Chapter Summaries

Alvin interrogated Loki, while Laufey threatened Earth with the Casket of Ancient Winters unless Loki was released. The Avengers debated the demand, and Alvin refused to compromise with the Frost Giants.

• Alvin questioned the captured Loki about the Frost Giants’ invasion and Asgard, then left him with Ollsen for interrogation.
• Tony showed Alvin Laufey’s broadcast, in which the Frost Giant king threatened to freeze another city each day until Loki was freed.
• Thor identified the Casket of Ancient Winters and admitted that it had been kept in Asgard’s vault.
• Barton accused Loki of helping the Frost Giants, while Thor defended him and Fury asked whether they should release him.
• Tony warned that Laufey had broadcast the threat worldwide, and Steve argued that refusing could cost millions of lives.
• Alvin declared that they could not release Loki and that the Imperium never compromised with Xenos.

Alvin rejected Laufey’s demand to release Loki, arguing that compromising would endanger humanity and that Steve’s plan relied on untested confidence. He proposed making S.H.I.E.L.D. independent of the Security Council and offering his fleet’s support, leaving the room stunned.

• Alvin refused to compromise with the Xenos, while Steve and Banner argued that millions of lives would be at stake if they did not release Loki.
• Alvin challenged Steve’s plan to pretend to release Loki and seize the Casket of Ancient Winters, questioning whether Steve had considered the risks to humanity.
• Alvin rebuked Steve’s belief that he had defeated the Nazis, and Steve was left shaken by the reminder of the sacrifices made on the Eastern Front.
• Tony asked if there was another way, while Barton agreed with Alvin that releasing Loki would leave humanity at a greater disadvantage.
• Fury asked how S.H.I.E.L.D. could resist pressure from the Security Council, and Alvin proposed making the agency independent and funding it with his Valshius fleet.

Fury weighed Alvin’s offer while Steve reconsidered his stance on sacrificing millions to prevent a larger catastrophe. After the Security Council ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to release Loki or face disbandment, the team aligned with Alvin, who announced their next destination: Wakanda.

• Fury told Alvin he needed time to consider his offer, while Alvin said he could leave Earth if they refused.
• Coulson told Steve that he agreed more with Alvin’s plan because releasing Loki risked exposing billions to danger.
• After a sleepless night, Steve decided that sacrificing the few could be necessary to protect humanity.
• Fury reported the Security Council’s ultimatum, and Steve declared that S.H.I.E.L.D. should find support elsewhere rather than release Loki.
• Tony, Barton, Natasha, Banner, and Fury joined Steve in backing Alvin, shifting S.H.I.E.L.D. into Alvin’s camp.
• Alvin told the group that they would go to Wakanda before the battle.

Alvin led the Helicarrier toward Wakanda to seek Vibranium for the war, while Fury explained the country’s secrecy and Tony worried about negotiating with it. The Security Council declared the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. war criminals, but Alvin stayed confident that victory would make them the ones who defined justice.

• Tony explained that Wakanda appeared to be a poor, feudal country, but Fury revealed that it secretly controlled most of the world’s Vibranium and had resisted S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attempts to infiltrate it.
• Alvin said they would use force against Wakanda if it refused to help humanity, and Tony and Fury agreed that securing Vibranium could be difficult.
• As the Helicarrier reached eastern Africa, the group learned that the Security Council and 230 countries had declared the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. the greatest war criminals in human history.
• Fury told Tony that he had arranged for an undercover agent to take Pepper to a safe house, while Tony worried that the news might undermine the Helicarrier crew’s morale.
• Alvin asked Natasha for an iced Americano and insisted that the winners would not be put on trial, declaring that losers were war criminals and winners were justice.

When S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived in Wakanda seeking Vibranium, King T'Chaka chose to meet with them despite T'Challa and the tribal leaders urging resistance. As T'Chaka boarded the Helicarrier, Alvin watched and judged Wakanda's use of its advanced technology and resources.

• Shuri told T'Chaka and the council that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier had arrived outside Wakanda.
• Shuri read Fury's message asking to meet with T'Chaka about Wakanda and Vibranium.
• T'Challa urged T'Chaka to refuse S.H.I.E.L.D. and rely on Wakanda's strength, but T'Chaka warned that a conflict could draw in the world.
• T'Chaka decided to meet S.H.I.E.L.D., put on the Black Panther Suit, and flew toward the Helicarrier with his guards.
• Tony saw Wakanda's aircraft emerge from the rainforest, while Alvin watched it approach and criticized Wakanda's use of Vibranium.

Alvin Valshius negotiated with King T'Chaka for Wakandan Vibranium to arm humanity against the alien invasion, but T'Chaka refused and offered troops instead. Alvin attacked the king and ordered Plan B, leaving Wakanda's guards defeated and the seizure of its resources about to begin.

• Tony lost a bet with Steve after seeing Wakanda's cloaked ship and advanced technology.
• King T'Chaka arrived on the Helicarrier with Okoye and learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers had been branded war criminals.
• Alvin Valshius asked T'Chaka for Vibranium to help humanity fight the aliens, but T'Chaka refused and offered Wakandan troops.
• Alvin kicked T'Chaka into a wall, and Ollsen disarmed Okoye and swiftly incapacitated the other guards.
• Alvin announced Plan B, while Tony questioned whether attacking Wakanda was acceptable and Alvin claimed they were saving humanity.

Alvin tried to force Wakanda to surrender by taking T'Chaka hostage, but Wakanda secretly rescued him and replaced him with a projection. Alvin then revealed a colossal warship and sent the newly rearmed Ollsen and the Black Watch Legion down to Wakanda.

• T'Chaka attacked Alvin but Ollsen overpowered and captured him, and Alvin ordered him displayed on the Helicarrier as a threat to Wakanda.
• Fury demanded Wakanda surrender within an hour, but T'Challa, Shuri, and the tribal leaders gave no response.
• Fury discovered that Wakanda had rescued T'Chaka and the guards, leaving projections in their place.
• Alvin revealed a gigantic warship and told Ollsen to lead the former Fallen Angels into battle for the Emperor and Ryan Johnson.
• Aruman helped Ollsen reclaim his Power Armor and honors, including the Iron Halo.
• Alvin launched Drop Pods toward Wakanda as the Black Watch Legion arrived.

Imperial Drop Pods carrying Ollsen and the Black Watch crashed through Wakanda’s outer shield, prompting T’Challa to rally the tribes to defend their home and Vibranium. As the First Company emerged, the Chapter Serf led the Dark Angels in renewing their oath, and the Border Tribe faced the terrifying newcomers.

• Eight Imperial Drop Pods smashed through Wakanda’s first energy shield and crashed into its outer districts.
• T’Challa urged the four tribal leaders and Wakandans to unite and defend their home and Vibranium.
• Ollsen reviewed the mission to capture Shuri alive, preserve the Vibranium veins, and seize the Heart-shaped Herb.
• The Chapter Serf reminded the Dark Angels of their duty, and the warriors reaffirmed their faith and resolve to fight for the Emperor.
• Ollsen led nearly a hundred Dark Angels out of the landed Drop Pods, where the Border Tribe’s leader saw them approach and felt dread.

Ollsen and the Dark Angels' First Company crushed the Border Tribe's defenses and routed its warriors, then began securing Wakanda's resources and searching for Shuri. The forces split up to locate Vibranium, Heart-shaped Herb, and the Wakandan royals as Ollsen led the advance toward the city.

• Ollsen ordered the Tactical Squads to advance and fire, but the Border Tribe's Vibranium-shielded robes held against the bolter barrage.
• Ollsen sent Hector and Griffith in their Ironclad Dreadnoughts to smash through the Border Tribe's defensive line, allowing the Dark Angels to break into the formation.
• Wakabi sounded his horn and sent the armored Rhino Corps charging, but the Dark Angels shot down the rhinos and Ollsen killed Wakabi with his own Vibranium Spear.
• The remaining Border Tribe warriors fled, and Ollsen ordered the Dark Angels not to pursue them.
• Ollsen assigned squads to find Vibranium deposits and Heart-shaped Herb, ordered the Second Company to capture Shuri alive, and led the First Company toward the city.

T'Challa defended Wakanda as the Dark Angels advanced on the royal palace, but Marquez overwhelmed him and began trying to force him to repent. The chapter left T'Challa captured and facing Marquez's brutal interrogation.

• T'Challa saw the Dark Angels rout Wakanda's defenders and ordered Shuri to take their mother to the Vibranium mine laboratory.
• Okoye arrived with several hundred guards, while T'Challa donned his Black Panther suit and leaped from the palace to confront the attackers.
• Ollsen identified T'Challa and sent Marquez to capture him alive.
• Marquez stopped T'Challa's charge with an invisible force and blasted him through the ground and a wall.
• T'Challa refused to surrender, so Marquez caught him, slammed him into the ground, and resolved to beat him until he repented.

Marquez beat T'Challa into submission after he called the Dark Angels daemons, and Ollsen's forces swiftly took control of Wakanda. With its leaders captured and its defenses destroyed, Ollsen declared the war over and dismissed his brothers' concerns about further resistance.

• Marquez battered T'Challa until Ollsen ordered him to stop, then had the Black Panther stripped of his Vibranium Suit and chained.
• Okoye led Wakandan guards in an attempt to rescue T'Challa, but Marquez killed them all with a psychic blast.
• Ollsen's Dark Angels advanced into the palace and captured the queen and tribal leaders as squads reported securing the Vibranium mine and Heart-shaped Herb fields.
• Ollsen told his bewildered brothers to maintain order because the war was over.
• Ollsen kicked a veteran Dark Angel who muttered that the Penitent Crusade felt like a vacation.

Alvin’s forces conquered Wakanda, and he declared its land part of his family’s domain and its people his slaves. He imposed the Imperium’s highest Tithe on Wakanda, leaving King T’Chaka to face a crushing tribute and the threat of total destruction.

• Ollsen forced King T’Chaka to admit that Wakanda had been conquered and ordered him taken away.
• The Dark Angels displayed Wakanda’s royal family and tribal leaders before the kneeling population as Alvin arrived with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier.
• Ollsen reported the victory, and Alvin praised him and warned that harsher battles awaited the Dark Angels.
• Alvin abolished Wakanda as a tribe, incorporated its land into the Imperium as his family’s private domain, and declared its people his slaves.
• Alvin assigned Wakanda the highest First-Class Special Grade Tithe, requiring one-tenth of its resources every three hundred solar days, and threatened to destroy it for failing to pay.
• King T’Chaka collapsed after Ollsen explained the Tithe’s terms and Alvin’s threat.

After conquering Wakanda, Alvin assigned Aruman to establish the Adeptus Mechanicus and Ecclesiarchy there and develop Vibranium technology. When Laufey froze an American city and killed millions to force Loki’s release, Alvin prepared to strike back and held Asgard responsible.

• Alvin brought Aruman to Wakanda and persuaded him to govern the territory and establish the Emperor’s faith in exchange for access to its Vibranium deposits.
• Alvin instructed Aruman to prioritize Vibranium Power Armor, consider a cruiser built from mixed metals, and reserve some Vibranium for Sentinel Prime.
• Fury told Alvin that Laufey had used the Frost Shard to freeze an American city, killing millions as a warning over Loki.
• Alvin ordered Banner and Tony to locate the Tesseract and the Frost Giants, while telling Steve, Black Widow, and Hawkeye to wait for a chance to act.
• Alvin asked Fury to arrange a talk with Loki and told Thor that Asgard would answer for Laufey’s attack, but Thor denied being close to Loki.

Alvin interrogated Loki about the planned invasion of Earth and the events in Asgard, learning that Loki had allied with Laufey and that a mysterious powerful figure had supplied the Chitauri. The revelation left Alvin suspecting that Thanos was behind the scheme and wondering how Odin had endured his sons.

• Ollsen and the Dark Angels broke Loki's resistance through interrogation, and Loki eagerly agreed to answer Alvin's questions.
• Loki explained that he planned to seize the Tesseract, summon the Chitauri, and conquer Earth.
• Loki said discovering he was a Frost Giant had enraged Odin, who entered his sleep early, and that Laufey then persuaded him to help claim Earth as a new territory for the Frost Giants.
• Loki revealed that Laufey had received the Chitauri from a mysterious figure and promised to help Loki become ruler of Asgard.
• Alvin suspected the mysterious figure was Thanos and reflected that Odin had been unfortunate to have Thor and Loki as sons.

Alvin questioned Loki about his failed attempt to seize Asgard and offered him a chance to leave and prove himself. He then encouraged Thor to reclaim his power and become a worthy king, sending him to train with Marquez.

• Alvin questioned Loki about why he had tried to seize Asgard, and Loki admitted he wanted to prove he was a better heir than Thor.
• Alvin pointed out that Loki had trusted Laufey and failed to plan for the Bifrost being ineffective, leaving Loki shaken by his mistakes.
• Alvin offered Loki a chance to leave Asgard and grow under his guidance, and Loki considered accepting after the war.
• Thor, who had heard Loki's confession through the one-way mirror, asked Alvin what he should do and lamented their broken brotherly bond.
• Alvin urged Thor to reclaim his power and take responsibility for protecting the Nine Realms, and Thor vowed to become a worthy king.
• Marquez led Thor away to train, while Alvin reflected that Odin would wake to find both his sons gone.

Marquez used the High King's Throne to make Thor experience the horrors of the Imperium’s wars, restoring his understanding of responsibility and war along with his powers. Thor took up Mjolnir and vowed to fight for humanity and the Emperor, while Odin suddenly spat blood in Asgard.

• Marquez strapped Thor into the High King's Throne and used psychic power to send him into a brutal illusion of the Warhammer galaxy.
• Thor experienced battles and mass death across the galaxy, including the fall of Cadia and the Castellan’s final cry, “Cadia stands!”
• Thor awoke, asked whether the events had been real, and credited Mr. Alvin with helping him understand responsibility and war.
• Thor lifted Mjolnir, regained his armor and lightning, and vowed to fight the Xenos for humanity and the Emperor.
• Odin, in the middle of his Odinsleep, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

After Banner located the Cosmic Magic energy in New York, Alvin led the Avengers there and planned to end the invasion with a strike against the Chitauri command structure. As they arrived, the Chitauri Legion poured through a portal over the city.

• Banner found Cosmic Magic's Gamma Energy Rays in New York City, and Alvin ordered the Avengers to head there.
• Alvin decided the Avengers would board the Chitauri fleet and eliminate its commanders to stop the Legion with minimal losses.
• Alvin worried that Laufey could unleash the Frost Shard and that confronting it might cause catastrophic destruction.
• A beam of azure light opened a massive portal above New York, and the Chitauri Legion streamed through it.

As the Chitauri poured into New York and fortified the route to the Tesseract, Alvin rallied the Avengers and proposed attacking the command centers aboard the enemy mother ships. Thor and Banner were assigned to lead the boarding mission with Space Marines, and Banner reluctantly agreed after Thor threatened him.

• Fury cursed as the Chitauri launched a massive invasion and surrounded Stark Tower with a heavily fortified defensive line.
• Alvin used a trace of psychic suggestion in his speech to restore the Avengers' fighting spirit.
• Alvin told the Avengers that destroying the command centers aboard the Chitauri mother ships was their only chance to stop the army.
• Alvin assigned Thor and Banner to board the mother ships with two Tactical Squad units of Space Marines, while Tony, Natasha, and Barton stayed behind.
• Thor grabbed Banner and threatened to smash his head if he refused, so Banner reluctantly accepted the mission.

Alvin assigned Steve, Barton, Natasha, and the Wakandan troops to act as bait while a strike team targeted the Tesseract, bluntly telling them their chances of survival were almost nonexistent. Steve accepted the mission and asked to become a Space Marine if he survived, while Alvin told Fury that humanity’s future held endless war.

• Alvin explained that Steve, Barton, Natasha, and the Black Panther’s troops would draw the Chitauri’s attention while the real strike team approached the Tesseract.
• Alvin told Steve, Barton, and Natasha that they were largely ineffective in the war and had less than a one percent chance of surviving the mission.
• Steve accepted the bait mission, saying even a small improvement in humanity’s odds would make their sacrifice worthwhile.
• Steve asked Alvin to let him become a Space Marine if he returned alive, and Alvin agreed on the condition that Steve survived the transformation surgery.
• Alvin ordered Black Panther to send the Wakandan army into battle, then told Fury that humanity’s future was an endless war paid for in billions of lives.

Thor and Banner led a boarding assault on the Chitauri Mothership by crashing their torpedo landing craft through its hull. Surrounded by hundreds of Chitauri warriors, Thor threw Banner into the enemy, triggering his transformation into Hulk.

• Banner panicked about the suicidal boarding plan, but Thor reassured him and launched their craft toward the Chitauri Fleet.
• The three torpedo landing craft endured the Chitauri’s laser fire behind their shields and used Melta devices to punch through the Mothership’s hull.
• Thor and Banner emerged inside a passageway crowded with Chitauri warriors, while the other landing craft entered at different locations.
• When Banner asked how they could fight so many enemies, Thor seized him and hurled him at the Chitauri.
• Banner transformed into Hulk and crashed into the mass of warriors.