Chapter Summaries

Tony Stark faced a young Afghan man who blamed him for the damage his methods had caused, then was caught in an explosion at the Houston Command Center. As news reported the attack and Tony’s possible death, the man told Laura Croft that superheroes could die and warned that Tony’s future looked grim.

• Tony Stark recognized that his past inaction had helped leave a young Afghan man with no choice but to take up arms, and he tried to persuade him not to detonate the explosives.
• The young man rejected Tony’s promises, said he had come for the eternal future envisioned by another, and detonated a device that burned through Tony’s armor before a collapse knocked him unconscious.
• News outlets reported a major terrorist attack at the Lyndon B. Johnson Command Center, while witnesses feared that Iron Man was still inside.
• The man playing music reassured Laura Croft that Tony might be fine, then explained to Jeanne that heroes were still ordinary people who could die.
• The man said Tony’s future did not look promising and that the title of superhero might not suit him in the future.

Laura Croft questioned Salomon about his attack on Houston Command Center and his intentions toward Tony Stark, while Stark woke in a guarded hospital room and encountered Romanoff, Nick Fury, and Bruce Banner. Romanoff refused to join Fury’s plan to oppose Salomon, and Salomon sought her help locating remaining Skrull settlements as he insisted that his own mission was to rescue abused children.

• Salomon told Laura Croft that Tony Stark would decide whether he would attack Western political centers, and Laura learned that Stark had survived with injuries.
• Rhodes briefed the recovering Stark at the hospital, where Romanoff revealed herself and introduced Bruce Banner and Nick Fury.
• Fury urged Stark and Romanoff to join an alliance against Salomon and proposed rescuing General Ross, but Romanoff refused and warned that Salomon might have released them for his own purposes.
• Romanoff confronted Salomon over his promise to spare Stark, and he asked her for information about undiscovered Skrull settlements.
• Salomon dismissed Laura Croft’s questions about his attack and said he was the only one who could save abused children.

Nick Fury and Bruce Banner prepared to wake Tony Stark and seek help against the Emperor, while Victoria Hand monitored them and managed preparations for the Emperor’s coming departure from Earth. The chapter ended with the Emperor setting out toward Neptune to delay a threat from beyond the tangible world.

• Natasha Romanoff told Nick Fury that the Emperor had given her a Quinjet as payment and that Fury could not control or stop him.
• Nick Fury urged Bruce Banner to help awaken Tony Stark with GH325-2, but Banner refused to join the operation or let Hulk help.
• Victoria Hand recorded Fury’s conversation and reviewed the Emperor’s strategy for Greece, Europe, and the military preparations needed during his absence.
• Victoria Hand learned that the Emperor was leaving Earth for Neptune to confront an incomprehensible threat and delay the Enemy of Humanity’s advance.

The chapter followed The Punisher and Cross Rose as their deployments served the Emperor’s military and political aims, while Salomon laughed at news coverage of the fleet before preparing to leave for the Solar System’s edge. In Houston, Tony Stark joined Nick Fury’s alliance after his family was threatened, and Fury took Bruce Banner to investigate Project Pegasus and uncover Salomon’s plans.

• The Punisher reached Jupiter’s Rings, while Cross Rose prepared for a diplomatic voyage to rescue a Yugoslav research icebreaker and display the Void Battle Group’s power.
• Cross Rose’s deployment drew international attention, and Salomon laughed at experts discussing the fleet on the BBC before Bayonetta and Jeanne left for South America.
• Tony Stark agreed to join Nick Fury’s plan after reporting that Salomon’s soldiers had threatened Pepper and his future child and demanded he prevent Houston Command Center from contacting The Valiant.
• Nick Fury took Bruce Banner out of the hospital and explained that The Valiant was heading toward the Solar System’s edge on a classified mission.
• Fury drove Banner to examine Project Pegasus, hoping to deduce what Salomon wanted.

Laura Croft learned why Milia needed close guidance and accepted Bayonetta’s offer to tutor her. Meanwhile, Nick Fury and Bruce Banner headed to Project Pegasus, where Fury revealed evidence of activity on the far side of the moon and suspected the Emperor was pursuing a hyperspace engine for a hidden reason.

• Jeanne explained that Milia’s psionic power could erode her empathy and make her dangerous without guidance, while Bayonetta warned Laura Croft against letting her socialize with human children.
• Bayonetta offered Laura Croft generous compensation, tuition, and support for her archaeological work, and Laura agreed to become Milia’s tutor.
• Nick Fury and Bruce Banner traveled toward Project Pegasus under the cover of a Pentagon audit, with Fury intending to use his loyal contacts to access the base.
• Fury told Banner that he suspected the Emperor wanted a hyperspace engine aboard the New Domain spacecraft for reasons beyond controlling its technology.
• Fury revealed that a NASA probe had photographed landing craft and activity on the far side of the moon before the probe was destroyed.

Nick Fury and Bruce Banner headed to the ruins of Project Pegasus, believing information about the Tesseract and New Domain could help them track the target’s portal technology. Meanwhile, Tony Stark agreed to work with the Pentagon to obtain Project Pegasus records and pursue the target, while Pepper objected and Rhodey warned that the target could alter memories and records.

• Nick Fury told Bruce Banner that the target’s portal resembled the Bifrost and drove toward the former Project Pegasus site.
• Nick Fury had Bruce take the driver’s seat and pose as his agent as they approached the military base.
• Tony Stark agreed to the Pentagon’s proposal on the condition that he receive pre-S.H.I.E.L.D. Project Pegasus records.
• Tony told Pepper Potts and Colonel Rhodes that Gene-modded Warriors had coerced him and that he intended to stop the target, whom he believed threatened the world.
• Pepper left angrily, while Tony asked Rhodey to send him the Project Pegasus and New Domain files so he could study hyperspace technology.
• Rhodey warned Tony that the target had tampered with people’s memories and that even written and digital records of him became unreliable.

The Punisher intercepted distress recordings from the Event Horizon and learned that its crew faced severe extradimensional contamination. Constantine ordered the rescue team not to contact the Lewis and Clark and to destroy the contaminated ship and hyperspace engine after the mission.

• Captain Miller's recordings described the Lewis and Clark's approach to the Event Horizon, failed attempts to contact its crew, and the astronauts' nightmares during the voyage.
• Tita played a distress signal that contained a repeated Latin plea to be released, and the team determined its voice belonged to none of the Event Horizon's listed crew.
• Tita warned that the Event Horizon was heavily contaminated and that the rescue team had to recover its hyperspace engine while preparing for possible extradimensional xenos.
• The Punisher's technical officer calculated that it would arrive after the Lewis and Clark, while Constantine rejected contacting the rescue ship and prioritized recovering the engine over saving Dr. Will.
• Constantine warned that the Event Horizon and its engine were contaminated, ordered the team to follow regulations if survivors were found, and said they would dismantle the ship and sink its fragments into Neptune.

The Lewis and Clark’s crew debated continuing their rescue mission after months without contact from Earth, while Dr. Will explained the Event Horizon’s Warp Drive and the need to retrieve its crew and technology. Meanwhile, Constantine visited The Punisher’s assault troops and ordered them to train in a mock-up of the Event Horizon.

• Captain Miller held a conference where Dr. Peters argued that the crew must continue to rescue the Event Horizon despite losing contact with Earth.
• Dr. Will explained that the Event Horizon’s Warp Drive could have taken its crew outside their experienced timeline, leaving their elapsed time uncertain.
• Captain Miller assigned First Lieutenant Smith to pilot the Event Horizon back to Earth if its pilot had died and ordered supplies rationed for the return journey.
• Constantine visited Nitch and delivered the medical department’s new medication list to the First Secret Regiment assault troopers.
• Constantine ordered all assault teams to train in the Sacred Guard’s mock-up of the Event Horizon’s interior.

Doctor Banner and Nick Fury faced a tense checkpoint confrontation as Fury tried to negotiate access to Project Pegasus, while Regent Victor von Doom managed international negotiations and ordered a conference call about General Hale. The chapter left Fury confronting a hostile officer at the base and Doom preparing to address a potential threat to the Emperor.

• Doctor Banner and Nick Fury reached the Project Pegasus checkpoint, where soldiers recognized them and checked Banner's fake identification.
• Nick Fury told the soldiers that he had come alone with Banner and secured a one-hour delay before the Pentagon learned their location.
• The base officer demanded that Fury surrender his belongings and refused to let Banner enter, while Fury argued that Project Pegasus belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Doctor Banner warned a nearby soldier not to shoot him because he could not control Hulk if he appeared.
• Regent Victor von Doom reviewed intelligence about Fury's arrival and the Yugoslav Federation's negotiations with the United States and NATO.
• Victor von Doom ordered Diana Lister to arrange a call with the Premier and Gideon Malick to discuss General Hale and protect the Emperor.

Regent Victor von Doom tried to persuade other nations to prepare for an alien invasion and decided to open the Sky Sword Space Station’s observation facilities to foreign researchers. Diana List proposed killing a Strucker heir to seize control of Stark Industries, leaving Victor to consider a ruthless plan against Tony Stark’s company.

• Bayonetta and Jeanne told Laura Croft that the Emperor had left on a dangerous mission and that they planned to guard him against betrayal.
• Gideon Malick stalled on contacting General Hale, while Stephanie Malick eagerly agreed to proceed.
• Victor von Doom ordered the diplomatic department to plan a limited opening of the Sky Sword Space Station’s deep-space detectors to foreign researchers.
• Diana List suggested killing a young Strucker heir so allied families could take control of Stark Industries through their Pentagon agent.

Nick Fury searched S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archives for information about hyperspace and encountered Salomon through a psychic communication, where Salomon demanded Talos in exchange for a weapon and help escaping. At a Washington dinner, Salomon and Stephanie Malik discussed building influence through security services and Super Soldier mercenaries while Salomon prepared to pursue another mission.

• Nick Fury found Dr. Wendy Lawson's Kree-script diary in the archive, and Salomon appeared in his mind to tell him what it was.
• Nick Fury accused Salomon of viewing humanity as lesser beings, while Salomon defended his concern for Agent Coulson and offered to help Nick Fury leave the base.
• Salomon demanded Talos's identity and threatened to have his regent expose the Skrulls; he gave Nick Fury a suppressed pistol and assigned Agent Coulson's team an unprecedented observation mission.
• At a Washington dinner, Stephanie Malik urged Salomon to use her family's political ties to fill the power vacuum left by S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Salomon rejected becoming S.H.I.E.L.D. and told Stephanie to arrange a presentation of their security services and Super Soldier mercenaries to the US Government.

Salomon explained his plan to build a private security monopoly using Stark Industries, the Malik family, and former S.H.I.E.L.D. resources, while reassuring Stephanie Malik about Gideon's suspicions. He said he would inspect the first Super Soldiers in Hell’s Kitchen and return to speak with General Hale the next day.

• Gideon Malick watched Salomon eat with Stephanie Malik and the bodyguards, then worried about Salomon’s motives and the future of the Malik family.
• Salomon told Stephanie that he wanted Stark Industries’ energy contracts and Power Armor patents, and described plans to make Tony Stark the public face of a private security company.
• Stephanie identified Bakshi as Salomon’s choice to lead the company, and Salomon confirmed that the Malik family would control its business operations.
• Salomon said the first Super Soldiers and Dr. Lingenfelt would arrive at Hell’s Kitchen’s docks the next day for Gideon to inspect.
• Stephanie asked to join Salomon on a mission, but he refused and explained that he was investigating interference from parallel worlds.
• Salomon said General Hale would visit the next morning and that her daughter Ruby remained part of his plans, then asked to speak with Gideon.

Salomon prepared to reclaim authority at Kamar-Taj by explaining the Sorcerer Supreme’s sacrifice to detained dissenters, while Gideon Malik arranged a private meeting with General Hale to advance the ATCU and a defense company. The chapter left Hale facing Gideon and Stephanie’s political maneuvering as they tried to prove their loyalty to the Emperor.

• Gideon Malik told Stephanie Malik that the Emperor was testing whether the Maliks could keep control of Hydra and urged her to contact the royal Inhuman prisoner if she returned to the castle.
• Wanda Maximoff confronted Pietro Maximoff over missing dinner, and Salomon stopped their quarrel before asking Wanda to accompany him to Kamar-Taj.
• Salomon said he would release the detained Kamar-Taj Arcanists and explain that the Sorcerer Supreme had sacrificed herself, making their trial a test of his own ability to unite Kamar-Taj.
• Gideon Malik met General Hale privately and revealed that he had arranged the Advanced Threat Containment Unit to support a new defense company and give Hale a role in testing its products.

Salomon told Wanda Maximoff that he intended to dissolve Hydra after using its families and resources, and asked her to help keep the organization under control. As an ancient procession approached Kamar-Taj to welcome the new Sorcerer Supreme, Salomon also proposed a plan to tie Pietro to the Inhuman princess Crystal.

• A vast procession of ascetics, lamas, Sherpas, and supernatural figures traveled toward a hidden realm to witness the rise of the new Sorcerer Supreme.
• Salomon told Wanda that Victor von Doom would manage Hydra’s networks and that he planned to dismantle Hydra after absorbing its resources.
• Salomon explained to Wanda the hidden truth about the former Sorcerer Supreme’s sacrifice and asked her to help deter Hydra while he pursued other plans.
• Wanda refused to seek revenge on Alex Strucker and said she would support Salomon, while he reminded her that her and Pietro’s powers had always been their own.
• Salomon revealed that he hoped Pietro would meet Crystal and gain legitimacy among the Inhumans, and Wanda said she would ask Pietro what he thought.

Gideon Malik and Stephanie Malik used General Hale’s fear of alien threats and desire for power to draw her toward the Emperor’s alliance, while concealing the Emperor’s plan to investigate her contact with the Kree. After Hale left, Gideon began questioning whether his memories of his family’s past were real.

• Gideon Malik told General Hale that the Kree had created Hydra, which the Emperor had captured, and that the Emperor could offer the Pentagon alien intelligence, corpses, and military technology.
• General Hale privately worried that the Malik family had discovered her secret contact with the Alliance, but accepted a catalog of Super Soldiers and military Cybernetic Prosthetics.
• After Hale left, Stephanie Malik explained that the Emperor had raised the Kree issue to drive a wedge between Hale and the Kree and uncover how she contacted them.
• Gideon Malik recalled his father Wilfred Malick’s past and the Malik family’s rise, then began doubting his memories of Wilfred and Nathaniel living after their reported deaths in 1970.
• Stephanie comforted Gideon and offered to arrange another rejuvenation surgery.

The Emperor negotiated Kamar-Taj’s response to the armed conflict, protecting the Sorcerer Supreme’s reputation while preparing to take its leadership. He revealed his ability to control the Ghost Riders and left for the ceremony’s conclusion before heading to Neptune to intercept an incoming ship.

• The Emperor told Kamar-Taj’s leaders that the Arcanists who took part in the armed conflict would be punished, and they agreed to his plan while preserving Kamar-Taj’s unity.
• Master Hamir, Master Wu Guiyue, and other leaders agreed to seal records about the Sorcerer Supreme’s final years and punish anyone who slandered her.
• The Emperor said he would go to Neptune to intercept a ship approaching Earth, despite the danger posed by the Psionic Mist.
• The Emperor revealed that he could control the Ghost Riders and offered Kamar-Taj Sealing Sigils so Carter Slade, Johnny Blaze, and Robbie Reyes could serve it.
• The Emperor asked the Arcanists to finish the ceremony quickly as he prepared to become Kamar-Taj’s Lord.

Stephanie received the Emperor’s approval for her unauthorized actions as Gideon Malick’s plans advanced to integrate the Super Soldier and exoskeleton projects into U.S. military operations. As the fleet approached the Psionic Mist around the New Domain, Tita learned that the Emperor was coming aboard and that the expedition had a new alien fortress to investigate.

• The chapter explained how Gideon Malick planned to use the Super Soldier and exoskeleton projects to win government support while integrating the Malik family’s combat system into NATO command structures.
• The Emperor’s account of Hydra’s manipulation of financial dynasties and the events leading to World War II revealed how Steve Rogers had been used as a pawn.
• The Emperor reassured Stephanie that her loyalty and unauthorized actions deserved a reward, then ordered her to find coordinates for the alien species in the Kuiper Belt.
• Stephanie prepared to take the Malik family’s private force and Super Soldier prototypes to meet General Hale, using the demonstration to make her more obedient.
• Constantine told Tita that Earth had sent coordinates for a possible alien Star Fortress, and Tita learned that the Emperor would soon arrive aboard the ship to command their operations.

General Hale confronted the malfunctioning alien device at Lambert–St. Louis Air Force Base while Stephanie Malik prepared to send biological weapons there. General Hale brought Ruby into the laboratory and led her toward the device, calling it a chance to master her own fate.

• General Hale arrived at the base with Ruby and her Special Operations Team, then learned the device was emitting rays into space despite efforts to contain it.
• Stephanie Malik watched biological weapons being loaded into a Quinjet bound for Lambert–St. Louis Air Force Base and discussed Gideon Malick’s plan to use Brigadier General Talbot’s inspection to secure access.
• General Hale and Ruby entered the laboratory, where the device continued operating despite the power being cut and the researchers’ attempts to stop it.
• General Hale ordered the laboratory cleared and kept Ruby behind, then walked toward the device and told her to follow and be polite, but not too polite.

General Hale brought Ruby to meet a Kree ally, learned that a missing hunter ship had triggered their device, and revealed the threat Thanos posed to Earth. Meanwhile, Stephanie Malik launched a military operation as Earth’s defenders located a signal receiver and prepared to act.

• Ruby followed General Hale through the device and met a Kree, who objected to her presence but accepted her as Hale’s heir.
• General Hale asked whether a Kree hunter ship was in Earth orbit, and the Kree explained that the missing ship’s automatic responder had triggered their device.
• Stephanie Malik ordered her soldiers to seize a facility while Super Soldiers awakened in cryosleep pods.
• General Hale told Ruby about her Hydra ties and alliance with the Kree, and the Kree warned that Thanos had destroyed Xandar and was advancing toward Earth.
• Master Wong and the Arcanists located a receiver with help from the Sanctums, and Praetorian Commander Constantine took the coordinates to the navigation department.

The Emperor met with Odin to discuss Ragnarok, the threat behind the Curtain, and the fate of Asgardian souls. Odin agreed to let the Emperor deal with Hela and sought his help for Thor, while the Emperor pursued guarantees about Valhalla and Helheim’s Soul Engines; Odin said Asgard’s funeral was near but humanity and Asgard still had time.

• The Emperor visited Odin before departing for the Space Station and discussed the omen on Neptune and the coming Ragnarok.
• Odin explained that the beings Behind the Curtain had guided Ragnarok and that Asgard’s destruction would unleash a vast harvest of death and suffering.
• The Emperor accused Odin of leaving him and Thor to handle Hela, and Odin gave him permission to dispose of her as he saw fit.
• Odin described how Valhalla and Helheim protected Asgardian souls but could not prevent the wider suffering caused by the collapse of Asgard’s colonies.
• The Emperor demanded assurances that the Soul Engines would protect humanity from Ragnarok’s effects, and Odin recognized the demand as a transaction.
• Odin said Frigga had prepared his funeral pyre and told the Emperor that humanity and Asgard still had time before the war Behind the Curtain resumed.