyrie attacked the other scavengers’ ships and shot them down before staggering out of her spacecraft, drunk.