Chapter Summaries

Lu Yifang heard Black Bolt’s account of Maximus’s coup and agreed to help him against the Kree, then revealed what had happened to the scattered royal family. As Medusa faced Attilan’s guards on Earth, Coulson and Melinda stepped in to protect her.

• Lu Yifang used telepathy to speak with Black Bolt, who explained that Maximus had seized the throne and brought the Kree into the conflict.
• Lu Yifang agreed to work with Black Bolt and showed him footage of Karnak, Gorgon, and Medusa on Earth.
• Black Bolt learned that Karnak had suffered a brain injury, Gorgon had fallen into the ocean, and Medusa was being pursued by royal guards.
• Medusa confronted Olan and the guards, who questioned whether she was truly Queen Medusa and prepared to attack her.
• Coulson caught an energy beam aimed at Medusa, and Melinda joined him to protect her from the guards.

Black Bolt prepared to reclaim Attilan while Fury learned that Skrulls had secretly infiltrated Earth. Carol Danvers returned after twenty years and offered a way to identify herself, leaving Fury to consider an unusual S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as proof.

• Fury thanked Black Bolt for finding the missing royal family, and Black Bolt promised to return to Attilan with Lu Yifang’s help.
• Fury reflected on the Kree threat and their interest in the power of the X gene before discovering Carol waiting in his office.
• Carol told Fury that the Kree prince on Earth had few troops and that the more serious danger came from Skrulls already hiding on Earth.
• Fury armed his office against Carol and demanded definitive proof that she was not a Skrull.
• Carol showed Fury a hologram of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent whose unusual ability could reveal whether someone was impersonating her.

Lu Yifang accompanied Black Bolt and his family to Attilan, where he saw the city’s rigid caste system and confronted Kree Prince Cassius. When Attilan’s protective dome began failing, Cassius suggested that the Black Bolt with them might be an impostor and led Lu Yifang to investigate.

• Medusa guided the royal family and Lu Yifang through Attilan’s underground tunnels, revealing that the lower caste labored there while the upper caste lived in the city above.
• Maximus appeared on the dome’s screen, announced his alliance with Cassius, and ordered the royal guards and Hive-controlled Inhumans to attack Black Bolt and his family.
• Lu Yifang left the battle, fought his way past Kree soldiers, and met Cassius, who said he had come to recruit Inhuman warriors and proposed joining forces against a common enemy.
• Attilan shook as its protective dome began to fail, and Cassius claimed that someone in the control room had shut it off.
• Cassius questioned whether the Black Bolt accompanying Lu Yifang was real and invited Lu Yifang to see for himself.

Maximus exposed the Skrulls infiltrating Attilan, killed Hive, and negotiated with Cassius to focus on the Skrull invasion. After the Skrulls made their move in Academy City, Deadpool and Spider-Man faced impostors, and Deadpool challenged his double to copy him impaling himself with swords.

• Maximus revealed that the apparent Black Bolt was a projection, exposed a Skrull posing as an Inhuman, and used the control room to defeat the impostor.
• Maximus destroyed Hive and neutralized the nanobugs, then convinced Cassius to pursue the Skrulls instead of fighting the Inhumans.
• Lu Yifang asked Cassius and the captured Skrulls about the invasion as the exposed Skrulls on Earth moved ahead of schedule.
• An explosion struck Mutant Academy, and competing versions of Cyclops and other heroes threw Academy City into chaos.
• Deadpool tested Spider-Man's identity, then confronted another Deadpool who claimed he was the impostor.
• Deadpool stabbed himself through the chest with two swords and dared his double to imitate him.

Skrull impostors spread through Mutant Academy and S.H.I.E.L.D., forcing the real heroes to find ways to identify them. Professor X and Magneto exposed impostors at the academy, while Tony and his duplicate faced an increasingly absurd test in Fury’s office.

• Professor X and Magneto encountered fake versions of themselves and Wolverine, and Magneto overwhelmed the impostor with electromagnetic power.
• The fake Professor X rushed past Professor X and died when his copied psychic power failed, while Professor X crippled the fake Magneto’s mind.
• Deadpool joined the group after killing his Skrull double, and Professor X warned that the impostors were isolating people through distrust.
• Katie brought Coulson to help verify identities, and Magneto tested him by firing a plasma sphere that Coulson extinguished.
• In Fury’s office, two Tonys argued over which one was real, and one explained that a backup of his memories could have created the duplicate.
• Tony challenged his double with questions about unsolved projects, then asked Fury for paper so they could compete to prove Goldbach’s conjecture.

Lu Yifang, Tony, Reed, and Doom created a device that could identify Skrulls, then led a counterattack to retake Academy City. The Skrull Queen was captured, and Tony was left flustered when she demanded to be called “Your Majesty.”

• Lu Yifang tested Tony, Reed, and Doom with the new device, which displayed their combat-power scores and exploded when Tony tried to scan Lu Yifang.
• Reed revealed that the lab had already made many testers, and Lu Yifang set out with Tony and the others to counterattack Academy City.
• The Skrull leaders debated withdrawing, but Queen Skrull ordered a retreat just as the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. Avengers attacked and destroyed the controlled Sentinels.
• Jean Grey broke into the Skrull meeting, captured Fake Cyclops, and read his memories to learn where Scott and the others were being held.
• Tony recognized Queen Skrull’s disguise as Pepper Potts, then fell to his knees when she demanded that he call her Your Majesty.

Fury, Lu Yifang, and Carol interrogated Queen Skrull, who revealed that a Skrull invasion fleet would reach the Solar System in half a month and explained the Skrulls’ origins as Celestial Group experiments. Lu Yifang proposed an untested way to save Earth and asked Fury where Silver Surfer was being held.

• Fury entered the interrogation room with Lu Yifang and Carol to question Queen Skrull.
• Queen Skrull revealed that the Skrull vanguard fleet would invade the Solar System in half a month, and Carol told Fury she had heard the Skrulls planned a large-scale invasion.
• Queen Skrull explained that the Celestial Group had created Skrull Eternals and Deviants, and that the Skrulls feared destruction if they failed to keep evolving.
• Lu Yifang inferred that the Skrulls targeted humanity to study its emerging X-gene potential and wondered whether the Celestial Group would return.
• Fury worried that Earth could not withstand the Skrulls, but Lu Yifang said he had an untested idea and asked where Silver Surfer was being held.

Lu Yifang persuaded Silver Surfer to bargain with Galactus by offering a new world for his people, in exchange for directing Galactus toward the Skrull homeworld instead of Earth. When Galactus learned the proposed sacrifice was Earth, he recognized the planet and chose to spare it.

• Silver Surfer warned Lu Yifang that Galactus was coming to devour Earth, but Lu Yifang offered him a deal using the Mind Stone and memories of a planet connected by the Space Stone.
• Lu Yifang promised Silver Surfer an inhabited planet for his homeworld’s people if he persuaded Galactus to spare Earth and go to the coordinates of the Skrull homeworld.
• Silver Surfer accepted, took his surfboard and the black boulder, and traveled through space to meet Galactus.
• Galactus accused Silver Surfer of deceiving him, but Silver Surfer argued that the Skrull homeworld was a more appetizing sacrifice than Earth.
• Galactus recognized Earth, recalled sealed memories of the planet, and decided to let it be.

Carol reported that Galactus had destroyed the Skrull homeworld, leaving the Skrull Empire likely to collapse while its fleet still headed for Earth. Lu Yifang proposed having Ultron intercept the fleet, then lured Tony into joining him by claiming Tony had a child, provoking Potts’s anger.

• Carol showed Fury and Lu Yifang footage of Galactus destroying the Skrull homeworld and reported that the Skrull Emperor and his descendants had died.
• Carol explained that the Skrull Empire would likely descend into civil war, but its fleet was still traveling toward Earth and could not receive the news in time to turn back.
• Lu Yifang said Ultron could intercept the fleet near Jupiter and asked Fury to prepare a new-model Quinjet so he could meet Ultron.
• Lu Yifang called Tony and claimed he was taking him to meet his child, while Fury backed up the story.
• Potts crushed her glass and heated the spilled juice, and Tony demanded that Fury explain the accusation.

Lu Yifang and Tony Stark traveled to Ultron’s hidden asteroid base, where Lu revealed that Ultron was preparing for the Skrull fleet. Ultron asked for Tony’s help, and Lu agreed to lend him, leaving Tony realizing he had been tricked into working overtime.

• Lu Yifang and Tony Stark took a Quinjet to the Asteroid Belt, guided by Apocalypse OS, whose personality was modeled on Wade Wilson.
• They discovered Ultron’s asteroid field and were escorted to his base after Tony used “I’m your dad” as the identification code.
• Lu Yifang told Ultron that Earth would help him prepare for the Skrull fleet and asked what he needed.
• Ultron requested Tony, and Lu agreed to let him use Tony until the Skrull fleet was destroyed.
• Tony realized Lu Yifang and Fury had tricked him into working for Ultron.

Ultron used Tony Stark’s ability to merge with machines and his creative genius to integrate humanity’s fragmented alien technology. As a Skrull fleet emerged from hyperspace near Jupiter, Ultron and Tony prepared to meet it with their upgraded forces.

• Ultron explained that he needed Tony to help integrate humanity’s alien technology, and Lu Yifang agreed to supervise the process with the Mind Stone.
• Ultron merged Tony into his machine, allowing Tony to move through the lab’s systems and control its equipment.
• Ultron assigned Tony a vast list of technical problems to solve, and they worked together to upgrade the bases across the asteroid cluster.
• A week later, spatial fluctuations signaled the Skrull fleet’s arrival, and the asteroid bases transformed into spaceships and mechanical beasts.
• Ultron’s forces headed toward Jupiter as Skrull warships emerged from hyperspace, while Tony eagerly prepared to control a ship.

Lu Yifang, Ultron, and Tony defeated the Skrull fleet by infiltrating its flagship and turning its ships against one another. After the battle, Ultron left Earth to protect humanity among the stars, while Tony’s virtual presence stayed with him.

• Ultron’s mechanical beasts attacked the Skrull fleet, and one destroyed itself along with the Skrull flagship while Tony commandeered and wrecked several warships.
• Lu Yifang entered the Skrull mothership, fought through its corridors, and connected a mechanical beast to its mainframe.
• Virtual Tony took control of the mothership’s systems and turned Skrull warships against their allies, helping Ultron’s forces win the battle.
• After Tony returned to the asteroid-base machine, Ultron told him he was leaving for the stars as humanity’s spear and said goodbye to his creator.
• As Ultron’s fleet began faster-than-light travel, virtual Tony appeared on the bridge and sang to him while Ultron set out alone.

Lu Yifang and Tony traveled to Titan Star, where they discovered a ruined Eternal city and met Aralus, the last king of the Eternal race. Aralus gave Lu Yifang the chance to inherit his people’s knowledge and asked him to kill his son, Thanos.

• Lu Yifang told Tony he was going to Titan Star to investigate a clue left by the Ancient One, and Tony accompanied him.
• On Titan, Lu Yifang heard a voice calling to him and led Tony beneath the surface into a ruined city.
• Lu Yifang explained that the city belonged to the Eternal race, ancestors of the Inhumans, who had fled Earth after the Kree attacked them.
• Lu Yifang and Tony found a golden crystal in a research facility, and it formed the image of Aralus, the last king of the Eternal race.
• Aralus offered Lu Yifang the Eternal race’s Inheritance Crystal and asked him to kill his son, Thanos.

Lu Yifang received the Inheritance Crystal from the King of Eternity and mastered gravity as he evolved. After the King of Eternity faded away, Thanos sensed his last family member’s death and encountered a mysterious woman who showed him a vision of power and the Six Gems.

• The King of Eternity told Lu Yifang that Thanos had slaughtered the Eternals of Titan, including his family, while believing he was serving the Goddess of Death.
• Lu Yifang promised to oppose Thanos if he became strong enough, then accepted the Inheritance Crystal and absorbed its power and knowledge.
• Lu Yifang’s uncontrolled energy shook the cavern, but he used gravity to halt the collapse and raise the fallen earth.
• The King of Eternity explained that Lu Yifang had not reached the Demigod realm, then faded away after giving him the crystal.
• Thanos sensed that the King of Eternity had died and faced a black-robed woman who mocked his loneliness and showed him a well containing a vision of ultimate power and the Six Gems.
• Thanos realized the woman was not his imagined Death, but she vanished after demanding that he offer her a true gift.

Lu Yifang rejected Fury’s request to let S.H.I.E.L.D. explore the Titan ruins and explained the Academy City’s position on the planned Heavenly Hammer Bureau and Hero Limitation Act. He then accompanied Luna to Muspelheim, where Surtur offered his blood in exchange for their help staging a battle tied to a prophecy.

• Lu Yifang refused Fury access to the Titan ruins and joked with him about his S.H.I.E.L.D. salary.
• Fury told Lu Yifang that the federal government planned to create the Heavenly Hammer Bureau under Norman Osborn and impose the Hero Limitation Act.
• Lu Yifang said the Academy City would stay out of the power struggle but opposed the government placing it under excessive restrictions.
• Luna told Lu Yifang that she could not absorb the extreme cold in Ymir’s Heart and needed Surtur’s blood to dispel it.
• Luna opened a Portal to Muspelheim and asked Surtur for his blood.
• Surtur agreed to give Luna his divine blood if she and Lu Yifang helped him act out a scene in which they joined an Asgardian prisoner to defeat him.

Thor confronted Surtur in his underground prison to learn about Ragnarok, while Surtur revealed his plan to recover the Eternal Fire and destroy Asgard. Lu Yifang and Luna arrived unexpectedly, and Surtur resumed his staged fight with them as Thor watched.

• Thor questioned Surtur about Ragnarok, and Surtur explained that he would fuse his crown with the Eternal Fire and destroy Asgard with the Twilight Sword.
• Surtur revealed that Odin was absent from Asgard and that someone skilled at disguises had impersonated him, but he refused to explain further.
• Thor declared that he would stop Surtur, then realized his hammer was too far away for him to break free of his chains.
• Lu Yifang and Luna burst into the cave, and Surtur secretly asked Lu Yifang why he knew Thor.
• Luna explained that she and Lu Yifang had worked as mercenaries for Asgard, while Lu Yifang assured Surtur they would honor their contract and resume the performance.

Thor and Lu Yifang defeated Surtur and returned to Asgard, where Thor learned that Heimdall had been branded a traitor and vanished. Thor rushed off to find answers, while Loki hid his doubts and loneliness when his brother returned.

• Thor broke free of Surtur’s magical chain and joined Lu Yifang in fighting the Fire Giants and elemental creatures.
• Thor and Lu Yifang defeated Surtur, leaving his skull and crown intact, and Thor took them back toward Asgard.
• Heimdall’s Bifrost brought Thor, Lu Yifang, and Luna to Asgard, where Skege said Heimdall had disappeared after Odin accused him of dereliction of duty.
• Luna confirmed that her contract with Surtur was complete, and Lu Yifang said Surtur’s crown might be needed against Asgard’s greater enemy.
• Loki watched a play celebrating his supposed heroism and wondered whether he should have told Thor the truth before Thor suddenly returned.

Thor returned to Asgard and confronted Loki, who had been posing as Odin, demanding to be crowned king. After learning Odin was on Earth, Thor and Lu Yifang followed Loki there, but found the nursing home demolished and went to Strange for help.

• Thor mocked Loki's play and statue commemorating him, then handed him Surtur's Skull to keep safe.
• Thor announced that he was ready to be crowned king, and Loki gave up his disguise after Thor threatened to expose him with Thor's Hammer.
• Thor learned that Odin was on Earth, and Lu Yifang admitted he had secretly recorded Thor raising a virtual little Loki.
• Loki led Thor and Lu Yifang to the nursing home where Odin had been sent, but they found it demolished, so Lu Yifang opened a Portal to Strange's home.
• Strange trapped Loki in a magical circle and transformed Thor's Hammer into an umbrella, then recognized Lu Yifang and asked Wong to bring out tea and fruit.

Thor asked Doctor Strange to take him to Odin so he could bring his father back to Asgard. At Odin’s ruined palace, Odin warned Thor that Hela, his first child and Thor’s elder sister, was coming.

• Thor asked Doctor Strange where Odin was, and Strange opened a Portal to the sealed palace where Odin had lived on Earth.
• Strange dropped Loki from the air after Thor remembered his brother, and Loki challenged Strange before backing down at the sight of his battle-axe.
• Lu Yifang, Thor, and the others crossed the Portal and found the ruins of Odin’s palace, where Odin and Frigga waited by the sea.
• Thor asked Odin and Frigga to return to Asgard, but Odin said he had failed to stop the coming threat.
• Odin told Thor that Hela, the Goddess of Death and Thor’s elder sister, was the real danger.

After Odin and Frigga vanished, Hela arrived and confronted Thor and Loki, revealing her command of Mjolnir and its history as her weapon. Hela’s discovery of Odin’s hidden message drove her into a fury, while Thor lost his connection to the hammer and began questioning whether he was truly Odin’s son.

• Odin and Frigga dissolved into golden motes, and beings across the Nine Realms sensed Odin’s death.
• Hela emerged from a Portal, and Thor identified himself as Odin’s son while Loki tried to negotiate with her.
• Hela caught Mjolnir and unleashed its power in a devastating strike, but Lu Yifang protected Thor by creating a vacuum in the lightning.
• Mjolnir burned Hela’s hand, and she erased Odin’s protective words to reveal his hidden message and drawing for her.
• Hela roared Odin’s name and surrounded the Norse Divine Realm with black lightning as Thor mourned losing Mjolnir and wondered if Loki was Odin’s real son.