Chapter Summaries

Brainiac watched Superman’s clash with Mister Mxyzptlk and concluded that Rao was threatened by New God’s work on Doomsday. Meanwhile, Donnie fished with Professor X and revealed that he was waiting to catch a cunning opponent using his main body.

• Brainiac observed Superman’s altered body and reasoned that Rao feared the rise of another powerful Superman.
• Brainiac detected Kara’s spaceship heading toward Earth, learned that New God’s people were aboard, and set course for Earth himself.
• Donnie told Professor X that Kara’s spaceship was under Ultron’s control and dismissed the danger posed by Mister Mxyzptlk and the Fifth-Dimensional Court.
• Donnie caught and released a mechanical piranha while fishing, then said he was waiting for an opponent to reveal himself.
• Professor X guessed that Donnie was using a divine-power avatar, and Donnie explained that he had sent his main body because his target was cunning and difficult to catch.

After Superman forced Mister Mxyzptlk to leave Earth, Heir approached Clark and revealed that he served Rao, the Kryptonian god. Rao spoke through Heir and offered Clark a future, while Donnie sensed the encounter from Cybertron.

• Clark tricked Mister Mxyzptlk into writing his name backward, forcing him to leave Earth and restore everything to normal.
• Martian Hunter reported that Barbi, John, a Kryptonian, and a duck were returning to Earth, while Batman said they only needed to be watched.
• Heir introduced himself to Clark as a friend and disciple of Jor-El and told him that his cousin had arrived on Earth.
• Heir revealed his devotion to Rao, who took control of him and told Clark that he would grant him a future.
• On Cybertron, Donnie snapped his fishing rod and looked toward an unknown direction.

Rao tried to use Heir’s Psionic Ability to draw Clark into the Kryptonian Pantheon, but Clark sensed the danger and rescued Heir. Following a signal from Clark’s infected genetic chain, Donnie found the hidden barrier where the Kryptonian gods were concealed.

• In a hidden region, Rao told the Kryptonian gods that he planned to recruit the altered Superman and argued that Gold Superman could not find their refuge in the Fifth Dimension.
• The Kryptonian gods questioned Rao’s plans and his alliance with the Multiversal God, while Rao insisted that they had to persist despite the multiverse’s dangers.
• Rao used Heir to approach Clark, but an unknown force disrupted his attempt and knocked Heir unconscious.
• Clark carried Heir toward Gotham, careful not to alert Martha.
• Donnie followed the AllSpark’s signal through the multiverse, intending to capture a Kryptonian Main God and obtain the secrets needed to recreate Ancient Doomsday.
• Donnie reached a strange barrier at the multiverse’s edge and realized the signal led to the Kryptonian gods’ hiding place.

Donnie found the Kryptonian Pantheon’s concealed world with the Mother Box and demanded the secret behind Ancient Doomsday’s creation. He destroyed their hiding place and fought the gods, intent on taking the Four Main Gods back alive or dead.

• Donnie used the Mother Box to locate and tear open the hidden world where the Kryptonian Pantheon was hiding.
• Rao realized Donnie had found them, while Wisdom God Taylor recognized that Donnie had come for the pantheon rather than for Clark Kent.
• Donnie demanded that Rao explain the infant who had become Ancient Doomsday and accused the gods of withholding the means to recreate it.
• Donnie attacked the pantheon, killing demigods as Rao and the Four Main Gods led the gods against him.
• Donnie unleashed the Mother Box’s lightning, collapsing the X Energy-modified world and destroying the pantheon’s hiding place.
• Donnie continued fighting the gods and declared that they would not live to see his death.

Donnie destroyed the hidden world of the Kryptonian Pantheon and defeated its Four Main Gods, imprisoning them in the Mother Box. Rao offered clues about the Miracle Wishing Machine in exchange for protection, but Donnie chose to take the gods captive and planned to question them later.

• The Four Main Gods and the Kryptonian Pantheon attacked Donnie, while Rao, Taylor, and Yoda discussed escaping and wondered whether the Miracle Wishing Machine could help.
• Beauty God Laura tried to flee, but Donnie used the Mother Box to strike her down and overwhelm the Four Main Gods.
• Donnie slaughtered the lesser gods and bound Rao, Taylor, Yoda, and Laura inside the Mother Box.
• Rao offered to reveal what he knew about the Miracle Wishing Machine in exchange for shelter, and Taylor explained that it could grant any wish.
• Donnie rejected Rao's bargain, saying he valued the captured gods more than the elusive wishing machine, and imprisoned them inside the Mother Box.

Donnie interrogated the Four Main Gods about Ancient Doomsday and learned that they had killed Xionna by reverting him into a baby. He uncovered Rao’s hidden identity, ending the chapter by recognizing him as Clark, or Kal-El.

• Donnie returned to the Nirvana Universe with the Four Main Gods and went to Red Lantern Hulk for safety before entering the Mother Box.
• Donnie demanded that the gods reveal Ancient Doomsday’s origins and asked where the Kryptonian evil god was.
• Donnie decapitated the Goddess of Beauty and threatened to dissect her with illusory flames until she confessed that the Four Main Gods had killed Xionna and reverted him into a baby.
• Rao said they killed Xionna because he was not one of them and wanted to leave, but Donnie doubted his explanation.
• Donnie tore away Rao’s face and divine coverings, revealing his identity as Clark, or Kal-El.

Donnie questioned Rao about the ancient gods’ interference in the multiverse and learned that they had been collecting themselves through its countless versions. He concluded that gods were fighting over the Source, then examined his Godhead as Divine Power Donnie studied his Miniature Godhead on Cybertron.

• Rao explained that ancient gods such as Holumayer and the Five Great Creator Gods had used the multiverse as a testing ground, collecting themselves through their creations.
• Donnie sealed Rao and the three other Kryptonian Main Gods inside the Mother Box and left them imprisoned.
• Donnie sat on a snow-covered mountain in the nearly lifeless Nirvana Universe and pondered Rao’s revelations about unique and multiversal beings.
• Donnie concluded that ancient gods were fighting over the Source and examined his Godhead while Divine Power Donnie examined his Miniature Godhead on Cybertron.

Donnie reflected on how Quasi-Unique Gods were formed by absorbing countless versions of themselves, losing their original identities as they advanced. He resolved to protect his subordinates from that fate through Unique Favor, then turned his attention to Doomsday and the four chief gods.

• Donnie considered Golden Superman’s rise and concluded that the other Supermen who had followed his path had been absorbed as scattered sources.
• Donnie recognized that Rao sought to become the core of a Unique God and had tried to recruit Golden Superman because their paths could cooperate without conflict.
• Donnie thought of the powerful individuals among his Cybertron subordinates and decided to use Unique Favor to bind their forms of existence to his, shielding them from other Doppelgangers.
• Donnie reopened the Mother Box, raised his butcher’s blade toward the four chief gods, and called out to Doomsday.

Smoke Screen ambushed the Rogues with a Stun Ray and left them unconscious for the Flash to find. While helping the Flash, Smoke Screen secretly used a Phase Shifter to collect a trace of the Speed Force.

• Captain Boomerang told the Rogues that Smoke Screen had disrupted another bank robbery, and Captain Cold advised them to lie low while he investigated the new hero.
• The Rogues prepared to leave their meeting, but Captain Cold spotted a suspicious white sports car and froze it as the others took cover.
• The sports car transformed into Smoke Screen, who incapacitated the Rogues with his Stun Ray.
• The Flash arrived and thanked Smoke Screen for his help, while Smoke Screen secretly used the Phase Shifter to absorb some of the Flash's Speed Force.

Smoke Screen confronted Reverse-Flash over his use of the Speed Force and the Phase Shifter, then fought him across Central City. Reverse-Flash proved faster and left Smoke Screen battered amid the ruins of an abandoned building.

• Dr. Harrison watched Barry train and arranged paid leave for the laboratory team.
• Smoke Screen parked in disguise while planning to approach the Flash and steal Speed Force.
• Reverse-Flash confronted Smoke Screen, who evaded his attack and revealed that his Phase Shifter could recover some Speed Force.
• Reverse-Flash demanded the device, but Smoke Screen refused and challenged him to take it.
• Smoke Screen and Reverse-Flash fought at super speed across Central City, and Reverse-Flash eventually sent Smoke Screen crashing through an abandoned building.

Smoke Screen fought Reverse-Flash until the Flash arrived and recognized him as the man who killed his mother and framed his father. Reverse-Flash escaped Barry’s pursuit, then revealed his identity and promised the truth would come only when Barry could outrun him.

• Smoke Screen used his Phase Shifter and Speed Force lightning against Reverse-Flash, but Reverse-Flash overpowered him.
• The Flash arrived, recognized Reverse-Flash’s red lightning, and confronted him over his mother’s murder and his father’s imprisonment.
• Reverse-Flash fled across the ocean with the Flash chasing him, while Smoke Screen caught up and knocked Reverse-Flash into the seabed.
• Barry questioned Smoke Screen, who hid his face with metal plating and denied that they had met earlier.
• Reverse-Flash identified himself as the Flash’s nemesis and said Barry would learn the truth only after he could outrun him.

After Black Bolt joined the Skrulls against the Kree, the Supreme Intelligence ordered a retreat and chose Captain Marvel to wield the Hunter Energy instead of Khosra. Khosra concealed his anger and entered the laboratory, unaware that someone with silver eyes was watching him.

• Black Bolt returned to the Moon, killed the impostor ruling it, and joined the Skrulls against the Kree.
• Black Bolt and the Skrulls inflicted heavy losses on the Kree as the two empires’ long history of conflict was recounted.
• The Supreme Intelligence ordered the Kree to withdraw from fighting both Black Bolt and the Skrulls.
• Khosra asked for the Hunter Energy, but the Supreme Intelligence chose Captain Marvel to wield it instead.
• Khosra hid his resentment and entered the laboratory while a watcher with silver eyes observed him.

Scorponok attacked the Kree laboratory on Planet Hala to claim its Hunter Energy template, but Khosra refused to surrender it and challenged her. Scorponok summoned the Thirteen Primes through a Space Bridge, and The Fallen announced his plan to kill the Kree and seize their research.

• Khosra activated the Hunter Energy apparatus in the laboratory, convinced the research would raise him to the top.
• Scorponok landed on Planet Hala, disabled and destroyed its defenses, and demanded the energy template from the Supreme Intelligence.
• Khosra refused Scorponok's demand and challenged her, boasting of his strength as the Kree Empire's finest Hunter.
• Scorponok summoned the Thirteen Primes through a Space Bridge and explained that she had called them to gang up on Khosra.
• Vector Prime said Scorponok was the second wisest of the Primes, prompting her to ask who was the wisest.
• The Fallen declared himself the wisest and announced that he planned to kill the Kree and take their research.

Scorponok and the Primes attacked Hala, where the Fallen overwhelmed Khosra and forced the Kree Empire to surrender its Hunter Energy. Back on Cybertron, Scorponok began planning to use it for a divine artifact and threatened Vector Prime to keep her unusual smile secret.

• The Fallen battered Khosra while Vector Prime urged him to apologize, and the Supreme Intelligence eventually ordered them to stop.
• Scorponok demanded the Hunter Energy and crushed Khosra's head underfoot as the Kree soldiers watched.
• Scorponok obtained the Hunter Energy after the Supreme Intelligence made a request, then studied it as a foundation for a creation-type divine artifact.
• The Primes returned to Cybertron, where Vector Prime asked Scorponok to forge him a knowledge-recording pen.
• Scorponok smiled at Vector Prime, then threatened to kill him if he told anyone.

Scorponok created the Hammer of Scorponok, a divine artifact that could manufacture and repair weapons, using part of the Mobius Chair. The council learned the chair had been damaged and hibernated, while Megatron judged the hammer powerful but unnecessary for him.

• Scorponok presented the Hammer of Scorponok after three months of work, explaining that it could create divine artifacts and modify matter and energy.
• Megatron tested the hammer and discovered it could use his thoughts to produce whatever he wanted.
• Megatron recognized the hammer's familiar power and asked Scorponok whether she had dismantled the Mobius Chair to make it.
• Scorponok admitted she had taken apart part of the chair and forced it into hibernation, prompting alarm among the council members.
• Scorponok explained that the hammer held hundreds of millions of manufacturing templates and could permanently record artifacts for later reproduction or repair.
• Megatron left, saying he had no use for the hammer, while Wheeljack and Shockwave discussed how Scorponok had bypassed their security measures.

Galactus sent his emissaries to find food while the Annihilation Insectoid Race pursued him, then chose Earth as his next meal and followed Silver Surfer there. On the way, he appeared above a celebrating Skrull fleet, sending the king and his court into panic.

• Galactus ordered Stardust, Flame Emperor, Silver Surfer, and Tyrant to search for planets while Silver Surfer warned that the Annihilation Insectoid Race was closing in.
• Stardust suggested Hala or Earth, and Galactus chose Earth, ordering Silver Surfer to guide him while the other three searched elsewhere.
• Silver Surfer led Galactus toward Earth as Stardust, Flame Emperor, and Tyrant departed in different directions.
• The Skrull king celebrated a victory over the Kree when Galactus's colossal shadow covered their ship.
• A Skrull official identified Galactus, and most of the celebrating crowd fled in terror.

The Silver Surfer arrived on Earth to judge whether it was suitable for Galactus to devour, but the heroes attacked him before learning his purpose. After easily defeating the Iron Legion, he warned them about Galactus and left, while the heroes began seeking information and a way to fight back.

• The Silver Surfer surveyed Earth and judged it a top-tier planet that would satisfy Galactus.
• The heroes confronted the Silver Surfer, and he dismissed them as too weak to escape their destiny.
• Tony ordered the Iron Legion to attack, but the Silver Surfer survived the bombardment and destroyed several suits.
• The Silver Surfer revealed that he was one of Galactus's four emissaries and warned the heroes that Galactus had to keep feeding.
• The Silver Surfer flew away, and Clark ordered the heroes to gather information without taking unnecessary risks.
• Tony decided to seek Richard's help in finding a way to oppose Galactus.

Tony sought Richard’s intelligence to help Earth prepare for Galactus, whose arrival had overwhelmed the superheroes. Meanwhile, Donnie continued his work as Rao screamed threats at him.

• Tony found Richard’s body twisted by cosmic-ray mutations and had Jarvis help him restore it.
• Richard explained that he, Sue, Johnny, Ben, and Doom had gained powers after their spacecraft encountered rare cosmic rays.
• Tony told Richard that Galactus and his four powerful emissaries were headed for Earth and asked for his help.
• Richard revealed he was researching something capable of overturning the universe, though he was unsure whether his findings were true.
• Earth’s superheroes prepared their countermeasures, recognizing that their attacks might barely harm Galactus.
• Donnie paused briefly before continuing his work as Rao shouted that he would die a miserable death.

Richard built a shuttle to cross the Fourth Wall and reach the Editorial Department, hoping to persuade its author to kill Galactus and his heralds. As Richard traveled beyond the known multiverse, Donnie noticed his path and erased the shuttle’s trail.

• Richard told Tony that he had built a machine to reach the beings outside their reality and ask the author to kill Galactus and his heralds.
• Tony dismissed Richard’s claims, but Richard stretched his arm to block the exits and explained that his shuttle could open the way beyond their world.
• Richard dragged Tony into the laboratory, and Tony helped him activate the shuttle, which carried Richard away.
• Richard watched immense Information Sets flash past as he traveled beyond the conventional multiverse and tried to memorize what he saw.
• Donnie noticed Richard’s shuttle heading toward the Editorial Department and used the Mother Box to erase its trail.

Donnie continued transforming Rao and the other Kryptonian gods into a powerful bodyguard. Meanwhile, Richard visited the Editorial Department seeking help against Galactus, but Number 126 refused, leaving Richard to find another way to protect Earth.

• Donnie taunted the ruined Rao, explaining that he wanted Ancient Doomsday as a powerful bodyguard rather than seeking revenge for the Kryptonians.
• Donnie continued forcing the four Kryptonian gods to transform according to his design.
• Richard emerged into the Editorial Department and met Number 126 after watching the editors argue about the absent editor-in-chief and Plan B.
• Richard asked Number 126 to draw Galactus to death, but Number 126 warned that intervening in the main universe could expose the Editorial Department.
• Number 126 sent Richard away and told him to face Galactus himself or find powerful allies, warning that more terrifying enemies would come later.