Chapter Summaries

Tony Stark and the others encountered Nyarlathotep in Neutral Space, but Russell erased the Evil God before he could harm them. On Earth-404, Galactus arrived to devour the planet, defeated Supreme Strange, and faced Russell, who watched from a rooftop with his companions.

• Nyarlathotep introduced himself to Tony Stark and attacked the spacecraft crew with the Power of Fear, but Russell erased him with a streak of silver light.
• Galactus arrived on Earth-404 after being summoned, and Bald Ancient One warned him to flee before the Sorcerer Supreme returned.
• Supreme Strange confronted Galactus, reversed the damage from an ultra-high-yield missile, and fought him, but Galactus struck him down with Cosmic Energy.
• Russell appeared beside Bald Ancient One with Ultron, Mage, Gwen, and Wanda, watched Strange's defeat, and offered everyone watermelon.

Supreme Strange battled Galactus in a remote star system, using Shuma-Gorath’s power and Zombie Wanda before both agreed to stop. After Galactus returned to Earth and tried to leave, Russell appeared aboard his ship and offered to use half a move.

• Supreme Strange sent Galactus through a Portal to a remote star system while his clone stayed with Mordo and the others and gave them protective spells.
• Supreme Strange unleashed Zombie Wanda against Galactus, but Galactus sent her back to her universe and resumed the battle.
• Supreme Strange and Galactus exchanged powerful attacks until both were injured and agreed to end the fight.
• Mordo, Mister Fantastic Reed, and the others failed to stop Galactus’s ship from threatening Earth while Galactus was away.
• Galactus returned to Earth, activated his ship, and found it halted by Russell, who revealed Earth-404 was his territory and offered to use half a move.

Russell defeated Galactus with a single punch but refused to let the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom kill him because he owed Galactus a favor. He promised to restore their destroyed world, imprisoned Galactus, and returned to Neutral Space, where he reflected on the cosmic order that made civilizations expendable.

• Russell struck Galactus and sent him crashing through Tower 2 into the Mirror Dimension, where the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom found him badly injured.
• Russell arrived and identified Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four, then refused their request to kill Galactus because he owed him a favor.
• Russell explained that Galactus was part of the Multiverse's ecological cycle and offered to restore the Fantastic Four's world.
• Russell opened a Portal, seized the unconscious Galactus, and sent him to Void Space to keep him confined while he handled other matters.
• Russell returned to Neutral Space and questioned whether taking Galactus's energy would make him responsible for any planet Galactus later devoured.

Russell restored the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom’s destroyed Earth and returned them home, then investigated who had arranged Galactus’s arrival on Earth-404. He learned the unknown mastermind had brought Galactus to test his abilities after learning about his strength on Earth-616.

• Russell and his companions finished their data collection, and Tony reminded Russell to keep the spaceship’s structure intact while he was away.
• Russell explained to the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom that he would reverse local spacetime, then rebuilt their Earth from Galactus’s remains and returned it to the Solar System.
• Russell sent the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom back to their restored Earth, left Galactus behind, and returned to Earth-404.
• Russell told Strange, Mordo, and Wong that Strange was not responsible for Galactus’s arrival and suspected someone had deliberately arranged it.
• Russell used Transcendent Perception to learn that an unknown mastermind had tested him after discovering his approximate strength on Earth-616.

Russell dismissed concerns about Strange’s accidental connection between universes, then met Mister Fantastic 1610, who asked him to capture Dark Celestials so he could study their unified universe and save the Multiverse. Russell refused, leaving Mister Fantastic’s plan without his help.

• Russell asked Doctor Strange and Gaea to investigate whether anyone on Earth-616 had been gathering information about him.
• Russell and Strange pretended to accept Mordo and Wong’s criticism, and Mordo urged Strange to study under Master Ancient One instead.
• Russell explained to Strange that his magical skill came from years of study, and Strange realized he should have defended his teacher when Mordo and Wong criticized him.
• Mister Fantastic 1610 visited Russell and said Logos and the Dark Celestials were helping a stronger universe devour their Multiverse while Eternity remained imprisoned.
• Mister Fantastic 1610 proposed uniting the Multiverse and asked Russell to capture the Dark Celestials for their information fragments, but Russell refused.

Mister Fantastic 1610 failed to persuade Russell to help unify the Multiverse, then pursued a plan to turn Galactus back into Lifebringer and set him against Logos. Russell suspected Reed had led Galactus to Earth-404 and questioned Chthon about Eternity’s imprisonment, while Chthon concluded that the Creator served the First Firmament.

• Russell intimidated Mister Fantastic 1610 into leaving his bookstore after refusing to justify his plan.
• Russell suspected Mister Fantastic 1610 had guided Galactus to Earth-404 and contacted Chthon through the Darkhold.
• Mister Fantastic 1610 sent the Ultimate Team an anonymous message about Galactus, prompting Captain Carol to lead them to investigate.
• Russell asked Chthon who had imprisoned Eternity and whether the imprisonment was genuine; Chthon confirmed Eternity had told Galactus he was imprisoned.
• Russell asked about the Creator’s allegiance, and Chthon concluded that the Creator was on the First Firmament’s side.

Russell urged Chthon to help whichever side won the conflict, then steered him toward Mister Fantastic 1610’s campaign against Logos. As Chthon recruited allies and investigated the threat, Russell went to find Tony Stark and Banner, only to learn they were on vacation; the chapter ended with Chthon asking Gaea about Logos while Russell asked the same question elsewhere.

• Russell told Chthon that First Firmament was likely behind the crisis and suggested he join Mister Fantastic 1610’s effort to hunt Logos, gaining a chance to replace Logos’s authority while helping Eternity.
• Russell went to the Avengers Tower laboratory to hurry the spacecraft preparations, but learned Tony Stark and Banner were away on vacation; Ultron also told him a game Russell had commissioned was ready for internal testing.
• The Dark Celestials, aided by Logos and a hidden reserve of strength, crushed the Beyond Gods, prompting Mister Fantastic 1610 to ask Chthon to warn the Multiversal Deities that Logos had defected to First Firmament.
• Chthon secretly monitored Mister Fantastic 1610, then sought help from Oshtur, who recognized his interest in Logos’s authority and warned him against claiming the Living Tribunal’s power.
• Agamotto let Chthon leave the Vishanti’s domain, and the Vishanti considered consulting the Ancient One before Chthon returned to Earth-616 and asked Gaea about Logos; Russell asked someone the same question.

Russell warned Strange about the dangers of using Astral Projection to study and sent him away from Kamar-Taj for ten days. He then checked on the forces defending Earth-404’s Dimensional Channel, where Hela challenged him to a sword fight that left her demanding he take the battle seriously.

• White-Bearded Ancient One teased Russell for neglecting his Sorcerer Supreme duties and went with him to check on Strange at Kamar-Taj.
• Russell and White-Bearded Ancient One found Strange studying in his astral form, and Russell warned him that Astral Projection could make him lose track of his body and time.
• Russell forced Strange back into his body and sent him through a Portal, telling him to stay away from Kamar-Taj and the reading room for ten days.
• Russell visited the Dimensional Channel, where Kamar-Taj sorcerers and Asgardians guarded Earth-404, and found Hela, Thor, and Loki at the outpost.
• Hela said she planned to return to Asgard and challenged Russell to fight; they traveled to a barren star system and clashed with their swords.
• Russell used Portals to attack Hela while matching her strength and speed, and when she demanded he fight with everything he had, he warned that she would die if he did.

Russell showed Hela and Loki the devastation Infinity Ultron and his legion caused across the Multiverse, then explained why fighting at full strength would threaten nearby universes and dimensions. Hela agreed to guard Kamar-Taj’s defense line for two more years and followed Russell through a portal to New York instead of returning to Asgard.

• Russell shattered the surrounding spacetime, briefly taking Hela and Loki beyond the Real Universe, where he taught Loki that time need not confine him.
• Hela explained that she dreamed of making Asgard great enough to conquer the Multiverse, while Russell warned that his full power could destroy nearby universes.
• Russell showed Hela and Loki Infinity Ultron’s rise and the Ultron Legion’s destruction of countless universes, including Asgard in several realities.
• The projection showed Russell erasing the Six-Stone Ultron Legion in an instant, convincing Hela that she could not measure herself against his full strength.
• Hela asked how much power Russell had used against her, and he asked her to guard Kamar-Taj’s defense line for another two years in return.
• Russell opened a portal to a New York bookstore, and Hela followed him instead of returning to Asgard.

Russell, Doctor Strange Supreme, Tony Stark, and Ultron traveled aboard Ark toward Beyond Everything to meet Eternity. Eternity revealed he had noticed Russell and offered Strange a method to restore his universe, leaving them poised to hear his advice.

• Russell set out with Doctor Strange Supreme, Tony Stark, and Ultron aboard Ark, while the other Avengers stayed behind.
• After Ark entered Neutral Space, Doctor Strange Supreme devoured eight attacking creatures, alarming Tony Stark; he later stopped consuming monsters because the Dark Energy burdened him.
• As Ark neared Beyond Everything, Eternity contacted the crew, explained that he had noticed Russell when he became an elephant, and flooded Ark with Cosmic Energy as compensation.
• Doctor Strange Supreme asked Eternity to restore his universe, but Eternity warned that doing so could damage the Multiverse's structure.
• Russell challenged Eternity's warning, and Strange explained that he wanted to save his universe without harming others.
• Eternity told Strange he did not need to propose a method because Eternity could give him one directly.

Russell discussed Eternity’s distrust of him and possible ways to protect Earth-404, then consulted the Creator about Beyond Everything. The Creator urged Russell to kill Eternity, but Russell rejected the idea and planned to pursue cooperation instead, while suspecting the Creator wanted to elevate the Elder God Race.

• Aboard the Ark, Russell told Tony Stark that Eternity seemed concerned about Russell disrupting events and that Earth-404 would survive the coming upheaval.
• Tony Stark summarized the dangers posed by the First Firmament and Eternity, then suggested either building trust with Eternity or leaving for Beyond Everything.
• Russell summoned the Creator, who described Beyond Everything and argued that Russell could become a guardian of the Multiverse.
• The Creator proposed that Russell kill Eternity, but Russell refused because the Multiverse’s inhabitants would be exposed to annihilation.
• Tony Stark urged a more traditional approach, and the Creator offered to mediate between Russell and Eternity.
• After the Creator vanished, Russell told Tony Stark that the Creator’s real aim was to advance the Elder God Race as a candidate for the Ninth Generation Eternity.

Gaea recruited Russell to help the surviving Elder Gods stop Logos and the Dark Celestials, and Russell joined their assault. He began overpowering Logos, but Mister Fantastic 1610’s request to capture Logos rather than kill him interrupted the attack as the battle continued.

• Gaea asked Russell to join her plan to ambush Logos and the Dark Celestials, and Russell agreed to help protect the Multiverse.
• Strange asked Russell to transfer him to the New York Sanctum Sanctorum, and Russell approved the transfer after Strange said it was close to home.
• Logos killed the surviving Colored Celestials, and Russell arrived with Gaea, Chthon, the Vishanti Trinity, and Atum to confront him.
• Galan and the other allies attacked the Dark Celestials while Russell faced Logos and discovered that Logos’s laws could not harm him.
• Russell unleashed Divine Power and sent a gigantic finger crashing toward Logos, but Mister Fantastic 1610 asked him to capture Logos, causing the attack to pause briefly before descending again.

Ness brought more than a thousand Elder Gods from the Shadow Dimension to reinforce Russell’s battle against Logos and the Dark Celestials. As Russell trapped Logos, Agamotto opened a channel to Vishanti’s Abode of Light and summoned the Sorcerer Supreme spirits to join the fight.

• Ness gathered the Elder Gods and led them through a portal to the battlefield, where they attacked the Dark Celestials and eased the pressure on Galactus and the others.
• Russell continued overpowering Logos, who tried to escape through a Space-Time Rift but was caught and restrained by luminous white arms.
• The Elder Gods mistook Galactus for a Dark Celestial and attacked him before realizing he was an ally.
• Agamotto asked Oshtur to summon the Sorcerer Supreme spirits, and Russell opened a breach for them to enter the battle.
• Oshtur, Agamotto, and Hoggoth connected the battlefield to Vishanti’s Abode of Light, restoring the spirits’ power as they charged the Dark Celestials.

Russell captured Logos and the Dark Celestials surrendered, while Reed Richards 1610 pushed to consolidate the Multiverse into a single universe. The group agreed to ask Eternity before deciding, and Russell challenged Reed over his past manipulation of Galactus as they headed for the Temple of Eternity.

• The Sorcerer Supremes and their allies struggled to harm the Dark Celestials, so Russell captured Logos and detected an unfamiliar energy inside him that might have come from the First Firmament.
• Russell's pearly-white tentacles swallowed the Dark Celestials' leader and blocked the others' escape, prompting them to surrender.
• Galactus, Gaea, and Russell questioned the Dark Celestials' surrender and Reed's plan to consolidate the Multiverse, then agreed to ask Eternity for his opinion.
• Oshtur left with Gaea and Ness for a private conversation, while Mister Fantastic 1610 set the spacecraft's course for the Temple of Eternity.
• Russell refused Reed's request to hand over Logos and suggested that Reed had deliberately guided Galactus to Earth-404, prompting Galactus to suspect Reed had manipulated him.
• Chthon corrected Russell's promise to leave Logos to Enzi, saying he wanted the laws of the Living Tribunal that Logos had replaced.

Russell and his companions reached the Temple of Eternity and opened the Gate of Eternity, but the silent Eternity avoided meeting them. First Firmament watched from Beyond Everything as Eternity weighed the danger of Mister Fantastic 1610's plan to unify the Multiverse.

• Russell warned Chthon that First Firmament might be manipulating Logos and persuaded him not to rush into replacing the Living Tribunal.
• Russell studied the Dark Celestial leader's armor while the ship crossed the Hyperswirl to the Temple of Eternity.
• Galactus restored the ruined Temple's statues, and Russell cut off the head of The Watcher's statue before Galactus used Life Energy to open the Gate of Eternity.
• After waiting several hours, Russell, Galactus, Chthon, and Mister Fantastic 1610 entered the Gate, where Galactus called to Eternity without getting a response.
• Russell confronted Eternity, who had noticed them but avoided meeting him because Russell had disrupted his plan to draw First Firmament into a trap.
• First Firmament watched from Beyond Everything and considered the group's plan to unify the Multiverse, while Eternity feared the loss of the Multiverse's resilience.

Eternity rejected Chthon’s attempt to claim Logos’s law alone and agreed to establish a new Cosmic Law, Equilibrium, governed by Chthon, the Vishanti Trinity, and the Ancient One. After Russell and Chthon left, Mister Fantastic 1610 began pursuing his own plan to transform the Multiverse, while Eternity and the past universes’ Cosmic Entity incarnations discussed luring the First Firmament into battle.

• Eternity revealed that the First Firmament’s restraints were weakening him and said he feared that becoming a Single Universe would let the First Firmament devour him.
• Chthon offered to inherit Logos’s law, but Eternity questioned how he could embody Equilibrium alone.
• Russell proposed that Chthon, the Vishanti Trinity, and a respected Sorcerer Supreme jointly govern Equilibrium, and Eternity approved the Ancient One as the third member.
• Chthon celebrated his new role and struck Mister Fantastic 1610, while Russell, Chthon, and Galactus departed the Temple of Eternity.
• Mister Fantastic 1610 left in his spacecraft and planned to transform the Multiverse into a Single Universe, despite failing to obtain Logos.
• Eternity summoned Queen Never and the past universes’ Cosmic Entity incarnations, who considered using the World Tree’s energy to lure the First Firmament into attacking.

Russell and Chthon tried to extract the Living Tribunal’s law from Logos, but Logos escaped his weakened seal and attacked Chthon. Russell seized the Law Orb, while a Deep Blue figure swallowed Eternity’s Embodiment and declared success.

• Russell visited White-Bearded Ancient One, recounted the battle against the Dark Celestials and Logos, and failed to persuade him to accept a share of the New Cosmic Law of Balance.
• Chthon told Russell that Hoggoth and Agamotto had refused to join his new Cosmic Magic Array, and proposed taking the Living Tribunal’s authority by force.
• Russell brought Chthon to a remote dimension, opened the Ice Coffin, and handed him the sealed Logos to extract the law.
• Chthon’s ritual produced a Law Orb, but Logos secretly weakened Russell’s seal and struck Chthon when he reached for it.
• Logos attacked Chthon, but Russell appeared and snatched the Law Orb before Logos could claim it.
• Beyond Everything, a Deep Blue figure swallowed Eternity’s Embodiment and declared success.

Mister Fantastic 1610 caused the Superflow Domain to vanish, merging the Multiverse into a Single Universe and setting off a confrontation between Eternity and First Firmament. Russell learned that Earth-404 and Earth-65 were about to collide, but he confirmed that the Creator’s account of his power was true and reassured everyone that the crisis was manageable.

• Mister Fantastic 1610 celebrated after making the Superflow Domain collapse, while Russell warned Chthon that the universes would soon be linked and returned to Universe 404.
• The Creator told Russell that his power came from beyond the Multiverse and could defeat First Firmament if Russell entered his body, but First Firmament then swallowed Eternity after the Multiverse became a Single Universe.
• Russell returned to his bookstore, where the White-Bearded Ancient One warned him that Earth-404 and Earth-65 were about to collide because Gwen had remained on Earth-404.
• Russell used his enhanced perception to identify Gwen as the intersection point and told her the collision was a minor problem he could solve.
• Tony Stark, Gwen, and the White-Bearded Ancient One discussed backup plans to protect Earth, while Russell confirmed through Transcendent Perception that the Creator’s claims were true.

Galactus and Russell discussed how to save Eternity from the First Firmament, but Russell refused to restore the Living Tribunal and left to hasten the birth of a new Cosmic Law. He then gathered the mystical beings needed to create it and began removing the Chaos Power from Chthon, charging him eighty billion.

• Galactus arrived at the Fantastic Four’s command room in his Lifebringer form, and Human Torch’s emotional attack knocked him unconscious.
• Russell explained that Galactus had come to help prevent an Earth collision, then heard Galactus propose restoring Eternity and reviving the Living Tribunal; Russell insisted on Balance instead and left to advance the new Cosmic Law.
• Russell told White-Bearded Ancient One and Agamotto that Chthon would be part of the new Cosmic Law, and Agamotto led them to Earth-616 to gather the others.
• At the Ancient One’s Temple in Kamar-Taj, Chthon arrived badly injured by Chaos Power, and Russell agreed to help him for eighty billion.
• Russell used his Energy Absorption talent to draw Crimson Energy and dark green Chaos Power out of Chthon.

Chthon, the Vishanti, and White-Bearded Ancient One created the Cosmic Law Equilibrium, which Eternity used to resist First Firmament even as their battle worsened. Galactus and the others pursued Mister Fantastic 1610 for his spacetime device, while Russell learned that the Creator was letting First Firmament’s corruption of Eternity deepen to strengthen Eternity’s hold on him.

• Chthon recovered from Lord of Chaos’s corrosive energy, and White-Bearded Ancient One used the Cosmic Law Orbs to fuse opposing energies into the Cosmic Law Equilibrium.
• First Firmament intensified his attack on Eternity, while the Creator and the Sixth Cosmos discussed the risk of Eternity being damaged or destroyed.
• Galactus took Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman Susan, Human Torch, Thing Ben, and Doctor Doom aboard Taa II to the location of Mister Fantastic 1610’s ship.
• Galactus and the others seized the device, but they could not determine how to use it to split the Multiverse apart again, so Mister Fantastic asked Galactus to seek other scientific experts.
• Russell contacted the Creator about Eternity’s worsening situation, and the Creator explained that deeper corruption would make Eternity’s restraint on First Firmament stronger.