Chapter Summaries

Hulk battled Fenrir while Thor fought Hela as Asgard’s palace and plaza were devastated. Duke restored Thor’s eye and confronted Hela, who unleashed a barrage of swords that failed to harm him.

• Fenrir and Hulk clashed, destroying the palace as their fight escalated and Hulk grew larger with rage.
• Thor and Hela fought over Asgard, and Hela stabbed out Thor’s eye before he escaped her grasp.
• Duke restored Thor’s eye and warned him that Hela’s power was limitless in Asgard, so Thor turned to aid Heimdall’s trapped warriors.
• Thor fought through the undead army and headed toward Odin’s Vault while Duke faced Hela.
• Hela offered Duke a place in her service, but he refused and forged a sword.
• Hela launched a barrage of magic-forged swords at Duke, but he stood unharmed as the blades landed around him.

Duke overwhelmed Hela with a Phoenix attack, but she revived through her bond with Asgard and gained a surge of power. As Duke beat her again, Surtur rose from Odin’s Vault with the Twilight Sword, threatening to destroy Asgard.

• Duke used mental magic to unsettle Hela, then summoned a Phoenix that incinerated her and the undead army.
• Hela revived through Asgard’s energy and declared that only she could end her life.
• Hela attacked Duke with renewed confidence, but he dodged her punch and battered her with a series of strikes.
• Duke prepared to take Hela away from Asgard, but Surtur erupted from Odin’s Vault carrying the Twilight Sword.
• Surtur declared that he would destroy Asgard, and Hela realized her brother’s plan was coming true.

Duke fought Surtur as the Fire Giant destroyed Asgard, but neither Duke’s Kamehameha nor his Phoenix Flame could stop him. As Duke prepared to evacuate, he found the Casket of Ancient Winters and chose to stay as Surtur approached.

• Surtur erupted from the earth and began destroying Asgard, while Hela attacked him and was repeatedly thrown aside.
• Duke blasted away more than half of Surtur’s body with a Kamehameha, but the giant began rebuilding himself from lava.
• Thor led the Asgardians to evacuate as Hela fought Surtur with blades and seawater, slowing his recovery without stopping the eruptions.
• Duke sent his Phoenix into battle, but its flames failed to harm Surtur, though its impact tore a hole through his chest.
• Dottie urged Duke and his companions to evacuate, but an eruption exposed the Casket of Ancient Winters, which Duke picked up as Surtur approached.

Duke used the Casket of Ancient Winters to freeze Surtur and the surrounding battlefield, then claimed the Twilight Sword and spotted the Eternal Flame. Loki arrived expecting a heroic welcome but found everyone focused on the frozen giant.

• Duke activated the Casket of Ancient Winters by channeling its cold power through his body.
• Duke unleashed Eternal Frozen Earth, freezing Surtur, the battlefield, and the surrounding area.
• Surtur’s frozen arms broke off, dropping the Twilight Sword, which Duke picked up and claimed.
• Gold spotted a flame still burning in Surtur’s chest, and Duke recognized it as the Eternal Flame.
• Loki arrived aboard a space battleship and announced himself as their savior, but no one paid attention to him.

Loki returned to Asgard and joined Thor, while Duke helped them contain Hela and prepare to leave the ruined realm. Thanos learned that the bearer of the Space Stone had left Asgard and redirected his warship to pursue it.

• Loki arrived in Asgard and discovered that Thor had called Duke as a helper, then considered making Duke an ally against the threat of Thanos.
• Duke recovered the Eternal Flame, and Thor and Loki decided to carry the frozen Hela away from Asgard and seal her elsewhere.
• Loki invited Duke and his three followers aboard the spaceship to help ensure Hela remained contained.
• Thanos changed his warship’s course after learning that the bearer of the Space Stone had left Asgard.
• Duke reflected on Thanos’s plan to eliminate half the universe’s population and argued that it would not control population growth effectively.

The narrator argued that Thanos could curb population growth by developing the universe’s economy instead of wiping out half its people. On Earth, Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian arrived to seize the Time Stone, where Doctor Strange and Tony Starrk confronted them.

• The narrator argued that economic development, education, and higher living costs would reduce birth rates more effectively than Thanos’s snap.
• Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, and Corvus Glaive arrived at Earth and divided their targets: Corvus Glaive went after the Mind Stone while the others pursued the Time Stone.
• Cull Obsidian and Ebony Maw landed in New York near the building where the Time Stone was located.
• Doctor Strange and Tony Starrk blocked the invaders, and Starrk mocked Ebony Maw until he angrily demanded to know whether Starrk represented Earth.
• Doctor Strange told Ebony Maw that Earth did not welcome them and ordered them to leave.

Stark tested his Bleeding Edge Armor against Cull Obsidian while Doctor Strange fought Ebony Maw. Little Spider joined the battle but repeatedly disrupted Stark, and Cull Obsidian remained on the attack.

• Ebony Maw ended negotiations and ordered Cull Obsidian to take the Stones, prompting Stark to activate his Mark 50 Bleeding Edge Armor.
• Stark blocked Cull Obsidian’s attack with a nanotech shield, struck him, and blasted him away with energy cannons.
• Ebony Maw attacked Stark with telekinetically hurled debris, while Cull Obsidian repeatedly overpowered Stark with his strength and near-indestructible body.
• Stark used his thrusters to launch Cull Obsidian high into the air, but Ebony Maw and Doctor Strange’s clash sent him crashing back into the fight.
• Cull Obsidian blocked Stark’s laser and battered him, leading Stark to recognize that the armor needed more firepower against cosmic opponents.
• Little Spider joined Stark against Cull Obsidian, but his inexperience repeatedly disrupted Stark’s attacks, and Cull Obsidian struck him away before Stark could fire.

Little Spider transformed into Venom and overwhelmed Cull Obsidian, but Stark intervened when the symbiote drove him to torture his enemy. After Little Spider removed the mask, Stark learned Venom had appeared in his room and remained attached to him.

• Cull Obsidian knocked Little Spider down, but Stark blasted him away before he could strike with his axe.
• Little Spider put on the black mask, transformed into Venom, and caught Cull Obsidian's axe with one hand.
• Venom beat and impaled Cull Obsidian, then tried to savor his blood, prompting Stark to demand that Little Spider remove the mask.
• Little Spider let Venom recede and collapsed, vomiting, while Stark comforted him and asked about the mask.
• Little Spider explained that Venom had appeared in his room and insisted it was friendly as Venom settled on his shoulder.

After capturing Cull Obsidian, Stark, Steve, and S.H.I.E.L.D. prepared for the alien threat while Ancient One arrived with Doctor Strange and the wounded Ebony Maw. Stark, Steve, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, and Little Spider left Earth with the Time Stone, but Little Spider’s skill with the alien ship—and Venom’s refusal to bond with Stark—left Stark humbled.

• Stark and Little Spider captured Cull Obsidian alive, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took him into custody.
• Unlucky learned that Corvus Glaive had attacked Vision and Scarlet Witch, but Quicksilver had helped drive him away and protect the Mind Stone.
• Doctor Strange returned with Ebony Maw, and Ancient One met Unlucky and the Avengers at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
• Unlucky, Ancient One, Stark, and Steve arranged for one team to take the Time Stone off Earth while Ancient One and the remaining Avengers guarded Vision’s Mind Stone.
• Stark, Steve, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, and Little Spider boarded an alien spaceship, and Little Spider activated its automatic route to the mothership.
• Stark asked to wear Venom, but Little Spider reported that Venom considered him a noob and rejected him.

Duke learned about the chaotic Gourmet World from a new set of memories, then confronted Loki about Thanos and removed the curse placed on him. Before Loki could explain his plan, Thanos’s warship locked onto their ship, and Duke went out to face the attack.

• Duke emerged from his cabin after receiving memories from a newcomer in the Gourmet World and complained about the world’s tangled mix of food stories and ghouls.
• Loki used magic to block Duke’s path and asked to speak with him, while Deathstrike and Dottie guarded Duke.
• Duke removed the black-mist curse Thanos had placed on Loki and challenged Loki to face his fear.
• Loki asked Duke for help with a plan to gain Thanos’s trust, but Duke refused and sensed Thanos approaching.
• Thanos’s enormous warship locked onto Duke’s ship and charged its weapons, so Duke vanished from the cabin and appeared in space.

Duke and Thanos began a battle in deep space, trading powerful punches while both held back. The Guardians of the Galaxy arrived in response to a distress signal and saw someone in golden armor fly past them, realizing that Thanos had been sent flying.

• Duke protected Thanos's flagship from its own ion cannons, and Thanos left the ship to confront him in space.
• Duke and Thanos identified themselves, revealed the Space Stone and Infinity Gauntlet, and exchanged their first punches.
• The Guardians of the Galaxy changed course to investigate a distress signal, with Star-Lord hoping to find a reward or a chance to rob someone.
• The Guardians reached an asteroid belt, where a figure in golden armor flew past their ship amid an explosion.
• Star-Lord mistook Groot's comment for reassurance, then realized the figure flying past them had been Thanos.

Duke fought Thanos in the asteroid belt, unleashing devastating attacks while Thanos relied on the Power Stone and his own durability to endure them. After Duke instantly restored his energy, Thanos hurled hundreds of asteroids at him, and Duke prepared to counter with his Plasma Lightning Light-Speed Fist.

• The Guardians of the Galaxy watched Duke batter Thanos and fled the asteroid belt as their battle sent shockwaves through the surrounding rocks.
• Duke struck Thanos with a Megaton Kick and hurled a Trillion-Degree Fireball, but Thanos destroyed the fireball and recovered from Duke's follow-up punch.
• Duke fired a Punishment Impact Wave that obliterated the asteroid beneath Thanos and carved a path through the asteroid belt, but Thanos dodged the blast.
• Duke restored his body, spirit, and energy with Articuno's Roost, Heal Bell, and Sleep skills, stunning Thanos with his rapid recovery.
• Thanos used the Power Stone and spatial magic to launch hundreds of asteroids at Duke, who charged his gold aura and prepared to unleash his Plasma Lightning Light-Speed Fist.

Duke battered Thanos with the Lightning Speed Fist and nearly sent his soul to the Underworld with Sekishiki Meikai Ha, but the Goddess of Death intervened. After Thanos escaped, Duke reflected on the danger posed by the Infinity Stones and decided not to seek more of them.

• Duke unleashed the Lightning Speed Fist, destroyed an asteroid, and battered Thanos until his armor was shattered.
• Duke used Sekishiki Meikai Ha to pull Thanos's soul toward the Underworld, but a skeletal arm pushed it back into his body.
• Thanos escaped through a portal, while Duke sensed the Goddess of Death and endured her deadly whispers before she vanished.
• Duke took command of Thanos's departing flagship and considered the threat of the Five Great Cosmic Entities.
• Duke rejected the idea of collecting more Infinity Stones, deciding they were too dangerous to pursue.

Duke learned that the Goddess of Death had saved Thanos, then helped Loki seal Hela with an unfamiliar formation while the Guardians left to search for Thanos. Meanwhile, Stark’s team infiltrated Thanos’s flagship, where Supergiant exposed them and the group became trapped in a battle.

• Duke told Loki that the mysterious figure who had saved Thanos was the Goddess of Death.
• Duke helped Loki seal Hela using the power of the world of After Ascension, creating a formation that could not be unraveled by Marvel magic.
• Star-Lord and the Guardians left to search for Thanos, leaving Duke a communicator for reporting any clues.
• Stark, Doctor Strange, Steve, and Little Spider infiltrated Sanctuary II with Venom’s help and reached its Command Center.
• Supergiant detected the intruders and controlled Stark and Black Widow, but Doctor Strange, Little Spider, and Steve broke free and fought the Black Order and alien soldiers.
• Doctor Strange urged Little Spider to wake Stark with a hard punch, leaving Little Spider reluctant to hit his father.

Little Spider and the Avengers defeated and captured Supergiant and Proxima Midnight, but Thanos appeared in the Command Center and confronted them. After Little Spider struck him, Thanos barely moved and caught his fist.

• Little Spider knocked Stark out of Supergiant's control, and the Avengers defeated and captured Supergiant and Proxima Midnight.
• Black Widow interrogated the prisoners and learned that Thanos had gone missing, so the Avengers planned to destroy the warship and return to Earth.
• Thanos entered the Command Center with Supergiant and Proxima Midnight, revealed that he had survived his defeat by Duke, and threatened the Avengers.
• Stark mocked Thanos, and Little Spider attacked him with a powerful punch.
• Thanos barely reacted to the blow, grabbed Little Spider's fist, and praised his fighting style.

Thanos overwhelmed the heroes and used the Reality Stone to turn their coordinated attack into an illusion, trapping them in a battlefield surrounded by Aliens soldiers. He captured Little Spider and Stark, then demanded that Doctor Strange surrender the Time Stone while Steve and Black Widow lay helpless.

• Thanos defeated Little Spider and sent him and Stark crashing through the Command Center floors, while Steve, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, and Venom Spider coordinated an attack that appeared to pierce Thanos's head.
• Thanos used the Reality Stone to escape the attack and changed the surroundings into a plaza encircled by Aliens soldiers, where he demanded the Time Stone from Doctor Strange.
• Doctor Strange's attempt to open a dimensional portal failed when Thanos shattered it with the Power Stone, and the Aliens soldiers opened fire as Stark and Venom Spider charged into their ranks.
• Thanos recognized Duke's fighting style in Venom Spider, defeated him, and captured Little Spider after Venom retreated into his body.
• Thanos broke Stark's nanobot weapons and let the Aliens soldiers capture him, though a tiny piece of nanobots slipped into Stark's skin unnoticed.
• Thanos swept Steve and Black Widow to the ground and demanded that Doctor Strange hand over the Time Stone or die.

Thanos explained his plan to Doctor Strange, who handed over the Time Stone while declaring that Thanos was destined to fail. In the alien prison, Stark and the others seized an opportunity to prepare an escape and discovered that the newly arrived prisoners included a man who looked human.

• Thanos told Doctor Strange that he intended to use the Infinity Stones to erase half of all life, and Doctor Strange gave him the Time Stone while insisting he would fail.
• Stark refused to eat the prison food, while Doctor Strange and Steve and Natasha endured their meals and conserved their strength.
• Little Spider got his head stuck between the cell bars, and Black Widow used his cries to draw attention to the prison gate.
• Alien soldiers brought several unconscious prisoners into the cells, and Stark formed a hexagonal key from liquid metal.
• Little Spider spotted a human-looking prisoner, waking Star-Lord, and eagerly asked whether he was from Earth.

Star-Lord and the Avengers tried to organize an escape from Thanos’s prison, but their plans depended on finding help or fighting without their equipment. Star-Lord proposed sending a distress signal to a powerful ally, but Rocket discovered the game console was out of battery.

• Rocket Raccoon walked out of his cell but was captured by guards and locked in a tiny cage suspended above the corridor.
• Star-Lord befriended Peter Parker and promised to take him along when the Guardians escaped, then realized Gamora was missing.
• Stark freed Doctor Strange, Steve, Black Widow, and Spider-Man, and the Avengers discussed escaping despite their missing equipment and depleted abilities.
• Stark released the Guardians of the Galaxy and tried to organize everyone around a plan, while Star-Lord said the Guardians were bad at following plans.
• Star-Lord revealed his modified game console and proposed using it to send a distress signal to the man who had defeated Thanos, but Rocket found it had no battery.

Stark and Star-Lord contacted Duke for help escaping the prison, and Duke arrived to reunite with the Avengers and Guardians. After reassuring Peter about Venom, Duke prepared to help everyone recover their equipment, then discovered that Venom might hate Stark because Peter had once worn it while beating him up.

• Stark put nanobot batteries into Star-Lord's game console so it could send a distress call, and Star-Lord used it to summon Duke.
• Duke teleported into the prison, reunited with the Avengers and Guardians, and learned that their equipment was held outside among a thousand guards.
• Duke recognized Peter and recalled meeting him in New York, then reassured him that Venom had chosen him because of his talent.
• Duke drew Venom out of Peter's sleeve and urged it to fight back, while Venom cowered until Duke threatened to take it to the lab for lessons.
• Duke explained that Venom would not make Peter evil, then asked Peter what he had been thinking when he used Venom to beat up Stark; Peter denied thinking anything.

Duke returned to Earth after learning that Thanos was seeking the Soul Stone, while Corvus Glaive freed Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prison. In Wakanda, Vision’s surgery succeeded, but Thanos’s forces arrived just as the heroes prepared to destroy the Mind Stone.

• Duke learned that Vision was in Wakanda and returned to Earth, leaving Loki to seek reinforcements from Asgard.
• Corvus Glaive infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.’s underground prison, freed Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, and escaped before the agents arrived.
• Vision’s surgery in Wakanda succeeded, freeing him from the Mind Stone and allowing him to live independently.
• Vision urged Scarlet Witch to destroy the Mind Stone, while Black Panther ordered Wakanda’s residents evacuated and its defenses activated.
• Thanos’s battleship arrived above Earth, and Black Panther rallied Wakanda to prepare for battle.