Chapter Summaries

William Stryker left his hospitalized wife to seek out an old friend, while Warden Barnes settled new prisoners into Wolf Tower and investigated the mysterious head imprisoned at its deepest level. The chapter ended with Bucky wondering what Master intended to do with it.

• William Stryker fed Marcy apple and told her he was leaving for a few days to meet an old friend.
• Warden Barnes welcomed the newly recruited Frost Guards and assigned prisoners from the Superhuman Conference to Wolf Tower’s cells.
• Bucky heard Gambit ask for company and a chance to atone through dangerous work, then silently noted his request.
• Bucky visited the eighteenth floor and questioned why Master had left the burned head imprisoned there.

Dr. Wendy Lawson advanced Project Pegasus with Howard Stark but hesitated to meet James Howlett, while James reviewed the activation of a global satellite system and prepared to meet Stark. A woman in a green gown arrived at the Empire State Building as James ended his call with Hank McCoy.

• Wendy Lawson drove to Edwards Air Force Base, where Howard Stark praised her improved Light-Speed Engine and discussed its energy shortages and risks.
• Howard asked Wendy to meet James Howlett and seek access to his energy source, but she avoided the request and privately wondered whether the Supreme Intelligence could be wrong.
• Howard complained about his son Tony and praised Reed Richards before Wendy examined a Starforce arm ring in her office.
• Hank McCoy reported that forty-eight satellites had completed a global system for detecting objects entering Earth's atmosphere, and James urged his team to pursue interstellar travel technology.
• James said he had agreed to meet Howard Stark, then ended his call as a tall young woman in a green gown entered the hall.

James Howlett met Howard Stark, who asked to study the Tesseract for the Pegasus project. James explained its connection to Asgard and the Bifrost, then challenged Stark to consider whether Odin had abandoned the Tesseract or feared its power.

• Ophelia Green introduced herself to James as the mutant Viper after he noticed her uncontrolled pheromones, and he gave her advice about the Evolution Technique.
• Howard Stark arrived and discussed the Pegasus Light-Speed Engine project with James.
• Stark asked to borrow the Tesseract, and James revealed that he knew Stark was referring to it.
• James explained that Odin's Bifrost could transport armies across the universe and asked whether Odin feared the Tesseract's power.

James Howlett agreed to let Howard Stark borrow the Tesseract in exchange for access to its research and a Howlett Group team joining Project Pegasus, then reflected that he did not want to become like Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Scott Summers prepared to leave for the Superhuman Academy after awakening as a powerful mutant.

• James told Howard Stark he could borrow the Tesseract if the Howlett Group received all related research and joined Project Pegasus, and Howard readily agreed.
• Howard told James that Tony was seventeen, and the two fathers bonded over their children before Howard asked why Odin had hidden the Tesseract on Earth.
• James suggested Odin had several reasons for hiding the Tesseract, then left the Empire State Building to attend his daughter's school sports meet.
• Viper watched James fly away and remarked that women conquered men rather than the world.
• Scott Summers finished an intensive training session at home, and Alex praised his late awakening as an Alpha Level 4 mutant.
• Scott's parents saw him off to the Superhuman Academy, and he asked Alex to take a detour so he could experience the car's acceleration.

Scott Summers awakened his ruby energy powers after years of being mocked for lacking mutant abilities, and Alex brought him to enroll at the Howlett Superhuman Evolution Academy during the Supernatural Elite Tournament. The chapter ended with Scott seeing James arrive and learning that Alex regarded him as their Messiah.

• Scott Summers excitedly rode Alex's supersonic shuttle to the academy, then learned that his brother had arranged for him to enroll.
• Hall Wood greeted Alex and gave Scott a heavy raw Vibranium dagger while explaining that his son Roy would enter the tournament.
• Alex explained Wolf Gold and the academy's tournament to Scott as they entered the packed stadium.
• James descended into the stadium, and the spectators saluted him before he took his seat.
• Scott asked whether James was the sir, and Alex called him their Messiah.

James welcomed Scott Summers into the family’s circle while discussing the mutant tournament and the need to prepare the Sirius Legion for future conflict. As Laura and Kurt prepared to compete, Laura challenged Jean to fight her after the tournament.

• James met Scott Summers in the stands, welcomed him, and learned that Scott’s eye-fired energy powers resembled Alex’s but appeared even stronger.
• James urged Erik to take care of the pregnant Magda, and Erik discussed his hope that their unborn twins would be more combative than Anya.
• Azazel arrived with Raven, and James told Erik that peace would not last forever and that the Sirius Legion needed to be prepared.
• Laura and Kurt greeted their family from the arena, while Kurt asked Laura how he might handle Peter Rasputin in a later match.
• Scott noticed Jean Grey watching the stands and asked Alex about her.
• Jean reminded Laura to be careful while serving as a safety officer, and Laura promised to challenge Jean after winning the tournament.

The Supernatural Elite Tournament began, and Laura Howlett defeated her first opponent with a single kick. At the event, Amberson Osborn urged Norman to keep investing in superhuman power so the Osborn Group would not be left behind.

• Jean Grey took a position as a safety officer while Emma oversaw the tournament with her psychic power.
• Porcupine and a saber-wielding girl refused the referee’s offers of protective suits before the matches began.
• Laura Howlett defeated a Chicago Academy of the Extraordinary contestant whose power created multiple light-bending afterimages.
• Norman Osborn recognized Laura’s surname and questioned his father about the cost of recruiting mutants.
• Amberson Osborn warned Norman that the Osborn Group had to hold on to its superhuman investments to avoid being pushed aside.

At the Hive Stadium tournament, James explained that he planned to spread foundational martial arts worldwide to prepare humanity for threats beyond Earth. Psylocke won her match after Jean Grey intervened, and Scott became captivated by Jean, whose hidden name was Phoenix.

• Azazel asked James about Laura’s Killing Technique, and James criticized him for neglecting his own training while Kurt won his match against a Toad boy.
• James watched Elizabeth Braddock, known as Psylocke, fight and agreed that she could study at the Superhuman Academy after the competition.
• James told Erik and Azazel that he intended to make foundational martial arts available worldwide, both to help people control their powers and to find exceptional talent.
• Psylocke defeated Porcupine, but Jean Grey stopped her blade just short of his neck and was revealed to be the family’s secretly designated Omega-level mutant, Phoenix.
• Scott watched Jean in fascination as Alex told him her true name.

The tournament’s rest period showed the young competitors’ growing reputations and the officials’ interest in extraordinary powers. As the matches continued, the chapter left military and political observers considering how to develop superhuman abilities for their own advantage.

• Roy Wood continued his unbeaten run, while Peter Rasputin defeated a fellow Academy student and reunited with Illyana during the break.
• Planck insulted Peter and Illyana, but Laura rebuked him and asked Peter to join her team with Jean and Kurt for the group match.
• Elizabeth Braddock complained that her father had not mentioned Laura, reaffirming her goal of defeating her after being easily beaten in her first match.
• Master Wong grew angry when his grandson said he wanted to abandon sorcery and learn the Howlett Family’s Killing Technique.
• General Ross asked whether the military could train super soldiers with Killing Technique, then ordered continued serum research and a push toward Gamma radiation.

Kurt faced Peter Rasputin in the tournament, using his teleportation to carry the steel-bodied Colossus high into the air. The match ended with Peter crashing into the arena and lying motionless in the crater.

• Warren Worthington III made a grand entrance for his match against Psylocke, then realized he had landed in the wrong ring and moved to the correct one.
• Kurt teased Warren and warned him not to overexert himself before teleporting to his own match against Peter Rasputin.
• Peter transformed into his steel-like form, and Kurt evaded his attacks by teleporting around him.
• Kurt teleported himself and Peter thousands of meters into the air, then taunted him to surrender before the fall.
• Peter grabbed Kurt's tail and arm, but Kurt teleported away, leaving Peter to crash into the arena and lie motionless in the crater.

Howard Stark reflected on his distant relationship with Tony and considered taking him on a graduation trip, but returned home to find Tony hosting a drunken party. He cleared the guests out and was left with the unconscious Tony and James Rhodes.

• Howard Stark spoke with Maria about his meeting with James and learned that Tony had been mentioned.
• On the drive home, Edwin Jarvis told Howard that work at S.H.I.E.L.D. had deprived Tony of his father's company.
• Howard decided he should be more patient with Tony and considered taking him on a graduation trip.
• Howard arrived at the Stark estate and found Tony and James Rhodes competing to drink beer at a crowded party.
• Howard ordered the guests to leave, and James hurried out while Tony remained drunk and unconscious.

After graduating from MIT, Tony Stark clashed with his father over mutants and authority, then thanked Jarvis for his graduation gift and insisted he could build armor that would let him fly. At Howlett Extraordinary Elite Academy, Kurt Howlett defeated Peter Rasputin in the arena, though Peter conceded because he had lost consciousness during Kurt’s attack.

• Tony Stark woke after a drunken night and argued with Howard Stark about his drinking, mutant power, and respect for authority.
• Tony mocked Howard’s praise of Mr. Howlett and thanked Jarvis for his graduation gift, saying he wanted to build a flying suit of armor.
• At the Hive Combat Arena, Kurt Howlett brought Peter Rasputin out of the wrecked ring after dropping him from the sky onto the arena floor.
• Peter told the referee that he conceded because he had been unconscious, and the referee declared Kurt the winner.

After Kurt’s victory, Erik Lehnsherr reflected on how James had shaped the world and told him that no one else could have done better. James then turned his attention to Angel Warren’s ongoing fight with Psylocke, where Psylocke called for a ruling against Warren for avoiding battle.

• Azazel and Raven cheered Kurt’s victory, while James told Erik he knew Erik had intervened to slow Kurt down.
• Erik asked James about the younger sister of a girl whose mother was being held, and James teased him about caring for her while protecting Peter.
• Erik repaired the wrecked alloy arena with his powers, then told James that without him, mutantkind and the world might have faced catastrophe and endless conflict.
• James joked that he might someday visit other planets, then pointed out that Angel Warren was being badly beaten by Psylocke.
• Warren endured Psylocke’s burning energy whip and struck her against the arena’s energy grid, but continued to avoid engaging her at close range.
• Psylocke put away her energy weapon, accused Warren of avoiding battle, and asked the referee how it should be judged.

Warren Worthington continued his match against Psylocke despite his serious injuries, determined not to disgrace the Superhuman Academy. After Jean Grey saved them from a deadly fall, Warren recovered in the infirmary and told Kurt he had copied Kurt’s dramatic move against Peter.

• Kurt shouted for Warren to surrender, but Warren chose to keep fighting Psylocke.
• Warren repeatedly attacked Psylocke despite her blows breaking his bones and damaging his wings, while Jean stood ready to intervene.
• Warren grabbed Psylocke and plunged with her from high above the arena, and Jean stopped them just before impact, leaving both unconscious.
• The medical team found Psylocke unharmed but treated Warren for a severely damaged wing, broken sternum, and numerous wounds.
• In the infirmary, Warren admitted to Kurt that he had copied Kurt’s move against Peter to lose with honor, then eagerly imagined that Mr. Howlett would admire him.
• Watching Warren’s story reach their father, Red Devil and Erik agreed with Mr. Howlett’s praise of the younger generation.

General Ross discussed the rise of new power structures with Major Hamilton as Storm faced Laura Howlett in the tournament final. Storm unleashed lightning, wind, and snow, but Laura charged through her attacks, and Beast said she was enjoying the fight.

• General Ross told Major Hamilton that James Howlett had helped create an age in which new elites were emerging, and he praised Storm's talent.
• Kurt forfeited his match against Laura, leaving Storm and Laura to meet in the final.
• Storm filled the arena with fog and lightning, then rose into the air to attack Laura with a barrage of electrical bolts.
• Laura dodged the lightning, charged through Storm's attacks behind a bioenergy shield, and pursued her into the sky.
• Storm summoned freezing winds and snow, while Beast remarked that Laura was having the time of her life.

Laura Howlett defeated Storm Ororo Munroe in the tournament final, while James considered joining the upcoming team battle. At Edwards Air Force Base, Carol Danvers was selected to test the Light-Speed Engine, and Dr. Wendy Lawson contacted the undercover Mar-Vell.

• Laura used Crimson Chains and Flail to defeat Storm and won the Second Supernatural Elite Tournament.
• James discussed Laura and Sharon Rogers’s martial arts talent with Erik Lehnsherr, then considered entering the team battle himself.
• Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau returned to Edwards Air Force Base after their test flights.
• Dr. Wendy Lawson told Carol that she would pilot the Light-Speed Engine, with Maria as her backup.
• Lawson activated her wristwatch and asked Mar-Vell why she had not contacted her during her nearly seven years undercover on Planet C-53.

Dr. Lawson agreed to Yon-Rogg’s order to link with the Radiance cruiser and pursue the Tesseract on Earth. At the Supernatural Elite Tournament, Gambit was brought from Wolf Tower to face the academy’s four-person team, and Emma told him he had to fight at full strength or die.

• Dr. Lawson told Yon-Rogg that the Tesseract was held by the Wolf Emperor and that Earth’s defenses and superhumans made the planet more dangerous than the Kree expected.
• Dr. Lawson agreed with Yon-Rogg to serve the Kree Supreme and proceed with the mission.
• Warren watched from the stands with an injured wing as Kurt joined Laura and the others for the four-person team final.
• Bucky arrived at the arena with the shackled prisoner Remy LeBeau, prompting spectators to recognize him as Gambit, the Death Knight.
• Emma told Remy to give the children everything he had, warning that he would die otherwise.

Remy LeBeau fought Laura, Jean Grey, Kurt, and Colossus in a battle that would earn him freedom, while James explained Apocalypse’s powers and the limits of the third mutation. As Laura revealed a fearsome form of Flesh Martial Arts, Gambit unleashed the arena itself against the young fighters.

• Bucky released Gambit’s shackles and returned his gear before leading Emma to James’s private box.
• Jean restrained Gambit as Kurt teleported Colossus into a diving attack and Laura charged, but Gambit broke free and fought them off with his staff and energy-charged cards.
• James told Bucky and Emma that Apocalypse could awaken and absorb mutant abilities only up to the second mutation, and that doing so prevented him from reaching the third stage.
• Kurt and Jean struggled against Gambit’s cards and energy field, while Laura continued attacking him head-on and cut a deep wound across his chest.
• Laura manifested two crimson energy arms, but Gambit detonated the floor beneath her and revealed that he had been charging the arena tiles with his power.
• Gambit lifted the arena’s alloy tiles into a vast, energy-infused torrent and sent it crashing toward the four youngsters.

Jean Grey unleashed the Phoenix to stop Gambit’s devastating attack, and Laura defeated him as the tournament ended in a ruined arena. The winners received their awards, while the students prepared for winter break and Scott Summers began settling into the Academy.

• Gambit hurled an explosive torrent of metal at Laura, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Jean, then declared he was done with the underground cage.
• Jean Grey summoned the Phoenix and crushed the incoming metal, while Laura burst through the arena floor and knocked Gambit unconscious with a punch.
• James Howlett and Emma congratulated the winners, and James presented badges to the top-ranking students, including Peter Rasputin, Laura, and Jean.
• Emma allowed Laura to waive only one failed subject, and Laura invited Jean to stay with the Howlett family and study at Wolf Nest Base during winter break.
• James arranged for Gambit to transfer to Wolf Tower’s regular prison ward, while Alex Summers took Scott to complete his Academy enrollment and Scott wondered whether Jean would stay at school.

Jean explored the Howlett estate, found an old photograph of James with a familiar-looking young woman, and helped Anya deliver a foal. As Jean and Laura prepared to leave for Wolf Nest with James, Jean mentioned Warren’s injured wings, and James suggested the ordeal would help him learn to fly.

• Jean found James’s photo album and discovered an old photograph of him beside a hulking man and a young woman whose face seemed familiar.
• Laura brought Jean to the stables, where they held a mare steady as Anya safely delivered a white foal.
• Anya declined Laura’s invitation to Wolf Nest and told Jean that people followed patterns of coming and going.
• James joined Jean and Laura for their trip to Wolf Nest, while Kurt was away wandering.
• Jean told James that Warren’s injured wings had not improved, and James said the young eagle had to break its wings before it could soar.