Chapter Summaries

Oaks, Frigga, and Baldr cornered Malekith and forced him to draw the Aether from Jane, while Baldr studied how he controlled it. Baldr’s swords abruptly turned dark and stabbed Frigga, leaving her gravely wounded as the others cried out.

• Frigga drove Malekith back while Oaks killed his guards and restrained him.
• Baldr arrived and reported that the Cursed Warrior was dead and Asgard’s forces were winning.
• Odin confronted Malekith and demanded that he extract the Aether from Jane.
• Frigga told Baldr to watch Malekith’s control of the Aether, and Malekith drew it from Jane.
• Baldr’s twin swords turned dark and stabbed Frigga.

Malekith escaped with the Aether after drawing Hodr, Baldr’s hidden dark personality, out of his body and taking him along. Oaks used Asgard’s power to resurrect Frigga, while Odin revealed Hodr’s history and the danger he posed.

• Baldr transformed as Malekith absorbed the Aether, then Malekith blasted away Oaks and Odin and escaped with the Aether and Hodr.
• Oaks asked Odin for permission to wield Asgard’s power and resurrected Frigga with the Nature Force.
• Thor and Loki reunited with Frigga, while Oaks confirmed Jane was safe and told her to keep what she had witnessed quiet.
• Odin explained that Hodr was Baldr’s dark personality, that he had gravely wounded Frigga, and that Asgard had once sealed him away using the power of Hel.

Oaks, Thor, Jane Foster, and Loki prepared to reach Earth and stop Malekith from releasing the Aether at the Convergence. Frigga revealed there was a way to defeat Baldr and Hodr, and the group set out through Loki’s hidden Space Passage.

• Jane told Odin and the others that Malekith planned to release the Aether at the Convergence and destroy everything.
• Odin explained that the Nine Realms’ alignment would amplify the Aether, while Oaks warned that Hodr would help Malekith reach the convergence point.
• Frigga told Oaks that Baldr and Hodr had one vulnerability and thanked him for helping Asgard.
• When the damaged Bifrost left Asgard unable to send help, Thor reminded Loki of the hidden Space Passages to Earth.
• Loki agreed to lead the way, and Oaks chose to travel with Thor and Jane, saying they would meet fighters he had already stationed on Earth.

Oaks, Thor, and their companions reached Earth as the Convergence opened around Greenwich, where Tony fought Hodr and Malekith wielded the Reality Stone. Thor and Oaks joined forces against Malekith, but Malekith unleashed a vast Aether storm as the Nine Worlds appeared in the sky.

• Oaks and the others arrived at Stonehenge, and Thor flew Jane to Greenwich while Oaks carried Loki as a Starlight Falcon.
• Tony attacked the Dark Elves mothership, but Hodr emerged and fought him while wormholes swallowed missiles and aircraft.
• Malekith blocked Thor’s attack with the Aether and declared that the universe would soon return to darkness.
• Oaks joined Thor in a Desa Combo, and their lightning strike destroyed Malekith’s remaining guards.
• Malekith gathered the Aether into a vast storm as the Nine Worlds appeared overhead, and Thor hurled Mjolnir into it.

Tony fought Hodr amid the shifting spaces of the Nine Realms and used a modified gravitational field to redirect his attacks. At the Aether storm, Oaks killed Malekith before he could destroy the realms, while Thor and Loki prepared to deal with the remaining threat.

• Tony battled Hodr across the shifting realms as Jarvis warned that the armor could not replenish its energy there.
• Tony used a modified version of Dr. Selvig's research to make Hodr's dark arrows and his own energy blast reappear elsewhere, injuring Hodr.
• Thor, Oaks, and Malekith fought at the center of the Aether storm, while Loki appeared behind Malekith and stabbed him with daggers.
• Malekith blasted Thor and Loki away, then began spreading the Aether through the Nine Realms as the Convergence neared its end.
• Oaks, in Starlight Leopard Form, pierced Malekith from behind and tore him in two.
• Thor helped Loki up, and Oaks warned that Tony was still outside as the Aether storm began to disperse.

Loki contained the spreading Aether while Oaks defeated Hodr and freed Baldr from the Soul Fragment controlling him. Baldr was revived as the Convergence ended, but Loki had disappeared.

• Loki gathered the Aether particles into a mass of crimson liquid, containing the storm as the passage between the Nine Realms began to close.
• Oaks revealed that Hodr's weakness was mistletoe and asked Thor to hide his actions with lightning; Thor agreed and created a blinding lightning curtain.
• Oaks pierced Hodr with mistletoe, causing Hodr's Soul Fragment to dissipate and Baldr to regain his original appearance.
• Before vanishing, Hodr warned Oaks that Ragnarok was inevitable and told him to beware of Hela.
• Oaks revived Baldr as the Convergence ended, and Thor explained that Malekith had caused Baldr's actions.
• Tony asked to fight Loki, prompting Thor to look for him and call out his name.

After the Convergence, Thor and Baldr decided to find Loki, who had taken the Aether, while Oaks arranged for Tony to develop an intelligent butler and armor upgrades. In Asgard, Loki revealed the Aether was the Reality Stone and confronted Odin over the throne before using its power.

• Thor said he would protect Asgard and the Nine Realms but would not take the throne, while Baldr chose exile, and they agreed to find Loki.
• Oaks asked Selvig for help locating the passage to Asgard and told Tony he wanted an intelligent butler and upgraded armor.
• Loki returned to Odin in the Golden Palace and revealed that he had transformed the Aether into the Reality Stone.
• Loki explained that the Reality Stone could make illusions real, then admitted he still wanted the throne and accused Thor and Baldr of abandoning their responsibilities.
• Odin asked why Loki did not use the stone, and Loki said goodbye as the Reality Stone flared crimson in his hand.

After returning to Asgard, Baldr chose exile while Thor refused the throne and promised to protect the Nine Realms. Odin revealed that the Tesseract and Aether were Infinity Stones, and Loki appeared behind him in disguise, suggesting he had returned unseen.

• Baldr and Thor returned to Asgard, where Heimdall said he could not see Loki in any of the worlds.
• Baldr told Odin he would exile himself under an assumed name while continuing to protect the Nine Realms.
• Odin explained that the Tesseract was the Space Stone and the Aether was the Reality Stone, and said he would send the Aether away.
• Thor refused to become king, choosing instead to protect the Nine Realms and pursue a future with Jane.
• Loki appeared behind Odin, praised Baldr's silence, and transformed into Odin's appearance.

Oaks visited Oxford geneticist Dr. Nathan Garrett, Dane Whitman’s uncle, and they exchanged ideas about genetics, shapeshifting, and Celtic lore. Garrett suspected Oaks had ties to Avalon and planned to use what he had learned to investigate King Arthur and Avalon.

• Oaks met Dr. Nathan Garrett at Oxford after Garrett invited him to discuss Dane Whitman and academic questions.
• Garrett worried about Dane, while Oaks reassured him that Dane was doing meaningful work with the Benevolence Society.
• Oaks and Garrett exchanged ideas about genetics, mutations, Nature Magic, and Oaks’s animal transformations.
• Garrett asked Oaks about Celtic mythology and King Arthur, but Oaks had to leave after receiving a call from an acquaintance in London.
• After Oaks departed, Garrett concluded that Oaks had more than a fifty percent chance of being connected to Avalon and decided to investigate further.

Oaks learned that Coulson’s team was investigating an Asgardian metal rod stolen from an ancient tree in Norway, and agreed to meet them at the University of Seville. The rod’s theft was followed by a violent attack in Oslo by people who claimed to be gods.

• Oaks returned Coulson’s call after leaving Oxford University, and Coulson said his team had finished handling the London incident and moved on to Norway.
• Coulson told Oaks that a park ranger had been murdered and a metal rod of Asgardian origin had been found inside a thousands-of-years-old Norwegian spruce.
• Coulson reported that a man and a woman who took the rod led a group attacking people in Oslo, leaving twenty injured and three in critical condition, and declaring, “We are gods.”
• Oaks agreed to help investigate and suggested meeting Coulson at the University of Seville to speak with Professor Randolph.
• Oaks reflected that he wanted to learn from Randolph and considered recruiting members of Coulson’s team for his future plans.

Coulson, Oaks, Fitz, and Simmons visited Professor Elliott Randolph at the University of Seville to learn about the Berserker Staff and its hidden pieces. After Oaks revealed his Asgardian identity, Randolph provided Coulson with the locations and warned them about the staff’s effect on humans.

• Coulson brought Fitz and Simmons to meet Oaks, who had to evade students recognizing him at the university.
• Randolph identified the staff model as part of the Berserker Staff and described its Asgardian history and magic.
• Oaks and Coulson questioned Randolph about the warrior who had stayed on Earth and broken the staff into three pieces.
• Randolph explained that ancient poems pointed to the three locations, including recently excavated ruins on Baffin Island.
• Oaks revealed that he was the Oak Sage of Asgard and a Royal Advisor, prompting Randolph to hand Coulson two addresses and warn them not to touch the staff directly.

Oaks agreed to Randolph’s request and asked Coulson to keep Randolph’s Asgardian identity secret, while urging Coulson to help May return to the Benevolence Society’s annual gathering. Elsewhere, Dr. Whitehall investigated Peggy Carter’s restored youth and considered inviting her in for questioning as Pierce’s plan neared implementation.

• Oaks agreed to Randolph’s request, and Coulson, Fitz, and Simmons left after Oaks asked them to keep Randolph’s identity secret.
• Coulson told Oaks that May missed her time at the Benevolence Society, and Oaks invited Coulson to attend its next New Year gathering.
• Dr. Whitehall learned that Peggy Carter had regained her youth and that Captain America was staying with her.
• Whitehall speculated that Oaks might be responsible for Peggy’s condition and wondered whether Oaks’s abilities were connected to the Obelisk.
• Whitehall decided to find an opportunity to invite Peggy Carter in as a guest while Pierce’s plan was about to be implemented.

Oaks learned that Odin had secretly come to Earth and planned to vacation in New York while Loki explored the cosmos in his place. Ancient One asked Oaks to look after Odin, and Oaks suspected the All-Father had only a few years left to live.

• Oaks answered Ancient One’s summons and learned Kamar-Taj had detected Dark Energy teleportation in Norway after the Asgardian princes returned.
• Ancient One told Oaks that Odin had secretly traveled to Earth using Dark Energy rather than Bifrost.
• Oaks realized Loki was ruling Asgard with Odin’s permission while Odin vacationed on Earth and Frigga held tea parties elsewhere.
• Ancient One said she and Odin were the only others who knew the truth and assigned Oaks to handle Odin’s affairs in New York.
• Oaks wondered why Odin had made the arrangement and concluded that he might have only a few years left to live.

Odin arrived at the Benevolence Society headquarters on Earth and told Oaks he planned to take a vacation while giving his sons a chance to prove themselves. He decided to open a bar and build it into New York’s strongest nightclub, leaving Oaks alarmed by his plans.

• Odin arrived at the Benevolence Society headquarters in a gray suit and asked Oaks to keep his whereabouts secret and stop calling him Heavenly King.
• Odin explained that Thor and Loki had refused or sought the throne, so he planned to observe them for a few years while living a different kind of life on Earth.
• Odin called himself Woden and said he was tired after nearly five thousand years of ruling Asgard and guarding the Nine Realms.
• Odin rejected Las Vegas as too frivolous and declared that he would open a bar and build it into New York’s strongest nightclub.

Odin opened Valhalla Bar in Manhattan and recruited Professor Randolph to manage it after Oaks secured his pardon. Randolph learned Odin might aim to unite New York's Underworld, leaving him to question whether he could refuse the job.

• Odin opened Valhalla Bar near Central Park and quickly attracted customers with Asgardian drinks and his commanding presence.
• Odin asked Oaks to find strategists and managers for the bar, and Oaks offered to recruit an Asgardian deserter in exchange for a pardon.
• Oaks visited Professor Randolph with Odin's Rune, frightened him, and used Odin's Pardon Rune to clear his status as a deserter.
• Oaks explained that Odin had chosen Randolph to manage Valhalla Bar, and Randolph agreed to take the job so he could remain free on Earth.
• Oaks gave Randolph a plane ticket to Manhattan and warned that Odin might intend to unite New York's Underworld, prompting Randolph to ask if he could refuse.

Oaks advanced his environmental projects and began planning the Benevolence Society’s expansion into five continental branches. He focused on establishing the Europe Branch in London and considered Dane Whitman to lead it.

• Coulson’s elite field team used Randolph’s coordinates to destroy the organization searching for the Berserker Staff, and Oaks received the staff’s data.
• Oaks and Maya Hansen expanded enhanced plants across the United States, increasing green coverage by 20% and developing waste-degrading moss and drought-resistant shrubs.
• The Benevolence Society successfully greened about 10% of the vegetation-free area in the Mojave Desert and prepared to expand internationally.
• Oaks planned five continental branches, assigning Matt Murdock to lead the America Branch and identifying London as the location for the Europe Branch.
• Oaks reviewed an internal file on Dane Whitman as a possible leader for the London Branch.

Oaks considered Dane Whitman’s talents and suitability for helping the Benevolence Society establish a foothold in London, then assigned Jack Wood to study Wakanda for the Society’s food plan. After Jack left, Coulson called Oaks and asked for his help.

• Oaks asked Jack Wood what he thought of Dane, and Jack described Dane’s social skills, swordsmanship, and knightly manners.
• Oaks decided Dane’s abilities could help establish a Benevolence Society branch in London and considered approaching his uncle Nathan Garrett about the situation.
• Oaks told Jack to study Wakanda because the Society planned to conduct an initial food experiment there, away from U.S. government scrutiny.
• Jack accepted the assignment enthusiastically and left to study Wakanda.
• Coulson called Oaks and said he needed his help.

Coulson asked Oaks to save Skye after her severe gunshot wounds overwhelmed the Recovery Serum. Oaks flew to the Zurich treatment center, where he arrived with a life-saving acorn and followed Coulson’s team toward Skye’s room.

• Coulson told Oaks that Skye was dying and asked him to come to Zurich, and Oaks agreed to help.
• Coulson and Melinda discussed Skye’s place on the team and worried about relying on Oaks for future emergencies.
• Oaks transformed into a Swift and flew to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Trauma Treatment Center in Zurich.
• Oaks greeted Coulson’s team, gave Melinda a glowing green acorn, and explained that it was a life-saving tool rather than a healing tool.
• Coulson led Oaks and the others toward Skye’s treatment room as Ward urged them to hurry.

Oaks used nature magic to heal Skye’s severe injuries and discovered dormant traces of Kree genes in her cells. Skye woke up, mistook Oaks for a pervert, and learned that John Garrett had arrived to interrogate Quinn.

• Oaks examined Skye and sensed that her cells had been unnaturally altered by Kree genes, with a dormant mutation awaiting a crucial trigger.
• Oaks healed Skye’s damaged organs with Healing Flowers, restoring her without scars or aftereffects.
• Skye woke up and screamed at Oaks, then Coulson explained that Oaks had saved her life and Melinda welcomed her back.
• Skye thanked Oaks and praised his healing ability, while Oaks joked about billing Coulson for her treatment.
• Coulson said John Garrett had arrived and invited Skye to watch him interrogate Quinn.

Oaks waited while Coulson’s team questioned Skye, then agreed to take her into the Benevolence Society after Coulson explained her tragic past and asked for Oaks’s help. The chapter left them preparing to investigate the hidden conspiracy behind Skye’s origins.

• Oaks spoke with May about her well-being and invited her to return to the Benevolence Society, but she said she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
• Garrett asked Oaks about his Recovery Serum, and Oaks offered to sell it to S.H.I.E.L.D. at a high price.
• Coulson told Oaks that Skye’s survival had changed his view of S.H.I.E.L.D. and asked him to take her in and help uncover her origins.
• Coulson revealed that Skye had been moved among foster homes after her village was massacred and that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had protected her as an infant.
• Oaks agreed to Coulson’s proposed trade and accepted responsibility for helping Skye.