Chapter Summaries

Hela arrived at Kamar-Taj intending to lead its defense, but Supreme Strange defeated her in a brief fight before Russell recruited her to help. As the Asgardians prepared to reinforce the defenses, Supreme Strange learned that Earth-404’s governments knew about magic, and Russell revealed that he had already punished Japan for pursuing supernatural power.

• Hela arrived through the Bifrost and declared that she had come to lead Kamar-Taj’s defense, but Wong and Supreme Strange rejected her claim.
• Hela attacked Supreme Strange in the Mirror Dimension, where he repelled her assault with a Red Dragon and surrounded her with two more.
• Russell, Loki, Thor, and the others arrived, and Russell stopped Hela from leaving and introduced her to the Kamar-Taj mages.
• Supreme Strange and Thor discussed stationing Asgardian soldiers behind the defensive line to capture creatures that slipped past the array.
• Russell proposed that Earth’s governments establish another line of defense, prompting Supreme Strange to warn that exposing ordinary people to magic could lead to dangerous abuses.
• Russell showed Supreme Strange a World Map with Japan missing and explained that he had given the country a warning after it pursued supernatural power.

Russell and Supreme Strange discussed the exposure of the supernatural world and recruited Thor and Loki to help Kamar-Taj handle dimensional threats. When a powerful Dimensional Demon God approached, Supreme Strange killed it publicly and broadcast the warning to deter other creatures, leaving Hela wary of challenging Midgard.

• Supreme Strange learned that Russell’s battle on Sakura Island had sunk it into the Mariana Trench and blamed Russell for exposing the supernatural world.
• Russell introduced Thor and Loki as help for Kamar-Taj, and Thor revealed that he and Loki had studied there before.
• Wong detected a powerful Dimensional Demon God approaching, and Supreme Strange left the magic arrays unused to confront it himself.
• Supreme Strange weakened the Octopus Demon God with three Red Dragons, then killed it and broadcast a warning through the Hyperswirl.
• Hela decided to avoid Midgard while pursuing her plans to rule Asgard and reconquer the Nine Realms.

As attacks on Earth-404 eased, Russell joined a Kamar-Taj meeting where Mephisto revealed that Dormammu had likely been driven from the Dark Dimension. Russell then returned to New York and reunited with Gwen, leaving them and Wanda in an extended, playful contest of endurance.

• Dimensional Lords spread exaggerated stories about Supreme Strange, discouraging creatures from fleeing to Earth-404.
• Russell returned to Kamar-Taj, where Mordo discovered that Supreme Strange was drinking his prized wine and invited everyone to share it; Thor then shattered one of Mordo's antique glasses.
• Mephisto reported that Dormammu had pursued the Octopus Demon God and suggested that Dormammu had lost control of the Dark Dimension.
• Russell left the meeting and returned to New York, where Gwen came home after patrolling and he told her the Kamar-Taj news.
• Russell and Gwen began a romantic encounter, and Wanda joined them; their drawn-out contest ended in a draw after more than ten days.

Russell killed Dormammu after the new ruler of the Octopus Dimension attacked him instead of negotiating. Back at Kamar-Taj, Russell and Supreme Strange suspected that Eternity and the Multiversal Gods were in trouble, and Russell planned to investigate beyond the Marvel Universe using Ikur’s spacecraft technology.

• Russell visited Dormammu in the Octopus Dimension to negotiate, but Dormammu attacked him with a beam and a colossal palm.
• Russell transformed into a gigantic golden creature and overwhelmed Dormammu, who fled through a Spatial Rift into the Hyperswirl.
• The golden palm pursued Dormammu through the Hyperswirl, and Dormammu surrendered before Russell killed him.
• At Kamar-Taj, Supreme Strange warned Russell that Multiversal Gods usually intervened during large-scale crises, while the effects of the Infinity Ultron incident continued.
• Russell said the Real Universe’s growing rejection of him suggested that Eternity was in trouble, and he recalled Ikur’s warning about a crisis spreading across all universes.
• Russell said they could use Ikur’s spacecraft technology to investigate beyond the Marvel Universe and promised to tell Supreme Strange his plan tomorrow.

Russell and Tony determined that the spaceship needed to confront a multiversal crisis could be built in two years, with help from the Reality Stone. Tony then sent Russell across the Multiverse to gather rare materials, and Russell sought White-Bearded Ancient One’s help finding them.

• Tony, Dr. Banner, and Russell discussed the limits of Earth’s technology and agreed Nidavellir might help build the spaceship, while Russell warned them of a possible crisis threatening the Multiverse.
• Tony estimated that the spaceship would take five years to build until Russell revealed a second set of Infinity Stones, which came from Infinity Ultron’s universe.
• Tony’s tests showed that the Reality Stone could make most components, and he revised the estimate to two years; Supreme Strange agreed to work for Earth-404 during that time.
• Tony told Russell that the spaceship required rare materials from across the Multiverse, so Russell set out to find them.
• Russell asked Bald Ancient One for help, and she gave him the Eye of Agamotto and directed him to seek 616 Ancient One; Russell then headed to Earth-65 to consult White-Bearded Ancient One.

Russell visited White-Bearded Ancient One to learn where he could find rare materials, then unwittingly took the elder’s card-game seat. Meanwhile, Chthon and Seth sabotaged a battle between the Colored Celestials and Dark Celestials, triggering a dimensional bomb as the Dark Celestial captain fled toward an unknown danger.

• Russell visited White-Bearded Ancient One, waited until night to ask about rare materials, and learned where to obtain them before leaving.
• White-Bearded Ancient One arrived at his card game and found Russell had taken his seat.
• Tester Ziran lured the Dark Celestials into a trap, where Exitar and his squad joined the Colored Celestials in an ambush.
• Chthon and Seth disguised themselves as Colored Celestials, killed Dark Celestials guarding the rear, and triggered the dimensional bomb.
• The Dark Celestial captain fused with his squad and broke through the Colored Celestials’ encirclement, but terror overtook him as he flew toward the depths of the dimension.

The Dimensional Fragment exploded ahead of schedule, devastating the Dark Celestials and leaving most of the Celestials who entered it badly injured. As the Creator and Chthon discussed their plans, Russell arrived and asked the Creator for Galactus's whereabouts.

• The Dimensional Fragment exploded, killing the Dark Celestials' captain and destroying the Energy Barriers of nearly every Colored Celestial caught in the blast.
• Chthon and Seth ambushed Colored Celestials who escaped the explosion, then withdrew when the survivors began assembling and discovered their communications were being severed.
• The surviving Colored Celestials counted their losses and left, while the Creator reassured Chthon that he would not abandon him or Seth.
• Russell appeared before the Creator, Chthon, and Seth after Chthon recognized him and introduced him as Earth's revered Sorcerer Supreme.
• The Creator asked Russell for a favor, and Russell asked the Creator for Galactus's whereabouts.

Russell learned that Creator was Second Generation Eternity and agreed to help him take revenge on the Celestials, then disguised himself as Knull and killed several of them. He met the Lifebringer, who explained his transformation from Galan, and asked him for Galactic Glaze.

• Creator confirmed that he was Second Generation Eternity and explained how the Celestials had rushed the second Multiverse into its next cycle.
• Russell agreed to put Creator’s payment on his tab, disguised himself as Knull, and ambushed the Celestials.
• Russell used the Sword of Dawn to kill the Celestials and erased evidence of the battle from the Hyperswirl.
• Russell, Creator, Chthon, and Seth followed Galactus’s coordinates into a Pocket Dimension, where they met the Lifebringer.
• The Lifebringer explained how Galan had become Galactus and later transformed into the Lifebringer, and Russell asked him for Galactic Glaze.

After Galan the Lifebringer revealed that Eternity had been imprisoned, the Creator agreed to investigate the secret. Chthon later told Russell about Eternity and proposed an alliance, but Russell failed to find Chthon or reach an agreement with him.

• Russell accepted Galactic Glaze from Galan the Lifebringer and returned to Earth-404 to give the materials to Tony.
• Galan asked the Creator to stay behind, then told him that Eternity had been imprisoned and asked for help investigating; the Creator agreed to investigate in secret.
• After the Creator left, Eternity confirmed that Galan had been ordered to investigate who imprisoned him and why.
• The Celestials mobilized to hunt the Dark Celestials after OAA learned that a powerful Cosmic Entity had ambushed and killed Tester Ziran, Exitar, and their squad.
• Chthon sent Russell the Darkhold and revealed Eternity's imprisonment, proposing that they exploit the chaos to replace Cosmic Entities; Russell agreed to meet, but Chthon refused to reveal his location, and their talks ended without a deal.
• Russell returned to his bookstore, considered contacting the Creator about Chthon, and later saw Gwen and Wanda return together.

Russell learned from Chthon that the Multiverse had restarted shortly before Russell arrived, while cosmic upheavals continued across the Marvel Universe. After watching Stephen Strange of Universe 404 crash, Russell later heard that Logos had transformed Lifebringer Galan back into Galactus, prompting Chthon to offer him another piece of information and seek cooperation.

• Chthon told Russell that the Multiverse had restarted around July 2010 and tried to recruit him to help replace a Cosmic Entity, but Russell declined to commit.
• Russell met Supreme Strange on a mountain road and watched Stephen Strange of Universe 404 crash his car; Russell called an ambulance while Supreme Strange suggested Tony Stark might help remake his universe.
• The Beyond Gods entered the war between the Colored Celestials and the Dark Celestials, worsening the Colored Celestials' position as Knulls began appearing.
• The Lord of Chaos and the Lord of Order defeated Galan, killed the Living Tribunal, and fused with the In-Betweener to become Logos, who reverted Lifebringer Galan into Galactus.
• Chthon told Russell that Logos had transformed Galan back into Galactus and offered the information as a free gesture of cooperation.

Russell rejected Chthon’s invitation to pursue greater power with him and converted the World Tree Energy he had stored in the Octopus Dimension. Meanwhile, Stephen Strange’s attempts to repair his hands failed, and he sought supernatural healing, where a master pointed him toward Russell as the Exalted One’s Apostle.

• Chthon told Russell that Logos had attacked Galactus and urged him to pursue the power that Logos represented, but Russell refused to cooperate.
• Russell traveled to the Octopus Dimension and absorbed the accumulated unconverted energy, noting that his World Tree Energy supply vastly exceeded the Cosmic Abyss’s reserves.
• Russell returned to find Stephen’s check and letter, then learned that Gwen had been accepted into Dr. Connors’s graduate program and Wanda into Yao’s psychology master’s program.
• Stephen’s treatment plans failed, his arguments with Christine escalated, and his experimental treatments left him bankrupt.
• Stephen sought help at a church, where a master told him to cultivate and identified Russell as the Exalted One’s Apostle in the mortal world.

Stephen Strange joined the Mind Society hoping its prayers would heal his hands, but G'iah raided its ritual hall after Russell learned the cult was using his image and sacrificing people to demons. After G'iah killed the cult leaders and demon, Stephen recognized her as an apostle and learned that Russell was the Sorcerer Supreme whose dojo was in Kamar-Taj.

• Stephen accepted a bed and meals at the Mind Society, then agreed to attend the master's prayer ritual after hearing that believers might receive God's blessing.
• The master led Stephen and his three roommates in a ritual that opened a passage for a demon, while G'iah arrived at Russell's command.
• G'iah identified the Mind Society's ritual as a demonic sacrifice, killed a cultist and the master, and revealed that the cult had sacrificed 155 people.
• G'iah pulled a demon through the floor and killed it, then let Stephen and his roommates leave after warning them to keep quiet.
• Stephen asked G'iah about the powerful figure she served, and she told him Russell was the Sorcerer Supreme and that his dojo was in Kamar-Taj.

After surviving the Mind Society, Stephen Strange learned that Kamar-Taj was in Nepal but lacked the money to get there. He sought help from Russell, who gave him a check for far more than he had asked, leaving Stephen moved and indebted.

• Stephen searched online for Kamar-Taj, found the Kamar-Taj Group, and traveled to its Manhattan headquarters, where staff directed him to Wong.
• Wong opened a Portal and met Stephen, then told him Kamar-Taj was in Kathmandu or the Himalayan Mountains but refused to take him there directly on Russell’s instruction.
• Stephen returned home, realized he could not afford the trip, and regretted how he had treated Christine Palmer.
• The next morning, Stephen visited Russell’s Bookstore to thank Russell for calling an ambulance and asked to borrow 2,000 bucks.
• Russell wrote Stephen a check for 20,000 bucks, and Stephen accepted it with gratitude.

Stephen Strange searched Kathmandu for Kamar-Taj, finally locating its hidden buildings with a drone and reaching the sanctuary. There he discovered that the Sorcerer Supreme was Russell, who invited him to explore Kamar-Taj and told him they could talk after his nap.

• Stephen Strange spent nearly ten days searching Kathmandu for Kamar-Taj while his travel funds dwindled, then used Wong's directions to focus his search near the Himalayan border.
• After more than twenty days, Strange found a cluster of buildings that appeared only at night in his drone footage and hurried there with his guide.
• Strange entered Kamar-Taj alone after a Mage Apprentice took his guide on a tour, then followed a corridor to the garden where the Sorcerer Supreme awaited him.
• Russell offered Strange food and demonstrated magic by opening a Portal, leaving Strange stunned.
• Strange recognized Russell as the Sorcerer Supreme and questioned why Russell had noticed him; Russell told him he was still a doctor and invited him to explore Kamar-Taj while he rested.

Russell healed Strange’s hands by awakening his Soul Power and showed him the vast universe and its dangers, convincing him to learn magic at Kamar-Taj. Strange became Russell’s disciple and received a green Infinity Gem embedded in his forehead, which Russell named the Eye of Time.

• Russell told Strange that his hands could be healed through magic, and Strange chose the slower method that could restore them completely.
• Russell sent Strange through the Real Universe and Alternate Dimensions, showed him dead demon gods, and explained the mages’ duty to protect the Real Universe.
• Strange said he was no longer afraid and asked Russell to take him as a disciple.
• Strange offered Russell tea to formalize their teacher-disciple bond, and Russell embedded a green stone in Strange’s forehead and named it the Eye of Time.

Russell demonstrated Time Magic to Strange by destroying and restoring a star system, then arranged for Wong to guide Strange’s studies. As Strange began his training, Russell and Bald Ancient One discussed the growing Multiversal war, where Logos had nearly destroyed the Colored Celestials and the Dark Celestials and Beyond Gods had declared war on each other.

• Russell explained that Strange needed stronger Spiritual Power and extensive knowledge to use the Eye of Time, then demonstrated Time Magic in the Tianji Star System.
• Russell accelerated, slowed, and stopped time, crushed Tianji Star and its surrounding system, then used the Green Gem to restore everything.
• Wong agreed to teach Strange, and Strange asked whether Russell’s cosmic display had been an illusion; Wong encouraged him to cultivate and become the next Sorcerer Supreme.
• Russell explained that he had restricted the Eye of Time to keep Strange from causing trouble and to motivate him through gradual progress.
• Russell told Bald Ancient One about Tony Stark and Supreme Strange’s work and the Multiverse’s situation, while she was relieved to remain retired.
• Russell reflected on Logos’s attack that nearly killed One-Above-All, the Colored Celestials’ retreat, and the war declared between the Dark Celestials and Beyond Gods.

Strange advanced rapidly through Kamar-Taj’s foundational teachings, awakened his Spiritual Power, and began studying time magic through Russell’s mysterious book. After his first lesson left him energized and awake all night, he started training with a Sling Ring under Mordo’s guidance.

• Strange began his apprenticeship with morning exercise and studied introductory magic books, quickly learning magical theory and Rune Language while discovering his Spiritual Power.
• Strange practiced with the Eye of Time and told Russell he had awakened his Spiritual Power, so Russell gave him the Book of Russell and arranged lessons in conventional magic and time magic.
• Strange read the book’s first page and experienced hours of immersive instruction in time magic before the book closed and left its contents imprinted in his memory.
• Strange stayed awake studying and vomited during morning exercise, then Wong gave him a glass of Romanée-Conti and explained that Kamar-Taj’s mages could enjoy comforts without indulgence.
• Mordo showed Strange how to use a Sling Ring to open a Portal, explained the spell, and advised him not to compare himself with Russell.

Russell taught Strange and the other Mage Apprentices how to cast Portals, then encouraged Strange to set aside his pride and practice with established methods. Russell later visited Tony Stark at Avengers Tower to discuss Tony's spacecraft project, which had entered its experimental stage.

• Strange failed to create sparks until Russell explained how to guide Spiritual Power into the Sling Ring, and the Mage Apprentices began opening Portals.
• Russell showed Strange that a Portal could be opened without gestures or a Sling Ring, then used a ruler analogy to explain why Strange should rely on established spellcasting methods while learning.
• Russell told Strange that he had exceptional magical talent but would need years of study and practice to become a master, and then left him in a classroom.
• Russell visited Avengers Tower, where Tony said his spacecraft project had reached the experimental stage and admitted that Strange had contributed a negligible amount.
• Russell asked Tony why he had called him to the tower.

Russell joined Tony Stark and the Avengers aboard a spacecraft meant to cross the Hyperswirl and Neutral Space to investigate a possible threat to the Multiverse. As the ship entered the Hyperswirl, the Avengers began collecting mechanical data while Russell protected them with a spell.

• Russell told Strange he would leave the Real Universe for an unknown period and directed him to Wong, Mordo, or Master Ancient One for guidance.
• Russell joined Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Maria Hill, and Natasha Romanoff aboard the spacecraft, where Ultron served as their onboard assistant.
• Tony revealed that the spacecraft was their Noah's Ark and that it might be needed if the Multiverse faced destruction.
• Russell explained that they were traveling beyond the Hyperswirl and Neutral Space to check Eternity's condition and determine whether the danger was real.
• The spacecraft entered the Hyperswirl, Russell cast a Protective Charm over the crew, and the Avengers began collecting mechanical data for comparison with Ultron's readings.

Galactus destroyed the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom’s Earth, but Strange used the Book of Russell to pull them through a rift into Earth-404. While Reed sought a way home and Doom remained behind, Russell’s group completed their data collection in the Hyperswirl and prepared to enter Neutral Space.

• Galactus ignored Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four as he devoured their Earth, until Strange’s rift pulled the five of them to Earth-404.
• Wong and Mordo helped Strange rescue the five, learned he had used the Book of Russell, and welcomed the displaced survivors to Kamar-Taj.
• Reed asked Wong about returning to his original universe and said he had developed coordinates that could be converted for a Portal Spell.
• Reed told Doctor Doom the Fantastic Four might return home, but Doom rejected the offer to join them, and the others left him behind.
• Russell’s group completed data collection in the Hyperswirl and prepared to travel into Neutral Space, where Russell would serve as their security officer and bodyguard.