Chapter Summaries

Hydra gave Zhan Liu the Darkhold, hoping its corrupting influence would turn him against them, but Seven stopped him just before he opened it. As father and son planned to find safer magic texts, a vast shadow blotted out the sun.

• Hydra delivered a reborn copy of the Darkhold to Zhan Liu, intending to tempt him into dark magic and keep him from opposing Hydra.
• Seven explained that Zhan Liu would become known for Black Magic in the future, while Zhan Liu discussed how losing his magnetic powers and Kamar-Taj’s destruction had pushed him toward magic.
• Zhan Liu and Seven speculated that Tony Stark and Thor had traveled back to the same era, and that multiple time travelers might be pursuing conflicting missions.
• The Darkhold tempted Zhan Liu to open it, but Seven slapped his hand away and warned him about the danger of possession by Chthon.
• Zhan Liu promised not to read the Darkhold yet and said he would seek introductory magic books and eventually seal the tome away after rebuilding Kamar-Taj.
• As Zhan Liu and Seven discussed where to find other magic books, a huge shadow crossed the sky and blocked out the sun.

Thanos’s Sanctuary II launched a surprise invasion of New York, and the Federal Government’s nuclear strike killed far more people than Outriders. Earth’s heroes managed to stabilize the battlefield, but Zhan Liu faced Thanos as the chapter ended.

• Zhan Liu recognized Sanctuary II as Thanos’s warship as it entered Earth’s atmosphere and began attacking New York.
• The Federal Government detonated a nuclear bomb in the city, killing many civilians and soldiers while Outriders largely survived thanks to their resistance.
• Heroes from across Earth formed a Savior Alliance, but the Black Order’s four members turned the tide until Thor, Tony, Hulk, Zhan Liu, and his son joined the fight.
• Zhan Liu helped stabilize the defenders’ line, but the alien reinforcements kept pouring in and Tony, Natasha, and Natalia remained missing.
• Thanos confronted Zhan Liu and addressed him as “Star Destroyer Zhan Liu.”

Thanos invaded Earth and overwhelmed Zhan Liu and Seven with his superior Magnetic Field Rotation, leaving them badly injured as a black hole devastated New York. As Thanos prepared to finish them, a mysterious book fell from Zhan Liu’s chest and offered him power to defeat his enemy.

• Thanos investigated the two Nebulas, learned about Earth’s defenders, and sent Sanctuary II to invade Earth.
• Thanos confronted Zhan Liu, whose dormant Magnetic Field Rotation awakened during their clash, but Thanos quickly severed both of Zhan Liu’s arms.
• Zhan Liu reattached his arms and fought beside Seven, but their combined resistance against Thanos’s killing blow created a black hole that destroyed much of New York.
• Thanos crushed the nascent black hole and resumed fighting, leaving Zhan Liu unable to recover quickly enough to help Seven withstand the next attack.
• A darkly glowing book fell from Zhan Liu’s chest and whispered that opening it would give him the power to defeat Thanos.

Zhan Liu nearly opened the Darkhold to gain the power to save Seven, but Seven persuaded him to destroy it and fight with the Infinity Mu Jins instead. Zhan Liu and Seven wounded Thanos, but Thanos seized Seven’s gauntlet and healed himself with its power.

• Zhan Liu hesitated to open the Darkhold as Thanos advanced on Seven, and a gauntlet bearing two Infinity Mu Jins suddenly appeared in Seven’s hands.
• Seven stopped Zhan Liu from opening the Darkhold, warned him about its corruption, and pleaded with him to fight alongside him.
• Zhan Liu destroyed the Darkhold, placed the Time Stone in Seven’s gauntlet, and used the Space Stone to form a Space Sword Pill that damaged Thanos’s battle blade.
• Seven struck Thanos with three Infinity Mu Jins while Zhan Liu attacked with the Space Sword Pill, driving Thanos back and injuring him.
• Thanos endured Seven’s attack, snapped Seven’s right arm, took the Infinity Gauntlet, and used its power to restore himself.

Thanos crushed Earth’s defenders and left Zhan Liu and Seven to fight the Black Order, but Zhan Liu killed Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight before Thanos intervened. After Thanos reclaimed the Space Sword Pill and prepared to finish them, the Time Stone restored the Darkhold to Zhan Liu, leaving him to choose what to do next.

• Thanos’s attack sent Zhan Liu and Seven crashing beneath the earth, while the battle devastated Earth and the superheroes were wiped out.
• Zhan Liu and Seven emerged from the ground, faced the Black Order, and fought Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian.
• Zhan Liu used the Space Stone to break Corvus Glaive’s blade and kill him, then killed Proxima Midnight as Cull Obsidian fled.
• Thanos returned, blasted Zhan Liu and Seven aside, and took the Space Sword Pill for the Infinity Gauntlet.
• The Time Stone flew to Zhan Liu and reversed time to restore the Darkhold, while Thanos watched to see what Zhan Liu would choose.

Zhan Liu rejected the Darkhold and burned his life force to recover his memories and reach Star Shattering, turning the fight against Thanos and restoring Earth’s magnetic field. Thanos then detonated Earth, leaving the two to face each other among its ruins for a final clash.

• Zhan Liu crushed the Darkhold rather than use its power, and Thanos praised his will before preparing to attack.
• Zhan Liu burned his life force, achieved Star Shattering, recovered his memories, and rapidly raised his strength to Ninety-Five Heavens.
• Zhan Liu defeated Thanos with a punch, healed Seven enough to help him recover, and sent him to find his mother.
• Thanos awakened at Earth’s core and unleashed energy that caused the planet to explode, while Sanctuary II’s surviving crew retreated farther away.
• Thanos and Zhan Liu charged at each other among Earth’s ruins and threw all their strength into one final punch.

Zhan Liu defeated Thanos but died from his injuries, and Tony used the Infinity Mu Jins to restore Earth and revive him. With five people having achieved Star Shattering, Tony proposed building an Anti-Eternity Prison to stop Eternity from manipulating fate.

• Zhan Liu defeated Thanos in their final clash, but his life force ran out as Seven and the others gathered around him.
• Zhan Liu died holding Seven and Natasha's hands, and Natasha told Seven they could use the Infinity Mu Jins to revive him.
• Tony assembled all six Infinity Mu Jins and snapped his fingers, restoring Earth and selectively reviving its people, including Zhan Liu.
• Zhan Liu thanked Tony and learned that Tony had orchestrated events to push him toward Star Shattering before the universe's rules became fixed.
• Tony explained that five people had achieved Star Shattering and proposed building an Anti-Eternity Prison to isolate Eternity's consciousness and stop its manipulation of fate.

Tony explained that Natalia was the only one who could transform the scattered Annihilation Swarm into life belonging to the Positive Universe, but doing so would permanently make her its Bug Queen and prevent her from returning to human life. Zhan Liu recognized how Eternity had manipulated people toward roles the universe needed, and became more certain that it had tried to force him into becoming Sorcerer Supreme.

• Tony told Zhan Liu that he needed Celestial rule-based armor to build a cage for Eternity, and identified the Celestial Destroyer as his source of material.
• Tony explained that the Destroyer would likely destroy itself after completing its mission, but Natalia's Star Shattering meant his plan to use its corpse had to change.
• Natalia offered to carry out the transformation and later receive a human body, but Tony warned that she alone could spread the Positive Universe Bug King's genes throughout the Annihilation Swarm.
• Natalia learned that the transformation would permanently make her the Bug Queen, while Tony explained that Eternity's plans for her and the other heroes served the universe rather than their wishes.
• Zhan Liu reconsidered the events that had pushed him toward the Darkhold and the Sorcerer Supreme's role, and concluded that he had resisted Eternity's plan by refusing the Darkhold's temptation.

Natalia, Zhan Liu, Tony, and the others searched for a substitute for the Destroyer's corpse, hoping to complete their plan without forcing Natalia to become the Bug King. Thor was revived to help them reach Omnipotence City, but he revealed that Loki had already left it in ruins.

• Natalia rejected becoming a bug and proposed gathering the Bug Race for the Destroyer to exterminate, but Tony warned that the Celestial would likely kill her first.
• Zhan Liu suggested using a young Celestial in Omnipotence City, but Stormbreaker refused to cooperate until Thor was revived.
• Tony used the Time Stone to restore Thor, then returned his lost memories with the Mind Stone; Thor grieved after learning all of Asgard had perished.
• Tony explained that fate might make Thor their enemy because he had not achieved Star Shattering, and Thor asked to consult Asgard's records for another answer.
• Thor said he had found a way to ensure Asgardian warriors would not become their enemies, though it would not free them from fate's restraints.
• Thor revealed that Loki had killed everyone in Omnipotence City, leaving the group without the young Celestials they had hoped to find.

Zhan Liu and his allies sought a Celestial body sturdy enough to imprison Eternity, but their plan to find Galactus changed when Mantis directed them to the Celestial Reshaper, Ego. After battling Ego and confirming his armor could withstand their attacks, they left Tony to handle the next step.

• Zhan Liu proposed targeting Galactus, and the group tracked down Nova, who turned out to be Mantis.
• Thor explained their plan to Mantis, but she said she had left Galactus's Heralds and could no longer locate him.
• Mantis offered to help them rescue Peter Quill from the Celestial Reshaper, revealing that Reshaper was Ego, her and Quill's father.
• Zhan Liu and the others traveled to Reshaper's starfield and attacked him while he reshaped a planet.
• The group withdrew after their attacks failed to damage Reshaper's sealed armor, and Zhan Liu told Tony the armor was suitable for their needs.

Zhan Liu and his allies defeated Reshaper, rescued Quill, and gave Tony the Celestial Armor to transform into the Eternal Cage, a new universe whose rules Tony could control. After testing the cage, they planned how to trap Eternity and considered using the Cosmic Control Rod to destroy the universe and force him into a confrontation.

• Tony used the Infinity Mu Jins to strip Reshaper of his Celestial Armor, and Zhan Liu freed Quill from Ego’s body.
• Mantis reunited with Quill, while Tony took the Celestial Armor and Zhan Liu forced Ego to leave without it.
• Tony modified the armor into the Eternal Cage and demonstrated that it held a new universe with rules he could change at will.
• Tony released Zhan Liu, Thor, Natasha, and Natalia from the cage after disabling their powers, then explained that Eternity would be difficult to capture unless he confronted them directly.
• Zhan Liu proposed destroying the universe to force Eternity to fight, and he asked Natalia about using Bug King Annihilator’s Cosmic Control Rod to drain its energy.

Tony retrieved and tested the Cosmic Control Rod before the group entered Eternity’s Realm to confront Eternity. After Eternity explained that destiny arose from the influence of variants across parallel worlds and that Star Shattering would be corrected, the group resolved to attack.

• Tony used the Time Stone to locate the Cosmic Control Rod, tested its power, and decided to keep the dangerous artifact secured.
• Thor led the group to Eternity’s Realm, where they entered the Eternal Temple and passed through a portal to face Eternity.
• Eternity explained that destiny came from the convergence of choices made by variants across parallel worlds, while Star Shattering severed those connections.
• Eternity admitted it had directed Ancient One to intervene and would restore the universe’s destiny to protect the Multiverse, despite the suffering this caused individuals.
• Tony and the others rejected Eternity’s plan, and Tony raised the Cosmic Control Rod over it.

Tony and the others imprisoned Eternity in the Eternal Cage, but Thor sacrificed his life to keep Eternity from escaping. After the group returned to Earth, they discussed the universe’s future, sent the time travelers home, and eventually restored the Alternate Avengers and Asgardian gods.

• Tony used the Cosmic Control Rod to drain energy from the universe while Zhan Liu used the Infinity Gauntlet to break Eternity’s defenses, allowing the group to force Eternity into the Eternal Cage.
• Eternity drained planets to power his escape, but Zhan Liu, Natasha, and Natalia repeatedly used the Infinity Gauntlet to stop him from absorbing more energy.
• Thor burned his life force and reached the Ultimate realm, then blocked Eternity at the cage entrance and forced him back inside, dying as the Eternal Cage closed.
• Tony and the others returned to Earth, where Tony proposed a Star Alliance and Natalia raised the need to send the time travelers home; the group agreed to handle those matters and later restore the Alternate Avengers and Asgardian gods.
• After several months of recovery, Tony resurrected the remaining Alternate Avengers and unsealed their memories, while Natalia returned from another universe and chose to stay.
• Zhan Liu pulled Asgard and its gods back from Valhalla, then left with Natalia, who was pregnant.