Chapter Summaries

Murphy obtained and tested Thor’s blood, then visited the site where Mjolnir had fallen to study its markings. Thor escaped the hospital and collided with Jane Foster again, while Murphy left with records of the hammer’s patterns.

• Murphy sent Jason Bourne to steal blood from the unconscious Thor, and Jason obtained three tubes before leaving town.
• Murphy tested the samples aboard the Ravager Fighter and confirmed that Thor’s blood was Asgardian and highly energetic.
• Thor woke up, escaped the hospital, and collided with Jane Foster’s car when she returned to look for him.
• Murphy met Phil Coulson at Mjolnir’s landing site and scanned the hammer, but his equipment could not penetrate its interference.
• Murphy loosened the soil around Mjolnir to inspect and record its markings, then explained to Phil Coulson that only someone recognized by the hammer could lift it.

James Murphy and Phil Coulson waited for Thor to arrive at the site where Mjolnir was being held. After Thor failed to lift the hammer, Murphy questioned his belief that his power depended on it and let him leave to think, while Loki appeared before him on the road.

• Murphy told Phil Coulson that Mjolnir belonged to Thor and that Earth was under Asgard's protection.
• Thor slipped into the facility during the night and found that he could not lift Mjolnir.
• Murphy sheltered Thor from the rain and brought him inside with Phil Coulson.
• Murphy asked Thor whether his strength came from himself or his hammer, prompting Thor to question his loss of power.
• Thor left the facility to find someone to talk to, and Loki appeared before him as a projection.
• Murphy told Phil Coulson they could withdraw because no one else could take Mjolnir away.

Murphy returned Jane Foster’s research equipment and negotiated S.H.I.E.L.D.’s purchase and suppression of her findings, then met Thor’s friends and openly showed interest in Sif. The Destroyer arrived, and Thor learned from the Warriors Three that Odin was not dead and they had come to bring him home.

• Nick Fury ordered most S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel to withdraw, and Murphy arranged to return Jane Foster’s belongings while S.H.I.E.L.D. monitored and purchased her research.
• Murphy drove to town and told Jane Foster, Daisy Lewis, Dr. Erik Selvig, and Thor that her work could be published once people were ready to accept aliens.
• Thor reunited with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, while Murphy introduced himself to Sif and flirted with her.
• The Destroyer arrived, and Thor wondered whether Loki had sent it to punish him for Odin’s death.
• The Warriors Three told Thor that Odin was not dead and that they had come to bring him back.

Murphy helped defend the town from the Destroyer while Thor and his companions evacuated the townspeople. Murphy’s Energy Blast overpowered the Destroyer’s energy, and he challenged Loki before engaging the weakened machine in close combat.

• Thor sent his companions to fight the Destroyer while he helped evacuate the townspeople with Jane Foster’s group.
• Lady Sif and the Warriors Three tried to attack the Destroyer, but Sif’s sword strike failed and they retreated.
• Murphy used his Energy Blast to clash with the Destroyer’s blast until its energy core began to weaken.
• Loki spoke through the Destroyer and demanded to know who Murphy was, and Murphy called himself Earth’s guardian, Ghost.
• Murphy flew above the Destroyer, challenged Loki to face him in person, then blocked its arm and struck back with his Arm Blades.

Murphy fought the Destroyer and found that his Vibranium Arm Blades could crack its shell, while Thor regained his powers and destroyed it with Mjolnir. Thor prepared to return to Asgard, leaving Murphy annoyed that the Destroyer’s energy core had been lost.

• Murphy slashed the Destroyer with his Vibranium Arm Blades and discovered faint cracks beneath its arms.
• Murphy kept attacking the Destroyer in close combat as Thor realized Loki had deceived him and called for Mjolnir.
• Thor regained Mjolnir and his powers as the Destroyer’s shell continued to crack under Murphy’s attacks.
• Thor struck the Destroyer with Mjolnir, shattering it and its energy core and leveling the town.
• Murphy complained that Thor had destroyed the energy core he wanted to study, and Thor said he had to return to Asgard before promising Jane Foster he would come back.

After the Destroyer battle, Thor returned to Asgard, where the destroyed Bifrost kept him from seeing Jane and left Sif unable to win his attention. Murphy wondered whether the Soul Stone was affecting his feelings, while Tony and Steve discussed recruiting members for the Avengers.

• Murphy said goodbye to Sif, and Coulson arranged transport and promised that S.H.I.E.L.D. would handle rebuilding the destroyed town.
• Thor returned to Asgard, where Loki had fallen into the cosmos and the destroyed Bifrost left Thor grieving and unable to travel freely to Earth.
• Murphy questioned whether the Soul Stone was causing his restlessness and wondered whether his interest in Sif was connected to it.
• Sif trained and visited Heimdall, who told her the Bifrost would take a year to repair; she considered visiting Earth but decided to keep hoping for Thor.
• Tony invited Steve and Murphy to the nearly finished Avengers Base, where Steve mentioned recruiting Hawkeye and a military candidate, and Tony named Colonel Rhodes and a woman he suspected was a spy.

Murphy pressured Hank Pym to help develop Ant-Man and Wasp suits for Hank’s daughter, while Scott Lang struggled to rebuild his life after prison. A year after the Thor incident, Murphy went to the Helicarrier to join the Avengers as a crisis gathered.

• Murphy told Hank Pym that his daughter would join his team and offered Vibranium and other technology to make Ant-Man and Wasp suits; Hank fell silent after seeing Murphy’s Vibranium body.
• Scott Lang attended his daughter’s birthday party after prison, promised to support her, and left when his ex-wife’s new family made clear he did not belong there.
• Scott searched for work for months but employers rejected him because of his criminal record, and he could not even keep an ice cream shop job.
• Maria Hill invited Murphy and his team to respond to a threat, saying the Earth needed the Avengers; Murphy left Ghost HQ Tower with her in a Quinjet.
• Murphy arrived on the Helicarrier and spoke with Steve Rogers, who said his second teammate had joined the team but Hawkeye was in trouble.

Murphy joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and the others aboard the Helicarrier as they prepared to retrieve the stolen Tesseract and fight Loki. After Steve Rogers and Tony Stark left to capture Loki in Berlin, Murphy decided to let the coming attack and invasion unfold to push humanity toward unity.

• Steve Rogers asked Murphy what had happened after the Tesseract sent him into space and what became of Red Skull, and Murphy claimed he had killed Red Skull before drifting through space for thirty years.
• Tony Stark, Colonel Rhodes, Bruce Banner, and Natasha Romanoff arrived, and Murphy revealed that he knew Natasha’s S.H.I.E.L.D. history.
• Nick Fury launched the Helicarrier and assigned Tony Stark and Murphy to help Bruce Banner locate the Tesseract while the others prepared for battle.
• Murphy warned Nick Fury that studying the Tesseract was dangerous, then Sitwell reported that Loki had appeared in Berlin.
• Steve Rogers and Tony Stark volunteered to retrieve Loki, while Murphy decided not to prevent the coming Helicarrier attack or the Chitauri invasion.

Murphy watched Loki’s plan unfold aboard the Helicarrier, where the Mind Stone intensified the Avengers’ anger and Hawkeye launched an attack. As Bruce Banner transformed and the crisis began, Murphy took control of the Helicarrier’s systems to protect Phil Coulson.

• Thor told Nick Fury and the others that Loki had an army of Chitauri ready to enter Earth through a portal opened by the Tesseract.
• Murphy recognized that Hawkeye, not Loki, was behind the Helicarrier attack and decided to save Phil Coulson.
• Natasha Romanoff questioned Loki and left believing Bruce Banner was his target, while Loki passed her false information.
• The Avengers argued in the workshop as the scepter’s radiation heightened their emotions and caused the conflict to escalate.
• Murphy detected Hawkeye’s approaching Quinjet and took control of the Helicarrier’s surveillance and systems to protect Phil Coulson.
• Hawkeye attacked the Helicarrier, Bruce Banner transformed, and he and Black Widow fell together as the crisis erupted.

Murphy stopped Hawkeye from hacking the Helicarrier, then rescued Phil Coulson and clashed with Loki, who escaped using an illusion-like ability. After the attack, Murphy deployed Peter and Harry in Ravager Fighters and faced Nick Fury’s questions in the command center.

• Murphy watched Hawkeye’s attack unfold and used advanced hacking to stop him from infiltrating the Helicarrier’s systems.
• Thor pursued Loki while Phil Coulson confronted him, but Loki used an illusion to get behind Coulson and attack.
• Murphy struck Loki with an Energy Blast and tried to stop his illusions from releasing Thor’s falling cage, but Loki escaped through a damaged wall.
• Murphy contacted Alfred and ordered Ravager Fighters for Peter and Harry as the Avengers regrouped in the command center.
• Nick Fury questioned Murphy about his absence during the attack, and Murphy challenged Fury’s right to blame him.

Murphy criticized the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. for their failures, then led three Ravager Fighters to Stark Tower as Loki prepared to open a space portal. Murphy revealed that he wanted Loki to start a war against Earth, leaving the portal activation imminent and his allies stunned by his plan.

• Murphy told the Avengers that their infighting, poor judgment, and focus on the wrong targets had left them unprepared, and ordered them to gather for the coming Chitauri invasion.
• Murphy showed Tony Stark a satellite image revealing Loki at Stark Tower, prompting Tony and colonel James Rhodes to fly there while Steve Rogers went to find Hawkeye and summon Falcon.
• Murphy rendezvoused with Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, and Christina in three Ravager Fighters and explained that he wanted the alien attack to force Earth’s nations to unite.
• The fighters reached Stark Tower, where Murphy urged Loki to finish opening the space portal and admitted that he was using Loki to bring war to Earth.

Murphy’s fighters tried to stop Loki’s Chitauri forces from pouring through the Tesseract’s portal, while Tony Stark and Colonel Rhodes confronted Loki on the ground. The Chitauri Ironclad Armored Dragons broke through the blockade, allowing combat aircraft to spread out over Manhattan.

• Murphy told Loki that Earth would fight back and questioned why he had not brought a fleet directly into space.
• The Tesseract opened a portal above Manhattan, and Murphy ordered Christina, Elizabeth, and Alfred to form a fire blockade with their fighters.
• The fighters blasted the Chitauri vanguard as it entered the portal, drawing Manhattan residents’ attention.
• Tony Stark and Colonel Rhodes attacked the Tesseract device, but Jarvis explained that its energy shield could not be breached; Tony then confronted Loki.
• Loki tried to order a full-scale attack, but Tony and Rhodes opened fire on him.
• Ironclad Armored Dragons pushed through the fighters’ blockade, and Chitauri combat aircraft spread out over Manhattan.

Murphy and the Avengers fought Chitauri forces pouring through the spatial passage while Steve Rogers organized a ground defense and rescued civilians. As Loki sent increasing numbers of Ironclad Armored Dragons through, Murphy ordered the Ravager Fighters to use their missiles against them.

• Murphy, Peter Parker, and Harry Osborn attacked Chitauri aircraft that broke through the blockade, while Tony Stark and Colonel Rhodes joined the aerial battle.
• Steve Rogers arrived with Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye, then planned a ground defense and assigned Peter and Harry to help control the situation.
• Peter introduced himself as Spider-Man, while Hawkeye took a rooftop position and Steve sought to establish a defensive line ten blocks away.
• Loki summoned more Ironclad Armored Dragons and ordered them to send infantry to the ground.
• Murphy ordered the three Ravager Fighters to launch missiles at the Ironclad Armored Dragons, and Alfred charged toward one head-on.

Murphy and the Avengers fought the Chitauri across the city, destroying an Ironclad Armored Dragon and battling enemy infantry. After Thor confronted Loki and Loki escaped, Murphy called the others together to adjust their tactics.

• Tony Stark, Alfred, Christina, Elizabeth, and Murphy attacked the Ironclad Armored Dragons, and Murphy killed one by blasting its insides from within its mouth.
• Captain America directed the police to establish a defensive line and evacuate civilians while Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Harry Osborn fought the Chitauri.
• Bruce Banner arrived and transformed into Hulk to attack the Chitauri climbing a building.
• Thor confronted Loki at Stark Tower while Murphy kept watch over Peter and Harry as they fought the enemy.
• Tony Stark and Colonel Rhodes withdrew from the aerial battle as their weapons ran low, and Murphy called everyone together to change tactics.

The Avengers coordinated their defense, captured Loki, and learned how to shut down the portal, but the World Security Council launched a nuclear missile despite their control of the battle. Murphy suspected the order was meant to destroy both the Chitauri and the Avengers as the missile approached Manhattan.

• Captain America assigned the Avengers their roles, and Thor’s lightning strike helped the team and Murphy’s fighter jets block the portal.
• Hulk battered the Ironclad Armored Dragons while Natasha found Dr. Selvig, who revealed that Loki’s scepter could shut down the device.
• Peter Parker attacked Loki’s flying vehicle, allowing Tony Stark and Rhodey to capture Loki and take his scepter.
• Nick Fury told the Avengers that a nuclear missile was on its way, and Tony volunteered to intercept it.
• Murphy tracked the approaching F22 and questioned why the World Security Council had ordered a nuclear strike while the Avengers were winning.

Tony Stark carried a nuclear missile through the portal and destroyed the Chitauri mothership, while Murphy rescued him and helped close the portal. After the battle, Murphy planned to confront the World Security Council over the strike and use the crisis to secure legal status for the Avengers.

• Murphy suspected Hydra and the American government had backed the nuclear strike while he fought the Chitauri.
• Tony Stark carried the missile through the portal and sent it into the Chitauri mothership, destroying it.
• Murphy flew through the portal, caught the falling Tony Stark, and returned just before Black Widow closed it.
• Murphy examined a Chitauri soldier and concluded their army depended on a strict hierarchy and the mothership.
• Murphy told the Avengers they would return to the Helicarrier and demand an explanation, and Tony Stark supported his plan to secure the Avengers' legal status.

After defeating the alien army, Murphy and the Avengers confronted S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council over the nuclear missile launch. Murphy demanded an independent legal identity for the Avengers and gave the Council ten minutes to respond, leaving Tony Stark wondering whether Murphy truly intended to start a war.

• Murphy secured the Tesseract while Thor escorted Loki and the Avengers flew back toward the Helicarrier.
• Tony Stark proposed surrounding the Helicarrier to pressure Nick Fury, and the Avengers formed an armed encirclement around it.
• Murphy demanded an explanation for the nuclear missile and insisted that the World Security Council address the Avengers directly.
• Murphy rejected the Council's justification for the missile and threatened war, claiming he could find its representatives and revealing the Avengers had a secret base on the moon.
• Murphy demanded an independent, legal identity for the Avengers and gave the World Security Council ten minutes to decide.
• Tony Stark asked whether Murphy intended to fight a war, and Murphy replied that the Council would not dare challenge them.

After the Battle of Manhattan, Murphy kept the Tesseract and planned to use it to power the Moon Base, while S.H.I.E.L.D. received the scepter. A week later, Murphy and Steve Rogers decided Natasha should speak for the Avengers at a press conference, leaving Tony Stark displeased.

• The Avengers discussed who would keep the Tesseract, and Murphy refused to give it to Thor or S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Murphy said he would use the Tesseract as an energy source on the Moon, and agreed to use it to send Thor back to Asgard.
• Nick Fury asked for the scepter, and Murphy agreed to leave it with S.H.I.E.L.D.
• After the battle, the World Security Council granted the Avengers legal status, while public debate over the destruction led Murphy to consider hiring a press spokesperson.
• A week later, Murphy and Steve Rogers chose Natasha for the press role, and Steve agreed to contact her while keeping Tony from taking the job.

Murphy visited Dr. Helen Cho in South Korea to inspect the completed Cradle prototype, which he intended to use in an attempt to transfer his digitized consciousness into a human body. He arranged for Helen Cho and the prototype to return to America for secret research, leaving his plan dependent on the Cradle and possibly the Infinity Stones.

• One month after the Battle of New York, Murphy and Jennifer flew to South Korea to inspect the Cradle.
• Dr. Helen Cho told Murphy that the prototype was complete and that its experiments were progressing smoothly, and asked for continued funding.
• Murphy asked Helen Cho to research implanting an intelligent system into a human brain and revealed that he wanted to transfer his consciousness into a human body.
• Murphy ordered Helen Cho to join a closed research project in America, warning that she could not leave before the work succeeded.
• Murphy told Jennifer to arrange for a Ravager Fighter to transport them and the Cradle prototype back to America.

Murphy gathered his scientists to plan how to use The Cradle and genetic samples to create a flesh-and-blood body for himself. They chose to enhance the genes with the T-Virus first, rapidly cultivate an eighteen-year-old body, transfer Murphy’s consciousness, and use Captain America’s serum afterward.

• Murphy presented three blood samples and enhancement serums to his scientists, asking them to develop a body without metal parts.
• Hank Pym and Norman Osborn warned Murphy about the risks, but Norman agreed to support him after Murphy explained his desire to escape his data-based existence.
• Richard Parker recommended enhancing the blood samples before cultivation, and Murphy agreed that altering Thor’s genes could avoid simply recreating Thor.
• Murphy showed the scientists the T-Virus data and explained that Asgardian genes could withstand it; he planned to use the virus first and Captain America’s serum after the body matured.
• Murphy told the group he had destroyed his time machine after traveling to the World War II era and being exiled into space by the Tesseract.
• Murphy ordered rapid cultivation of an eighteen-year-old body, and Norman Osborn took charge of the work as the team began preparing to redesign The Cradle.