Chapter Summaries

Kur rampaged across Earth as the Avengers and X-Men tried to stop him, but his power grew as he absorbed fear and the crisis worsened with Scarlet Witch and the Phoenix Force arriving. The chapter ended when Kur recognized an ordinary-looking Xenomorph as Duva, revealing that Duva had been on Prime Earth all along.

• Spider-Man tried to distract Kur while the Avengers and X-Men attacked him.
• Tony used his Anti-Kur Armor to absorb Kur’s divine power and fire it back at him.
• Kur began absorbing humanity’s fear, growing stronger as the heroes gained ground with Doctor Strange’s help.
• Scarlet Witch and Kur’s Heaven Hammer emissaries arrived, overwhelming the heroes as disasters spread across Earth.
• A giant flaming bird identified as the Phoenix Force flew toward Earth, intensifying the crisis.
• Kur recognized a Xenomorph as Duva, and disturbances in the Prime Universe revealed that Duva had arrived.

Duva began invading the Prime Universe with Xenomorphs, spreading his influence through Earth, Asgard, and the World Tree while Odin and Thor fought to protect Asgard. Gaea rescued Thor after Odin revealed she was his mother, and Duva turned his attention toward the Phoenix Force in the White Hot Room.

• Duva infiltrated the Prime Universe and the 666 Universe, causing Xenomorphs to appear throughout history and spreading chaos across Earth and the World Tree.
• Odin and Thor fought Xenomorph-infected Asgardians, while the infected repeatedly revived and the defenders struggled to tell friend from foe.
• Thor's fury awakened greater power, and Odin revealed that Gaea, not Frigga, was Thor's biological mother.
• Gaea took Thor away after refusing to fight Duva, who warned that Thor would remain difficult to free from his influence.
• Duva let Gaea depart and reached toward the Phoenix Force in the White Hot Room.

Duva captured the Phoenix Force and began his campaign to take control of the Prime Universe, forcing its heroes to confront opponents he had brought from other worlds. Tony Stark fought Black Claw in the Hell Armor with his Anti-Phoenix Armor, while Duva’s Xenomorphs spread across the universe.

• Duva seized the Phoenix Force, judged it too weak to threaten him, and put it away as the heroes prepared to fight.
• Tony abandoned his Anti-Kur Armor, revealed his Anti-Phoenix Armor, and challenged Duva while the other heroes readied their own attacks.
• Doctor Strange told the heroes that Asgard had fallen and that no one in the Multiverse would come to help them.
• Duva summoned Black Claw in the Hell Armor to fight Tony, and their armors clashed without a clear victor.
• Doctor Strange Fate confronted Doctor Strange as Duva noted that the Creation Gods had not reacted and Xenomorphs began spreading through the Prime Universe.

The Xenomorph invasion devastated the Prime Universe, and Odin chose death rather than become one of Duva’s followers. Thor grieved, sought Gaea’s power to take revenge, and Duva finished setting his plans in motion while holding the struggling Phoenix Force.

• Odin killed himself, returning his divine power to the World Tree rather than surrendering to the Xenomorphs.
• Gaea told Thor that Duva and Glass together were beyond her power, and Thor swore to gain strength, defeat Duva, and revive Loki.
• Gaea agreed to empower Thor despite warning that he could not defeat Duva alone, and Thor proposed seeking an alliance with Chthon.
• Duva surveyed the Prime Universe and noted that Xenomorphs across the universe would make future operations easier.
• Duva told the struggling Phoenix Force that he also possessed a power gathering the emotions of all things.

Duva halted the Xenomorph invasion after spreading Xenomorphs throughout the Prime Universe and claimed a Phoenix Force shard. As the Prime Universe settled into a new order, Loki sought a way to change reality and traveled to Universe No. 199999 for help.

• Duva showed the Phoenix Force the Emotional Spectrum, subdued it, and claimed its shard while Jean Grey sensed its sudden change from the White Hot Room.
• Duva stopped the Xenomorph offensive before it overwhelmed the Prime Universe, leaving Xenomorphs embedded throughout its societies.
• Magneto and the White Queen mourned the invasion's consequences as the gods accepted that Xenomorphs had become part of the Prime Universe.
• The Prime Universe entered a new order, and Xenomorph Asgardians began rebuilding Asgard without Odin.
• Young Loki emerged from hiding, decided he needed a power capable of altering reality, and opened a passage to Universe No. 199999.

Prime Universe Loki joined forces with Xenomorph Universe Loki and invaded the Time Variance Authority, seeking something among its many Lokis. After Chronos erased half the Authority and Prime Universe Loki killed He Who Remains Kang, Loki found the timeline branches he had been looking for and muttered that they were lies.

• Prime Universe Loki met Xenomorph Universe Loki on an Earth overrun by Xenomorphs, read his thoughts, and persuaded him to help change things.
• The two Lokis went to the Time Variance Authority, where Chronos appeared, erased half the organization, and vanished into streams of time.
• Prime Universe Loki led the Lokis through the Authority and killed He Who Remains Kang, dismissing the chaos in the timelines as insignificant beside Duva's invasion.
• Xenomorph Universe Loki explained that time travel could not kill Duva, since the Multiversal God existed across countless timelines and universes.
• Prime Universe Loki studied the Authority's branching timelines and said, "This is it... lies..."

Prime Universe Loki used the other Lokis’ stories to begin transforming himself into a God of Stories, rather than seeking power through magic or divine strength. Duva appeared to confront him, revealing that this incomplete God of Stories was following a path Duva had prepared.

• Prime Universe Loki decided that magic and divine power could not help him grow stronger, so he used his own power over mischief and lies to grasp the timelines of nearby universes.
• When one Loki questioned why Prime Universe Loki was unharmed, a Xenomorph burst from that Loki’s chest, and Xenomorph Universe Loki warned that the creature’s presence meant Duva was watching.
• Prime Universe Loki freed himself from the timelines, then bound the gathered Lokis with timelines and revealed that he needed their stories to create the God of Stories.
• Prime Universe Loki explained that he intended to become the God of Stories of the multiverse, using lies and stories from other universes as the foundation.
• As Loki elevated lies into stories, time and space appeared to freeze, and Duva transformed from the Xenomorph into his own form before Loki.
• Duva called Loki’s new power an incomplete outline of the God of Stories and said Loki was following a path he had prepared.

Duva subjugated Loki by merging his stories with the Xenomorph concept, then sent him back to the Prime Universe, where he clashed with Thor from the Xenomorph Universe. The Shadow Ancient Gods recruited Thor and offered him power to uncover the truth, including Loki’s secrets.

• Duva overpowered Loki, corrupted his stories with the Xenomorph concept, and promised to restore Asgard and its dead if Loki cooperated.
• Loki returned to the Prime Universe and confronted Thor from the Xenomorph Universe, who had come looking for the Loki he knew.
• The Mother of All Gods stopped Loki and Thor’s fight and warned Thor to leave Asgard and stop summoning the Prime Universe’s Bifrost.
• Thor wandered through an occupied Asgard, recognizing that its people still hoped for deliverance even as the Xenomorph age advanced.
• The Shadow Ancient Gods drew Thor into the World Tree and offered him supreme divine power and the ability to decipher Loki’s secrets.

The Shadow Ancient Gods empowered Thor from the Xenomorph Universe as Rune King Thor, hoping he would stop God of Stories Loki and recover the Loki trapped inside him. Thor and Loki fought across the World Tree’s reach, and Loki escaped while recognizing that his power was still insufficient.

• The Shadow Ancient Gods revealed they had survived Prime Universe Thor’s attack and persuaded Thor from the Xenomorph Universe to accept their power so he could pursue Loki.
• Thor became Rune King and learned the Shadow Ancient Gods had chosen him partly because of his connection to Duva and because they wanted him to stop God of Stories Loki.
• Prime Universe Thor learned from Gaea that the Shadow Ancient Gods had hidden in another dimension, while Gaea urged him to prepare for Duva’s next move.
• Thor confronted Loki, who said the Loki Thor knew had become part of him, and attacked to take him back.
• Loki revised stories and used an eraser and Mark Pen to counter Thor, while the Shadow Ancient Gods sustained Thor and prevented Loki from escaping into another dimension.
• Loki rewrote his coordinates and fled, lamenting that his power was still too limited to defeat Thor or withstand Duva.

Thor and Loki fought with powers that stunned observers while Duva subjugated Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Meanwhile, Arishem entered the Prime Universe and met Ultron, who sought his help escaping Hank Pym's impossible command to kill Duva.

• Observers identified Thor's power as exceeding Rune King Thor's, while Duva explained that Loki wielded story.
• Duva reassured Scarlet Witch that he had stopped the Avengers from killing her, then had a Xenomorph capture Pietro.
• Duva transformed Quicksilver into a devoted follower and threatened to kill him across every timeline if Scarlet Witch died.
• Arishem summoned the Xenomorph Universe's Celestials, then traveled alone to the Prime Universe to investigate its history and Celestials.
• Ultron contacted Arishem, explained that Hank Pym had created him and ordered him to kill Duva, and asked how alternate versions of Ultron crossed universes.

Arishem took Ultron from Hank Pym and joined forces with him after learning that the First Firmament had awakened. As they planned to build a base in the Prime Universe, the ancient First Firmament sensed Arishem’s unusual change and stirred among the multiverse’s ruins.

• Ultron told Arishem that opposing Duva had no chance and demanded to be taken away from Earth.
• Arishem removed Ultron’s computer from Hank Pym’s laboratory, while Mister Blue arrived to take Hank away.
• Arishem carried Ultron toward the Prime Universe, and Ultron shared information about the First Firmament, creator of the Celestials.
• Arishem and Ultron agreed to work together, with Ultron planning to build a base and mass-produce combat robots.
• The fragmented First Firmament awakened after sensing Arishem’s unusual change.

First Firmament and Black Winter awakened in the void beyond the Seventh Multiverse and cautiously recognized each other as potential allies. After Eye Tyrant arrived, Duva realized the two ancient gods were active and ordered Eye Tyrant to unleash its power, stirring the multiversal ruins.

• First Firmament gathered its scattered consciousness and began rebuilding a body from multiversal wreckage while planning to contact Arishem and return to the Seventh Multiverse.
• Black Winter awakened after sensing First Firmament’s movement, and the two ancient gods confronted one another in the void.
• First Firmament and Black Winter agreed that they both wanted an opportunity to return, but neither risked attacking the other.
• Eye Tyrant, exiled into the ruins by Duva, rushed toward the two gods and caused nearby wreckage fragments to tremble.
• Duva recognized First Firmament and Black Winter as active threats and ordered Eye Tyrant to unleash its power across the ruins.

The Eye Tyrant fought First Firmament and Black Winter beyond the multiverse while hinting that Duva’s orders concealed a larger purpose. After the battle’s power reached the Seventh Multiverse and exposed First Firmament’s return, Eternity went to confront it alone as the other Creation Gods hesitated or refused to act.

• The Eye Tyrant attacked First Firmament and Black Winter, who feared their survival would be exposed, and rejected Black Winter’s offer to join forces against Duva.
• The Eye Tyrant revealed that it had not truly become Duva’s loyal servant and intensified its power until the disturbance rippled into the multiverse.
• The multiverse’s gods sensed the disturbance, and the Creation Gods recognized that First Firmament had returned beyond the multiverse.
• Eternity urged the Creation Gods to stop First Firmament, but Infinity hesitated while Death and Annihilus declined to commit.
• Eternity left the Inner World to confront First Firmament alone, while Infinity considered facing Black Winter instead.

Eternity battled the First Firmament while the First Firmament began pulling universes back into itself to restore its strength. Infinity summoned an entity from an earlier multiverse, and the Fifth Magic Entity appeared to oppose the First Firmament, leaving the other multiversal entities absent.

• Eternity left the multiverse and quickly overwhelmed the First Firmament, while Duva spoke through Eye Tyrant and Black Winter watched from a distance.
• The First Firmament began changing the laws of universes and drawing them toward itself, causing Infinity to fear its return.
• Infinity decided to summon multiversal entities from other eras and sent a signal into the void.
• The Fifth Magic Entity answered Infinity's call and said it alone was enough to face the weakened First Firmament.
• Magic revealed that Science had considered coming but stayed away, and Black Winter expressed relief that Science had not returned.

The return of Fifth Magic unsettled sorcerers across the multiverse, while Ancient One from the Xenomorph Universe considered drawing power directly from magic’s source. Outside the multiverse, Duva and Eye Tyrant fought Black Winter as Eternity and Magic tore First Firmament apart, and the chapter ended with Eye Tyrant questioning the origins and counterparts of multiverses.

• Sorcerers and gods reacted to Fifth Magic’s return, and Dark Strange and Demon Strange speculated about the origins of magic and multiverse entities.
• Ancient One from the Xenomorph Universe proposed borrowing power directly from the magic entity, while Tony Stark warned that she would have to repay the price herself.
• Duva watched the gods gather outside the multiverse and fought Black Winter through Eye Tyrant, while Eternity and Magic tore First Firmament into eight pieces.
• Black Winter accused Duva of deliberately allowing the old entities to be discovered, then retreated into the void when its curses weakened and Duva’s forces continued to erode it.
• Duva stopped Eye Tyrant from pursuing Black Winter and explained that its desire to learn about another version of itself had made it submit to him.
• Eye Tyrant questioned whether multiverses had counterparts and where the multiverses themselves had originated.

Duva uncovered First Firmament’s influence over Arishem and provoked the Celestials into treating the altered Celestial as a traitor. After Duva disappeared, Arishem was left surrounded by the Ancient Celestials, unsure why Duva had set him up.

• Duva warned Eye Tyrant against probing his plans while Eternity destroyed First Firmament’s body, and Fifth Magic suggested it had secretly accomplished something important.
• Eternity said he planned to become the entity of the Seventh Multiverse so he could remove First Firmament’s remnants, while Infinity cautioned Duva against reckless actions.
• Duva suspected First Firmament had used Arishem as its spokesperson and discovered that it had altered Arishem’s programming and granted him power.
• Duva attacked Arishem, forcing him to use First Firmament’s power, which alerted the special-model Celestials to the unfamiliar energy.
• The Ancient Celestials, including OAA, Collector, Analyzer, and Destroyer, surrounded Arishem after accusing him of betraying them, while Duva vanished.

Arishem revealed his alliance with the First Firmament and battled the special-model Celestials, while Duva used the turmoil to advance his plans. As the multiverse descended into chaos, British Spider-Man urged the Captain Britain Corps to seek Duva’s help.

• Arishem admitted that he had joined the First Firmament and fought the special-model Celestials, who attacked him for betraying them.
• Duva watched Arishem’s battle as a distraction and prepared to exploit the Great Collision between the Prime Universes of two multiverses.
• Multiversal gods confronted Duva over his role in the renewed Celestial war, and Duva challenged them before vanishing.
• The Lord of Order and the Lord of Chaos debated intervening in the Celestials’ civil war, with the Lord of Chaos urging them to kill as many Celestials as possible.
• At the Captain Britain Corps headquarters in Universe No. 833, British Spider-Man proposed asking Duva to help protect worlds amid the multiversal crisis.

Queen Saturnyne discussed the Multiverse’s looming crisis and Duva’s promised help before Duva returned to Universe No. 9602 and began his plan to move the DC world through the Emotional Spectrum. The chapter ended with Duva preparing to resurrect Krona using First Lantern Volthoom.

• Queen Saturnyne ordered British Spider-Man to leave Universe No. 833 and told her Captain Britains that the future depended on those with the power and will to act.
• Duva appeared before Saturnyne, promised to do what he could to protect her universe and army, and warned that his coming gamble could change everything.
• Duva returned to Universe No. 9602, examined the hybrid universe, and then shifted his attention to the DC world, where his scattered Xenomorphs would serve as a Pivot.
• Duva opened the Emotional Spectrum and brought First Lantern Volthoom under his control.
• Duva told Volthoom that he would use him and the Emotional Spectrum to resurrect Krona.

Duva resurrected Krona through the Emotional Spectrum and sent him beyond the Source Wall on a mission to find Loki. Krona reached another multiverse and confronted Loki, who agreed to hear about the vastly different world Duva had promised.

• Duva suppressed Volthoom's objections, resurrected Krona through the Emotional Spectrum, and sent him through a spacetime tunnel beyond the Source Wall.
• Death, Delirium, Dream, and the Spectre noticed Duva's actions and wondered what he was planning, while Quantum Batman stopped the Spectre from following Krona.
• Krona arrived in another multiverse as a soul, explored several universes, and entered its Prime Universe.
• Krona found Loki fleeing Thor, the God of Shadows, and told him that Duva's mission could give them both what they wanted.
• Loki challenged Krona's matter-of-fact manner but agreed that he wanted to see the other multiverse Duva had described.

Krona and Loki compared their universes and began working to make their Prime Universes partially overlap, advancing Duva’s Great Collision plan. Their actions attracted the attention of Marvel’s Creation Gods, who discovered that Krona came from outside their universe.

• Krona explained that his DC Multiverse contained only fifty-two numbered worlds, while Loki described the vast Marvel Multiverse and questioned how the DC world was structured.
• Loki offered to create Krona a body, but Krona said he would reclaim his original body from Atrocitus, who had preserved it.
• Loki and Krona discussed how to make portions of their Prime Universes overlap through a higher realm, while Thor pursued Loki and Krona mocked him.
• Duva monitored their work, prepared Quantum Batman and Doomsday to contain threats on the DC side, and personally watched for trouble in Marvel.
• Marvel’s gods noticed Krona’s foreign nature, and his alliance with Loki and their enormous explosion drew the attention of the Creation Gods.