Chapter Summaries

Salomon pursued plans to build power on Mars and defeat the gods while secretly seeking Hank Pym’s cooperation over Pym Technologies’ Cold Storage. He offered to destroy the technology before the government could seize it and invited Hank to join research projects, leaving Hank to consider Salomon’s proposal.

• Salomon had Wanda Maximoff clear the spirits from Borley Rectory while he prepared the Mars Foundry and gave Malphas an Ether Plane warship to study.
• Lorelei carried out a covert mission connected to Salomon’s plan to acquire Asgardian weapons, as the Venerable One helped conceal it.
• The Venerable One understood that Salomon aimed to defeat magical gods, and Athena sensed his disruption of future fate and stood by the victor.
• Salomon visited Hank Pym and discussed Pym Technologies’ thefts, Darren Cross’s disappearance, and whether the future of Ant-Man was fixed.
• Salomon offered to destroy the Cold Storage materials to keep their technology from Congress and proposed that Hank join his research projects.

Salomon persuaded Hank Pym and Hope Daine to help him destroy Pym Technologies’ Cold Storage and secure its dangerous research before the government could seize it. After joking and drinking with Scott Lang, Salomon began organizing the operation and Malphas expressed interest in inspecting the facility.

• Salomon proposed bombing Pym Technologies’ Cold Storage, and Hope feared for the company’s employees while Hank explained that ordinary explosions could not destroy the facility.
• Salomon and Scott Lang bonded over jokes and beer, and Hope privately told Salomon that Scott might soon stop being single.
• Hank gave Salomon a document, and Hope arranged to clear the Pym Technologies office building so Salomon could launch the strike.
• Salomon planned to infiltrate Cold Storage, remove its contents, steal the experimental data from the servers, and destroy the remaining evidence with bunker buster bombs.
• Salomon assigned the operation to the Sisterhood, and Malphas said he wanted to inspect Cold Storage.

Stephanie coordinated the City of Immortals’ response to an impending strike on Pym Technologies while preparing to pressure a senator. Salomon’s bunker-buster bomb devastated the site, leaving Hope and Scott stunned and the cause difficult to disguise.

• Stephanie called in White House intelligence while Catherine complained about being kept away from the Monarch and retrieved her Chainsaw Sword from beneath the desk.
• Stephanie told Catherine they would confront a senator with compromising photographs to keep him from breaking away from their control.
• Hope assured Salomon and Scott Lang that Pym Technologies had been emptied and that nearby police had been diverted.
• Salomon warned Hope and Scott to take cover, then used magic as a cloaked Helicarrier launched a bunker-buster bomb at Pym Technologies.
• The blast shook the area, shattered nearby windows, and filled the sky with light and dust; Salomon said he had stopped the remaining bombing procedures.
• Hope asked about casualties, and Salomon said his magic had not protected people who stared at the blast and that their eyes might have been burned.

After Salomon’s bunker buster devastated Pym Technologies and triggered citywide chaos, he tried to prevent further deaths by imposing order on the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. By the end, he had subdued the gangs and made residents surrender their weapons, using the Ring of Intimidation to force the weak-willed to submit.

• Salomon realized the bunker buster’s blast was far larger than expected and cast protective spells to shield nearby parts of the city.
• Salomon asked Hope Daine to handle compensation and told Scott Lang to help the police, while he went to stop violence in the slums.
• Salomon and Aura cleared gang members from the streets with swords and heavy weapons, then Salomon put the neighborhood to sleep.
• Gang members surrendered rather than face Salomon, and residents across the neighborhood threw away their guns and ammunition.
• Salomon removed the Ring of Intimidation, which he had used to make weak-willed people submit.

Salomon gave Aura the Ring of Intimidation and sent her squad away after they crushed an armed attack, then went shopping with Natasha Romanoff for birthday gifts for Bayonetta and Jeanne. Natasha revealed she had also prepared a watch for Salomon, leaving them exchanging gifts at Tiffany.

• Salomon placed the Ring of Intimidation on Aura, who accepted it as a treasured gift from the Creator.
• Aura's heavy firepower squad defeated the attackers, and Salomon told the girls to return to headquarters while he went for a walk.
• Salomon told Aura he planned to buy jewelry for the Witch's birthday, and she teased him about rumors that he slept with movie stars.
• At Tiffany, Salomon gave Natasha Romanoff a pair of platinum diamond earrings and explained that he had prepared them earlier.
• Natasha revealed that she had learned about Salomon's order and gave him a limited-edition Tiffany CT60 annual calendar watch.

Salomon met with Natasha Romanoff, who confronted him about the bloody traces on him and the gang members killed after the explosion at Pym Technologies. He explained that he had used force to suppress the resulting chaos and left with Natasha for his hotel room, where they continued their argument.

• Natasha Romanoff detected blood and gunpowder on Salomon and revealed that she had uncovered his recent actions.
• Salomon declined the jewelry manager’s suggestion to buy a ring and left the store as Natasha followed him.
• Natasha told Salomon that gangs had been found dead after the Pym Technologies explosion, with wounds matching weapons used by his Artificial Humans.
• Salomon said the killings had been necessary and promised that innocent people were safe and the city’s crime rate would fall for now.
• Salomon admitted he had killed people and injured others while confiscating guns to stop the chaos, and Natasha challenged him about his guilt as they reached his hotel.

Salomon discussed the estate’s restoration and defenses with the Croft family’s old butler, then reassured him about Laura’s safety and explained why she had not returned to England. The butler left still unaware that Anna was part of The Trinity, while Salomon and Laura kept the truth from him.

• Salomon praised the old butler’s work on the estate gardens, while the butler objected to Dinah and Tita’s extensive military-style security plans.
• Salomon explained that he had approved a secret tunnel to a hidden landing pad and described the estate’s other defenses.
• The old butler advised Salomon to arrange a family trust and asked when Laura would return to England to handle Croft family affairs and meet the Queen.
• Salomon said Laura was helping dismantle The Trinity and acquire media outlets to clear Richard Croft’s name, and promised she might return after their next mission.
• The old butler asked Salomon to protect Laura, but Salomon said she could defend herself; he and Laura continued hiding Anna’s connection to The Trinity from him.

Salomon and the Witch moved into the renovated manor as the Pym Technologies bombing drew government scrutiny and Washington considered restrictions on the Avengers. Agent Hill visited Salomon to warn him to keep a low profile, leaving him aware that political pressure against the Avengers was growing.

• Salomon and the Witch moved into the renovated manor, while the Sisterhood planned a communications squad to protect Salomon and disrupt enemy transmissions.
• Agent Hill arrived at the Witch Apartment with armed personnel, and Salomon confronted her for revealing the manor’s location.
• Hill warned Salomon that Washington wanted access to Pym Technologies’ technology and might soon impose restrictions on the Avengers.
• Salomon recognized that federal efforts to control Ability Enhancers were weak and that proposed legislation could draw the Avengers into a political conflict.
• Salomon accelerated work on the manor and bought artworks from his adoptive mother as he prepared for the changing political climate.

Salomon prepared for the approaching resurrection of Quetzalcoatl while settling into his manor in Oxfordshire. He underwent surgery to receive neural implants for controlling Neural-Linked Power Armor, and Bayonetta learned what the procedure involved.

• Salomon agreed to keep a low profile after speaking with Agent Hill, then secretly ordered his Assault Transport to destroy a US military spy satellite.
• Salomon explained that he had moved away from New York to prepare for Quetzalcoatl's return and described why his forces needed Neural-Linked Power Armor.
• Bayonetta noticed the metal neural receivers implanted beneath Salomon's skin and asked him about them.
• Salomon explained that the City of Immortals had developed the receivers with technology from Wakanda and work by Princess Shuri and Maya Hansen.
• Dinah told Salomon that Jeanne had gone to London with two combat personnel, and Bayonetta asked him to keep the surgery private.

Zero waited in a Shi'ar noble’s library for Baron Neramani, planning to assassinate him during a secret cult sacrifice. Watching through a water mirror, Salomon explained that Zero’s survival of Gene Alchemy came from a mysterious bloodline connection, though he did not know its origin.

• Zero studied the Shi'ar’s history and concluded that the library’s noble owner could dream and was connected to the empire’s forbidden art and cult activity.
• Zero prepared to meet Baron Neramani, using his attendant Old Gada and a gemstone accessory as part of his assassination setup.
• Salomon watched Zero’s mission through a water mirror while Maya Hansen urged him to save the experimental subject if he failed.
• Salomon said Zero had survived Gene Alchemy because his soul and bloodline were connected to Salomon, not simply because of his abilities.
• Maya wondered whether Salomon could have children with ordinary people, and Salomon admitted he did not know how Zero’s connection had formed.

Salomon prepared to train Praetorian Guard Zero and grant him a true name while overseeing Malphas’s Power Armor work and cybernetic program. He confirmed that Mars’s hidden secret remained known only to Malphas and protected by specially trained intelligence personnel.

• Salomon traced Praetorian Guard Zero’s lineage to Theodora and used Gene Alchemy to adapt Zero’s body to contain his strength.
• Salomon entered the concealed underground facility beneath the City of Immortals and asked Malphas whether the Power Armor was ready.
• Malphas reported that he had equipped the Praetorian Guard armor with servo systems and Vibranium alloy, and that Wakanda had agreed to trade Vibranium for Anti-Vibranium.
• Malphas told Salomon that Mars’s cybernetic program and production lines were progressing, and Salomon ordered him to train modified drivers and maintenance personnel.
• Malphas assured Salomon that only he knew the origin of the materials buried beneath Mars, and that trained intelligence personnel would guard the secret.

Salomon pursued a plan to secure humanity’s independence from gods and alien powers, targeting Asgard’s Bifrost as a means to transform human transportation across the galaxy. Lorelei prepared to infiltrate the Golden Palace while The Venerable One approved the dangerous plan and accepted its potential sacrifices.

• Salomon resolved to make humanity control its own fate and treated the coming threat of the Dark Titan as a test that would prepare the species for a harsher universe.
• Lorelei bribed the Golden Palace ambassador and secured an invitation to a banquet, drawing Loki’s interest in the mysterious merchant she represented.
• Lorelei reread Salomon’s letters, which reassured her of her importance to his mission and promised her a trusted future role.
• Lorelei prepared to infiltrate the Golden Palace and reach the Bifrost, which Salomon intended to seize for humanity’s future intergalactic transport network.
• Salomon explained his plan to The Venerable One, who judged it feasible and pledged Kamar-Taj’s willingness to sacrifice itself to carry it out.

Lorelei reported Asgardian secrets and a rumor about Ragnarok to Salomon, who then prepared to meet Hela during the Golden Palace banquet and negotiate for her support. He left Cassilius with the task of helping him don his armor before the meeting.

• Salomon visited Lorelei in Asgard, comforted her, and asked for her mission report.
• Lorelei told Salomon that a rumor claimed neither Thor nor Loki was Asgard’s true heir, and that the truth was connected to Ragnarok.
• Salomon disguised himself as a homeless man and used a hidden rune to reach Cassilius.
• Cassilius explained that the Sorcerer Supreme’s spell concealed their conversation from Heimdall and that his scroll could open a passage to the Realm of the Dead.
• Salomon prepared his Golden Power Armor, Sacred Sword, Sacred Spear, and Aegis for his planned negotiations with Hela.

Salomon donned a formidable suit of Power Armor before heading to the banquet, while Hela recalled her imprisonment and the warrior she hoped would return to fight her. Hela remained trapped in her deathly kingdom, waiting for the chance to escape and rebuild her empire.

• Salomon was fitted with his Uru Metal Power Armor, tested its systems, and armed himself with the Sacred Sword, Sacred Spear, shield, and a special handgun.
• Cassilius warned Salomon that Loki might prevent him from leaving the banquet hall, but Salomon planned to use an illusion and pursue other business there.
• Hela mocked her servants and recognized a Valkyrie’s head among the skeletons beneath her throne.
• Hela recalled fighting a powerful warrior who vanished before a Winter of Mists and grew bored after preparing an army for the warrior’s return.
• Hela sat on her sword throne and waited for her escape, intending to burn the world and rebuild her empire.

Salomon arrived in Helheim to meet Hela, while an Asgardian astronomer dismissed the myths surrounding Ragnarok as legends. Hela welcomed Salomon to her palace and offered him a feast before their coming battle, leaving him to face her invitation and threat.

• An Asgardian astronomer told Salomon that stories of Níðhöggr, Helheim, and Ragnarok were myths rather than evidence.
• Salomon opened the Venerable One's scroll at the observatory and called out to Hela.
• Hela welcomed Salomon in Helheim, said she would make him her strongest guard if he pleased her, and invited him to a feast.
• Hela led Salomon through Eliudnir, showing him its named furnishings and the knife-filled river Slid.
• Hela told Salomon that if he defeated her without dying by her hand, he could share her bed.

Salomon and Hela prepared to fight while Frigga confronted the Sorcerer Supreme over the plan to free Hela and enlist her against the Great Enemy. The Sorcerer Supreme revealed a vision of Thor’s three granddaughters, but Frigga insisted Hela must remain in Helheim as Ragnarok drew near.

• Salomon and Hela shared mead and discussed Odin’s past before agreeing to continue their conversation after their battle.
• Hela challenged Salomon to fight atop the mountain and threatened to kill him unless he survived to explain who he was.
• Frigga confronted the Sorcerer Supreme, accusing her and Salomon of recklessly risking Hela’s escape and Ragnarok.
• The Sorcerer Supreme told Frigga that Hela was meant to become an ally against the Great Enemy and that Asgardians would have a place in humanity’s future.
• The Sorcerer Supreme invited Frigga to see a captured fragment of time showing Thor’s three granddaughters, and Frigga offered to conceal the plan from Odin if Hela remained in Helheim.

Salomon fought Hela in Helheim while Frigga and the Venerable One discussed the futures that awaited Asgard and Midgard. Frigga proposed uniting the realms through Salomon and Hela, then urged the Venerable One to tell him to get Hela pregnant.

• Salomon deflected Hela’s attacks and used the Sacred Sword to cut her nearly in half, then gave her time to heal.
• Hela stitched her severed limbs together with daggers and black swords and resumed attacking Salomon.
• Frigga recognized Thor’s granddaughters in the Sorcerer Supreme’s fragment and lamented the ruined futures shown for Asgard.
• Frigga warned that Hela might seek revenge on Midgard if she escaped, while the Venerable One said Kamar-Taj and the Sacred Sword could kill immortals.
• Frigga proposed that Salomon and Hela rule Asgard together, with Salomon also ruling Midgard, and urged the Venerable One to tell him to get Hela pregnant.

Salomon and Hela’s battle grew more brutal as Hela’s rage and Night Sky’s deadly wounds threatened to overwhelm him. Watching through a scrying mirror, Frigga proposed a love-potion scheme to make them reconcile, while the Sorcerer Supreme remained focused on their wager.

• Frigga told the Sorcerer Supreme she was willing to accept Salomon using force, and the Sorcerer Supreme dismissed her hopes that Hela would reconcile with him.
• Hela’s skill with her halberd-axe failed to overcome Salomon’s traps, and he used Pegasus to retrieve the Sacred Spear before cutting the weapon’s shaft with the Sacred Sword.
• Salomon and Hela continued their day-long duel among the fallen Asgardians, with Salomon redirecting attacks to protect the dead.
• Hela attacked Salomon with Night Sky, and its wounds resisted his armor’s healing systems as she targeted gaps in his defenses.
• Frigga asked the Sorcerer Supreme how to make Salomon and Hela reconcile, then suggested putting a love potion in the River Styx of Helheim.

Salomon defeated Hela and tried to recruit her into his plan to lead the Asgardians into humanity and help unify the galaxy after Ragnarok. The Sorcerer Supreme revealed to Frigga that Salomon had devised a rebellion against the Ancient Gods, after being killed, saved, and educated tens of millions of times.

• Salomon disarmed Hela, subdued her, and offered terms that she rejected, insisting she would become King of Asgard.
• Salomon warned Hela that Ragnarok would destroy Asgard and offered her a chance to lead the Asgardians into humanity and help unify the galaxy.
• Salomon explained that he wanted humanity and the Asgardians to ascend beyond the universe's fate, and said he would relinquish power once his mission was complete.
• The Sorcerer Supreme told Frigga that Salomon himself had proposed a plan to rebel against the Ancient Gods and escape their manipulation of fate.
• The Sorcerer Supreme revealed that he had killed, saved, and educated Salomon tens of millions of times to shape him into the Lord of Humanity.

Salomon returned from Helheim after meeting Hela and explaining that his spell could not take her with him, leaving her angry and convinced he served Odin. Back at the Sanctum, Frigga treated his wounds while the Sorcerer Supreme discussed Asgard’s hidden preparations and the danger of their plan.

• Salomon ended his meeting with Hela and explained how Kamar-Taj’s spell used the Akashic Records to bypass Odin’s seal without breaking it.
• Hela accused Salomon of being sent by Odin, but the spell pulled him back before he could explain.
• Frigga examined Salomon’s injuries from Night Sky, treated them with enchanted herbs, and said they would take days or a week to heal.
• Frigga told the Sorcerer Supreme she needed time to consider supporting the risky plan, while the Sorcerer Supreme insisted it was their only opportunity.
• Salomon and the Sorcerer Supreme discussed Odin’s hidden resistance and Hela’s role in Helheim, then the Sorcerer Supreme advised Salomon to get healing potions from Wu Guiyue.