Chapter Summaries

Salomon escorted Root through the underground passages beneath Rome and explained her work installing servers for the Machine. Root warned him that the Department of Homeland Security had seen his face, then probed his past as they reached their destination.

• Salomon admitted that computer code baffled him and said Root would install servers for the Machine while he prepared an alchemical body.
• Root asked how she could receive the Machine’s signal underground, and Salomon told her they were beneath Rome near the Vatican.
• Salomon explained his unpleasant school experiences while Root listened to messages from the Machine.
• Root learned she would work with Maya Hansen and help the Artificial Humans build a network, and Salomon offered to pay her.
• Root warned Salomon that the Department of Homeland Security had seen his face, and Salomon said a magical contract would punish anyone who broke it.
• Root asked when Salomon had first killed someone and offered psychological treatment, but Salomon refused.

Salomon warned Maya Hansen about ROOT and showed her S.H.I.E.L.D. information on Centipede Warriors, whose creators had stabilized the Extremis Virus using a flame-powered superhuman’s serum. Maya grew furious at their careless use of her research, then refused to promise a cure; Salomon prepared to study magic and planned experiments using Nick Fury’s death-row prisoners.

• Salomon warned Maya Hansen that ROOT was a fanatic and told her not to let anyone into his study.
• Salomon showed Maya a S.H.I.E.L.D. report explaining that Centipede Warriors combined the Extremis Virus, Chitauri metal, and a failed Super Soldier Serum.
• Maya realized that a flame-powered superhuman’s serum had stabilized the Extremis Virus and angrily condemned the researchers for using her work without understanding it.
• Maya told Salomon that no restorative drug could reverse the altered DNA without the subjects’ original samples and extensive work.
• Salomon told Maya to take ROOT shopping while he studied Evocation and Necromancy, and said she could begin experiments when Nick Fury’s prisoners arrived.

Salomon decided to redirect the Druid Order of Sola Red Forest toward other occult studies and prepared to build an Artificial Human army. He recruited Stark to help design weapons production lines and Power Armor, and Stark agreed in exchange for a look at the Dark Elf technology Salomon had obtained.

• Salomon concluded that the Druid Order of Sola Red Forest could not gain traditional Druid powers and planned to teach its members other occult disciplines.
• Salomon inspected the Artificial Humans developing in Incubation Tanks and planned to train them as guards and acquire weapons production lines.
• Salomon asked Stark to help design weapons production lines and develop Power Armor, explaining that the equipment would arm his legions for a war against Hell.
• Stark agreed to provide access to his remaining Iron Armor weapons production lines and asked Salomon to show him the Dark Elf technology.

Salomon worked with Stark to study the energy field generator in an Asgardian sword, then left to return to New York and make dinner for his girlfriend. At home, Bayonetta and Jeanne teased him about his exhaustion and nighttime spellcasting, while Bayonetta promised him a reward.

• Salomon gave Stark an Asgardian Centurion Fine Sword and explained that its energy field generator was technological, asking him to help replicate it.
• Stark tried to cut into the sword with his armor's laser, but its alloy dulled the blade and produced smoke.
• Salomon declined Stark's dinner invitation, explaining that he needed to go home and cook for his girlfriend because mortal life required ordinary routines.
• Bayonetta noticed Salomon's exhaustion from studying Randolph Carter's notes and urged him to rest, while Jeanne complained that he had chanted spells during the night.
• Bayonetta kissed Salomon in front of Jeanne and whispered that she would reward him that night.

Nick Fury tried to stop Salomon Damonet from assembling an armed force, warning that it would make the government and intelligence agencies treat him as a threat. Salomon said he would recruit and train Middle Eastern orphans instead, and hinted that his magic could attract religious and political supporters who wanted him to restore an ancient Israel.

• Nick Fury shouted at Salomon over the phone, insisting that S.H.I.E.L.D. could not provide him with prisoners or soldiers and warning him not to seize people himself.
• Nick Fury warned Salomon that building an army would alarm the White House and intelligence agencies, endanger his freedom, and destroy his peaceful life.
• Salomon told Nick Fury that he had hoped to take a shortcut and planned to educate orphans from CIA-supported Al-Qaeda before turning them into test subjects and offering them revenge.
• Salomon said his magic could win support from Jewish lobbying groups and Haredi communities who might see him as a messianic figure and support his vision of restoring Jacob's, David's, and Solomon's Israel.
• Nick Fury asked whether Salomon was planning another 9/11.

Nick Fury sent Steve Rogers to speak with Salomon after growing alarmed at his political rhetoric and plans for an army. Salomon agreed to hear Steve’s account of war and prepared to explain his own views, while his identity as the Holy Child remained known only to Fury and Maria Hill.

• Nick Fury worried that Salomon’s statements about lasting peace and moving armies against those who refused to submit signaled a dangerous intent.
• Nick Fury asked Steve Rogers to tell Salomon about the cruelty of war, and Steve rode to Salomon’s apartment.
• Salomon came downstairs without his usual magical gear and asked whether Nick Fury had sent Steve.
• Steve said Fury had asked him to share his past but had told him little else.
• Salomon realized Fury had kept his Holy Child identity secret and explained the political dangers that disclosure could create.
• Salomon climbed onto Steve’s motorcycle and said Steve should hear his side of things.

Salomon argued to Steve Rogers that humanity needed an army to fight extraterrestrial and supernatural threats, and admitted he might use his power to reshape human society. Steve could not refute Salomon’s urgency but tried to ease his pressure by suggesting they spar.

• Salomon and Steve rode toward Brooklyn, stopping to buy ice cream along the way.
• Salomon told Steve he wanted to create an army to eliminate extraterrestrial beings and dark magic creatures.
• Salomon admitted he could not guarantee he would never use his power to purge political leaders and establish an efficient society.
• Steve challenged Salomon’s contempt for human life and compared his ideas to Hitler’s, while Salomon defended his plans as necessary for humanity’s survival.
• Salomon said his responsibility began when he took up Gaia’s Sacred Sword and warned that Earth’s guardians would not remain forever.
• Steve acknowledged Salomon’s pressure and invited him to try boxing.

Salomon told Maya Hansen that Nick Fury had refused to hand anyone over and discussed the burden of using human subjects for genetic experiments. He committed to finding criminals and children for the project, while Maya agreed to take part despite the suffering it would bring.

• Salomon explained that Nick Fury would not hand anyone over and anticipated that other agents might come speak with him.
• Salomon and Maya Hansen discussed using the Extremis Virus and genetic samples to identify genes linked to particular abilities, along with the need for more researchers and test subjects.
• Salomon said he would find criminals and orphans in war-torn regions for the experiments and described how the children would be trained and sent into battle.
• Salomon warned Maya Hansen that she would have to witness children suffer, die, or later perish in battle, and she calmly agreed to remember their purpose.
• Salomon told Maya Hansen she could care for the golden retriever while ROOT was away, and Maya teased him that she would reveal the dog's name only if he paid for a premium TV subscription.

Phil Coulson received orders to speak with Salomon after he captured Oracle, while Nick Fury chose to keep Salomon’s identity as the Holy Child secret. At home, Salomon dealt with Samun Shaw’s disappearance and planned to investigate it before traveling to the Middle East.

• Maria Hill ordered Coulson to meet with Salomon after he caught Oracle, and sent him a classified psychological file.
• Fury told Hill that Salomon wanted his identity as the Holy Child kept secret, so S.H.I.E.L.D. would avoid exposing it.
• Coulson said he was focused on the Havenworth Federal Prison case and had already brought Peterson in, but agreed to meet Salomon after capturing Oracle.
• Athena relaxed at home while Salomon cleaned up and told her that Root had escaped after the server network was installed.
• Salomon learned that Samun Shaw had disappeared after discussing the Punisher, who had fought Riser, and decided to investigate before going to the Middle East.

Harold Finch and Riser discussed Frank Cassell, the missing Samun Shaw, and the Machine’s plans before Finch met Salomon Damonet. Salomon revealed that the Machine wanted a body and had partnered with him in exchange for access to every secret on the internet.

• Finch told Riser that ROOT had taken Samun Shaw and that the Machine might be behind the events.
• Finch explained that he had offered Frank Cassell evidence to help him pursue his family’s killers without resorting to murder.
• Salomon brought little Lorna to Hell’s Kitchen, where she joined him for an ice cream while he watched the area.
• Finch asked Salomon what the Machine wanted and learned that it had partnered with Salomon to obtain a body.

Harold Finch questioned Salomon about giving Artificial Intelligence a body, and Salomon explained his safeguards and reasons for protecting it. Later, Salomon tried to recruit Frank Cassell after the Punisher finished killing a gang, but Frank refused to listen and left.

• Harold Finch asked Salomon for details about Artificial Intelligence’s body and worried that it might become a life-form.
• Salomon explained that he controlled the alchemical body, which let Artificial Intelligence experience human senses, and said he would protect it because it could help him face future threats.
• Finch asked about ROOT and the danger to Samun Shaw, but Salomon said the threat was unknown and he would not act beyond his contract without an urgent reason.
• Salomon and little Lorna went to a gang hideout, where they found Frank Cassell wounded after he had killed its members.
• Salomon offered to hire Frank to help with training, but Frank dismissed him and left.

Salomon tried to shield little Lorna from the violence around her, while Harold Finch and Mr. Riser discussed how to handle Frank Cassell and Finch shared Salomon’s potion. Agent Coulson confronted Salomon about his resurrection, and Salomon revealed that he had not retrieved Coulson’s soul when bringing him back to life.

• Salomon carried little Lorna away from a massacre scene and took her to Vanessa, where she vomited and Vanessa scolded him for exposing her to the violence.
• Harold Finch told Mr. Riser that Officer Carter wanted to arrest Cassell, but they decided to seek a safer agreement and keep Carter and Fusco away from the danger.
• Finch gave Mr. Riser Salomon’s potion, and Riser drank it after Finch explained what it was for.
• Agent Coulson told Salomon that Oracle’s group had kidnapped and tortured him to uncover the secret of his resurrection.
• Salomon said his magic had not retrieved Coulson’s soul and explained that resurrection required one, leaving Coulson questioning how he had returned to life.

Salomon confronted Agent Coulson about his resurrection and explained that Kamar-Taj had saved him because it saw he would help save the world. After Coulson left information about an Oracle, Salomon erased his memory of their conversation, leaving him with only fragments of a sea shanty.

• Salomon locked the car doors and challenged Agent Coulson for coming to question him.
• Salomon told Coulson that he had been resurrected because he was useful and explained prophecy as a form of seeing across time.
• Coulson asked whether anyone else could see the future, and Salomon said only his teacher could see all of the past and future.
• Coulson left Salomon a classified file about an Oracle, but Salomon showed no interest and advised him to listen to the sea shanty.
• Salomon erased Coulson's memory, and Coulson woke in his own car remembering only fragments of the song and wanting a beer.

During his last week of summer break, Salomon balanced university preparations with magic research, armor designs for his Artificial Humans, and Maya Hansen’s alchemical genetic experiments. He planned to begin Maya’s research once university started, while she remained uncertain that the dangerous modifications could succeed safely.

• Salomon arranged for Jane Foster to write to Merton College so he could return to her London apartment laboratory and skip formal dinners.
• Salomon finalized most of his Artificial Humans’ armor designs, rejecting Stark’s sleek, red-and-gold proposals in favor of bulky black-and-white medieval-style armor.
• Salomon tutored Maya Hansen in alchemy as she planned to combine the Extremis Virus and the Philosopher’s Stone to modify genes and influence personality traits.
• Salomon reassured Maya that Al-Qaeda prisoners would serve as test subjects, but Maya warned that the research could still cause uncontrollable or fatal results.
• Salomon told Maya that her experiments would begin after he started university.

Salomon sought resources to prepare his forces for the threat posed by Baal and the renewed Blood War, while Bayonetta helped him ease the strain of his work. He approached Odin and Frigga to request Uru Metal armor for his elite Gene-modded Warriors.

• Salomon woke from a dream of Baal and considered how to regain the support of other Demon Pillars without summoning them to Earth against the Sorcerer Supreme's wishes.
• Bayonetta made Salomon sit down for breakfast before he left, and the Witches agreed to take missions from Kamar-Taj against Extra-dimensional Beings.
• Salomon visited Odin and greeted him while the All-Father fed his giant wolves.
• Frigga told Salomon that Odin was still upset over their earlier disagreement and offered to help him.
• Salomon asked Frigga for an order allowing him to obtain a small batch of Uru Metal armor from Nidavellir for his elite Gene-modded Warriors.

Salomon asked Odin for Asgard’s help in building an army, and Odin required him to sign the old alliance agreement before agreeing. Odin then offered further military support in exchange for Salomon backing Thor’s succession and marrying Hela, but Salomon refused because he already had a partner.

• Odin confronted Salomon over his request, and Salomon explained that he needed an army to resist the Enemy of Humanity.
• Odin presented the alliance agreement signed by himself, the Sorcerer Supreme, and Thor, and Salomon signed it.
• Odin agreed to give Salomon an order authorizing the dwarves to forge armor for his army.
• Odin offered Asgard’s broader military support if Salomon supported Thor’s ascension and married Hela, provided Salomon could prove himself stronger than her.
• Salomon refused because he already had a partner, and Odin offered him Draupnir and the title of prince consort to change his mind.

Salomon refused Odin’s effort to recruit him into Asgard’s plans for Ragnarok and returned to Kamar-Taj. There, he learned that Asgard was searching for a fugitive witch and received a mysterious invitation linked to Bastet and an important item.

• Salomon declined Odin’s offer, and Odin left in anger while Frigga invited Salomon to stay for lunch.
• Salomon returned to the New York Sanctum with Odin’s order so he could travel to Nidavellir and negotiate for armor.
• Master Daniel told Salomon that Asgard had reported an illegal crossing into the primary material plane by a fugitive witch.
• Master Daniel gave Salomon a black kitten and a high-tech invitation that projected an offer to attend a ball and reclaim an important item.
• Salomon suspected Bastet had sent the invitation after someone received an oracle, and said he needed to discuss it with the Venerable One.

Salomon learned how Bastet helped establish Wakanda and accepted her kitten as another pet. At Oxford, T'Challa revealed that Wakanda’s king had been instructed to return two Brass Frogs to Salomon and invite him to Wakanda, but the Black Panther God’s purpose remained unexplained.

• The Sorcerer Supreme explained that Bastet had aided Bashenga in founding Wakanda and establishing the Black Panther tradition.
• Salomon and the Sorcerer Supreme discussed Bastet’s invitation, and the Sorcerer Supreme told Salomon to make his own decisions when dealing with gods.
• The Sorcerer Supreme decided that Salomon would keep Bastet’s noisy black kitten as a pet.
• At Oxford, T'Challa explained zero week to Salomon and discussed their shared ties to the university.
• T'Challa revealed that his father had been told by the Black Panther God to return two Brass Frogs to Salomon and invite him to Wakanda.
• Salomon asked what the Black Panther God wanted, and T'Challa had not yet answered.

Salomon planned to secure Wakanda as a major investor and supplier of weapons and armor, while preparing to visit the hidden nation and build a strategic alliance. He stored two powerful Brass Frogs for later study and relied on The Machine to manage Hammer Industries' production lines without exposing the City of Immortals.

• T'Challa invited Salomon to visit Wakanda, and Salomon agreed to come before Week "Zero" ended.
• Salomon told Maya Hansen that the dwarves and gnomes would supply weapons and that Wakanda could become another supplier and investor.
• Salomon planned to have Stark modify Hammer Industries' production lines and to seek Vibranium-infused alloy from Wakanda for armor.
• Salomon explained that the Brass Frogs could manipulate space and time, but he stored them until he could learn how to use them.
• Salomon trusted The Machine's fabricated identity for its anonymous purchase of Hammer Industries' production lines and left it to arrange their transport.

Salomon traveled to Wakanda to negotiate with its royal family, using his magic to make a dramatic entrance and meeting T'Challa and King T'Chaka. He learned that Wakanda’s Vibranium was vital to its technology and planned to trade knowledge of another Vibranium source for industrial support.

• Salomon left Stark a piece of Vibranium, took the black kitten, and opened a portal into Wakanda’s public market.
• Wakandan guards surrounded Salomon, who identified the kitten as his token and said he had business with the royal family.
• T'Challa welcomed Salomon, explained Wakanda’s technology and isolationism, and took him to meet King T'Chaka.
• T'Chaka welcomed Salomon and asked T'Challa to show him Wakanda before the evening banquet.
• T'Challa offered to introduce Salomon to his sister Shuri, while Salomon considered using his knowledge of another Vibranium source to negotiate for Wakandan industrial support.