Chapter Summaries

The Avengers saw Ebony Maw and his forces vanish, and Stark and Peter concluded that Ego was behind it and put an expedition against him on the agenda. As Strange’s treatment of Thor ended in a massive lightning strike, Heimdall said Thor was becoming a true king in power.

• Vision used the Mind Stone to examine Ebony Maw, but Ebony Maw, Stark’s captured Q-Ship, the Vanguard pods, and their corpses vanished into gray sand.
• Peter sensed an unknown danger and felt an invisible force cut off his Spider-Sense, though the others did not notice.
• Stark and Peter suspected Ego was responsible and agreed to prepare an expedition to confront him.
• Strange withdrew from Thor as the storm gathered its remaining lightning, then a huge bolt struck Thor and scorched the mountaintop.
• Heimdall told Peter that Thor was becoming a true king in power, unlike when he had merely assumed the throne of Asgard.

Thor returned from the crater transformed into an older, far more powerful version of himself, and he tested his strength by fighting Hulk. Their battle escalated across the rocky terrain, leaving Peter and Stark considering how to stop them.

• Thor appeared with white-streaked hair and a beard, then punched Hulk away when Hulk joked about his appearance.
• Thor withstood Hulk's punch and repeatedly slammed him into the ground while Stark and the others watched from a distance.
• Thor revealed his strength came from his newly awakened power, while his motive for pounding Hulk was revenge for their earlier fight on Sakaar.
• Hulk grew stronger, broke free, blocked Thor's lightning-charged strike, and smashed him into a crater.
• Thor and Hulk continued trading physical blows for more than ten minutes, and Peter and Stark discussed intervening.

Thor recounted how he gained Stormbreaker, confronted Ego, and barely escaped after Ego overwhelmed him and captured Star-Lord. His account made Peter, Stark, and the others realize that Ego might be as formidable as Thanos, while Peter questioned how Ebony Maw’s ambush fit into Thor’s story.

• Peter and the others separated Thor and Hulk after their fight, and Thor’s strength impressed them.
• Thor told Stark and Rogers that he and Star-Lord found Nidavellir devastated by Thanos, helped King Eitri restore the forge, and obtained Stormbreaker.
• Thor said he and Star-Lord traced the destruction of Star-Lord’s allies to Ego and learned that the other Guardians had been captured.
• Thor described how Ego’s countless powerful avatars and planet-wide attacks defeated them, leaving Star-Lord captured, Groot missing, and their ship crashed.
• Heimdall brought Thor back to Earth after Thor contacted him, and Peter questioned why Thor had not mentioned Ebony Maw’s ambush.
• Peter, Stark, and the others reconsidered their plan to confront Ego after hearing that Thor had been overwhelmed.

Peter concluded that Ego might possess the Soul Stone and be targeting Star-Lord to create a second Celestial, making an immediate expedition necessary. The team prepared to confront Ego while Stark stayed on Earth to guard against an attack and watch for the Skrulls.

• Peter reasoned that Ego had spared the Guardians to use them as bait and intended to turn Star-Lord into a Celestial ally.
• Peter connected Ebony Maw's missing memories and the damage to Richard and Peter Quill's souls to the Soul Stone, suggesting Ego might possess it.
• The heroes chose Peter, Strange, Thor, Professor Hulk, Vision, and Wanda for an expedition carrying the Power, Time, and Mind Stones.
• Stark decided to remain on Earth to protect it and draw out the Skrulls if they tried to exploit the team's absence.

Peter and the expeditionary team prepared to leave for Ego Planet while Wakanda took charge of defending Earth. Peter reflected on his peaceful breakup with Betty, and the chapter ended with T'Challa affirming Wakanda’s readiness to protect Earth.

• The team left the Reality Stone in Wakanda and prepared for the kingdom to enter full defensive alert while the expedition departed.
• Stark and Peter kept the Skrull disguised as Colonel Rhodey unaware that they had discovered him, while Nova remained hidden as part of their plan to expose the Skrulls.
• Peter recalled that he and Betty had ended their relationship peacefully because his responsibilities left them little time together; Betty continued as Golden Cat and Spider Squad’s public-relations ambassador.
• Peter, Stark, and Rhodey arrived at Wakanda’s royal palace, where T'Challa and Shuri greeted them with the Dora Milaje.
• Stark hoped Wakanda’s defenses would not be needed, and T'Challa declared that Wakanda could hold off any attack from Ego.

The Avengers reached Ego Planet, where Strange explained that Ego’s force field prevented teleportation, and Wanda launched an asteroid at the living planet. Ego reflected on his recent victory over Star-Lord and Thor and prepared to remake Star-Lord into his avatar as the asteroid approached.

• Vision told Peter that Stark had been searching for a successor, and Peter said he believed he could lead the next generation of Super Avengers.
• Thor spotted Ego Planet, and Strange explained that its force field prevented them from teleporting closer.
• Wanda seized a massive asteroid, and Strange opened a portal that let the team see Ego Planet.
• Wanda sent the asteroid hurtling toward Ego while the Quinjet stayed outside the planet’s force field.
• Ego recalled capturing Star-Lord after defeating him and Thor, and resolved to reshape his son into an avatar for his power.

Thor confronted Ego on Ego Planet while Peter and the others joined the battle. As Thor drew Ego’s attention, Peter stealthily landed on the planet’s surface unnoticed.

• Ego mocked Thor and declared that he would destroy Asgard, provoking Thor to fly out of the Quinjet.
• Peter equipped himself and Professor Hulk with Nano-Iron Suits, while Strange stayed aboard the Quinjet to prepare a spell.
• Wanda’s meteorite was shattered by Ego, but Thor destroyed its fragments with a blast of lightning and attacked Ego with a thunder spear.
• Thor and Ego exchanged attacks as Ego unleashed energy tentacles and bombs against Thor’s thunder domain.
• Peter flew toward Ego in his Nano-Spider 5 suit, concealed himself with the Venom Blade Suit, and landed on Ego without being noticed.

Peter infiltrated Ego Planet and discovered that Ego had recruited the captured Guardians to hunt intruders. After finding Baby Groot alone in a building, Peter explained his mission and learned Groot knew where Ego’s brain core was.

• Peter used optical camouflage and psychic concealment to reach Ego Planet without being detected, then searched for the passage to Ego’s Star Core.
• Ego sensed Peter’s Spider-Sense Radar and ordered a search, but Peter hid himself again before Ego could locate him.
• Peter followed an unusual energy concentration to an ancient building and found Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Baby Groot inside.
• Gamora, Drax, and Rocket left to hunt the intruders, while Rocket kicked Baby Groot down and threatened him.
• Peter picked up Baby Groot, explained that he planned to destroy Ego and save Peter Quill and the others, and asked where Ego’s brain core was.
• Baby Groot stopped struggling and indicated that he knew where the brain core was.

Peter followed Baby Groot to a neural pathway leading to Ego’s brain, then sent his soul through the narrow passage while his body fought off Ego’s attacks. Peter emerged inside Ego’s brain, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Baby Groot guided Peter to a cave where Peter’s Spider-Sense Radar detected Ego’s neural pathway beneath them.
• Ego discovered Peter near his brain and shifted his attention away from Thor, allowing Strange, Wanda, and Vision to destroy his outer energy tentacles as their spaceship reached low altitude.
• Peter sent his soul through the narrow neural pathway, leaving his body behind with Baby Groot.
• Ego attacked Peter’s body, but its Spider-Sense autopilot dodged and counterattacked against Ego’s avatars.
• Peter’s soul traveled through the passage and emerged inside Ego’s brain, where he saw stone pillars resembling nerves.

Peter reached Ego's brain-core space and destroyed Ego's neural center, stopping Star-Lord's transformation. He escaped the ensuing explosion through Stephen's portal with Star-Lord, leaving Ego's fate uncertain.

• Peter cut the energy beams binding Star-Lord and tried to wake him, but Star-Lord remained unconscious.
• Ego attacked Peter with energy beams as Peter ran along a stone pillar toward Ego's neural center.
• Peter blocked Ego's energy tentacle with a giant symbiote arm and sliced the tentacle apart.
• Peter struck Ego's neural center with the Venom Blade, and Ego's voice stopped as the core exploded.
• Peter grabbed Star-Lord and escaped through Stephen's portal into a Quinjet.

Peter rescued Star-Lord and the others, then the group watched Ego Planet collapse. Elsewhere, a figure wearing an Infinity Gauntlet sent Adam to retrieve and absorb the Soul Stone from Ego’s brain core.

• Peter returned to his body, rescued Baby Groot, and had Strange locate the separated Thor, Hulk, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and Drax the Destroyer.
• Vision piloted the Quinjet as the group stayed to watch Ego Planet break apart and destroy itself.
• Hulk praised Peter, then clashed with Thor until Strange separated them with portals.
• On a desolate planet, a figure wearing an Infinity Gauntlet told Adam to retrieve his Soul Stone from Ego.
• Adam entered Ego’s collapsing brain core, swallowed a golden-yellow gem, and absorbed the surrounding Ego energy.

The Black Emperor abandoned his plan to conquer the universe and sent Corvus Glaive to scout another one, while Peter and the others prepared to return to Earth after Ego’s destruction. Their journey stalled when Strange could not sense Earth’s Sanctum Sanctorum, leaving the cause of the disruption unknown.

• The Black Emperor dismissed Corvus Glaive’s concerns about Adam, explained that he wanted to avoid attracting attention in a major branch of the multiverse, and ordered Corvus Glaive to lead a team into the next universe.
• Peter and the others watched Ego Planet explode, and Strange protected the Quinjet from the resulting shockwave with a magical shield.
• Vision’s use of the Mind Stone had restored Gamora, Star-Lord, and the others, and Star-Lord discovered that he still retained some of Ego’s Celestial energy.
• The Guardians of the Galaxy agreed to travel to Earth with Peter’s group because they had no ship and Star-Lord wanted to visit his homeworld.
• Strange failed to sense the Sanctum Sanctorum’s magical coordinates, so Thor offered to contact Heimdall.

Peter and the others decided to seek help from the Shi'ar Empire after losing contact with Earth and being unable to teleport home. They learned about the three great empires and hoped the Shi'ar star charts or Star Gates could guide them back to the Solar System.

• After Thor failed to contact Heimdall, Peter and the others decided to find a spacecraft and fly back to Earth.
• Star-Lord and the others explained how the Skrull Empire had declined after war with the Kree Empire, while Peter and the other Earth natives learned about the three great empires.
• Gamora described the Shi'ar Empire's power, technology, and role in limiting the Kree-Skrull war.
• Peter and the others chose to seek the Shi'ar Empire's star charts or borrow a Star Gate to reach the Solar System.
• Peter missed Iron Man and Friday, thinking Iron Man could have found the wormhole coordinates aboard the captured Dark Order warship.

After discovering that their Quinjet had entered earth-2149 and that Strange could not return them to their own universe, Peter encountered Uatu the Watcher. Uatu began explaining that an event had frightened even the Watchers.

• Thor offered Peter a beer, but Peter refused because he was underage.
• Star-Lord told Drax that Ego had killed Mantis, while Gamora learned that the others had not seen Nebula.
• Peter’s Spider-Sense warned of danger, and he and the others discovered that the Infinity Stones had gone dull.
• Peter realized the group had arrived in earth-2149, and Strange confirmed that the universe was sealed from their own.
• Uatu the Watcher contacted Peter and said that a terrifying matter had shaken even his people.

A golden-suited zombie overwhelmed the Avengers in New York, and the Zombie Virus spread as the fallen heroes attacked civilians and other superhumans. After Spider-Man was bitten while rescuing someone, he returned home and lost control, eating Aunt May and Mary Jane.

• A golden-suited zombie defeated the Avengers, who rose again as zombies and began attacking people across New York.
• Spider-Man arrived to rescue civilians, but Zombie Captain America bit his shoulder and the infection began taking hold.
• Spider-Man threatened the zombie heroes by biting Zombie Hawkeye, then escaped to a rooftop with a civilian.
• The zombie heroes resumed hunting, spreading the virus to more people, including Iron Fist, Doctor Octopus, and Wasp.
• Spider-Man returned home and told Aunt May and Mary Jane he had been bitten, but the virus overwhelmed him and he ate them.

After Mister Fantastic infected his allies and the zombie heroes overwhelmed S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury destroyed Iron Man’s escape device before being killed. In another universe, Magneto rescued Ultimate Mister Fantastic but was bitten and swarmed by the zombies, leaving him surrounded.

• Reed Richards discovered the zombies retained their intelligence, then secretly infected Human Torch and The Thing before letting them and himself become zombies.
• The Zombie Fantastic Four attacked Tony Stark’s laboratory and devoured Iron Man while Nick Fury escaped with Stark’s teleportation device, destroyed it, and was killed with the remaining heroes.
• The Zombie Fantastic Four repaired the teleportation device at the Baxter Building as Ultimate Mister Fantastic arrived from Earth-1610 and was attacked.
• Magneto rescued Ultimate Mister Fantastic and helped him return to the Ultimate Universe with his teammates, then stayed behind to fight the zombie heroes.
• Magneto wounded Zombie Spider-Man, Zombie Captain America, and Zombie Hawkeye, but Zombie Wasp bit his neck and the other zombies surrounded him.

Peter watched the zombie heroes encounter Silver Surfer and Galactus, learning more about the zombies while Uatu remained silent. After the heroes ate Silver Surfer and fled from Galactus, Zombie Captain America found a way to build the Human Cannonball, which repeatedly brought Galactus down.

• Zombie Banner’s stomach burst, and Zombie Thor argued with him over the meat that spilled out.
• Uatu identified Silver Surfer as Galactus’s herald, and Peter watched Silver Surfer report Earth’s condition to Galactus.
• Silver Surfer returned to Earth to announce Galactus’s coming, but the zombie heroes surrounded and ate him, growing stronger.
• Galactus arrived and blasted the zombie heroes with cosmic energy, forcing them to flee to a basement led by Zombie Ant-Man.
• Zombie Captain America found a metal in Wakanda and built the Human Cannonball, which repeatedly knocked Galactus down.

Uatu the Watcher showed Peter the zombie plague spreading from Earth-2149 to Earth-Z, where the zombie heroes were ultimately destroyed except for Zombie Sentry. Uatu asked Peter and his companions to stop the zombie story from escaping its loop, offering to grant one wish in return.

• The zombie heroes devoured Galactus, gained the ability to travel through space, and consumed nearly all life in Earth-2149 over the following decades.
• Zombie Spider-Man's jokes revealed his remorse, and Peter noticed that he seemed to have regained some sanity.
• The zombie heroes returned to Earth, split over how to treat the surviving humans, and some regained their sanity before being sent to Earth-Z.
• In Earth-Z, righteous zombie heroes used a vaccine weapon to eliminate the zombie population, leaving only Zombie Sentry alive.
• Uatu explained that he had linked Earth-2149 and Earth-Z in a Möbius loop and asked Peter and his companions to eradicate threats that could spread the zombies beyond it.
• Uatu offered to grant one of Peter's wishes if they completed the task, and Peter hesitated over the tempting but dangerous deal.

Peter learned that the Watchers had trapped his group in a sealed looping universe to keep the Zombie Virus from spreading across the multiverse. Uatu placed Peter and his companions in a Pocket Dimension so they could plan how to stop the threat, leaving them uncertain where they were in the loop.

• Peter asked Uatu to send his companions away, but Uatu said the universe was sealed and no one could leave without risking the Zombie Virus spreading.
• Uatu described how intervention from Universe 1610 and Universe 616 had nearly worsened the crisis, then created a Pocket Dimension for Peter and his companions.
• Peter discovered the Pocket Dimension’s entrance on his palm, briefly entered it, and reappeared in the Quinjet.
• Peter told the group about Uatu and the danger posed by the zombie heroes, and Vision asked whether they were at the start or middle of a loop.
• Strange suggested entering the Pocket Dimension, and everyone aboard the Quinjet went inside.

Peter used the Sacred Web of Fate and power granted by Watcher Uatu to choose when to enter the Zombie Universe and intervene. He began his first attempt at stopping the outbreak by arriving in New York as Zombie Sentry appeared and webbing the Avengers’ Quinjet shut.

• Peter explained to Strange, Thor, and the others that he planned to connect to Zombie Spider-Man through the Sacred Web of Fate and find a way to stop the disaster.
• Peter discovered he could choose different points in the Zombie Universe’s timeline, from Zombie Sentry’s arrival to the extinction of life, and wondered why he could not see the universe codenamed Z.
• Watcher Uatu granted Peter power to choose when to enter the Zombie Universe and influence events, leading Peter to think of himself as Watcher Parker or Watcher Spider-Man.
• Peter chose to begin his first intervention when Zombie Sentry arrived in Universe 2149 and appeared in New York beneath a pink rift in the sky.
• Peter webbed the Avengers’ Quinjet door shut just as it was about to open, then landed on top of the aircraft.