Chapter Summaries

After consolidating political and corporate influence on Earth, Azu traveled to the Marvel Universe seeking a path to godhood and arrived during the Eternals’ fight against a Deviant in London. He defeated the creature, introduced himself to Thena as the Conqueror, and left through a portal, while Thena recognized the Infinity Gauntlet.

• Azu celebrated his growing influence with Victoria Neuman, Angelina, and Maeve, then planned to seek Eternity in the Marvel Universe using Stormbreaker and God Butcher Gorr.
• Angelina reported that she would support Victoria Neuman’s presidential campaign and that Alfred had developed a prototype for solar energy technology.
• Azu equipped his gear and used the Traveler Ring to travel to the Marvel Universe, where he arrived in London as Thena, a girl, and a man fled from a Deviant.
• Azu stopped the Deviant with his strength and eye beams, but it regenerated and escaped into the river.
• Thena thanked Azu and considered recruiting him, but he called himself the Conqueror and opened a portal with the Infinity Gauntlet to leave.
• Thena recognized the glove as Azu vanished.

Thena reunited with Ikaris and Sprite after the Deviants returned, while Azu went to Wakanda and exposed Loki impersonating Tchalla. The chapter ended with Ikaris planning to gather the Eternals and take Azu’s Infinity Stones, despite Thena warning him not to provoke the Conqueror.

• Thena reunited with Dane, Sprite, and Ikaris, and told Ikaris that a healing Deviant had appeared and been driven away by the Conqueror.
• Azu arrived in Wakanda during a stage play portraying Loki as the Avengers’ savior and discovered that Loki had taken Tchalla’s form.
• Azu used the Reality Stone to expose Loki, who admitted he had hidden Tchalla in an illusionary valley and claimed he could rule Wakanda better.
• Azu took Loki to the valley, where Tchalla reunited with Shuri, and refused to let Loki go free.
• Thena told Ikaris that Azu’s Infinity Stones made him exceptionally dangerous, but Ikaris said he would help gather the Eternals and try to take them.

Thor reflected on Loki’s uncertain fate before Colonel Rhodes reported that Loki had warned the Avengers of the Conqueror’s return. Loki arrived in New Asgard with Wakanda’s forces, and Azu demanded to borrow Stormbreaker; Thor refused and was blasted far from the village, leaving him racing back to fight.

• Thor told Stormbreaker about Loki and wondered whether his brother was alive or dead.
• Colonel Rhodes told Thor that Loki had sent a warning about the Conqueror’s return and said the Avengers were preparing for battle.
• Wakanda’s forces brought Loki to New Asgard, where Tchalla explained that Loki had impersonated him and deceived Wakanda.
• Tchalla asked Thor to lend Stormbreaker to Azu for a month, but Thor refused, and Azu said he would take the axe by force.
• Thor attacked Azu, who used the Infinity Gauntlet to redirect his strike and then blasted him a thousand miles away with the Power Stone.
• Thor landed amid buildings and highway traffic, then flew back toward New Asgard.

Azu used the Mind Stone to turn the Asgardians against Thor and demanded Stormbreaker, while the Avengers fought to stop him. Spider-Man escaped with the axe, but Doctor Strange’s attack failed to hold Azu, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Valkyrie tried to evacuate the villagers, but Azu hypnotized them into swarming Thor, forcing him to surrender Stormbreaker.
• Loki passed Stormbreaker to Azu, but Spider-Man webbed the axe away and escaped in a jet fighter.
• Azu knocked Banner aside while the Avengers and Wakandan forces fought to hold him back.
• Azu threw Ant-Man and Wasp away, then hurled Giant Ant-Man onto Thor’s shoulder.
• Doctor Strange trapped Azu with duplicates and crimson chains, but Azu used the Infinity Stones to break free.

Azu defeated Doctor Strange and the Avengers’ efforts to seize Stormbreaker, then returned to Wakanda with Tchalla and Shuri. He left them under the Destroyer’s protection and warned them that the Avengers might come looking for him.

• Azu erased Doctor Strange’s duplicates, trapped Strange underground, and teleported away while the village battle remained chaotic.
• Azu fought the Avengers aboard the jet, overcame Doctor Strange’s Mirror Dimension, and used the Reality Stone to retrieve Stormbreaker before escaping.
• Thor and Hulk saved civilians from the falling jet wreckage, while Spider-Man parachuted to safety.
• Azu returned to the fishing village, turned Valkyrie, Scott, and Wasp into Lego bricks, and escorted Tchalla and Shuri back to Wakanda.
• Azu praised Tchalla and Shuri, promised to fulfill Shuri’s request later, and ordered the Destroyer to protect them before departing with Stormbreaker.

Sprite, Ikaris, and Thena found Ajak dead, and Arishem appeared through the transfer of a golden sphere to Thena. Elsewhere, Azu ordered his forces to find Gorr, while the Guardians of the Galaxy heard that a new god called the Conqueror had emerged.

• Sprite reflected on her unrequited love for Ikaris as Thena drove them to Ajak's home.
• Ikaris, Thena, and Sprite searched the house, then found Ajak's wounded body in the backyard and recognized the signs of a Deviant attack.
• A golden sphere rose from Ajak's corpse and entered Thena, revealing Arishem behind her.
• Proxima Midnight reported that Azu's forces had conquered twenty-seven planets, and Azu ordered them to find Gorr the God Butcher.
• At a bar in The Void, Star-Lord drunkenly mistook Nebula for Gamora and was thrown aside before a stranger announced the Conqueror's arrival.

The Guardians of the Galaxy learned of a new god called the Conqueror and considered using the Infinity Stones to seek help bringing Gamora back. On Earth, Thena learned that the Eternals were meant to protect Tiamut's emergence, and she rallied the others to stop it, proposing they seek the Infinity Stones or the Conqueror.

• Nebula questioned a bearded man about reports of the Conqueror, while the Guardians discussed whether the Infinity Stones could bring Gamora back or lead them to a creator god.
• Thena, Ikaris, and the other Eternals found Druid and asked him to join them against the returning Deviants, but he refused to leave his village.
• Thena told Ikaris that she had seen Arishem, and Arishem revealed that Tiamut was nearing emergence and that the Eternals had been sent to ensure it happened.
• Thena gathered the Eternals and urged them to stop Tiamut's emergence because it would destroy all life on Earth; Kingo opposed the plan, while Druid supported her.
• Thena suggested that the Eternals seek the Infinity Stones or the Conqueror's help, leaving Druid confused about both.

Azu founded the John Empire, set its focus on conquest, and went to investigate an attack on one of its colony planets, where he identified the High Evolutionary’s forces as the attackers. On Earth, Thor and his allies confronted Wakanda over Stormbreaker, but the arrival of the Eternals’ spaceship interrupted the standoff.

• Azu ordered Proxima Midnight and his generals to establish the John Empire, design symbols, and draft laws centered on rewarding conquest and punishing fear of battle.
• Proxima Midnight reported that attackers had raided the colony planet Aida and captured its garrison, so Azu traveled there to investigate.
• Azu learned from battle recordings that the attackers were modified soldiers from Auge Group and ordered Proxima Midnight to find the High Evolutionary.
• In Wakanda, Tchalla prepared defenses as Thor demanded that Stormbreaker be returned, while Colonel Rhodes urged a peaceful settlement.
• Doctor Strange sensed something in the sky, and the Eternals’ golden-patterned spaceship, the Domo, appeared above the group.

The Avengers, Wakandans, and Eternals met while the Eternals sought the Conqueror’s help to stop the Emergence, but a dispute over Thor’s stolen Stormbreaker erupted into a battle. The chapter ended with Doctor Strange returning from Makkari’s teleportation and using magic to blow Makkari and Druid away, freeing Spider-Man from Druid’s control.

• Tchalla and Shuri detected the Domo, while the Eternals decided to ask the Conqueror for help without revealing the Emergence to the Avengers.
• Tchalla, the Avengers, and the Eternals met in Wakanda, where Tchalla said the Conqueror had left and promised to return Stormbreaker; Thor protested that the weapon had been stolen.
• Druid failed to control Thor, prompting Thor and Ikaris to fight; Makkari carried Doctor Strange away, while Phastos disabled War Machine and Kingo attacked Falcon.
• Druid took control of Spider-Man, and Gilgamesh fought Banner as Thena joined Ikaris against Thor.
• Makkari returned and tried to attack Doctor Strange, but Strange emerged through a Portal and used Watoom’s Wind to blow her and Druid away, breaking Druid’s hold on Spider-Man.

Doctor Strange and the Avengers fought the Eternals until a Deviant leader drained Gilgamesh’s energy, evolved, and fled while vowing revenge on Arishem. Meanwhile, Azu arrived at the Auge Group’s living headquarters aboard Sanctuary II and demanded its surrender in the name of the Conqueror, but its command staff laughed at the threat.

• Doctor Strange sent Makkari to the polar region and pulled Druid into the Mirror Dimension while Spider-Man and Falcon fought Kingo and the other Eternals.
• Falcon’s attack ended Sprite’s illusion, but an Eternal device dragged him to the ground; Tchalla chose to keep Wakanda out of the evenly matched battle.
• A Deviant leader ambushed Gilgamesh, drained his energy, evolved, and declared its plan to kill the Eternals and take revenge on Arishem before fleeing into the forest.
• Thena and the Eternals mourned Gilgamesh, while the evolved Deviant learned about the Conqueror and Infinity Stones from his memories and sent scouts to watch Wakanda.
• Azu ordered Sanctuary II to broadcast a surrender demand to the Auge Group’s headquarters, and its command staff dismissed the Conqueror’s threat with laughter.

Azu shattered the Auge Group’s defenses with his Thermonuclear Beam and forced the corporation to surrender, then brought its directors under the John Empire. After learning that the High Evolutionary’s forces had attacked Aida Star, Azu discovered that the High Evolutionary was conducting experiments on Anti-Earth.

• Azu rejected the Auge Group’s warning and launched a frontal assault, using his Absolute Domain to block its weapons.
• Azu’s Thermonuclear Beam pierced all three plasma shields, destroyed more than half the fighters, and devastated part of the Auge Group headquarters.
• The Auge Group surrendered, and its directors knelt before Azu as he arrived with Cull Obsidian and General Corvus Glaive.
• Azu killed a director who questioned the John Empire, appointed Jatuwalk as his representative in the Auge Group, and accepted the other directors’ submission.
• Azu asked about the attack on Aida Star, and Jatuwalk identified the attackers as the High Evolutionary’s forces and located his research on Anti-Earth.

Star-Lord learned that the Conqueror had defeated the Auge Group and was heading to Anti-Earth, while the Avengers and Eternals prepared to stop the Emergence and sought a way to reach him. The chapter ended with Rhodes revealing that Quill wanted their support to steal the Infinity Gauntlet.

• Quill told the Guardians he planned to ambush the Conqueror at Auge Group headquarters, but a message revealed the group had already surrendered and joined him.
• Thena explained to Tchalla and the Avengers that Tiamut's Emergence would destroy Earth, and the group agreed to help Druid put Tiamut to sleep without killing him.
• Rhodes received Quill's coordinates and reported that the Conqueror had conquered the Auge Group and was heading to Anti-Earth.
• Thena sent Phastos and Ikaris to prepare the Domo to travel to Anti-Earth, while Tchalla left to make preparations.
• Rhodes privately told Thor and Doctor Strange that Quill wanted their support to steal the Infinity Gauntlet from the Conqueror.

The Avengers debated whether to help Quill steal the Infinity Gauntlet, while Ikaris took the Domo to Anti-Earth to seize it himself and preserve the Emergence. Azu arrived on Anti-Earth, massacred the Animal People who attacked him, and learned where the High Evolutionary was as a golden young man awakened nearby.

• Thor, Steve, and Colonel Rhodes discussed asking the Conqueror to help stop the Emergence before aiding Quill in stealing the Infinity Gauntlet if he refused.
• Thena learned from Phastos that Ikaris had taken the Domo, while Ikaris headed for Anti-Earth and revealed that he had killed Ajak to keep the Emergence on course.
• Azu traveled to Anti-Earth with Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Cull Obsidian to find the High Evolutionary and recruit him as the John Empire's chief scientist.
• Azu discovered that Anti-Earth was inhabited by evolved Animal People, then killed many of them with his Thermonuclear Beam after they attacked his group.
• Proxima Midnight showed the Animal People an image of the High Evolutionary, and they pointed Azu toward a red building by the sea.
• Inside the building, a golden young man awakened in a vessel as a purple-robed man and a golden woman watched.

Azu and his allies confronted The High Evolutionary over his attack on their army, while The High Evolutionary ordered Ayesha’s newborn creation, Adam, to fight them. Adam overwhelmed Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive, but Azu stepped in to shield Proxima Midnight from Adam’s energy blast.

• The High Evolutionary learned that Azu’s spacecraft had arrived and ordered his guards to drive away Azu and his companions.
• Azu demanded that The High Evolutionary explain why he had attacked and taken one of the John Empire’s armies, then approved the use of force when the guards refused them entry.
• Corvus Glaive, Cull Obsidian, and Proxima Midnight killed the guards as The High Evolutionary told Ayesha to send Adam into battle.
• Adam obeyed Ayesha and attacked Corvus Glaive, then fought Cull Obsidian and knocked him down with a series of blows.
• Adam struck Corvus Glaive with an energy shockwave and fired a torrent at Proxima Midnight, but Azu blocked the attack with his Absolute Domain.

Azu defeated Adam and confronted The High Evolutionary on Anti-Earth, demanding that he become Azu’s chief scientist. As Azu struck The High Evolutionary down, Quill and his companions arrived near Anti-Earth, where another spacecraft emerged from a Wormhole.

• Adam’s energy attacks failed to penetrate Azu’s Absolute Domain, and Azu knocked him into the sea and then sent him flying with an uppercut.
• The High Evolutionary restrained Ayesha and Adam aboard his ship, but Adam broke free long enough to attack him after seeing his mother in danger.
• Azu entered the ship, revealed that he had come for his captured Chitauri, and invited The High Evolutionary to serve as his chief scientist.
• The High Evolutionary attacked Azu, threatened Ayesha, and tried to force Adam to help, but Azu freed them and struck The High Evolutionary down with the Power Stone.
• Quill, Rocket, Drax, and Nebula arrived near Anti-Earth, and Nebula spotted a triangular spacecraft emerging from another Wormhole.

Quill and the Guardians met Ikaris, who had come from Earth to offer help, while Azu reviewed the High Evolutionary’s creations and arranged for Adam to remain with Ayesha. As the Guardians’ ship descended toward Anti-Earth, Azu sensed their arrival and wondered why they had come.

• Quill, Nebula, Rocket, and Drax spotted Ikaris approaching in space, and Quill cautiously asked who he was and what he wanted.
• Ikaris introduced himself and explained that he had come from Earth, where the Avengers were dealing with a disaster, but they lacked a spacecraft capable of reaching Anti-Earth.
• The High Evolutionary showed Azu a new species of energetic, optimistic silver-haired children, and Azu ordered him to let them live normally before considering training or producing more.
• Ayesha thanked Azu for saving her and pledged loyalty to him, then asked that Adam be allowed to stay with her.
• Adam admitted he did not want to train and fight, so Azu let him remain with Ayesha and told her to train him until he chose to join.
• Azu sensed the Guardians approaching as their ship descended over Anti-Earth, and Quill remarked that its city resembled Earth.

The Guardians of the Galaxy arrived on Anti-Earth and tried to find the High Evolutionary so they could wait for the Conqueror and steal the Infinity Gauntlet. Meanwhile, Azu named the High Evolutionary’s new species the New Humans and began building their loyalty by naming the children and giving them cakes.

• Quill explained that the Guardians would watch the High Evolutionary, distract the Conqueror, and use Mantis’s touch to make him sleep so they could take the Infinity Gauntlet.
• The Guardians landed among the Animal People, where Drax hit a child with a ball and the crowd pelted the team with stones until Ikaris frightened them off with his eye beams.
• Quill spotted a statue of the High Evolutionary and asked the Animal People where to find him.
• Azu arrived at the grassland where the High Evolutionary was building a city for the new species and announced that they could call themselves the New Humans.
• Azu gave the children cakes and names, including naming A237 Luna, while Ayesha explained that he was making them see him as a father so they would grow up loyal to him.

Ikaris attacked Azu’s forces, but Adam challenged him while the Guardians of the Galaxy launched an assault from the sky. Rocket broke away from the team and boarded The High Evolutionary’s convoy, where The High Evolutionary recognized him as P13.

• Ikaris arrived on the grassland, defeated Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Cull Obsidian, then fought Adam after Ayesha sent him in.
• Adam and Ikaris battled in the sky as Quill led the Guardians of the Galaxy toward Azu and ordered their ship to attack him.
• Azu opened a Portal and sent Ayesha away before he faced the Guardians’ bombardment.
• Rocket left the Guardians’ group, landed on The High Evolutionary’s armored hover vehicle, and fought his way inside.
• The High Evolutionary spotted Rocket on a screen and greeted him as P13.

Azu defeated the Guardians of the Galaxy’s attempt to steal the Infinity Gauntlet, brainwashed them, and used the AllSpark’s Mutation Ray on Ikaris. Meanwhile, Rocket confronted the High Evolutionary and was pinned by his psychic power, while on Hydra a man learned of the Conqueror from several frightened visitors.

• Quill lured Azu’s fiery beetles through the unfinished city, then returned to help the Guardians fight him.
• The Guardians restrained Azu long enough for Mantis to try to take the Infinity Gauntlet, but Azu turned intangible, escaped, and transformed the team into helpless forms with the Reality Stone.
• Azu restored the Guardians, used the Mind Stone to brainwash them, and went to Ikaris and Adam’s fight, where he struck Ikaris with the Mutation Ray.
• Rocket fought his way to the High Evolutionary, declared himself Rocket, and opened fire, but the High Evolutionary stopped his shots and pinned him against a wall.
• On Hydra, a white-robed man sitting atop a dragon heard that people at The Void had spoken of a new god called the Conqueror.

Azu planned to return to Earth at a decisive moment to stop the Emergence and promote the John Empire, while Gorr attacked the Void searching for the Conqueror. The chapter ended with Gorr threatening the Void’s residents unless Quill revealed Azu’s whereabouts.

• Azu questioned the Guardians of the Galaxy, learned how Quill’s group had reached Anti-Earth, and discovered that Rocket had gone off on his own.
• Ikaris warned Azu that the Emergence was imminent, and Azu decided to return to Earth after the Eternals and Avengers had suffered setbacks.
• Azu spoke with Adam about his mother’s hard work before the story shifted to the Void, where Kraglin failed to control the Yaka Arrow during a public performance.
• Shadow monsters attacked the Void, and Gorr confronted Kraglin and demanded to know where the Conqueror was.
• Quill and Nebula showed Azu footage of Gorr threatening the Void’s residents and demanding information about the Conqueror.