Chapter Summaries

Murphy searched Wayne Enterprises for Bruce Wayne, then waited in his office and tested his telekinesis. When Bruce arrived, Murphy revealed himself as an unseen presence and stopped Bruce’s Batarangs in midair.

• Murphy explored Wayne Enterprises in Metropolis but did not find Bruce Wayne in the chairman’s office.
• Murphy waited in the office and practiced lifting objects with telekinesis.
• Bruce entered, sensed someone watching him, and searched the office after his Batarangs passed through Murphy.
• Murphy lifted the objects again, confirming Bruce’s suspicion that someone with powers was present.
• Murphy spoke to Bruce and halted the Batarangs in midair when Bruce threw them at him.

Murphy revealed himself to Bruce Wayne as an invisible ghost who wanted to study his soul, leaving Bruce reassured that he was not hallucinating. Murphy stayed with Bruce and began observing him.

• Bruce charged at Murphy but passed through him and crashed into a sofa.
• Murphy introduced himself as Ghost, said he did not intend to kill Bruce, and asked to follow and observe him.
• Bruce went to his hidden base, ordered Alfred to inspect its defenses, and found no sign of an intruder.
• Bruce heard Murphy speak when Alfred could not, and feared that he was imagining the ghost.
• Murphy made himself visible, and Bruce accepted his existence and invited him to sit.

Murphy met Bruce Wayne in Soul State and challenged his fear of Superman and his growing sense of helplessness. Bruce agreed to let Murphy enhance him, and they prepared to begin in the underground base.

• Bruce Wayne asked why Murphy was observing him, and Murphy criticized Batman’s dark suit and suggested brighter colors and a signature weapon.
• Murphy explained that he wanted to understand Bruce’s soul and questioned whether Superman was only a threat rather than also a protector of Earth.
• Bruce admitted he feared he was growing too old to keep fighting and wanted to eliminate Superman while he still could.
• Murphy suggested Earth had other superheroes and offered to enhance Bruce with a strength-boosting serum and possibly a virus.
• Bruce agreed to Murphy’s offer, drained his wine, and asked what materials they would need.

Murphy used Dr. Abraham Erskine’s serum and a Life Ray to enhance Bruce Wayne, who emerged stronger and younger. Bruce decided he would no longer seek to kill Superman unless Superman committed crimes, while Murphy asked to hear about Bruce’s past thoughts for his study of souls.

• Bruce Wayne asked Alfred to buy the materials for a serum that could increase human strength fivefold, while keeping Murphy’s existence secret from him.
• Murphy assembled the Life Ray and prepared the serum, then injected six doses into Bruce and began the enhancement.
• Alfred rushed into the base during the procedure, and Bruce insisted that Murphy continue despite the pain.
• Bruce emerged from the chamber stronger and younger, and he introduced Murphy to Alfred as Ghost, the one who had helped him.
• Bruce told Alfred he would no longer seek to kill Superman because he had regained his strength and Superman had committed no crimes.
• Murphy asked Bruce to explain his past thoughts, and Bruce wondered whether the request related to Murphy’s study of souls.

Murphy discussed Bruce Wayne’s resolve to kill Superman if necessary and admired his willingness to accept the consequences. Murphy enhanced Alfred, and the chapter ended with Bruce and Alfred stronger and Murphy planning to upgrade the Batcave’s equipment.

• Bruce Wayne explained that Superman’s unchecked power made him a threat, and he intended to kill him if needed and accept any punishment.
• Murphy acknowledged Bruce’s convictions and offered to enhance Alfred after their discussion.
• Bruce went to test his increased strength while Murphy enhanced Alfred, restoring the old butler’s physical strength.
• Bruce returned and embraced Alfred, and Murphy said he needed to improve Batman’s equipment.

Consciousness Murphy struggled to control his body while his soul was away, and he warned Steve Rogers and Nick Fury about Hydra's reach. As the Avengers waited for a chance to act, Alexander Pierce ordered Nick Fury killed to provoke them.

• Consciousness Murphy practiced controlling the Light-Based Nerves while his body remained immobile in The Cradle.
• Hank Pym showed Steve Rogers and Nick Fury Murphy's condition, and Murphy appeared as a hologram to speak with them.
• Murphy told Nick Fury that Hydra had members in the World Security Council and urged the Avengers to stay still until he could build an armored suit.
• Steve Rogers said Ultron had not acted, and Murphy ordered him to keep Murphy's condition secret and tell Tony Stark not to rush.
• Alexander Pierce suspected something had happened to Murphy and ordered Sitwell to take out Nick Fury to provoke the Avengers.

Nick Fury escaped a Hydra assassination attempt in a heavily armored Ghost Group SUV and called Murphy for help. Murphy sent a Ravager Fighter and his team to assist, but Winter Soldier Bucky might still intercept Fury.

• Alexander Pierce ordered an assassination operation against Nick Fury, hoping Hydra could seize control of S.H.I.E.L.D. after his death.
• Hydra operatives disguised as police officers surrounded Nick Fury’s SUV and tried to force it off the road.
• Nick Fury activated the SUV’s jet boost, broke through the blockade, and followed an escape route provided by Ghost Group’s satellite system.
• Nick Fury contacted Murphy, who said a Ravager Fighter and his team were on the way and Laura would help him escape.
• Murphy realized Winter Soldier Bucky might still intercept Nick Fury as Hydra’s operatives opened fire on the highway.

Laura helped Nick Fury evade Hydra’s attack while Murphy tracked the Winter Soldier. When Fury was cornered by helicopters and Hydra agents, Avengers members arrived, rescued him, and captured Bucky.

• Laura adjusted Nick Fury’s escape route and helped his vehicle destroy a pursuing helicopter and repel a magnetic bomb.
• Nick Fury’s vehicle fought off Hydra’s attackers as Alexander Pierce ordered another helicopter to use its rocket launcher.
• A Ravager Fighter destroyed the rocket-armed helicopter, and four Avengers descended to help Nick Fury.
• Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne confronted the Winter Soldier, and Hope sent Bucky flying before Scott slammed him unconscious.
• Hope ordered Peter to bind Bucky and planned to take Nick Fury away from the scene.

Bruce Wayne trained with his enhanced strength and asked Murphy to help him prepare a deterrent against Superman. Murphy revealed that Kryptonite weakened Kryptonians, while Bruce planned to obtain and secure it as Murphy began redesigning his equipment and Batcave.

• Bruce Wayne shattered a punching bag and discussed adapting to his enhanced strength with Murphy.
• Bruce Wayne explained that he wanted a deterrent in case Superman went out of control and planned to find his weakness.
• Murphy told Bruce Wayne about Kryptonite and said Alexander Luthor possessed a large piece of it.
• Bruce Wayne decided to obtain the Kryptonite, make weapons from it, and seal them away.
• Bruce Wayne asked Murphy to modify his equipment, and Murphy began planning combat gear and upgrades to the Batcave.

Murphy watched a debate about Superman and hacked into the live television program to challenge Senator Finch’s stance and point out that Superman could not be restrained. Clark Kent watched Murphy’s intervention and was unsettled by its extreme methods.

• Alfred received Murphy’s synthetic-metal formula and thanked him, while Murphy expected Alfred to use it to reclaim Wayne Enterprises shares.
• Murphy watched Senator Finch discuss Superman and questioned the accusation that Superman had killed civilians.
• Murphy compared Superman’s position with his own power to control global satellite systems and wondered what people would do when disaster struck.
• Unable to reach the program’s crowded hotline, Murphy hacked the television station and announced that he wanted to express his opinion.
• Murphy told Senator Finch that, like him, Superman could not be restrained if he chose to act badly, leaving Clark Kent stunned and displeased.
• The host asked Murphy for his view.

Murphy, appearing on a television broadcast as Mr. Ghost, challenged Senator Finch’s accusations against Superman and argued that humanity should respect his power while preparing to defend itself. After ending the broadcast, Murphy reflected that he was still searching for the right way to regard power.

• Murphy questioned Senator Finch’s claims about Superman’s role in the deaths during the incident abroad, and Finch said the investigation was ongoing.
• Murphy accused Finch of using disadvantaged groups to advance her political goals, then identified himself to the host as Mr. Ghost.
• Murphy argued that Superman had protected Earth, that politicians should not try to restrain him without equal power, and that humanity should prepare for future threats.
• Senator Finch asked what would happen if Superman lost control, and the host agreed with Murphy that confrontation would only provoke him.
• Murphy ended the connection and reflected that he was still searching for an answer about how people should regard power.

Murphy discussed his uncertainty about facing Thanos and Bruce Wayne challenged his belief that powerful enemies could be impossible to defeat. After Bruce continued investigating Lex Luthor’s setup, Murphy returned to developing armor suited to Bruce’s strengths.

• Murphy admitted he lacked enough knowledge of Thanos’s power to challenge him, and Bruce Wayne argued that every seemingly invincible person must have a weakness.
• Bruce told Murphy that his investigation had uncovered clues about Superman’s killing and suggested it had been deliberately arranged.
• Murphy identified Lex Luthor as the one who framed Superman and used Kryptonite to bargain with the government, but urged Bruce to continue investigating for himself.
• Bruce left to pursue the investigation, while Murphy hoped he would encounter Wonder Woman and considered what he might learn from her genes and other sources of power.
• Murphy rejected Nanite Armor for Bruce and settled on designing protective half-body armor with soft cushioning, heavy defenses, gadgets, and Batman’s signature cape.

Bruce Wayne asked Murphy whether his decades of fighting crime as Batman had been worthwhile, and Murphy argued that Wayne should have used his wealth and corporation to rebuild Gotham City instead. Bruce began preparing a citywide redevelopment plan and invited Murphy to Lex Luthor’s library opening banquet.

• Bruce Wayne asked Murphy to assess his past efforts to fight crime, and Murphy offered his own approach without judging Bruce’s choices.
• Murphy said Bruce could use Wayne Enterprises to create jobs and improve Gotham City, weakening the poverty that drove many people to crime.
• Murphy argued that twenty years of investment could have given Bruce influence over Gotham’s industries, mayoral elections, and police leadership.
• Bruce questioned whether it was too late to change course, and Murphy urged him to start with a comprehensive redevelopment plan, including housing and infrastructure.
• Bruce instructed Wayne Enterprises’ design department to prepare a plan for Gotham City’s redevelopment and invited Murphy to the library opening banquet.

Murphy helped Bruce Wayne track Wonder Woman at Lex Luthor’s library event, where Bruce and Diana Prince tested each other’s strength. The chapter ended with Diana explaining that she had come to retrieve an old photograph of herself while Bruce insisted he wanted to know her.

• Murphy followed Bruce Wayne to Metropolis’s library and warned him that Wonder Woman was watching him install a device.
• Bruce told Murphy to watch Wonder Woman, while Murphy also spotted Clark Kent following Bruce.
• Diana took Bruce’s device, and Bruce confronted her outside as Clark watched from hiding.
• Bruce and Diana introduced themselves and discussed their strength as they walked away from the library.
• Diana struck Bruce with an elbow, but he resisted the blow; she said she had only wanted to retrieve a photograph of herself from Lex Luthor.

Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince fought in the library, where Diana’s superior strength was offset by Bruce’s combat skill. Clark Kent stopped them to fly off and rescue someone from a fire, and Bruce and Diana left to copy the book while considering each other’s identities and abilities.

• Diana Prince attacked Bruce Wayne, and he discovered her speed and strength far exceeded his own.
• Bruce used his combat experience to knock Diana down, but she caught his fist and threw him away.
• Clark Kent, wearing Superman’s suit, intervened and flew off to rescue someone trapped in a fire.
• Diana agreed to copy the book, declined Bruce’s invitation for a drink, and left with him to get the car.
• Murphy told Bruce that Lex Luthor likely knew the identities of Batman and Diana, and Bruce drove off to investigate what his equipment had found.

Bruce Wayne and Murphy discussed the limits of Bruce's equipment, while Nick Fury sought Murphy's help after surviving an assassination attempt. Fury exposed Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. to the World Security Council, leaving Gideon Malick unable to prevent the revelation and scrambling to warn Alexander Pierce.

• Bruce Wayne admitted Superman and Wonder Woman had easily stopped their attacks, then asked Murphy whether his equipment could stand against them.
• Murphy told Bruce that his enhancements might work against Wonder Woman but could not match Superman because they relied on a human foundation.
• Nick Fury went to Ghost Group headquarters instead of returning to S.H.I.E.L.D., and Murphy urged him to report Hydra to the World Security Council.
• Fury told the council that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and showed them the captured Bucky Barnes as evidence.
• Gideon Malick proposed disbanding S.H.I.E.L.D., but Fury warned that its alien technology could be lost, and Malick moved to alert Alexander Pierce.

Murphy and Nick Fury secured the council members’ agreement to merge S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Avengers and arrange a visit to other civilizations. After Murphy gave Fury a list of suspected Hydra agents, Alexander Pierce learned the plan and began plotting an attack on the Avengers with General Ross.

• Nick Fury persuaded the council members to agree to Murphy arranging an interstellar visit, and they settled on merging S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Avengers.
• Murphy sent Nick Fury a list of S.H.I.E.L.D. higher-ups he suspected of belonging to Hydra, including Alexander Pierce, John Garrett, and Grant Ward.
• Gideon Malick warned Alexander Pierce that Nick Fury had exposed Hydra and that the council members had agreed to merge S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Avengers.
• Alexander Pierce dismissed Gideon Malick’s concerns and decided to seek an alliance with General Ross and Ultron against the Avengers.
• Alexander Pierce proposed attacking the Avengers’ base with three Helicarriers, and General Ross asked for the specific plan.

Ultron and General Ross formed a secret alliance to build the Steel Legion and attack the Avengers, each intending to use the partnership for his own ends. As Ultron prepared a plan to destroy humanity, Bruce Wayne told Murphy that he was struggling to understand the world of superpowered people.

• Ultron persuaded General Ross to send him to Sokovia, where he could use Hydra's automated production line to build the Steel Legion.
• General Ross prepared to deploy his two hundred Extremis Soldiers, while Ultron secretly planned to turn the Avengers' coming battle into an opportunity to destroy humanity.
• Nick Fury and Maria Hill began organizing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret arrests of Hydra members, and Phil Coulson was assigned to keep Grant Ward under control.
• Ultron entered Sokovia, designed a combat body from Titanium-Vanadium Alloy, and began fitting a section of land with jet propulsion devices.
• Murphy shifted his surveillance from Sokovia to General Ross's base, while Bruce Wayne said the world's superpowered people were hard to understand.

Murphy renovated the Batcave and built Bruce Wayne a remotely assembled half-armor suit from new alloy. Bruce returned with the Kryptonite, tried the suit, and adapted to its automatic assembly with ease.

• Bruce Wayne and Murphy discussed Lex Luthor's unclear plans, and Bruce decided to seek answers from Lex himself.
• Murphy demolished and rebuilt the Batcave, reinforcing its structure, redirecting the incoming lake water into waterfalls, and giving the interior a white finish.
• Murphy crafted Batman a three-layer half-armor with a powered assembly system, remote-controlled metal components, and a cape that could become a glider.
• Bruce Wayne returned with the Kryptonite and was astonished by the armor Murphy had designed for him.
• Bruce Wayne put on the undersuit and calmly let the armor assemble around him at the new control console.

Bruce Wayne investigated Wallace Keefe’s planned attack on Superman and discovered that Lex Luthor had supplied the bomb-rigged wheelchair. After taking Wallace to the Wayne Rehabilitation Center, Bruce appeared at the hearing in Batman’s suit to face Superman in his place.

• Bruce Wayne learned that Wallace Keefe had been bailed out and arranged a hearing, then investigated him before the hearing.
• Bruce found a bomb in Wallace’s wheelchair and learned that Lex Luthor had provided it.
• Bruce destroyed the wheelchair bomb, took Wallace to the Wayne Rehabilitation Center, and said he would attend the hearing in his place.
• Lex Luthor learned Wallace had disappeared and ordered his assistant to blame Superman for the explosion.
• Superman arrived at the hearing, and Batman landed in the plaza and announced that he would attend in Wallace’s place.