Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Homelander’s staged plane-rescue operation begins as planned: S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pose as hijackers and passengers so he can publicly “save” everyone and build his heroic image.
• The disguised passengers enthusiastically praise Homelander, leaving the real civilians—Lacy and an IT enthusiast—confused about his identity.
• Homelander performs his friendly, approachable superhero persona, reassuring the passengers and accepting their admiration.
• Lacy suddenly becomes possessed or mentally controlled by Dormammu. Black-violet energy spreads through her eyes, and she identifies herself as his servant.
• Lacy attacks and kills the IT enthusiast with a conjured energy spike, attempting to offer his soul as a sacrifice to Dormammu.
• She begins a ritual to open a dimensional gateway, declaring her devotion to Dormammu and claiming that she has already sacrificed many girls for him.
• Dormammu betrays her by consuming Lacy herself when the ritual lacks sufficient energy. Her body withers and petrifies, but the ritual succeeds in opening a narrow rift to the Dark Dimension.
• A grotesque tentacle reaches through the rift, overwhelming Homelander with fear and disturbing illusions.
• Homelander abandons the staged-rescue performance and unleashes his full Super Heat Vision against the tentacle.
• The Ancient One intervenes, using the Mirror Dimension to contain the resulting energy explosion and prevent damage to the plane.
• She dismisses Dormammu and seals the dimensional rift with Vishanti magic.
• Before the gateway closes, Dormammu declares that he has already “claimed” Homelander and threatens The Ancient One, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Homelander: Initially focused on manipulating public perception and appearing heroic, he becomes genuinely frightened when confronted with Dormammu’s alien magic. His panic causes him to drop his carefully maintained act and attack with maximum force.
• Lacy: Revealed to be a fanatical servant of Dormammu, willing to sacrifice others to summon him. Her final moment of awareness suggests she realizes too late that Dormammu views his followers as expendable fuel.
• The IT enthusiast: His excitement over Homelander inspires him to propose making a video game about the superhero, but he becomes Lacy’s sacrificial victim.
• The Ancient One: Demonstrates calm authority and overwhelming magical control. She protects the plane, neutralizes Dormammu’s incursion, and treats his threat with contempt.
• Dormammu: Shown to be predatory and manipulative, consuming even his own worshippers. He recognizes Homelander as an outsider and apparently establishes some kind of claim or influence over him.

Significant Themes

• False heroism versus real danger: Homelander’s staged rescue is exposed as superficial when an authentic supernatural crisis emerges.
• Manipulation and public image: The operation depends on manufactured praise and scripted reactions, highlighting Homelander’s reliance on performance rather than genuine heroism.
• Fanaticism and exploitation: Lacy sacrifices others for Dormammu, only to be consumed herself, illustrating how devotion to a powerful entity becomes self-destruction.
• Clash of power systems: Homelander’s physical abilities and heat vision are contrasted with Dormammu’s dimensional magic and The Ancient One’s mystical defenses.
• Unintended consequences: A controlled mission spirals into a real catastrophe, showing how quickly artificial schemes can become uncontrollable.
• Threat from outside reality: Dormammu’s arrival introduces a danger beyond ordinary superhumans, suggesting that Homelander may now be entangled in a larger supernatural conflict.

Character Interactions

• Homelander interacts with the disguised S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while they enthusiastically reinforce his superhero persona.
• He attempts to comfort Lacy and the other passengers, though his performance is partly motivated by maintaining his public image.
• The IT enthusiast excitedly idolizes Homelander and plans to create a game about him, irritating and embarrassing Homelander.
• Lacy abruptly turns against the IT enthusiast, sacrificing him to Dormammu in front of Homelander and the agents.
• Homelander and Dormammu clash when Homelander attacks the extradimensional tentacle with Super Heat Vision.
• The Ancient One directly confronts Dormammu, seals his portal, and rejects his accusation that she is interfering in his affairs.
• Dormammu’s final warning implies a future confrontation involving both Homelander and The Ancient One.

Chapter Summary: “Dormammu: You Are the True Heroes!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Ancient One avoids a direct confrontation with Homelander by sealing the dimensional rift and canceling her teleportation spell. She admits that Dormammu’s invasion was an unforeseen event and that even the Time Stone cannot make her completely omniscient.
• She reflects that powerful outsiders such as Homelander weaken the Time Stone’s reliability, reinforcing why she previously warned Ryan not to bring his father to Earth too often.
• In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu goes into a violent rage after the invasion fails. He destroys his own followers and prisoners, converting them into magical energy while demanding that Thanos destroy the Infinity Stones.
• Dormammu observes that the clash between his dark magic and the Ancient One’s Mirror Dimension was so powerful that a small amount of his magic escaped into the real world.
• The magical backlash damages the airliner’s hydraulic and propulsion systems, causing it to lose control and begin falling.
• Homelander initially hesitates in fear, but ultimately chooses to save the plane, motivating himself with the thought that he cannot disappoint his son again.
• Dormammu becomes fascinated by Homelander’s strength, body, and Bio-Field. He decides that Homelander would be an ideal vessel and sends the residual dark magic into him to corrupt and possess him.
• Dormammu’s magic appears to succeed: dark runes form on Homelander’s forehead, indicating that he has been mentally corrupted.
• However, after Homelander safely lands the plane, he does not open a portal or follow Dormammu’s commands. Instead, he turns to the crowd and declares, “You are the true heroes!”
• Dormammu realizes that Homelander’s obsessive need to be praised as a hero has overridden the dark magic’s influence, leaving him enraged and bewildered.

Character Developments

• The Ancient One: Becomes more aware of the limits of her foresight and the growing danger posed by outside powers. She is frustrated that so many forces appear to be waiting for her death or downfall, but remains focused on stabilizing herself and reassessing the future.
• Dormammu: Shifts from fury to greedy excitement when he identifies Homelander as a potential perfect vessel, then falls into confusion and rage when his corruption fails. His arrogance and overconfidence prevent him from recognizing the strength of Homelander’s psychological obsession until the end.
• Homelander: Despite his cowardice and fear when confronted by overwhelming power, he shows enough courage to save the crashing plane. His heroic act is not purely selfless—he is driven by the fear of disappointing Ryan—but his desperate desire for public admiration ultimately protects him from Dormammu’s control.
• Thanos: Appears only indirectly, but Dormammu condemns him for wasting time slaughtering species instead of destroying the Infinity Stones.

Significant Themes

• Limits of power and foresight: Even the Ancient One and the Time Stone cannot predict or control every unexpected development, especially when outside entities interfere with the universe.
• Corruption versus obsession: Dormammu assumes dark magic can overcome Homelander’s weak will, but Homelander’s fixation on being recognized as a hero proves stronger than supernatural corruption.
• Heroism and hypocrisy: Homelander performs a genuinely lifesaving act, yet his motives are rooted in insecurity and the need for praise. His public claim that others are “the true heroes” is both performative and psychologically central to him.
• Power as temptation: Dormammu views Homelander primarily as a beautiful, powerful vessel, emphasizing the way powerful beings reduce others to tools, bodies, or sources of magical energy.
• Arrogance and miscalculation: Dormammu’s certainty that Homelander will be easy to corrupt leads him to underestimate the unusual depth of Homelander’s emotional fixation.

Character Interactions

• Ancient One and Homelander: They do not meet directly in this chapter, but their earlier confrontation shapes the events. The Ancient One’s defenses contain most of Dormammu’s power, while Homelander’s strength contributes to the destructive collision.
• Dormammu and Homelander: Dormammu watches Homelander from afar, admires his physical power, and attempts to possess him through dark magic. Homelander unknowingly resists by clinging to his “true hero” identity.
• Dormammu and the Ancient One: Dormammu blames the Ancient One for blocking his invasion and boasts that obtaining Homelander’s body would make her defenses—and the Sanctums—insufficient.
• Homelander and Ryan: Ryan never appears directly, but his influence is crucial: Homelander saves the plane because he does not want to fail his son again.
• Homelander and the Crowd: After landing the plane, Homelander addresses the bystanders with false humility, praising them as the true heroes. This public performance unintentionally defeats Dormammu’s corruption.

Chapter Summary: “Even an Evil Dad Loved You!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dormammu’s dark magic triggers the emergence of a separate, evil personality within Homelander. This new personality, “Evil Homelander,” locks away both the original Homelander and the magical influence deep in his mind, taking full control of the body.
• Ryan rushes to the airport after hearing about the apparent plane hijacking. Homelander has publicly rescued the passengers, but the plane contains a large hole and two people have died. Ryan realizes the incident was likely connected to a staged operation involving S.H.I.E.L.D., though he cannot understand why Homelander killed anyone.
• During the airport press conference, Evil Homelander boasts that he and The Seven do not need approval from the Avengers. He announces plans to create a new version of The Seven in this world, with Soldier Boy and Ryan already included.
• A reporter begins asking whether Homelander and The Seven came from another world. Ryan recognizes the danger of Homelander revealing the truth and interrupts, pretending to celebrate his father’s heroic rescue and redirecting the reporters toward Superman comics.
• Evil Homelander claims Superman is merely fictional and implies that Superman may have been based on him. He presents himself as the real, superior version of the hero.
• Before leaving, Homelander promotes Ryan’s upcoming film, Superhuman: In the Name of the Father, ensuring that the rescue becomes both a public-relations victory and an advertisement for Vought.
• The media celebrates Homelander’s rescue and debates whether he is the real Superman. Attention also shifts toward possible candidates for the four remaining positions in The Seven, though most suggested heroes are too weak to match Homelander.
• Back at Vought Studios, Ryan confronts Homelander privately. He reveals that he knows about the cultist Lacy, Dormammu, the Ancient One, and the personality split. Ryan suggests taking Homelander to someone who might be able to restore him.
• Evil Homelander refuses, insisting that Ryan’s movie premiere is more important and claiming that he will handle every problem himself.

Character Developments

• Evil Homelander: Becomes fully active and assumes control of Homelander’s body. Unlike the emotionally unstable original personality, he is confident, calculating, manipulative, and eager to reshape The Seven and dominate public perception. Despite his cruelty, he shows possessive affection toward Ryan and frames his actions as protecting his son.
• Original Homelander: Remains trapped within his own mind, with his memories and instincts still influencing Evil Homelander’s public behavior. His ingrained superhero persona and desire to please Ryan continue to surface indirectly.
• Ryan: Demonstrates sharp awareness, quick thinking, and emotional maturity. He immediately detects that his father has changed, understands the danger posed by the new personality, and cleverly prevents the press from discovering their otherworldly origins. He is also determined to save his father rather than simply accept the new personality.
• Dormammu: His magical manipulation indirectly causes the personality split, though he does not appear directly in the chapter.
• The Avengers: Their statement handing responsibility for world protection to Homelander and The Seven is overshadowed by the airport spectacle and media frenzy.

Significant Themes

• Identity and corruption: The chapter explores the consequences of Homelander’s divided personality and asks whether the evil persona is a separate individual or merely an unrestrained part of him.
• Public image versus reality: Homelander’s genuine violence is hidden beneath staged heroics, media control, and carefully scripted superhero performances.
• Family and possessive love: Evil Homelander is dangerous but still sincerely attached to Ryan. His version of fatherly love is controlling and self-serving, yet he believes he is protecting Ryan.
• Manipulation of media: The plane rescue, press conference, film promotion, and debate over Superman all show how heroism is manufactured through publicity.
• Power and legitimacy: Homelander rejects the Avengers’ authority and declares that he will build a stronger, more impressive team, positioning himself as the world’s rightful protector.

Character Interactions

• Homelander and the reporters: Evil Homelander uses the press conference to insult the Avengers, promote himself, announce The Seven’s expansion, and advertise Ryan’s film.
• Ryan and the reporters: Ryan interrupts the dangerous question about their origins and redirects the conversation with an enthusiastic display of admiration for his father.
• Ryan and Homelander at the airport: Ryan acts like a proud son in public, but privately studies Homelander and recognizes that something is deeply wrong.
• Ryan and Evil Homelander at Vought: Ryan proposes finding someone capable of reversing the personality split. Evil Homelander dismisses the suggestion and insists on prioritizing Ryan’s movie, revealing both his refusal to surrender control and his warped sense of paternal devotion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Vought Studios holds a lavish premiere for Ryan’s second film, backed by Stark Industries and attended by major Marvel celebrities.
• Tony Stark and pregnant Pepper arrive, attracting enormous public attention. When a host provocatively asks whether the Avengers have stepped aside so Homelander, Soldier Boy, and Ryan can protect Earth, Pepper skillfully deflects the question while implying that the Avengers are handling larger cosmic threats and that Tony supports Vought’s heroes.
• Pepper teases Tony about his former womanizing and reminds him of an embarrassing incident from before their relationship.
• Tony notices a suspicious, disheveled man near the theater. Friday identifies him as Stephen Strange, but Pepper still asks Tony to investigate the emergency-exit surveillance after noticing a strange shadow.
• Homelander’s evil persona becomes visibly irritated by Iron Man’s superior popularity. He rushes through the premiere’s promotional events and retreats to the theater before the screening begins.
• Ryan stays with him and reassures him that Homelander’s acting is more impressive than his own, emphasizing that Homelander played two roles in the film and is central to its story.
• Ryan jokingly suggests that the movie’s Iron Man-like villain will cause audiences to dislike the real Iron Man. This finally improves Homelander’s mood, though Ryan stops him from proposing a real-world scheme to frame or discredit Tony.
• Ryan praises his father as the future “National Protector Superman.” Homelander becomes intrigued by the title and asks whether Ryan wants him to adopt it.
• Ryan openly confirms that he does. Homelander realizes that Ryan wants the evil persona—not merely the original Homelander identity—to survive and become his true father figure.
• Homelander agrees to help Ryan find “her” after the movie and cautiously asks whether the National Protector Superman persona may participate in the next film.

Character Developments

• Evil Homelander/National Protector Superman: His insecurity and jealousy surface when he compares himself with Iron Man’s popularity. Ryan’s praise restores his confidence and gives him a possible new identity beyond the name and role created by Vought. His tenderness toward Ryan suggests that, despite his brutality, he genuinely values their relationship and fears losing his place in Ryan’s life.
• Ryan: He demonstrates emotional intelligence and strategic manipulation. By flattering Homelander, appealing to his pride, and introducing the “National Protector Superman” title, Ryan subtly encourages the persona he prefers. He also prevents Homelander from turning fictional rivalry into a real-world attack on Iron Man.
• Tony Stark: Tony remains proud and quick-tempered, especially when the host challenges his status. However, he is also cautious and protective of Pepper because of her pregnancy, immediately investigating a suspicious attendee.
• Pepper Potts: Pepper acts as Tony’s diplomatic counterbalance, handling the hostile interview more effectively than Tony likely would have. She is observant, protective, and still capable of teasing Tony about his past.
• Soldier Boy: Ryan delegates the premiere’s social duties to him, indicating that Ryan trusts him to manage guests while Ryan focuses on Homelander.
• Stephen Strange: He appears briefly as a suspicious, unusually dressed attendee, hinting at a possible subplot involving magic, surveillance, or an undisclosed threat.

Significant Themes

• Identity and self-definition: Homelander struggles between the identity imposed by Vought and the persona Ryan wants him to become. “National Protector Superman” represents a possible personal identity built around Ryan’s approval.
• The need for recognition: The chapter contrasts Iron Man’s established fame with Homelander’s growing but inferior popularity. Homelander’s anger shows how deeply he craves public admiration.
• Parental influence and emotional manipulation: Ryan uses praise, affection, and carefully chosen language to shape Homelander’s ambitions, while Homelander responds strongly to his son’s approval.
• Public image versus true power: The heroes’ reputations are treated as political and commercial assets. The premiere and media interviews show how celebrity status influences public perceptions of who truly protects the world.
• Fiction affecting reality: The film’s portrayal of an Iron Man-like villain could influence audiences’ feelings toward the real Tony Stark, blurring the boundary between entertainment and propaganda.
• Possession, succession, and mortality: Homelander’s apparent awareness that he may not permanently control the body gives his insistence on watching Ryan’s film added emotional weight. His interest in joining the next movie suggests a desire to preserve his presence and legacy.

Important Character Interactions

• Tony and Pepper: They combine public diplomacy with private teasing and mutual protectiveness. Pepper prevents Tony from escalating the hostile interview and later urges him to investigate the suspicious figure.
• Ryan and Homelander: Their conversation is the emotional center of the chapter. Ryan flatters and reassures Homelander, then directly reveals his preference for the evil persona to become “National Protector Superman.” Homelander responds with affection and a willingness to follow Ryan’s lead.
• Tony and the host: The host challenges Tony’s prestige and suggests the Avengers have been replaced, creating tension and exposing the rivalry between established Marvel heroes and Vought’s new stars.
• Tony and Stephen Strange: Tony identifies Strange as the suspicious attendee but remains alert because of the strange circumstances, setting up a potential future conflict or mystery.

Key plot points and events

• At a Queens cinema, Peter and Ned watch Son of Nature. The film reveals that villain Zod has improved a virus intended to counter superhumans and has developed memory-programming technology, though it seems unreliable on superpowered people.
• Peter starts to tell Ned something he cannot discuss, but other moviegoers hush them so they can watch Homelander.
• At the premiere, Stephen Strange notices Compound V and wonders whether it could repair his injured hands. He decides he will ask Homelander for help after the screening.
• Strange hears an unsettling, seemingly supernatural summons invoking the Dark Dimension. He senses danger and stands to warn Homelander.
• Ryan recognizes Strange and understands that his warning is real. He scans the theater but finds no attacker among the audience.
• Ryan then hears a stone tile shift and spots a rapidly opening portal beneath Homelander’s seat. Despite Ryan’s attempt to warn him, Homelander is swallowed by the portal, which closes as an incantation names Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension.

Character developments and interactions

• Peter remains cautious about revealing what he knows, while Ned is enthusiastic about the film and imagines becoming a justice-minded hero with Compound V.
• Strange, desperate to regain the use of his hands, shifts from hopeful curiosity about Compound V to urgent action when he senses an imminent threat.
• Ryan recognizes Strange as the future Sorcerer Supreme and reacts immediately to his warning, but cannot save Homelander in time.
• Homelander, Soldier Boy, and Ryan are momentarily united in their irritation at Strange’s interruption; the mood turns to alarm when Ryan identifies the portal.

Significant themes

• Hope and desperation: Strange sees Compound V as a possible cure and a last chance to restore his life.
• Instinct and responsibility: Strange risks drawing attention to himself to warn Homelander, while Ryan acts on the warning before fully understanding it.
• Hidden danger and sudden disruption: The movie’s apparent focus gives way to a real supernatural attack, blurring the boundary between the screening and the unfolding crisis.

Plot points and events

• Dormammu’s followers ambush Homelander using magic, which Ryan realizes the superhumans cannot readily detect or understand. Homelander is pulled into a distorted Mirror Dimension.
• Ryan orders Soldier Boy and Iron Man to evacuate the crowd, then uses Berserk to push his Heat Vision to level six. The attack briefly disrupts the hidden dimension and reveals an opening, but it closes again.
• Soldier Boy tries to jump into the opening, but Ryan knocks him aside. Inside the Mirror Dimension, Kaecilius and his mages begin a ritual to summon Dormammu and bind Homelander.
• Ryan locates the ritual and charges through the mages’ attacks, spending experience points to regain speed despite the cost and the drop in his abilities after Berserk.
• A tentacle strikes Ryan and sets his arms alight with soul-burning magic. Dormammu’s power unexpectedly extinguishes the flames, but Ryan reaches Kaecilius and kills him, breaking the summoning ritual.
• As the Mirror Dimension collapses, Dormammu wonders what Ryan and Homelander are—and why one seems to lack a soul. Ryan escapes with the still-unconscious Homelander, troubled that he has not awakened.

Character developments

• Ryan acts with urgency and fierce loyalty to Homelander. He risks magical attack, burns through resources, and prioritizes rescue over caution. His “Best Actor System” also neutralizes the soul-scorching spell as a foreign intrusion.
• Soldier Boy reacts impulsively and tries to enter the Mirror Dimension himself, but Ryan’s intervention prevents him from doing so.
• Kaecilius is revealed as the leader of the Dormammu-aligned mages. His confidence in Dormammu’s protection proves misplaced; Ryan kills him before the ritual can succeed.
• Dormammu is powerful but puzzled by Ryan and Homelander, especially their unusual relationship to souls and identity.
• Homelander remains trapped and weakened through the rescue, his resistance and Heat Vision fading; he does not wake afterward.

Significant themes

• Power has limits: Superhuman strength and senses offer little defense against unfamiliar magic.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Ryan willingly spends power and resources to save Homelander.
• Identity and the soul: Dormammu’s questions suggest that Ryan and Homelander’s inner nature is unusual, though the chapter leaves the mystery unresolved.
• Unintended outcomes: Dormammu’s attack fails not through conventional resistance, but because Ryan’s system treats the spell as an intrusion.

Character interactions

• Ryan orders Soldier Boy and Iron Man to evacuate civilians, then physically stops Soldier Boy from jumping into the unstable opening.
• Ryan pushes through the mages’ attacks to reach Homelander, killing Kaecilius and disrupting the ritual.
• Dormammu addresses Ryan as he escapes, questioning what he and Homelander are; Ryan ignores him and focuses on getting Homelander out.

Plot points and events

• The Mirror Dimension collapses, ending the immediate attack. The three remaining mages turn to ash while threatening that Dormammu will claim Ryan and his family; Ryan destroys them with Heat Vision.
• Soldier Boy and Tony find Ryan and Homelander. Homelander is badly hurt, and Ryan insists on taking him to the Sorcerer Supreme. He also brings Doctor Strange, who Soldier Boy had grabbed while demanding answers.
• Ryan flies them to the New York Sanctum, using his Bio-Field to protect Strange. Tony follows, surprised by the ability.
• The Ancient One has just examined future timelines and warns that trouble is approaching. She remarks that her retirement has been delayed and that Kamar-Taj now has three possible successors who will have to compete.
• Ryan arrives in distress, but a portal sends him crashing into a magically reinforced pillar. The Ancient One tells him to stop playing around and says she will save Homelander. Ryan then notices two translucent versions of Homelander fighting.

Character developments and interactions

• Ryan shifts from guarding against another attack to urgently trying to save his father. He thinks ahead about Dormammu’s threat and the need to involve allies, including Thor.
• Homelander is left in critical condition after Dormammu’s influence and the fight; his two translucent selves suggest a struggle between aspects of his personality.
• Soldier Boy reacts aggressively, interrogating Strange and then joining Ryan’s effort to get help for Homelander.
• Tony follows Ryan to learn who the enemy is, showing concern for the situation and curiosity about Ryan’s powers.
• Doctor Strange is frightened by the high-speed flight but discovers Ryan’s Bio-Field protects him.
• The Ancient One appears burdened by what she has seen in the future. Her comments reveal that she no longer expects a straightforward succession, while her abrupt treatment of Ryan contrasts with his emotional plea.

Significant themes

• Escalating cosmic danger: Dormammu’s pursuit makes clear that the threat is larger than the earlier attack.
• Family and urgency: Ryan’s central concern is saving his father, and Soldier Boy joins him despite confusion about the sorcerers.
• Destiny and succession: The Ancient One’s vision suggests a grim future, while her three-candidate succession plan introduces competition within Kamar-Taj.
• Power and protection: Ryan’s abilities get the group to safety, but the Sanctum’s magical defenses can still redirect him.

The Ancient One proposed separating Homelander’s dark magic from his two personalities and teaching magic to the other soul. Ryan agreed in principle but asked how the plan would affect his father and how they would handle Dormammu.

• Homelander’s two personalities fought after the Ancient One pushed their souls out of his body, stunning Tony and Strange.
• The Ancient One knocked both personalities back into Homelander’s body and proposed putting all the dark magic into one soul while teaching the other magic.
• Mordo objected to teaching magic to an evil soul, but the Ancient One defended her plan and persuaded him to stand down.
• Tony asked to learn magic, and the Ancient One agreed; Ryan told Strange that Compound V might not heal his hands and promised he had another way to restore them.
• Strange left the room overcome with gratitude, while Tony warned Ryan that his proposed treatment for Strange would be difficult to accept.
• Ryan agreed to the broad treatment plan for Homelander, then asked the Ancient One which personality would learn magic, how they would share one body, and how she would deal with Dormammu.

The Ancient One gave Ryan the Time Stone, and its power overwhelmed his weakened body until he summoned a Storage Ring from his system. The ring materialized around the Time Stone and restored Ryan to his nine-year-old form.

• The Ancient One revealed that Ryan would use the Time Stone, while Mordo objected that doing so violated the laws of nature.
• Ryan knocked Mordo unconscious and agreed to take him to his own side, then grabbed the Time Stone despite the Ancient One warning him about the pain.
• The Time Stone's power surged through Ryan, rapidly aging his body as his Steel Body began to fail.
• Ryan remembered the Storage Ring in his system's equipment inventory and summoned it while holding the Time Stone.
• The Storage Ring materialized on Ryan's finger with the Time Stone set in it, and Ryan returned to the form of a nine-year-old.