Chapter Summaries

Duke spent weeks modifying Mark and Gold’s shared body while Gold gradually accepted his new life after seeing his daughter settled with an adoptive family. Meanwhile, Carter and Nick Fury investigated Duke and secretly organized a purge of Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D., with Fury concluding that Duke was a restrained, peace-loving alien.

• Duke modified Mark so Gold could control the dog’s body for two hours at a time, while Mark’s strength and mating habits caused trouble for nearby residents.
• Gold struggled with life as a dog, but seeing his daughter happy with her adoptive parents eased his resentment and helped his soul merge with Mark’s.
• Carter stayed near Duke and secretly shared her intelligence with Nick Fury, who assigned Coulson to investigate suspected Hydra agents inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury’s investigation found that most agents at Triskelion Headquarters were suspected of Hydra ties, so he planned a covert purge while avoiding the immediate arrest of Pierce and other leaders.
• After reviewing Duke’s history and learning he had pursued legal justice for his adoptive father before using his powers, Nick Fury judged him harmless unless provoked and considered contacting him after Hydra was dealt with.

Steve interrupted Duke's laboratory work to tell him about the televised fight between Tony Stark and Iron Monger, but Duke already knew and took him upstairs to watch. When Carter, Steve, and Dottie rushed to help Tony, Duke revealed that his flying rug could carry them there.

• Steve crashed into Duke's laboratory with his shield and told him that two armored men were fighting in New York.
• Duke joined Steve in watching the broadcast with Carter and Dottie, identified Tony Stark as the smaller mech's pilot, and assured them Tony would win.
• As Tony struggled against Iron Monger, Carter decided to go save him, and Steve and Dottie followed.
• Carter kicked Duke's Ford and knocked off its bumper, so Duke told them he had better transportation.
• Duke enchanted the rug at the clinic entrance, making it rise into the air as the others watched in astonishment.

Obadiah attacked Stark in the Iron Monger armor, but Steve Rogers intervened and helped Stark fight him. After Stark and Steve opened the armor, Dottie shot Obadiah from a rooftop, and Stark and Steve fled when she accidentally fired at them again.

• Obadiah used Iron Monger to overpower Stark, but Steve damaged its thruster with his shield and joined the fight.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. identified Steve as Captain America, while Stark learned that Steve carried a Vibranium shield made by his father.
• Duke gave Carter a sniper rifle and ammunition, and Dottie took the rifle as Iron Monger drove Steve and Stark into hiding.
• Stark and Steve agreed that Steve would distract Obadiah while Stark attacked Iron Monger from behind and opened its armor.
• Stark and Steve prepared to strike Obadiah, but Dottie shot him before either could land a blow.
• Stark took Iron Monger's reactor and met Steve, then both men ran when Dottie accidentally fired another shot at them.

Stark reunited with Carter and Dottie after Obadiah’s defeat, while Duke returned to his clinic to deal with Natasha Romanoff, who had been caught snooping there. The chapter ended with Duke calling the police and reporting the bound S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as a burglar.

• Phil Coulson met Steve and excitedly introduced himself as Captain America’s fan, leaving Stark annoyed at being ignored.
• Stark tried to flirt with Carter and Dottie, then recognized Carter as Peggy Carter, his father’s old friend.
• Carter explained that she had come to help Stark and asked for a ride after Duke left without her and Dottie.
• Natasha searched Duke’s clinic, descended into the basement tunnel, and was trapped and bound by an unseen force.
• Duke arrived, carried Natasha upstairs, and called 911 to report her as a burglar.

After Natasha’s failed mission against Duke, Nick Fury revealed that Alexander Pierce had sent her and exposed Hydra’s control of S.H.I.E.L.D. He tried to recruit her into the fight and named his planned allies, ending with the revelation that Captain America worked as a security guard at Duke’s dental clinic.

• Natasha recounted how Duke captured and humiliated her, and said Alexander Pierce had secretly assigned her mission.
• Nick Fury confirmed that Pierce was Hydra and revealed that Hydra had infiltrated nearly eighty percent of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s agents.
• Natasha confronted Nick Fury over his past deception, then said she wanted to retire and leave the country.
• Nick Fury urged Natasha to help stop Hydra and said he would launch Project Insight while seeking support from the Security Council.
• Nick Fury named Stark, Agent Barton, Natasha, and Captain America as allies, then revealed that Steve Rogers worked as a security guard at Duke’s clinic.

As Nick Fury’s Project Insight crushed Hydra worldwide, Duke treated Stark, closed his clinic to complete Gold’s evolution, and later reopened with Dottie as his only assistant. With Steve fighting Hydra alongside the Avengers and Dottie drifting without purpose, Duke decided to turn her into a close-combat hero using enhancement serum and Six Powers martial arts.

• Nick Fury launched Project Insight with the Security Council’s backing, arresting thousands of Hydra members and driving the organization back into hiding.
• Duke treated Stark’s palladium poisoning, after which Stark built a new reactor and defeated Ivan Vanko as Whiplash.
• Carter and Steve joined S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight Hydra, while Dottie stayed with Duke and received the enhancement originally intended for Steve.
• Steve joined Nick Fury’s Avengers team with Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Iron Man, and they dismantled Hydra bases around the world.
• Duke completed his modified evolution experiment for Gold, but Gold could not reach Champion Level because his soul fusion remained incomplete.
• Duke recognized Dottie’s lack of purpose and chose her as the candidate for a superhero build based on enhancement serum and Six Powers martial arts.

Dottie lamented Peggy choosing a man, and Duke mischievously suggested she feed Steve incompatible foods while knowing the Super Soldier Serum would protect him. Their evening was interrupted by news of Abomination rampaging through Manhattan, and Duke realized the destruction was near Gold's daughter's home as Garurumon Duke had run outside.

• Dottie told Duke that Peggy had abandoned her for a man and considered killing him to win Peggy back.
• Duke discouraged Dottie from murder and suggested she feed Steve food combinations that could cause poisoning, so she searched for recipes.
• Duke watched breaking news showing Abomination overpowering the military in Manhattan and recognized him as Blonsky, Hulk's enemy.
• Dottie excitedly watched Abomination's rampage and criticized the United States military for creating its own enemy.
• Duke learned Garurumon Duke had run outside and recognized the neighborhood on television as the one where Gold's daughter lived.

Abomination overwhelmed the Hulk and the American military while destroying Manhattan, as S.H.I.E.L.D. refused the Security Council’s demand to intervene. Gold raced into the battle zone and rescued his daughter, revealing his silver-white wolf form to the nation, while Abomination noticed him and prepared to treat him as another opponent.

• The Hulk arrived to fight Abomination, but the Inhibitor Serum kept him from unleashing his full strength, and Abomination pinned and beat him.
• Nick Fury refused the Security Council’s demand for S.H.I.E.L.D. support, arguing that its agents could not stop the monsters and that the Avengers were in Budapest.
• Abomination defeated the Hulk, dragged down an armed helicopter, and began slaughtering American soldiers and wrecking Manhattan.
• Gold tracked his daughter to the center of the battle, found her hiding behind a sofa, and carried her away through the air and down a building.
• Television broadcasts exposed Gold’s silver-white wolf form, prompting Nick Fury to order his agents to identify the girl.
• Abomination saw Gold on the broadcast and called him a search-and-rescue dog, mistaking him for a new American military weapon.

Gold’s desperation to protect his daughter triggered his evolution into Garurumon Duke, but after Abomination attacked them and soldiers fired on him, his remaining reason gave way to feral rage. The chapter ended with Garurumon Duke turning his killing intent toward the soldiers who had shot at him.

• Gold fled with his unconscious daughter, but Abomination caught up and forced him to defend her while reporters and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watched.
• Gold was badly injured protecting his daughter from Abomination, and his determination to become stronger triggered an evolution into Garurumon Duke.
• Garurumon Duke tried to escape with his daughter, but Abomination grabbed his tail and attacked them, provoking Gold into biting and mauling him.
• Abomination threw Garurumon Duke into a bus, and the transformed wolf’s remaining reason faded as he howled at the moon.
• American soldiers accidentally opened fire on Garurumon Duke, whose metallic fur stopped their bullets, and he turned toward them with murderous intent.

Garurumon Duke fought Hulk and Abomination in Manhattan until he was beaten down and left vulnerable to capture. Hearing Gold’s daughter cry for him awakened Gold’s full power, and Garurumon Duke evolved into WereGarurumon.

• Garurumon Duke used his freezing breath and Frozen Fangs against Hulk and Abomination, but the two monsters overwhelmed him in a destructive battle across Manhattan.
• Garurumon Duke finally collapsed, and the Department of Defense, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Hydra all sought to seize him.
• Hulk’s Inhibitor Serum wore off, and he resumed fighting Abomination as the destruction spread through the city.
• Gold’s daughter woke amid the wreckage, cried for her father, and was knocked down by a fleeing man.
• Garurumon Duke heard the girl, rose despite his injuries, and Gold’s soul fully fused with his body.
• Garurumon Duke evolved into the powerful bipedal Digimon WereGarurumon.

Gold rescued his daughter and returned her to her adoptive parents before joining the battle against Hulk and Abomination. After killing Abomination with Caesar's Sharp Claws, Gold drew Nick Fury's attention, and Fury decided to meet him.

• Gold found his daughter and carried her through the military blockade to her adoptive parents, then introduced himself as WereGarurumon.
• Gold joined Hulk and Abomination's battle and sent Hulk crashing into a ruined shop with a Garuru Flying Kick.
• Abomination attacked Gold at close range, but Gold struck him with Caesar's Sharp Claws and killed him.
• Nick Fury reviewed the girl's records, connected Gold to a nearby clinic, and decided to meet him.

Gold fought Hulk, then left after failing to kill him, and pursued Abomination instead. Gold killed Abomination by destroying his heart and decapitating him.

• Gold fought Hulk, whose strength and regeneration increased with his anger, and repeatedly wounded him without being able to stop his recovery.
• Gold tore out Hulk's heart and damaged his brain, but Hulk continued healing, so Gold left to find Abomination.
• General Ross and Nick Fury watched the fight and considered Gold a potential target or asset.
• Gold found Abomination recovering, worsened his injuries, and rejected his plea for mercy.
• Gold split Abomination's body, crushed his heart, cut off his head, and destroyed it with Caesar's Sharp Claws.

After defeating Abomination, an exhausted Gold was attacked by a revived Hulk and struggled to survive until Duke arrived. Duke confronted Hulk, and their first clash devastated Manhattan before leaving Hulk buried and Duke healing his dislocated arm.

• Gold defeated Abomination, but the battle left him drained and barely able to move.
• Hulk revived and attacked Gold, crushing Abomination's corpse and pursuing Gold through a collapsing skyscraper.
• Gold emerged from the rubble, exhausted, as Hulk advanced on him and mocked his weakness.
• Duke arrived and told Hulk he would have to get past him to hurt Gold.
• Duke and Hulk exchanged a punch that shattered streets and collapsed nearby buildings, sending Hulk buried upside down and Duke flying backward.
• Duke restored his dislocated arm with a healing ability.

Duke fought Hulk with increasingly powerful techniques as Hulk’s strength and durability grew, devastating Manhattan in the process. After Duke froze the flooded streets and launched Hulk into a collapsed skyscraper, Hulk’s aura rose again, and Duke charged back into battle.

• Hulk grew to five meters tall and charged at Duke, who trapped him in Hado #90: Black Coffin.
• Hulk survived the spell and rapidly healed, growing even more durable, so Duke unleashed a barrage of attacks that knocked him down.
• Hulk’s fury summoned dark clouds and a crushing atmosphere, and Duke flooded Manhattan with Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
• Duke’s water blades failed to stop Hulk, so he froze the sea with Ice Age and struck Hulk’s head with an Armament Haki-wrapped kick.
• Hulk crashed into a collapsed skyscraper, but his aura rose again, and Duke charged toward him with renewed battle intent.

Duke fought Hulk using only Dragon Ball powers, ending the battle with a Kamehameha that left Hulk gravely injured. After Hulk reverted to Dr. Banner, Duke spared him and found Gold, who refused to reveal himself to his daughter because he believed she was better off without him.

• Duke and Hulk exchanged hundreds of blows across the ice field, damaging the ground and surrounding Manhattan.
• Duke dragged Hulk high into the sky, then drove him down into the ice field and charged a Kamehameha as Nick Fury and Hill watched in alarm.
• Duke fired the Kamehameha, creating a huge crater and leaving Hulk with shattered bones and barely enough strength to live.
• Hulk reverted to an unconscious Dr. Banner, and Duke chose not to kill him before leaving the crater.
• Duke recovered Gold from the ruins and urged him to acknowledge his daughter, but Gold said he did not want to disrupt her life.

After defeating Hulk, Duke returned to his quiet life while military leaders and intelligence agencies reacted to his overwhelming power and alien origins. When Thor arrived in New Mexico and Steve brought word that Nick Fury was coming to visit, Duke’s plan to pursue the Space Stone moved forward.

• Dottie asked Duke to teach her, and he agreed as he and his companions left the scene of Hulk’s defeat.
• The military chose to continue the Super Soldier Program, the Security Council approved Nick Fury’s Avengers, and Hydra decided to remain hidden while seeking powerful allies.
• Nick Fury postponed meeting Duke because he feared the gap between them, while Duke waited for the Space Stone research program to begin.
• After a hammer landed in New Mexico, Duke sensed four Asgardian auras and the awakening of Thor.
• Steve came to Duke’s clinic and told him that Nick Fury was coming to visit.

Nick Fury visited Duke's clinic with Steve, Natasha, and Coulson to discuss meeting Duke, but Gold and Dottie delayed them with confrontations and insults. Dottie finally let them know Duke was occupied with a bald woman and had specifically told her to make Nick Fury wait.

• Nick Fury arrived at Duke's clinic with Steve, Natasha, and Coulson, while Gold confronted them for investigating his daughter.
• Gold let the group enter after Nick Fury explained that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s watchers had been protecting the girl.
• Dottie ordered Nick Fury and his companions to queue for the dentist, then taunted him and argued with Natasha.
• Nick Fury stopped Dottie and Natasha from fighting and asked to meet Duke.
• Dottie said Duke was speaking with a bald woman and had instructed her to make Nick Fury wait.

Nick Fury visited Duke’s clinic to learn about the mysterious Ancient One, whom Duke identified as the Sorcerer Supreme and leader of Earth’s magical defenders. After reassuring S.H.I.E.L.D. about Asgard, Duke warned Fury that Earth should get rid of the Space Stone before it attracted disaster.

• After waiting three hours, Nick Fury met Ancient One as she left Duke’s office, and Natasha followed her but failed to track her disappearance.
• Nick Fury asked Duke about Ancient One, and Duke revealed that she was a centuries-old mage who founded the Masters of the Mystic Arts to defend Earth from cosmic threats.
• Duke told Fury that Asgard posed no immediate danger to Earth, then warned him that the Space Stone was too dangerous for Earth to keep.

Duke warned Nick Fury that the Tesseract could bring catastrophic danger, then dangled advanced alien technology to steer S.H.I.E.L.D. toward trading it away. Nick Fury decided to seek the exchange, while Duke secretly planned to take the Space Stone during the coming chaos around Thor, Loki, and the Chitauri invasion.

• Duke warned Nick Fury and the others that Earth could not withstand the dangers of developing the Space Stone, and argued that Odin had abandoned it for a reason.
• Nick Fury asked Duke for technology, and Duke showed him a list of advanced designs but said he would only consider a deal involving the Tesseract.
• Duke refused to accept Earth or the Space Stone as collateral, then pretended to reconsider when Nick Fury proposed exchanging the Tesseract for technology.
• On the drive back, Nick Fury decided to trade the Tesseract to remove the threat and obtain technology, despite Steve's concern that he was setting Duke up.
• Duke revealed that he intended to acquire the Space Stone amid the coming conflict between Asgard, the Chitauri, Earth, and other cosmic forces.

Duke met with Dottie and explained that he had only pressured Nick Fury to accelerate research on the Space Stone, then entered the Unknown Space and encountered new Dukes from The Matrix and Resident Evil. The newcomers shared their histories with the group, which left the Matrix Duke uncertain about his prospects and revealed that the Resident Evil Duke had built a large clone army and a refuge.

• Dottie asked Duke whether he wanted the Space Stone, and Duke said he had used their conversation to make Nick Fury feel pressure to research it faster.
• Duke entered the Unknown Space and found two newcomers, whose memories revealed they came from The Matrix and Resident Evil.
• The Dukes debated whether the Matrix newcomer could overcome the world’s virtual system, while he worried that his new existence as data left him doomed.
• The Resident Evil Duke described joining Umbrella Corporation, creating thousands of clones, and seizing a refuge in the zombie apocalypse.
• The Resident Evil Duke said Umbrella had threatened to destroy his refuge with nuclear missiles, and the Dukes complained that his world had no Main God Space or reincarnation rewards.