Chapter Summaries

Murphy explained the Infinity Stones and how the Soul Stone and Mind Stone could support his plan to transfer his consciousness into a new body. As his team began preparing the body and Cradle, Nick Fury’s investigation uncovered an encrypted file that led him to question the Ghost Defense Program and its consequences.

• Murphy told the scientists how he acquired the Soul Stone and explained the powers and locations of the other Infinity Stones.
• Murphy assigned Parker, Connors, Norman Osborn, Helen Cho, and Laura roles in preparing his new body and improving the Cradle, with work set to begin the next day.
• Nick Fury arranged a covert raid on a S.H.I.E.L.D. cargo ship, where Steve Rogers and Falcon stopped the pirates while Natasha Romanoff stole information unnoticed.
• Nick Fury found that the stolen USB drive was encrypted with his own credentials and suspected the Ghost Defense Program was connected to the mystery.
• Nick Fury wondered whether the three Helicarriers could kill Murphy and feared the program might leave the Avengers facing an excessive threat afterward.

Murphy inspected the completed Moon Base and ordered its engineering robots redesigned into combat, maintenance, and construction forces. He placed the Tesseract in the base’s energy core and activated it to replace the temporary power system.

• Murphy arrived alone at the Moon Base and asked Captain about its ecosystem, defenses, and energy system.
• Murphy reviewed the base’s facilities and ordered the aging engineering robots dismantled and reorganized into three groups.
• Murphy designed 5,000 combat robots, 2,000 maintenance robots, and 1,000 construction robots.
• Murphy placed the Tesseract in the energy core and switched on the system.

While Murphy secured the Moon base’s power supply and expanded its robot forces, Tony Stark investigated Aldrich Killian after suspecting him of pursuing Pepper Potts. When Happy Hogan was gravely injured in an explosion, Natasha Romanoff linked the incident to a series of attacks claimed by the Ten Rings Gang, and Tony decided to make it an Avengers mission.

• Murphy activated the Moon base’s power-saving mode after the Tesseract fully charged its energy reserves, then oversaw Combat Robots being equipped and sent to their posts.
• Tony Stark asked Natasha Romanoff to investigate Aldrich Killian, whom he considered a rival for Pepper Potts’s affection, and she agreed in exchange for a favor.
• Natasha learned that Killian was a scientist working on the Extremis Project with Maya Hansen, while Happy Hogan followed Killian’s bodyguard and was caught in an explosion that left him severely injured.
• At the hospital, Natasha told Tony that the explosion resembled attacks claimed by the Ten Rings Gang, whose leader called himself the Mandarin, and she said Killian’s classified military work might be connected.
• Tony declared the incident an Avengers operation and decided to declare war on the Ten Rings Gang before notifying Rogers and Murphy; reporters surrounded him as he left the hospital.

Tony Stark declared war on the Ten Rings Gang, drawing media attention while the Avengers debated how to protect him and prepare a response. He fortified his villa with Iron Man armors and studied clues to the gang as Pepper rushed home.

• Tony Stark publicly declared war on the Ten Rings Gang and asked Jarvis to investigate explosions linked to the gang and the Mandarin.
• Steve Rogers urged Tony to take the danger seriously, but Tony and Murphy agreed that Jarvis, satellite surveillance, and Iron Man armors could protect the villa while the Avengers stood ready.
• Tony deployed dozens of Iron Man armors throughout his villa and left an oversized bear plush outside for Pepper.
• Jarvis reported that media helicopters were approaching, and Tony let them watch from outside as he examined the explosion reports.
• Pepper hurried back to the villa and went down to find Tony in the workshop.

Tony Stark tried to send Pepper Potts away while Maya Hansen arrived, but their tense reunion was interrupted by an approaching attack on his villa. He ordered both women to leave and prepared to turn the coming battle into a public broadcast.

• Pepper Potts confronted Tony Stark about declaring war on terrorists, and he said the bombings and Happy's injury pointed to Killian.
• Pepper Potts said they needed time apart and left Tony Stark to focus on the threat.
• Jarvis alerted Tony Stark that Maya Hansen was approaching, and Tony hurried to meet her before Pepper left.
• Maya Hansen revealed that she and Tony Stark had spent one night together, provoking Pepper Potts as she prepared to leave.
• Jarvis reported three armed helicopters and several armed SUVs nearing the villa, and Tony Stark ordered the women to leave and Avengers HQ to be notified.

Murphy learned that Killian was launching a much larger assault on Tony Stark’s mansion with his Extremis Soldiers, hoping to destroy the Avengers and publicize the virus. He summoned the Avengers and sent Peter and Harry to help, while Tony prepared to meet the attackers.

• Tony Stark’s anxiety worsened after the Battle of New York, and he built many armor suits while Jarvis commanded the Iron Legion.
• Murphy saw three helicopters and several SUVs approaching Stark Mansion and realized Killian’s assault was larger than expected.
• Killian brought all his Extremis Soldiers to attack the mansion, planning to use the Avengers’ name to promote the Extremis Virus and intimidate the world.
• Murphy told Laura to notify Peter and Harry and mobilized the Avengers, warning Tony to destroy the helicopters and move the fight away from his mansion.
• Tony trusted Murphy’s warning, sent Jarvis to attack the helicopters, and launched dozens of armor suits through the mansion’s glass walls.

Tony Stark and Jarvis destroyed Killian’s helicopters and convoy, but Killian and his Extremis Soldiers emerged from the explosions unharmed. Killian revealed his plan to build an army and demonstrated his own Extremis powers as both sides prepared to fight.

• Jarvis’s three suits of armor shot down Killian’s modified helicopters before Tony Stark ordered the armor to surround the approaching convoy.
• Tony Stark and the Iron Man Armor destroyed the convoy with micro-missiles while the media broadcast the battle live.
• Killian and his Extremis Soldiers walked out of the burning wreckage, their damaged bodies healing as they confronted Tony Stark.
• Killian reminded Tony Stark of their encounter thirteen years earlier and described how he planned to use an Extremis army to defeat the Avengers.
• Tony Stark identified the earlier explosions as Extremis test subjects self-destructing, and Killian turned crimson after revealing that he had injected himself with the virus.

Murphy recognized Killian’s Extremis Soldiers as a threat and raced back to Earth to take control of Maya Hansen, while General Ross began investigating Killian. At Tony Stark’s mansion, Tony and Killian launched into battle as the Extremis Soldiers attacked the Iron Man suits.

• Murphy ordered Captain to continue upgrading the robots, then flew back to Earth and asked Laura to track Maya Hansen.
• General Ross watched Killian’s broadcast and ordered an investigation into Killian and his Extremis Soldiers.
• Tony Stark and Killian started fighting after their confrontation, while a media worker fled to his colleagues.
• The Extremis Soldiers leaped onto the Iron Man suits before they could gain altitude, and Jarvis self-destructed one damaged suit to destroy its attacker.

General Ross ordered Blonsky to capture Maya Hansen so he could obtain the Extremis Virus and build a Super Soldier army. Tony Stark defeated Killian and his Extremis Soldiers with his armor, and the Avengers arrived to help capture the survivors.

• General Ross decided to seize the Extremis Virus and sent Blonsky with a team to capture Maya Hansen.
• Killian battered Tony Stark in close combat and damaged much of his armor.
• Tony Stark used a self-destructing suit and then precise lasers to cut Killian apart, exploiting the Extremis Soldiers’ vulnerability to severe head or heart injuries.
• Tony Stark and his other suits drove the Extremis Soldiers into retreat and killed many of them.
• Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, Captain America, Falcon, and Colonel Rhodes arrived and helped intercept and capture the remaining soldiers.
• Steve Rogers questioned the threat, and Tony Stark pointed out the enormous cost of his victory and the virus’s potential for mass production.

Murphy, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the military confronted one another over Maya Hansen and the Extremis Virus at Stark Industries. Murphy arrived and insisted the virus should be under his control, leaving the standoff unresolved.

• Tony Stark took the Avengers to his villa to watch battle footage, while Hawkeye and Black Widow went to find Maya Hansen.
• Pepper Potts invited Maya Hansen to Stark Industries, where Maya explained what had happened in her office.
• Emil Blonsky arrived with soldiers as Hawkeye and Black Widow landed their Quinjet, and both sides claimed authority to take Maya.
• Pepper blocked both groups from entering Stark Industries and argued that Maya had the right to choose for herself.
• Murphy arrived and declared that the Extremis Virus should be under his control, then brushed off Blonsky's claim that the country needed Maya.

Maya Hansen chose to work with the military despite Murphy and the Avengers warning that the Extremis Virus could be weaponized and leak. Murphy watched her leave with Blonsky, then invited the assembled Avengers to tour the base.

• Blonsky, Natasha Romanoff, and Murphy agreed to let Maya Hansen choose which group she would join.
• Maya came out and said she would decide for herself as the military, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Murphy explained their positions.
• After viewing footage of the attack, Tony Stark realized Maya had invented the Extremis Virus and brought the Avengers to find her.
• Tony urged Maya to join the Avengers, but Maya chose to work with the military, frustrating the Avengers and leaving Tony bewildered.
• Murphy invited everyone to tour the base, while Pepper Potts walked into Stark Industries without responding.

At Avengers HQ, Murphy urged Tony Stark to tell the team about his fear after the Battle of New York. To reassure the Avengers, Murphy decided to show them his Moon Base and army, leaving Peter Parker amazed by the images.

• Murphy and the Avengers arrived at Avengers HQ, where Steve Rogers asked what they should do next.
• Murphy argued that Tony Stark should break up with Pepper Potts, but Tony defended their relationship and admitted he had a problem.
• Tony told the Avengers that what he saw after carrying a nuclear missile through the portal had left him frightened by the Chitauri threat.
• Murphy and Steve reminded Tony that he had a team to rely on, and Murphy offered to show everyone his Moon Base and army.
• Murphy connected Jarvis to Captain, and Peter Parker excitedly asked questions as the Moon Base images appeared.

Murphy showed the Avengers his nearly complete Moon Base and then continued growing a body using Thor’s genes, the Life Ray, and vast amounts of energy and nutrients. As Thor arrived seeking help, Murphy learned that the Dark Elves had attacked Asgard after the Reality Stone reappeared.

• Murphy showed the Avengers the Moon Base’s defenses and the enormous Ghost interstellar warship.
• After the Avengers left, Murphy monitored the year-long growth of his new body, which used Thor’s enhanced genes and consumed increasing amounts of nutrients and energy.
• Murphy completed designs for early-warning and attack satellites and continued checking the body’s growth and scans.
• Murphy learned that the body’s energy demands came partly from Thor’s connection to Asgard, and he ensured the body would not develop its own consciousness.
• Thor arrived asking for Murphy’s help, and Murphy learned that the Dark Elves had attacked Asgard after the Reality Stone awakened them.

Thor asked Murphy to help save Asgard from the Dark Elves, and Murphy agreed to travel there aboard his newly built Ghost Battleship. After testing the ship, Murphy and Thor began a long series of spatial jumps toward Asgard.

• Thor told Murphy that Asgard's defenses were destroyed and described his plan to use Jane Foster as bait to attack the Dark Elves and destroy the Aether.
• Murphy agreed to help Thor and considered retrieving the Reality Stone, but they decided not to bring the Avengers.
• Murphy prepared energy supplies, and he and Thor traveled by Ravager Fighter to the Moon Base, where Thor saw the Ghost Battleship.
• Murphy ordered Elizabeth to inspect the Ghost Battleship during its first flight, and the ship reached maximum conventional speed without problems.
• Elizabeth calculated 963 spatial jumps, and the Ghost Battleship began its journey toward Asgard while Murphy monitored the ship and Thor endured the spatial distortion.

Thor brought Murphy's help to Asgard and joined Loki in taking Jane Foster to the Dark Elves' former homeworld, where Malekith extracted the Aether. Murphy attacked the Dark Elves' battleship with the Ghost Battleship, ending the chapter with its main battery scoring a direct hit.

• Thor returned to Asgard in a Ravager Fighter, and Odin rejected Thor's plan to leave and confront the Dark Elves.
• Thor met Loki, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three, then led them in taking Jane Foster from Asgard.
• Malekith sensed the Aether's location change and brought his battleship to the former Dark Elves' homeworld, where Murphy waited in hiding.
• Thor and Loki tricked Malekith, who extracted the Aether from Jane Foster before Thor attacked and caused it to split into crystals.
• Murphy ordered the Ghost Battleship to attack, while Christina led Ghost Fighters against the Dark Elves' fighters.
• Murphy's main battery fired on the Dark Elves' battleship and scored a direct hit.

Murphy and his forces destroyed the Dark Elves’ warship and most of their remaining fighters and soldiers, leaving Malekith with the Aether and one Cursed Warrior. Murphy joined Thor on the ground, killed the Cursed Warrior, and left Thor fighting Malekith.

• Murphy ordered the Ghost’s secondary batteries to bombard the Dark Elves’ warship until it broke apart, while Loki asked Thor where the reinforcements had come from.
• Thor told Jane Foster to retreat, then taunted Malekith as Malekith absorbed the Aether and vowed to take the Ghost.
• Christina’s fighters shot down the Dark Elves’ four fighters and attacked their remaining soldiers, killing all but Malekith and the Cursed Warrior.
• Murphy landed beside Thor and Loki, then attacked Malekith and the Cursed Warrior while Thor occupied Malekith with lightning.
• Murphy severed the Cursed Warrior’s arm and then cut off his head, causing his body to turn to sand.

Murphy and Thor fought Malekith while Murphy tested the Aether’s power and discovered that magnetic containment could sever part of its connection to Malekith. Murphy lured the pursuing Aether away from the battle, then turned back toward Thor and Malekith as it closed in on him.

• Thor and Murphy attacked Malekith together, but Malekith blocked their strikes and threatened to take the warship.
• Murphy ordered Elizabeth to move the warship into space, prompting Malekith to unleash the Aether at Murphy and Thor.
• Murphy used a thick Liquid Metal shield to block the Aether, then trapped part of it in a magnetic metal sphere and severed its connection to Malekith.
• Murphy drew the remaining Aether away while Thor charged Malekith, but Elizabeth reported that Thor was still fighting him.
• Murphy turned back toward Thor and Malekith as the Aether pursued him to within two meters.

Murphy helped Thor defeat Malekith and captured the Reality Stone, but the Soul Stone blasted it away when it tried to enter Murphy’s body. Thor claimed the Reality Stone and took it aboard the Ghost, leaving Murphy to accompany him to Asgard while they postponed their disagreement until they could consult Odin.

• Murphy rushed at Malekith and killed him with his Arm Blade before releasing the Aether.
• The Reality Stone attacked Murphy, but the Soul Stone unleashed an energy blast that expelled it from his body.
• The Aether reformed as the Reality Stone, which Thor picked up despite Murphy insisting it was his spoils of war.
• Thor refused to give Murphy the Reality Stone, so they agreed to take it to Asgard and seek Odin’s judgment.
• Aboard the Ghost, Murphy secured access to Asgard’s repository of knowledge, while Loki remained missing after the battle.

Thor brought Murphy and Jane Foster to Asgard after defeating Malekith and recovering the Reality Stone. Odin kept the Stone in Asgard but granted Murphy access to Asgardian technology, while Thor celebrated and Murphy toured the realm with Sif.

• Thor introduced Murphy to Odin and reported that Malekith had been defeated and the Reality Stone recovered.
• Odin thanked Murphy for helping Asgard but refused to give him the Reality Stone, saying Asgard would safeguard it.
• Murphy asked to study Asgardian technology, and Odin agreed before leaving the throne room.
• Thor announced a victory feast, while Murphy asked Sif to show him around Asgard and she agreed reluctantly.
• Odin watched over his kingdom alone and wondered when Thor would become a true king.
• Murphy attended the banquet in Asgardian clothing with Jane Foster and Thor, keeping his attention on Sif.

Murphy studied Asgardian knowledge while Thor questioned Odin about Murphy’s interest in Sif. Jane Foster asked Murphy to stop pursuing Sif because she expected to leave Thor, but Murphy rejected her attempt to choose Sif’s future; he then learned that Asgard’s master artisans studied the patterns used to control Dark Energy.

• Asgard’s banquet continued, and Murphy began studying its vast treasury of knowledge.
• Thor asked Odin why Sif was guiding Murphy, and Odin said Thor had no right to stop someone else from pursuing her.
• Jane Foster asked Murphy to stop pursuing Sif, explaining that she planned to leave Thor after hearing Loki’s words about their relationship.
• Murphy rebuked Jane for treating Sif as Thor’s replacement, and Jane left after admitting her request was selfish.
• Murphy asked Sif about Dark Energy and learned that only master artisans studied its control patterns, while dwarves forged weapons as powerful as Mjolnir.