Chapter Summaries

Ben decided that the Galactic Plumbers’ first Earth mission would be to eliminate Hydra, and he brought Peter and Harry together at Primus to plan their response. He revealed that Hydra had survived the war by infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. and other powerful institutions, leaving the team facing a threat embedded in the country’s leadership.

• Ben told Peter that eliminating Hydra would be the Galactic Plumbers’ first Earth mission and said they would discuss a plan with Harry.
• At school, Ben photographed Thor working as a laborer and sent the picture to Loki, who immediately arranged to travel from Sakaar to Earth.
• Ben and Peter met Harry at Primus, where they discussed Flash’s recovery and began a formal Galactic Plumbers meeting.
• Ben explained S.H.I.E.L.D.’s authority and resources, then revealed that Hydra had survived the war and infiltrated the organization.
• Ben said Eunice had found clues of Hydra’s infiltration and stressed that the team needed evidence and a banner before challenging Hydra’s reach into Congress and the Security Council.

Nick Fury welcomed Peter and Ben Parker into the Avengers after they agreed to fight Hydra, while Harry delivered Tony a secret message and a disk marked with the Galactic Plumbers symbol. The chapter left Tony about to view Ben’s offer offline.

• Nick Fury defended the Tesseract weapons research to Agent Hill and said Earth needed stronger weapons against threats from beyond the planet.
• Steve Rogers called Nick Fury to report that Peter and Ben Parker had agreed to join the Avengers and had found S.H.I.E.L.D.’s carrier.
• Ben told Nick that Hydra had killed Peter’s parents and offered to work together against Hydra, while Peter said Harry Osborn would sit out.
• Nick and Ben argued over profits from a book-selling scheme, and Nick told Hill to buy books for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
• Harry arrived at Stark Tower to deliver Ben’s secret offer to Tony and warned him to disconnect from the internet before watching the USB drive.
• Harry showed Tony a disk bearing the Galactic Plumbers’ symbol, which Tony recognized.

Tony Stark watched footage of his parents’ murder and urgently wanted to find their killer, while Ben Parker toured S.H.I.E.L.D.’s aircraft carrier with Peter and tried to connect with Steve Rogers. The chapter left Steve feeling lonely and uncertain in the modern world, though the news that Hydra remnants remained gave him a sense that he was still needed.

• After Harry Osborn left, Tony used Ben’s flash drive and watched surveillance footage showing the masked killer murdering Howard Stark and his mother.
• Tony tried to contact Ben, but Jarvis reminded him that Harry had warned him not to, so Tony held back and anxiously waited.
• At S.H.I.E.L.D., Ben asked Nick Fury to tour the aircraft carrier, and Fury assigned Steve Rogers to show Ben and Peter around.
• Ben realized they were being watched and shifted his plan to recruit Steve into the Avengers by talking with him instead.
• Steve told Ben that he struggled to adjust to modern life and felt like an old man out of place, but Hydra’s survival made him feel he still had a purpose.

Ben warned Steve Rogers that the United States had secretly absorbed Hydra scientists through Operation Paperclip, allowing Hydra to survive and infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. and the country. Steve was left reeling over the possibility that his sacrifices had been betrayed.

• Crossbones and several Special Task Force members joined Ben, Peter, and Captain America in the elevator, then left them alone on the deck.
• Peter examined the carrier and asked whether its turbines meant it could fly, while Ben confirmed that surveillance cameras covered the deck.
• Ben asked Steve whether he had heard of Operation Paperclip and warned him to control his emotions under surveillance.
• Ben explained that the United States had recruited Nazi and Hydra scientists, including with Howard's support, and that Hydra had spread throughout S.H.I.E.L.D. and the country.
• Steve questioned whether Ben was telling the truth or trying to turn him against S.H.I.E.L.D., then struggled with the thought that the United States had betrayed him.

Ben warned Captain America that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and revealed that Bucky was alive and had become the Winter Soldier. After Captain America agreed to investigate cautiously, Ben negotiated an overpriced Helicarrier upgrade deal with Nick Fury before leaving S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Ben urged Captain America to verify Hydra’s control of S.H.I.E.L.D. before confronting Nick Fury, and proposed finding and eliminating Hydra’s members and leaders.
• Ben told Captain America that Bucky was alive, had become the Winter Soldier, and had killed Howard Stark under Hydra’s orders.
• Back in the conference room, Nick Fury questioned Ben and Captain America about their conversation, and Ben deflected him with a joke about their bet.
• Ben criticized the Helicarrier’s turbine technology, and Nick Fury proposed discussing Ben’s anti-gravity system.
• Ben and Nick Fury agreed to a heavily marked-up price for upgrading three Helicarriers, then Ben and Peter left S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony Stark visited Ben at Primus to learn about the Galactic Plumbers and the truth behind his parents’ deaths. Ben revealed Hydra’s role and his plan to use Project Insight against Hydra, leaving Tony alarmed by the scale of Ben’s counterattack.

• Tony arrived at Primus, where Ben explained that he was Earth’s Security Officer for the Galactic Plumbers and invited Tony to join.
• Ben told Tony that Hydra was responsible for his parents’ deaths, with the Winter Soldier carrying out the assassination.
• Ben showed Tony dozens of Hydra strongholds and proposed using Steve Rogers to expose Hydra’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Ben revealed that the strongholds were bait intended to provoke Hydra into activating Project Insight, which would target perceived threats using three Helicarriers.
• Tony urged Ben to stop Project Insight, but Ben explained that he planned to upgrade the Helicarriers and turn their weapons against Hydra.
• Tony realized Ben intended to use Project Insight to identify Hydra agents and destroy the organization, and he became frightened of Ben’s power.

Steve Rogers uncovered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Operation Paperclip files while Ben Parker and Tony Stark secretly hacked S.H.I.E.L.D. to expose a Hydra base in Poland. Nick Fury assembled a team to attack it, and Steve, still unsure whom to trust, joined Ben and Peter Parker aboard a Quinjet.

• Steve Rogers used Ben's map and hard drive to evade surveillance and enter the Helicarrier archives, where he found files about Operation Paperclip and learned that former Hydra enemies had been brought into the United States.
• Nick Fury discovered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network had been breached, and his technicians traced the attack to Wrocław, Poland; he concluded the target was a Hydra base and ordered the Avengers to assemble.
• Tony Stark and Ben Parker revealed that they had launched the cyberattack to give Steve an opening and expose Hydra's location to Nick Fury.
• Steve left the archives and joined Nick Fury's mission, concealing his doubts about the agents around him and asking to pick up two teammates in New York.
• Ben gave Peter Parker an Iron Spider Suit Mark 1, and the two joined Steve aboard the hovering Quinjet as he called, "Avengers, assemble!"

Peter and Captain America set out to infiltrate a Hydra base while Ben stayed at S.H.I.E.L.D. to upgrade the Helicarriers with Tony Stark. Ben and Tony pretended to compete over building an anti-gravity system, but secretly planned to tamper with the Helicarriers’ main control system.

• Captain America and Peter parachuted toward the Hydra base while the agent squad stayed outside to stop any Hydra soldiers from escaping.
• Nick Fury showed Ben the Helicarriers and asked him to help upgrade their levitation systems, while suspecting a Hydra spy had sabotaged S.H.I.E.L.D.’s security.
• Ben suggested that Tony Stark assist with the work, and Tony agreed after learning Ben wanted his help.
• Tony and Ben openly argued over how quickly they could build an anti-gravity system, prompting Nick Fury to welcome their apparent rivalry.
• Ben and Tony secretly discussed upgrading the system so they could tamper with the Helicarriers’ main control system and prevent Hydra from operating them.

Steve and Peter reached a hidden Hydra base in Poland, where Peter’s new AI-assisted armor helped him catch Steve during their descent. Their attempt at “infiltration” quickly turned into a frontal assault, leaving the base damaged and its systems disrupted.

• Peter activated Karen and used the Iron Spider-Man armor’s propulsion system to catch Steve, and they landed in a forest near the Hydra base.
• Steve charged the base’s entrance and knocked out two guards, explaining that eliminating anyone who spotted them counted as infiltration.
• Peter used an enhanced sonic-wave device to blast apart the base’s iron gate, and the blast shook the mountainside and disrupted the facility.
• The Hydra soldiers inside the base were knocked down, and the base’s network, communications, and surveillance systems stopped working.

Benny completed his plan to covertly take control of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s aircraft carrier, then searched for the Tesseract and returned to Queens. He told Norman about Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. and explained that he intended to create a human-led organization to replace it, leaving H.A.M.M.E.R. as his chosen model.

• Peter and Steve pushed farther into the Hydra base after Peter apologized for the Iron Spider-Man armor's powerful Sonic Cannon, and Karen said she had disrupted most of the base's electronics.
• Benny infected the aircraft carrier's control system with an electronic virus, completing a key part of his Counter-Insight plan.
• Benny searched the base as Ghostfreak but found no Tesseract, then returned to Queens and visited Norman the next morning.
• Benny told Norman about Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. and argued that S.H.I.E.L.D. should fall alongside Hydra.
• Benny explained that the Galactic Plumbers could not replace S.H.I.E.L.D. because Earth needed a human-led organization, and he settled on H.A.M.M.E.R. as his model.

Ben laid out how Norman Osborn could help create H.A.M.M.E.R. as a public successor to S.H.I.E.L.D. while Galactic Plumbers inherited Hydra’s hidden influence. After the Avengers discussed their first successful raid on a Hydra base, Steve followed Ben to ask how Hydra could be destroyed completely, and Ben told him he would have to become Hydra.

• Ben told Norman to have Osborn Corporation claim Spider-Man and Hacker as its creations, publicly support Captain America, and help bring Steve into H.A.M.M.E.R. as its symbol.
• Peter returned with Captain America after they destroyed a Hydra base, and Ben promised to make Peter a new set of armor once his Nano Armor was complete.
• Nick Fury invited Tony to become an unpaid Avengers consultant, then convened a meeting to review the raid and assign Tony and Hacker to upgrade the Helicarrier and trace other Hydra bases.
• Steve reflected on his guilt over Howard Stark’s death and his fear of losing Bucky, then realized Ben might be orchestrating the campaign against Hydra.
• After the meeting, Steve followed Ben and asked how to wipe out Hydra completely, and Ben said Steve needed to become Hydra.

Nick Fury survived a Hydra ambush on the road, but the Winter Soldier cornered him before Harry intervened. Harry incapacitated the Winter Soldier with neurotoxin and reported that he had captured him.

• Nick Fury was ambushed by assassins and realized a high-ranking traitor had likely leaked his location.
• Nick Fury fought off the attackers with his modified car, but the Winter Soldier blew it over and approached him.
• Harry arrived as the Green Goblin and joined the fight after Nick Fury asked him to capture the Winter Soldier alive.
• Harry attached neurotoxin devices to the Winter Soldier and activated them, knocking him unconscious.
• Harry reported, "Winter Soldier captured successfully."

Pierce seized control of S.H.I.E.L.D. by framing Nick Fury as a Hydra infiltrator and ordering the detention of Fury’s allies. Steve realized Pierce could not be trusted, and when Hydra agents surrounded him in an elevator, he chose to fight rather than use Ben’s plan to infiltrate Hydra.

• Pierce presented a mixture of true and false evidence to convince S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that Nick Fury was Hydra and had Hill, Coulson, Natasha, Barton, and others detained.
• Pierce tried to recruit Steve by blaming Fury for Hydra’s survival, but Steve questioned whether Pierce himself could be trusted.
• After Steve left Pierce’s office, Pierce ordered Crossbones’s Special Task Force to arrest Captain America and the other Avengers.
• Surrounded by Hydra agents in the elevator, Steve recalled Ben’s suggestion that he pose as Hydra but refused to say “Hail Hydra.”
• Steve resolved to fight and asked whether anyone wanted to get off the elevator.

Steve, Tony, and Peter were attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while Hydra used Project Insight and Benny’s Energy Shields to turn the conflict in its favor. After an EMP disabled Tony’s armor and the heroes were surrounded, Benny appeared in a new form and froze the attacking agents.

• S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attacked Steve in an elevator while Peter saved Tony from a bomb in the underground base.
• Tony and Peter fought agents protected by Benny’s Energy Shields, then Peter blasted open the ceiling so they could escape.
• Peter caught Steve as he crashed through a window, and the three heroes destroyed the Quinjets surrounding them.
• A bomb detonated an EMP that disabled Tony’s armor and the heroes’ equipment, leaving them surrounded by agents.
• Benny emerged in a cloaked form, froze the agents, and introduced himself as Big Chill.

After an EMP bomb unexpectedly reconnected Ben’s watch and gave him ten new Alien Heroes, Ben used Big Chill’s powers to escape Hydra agents and help the captured Avengers. He froze the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and evacuated with the others as the battle turned against Steve and Tony.

• An EMP bomb disrupted Ben’s watch, which reconnected with ten new Alien Heroes, including Big Chill and Alien X.
• Ben transformed into Big Chill, turned intangible, and froze the agents who entered his office.
• Ben found the Interrogation Room and rescued Natasha and the others, then continued to help the Avengers fighting inside the base.
• Ben unleashed a freezing wind that engulfed the base and weakened the Hydra forces.
• As Hill’s aircraft arrived, Ben pulled Tony out of his armor and told Steve to retreat with them.

Ben and the others escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. after Pierce branded them Hydra, then regrouped at Primus, which Fury revealed was serving as the Galactic Plumbers headquarters. As they planned to stop Hydra from using the helicarriers, Ben volunteered to seize them, while concealing that he already controlled them.

• Ben rescued Stark and Captain America from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, and the fugitives learned that Hydra had issued warrants branding them as its agents.
• Ben explained that the Galactic Plumbers had sealed Spider-Man's identity records, and he reassured Captain America that someone else had gone to rescue Hacker.
• The group returned to Primus, where Fury revealed that the building was temporarily serving as the Galactic Plumbers headquarters and joined their meeting.
• Tony and Ben disclosed that they had altered the helicarriers' code so they would target themselves, but Fury warned Hydra could operate them manually.
• Tony proposed taking the helicarriers, and Ben volunteered to seize them while hiding that he already controlled them.
• Nick praised Ben's professionalism, and Natasha told Fury she would not remain his subordinate if S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed.

Nick Fury and the others planned to fight Hydra while Tony learned that Bucky had killed his parents and struggled with what to do. Benny supported both Tony and Steve, leaving the group divided as Steve went to find Bucky.

• Hill confronted Nick Fury with files accusing him of embezzlement, and Benny pointed out that Fury had also failed to pay taxes.
• Tony prepared to build armor, while Steve urged the group to unite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents against Hydra.
• Connors announced that James Barnes was awake, and Steve told Tony that Hydra had assassinated his parents.
• Tony learned that Bucky was the Winter Soldier who killed his parents, shoved Steve aside, and went to the workshop instead of the infirmary.
• Benny told Tony he would support whatever decision he made about Bucky, then reassured Steve in the infirmary by saying he liked him better.

Hydra branded Steve, Peter, Tony, and their allies as traitors and launched a nationwide manhunt while Steve left Bucky’s recovery room to fight back. Pierce pressured Norman to surrender Nick Fury and recruit Harry, and the wanted notices alarmed the people close to Peter and Benny as Pierce moved to search Primus.

• Steve recalled his past with Bucky, who eventually told him, “I don't know you,” and Peter urged Steve to leave as Hydra hunted them.
• Pierce confronted Norman at Osborn Corporation, demanded Nick Fury and the Winter Soldier, and threatened Harry unless Norman publicly sided with Hydra.
• Jameson ordered the Daily Bugle to print hostile headlines about the wanted heroes, while Robbie questioned the government’s claims and Betty warned that agents were looking for Spider-Man’s photographer.
• Uncle Ben and Aunt May watched the wanted notices and doubted that Spider-Man or Captain America was a traitor.
• Mary Jane worried after seeing that Spider-Man and Hacker were wanted, then went to Primus and found the building sealed off after Pierce arrived to search for Harry.

The heroes gathered inside Primus as Pierce’s forces surrounded the building, and they planned to rally public support while preparing to fight. Pierce tried to recruit Thor and Bruce Banner to Hydra’s cause, but Thor rejected his claims and Banner remained reluctant to transform into Hulk.

• Harry blamed himself for leading Pierce’s forces to Primus, while Ben dismissed the danger of their siege and suggested securing media support.
• Peter volunteered to approach the Daily Bugle, Connors planned to contact academics through Otto, and Connors transformed into Dinosaur Doctor using his controlled serum.
• Steve rallied the group to fight as Pierce ordered the siege to continue and prepared the remaining Winter Soldiers for battle.
• Pierce met Thor and Bruce Banner, falsely accused Ben and the others of betraying the country, and asked the two men for help.
• Thor rejected Pierce’s accusations because he trusted Steve, while Banner avoided getting involved and recalled that S.H.I.E.L.D. had promised to protect him from the military.

Pierce’s forces clashed with Nick Fury’s allies at Primus Building, where Connors and the heroes fought through S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and police. After the heroes defeated several Winter Soldiers, Hulk arrived and charged at Connors, leaving the battle on the brink of a new confrontation.

• Pierce showed Banner footage of Ben’s alien forms and explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed Banner’s strength against the threats facing them.
• Connors attacked the agents outside Primus Building, and Steve, Harry, Peter, Nick Fury, Hill, Natasha, and Barton joined the battle.
• Peter disabled the agents’ energy shields and used neurotoxin disks, while he saved George Stacy and other officers from a falling police car.
• Three Winter Soldiers entered the fight; Peter quickly defeated one, Steve took down two, and Hawkeye helped Harry and Natasha defeat another.
• Hulk landed in the street, then charged at Connors after spotting him.