Chapter Summaries

Alex’s first encounter with Wonder Woman sparked a sudden rush of romantic feeling, but after she was struck into the Emerald Apartments, his emotions vanished and he suspected someone was controlling him. Wonder Woman defeated Giganta, while Alex fled and remained unsure what had happened to him.

• Wonder Woman stopped Giganta’s attack in front of Alex, and the two locked eyes, leaving them both momentarily transfixed.
• Giganta’s enormous fist struck Wonder Woman and hurled her through the Emerald Apartments, whose damaged structure collapsed around her.
• Alex’s ice cream fell, and he fled as Wonder Woman burst from the rubble and angrily searched for him.
• Alex realized he had felt love at first sight, while the Mother Box Central System celebrated the return of his basic emotions.
• Alex’s emotions disappeared again, and he told the Mother Box Central System that he suspected someone was controlling him.

Anna read the unfinished Rorschach Diary in Alex’s room and was frustrated that it ended before revealing the truth about The Comedian’s murder. When she looked out the window, she saw Rorschach standing outside and recognized him.

• Anna found and read the final entry of the Rorschach Diary while tidying Alex’s room.
• Anna realized the diary ended without confirming The Pharaoh’s guilt or explaining the outcome.
• Anna looked outside and saw a gaunt man in a brown trench coat staring up at her.
• Anna recognized the man as Rorschach.

Alex asked the Mother Box Central System to review the memories recorded in his soul because he believed his life had been manipulated. They watched his arrival in the world and discovered that the fused soul entered a prostitute, who later gave birth to a child named Vought Kovacs.

• Alex told the Mother Box Central System to trace his soul and review his life, allowing it to observe but not alter his mind.
• The Mother Box Central System used Lantern Ring will technology to guide Alex into a deep sleep and begin viewing his soul’s memories.
• Alex and the Mother Box Central System saw two points of light collide and merge after a fissure opened in the sky.
• The fused soul fell into the body of a prostitute, who later gave birth to a child named Vought Kovacs.

Alex and the Mother Box Central System watched Rorschach’s life and learned that Alex had once been born as Vought Kovacs, a past identity neither of them remembered. The chapter ended with Rorschach’s death in Antarctica and Doctor Manhattan discovering a strange point of light where his body had vanished.

• The Mother Box Central System recognized Rorschach as Vought Kovacs, and Alex realized he had lived another life before becoming himself.
• Alex and the system watched Rorschach investigate The Comedian’s murder and uncover The Pharaoh’s plan to unite humanity by killing millions and blaming Doctor Manhattan.
• Rorschach refused to keep The Pharaoh’s crimes secret, even after Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II, and Manhattan accepted the silence that preserved peace.
• Manhattan killed Rorschach in Antarctica, then noticed a strange point of light at the site of his death and examined it.

Rorschach told Anna how Doctor Manhattan revived him and rewound the world, and why he had arranged for Alex to find his diary. Doctor Manhattan took control of Rorschach, who laughed through tears as he said that Doctor Manhattan had won.

• Anna recognized Rorschach as the diary's owner and invited him inside.
• Rorschach told Anna that Veidt had caused the deaths of over fifteen million people to unite the world against Doctor Manhattan, and that Rorschach had died trying to expose him.
• Rorschach explained that Doctor Manhattan revived him and rewound time, changing the world while Rorschach retained his memories.
• Rorschach said he had written a new diary and arranged for it to reach Alex so Alex would learn how Doctor Manhattan had changed the world.
• Doctor Manhattan took control of Rorschach, who told him, "You won, Doctor Manhattan," before laughing and weeping.

Doctor Manhattan appeared before Anna after Rorschach died, confirmed Rorschach’s claims, and promised not to harm Alex. He showed Anna images of Alex’s future and asked whether she was willing to forge his greatness, then disappeared.

• Rorschach thanked Anna, wept, and died as Doctor Manhattan formed from his body.
• Doctor Manhattan greeted Anna and confirmed that Rorschach had told the truth and that Rorschach’s life had ended.
• Anna asked whether Doctor Manhattan would harm Alex, and he promised that he would not.
• Doctor Manhattan told Anna that Alex’s future would be beyond description and touched her brow to show her images of it.
• Doctor Manhattan urged Anna to help accelerate Alex and asked whether she was willing to forge his greatness before disappearing.
• Anna collapsed to the floor, clutched her head, and screamed in terror.

Diana investigated Alex after their sudden mutual attraction, while Alex questioned Doctor Manhattan’s interest in him and whether it had influenced Diana. The chapter ended with Diana arriving at Alex’s villa to introduce herself.

• Diana took Alex’s file from Steve Trevor and rejected his attempts to interfere in her private affairs.
• Diana told Steve that he was only her support staff and shut the door on him, saying she would request a replacement.
• Alex recovered from his encounter with Doctor Manhattan and wondered why it had allowed him to go.
• The Mother Box Central System suggested Alex leave the universe to avoid Doctor Manhattan and Darkseid, but Alex dismissed the danger.
• Alex questioned whether Doctor Manhattan had manipulated Diana, and the system said it had detected no such influence.
• Diana arrived at Alex’s villa and introduced herself.

Alex and Diana reunited and were drawn to each other, but Alex held back from kissing her and shifted the conversation to hiding her identity as Wonder Woman. Diana agreed to go with him, taking his hand as they set off.

• Alex and Diana awkwardly introduced themselves and went to a café for afternoon tea, where they struggled to make small talk while repeatedly falling into a charged silence.
• A customer recognized Wonder Woman, and the crowd that gathered forced Alex to smash through the café’s glass wall and flee with Diana.
• Alex led Diana into an alley, where she squeezed his hand so hard that she broke his fingers, then apologized as he bent them back into place.
• As Alex and Diana drew close to kissing, Alex pulled away and said he knew how to hide her identity as Wonder Woman.
• Alex offered to take Diana with him, and Diana took his hand and agreed to go.

Alex and Diana wore matching glasses on a date, which helped Diana avoid being recognized as Wonder Woman. After sharing a warm meal and a photograph, they climbed the mountain and sat together beneath the moon.

• Alex took Diana to an eyeglass shop and chose black frames to help conceal her identity.
• Diana picked matching glasses for Alex, and they wore them together to a mountaintop restaurant.
• A restaurant owner photographed them and offered to put the picture on the photo wall, but Alex and Diana said they did not mind.
• Diana shared stories about her childhood on Themyscira as she and Alex enjoyed their meal.
• The restaurant owner paid their bill and gave them two copies of the photograph.
• Alex and Diana climbed higher up the mountain, found a quiet rock, and sat facing each other beneath the moon.

Alex resisted kissing Diana because he feared his love might be part of Doctor Manhattan’s scheme and worried he would endanger her. Diana confessed her love and promised to wait for him, and they left the mountain together without resolving their relationship.

• Alex covered Diana’s lips to stop their kiss and apologized, struggling with his feelings and fears about Doctor Manhattan’s scheme.
• Diana confessed her love and pressed Alex to admit that he liked her, while he could not bring himself to deny it.
• Diana insisted they would be together in the future and promised to wait until Alex settled his affairs.
• Alex told Diana that things were moving too quickly, using his Eastern blood and reserved nature as an excuse.
• Alex turned and walked down the mountain in silence, and Diana steadfastly walked beside him.

Alex walked Diana home, then returned to suspecting Doctor Manhattan was manipulating events and wondered whether he wanted to escape the comic-book universe. A bag of documents left at Alex’s door stirred new turmoil as he returned home.

• Diana asked Alex to take another lap and then requested a goodbye kiss, but Alex left without embracing or kissing her.
• Diana called after Alex and arranged to take him sightseeing around Boston the next day, and he waved goodbye before leaving.
• Alex asked the Mother Box Central System whether it had found Doctor Manhattan’s energy on Diana, and it said there was no trace.
• The Mother Box Central System urged Alex to stop worrying about Doctor Manhattan and focus on the threat of Darkseid, but Alex remained wary of being studied.
• Alex speculated that Doctor Manhattan wanted to escape the comic-book universe, then found a bag of documents wrapped in yellow paper at his door.

Alex read a dossier detailing Steve Trevor’s love for Diana and his efforts to remain close to her, growing jealous and agitated. The file revealed that Steve was waiting inside Diana’s residence after Alex and Diana parted.

• Alex drank vodka and examined photographs and reports in a file left at his door.
• Alex read that Steve Trevor had fallen in love with Diana, helped her become Wonder Woman, and continued supporting her through The Eye after she rejected him.
• Alex became restless and jealous as he considered Steve’s feelings for Diana and his past connection to her.
• Alex discovered that Steve had opposed the investigation into Alex and believed he was unworthy of Diana.
• Alex read that Steve had waited while Alex and Diana spent the day together and was now inside Diana’s residence.

Diana confronted Steve Trevor after he broke into her home and used the Lasso of Truth to examine his feelings. Steve accused Alex of being corrupt, and Diana threw him out, leaving their friendship broken as he wandered the city.

• Diana found Steve Trevor inside her residence and demanded that he leave after he admitted borrowing the Lasso of Truth.
• Steve declared his love for Diana and presented a file alleging that Alex was a criminal and had pursued her for personal gain.
• Diana slammed Steve into a wall with her strength, then hurled him through a window when he refused to stop accusing Alex.
• Steve left in despair, wandered through the city, and was suddenly seized by an unknown person who slammed him against an alley wall.

Alex killed Steve after Steve taunted him about his relationship with Diana. Believing his actions had ruined any future with Diana, Alex disposed of Steve’s body and left Boston at dawn.

• Alex attacked Steve in an alley and crushed his face against the wall.
• Steve recognized Alex and dared him to kill him, saying Diana would never forgive him and that he would keep them apart.
• Alex tightened his grip until he snapped Steve’s neck and killed him.
• Alex reflected that Steve’s death would likely end his chances with Diana, but said he did not regret killing him.
• Alex threw Steve’s corpse into a sewer, erased the bloodstains, and walked out of the alley as dawn broke.

After Steve died, he awakened as a ghost and chose to embrace both kindness and darkness. He set out to warn Diana about Alex and keep her from him.

• Steve’s corpse washed through the sewers and became trapped at a filter grate, where his spirit awakened.
• A shadowy woman offered Steve a choice between a compassionate path and a selfish, dark one, and he asked whether he could choose both.
• Steve returned as a ghost, saw his mangled corpse, and swore revenge on Alex.
• Steve flew to Diana’s residence, determined to expose Alex’s crimes and prevent him from having Diana.

Steve, now a ghost, tried to reach Diana but was wounded when her battle instincts detected and attacked him. He then flew to The Eye’s base, where Amanda Waller received Alex’s approval for betraying both men, leaving Steve poised to confront her.

• Steve flew toward Diana’s residence, while Diana washed up and encouraged herself to keep smiling for Alex.
• Diana sensed Steve’s hidden presence, attacked with the Sword of the Fire God, and wounded him when he could not make her hear him.
• Steve fled underground and escaped Diana, who wondered whether ghosts were appearing in Boston and decided The Eye should investigate.
• Steve resolved to stop Diana from getting closer to Alex and flew to The Eye’s underground base.
• Amanda Waller sat in Steve’s director’s chair and reflected on giving information about Steve to Alex and about Alex to Steve.
• Alex called Amanda to tell her she had done well, and her expression turned livid after he hung up.

After finding Alex gone from Boston, Diana learned that Steve had been murdered and arrived at the crime scene. Amanda pointed suspicion toward Alex, but Diana struggled to believe he was responsible and vowed to find the killer and give Steve justice.

• Diana went to Alex’s villa to show him around Boston, but the manager told her Alex had left the previous night.
• The Eye informed Diana that Steve had been murdered, and she rushed to the sealed-off crime scene.
• Amanda described how Steve had been strangled and pointed out the damaged wall where the killer had attacked him.
• Diana demanded to know the killer’s identity, and Amanda accused Alex, then cited his strength, motive, and departure from Boston as suspicious circumstances.
• Diana considered the possibility that Alex had killed Steve but resolved to find the killer, still choosing to believe Alex was innocent.
• Amanda watched Diana’s reaction with satisfaction, intending for Diana to use the Lasso of Truth to question Alex.

After four months of helping superheroes and governments eradicate Parademon Nests, Alex returned to Central City and reviewed his company’s progress and his gang’s investigation. He learned that three men had sold information about him to a government intelligence agency and ordered that they be spared and sent for sex reassignment surgery instead.

• Alex spent four months securing superheroes’ likeness rights while Superman, Batman, and other heroes worked with governments to destroy Parademon Nests around the world.
• Alex returned to Central City and found Jack’s hip-hop career promoted across the airport, then praised the advertising campaign.
• Clarence Croning reported that Marvel had gone bankrupt after the Iron Man film flopped, that Universal Entertainment had acquired Marvel, and that League of Legends was progressing smoothly.
• Alex told Clarence to begin writing a script for Dragon King.
• Jack told Alex that John, David, and Owen had sold information about him to a US Government intelligence agency, and Alex ordered that they be sent to Thailand for sex reassignment surgery and made into a girl group.

Alex confronted Jack over his neglect of the gang and his support for Shark King’s fried chicken business, then learned Jack’s hit song had earned him only $54,000. Alex sent Jack away to await punishment the next day, after dinner with his family.

• Alex ordered Jack to deal with three traitors and hang from a ceiling fan for three hours.
• Jack begged Alex not to kill Shark King and offered to repay the $3 million Shark King had embezzled.
• Alex realized Jack had helped Shark King use gang money to open fried chicken restaurants and grew furious.
• Clarence told Jack that his song contract entitled him to just $54,000 after taxes.
• Alex shook Jack off and told him to go home and wait until the next day for Alex to deal with him.

Alex returned home and reflected on how he had changed, then reunited with his family over dinner. The Mother Box Central System detected Doctor Manhattan’s influence reaching Anna but could not warn Alex because he had blocked it.

• Alex headed home after driving Jack and Clarence away and realized he felt genuine eagerness to return to his family.
• The Mother Box Central System detected magnetic fluctuations from Doctor Manhattan’s Tachyon Particles and decided to conceal the discovery while redirecting Alex’s attention toward Darkseid.
• Alex blocked the Mother Box Central System and entered his home after Anna welcomed him in.
• The Mother Box Central System recognized that Anna had come into contact with Doctor Manhattan and grew alarmed, but Alex’s block prevented it from warning him.
• At dinner, Alex learned that Bert had been promoted, Anna continued her research at STAR Labs, and Aunt Merri had bought the supermarket where she worked.