Chapter Summaries

Galactus arrived at Earth and overwhelmed Black Bolt, while the Illuminati prepared emergency plans and Richard set off through the multiverse. In the Nirvana Universe, Donnie sent Red Lantern Hulk to the main universe to confront Galactus, though he could not return himself because a greater problem awaited him.

• Richard returned to Tony empty-handed and said none of the authors he met had paid attention to him.
• Galactus reached Earth, and Black Bolt challenged him but was defeated and driven away by the Silver Surfer, who saved him and Medusa.
• Galactus approached Earth as its arrival threw the planet into darkness and triggered volcanic eruptions.
• The Illuminati discussed Batman's Cosmic Treadmill contingency, then Richard launched his shuttlecraft toward an unknown destination in the multiverse.
• Donnie summoned Red Lantern Hulk and ordered him to kill the Galactus threatening Earth, but said someone else would pull Hulk into the main universe because Donnie had a greater problem to handle.

Richard's portal brought Red Lantern Hulk from Donnie's universe to confront Galactus as the cosmic giant attacked Earth. Hulk launched himself into space, growing more powerful with rage, and Galactus sensed a fatal threat.

• Galactus's arrival disrupted Earth's atmosphere and killed countless civilians as he reached toward the planet.
• Richard's passage opened, and Red Lantern Hulk emerged to help while Donnie dealt with a greater danger.
• Red Lantern Hulk explained that his ring drew on his blood and intensified his rage, then prepared to fight Galactus.
• Hulk leaped into space, his rage driving him to grow stronger, and declared that Donnie had told him to kill Galactus.
• Galactus recognized the tiny Hulk as a fatal threat and demanded to know who he was.

Red Lantern Hulk fought Galactus in space and tore him apart, killing him after overwhelming his cosmic power with his blood and strength. Hulk returned to Earth and sat atop Mount Everest, facing the storm as a god.

• Red Lantern Hulk transformed his blood into a charging bull and pierced Galactus's palm, then emerged and declared the primary-universe Galactus was no match for him.
• Galactus attacked Hulk, but Hulk's sea of blood blunted his blow and briefly delayed him.
• Hulk punched through Galactus's arm, tore away its flesh, and ripped the entire arm off.
• Hulk tore Galactus apart before onlookers and killed him by ripping off his head.
• Hulk absorbed his blood back into his body, returned to Earth, and sat on Mount Everest.

After Galactus was killed, Donnie left the Nirvana Universe with the Mother Box as it stirred in response to Darkseid. He hid the universe and prepared to face Darkseid, whose avatar arrived and met his gaze across the multiverse.

• Kara, John, Iceman, and Howard reacted to Galactus's death and decided to head back.
• Donnie emerged from the sealed world after the Four Main Gods had fallen silent, and the Mother Box resonated with a distant presence.
• Donnie used the Mother Box to travel away and ordered the Gaia Consciousness to move and conceal the Nirvana Universe.
• Donnie waited in the Blood Domain as Darkseid's avatar tracked him across universes.
• Darkseid's avatar arrived, and his Information Set collided with Donnie's as their first exchange began.

Grail searched the Blood Domain for a way to reach Donnie, whom she believed could kill Darkseid, while Darkseid arrived before Donnie and demanded that he join Apocalypse. Donnie blocked Darkseid’s attack with the Mother Box and opened its inner space, releasing a roar as he revealed that someone else would be his opponent.

• Grail sensed Darkseid’s unsettling presence in the Blood Domain and decided to seek out Donnie in the main universe.
• Darkseid followed the Mother Box to Donnie and offered him sole use of it if he joined Apocalypse.
• Donnie reminded Darkseid of their past conflicts, including Doomsday’s defeat of him and the loss of his son.
• Darkseid attacked Donnie, but Donnie used the Mother Box to block the blow.
• Donnie opened the Mother Box’s inner space and said Darkseid’s opponent was not him.

Donnie revealed a juvenile Doomsday he had created after 130 million failed attempts to recreate Ancient Doomsday, then tested its regeneration and adaptation inside the Blood Domain. The juvenile form survived the domain’s energy and began thinking, but it remained aggressive as Darkseid watched with interest.

• Donnie released the juvenile form from the Mother Box and told Darkseid he had created it as a creature capable of fighting his avatar.
• Darkseid recognized the resemblance to Ancient Doomsday and examined the juvenile form, while Donnie explained that recreating the original had proved impossible.
• The juvenile form charged into the Blood Domain, was shredded by its energy, and repeatedly regenerated while adapting to the environment.
• After the juvenile form learned to withstand the Blood Domain, it pounced on Donnie, who crushed its head.
• The juvenile form regrew its head and demonstrated that it had learned to regenerate only part of its body, while Darkseid praised Donnie as interesting.

Donnie used the AllSpark and repeated battles with Darkseid to transform the infant Ancient Doomsday into a controllable creature he named Doomsday King. The infant kept regenerating and evolving under Darkseid’s attacks, while Donnie watched from behind the Mother Box.

• After the infant regenerated from Donnie crushing his head, Donnie seized control of his genetic essence and sent him to attack Darkseid.
• Darkseid repeatedly killed the infant, forcing him to evolve as his body grew stronger, more metallic, and increasingly like a robot.
• Donnie explained that he was using the AllSpark to shape the infant’s future and prevent him from becoming an uncontrollable Ancient Doomsday.
• Donnie named the creature Doomsday King and told Darkseid he might someday visit his Apocalypse.
• Darkseid fired Omega Rays, which the Mother Box blocked, while Doomsday King kept regenerating after being destroyed.

Donnie watched Doomsday King evolve through repeated deaths until he could withstand Darkseid and strike him, nearing Donnie’s goal of a level-eight weapon. Darkseid warned Donnie that the monster could eventually rebel, but Donnie remained confident in his control and his ability to defeat the avatar.

• Donnie dismissed the idea that Doomsday King could resurrect independently, explaining that the AllSpark and Donnie’s survival were the source of his immortality.
• Darkseid warned Donnie that Doomsday King would seek freedom if Donnie ever lost control, while Donnie said he intended to become everyone else’s nightmare.
• Doomsday King’s body evolved into a heavily armored form that could reshape parts of itself into defenses or weapons, and it began enduring Darkseid’s Omega Rays.
• Donnie judged Darkseid’s opponent to be only a comparatively weak avatar and remained confident he could drive it back.
• Doomsday King recovered from Darkseid’s frontal strike and landed a punch that made Darkseid sway, prompting Donnie to declare that his progress was enough.

Donnie negotiated with Darkseid over the Doomsday creation technology and the Mother Boxes while Doomsday King continued to grow stronger in their battle. He gave Darkseid half the technology and another Mother Box, then implied he had other ways to fight multiverse-level enemies.

• Darkseid offered to leave Apocalypse and stop interfering in Donnie’s affairs in exchange for all the Doomsday technology and the Mother Boxes, but Donnie rejected his terms.
• Donnie considered the danger posed by Darkseid’s avatars as Doomsday King grew stronger and began striking back against Darkseid.
• Donnie offered Darkseid half the technology and part of the Mother Boxes, warning that he would give them to Highfather if Darkseid refused.
• Donnie explained that he could not hand over complete Mother Boxes because they could help Darkseid’s true body bypass the Speed Force Wall and enter the multiverse.
• Darkseid demanded genuine technology, and Donnie sent him half the Information Set and gave him another Mother Box.
• Darkseid questioned how Donnie would face multiverse-level enemies without complete Mother Boxes, and Donnie claimed they were not his only trump card.

Donnie left the Blood Realm with the three separated Mother Boxes after Darkseid departed, then took control of the newly created Doomsday King and prepared to return to the main universe. On Earth, Red Lantern Hulk remained on Mount Everest awaiting orders, rejected Betty’s hope that Banner still existed, and watched her leave with a trace of memory.

• Darkseid questioned Donnie about Steppenwolf, took one Mother Box, and left the Blood Realm while Donnie kept the other three.
• Donnie suppressed Doomsday King’s impulses, warned him to obey, and ordered him to return to the main universe for training.
• On Mount Everest, Red Lantern Hulk told Tony Stark and the other superheroes that he was waiting for the Star Devourer Emissaries or Donnie’s orders.
• Hulk told Betty that Banner had been consumed and that only Hulk remained, so Betty left in disappointment.
• Hulk watched Betty go while privately retaining fragments of his memories with her.

Donnie ordered Brainiac to investigate Heavenly Court across the multiverse, then encountered and destroyed an Annihilation Insectoid swarm attacking a Skrull border world. He returned to Cybertron, recognizing that the swarm’s expansion would eventually threaten the Cybertronian Galaxy.

• Brainiac watched Donnie arrive and learned that Rao was dead.
• Donnie ordered Brainiac to gather information about Heavenly Court from every universe, and Brainiac agreed before heading deeper into space.
• Donnie encountered Annihilation Insectoids that had wiped out life on a Skrull border world.
• Donnie destroyed the swarm and killed the insect soldier that challenged him.
• Donnie returned to Cybertron, expecting the Annihilation Insectoid outbreak to reach the Cybertronian Galaxy.

Donnie committed Cybertron’s forces to fighting the Annihilation Swarm as preparation for the future invasion of the God Realm, then returned to the main universe. Grail arrived seeking a way to reach the Cybertronian Galaxy and encountered Ebony Maw and his bandits.

• Donnie decided that every Cybertronian below Level Seven would fight the Annihilation Swarm, and he returned to the main universe through a Boom Tube.
• Grail arrived in the main universe, searching for powerful warriors who could help her kill Darkseid and avenge herself and her mother.
• Grail interrogated an octopus-like space pirate, who explained how mercenaries could enter the Cybertronian Galaxy through a passage device.
• A spacecraft collided with Grail and the pirate, and a group of bandits appeared, eager to recruit or kill them.
• Ebony Maw stepped forward and declared that he was destined to rule the universe.

Ebony Maw tried to groom Sayan into a cosmic tyrant, but Grail overwhelmed him and took Sayan as her servant. Grail traveled to Cybertron, where her status as Darkseid’s daughter earned no attention, and Sayan suggested she use the coming war to meet Donnie.

• Ebony Maw told Sayan they would restore the glory of Eternity Titan, then tried to act as Grail’s mentor.
• Grail punched Ebony Maw through the spaceship, defeated him, and killed him by tearing off his arm and throwing him into space.
• Grail sensed Sayan’s potential, declared him her servant, and took him along to Cybertron.
• Grail found that no one on Cybertron cared that she was Darkseid’s daughter, so Sayan suggested meeting Donnie through the coming war.
• Quill and Yondu traded insults on Warworld before agreeing to work together against the Annihilation Insectoid Race.

The Annihilation Insectoid Race overwhelmed the Skrulls and spread through Andromeda as the Kree and other civilizations fought back. Needlepoint led the Wreckers in a probing battle against the swarm, then ordered them to withdraw as a larger force waited nearby.

• The Annihilation Insectoid Race devastated Skrull planets, while the Kree and other civilizations launched attacks against the swarm.
• Bulkhead, Seaspray, and the Wreckers questioned Needlepoint’s cautious reconnaissance mission as they traveled through space.
• Needlepoint ordered the Wreckers to prepare when a swarm of insects approached their spacecraft.
• Bulkhead and the Wreckers fought off the insects, but the swarm breached their defenses and ten warriors were swept away.
• Ultron reported the casualties and confirmed that the swarm’s data had been archived, so Needlepoint ordered the Wreckers to withdraw.

The four Star Devourer Emissaries guarded their dead master's head as the Annihilation Swarm arrived to claim its remaining Cosmic Power. The Insectoid King defeated them, took the head, and left after cautiously glancing toward Earth.

• Tyrant urged the other emissaries to act, but Flame Emperor and Silver Surfer restrained him from provoking the threat on Earth.
• Silver Surfer sensed the Annihilation Swarm entering the Solar System, and the emissaries recognized the Insectoid King among its forces.
• Silver Surfer warned the Insectoid King to leave Star Devourer's head, but the Insectoid King said he had come to seize it and extract Cosmic Power.
• The Insectoid King kept the swarm outside the Solar System and explained that he would not attack Earth without certainty of victory.
• Tyrant attacked the Insectoid King, then Stardust, Flame Emperor, and Silver Surfer joined the fight, but the Insectoid King overpowered them.
• The Insectoid King killed some emissaries, drove others to flee, took Star Devourer's head, and departed after glancing warily at Earth.

The Cybertron army and the Annihilation Swarm began a massive battle around SC74X-1, with neither side gaining a clear advantage. Hell Demon charged into the insect tide and burned through the insects attacking him, while Sky High joined the fight in a newly formed colossal titan.

• The Annihilation Swarm and Cybertron's regular army clashed around SC74X-1, and the Transformers' bombardment killed millions of insects before the armies met in close combat.
• Hell Demon arrived at the front line and tore through the swarm with his strength and mouth cannon.
• The insects covered Hell Demon and bit at his body, but he unleashed Scorching Heat Vision and burned them away as he advanced through the flames.
• Giant metal dragons combined beneath the insect tide to form a colossal titan.
• Sky High killed more than ten thousand insects and mocked Hell Demon for showing off despite his limited strength.

Sky High, the Hell Demon, and Cybertron’s forces fought the Annihilation Insectoid Race across SC74X-1 as casualties mounted and bases fell. Ultra Magnus treated the battle as only an opening engagement in a much larger war, while Cybertron continued its mass mobilization.

• Sky High battled demigod-level insects in the air while the Hell Demon and Cybertron’s weapons fought through the swarms.
• Transformers used the Iron Citadel Archives to analyze insect threats as explosions shattered the planet and volcanoes erupted.
• The insect swarms overwhelmed bases, and the battle on SC74X-1’s surface grew toward one hundred million attackers.
• Ultra Magnus learned that fifty thousand warriors had died and more than seventeen bases had fallen, but ordered his forces to hold steady.
• Ultra Magnus viewed the war as a brutal training ground, while Cybertron restarted its incubation chambers and rapidly expanded its armies.

After a month of brutal fighting on planet SC74X-1, Ultra Magnus ordered the resource-depleted planet abandoned and prepared to unleash the command fortress’s true form. Fortress Maximus transformed into a colossal giant, and Ultra Magnus ordered him to attack the stunned Annihilation Insectoid Race.

• Ultra Magnus assessed the month-long war, noted the insect swarm’s growing advantage and the wider conflict spreading across the Andromeda Galaxy, and ordered the remaining bases to abandon resource-depleted SC74X-1.
• The Transformers poured their stored firepower into the insectoids, bringing their losses to over five hundred thousand while killing more than a hundred million enemies.
• The Annihilation Insectoid Race gathered a huge legion and charged the command fortress as its bombardment shook the planet.
• Ultra Magnus ordered the fortress’s transformation, and the entire super metropolis assembled into the twenty-thousand-meter Fortress Maximus.
• Fortress Maximus rose above the battlefield, stunning the insectoids, and Ultra Magnus ordered him to kill them.

Fortress Maximus led the Transformers in a devastating strike against the Annihilation Insectoid Race, then destroyed the planet and returned safely to Cybertron. Ultra Magnus assigned the battle-tested soldiers to train new troops and discussed the war’s growing scale with the War Staff.

• Fortress Maximus crushed millions of insects while the Transformers withdrew, then destroyed the planet and escaped to Cybertron through a Space Bridge.
• The returning soldiers were assigned as junior officers among forty million newly formed Transformer troops.
• Hot Rod reported that the Skrulls were suffering heavy losses, and Ultra Magnus assigned him to the Wreckers to curb his recklessness.
• Ultra Magnus reviewed the war in Andromeda and concluded that the Transformers might need ten times their current forty million soldiers for a war of attrition.
• Shockwave told Ultra Magnus that the Transformers could produce enough troops over time, while intervention by seventh-level powerhouses would rapidly expand the war.

Tomare and Kilowog traveled to the Cybertronian Galaxy to ask Optimus Prime to return and command the Green Lantern Corps in its war against the Annihilation Insectoid Race. Optimus Prime welcomed his old friends, leaving their request unresolved.

• As the Green Lantern Corps prepared to fight the Annihilation Insectoid Race, its leaders struggled to find a wartime commander and tacitly allowed Tomare and Kilowog to leave the main force.
• Tomare told Kilowog that Optimus Prime would return for his old comrades, not for the Guardians, and that the Green Lanterns would accept his command.
• Tomare and Kilowog circled the Cybertronian Galaxy until a Transformer escorted them into its Lesser Universe.
• Optimus Prime welcomed Tomare and Kilowog and embraced his old partners.