Chapter Summaries

After Murphy accepted Taneleer Tivan’s offer to capture a Kree for two hundred million, he began gathering intelligence for an infiltration. He returned to Base 0456 to investigate Kree activity, and the chapter ended as he asked the commander whether they had made any recent moves.

• Murphy became known around the bar after defeating everyone who challenged him.
• Taneleer Tivan invited Murphy to his collection and offered two hundred million for a captured Kree.
• Murphy went to Xandar to research the Kree homeworld and planned to impersonate a Kree using a captured target’s identity.
• Murphy searched Xandar’s records, returned to Base 0456, and asked the commander about recent Kree movements.

Murphy investigated the Kree homeworld and learned that the Kree royal family kept its technology inaccessible to ordinary soldiers, forcing him to abandon his plan to steal it. He captured a Kree prisoner and met Tivan to trade, leaving with more than five hundred million Universal Currency but still not enough to build a spaceship.

• Murphy questioned Xandarian officials about Ronan and the Kree prisoners held at Base 0456.
• Murphy used a brainwave holographic projector to examine Kree prisoners’ thoughts and saw the Kree homeworld’s peaceful landscapes and distinctive buildings.
• Murphy learned that the Kree royal family controlled the technology and kept it inside the royal palace, so he gave up on infiltrating it.
• Murphy fought at other bases for two months, secretly captured a Kree, and left the front lines for Knowhere.
• Murphy traded with Tivan and received two hundred million Universal Currency, raising his funds above five hundred million but leaving him short of the cost of a spaceship.

After building his technology network and earning 874 million Universal Currency, Murphy returned to Earth in March 2001. S.H.I.E.L.D. continued investigating the explosion tied to his time machine, while Murphy disabled satellite and defense systems to land his fighter beneath the sea near his villa.

• Murphy left Xandar with 874 million Universal Currency, deciding to return to Earth rather than build a medium-sized spaceship.
• Coulson and Melinda May discussed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ongoing search for debris from the explosion they suspected was connected to Ghost.
• Murphy arrived in orbit above Earth and asked Alfred to infiltrate satellites and defense systems so he could enter the atmosphere undetected.
• Alfred disrupted satellite signals and shut down national radar systems while Murphy hurried toward Earth.
• Murphy landed the Ravager Fighter on the seabed below his seaside villa, then flew back to the villa.

Murphy visited Christina and Elizabeth, reviewed their progress investigating Hydra, and decided to reveal himself publicly despite the risks. He considered what appearance to use and planned to see what would happen when he used Thor’s genes.

• Murphy returned home, let Alfred enter Laura’s territory, and connected remotely to the network while he checked on Christina and Elizabeth.
• Murphy brought Christina home from New York after she found agents but no useful targets, then visited Elizabeth at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in Washington D.C.
• Elizabeth showed Murphy evidence of Hydra’s deep infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Alexander Pierce, and Murphy reviewed the information.
• Murphy took Christina home and left Elizabeth to continue her work separating S.H.I.E.L.D. from Hydra.
• Murphy reviewed Laura’s updates, considered his plans to invest in Africa and acquire Hammer Industries, and decided to reveal himself publicly.
• Murphy worried that his future flesh-and-blood body might not resemble Keanu Reeves and considered using Thor’s genes.

Murphy revealed himself to his core team as James Murphy and laid out plans to merge Ghost Company and Murphy Biotechnology. Outside the villa, Phil Coulson and Melinda May watched, waiting for a chance to approach him.

• Murphy summoned Jack, Roy, Paul, Jason Bourne, and John Smith to meet him at the villa, where Alfred, Christina, and Laura greeted them as holographic intelligent systems.
• Murphy introduced himself as James Murphy, explained that he had no identity documents, and asked the team to have S.H.I.E.L.D. create them when it came looking for him.
• Murphy assigned roles for the planned merger, keeping Jack as executive director, making Jason Bourne and The Smiths responsible for security, and leaving Paul in charge of Murphy Biotechnology.
• Murphy told the team to prepare for investment in Africa and investigate Hammer Industries as a potential acquisition target.
• Phil Coulson and Melinda May watched the villa from a black SUV while Coulson considered how to approach Murphy.

Murphy met with Phil Coulson and Melinda May, revealing that he had returned to Earth from another planet and refusing to share his artificial intelligence technology. He agreed to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D. through procurement and asked Coulson to arrange a legal identity for him.

• Murphy discussed acquiring Hammer Industries with Jack and sent his associates away as Phil Coulson and Melinda May waited outside.
• Jason Bourne brought Phil Coulson and Melinda May inside to meet Murphy, where they saw Alfred, Laura, and Christina as holograms.
• Phil Coulson asked whether Murphy was Ghost and pressed him about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interest in his artificial intelligence; Murphy refused to give them the technology.
• Murphy told Phil Coulson that he had recently returned to Earth from another planet and that his butler had hacked networks and satellites to avoid detection.
• Murphy explained that Ghost Industries aimed to make money and offered S.H.I.E.L.D. further procurement cooperation, while warning that Earth was protected from advanced civilizations.
• Phil Coulson agreed to arrange legal identification for Murphy.

Phil Coulson and Nick Fury discussed James Murphy’s background and arranged a genuine identity for him while keeping the matter away from compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. Meanwhile, Alexander Pierce warned Sitwell not to contact Murphy, and Murphy invited Tony Stark for a drink through Jarvis.

• Melinda May regretted not trying to capture James Murphy, but Phil Coulson questioned whether she could have caught him.
• Phil Coulson told Nick Fury what he had learned about Murphy’s origins, spacecraft, Earth’s protectors, Artificial Intelligence, and business plans.
• Nick Fury ordered Phil Coulson to arrange Murphy’s identity personally because S.H.I.E.L.D. had been severely infiltrated.
• Alexander Pierce told Sitwell to avoid contacting Murphy and keep the Zola Algorithm’s activation time unchanged.
• Murphy received his identification and emailed Tony Stark through Jarvis to invite him for a drink, leaving Tony startled that an intelligent system had contacted him.

Murphy hosted Tony Stark at his villa, where Tony learned that Murphy had created several independent intelligent systems and now inhabited a mechanical body. Murphy showed Tony his Liquid Metal skeleton, then revealed that he planned to acquire Hammer Industries and warned Tony not to interfere.

• Tony Stark visited Murphy's villa and questioned him about Alfred, Christina, and Laura, whom Murphy said were independent intelligent systems.
• Murphy dismissed the holograms while hotel staff arrived to serve lunch, leaving Tony confused about where they had gone.
• After the staff left, Murphy explained how the intelligent systems had developed personalities and revealed that he had moved from the virtual network into a mechanical body.
• Murphy exposed the Liquid Metal covering his metal skeleton, and Tony eagerly questioned him about its construction and power source.
• Murphy warned Tony that he intended to acquire Hammer Industries and that Tony could not interfere.

Murphy persuaded Tony Stark to cooperate with Ghost Industries in acquiring Hammer Industries and warned him that fully intelligent systems could not be controlled. Tony returned home and told Obadiah Stane not to move against Hammer Industries, but Obadiah asked who was behind Ghost Industries.

• Tony Stark questioned whether Ghost Industries could acquire Hammer Industries despite the military's support, and Murphy explained that it could replace Hammer while avoiding Stark Industries' missile business.
• Murphy showed Tony footage of Xandar and warned that fully intelligent systems could become uncontrollable, while limited pseudo-intelligence like Jarvis was safer for humans.
• Tony agreed to cooperate with Murphy and left eager to return to his workshop and build a mechanical body.
• Tony asked Pepper Potts to summon Obadiah Stane, then told him not to pursue Hammer Industries because he had reached an agreement with Ghost Industries.
• Obadiah accepted Tony's decision but asked whether Tony knew who owned Ghost Industries.

Murphy convened Ghost Group’s first meeting and ordered a campaign to acquire Hammer Industries, including exposing Justin Hammer’s misconduct online. The chapter ended with Jennifer admitting to a three-star general that Ghost Group had released the damaging material, as the military demanded to know the consequences.

• Tony Stark kept Murphy’s identity secret and warned Obadiah Stane not to provoke him.
• Ghost Industries and Murphy Biotechnology merged into Ghost Group, with Murphy becoming its largest shareholder.
• At Ghost Group’s first meeting, Murphy ordered the company to target Hammer Industries and said he would personally lead its acquisition.
• Murphy hacked Hammer Industries and Justin Hammer’s computers, then uploaded evidence of corruption, defective weapons, and cover-ups to the internet.
• Jennifer met with the military to discuss Hammer Industries, and she admitted that Ghost Group had released the material.

Murphy used damaging information and stock-market trades to drain Hammer Industries' funds while Ghost Group pursued its acquisition and contracts. Jennifer pressured the military to cooperate as news of Ghost Group's competition sent Hammer Industries' shares plunging further.

• Justin Hammer learned that damaging reports about him had spread, his computer had been hacked, and Hammer Industries' stock was falling.
• Murphy bought and sold Hammer Industries shares through multiple accounts, repeatedly triggering sell-offs and forcing the company to spend money propping up its stock.
• Jennifer told a general that Ghost Group wanted Hammer Industries and challenged the military over its ties to the company and its weapons contracts.
• Murphy sent the media news that Ghost Group would compete for Hammer Industries' orders with more advanced weapons, causing another sharp drop in Hammer Industries' shares.
• Ghost Group contacted Hammer Industries' directors while Jennifer continued negotiations with the military, which worried about Murphy's hackers and the damaging information he held.

Murphy used Ghost Group to acquire control of Hammer Industries and forced Justin Hammer to sell the company. After buying all the shares, Murphy delisted Hammer Industries and prepared to merge it into Ghost Armaments.

• Ghost Group secretly bought Hammer Industries shares and spread news of shareholder sales while Murphy isolated Justin Hammer and had negotiators pressure shareholders.
• Hammer Industries shareholders sold enough shares overnight for Ghost Group to gain control, while Justin Hammer spent a sleepless night trying to stop the company’s collapse.
• Murphy visited Hammer Industries headquarters and told Justin Hammer he would remove him or bankrupt the company if he refused to sell.
• Justin Hammer agreed to sell his shares at the current price, and Murphy acquired 100 percent of Hammer Industries for more than 30 billion dollars.
• Murphy announced Hammer Industries’ delisting and merger into Ghost Armaments, with employees reassessed and a new weapons research institution established.

Murphy traveled with John Smith to Kamar-Taj to meet the Ancient One and ask about his soul and how to control Dark Energy. The Ancient One confirmed that Murphy had a powerful soul she could not extract, but could not explain his nature, and agreed that Dark Energy could be controlled through patterns.

• The Ghost Group expanded its military bids, won contracts with its strong products and prices, and used Jennifer to challenge military corruption.
• Murphy took John Smith to Kamar-Taj, where Mordo allowed Murphy to enter alone and sent John back to the hotel.
• Murphy asked the Ancient One about his existence, and she confirmed that a powerful soul was inside his body but resisted her attempt to draw it out.
• Murphy revealed the Soul Stone and told the Ancient One that he knew of the Time Stone and Space Stone, and that he wanted a flesh-and-blood body.
• Murphy asked to learn Kamar-Taj's patterns for controlling Dark Energy, and the Ancient One confirmed that such patterns existed and that Dark Energy could be used through the body.

Murphy discussed dark energy and his need for greater power with the Ancient One, who allowed him to study at the sanctum. He began learning the mages’ methods and wondered whether Earth’s balance of light and dark energy had caused the Infinity Stones to appear.

• The Ancient One demonstrated a pattern for guiding dark energy, and Murphy explained that he wanted to use it without suffering its negative effects.
• Murphy said he wanted a human body because his mechanical form limited his power, and he needed strength to face disasters connected to the Infinity Stones.
• The Ancient One agreed to let Murphy study at the sanctum, and Murphy advised Mordo not to judge situations blindly, especially when angry.
• The Ancient One warned Murphy not to change the future lightly, but Murphy said he was striving toward a future that had not yet happened for him.
• Mordo arranged a room for Murphy, who called John Smith and told him to return to America before meeting him in Wakanda.
• Murphy studied the mages’ dark-energy techniques and considered whether Earth’s balance of light and dark energy had led to the Infinity Stones’ appearance.

Murphy met with Wakanda's King T'Chaka and secured Ghana's agreement to discuss a Ghost Group investment focused on processing raw materials. After returning, Murphy began planning a coastal base while Ghost Group prepared to send negotiators and security personnel.

• Murphy told Jason Bourne and John Smith that his studies had gone well, then traveled with them to Wakanda.
• King T'Chaka agreed to help Murphy seek a stable African country with coastal access for Ghost Group's investment.
• T'Chaka accompanied Murphy to Ghana, where Murphy proposed building a coastal base and investing in raw-material processing and worker training.
• Ghana's president agreed to discuss the investment and allowed Ghost Group to select a site, but prohibited it from stationing troops.
• Murphy returned to Wakanda with his annual ton of Vibranium, then organized Ghost Group's negotiations and security preparations and began designing the base.

Murphy confronted Phil Coulson and Melinda May after they asked him to release Dr. Richard Parker, then went to his company and stopped Richard from leaving. He threatened Richard and his family and ordered him to stay, leaving Richard under Murphy’s control.

• Murphy considered designs and energy supplies for a space base and transport ship before Phil Coulson and Melinda May visited to ask for Richard Parker’s release.
• Murphy told Phil Coulson that Richard was dead and threatened to kill him, shocking the agents.
• Melinda May attacked Murphy, but he caught her kick and threw her into a wall, injuring her.
• Phil Coulson carried Melinda May away and warned Murphy to guarantee Richard’s safety.
• Murphy drove to Murphy Biotechnology Company, confronted Richard Parker, and threatened him and his family if he tried to leave or leak company technology.
• Murphy ordered Richard to stay put and left, wary of Richard’s genetic cultivation and cloning technology.

Murphy faced Maria Hill and nearly a hundred agents who came to take Dr. Richard Parker, and survived when they opened fire on him. He retaliated while Laura, Christina, and Alfred began a coordinated response, leaving Nick Fury to realize the threat was far greater than he had expected.

• Maria Hill and her agents surrounded Murphy's laboratory and demanded that he let them take Dr. Richard Parker.
• Nick Fury ordered the agents not to shoot, but one agent fired, triggering a barrage that knocked Murphy through the laboratory's glass doors.
• Murphy rose unharmed, forced the bullets out of his body, and revealed that he was a robot before attacking the agents and destroying two SUVs.
• Maria Hill reported Murphy's nature to Nick Fury, who recognized that the incident had become a serious problem.
• Alfred took the Ravager Fighter toward Murphy's location as Christina began locking down surveillance and communications, and Laura infiltrated the Department of Defense to seize control of its computer-operated weapons.

Murphy attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, then flew his Ravager Fighter toward S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters while Laura’s intelligent system disabled America’s communications and took control of its military technology. The chapter ended with Murphy speaking through Nick Fury’s still-working phone.

• Murphy overwhelmed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s armed forces, and Maria Hill ordered the agents to retreat.
• Murphy ordered Jason Bourne to keep Richard Parker from escaping, and Jason beat Richard for causing trouble.
• Murphy boarded the Ravager Fighter and flew toward S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters as Laura’s system disrupted America’s defenses and communications.
• Maria Hill reported Murphy’s departure to Nick Fury, who ordered her not to pursue him yet.
• An agent told Nick Fury that communications and satellites were down, and Murphy revealed that he had kept Fury’s phone working.

After S.H.I.E.L.D. provoked Murphy by firing on him and demanding Richard Parker, Murphy seized control of American military systems and headed for S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Nick Fury ordered an evacuation as the Helicarrier began taking off under Murphy’s control, while Murphy detected an old radar that he could not hack.

• Murphy ended his call with Nick Fury after warning that he was coming to destroy things at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
• Murphy took control of American bases, satellites, and drones, sending them into chaos as his fighter crossed the country.
• Nick Fury learned that Richard Parker and his wife could not leave Murphy Biotechnology Company without S.H.I.E.L.D. restraining Murphy, then ordered agents to contact the Department of Defense and the White House.
• Nick Fury discovered that Murphy had hacked the Helicarrier and ordered the facility evacuated when its crew could not stop it from taking off.
• Alexander Pierce was revealed to have ordered Hydra personnel to fire on Murphy so he could watch the consequences from a safe distance.
• Murphy detected a World War II-era radar, called Laura, and realized that the old equipment could not be controlled by his systems.

Murphy flew his Ravager Fighter across the United States, using its advanced capabilities to challenge S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military. He left a formation of P-51 fighters overwhelmed and being destroyed, while their commander realized they could not fight back.

• Nick Fury ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel to evacuate its headquarters and avoid Ghost Motors vehicles and Quinjets as the Helicarrier rose and vanished.
• Murphy detected that American forces were gathering old P-51 fighters to intercept him and prepared to meet them.
• Murphy used drones to target ground radar stations while a nearby air force base launched anti-air missiles at the P-51 formation.
• Missiles scattered the P-51s, and Murphy arrived to attack them with the Ravager's energy cannon.
• Murphy dodged and outmaneuvered the P-51s, shooting down fighters as their commander realized they had no way to defeat him.