Chapter Summaries

Shang-Chi drove a group of CIA and Naval Intelligence agents out of the Peace Hotel, while the neighborhood regulars joked around and Fox and Pepper arrived. A blond stranger approached Pepper, leaving his purpose unclear.

• Shang-Chi injured two agents and forced the unfamiliar men to leave the Peace Hotel, declaring it Alvin's territory.
• Jessica ushered Ginny and Mindy away from the injured men, while Nick and Richard joked about the hotel and Nick asked for a stab vest.
• Boris and Mirecia drove past the restaurant in an armed Humvee, while Fox arrived in the Hellcat with Pepper and BABY at the wheel.
• Ginny, Nick, and Mindy crowded around the Hellcat, startling BABY into driving away, and Nick invited Ginny to dinner at Alvin's home.
• A lean blond man approached Pepper with two underlings and greeted her, saying it had not been easy to meet her.

Killian tried to abduct Pepper and threaten the children outside the restaurant, but Shang-Chi, Fox, Jessica, Hela, and Frank turned the ambush against his Extremis Warriors. Killian escaped, while Frank confronted the remaining suspects and Alvin received a message from the crows watching the restaurant.

• Killian revealed himself and demanded that Pepper go with him, while rifle sights trained on Nick, Mindy, and Ginny.
• Shang-Chi shattered an Extremis Warrior with a shoulder strike, and rooftop gunfire crippled another as Killian charged Pepper.
• Hela attacked Killian with White Lightsabers, and Frank arrived to disable the recovering warriors with Alvin's modified harpoon.
• Frank let Killian escape, then gave the remaining suspects five minutes each to convince him not to kill them.
• At the hospital, Alvin watched the Corpse-Eater Vine devour intruders and received a message from the crows at the restaurant.

Bob Lee Swagger and Timmons discovered that agents had come to kill Timmons, while Robert confronted Ilsa Faust and the men backing her in Old William's Shotgun Bar. Robert gave Ilsa a chance to leave, then watched the seconds count down as the four men closed in.

• Bob Lee Swagger put a corpse in Timmons's bathtub and showed him photos of equipment meant to stage his suicide.
• Timmons questioned Bob Lee Swagger about killing the man and worried that hiding the corpse would not conceal what happened.
• William Rush flirted with Dana at Old William's Shotgun Bar while Bally warned her about his encounter with Camilla.
• Robert arrived, discussed Toby's move from Hell's Kitchen with Bally, and noticed four men watching from a booth.
• Robert identified Dana as Ilsa Faust, urged her to abandon her mission, and offered to recommend her for another job.
• The four men surrounded Robert and Ilsa Faust, and Robert glanced at his watch and murmured, "Five seconds~"

Robert exposed Ilsa Faust’s assignment as a dangerous plot connected to Tony Stark and proved Church’s identity by calling him. Ilsa gave Robert the names behind her mission, and Robert told her Ethan Hunt was nearby and could advise her.

• Robert defeated the agents accompanying Ilsa and warned her that her mission could threaten Tony Stark and bring Manhattan Axe after them.
• Robert explained that Doctor Rush treated Tony Stark and said Church was returning from Europe, then offered to prove Church’s identity.
• Church confirmed who he was and threatened to have Ilsa imprisoned or killed after revealing that she worked for MI6.
• One of the agents panicked at Church’s threats, shouted that he had only followed orders, and shot himself.
• Ilsa wrote names on a napkin and handed them to Robert, who told her Ethan Hunt had come to Hell’s Kitchen and could advise her.

Ethan Hunt asked Alvin to protect Ilsa Faust from Church after the surveillance team exposed her as a double agent, and Alvin agreed to speak with Church while refusing to hire her at his school. Alvin then exposed and brutally frightened a disguised nurse, who fled and knocked Mayor Donald Depp down the hospital stairs, leaving Stark delighted by the spectacle.

• Benji and Luther realized their surveillance had exposed Ilsa Faust and worried that Church would kill her, so Benji messaged Ethan Hunt.
• Ethan Hunt called Alvin and asked him to find Ilsa a safe job; Alvin refused to hire her at his school but agreed to talk to Church.
• Ethan told Alvin why the CIA feared Church, describing his record of killing turncoats and a Deputy Director.
• Alvin recognized a disguised nurse, smashed her face against a wall, and ordered her to leave; she fled through the hospital.
• The nurse ran into Donald Depp on the stairs, knocking him down, while Stark laughed at the incident on television.

Harvey negotiated with a KGB agent while protecting Alvin and Hell’s Kitchen from outside interference, and Sharon Carter chose to support his approach. At 47th Street, Harvey encountered a bald man in a black trench coat who agreed that they were on the same side.

• Harvey told Sharon Carter that he had negotiated with the KGB to keep foreign forces from worsening the crisis around Stark, and he suspected the Vice President was involved.
• Harvey explained that he feared Alvin would attack the Vice President and face consequences that could drive him out of Hell’s Kitchen.
• Sharon Carter decided that protecting Alvin’s safety was part of protecting the world, and she welcomed the support of the young agents on the Communicator.
• Harvey led the group toward 47th Street and deleted the contact for Sharon Carter’s former superior, the Clairvoyant.
• At the quiet target location, Harvey saw Ivan leave an apartment with bloodied mercenaries while a bald man in a black trench coat confronted him.
• Harvey said the Vice President was dead, and the bald man agreed that they were on the same side and said Harvey was more likable than Coulson.

Harvey and Sharon Carter left Church to deal with the CIA’s enemies, and Harvey discovered Sharon was Peggy Carter’s niece. At the hospital, Alvin told Stark that hostile forces were still targeting Pepper, while Stark focused on identifying who was behind the attacks.

• Harvey questioned Church about the CIA’s involvement, and Church said his ally Yin Yang had a personal matter to settle and promised to stop the conflict from spreading.
• Church told Harvey he planned to kill several people and then a vice president, while Harvey reassured Sharon that their agreement would keep them safe.
• Sharon resumed driving to their next target and revealed that Peggy Carter was her aunt, prompting Harvey to joke about using the connection to raise his salary.
• Alvin joined Stark, Peter, and Harry in the hospital and explained that the CIA was in disarray and unidentified forces were still appearing in Hell’s Kitchen after Frank and Robert fought off attackers.
• Stark told Alvin that the attackers had revealed themselves and argued that they could be defeated once their identities were uncovered.

Alvin and Stark learned that the Mandarin had claimed responsibility for a series of bombings and threatened further attacks, while the vice president appeared connected to the terrorists. Raymond arrived at the hospital with Bob Lee Swagger and Timmons after overhearing Alvin’s anger, leaving the group poised to discuss their response.

• Alvin worried about the reporters outside the hospital and questioned Stark about his many enemies.
• Alvin comforted Harry by telling him he was not responsible for Dr. Connors becoming the Lizard.
• Alvin, Stark, and Harry watched a broadcast in which the Mandarin claimed the bombings and threatened the United States.
• Alvin accused the vice president of working with the terrorists and urged Stark to finish his Middle East plan so Raymond could kill the vice president.
• Raymond entered the hospital room with Bob Lee Swagger and Timmons, warning them not to reveal the classified information they had overheard.

Alvin questioned Raymond Reddington’s battered visitors and learned how a plot against the Vice President connected to Bob Lee Swagger and FBI agent Timmons. The revelation challenged the apparent explanation for the attack on Stark, but the people behind it remained unknown.

• Raymond Reddington brought Timmons and Bob Lee Swagger to Alvin’s hospital room, where Alvin and Raymond debated money, comfort, and what made a good life.
• Peter worried that Raymond considered him a loser, and Harry and Stark tried to reassure him.
• Timmons asked Alvin to persuade Director Frank to release his colleague, while Alvin said he could not promise anything.
• Raymond identified Bob as a decorated sniper who had been framed in a supposed counter-sniper operation targeting the Vice President.
• Raymond explained that Timmons had witnessed the setup and had been targeted for helping Bob, then said the plot against the Vice President was not staged by the Vice President himself.

Raymond warned Alvin and Stark that someone was manipulating intelligence to frame Alvin for the vice president’s murder and drive him away from New Energy. Alvin and Stark reaffirmed their loyalty, while Harry and Norman Osborn pledged the Osborns’ support.

• Raymond told Alvin that a leaked file implicated the vice president in a Bahrain massacre and that intelligence about him was being circulated to steer blame toward him.
• Raymond explained that someone was exploiting Alvin’s character to provoke him into killing the vice president and discredit him, weakening Stark’s control of New Energy.
• Stark realized that rival factions wanted him dead or powerless and that they were targeting Alvin because he stood by him.
• Alvin reassured Stark that he would not worry about threats, and the two toasted to standing with their own people.
• Harry called Norman Osborn for advice, and Norman said he planned to buy Stark Industries shares and would stand by Alvin.
• Norman told Harry that Alvin already knew what was happening, and Harry turned to find Alvin silently thanking him.

Alvin and Raymond devised a plan to clear Bob’s name and turn the Vice President against the interests behind the New Energy project. Raymond arranged for Bob and Timmons to cooperate, while Alvin agreed to involve Church and use Stark Industries’ plans as leverage.

• Raymond explained that Alvin’s friends had mobilized across Hell’s Kitchen to watch strangers and drive out armed forces.
• Raymond proposed proving Bob was not the shooter, warning the Vice President about the plot, and delaying publication of an anonymous tip so the Vice President could identify his enemies.
• Raymond urged Alvin to call Church to postpone the Vice President’s appointment with Hell and to announce that Stark Industries would take over New Energy and shelve the project temporarily.
• Raymond offered Bob help finding the people who framed him and suggested that Timmons and Bob could gain protection by cooperating with Alvin.
• Alvin thanked Raymond for his help, then criticized him for deliberately making Stark feel guilty; Raymond admitted he had exaggerated and promised to be more careful.

Alvin and Fox prepared for his press conference while Stark and Pepper joked about their future child. The Vice President and his aide planned to eliminate Tony Stark and use Killian, but an impostor assistant escaped their suite and triggered a security search.

• Alvin joked with Fox and Ginny about his suit before preparing for the press conference at Hell's Kitchen Community Hospital.
• Stark asked Pepper about pregnancy cravings, revealing that he hoped they would have a girl.
• Vice President Andrew Van Buren and his aide discussed killing Tony Stark and arranging a meeting between Killian and a Western Power Grid vice president.
• The head of security noticed a suspicious assistant leaving for the bathroom, and the bald bodyguard discovered that the man had escaped through a window.
• The head of security ordered the hotel floors sealed and sent the bald bodyguard to search for the escaped impostor.

Ethan Hunt escaped the Hilton Hotel after infiltrating it and learned that someone was trying to activate the CIA’s Reaper Program. Benji and Luther sent a warning to Principal Alvin while discussing how dangerous the supposedly eliminated agents might be.

• The Bodyguard Chief discovered that the Bald Man had been left naked and hanging upside down outside the Hotel.
• Ethan Hunt assumed the identity of Alessandro Briani, checked into the Hilton Hotel, and watched the Bodyguards rush off in pursuit of a car.
• Benji and Luther monitored Ethan and Killian while Benji complained that Ethan had charmed the Receptionist and joked about becoming a Field Agent.
• Ethan told Benji to locate the New Energy Group Board of Directors and warned him that someone was trying to activate the CIA’s Reaper Program.
• Benji found the Western Power Grid Vice President’s information and sent a warning to Principal Alvin.
• Luther explained that Reaper agents took green body pills and blue mind pills, and he urged Benji to warn Principal Alvin again.

After Pepper announced that Tony Stark was injured and Alvin Ye would lead Stark Industries, Alvin suspended the New Energy Plan and its reactor development. Political leaders worried about financial losses and reconsidered how to approach Alvin, while Alvin blamed the military for the missile attack and said Tony needed time to recover.

• Alvin prepared to address reporters at a chaotic press conference, while Bruto tried to recruit Brian to wear promotional shirts in exchange for money and help with drug dealers.
• Pepper announced that Tony was badly burned, resigned as CEO to care for him, and named Alvin Ye as Stark Industries' new leader.
• Alvin told reporters he would suspend the New Energy Plan and indefinitely halt development of the New Element Fusion Reactor until Tony recovered.
• A group of political figures discussed their losses, suspected their plan had failed, and considered negotiating with Alvin rather than provoking him.
• Alvin said the military should answer for the cruise missile attack and described Tony as recovering, while insisting that New Energy should wait until the technology was mature.

Church and Barney discussed Alvin’s press conference as President Ellis and his advisers realized Alvin was forcing the White House and Military to take responsibility for the attack on Stark. Chief George watched Alvin’s speech with relief that the New York Police had been spared, until a policewoman rushed in with an urgent message.

• Church and Barney argued over whether a war dog that lost its teeth deserved to die, and Church reflected that even a war dog wanted a place to belong.
• President Ellis watched Alvin blame the White House and Military for abandoning New York and failing to protect Tony Stark, then angrily threw his remote at the television.
• Ellis’s advisers urged him to respond publicly, while a Black Man lieutenant general condemned the unauthorized use of military forces against Stark.
• A gaunt adviser warned that the White House and Military had made a foolish mistake by standing aside instead of following the Constitution.
• Chief George watched Alvin’s press conference and felt relieved that Alvin had not criticized the New York Police, until a young policewoman rushed into his office with an urgent message.

Alvin’s rambling press conference turned into a national spectacle as he accused powerful officials of conspiring behind the terrorist attacks. Afterward, Depp and Ika discussed how to handle the media, while Alvin confronted Bruto about funding the school’s football field and reflected on Hell’s Kitchen’s gang-run businesses.

• Alvin spent nearly two hours spinning reporters’ questions into accusations against the FBI, Homeland Security, Congress, and President Ellis.
• Depp complained from his hospital bed about being overlooked, and Ika advised him to stay out of the media spotlight while planning a public show of action.
• After the final question, Alvin called for an end to the violence and condemned those responsible for bringing war to New York.
• Alvin punched Bruto, who promised to fund a stadium for the school’s football field and blamed Yad for the press conference scheme.
• Alvin walked away from Bruto and decided he could not let the gangsters keep running wild, despite their claims to be legitimate businessmen.

Church interrogated Noah Vison and forced him to direct assassins against the New Energy Group’s board, intending to accelerate the conflict and limit damage to the United States. Meanwhile, Aaron Cross received blue pills that restored his alertness and made him look like Clint Barton.

• Church and Barney captured Noah Vison, and Church learned that Noah had fabricated most of the Reaper super-agents and hired assassins instead.
• Church made Noah use a flash drive and a list of nine New Energy Group board members to assign assassins to their targets.
• Noah agreed to cooperate in exchange for a chance to contact his wife and son, while Church explained he wanted to push the conflict forward before Principal Alvin lost patience.
• Church told Barney they still needed to go to Europe to find Blade and destroy the Vampires’ last base.
• Aaron Cross picked up a box containing blue pills at a New Jersey newsstand and took one; minutes later, his vacant demeanor disappeared and he resembled Clint Barton.

Alvin left the hospital with Ginny, Stark, Pepper, and Fox and drove them to the manor, where Stark planned to work on his robots and visit Banner. On the way, Stark offered Alvin a place on Stark Industries’ board and the chance to take S.H.I.E.L.D.’s shares, while the two discussed how to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the people who had tried to frame them.

• Alvin changed clothes, took Ginny, and escaped the hospital with Stark through a secret passage, leaving Brian behind to maintain the impression that Stark was recovering.
• Alvin drove the group toward the manor after Stark said he wanted to check on Banner, who had shut himself in Stark’s laboratory out of guilt over frightening a child.
• Stark told Alvin that Albus had helped the child’s family move, while Alvin said Banner’s guilt showed he was a good person and suggested he could eventually help fight terrorists.
• Stark offered Alvin a seat on Stark Industries’ board and the company shares held by S.H.I.E.L.D.; Alvin accepted the offer but advised Stark to seek compensation from S.H.I.E.L.D. rather than force it out.
• Stark insisted he did not trust S.H.I.E.L.D. after it stayed silent during the attack, and Alvin agreed to support him if he chose to remove it from the company.
• Alvin and Stark discussed the Vice President, a senator, and New Energy Group directors who had plotted against them, with Alvin saying they could wait for the CIA’s Church to act before stepping in.

Alvin protected Bob Lee Swagger at Stark Estate while Chief George and Beckett handled his case in Hell’s Kitchen. Aaron Cross surveilled the estate, and Alvin discovered that the man watching them looked like Hawkeye, who claimed by phone to be in Kansas.

• Alvin asked Chief George to protect Bob Lee Swagger and give him a chance to prove his innocence.
• Chief George left Bob in Beckett’s care, and Bob explained that CIA agents had framed him; he said he did not regret serving his country.
• Raymond ordered Bob put on television by the next day and complained that Church’s approach was too crude.
• Aaron Cross watched Stark Estate from a fishing boat, unaware that JARVIS had detected him and launched a drone.
• Alvin and Fox spotted the surveillance and Alvin called Hawkeye, who said he was on leave in Kansas, prompting Alvin to ask whether he had a twin.

Alvin learned that the suspected intruder, Aaron Cross, might be Hawkeye’s twin brother, whom Hawkeye believed had died in Afghanistan. Alvin caught Aaron at sea and confronted him, leaving him to claim Aaron was Clint Barton.

• Hawkeye told Alvin that his twin Aaron had supposedly died in Afghanistan, and asked Alvin not to kill him so they could meet.
• Alvin suspected Aaron had been recruited into the Reaper Program and told Hawkeye to hurry to the Manor.
• Alvin tested Dr. Banner’s modified Chitauri Flying Motorcycle, then sped across the sea to intercept Aaron’s Fishing Boat.
• Aaron tried to pose as a harmless fisherman until Alvin’s pursuit forced him to reveal a remote and face Alvin.
• Alvin called Aaron Clint Barton and said he had come to retrieve him instead of letting missiles sink his boat.