Chapter Summaries

Peter refused Steve’s dying plea to fight Zhan Liu, so Natasha used her newly invented Ten Fingers Heart Connection to take Peter’s Magnetic Field Rotation power for herself. She reached the Ninety-Five Heavens by absorbing Steve’s and Peter’s hearts, but the sudden power surge left her foundation unstable and drove her mad.

• Steve sacrificed himself to awaken Peter and persuade him to join the fight, but Peter refused, and Steve died in his arms.
• Natasha asked Peter why he kept Steve’s heart, then used Ten Fingers Heart Connection to draw power from it while Peter did not resist.
• Natasha reached the Fifty Heavens, removed Steve’s heart, and fused it into herself when she could absorb no more power from it.
• Natasha pierced Peter’s chest again and absorbed his Magnetic Field Rotation Force until he had fallen back to an ordinary human and she reached the Ninety-Five Heavens.
• Natasha removed Peter’s heart and absorbed it, becoming a three-hearted fighter whose unstable foundation drove her mad.

After absorbing Peter's power, Natasha stopped Earth's disasters but became increasingly unstable and attacked her allies when she learned they feared her. She killed Thor, Rhodey, and Scott, then flew toward Zhan Liu and Hulk's ongoing battle.

• Natasha used her Magnetic Field Rotation power to calm disasters across Earth, then grew furious that people praised their gods instead of thanking her and unleashed a devastating punch that worsened the calamities.
• Scott told Natasha that the Super Battleship had vanished with Tony and the others aboard; Natasha said Steve was dead and claimed she had become strong enough to defeat Zhan Liu.
• Natasha arrived aboard the battleship, where Thor and the others warned her that her power was driving her mad; she revealed plans to kill Zhan Liu, claim the Infinity Stones, and rule the universe.
• Natasha read Rhodey's fearful thoughts and attacked him; Rhodey fought back in his Iron Suit, Scott joined him, and Thor intervened to defend them.
• Natasha defeated the others, tore out Thor's heart, then killed Scott and Rhodey; afterward, she flew toward Zhan Liu and Hulk's battlefield.

Zhan Liu broke the stalemate with Professor Hulk by using his Soul-Erosion Yin Lightning Finger to disrupt the Soul Stone’s control of the Hulk Avatar. The Avatar flickered and lost much of its protection, leaving Professor Hulk vulnerable to Zhan Liu’s Matter Reconstruction.

• Zhan Liu and Professor Hulk fought for hours in space, but neither could overcome the other's defenses.
• Zhan Liu announced that he had broken through and unveiled his Soul-Erosion Yin Lightning Finger, a technique designed to target souls through quantum effects.
• Zhan Liu sent a harmless quantum into Professor Hulk's Purple Palace and used entangled quanta to interfere with the Soul Stone's observation of Hulk's soul.
• Professor Hulk tried to use the Soul Stone to repair the Hulk Avatar, but the Avatar continued flickering and its protective effect weakened.
• With the Hulk Avatar's protection failing, Professor Hulk faced death because the Infinity Armor could not withstand Zhan Liu's Matter Reconstruction.

Natasha joined Professor Hulk’s battle against Zhan Liu and, after nearly being killed, pushed for a desperate way to use the Infinity Mu Jins. When Professor Hulk hesitated, she tore two stones from his chest and embedded the Mind Stone in her forehead.

• Natasha arrived as Zhan Liu was overpowering Professor Hulk and attacked him, but his Chain Lightning nearly killed her.
• Professor Hulk rescued Natasha, and she recovered before joining him in fighting Zhan Liu.
• Natasha’s three hearts and mind-reading ability exposed Professor Hulk’s suspicious thoughts, causing her mood to darken.
• Natasha argued that they should integrate the Infinity Mu Jins into their bodies, while Professor Hulk warned that doing so was dangerous.
• When Professor Hulk hesitated, Natasha seized her chance, pulled the Mind Stone and another Mu Jin from his chest, and embedded the Mind Stone in her forehead.

Natasha absorbed three Infinity Mu Jins and built a living Infinity Gauntlet around her three hearts, forcing Zhan Liu into a prolonged battle. As her hearts neared collapse, she targeted her counterpart and another fighter for their hearts to keep herself alive and seek a breakthrough.

• Natasha absorbed the Power Stone and Mind Stone, then took the Soul Stone from Professor Hulk, killing him and completing her three-core, three-Mu Jin configuration.
• Natasha fused a Soul Body into her cells and fought Zhan Liu to a stalemate, while the strain on her three hearts steadily worsened.
• Zhan Liu developed more than twenty versions of the Space Sword Pill during their battle but could not gain the Space Stone's recognition or defeat Natasha.
• Natasha realized her own heart was close to collapse and decided to take the hearts of the two fighters on the distant horizon to sustain herself.
• Natasha faced Zhan Liu, then rushed to her counterpart and stabbed through her heart.

Natasha killed Zhan Liu with a desperate attack and took his heart and Reality Stone, but the Space Sword Pill vanished before she could claim it. She returned to Earth to ask Doctor Banner to build a device to find it, unaware that the Ancient One already possessed it.

• Natasha destroyed her remaining hearts and burned her life force to reach the Ultimate Realm for an instant, then killed Zhan Liu and took his heart with Ten Fingers Heart Connection.
• Natasha extracted the Reality Stone from Zhan Liu and added it to the Human Infinity Gauntlet system, but could not locate the Space Sword Pill that her strike had sent flying away.
• After searching the surrounding space for days, Natasha gave up and flew to Earth to ask Doctor Banner to recreate an Infinity Stone tracking device.
• Doctor Banner agreed to help Natasha search for the missing Space Stone so they could gather the Infinity Mu Jins and ask the Sorcerer Supreme to change the universe.
• The Ancient One quietly held the Space Stone in an unknown dimension.

Gorr arrived at the lifeless Asgard seeking the key to Eternity's Realm, but Loki rose to defend his mother's grave and learned that Eternity could grant any wish. After defeating Gorr, Loki set out to find the key so he could ask Eternity to resurrect Asgard's gods and rebuild Asgard without him.

• Gorr reached Asgard, celebrated the deaths of its gods, and searched the ruins for the key to Eternity's Realm.
• When Gorr began attacking his mother's grave, Loki rose from the ground and fought him, suffering a wound from the Necrosword.
• Loki read Gorr's memories and learned that Eternity could fulfill any visitor's wish, giving him hope of resurrecting the gods.
• Gorr summoned dark monsters and attacked Loki, but Loki shattered the Necrosword and killed him.
• Loki suppressed his wound and entered the ruins to search for the key to Eternity's Realm and make his wish.

Loki slaughtered the Greek gods and took Zeus’s Thunder Sword to reach Eternity’s Realm, where he wished for the Asgardian gods he had caused to die to be resurrected. Eternity granted that wish but sent Loki and the restored gods back to Asgard before Loki could finish his next request, where Thor welcomed him and Odin and Frigga smiled at him.

• Loki killed Zeus and devastated Omnipotence City to seize the Thunder Sword, leaving the Greek Pantheon in ruins.
• Loki used the Thunder Sword to travel to Eternity’s temple and opened a portal to Eternity’s Realm.
• Loki wished for the Asgardian gods he had caused to die to be resurrected, and Eternity restored them before sending them all back to Asgard.
• Thor embraced Loki, who apologized through tears as he saw Odin and Frigga welcoming him.

Hela joined forces with Proxima Midnight and raised an undead army on Thanos’s dark planet, earning a place in the Black Order as Ebony Maw’s successor. Thanos welcomed Hela and focused on learning Proxima Midnight’s Magnetic Field Rotation technique while setting aside his hunt for the Infinity Stones.

• Hela and Proxima Midnight landed on Thanos’s dark planet, where Hela unleashed her death powers and raised the planet’s dead as an army loyal to her.
• Hela declared that her new undead army would let her stand equal to anyone in the Dark Order, and Proxima Midnight congratulated her on taking Ebony Maw’s place.
• Hela’s recollections revealed that she had used Gwen to distract Peter Parker while Proxima Midnight escaped, then brought Proxima back to Thanos.
• Thanos accepted Hela as a new Black Order member after Ebony Maw’s death and the losses of Gamora, Nebula, and Proxima Midnight.
• Thanos set aside collecting the Infinity Stones and began learning the Ultimate Yuan Magnetic Limitless Lightning Method from Proxima Midnight.

After the Nova Empire collapsed, Mantis became its new ruler and led Xandar’s reunification and reconstruction with worldmind’s help. As the empire rebuilt and prepared to answer its enemies, the Dark Order attacked.

• After Queen Adora and the Nova Corps fell, Xandar was looted and plunged into chaos as pirates and neighboring powers seized its resources.
• Mantis arrived carrying worldmind, accepted its request to rebuild the Nova Empire, recruited new Nova Corps soldiers, and reunited Xandar.
• Mantis and worldmind rebuilt Xandar’s central computer room, restored the planet’s technology, and began reconstructing its cities and institutions.
• Mantis invited displaced families and factions from across the universe to settle on Xandar and help rebuild the empire.
• As hostile neighboring countries secretly sabotaged reconstruction, Mantis used her telepathic abilities to identify spies.
• A Nova warrior warned Mantis that the Dark Order had attacked.

Raven brought Earth’s Mutants to Xandar aboard a stolen Dark Order Super Battleship and staged a threatening approach to make the Nova Empire respect them. After Worldmind rejected their request to settle on Xandar, Raven declared that the Mutants would fight for the planet if they had to.

• Xandar’s warning satellites detected the Super Battleship, and the Nova Corps formed a defensive line against it.
• Raven halted the ship’s advance and opened communications with Nova Prime Mantis and Worldmind.
• Raven claimed the Mutants wanted to settle on Xandar and offered to build their own homes and serve the Nova Empire.
• Worldmind checked the Mutants’ records, found no warrants, but refused them citizenship because their stolen ship could bring Thanos’s retaliation.
• Raven accused the Nova Empire of forcing the Mutants to keep wandering and threatened to fight for control of Xandar.

Raven challenged Queen Mantis to a duel to avoid a war between the Mutants and the Nova Empire, and Mantis agreed after Worldmind warned her of the risks. As Raven and Mantis faced off in space, their encounter revealed their ties to Zhan Liu, while Professor X’s objections to Raven’s methods ended with Raven asserting her authority as queen.

• Raven proposed that she and Mantis settle the dispute in a duel, with the Mutants leaving Xandar if Raven lost and receiving land there if she won.
• Mantis agreed to fight so fewer people would die, and Worldmind reluctantly accepted while planning to protect her if the duel went badly.
• Raven flew out to meet Mantis, but Worldmind stopped at a distance after sensing Raven’s Magnetic Field Rotation Force and asked about her connection to Master Zhan Liu.
• Mantis sensed no ill will from Raven, while Worldmind cautioned her that the Mutants’ actions mattered more than their assurances.
• Professor X secretly read Mantis’s mind and urged Raven to approach the Nova Empire sincerely, but Raven dismissed his advice and declared that her decisions were the will of the Mutants.

Raven and the Mutants faced a choice after the Silver Surfer’s arrival revealed that Galactus might devour Xandar. Professor X proposed using his psychic powers to redirect Galactus toward another planet, and Raven asked whether Earth should be sacrificed.

• The Silver Surfer’s appearance terrified Worldmind, which warned Raven that Galactus might be targeting Xandar and asked the Mutants to help defend it.
• Raven postponed her decision and convened a meeting aboard the Q-Ship to discuss whether the Mutants should risk fighting Galactus.
• Professor X advised against risking the Mutant race and proposed persuading the Silver Surfer to designate another planet as Galactus’s food.
• Raven agreed to join the Nova Empire while they adapted to the crisis, then asked Professor X which planet he would offer to Galactus.
• Professor X hesitantly suggested Earth.

Raven secured the Xandarians’ trust by offering the Mutants’ Super Battleship and supplies as an evacuation refuge, then helped Professor X divert Planet Eater from Xandar by giving the Silver Surfer information about other planets. The Silver Surfer left to continue surveying, and Raven set out to claim credit, though Xandar’s safety still depended on his final choice.

• Raven agreed with Professor X’s plan to offer other inhabited planets as alternatives to Xandar and flew to meet Nova Prime.
• As Xandar prepared for Planet Eater’s arrival, Mantis asked Raven for help evacuating people, and Raven offered battleship space, food, water, and security.
• Raven told Mantis she would try to persuade the Silver Surfer to choose another planet, and the worldmind supplied her with information on potential targets.
• Professor X contacted the Silver Surfer, learned that Planet Eater sought to restore cosmic balance by consuming planets, and sent him the worldmind’s list of alternatives.
• The Silver Surfer said he would consider another planet if Xandar’s population had greatly declined, then departed to continue his survey.
• Professor X told the Mutants that Xandar would probably be spared, and Raven went to claim credit.

The Annihilation Swarm attacked Xandar, and Raven and the Mutants joined the Nova Corps to defend the planet. As Raven fought the Bug Ships, Professor X discovered multiple insect queens and warned her to flee, but an unknown figure arrived and Raven exploded.

• The Annihilation Swarm overwhelmed Xandar's defenses, and the bugs evolved resistance to the Nova Corps' weapons and the Mutants' powers.
• Professor X seized control of some bugs, buying time for Xandar, but the swarm began adapting to his psychic abilities.
• Worldmind asked Raven to lead a strike against the Bug Ships, and she agreed while Professor X's control began to fail.
• Raven and the Nova warriors attacked the Bug Ships; Raven destroyed more than a dozen while Scott led the assault inside one.
• Professor X found multiple insect queens and warned Raven that one had locked onto her and was too powerful to fight.
• An unknown figure appeared before Raven, Professor X screamed and lost contact, and Raven exploded before Worldmind's eyes.

Raven fought an Arthrosian Bug King while trying to protect the Mutants who had come with her. After the Bug King took control of their Q-Ship and Raven’s power surged, she pursued it, only to be blocked by four more Bug Kings, including their leader.

• Raven fought the Bug King and sent Cyclops and the other Mutants toward the Q-Ship so they could retreat.
• Raven tried to disable the Bug King’s arm blade, but its Negative Zone energy wounded her and slowed her healing.
• The Bug King seized control of the Q-Ship and made it attack Raven, forcing her to fight while fearing for the Mutants’ lives.
• Raven’s regret drove her strength sharply higher, and she smashed most of the Bug King’s body before pursuing it through the Bug Ships.
• Four more Bug Kings intercepted Raven, and their leader raised a finger and commanded her to be annihilated.

Raven battled Annihilator and the Annihilation Swarm as the Bug Queens used the Cosmic Control Rod and adaptive evolution to counter her Magnetic Field Rotation Force. When Queen Eradica forced Raven’s allies to explode in front of her, Raven went berserk and charged at Eradica.

• Annihilator used the Cosmic Control Rod to drain Raven’s energy, but Raven awakened it again, shattered Eradica’s finger, and escaped the killing blow.
• Annihilator led the Annihilation Swarm toward Xandar and ordered the Bug Queens to overwhelm Raven rather than fight her alone.
• Eradica repeatedly returned with greater resistance to Raven’s Magnetic Field Rotation Force, while the other Bug Queens rescued her and adapted their own carapaces.
• Eradica brought Nova Corps officers and Cyclops’s Mutant strike team to attack Raven, then made the captured allies detonate themselves one by one in front of her.
• Raven erupted with renewed power, frightening Annihilator into waving the Cosmic Control Rod without restraint, and charged at Eradica in a furious assault.

Raven sacrificed her life to destroy the Bug Swarm attacking Xandar and save the Nova Empire. Annihilator and three Bug Queens survived her attack, and after confirming Raven was dead, he led the Annihilation Wave back to target Xandar.

• Raven fought Queen Eradica and Annihilator, but Annihilator used the Cosmic Control Rod to help Queen Eradica escape and then fled with the other Bug Queens through an artificial wormhole.
• Raven unleashed her life force and shattered space around the fleeing enemies, leaving their fate uncertain, then went to Mantis and asked her to care for the mutants.
• Raven snapped her fingers and caused every Bug Race creature on Xandar to explode before dissolving into rainbow light and vanishing.
• Worldmind told Mantis that Raven had sacrificed her life to save the planet, and Mantis ordered the Nova Empire to remember Raven and her deeds.
• Months later, Annihilator returned with three Bug Queens, learned that Raven was dead, and ordered the Annihilation Wave to attack Xandar.

Worldmind fled with Mantis from the insect invasion, but the Silver Surfer later offered Mantis the chance to become Galactus’s herald and proposed Nebula as Worldmind’s new host. Worldmind rejected Nebula because of her history and wanted status, leaving the proposed partnership unresolved.

• Worldmind forcibly controlled Mantis and escaped the insect forces, while the Silver Surfer helped them break through the swarm before withdrawing from Extirpa.
• The Silver Surfer explained that the Reshaper’s newly created planets could shelter life and urged Worldmind and Mantis to join a future counterattack against the insects.
• The Silver Surfer offered Mantis the chance to become Galactus’s herald and receive the Power Cosmic, and Galactus promised Worldmind a replacement host.
• Worldmind agreed to consider separating from Mantis after seeing the replacement, but rejected Nebula because she was Thanos’s daughter and a notorious wanted criminal.
• Nebula explained that she had awakened in a powerful mechanical body with no memory of how she got there, and she needed Worldmind’s support to gain access to the Nova Force.

Nebula persuaded Worldmind to become her partner and leave Xandar, while Mantis accepted Planet Eater’s offer to become his new herald. After her transformation, Mantis became Nova and departed to recruit heroes, forgetting her plan to save Xandar.

• Nebula argued that Worldmind should choose her as a host, and Worldmind agreed to share her mechanical body and help rebuild the Nova Corps elsewhere.
• Mantis claimed Xandar for herself, and Worldmind named her its queen before Nebula and Worldmind departed with Silver Surfer and Mantis.
• Silver Surfer took Mantis to Planet Eater aboard Tower 2 Spaceship and introduced her as a potential Herald of Devourer.
• Planet Eater agreed to let Mantis leave after the war against the Bug Race and transformed her into an immortal herald with immense power.
• Planet Eater named Mantis Nova and ordered her to recruit superheroes, and Nova departed obediently without remembering her intention to save Xandar.