Chapter Summaries

Alvin faced pressure to choose between Earth and the Solar System, reassured Volstagg that the Dwarves could keep Nidavellir, and gave Baal a Soul Crystal to defend against assassins. The chapter ended with Lin Shaoqing attacking World Security Council chair Zheng Xuan and identifying himself as Danny Rand.

• Alvin promised that Nidavellir would remain the Dwarves’ territory as long as he lived, and Volstagg pledged the Dwarves’ alliance and offered to send Prince Thorin to Alvin’s school.
• Alvin exposed Loki’s disguise as Thor, ordered him to reassure Frigga and Hela, and told him to bring the real Thor back.
• Baal warned Alvin that Alastor’s assassin demons had appeared near Moloch territory, and Alvin gave Baal a Soul Crystal before sending him away.
• Lin Shaoqing cut off Zheng Xuan’s right hand outside a Zurich café, surrendered to the guards, and told Zheng that his name was Danny Rand.

Alvin discovered that the World Security Council had targeted the Dwarves and Interstellar Marines to pressure him, so he ordered Raymond to punish Zheng Xuan and those responsible. After Lin Shaoqing cut off Zheng Xuan’s hand, Zhang Qiang confronted the Gun Club’s leaders and demanded they break with the World Security Council.

• Alvin recalled how officials had misread his actions and learned that they had used the Dwarves and tens of thousands of Interstellar Marines as leverage against him.
• Zhang Qiang furiously told the Gun Club’s leaders that the Dwarves and Asgard had ended their cooperation in the war against the Bio-Men and demanded they leave.
• Zhang Qiang accused a young Gun Club member of causing enormous losses by blocking Gonzales’s supply channel and ordered him sent to the lunar mines.
• Zhang Qiang demanded that the Gun Club sever its ties with the World Security Council, saying power had corrupted it.
• Security guards told the young man that his actions had harmed merchants and reminded him that the Gun Club’s rules put the people’s interests first.

Alvin confronted Zhang Qiang over the Allied Forces’ treatment of the Dwarves and proposed building a major city and shipbuilding center on Nidavellir with their cooperation. After Zhang Qiang reported the call, Wu Fengji warned that Alvin’s influence could change him and that the concerns of his allies were not baseless.

• At a celebration, Alvin answered Zhang Qiang’s call and rejected his apology for the scheme that had targeted the Dwarves.
• Alvin told Zhang Qiang that the Dwarves were his comrades and condemned the Allied Forces for occupying their territory and using their soldiers as leverage.
• Alvin explained that he and the Dwarves planned to build a supercity and shipbuilding center on Nidavellir, and said the Allied Forces would have to respect Dwarf rules to cooperate.
• Zhang Qiang asked to keep the Interstellar Marines on Nidavellir for training, but Alvin told him to negotiate with the Dwarves and pay to rent land.
• At the Gun Club, Zhang Qiang told the Freemason and Elder Council representatives that their actions had pushed Alvin further away, then Wu Fengji dismissed the projections.
• Wu Fengji told Zhang Qiang that Alvin’s influence had affected him and warned that Alvin’s circumstances and the people around him could push him to change.

Ivan Vanko declared Steel Digital the richest company in the world by accepting a dubious valuation, fired a vice president, and planned a technology expo to needle Tony Stark. Meanwhile, the Ancient One revealed that Dormammu had influenced her and asked Alvin for help.

• Ivan Vanko accepted an inflated valuation that made Steel Digital appear more valuable than Stark Industries, then fired his vice president and promoted the old accountant.
• Ivan ordered a huge Steel Digital Technology Expo in Detroit and arranged with Dr. Yinsen to get a powerful kidney.
• Alvin woke to find Odin waiting in the Mirror Dimension, where the town was deserted and the Ancient One arrived with darkened mages.
• The Ancient One separated her spirit from her shadowy body and explained that merging with Dormammu had left her vulnerable to its instincts.
• The Ancient One told Alvin she needed help.

The Ancient One explained that she had nearly merged with Dormammu and needed Alvin to kill her so she could destroy Dormammu’s consciousness and take control. Alvin struggled to reach the Dark Ancient One through her warped Mirror Dimension, then used a Swiftness rune to prepare to run faster.

• The Ancient One gave Alvin the Time Stone and explained that she needed a suitable heir for the Eye of Agamotto, then revealed her plan to merge with Dormammu.
• The Ancient One summoned Strange, Wang Yuan, the Sorcerer King, Damon, and Kaecilius, then asked Alvin to kill her so she could be freed.
• Strange and the Sorcerers fought the Dark Mages while Odin stabilized the Mirror Dimension and explained why Alvin had to kill the Ancient One.
• Alvin tried to reach the Dark Ancient One, but she warped the space, redirected his attacks, and sent obstacles against him.
• After Odin urged him to run faster, Alvin pulled a Swiftness rune from his backpack and prepared to use it.

Alvin broke through Dark Ancient One’s Mirror Dimension with the Golden-Winged Roc Ring and defeated her dark personality. Afterward, Odin explained that the real Ancient One had restarted Svartalfheim and gained freedom while creating a protective layer around the Solar System.

• Alvin put the Swiftness rune away after Venom proved unable to withstand its power, then used a Dragon Bone Ring to make a Golden-Winged Roc Ring.
• Alvin ran at maximum speed through Dark Ancient One’s Mirror Dimension, but discovered he was trapped in place and burning through his life force.
• Alvin used the Life rune in a ring to replenish his life force and accelerated until he shattered the Mirror Dimension and beheaded Dark Ancient One.
• Damon, King Wongyuan, the Sorcerer King, and Strange defeated the remaining Dark Mages as Odin’s Castle returned to view.
• Odin told Alvin that the Ancient One had restarted Svartalfheim, gained freedom, and created a protective layer around the Solar System.
• The Ancient One emerged from a black Space Gate as Odin finished explaining what had happened.

The Ancient One explained that she had used Alvin as insurance while freeing herself from Dormammu, then prepared to explore the universe as the Solar System faced growing Bug attacks. Alvin reunited with his family and dealt with their teasing and jealous affection, leaving to walk with Hela while watching a huge Aerial Venue being towed through the sky.

• The Ancient One revealed that Mephisto had linked himself to Muspelheim for immortality and explained that defeating Dormammu had freed her from the Time Stone’s burden.
• The Ancient One said she had chosen Alvin as insurance for her dangerous Soul Duel after a proud Phoenix turned down her original plan, then asked for the Eye of Agamotto back.
• The Ancient One warned Alvin that Chaos Space Gates were sending swarms of Bugs toward the Solar System, and said the Dark Dimension could only trap them while humanity prepared a defense.
• Alvin returned the Eye of Agamotto and left the Ancient One to pursue her search for powerful beings and the Immortals’ secrets.
• Ginny returned from Alfheim with two Stone Monsters and announced that she would raise them for their Soil, while Jessica carried Alvin into the castle after he pretended to be injured.
• Alvin watched two Quinjets tow a huge Floating Platform through the sky, then agreed to walk with Hela as Fox and Hela competed for his attention.

Alvin watched Jessica receive expensive clothes and jewelry from Kara Felger, then followed her to the Wolves All-Star Team’s debut. There, Pietro arrived after running from New York and complained that Frank and Steve had barred him from playing against the Aliens.

• Kara Felger gave Jessica a custom diamond necklace and boots, while Alvin lamented the $80,000 he had spent.
• Alvin and Fox discussed the Helicarrier’s rental income and the pop-up hotel Harry’s students had set up at the Aerial Show Venue.
• Jessica dragged Alvin and Fox toward a crowd gathering to watch the Wolves All-Star Team make its debut.
• Alvin saw Ginny, Nick, Mindy, Damon, and Harry in their team roles as Frank and Steve led the suited players for reporters’ photos.
• Pietro told Alvin he had run from New York to Northern Europe in 14 hours to join the team, but Frank and Steve had refused to make him an official player.

Alvin challenged Pietro to a race to a dessert shop, betting that Pietro would lose and have to work during school breaks. After the crowd placed bets and Little Harry analyzed Pietro’s speed, Little Ginny started the race.

• Pietro told Alvin he had left Bourne a note and wanted to join the Wolves, while Alvin explained that Pietro’s speed would make the game unfair and unentertaining.
• Pietro admitted he wanted to help Zack and the others win, and Alvin challenged him to race 302 kilometers to a dessert shop without using a Space Gate.
• Alvin offered Pietro the Behemoth Combat Suit if he won, while Pietro agreed to carry Alvin’s bags for a summer if he lost.
• Nick announced betting odds, and Little Harry estimated that Pietro could make the round trip in about 24.8 minutes before betting on him.
• Alvin ordered forty desserts, and Little Ginny counted down to start the race.

Alvin exposed Pietro’s failed race and assigned him daily exercise walking Maximus, while Nick and Little Harry tried to keep their gambling winnings from the Wolves. The chapter ended with Wanda joining Little Ginny’s playful punishment of Pietro.

• Pietro returned from the dessert shop to find Alvin’s note and everyone had finished their mousse.
• Nick and Little Harry fooled Zack into thinking he had taught them a lesson, while Mindy demanded a share of their winnings.
• Nick claimed Mindy’s share would go toward gifts so he could later reclaim the money by choosing gifts she disliked.
• Alvin made Pietro walk Maximus each day and lent him the Behemoth Combat Suit for protection.
• Little Ginny sent Stone monsters after Pietro, and Wanda carried them to his ears after he fell.

Alvin challenged Pietro to match Peter’s accomplishments and Richard’s routine before he could choose his own path, while Bourne struggled to guide him. Pietro accepted the wager, then Alvin immediately put him to work for the summer, leaving him to build a cabin and exercise Maximus.

• Wanda released Pietro after Bourne intervened, and Pietro argued that he wanted to use his speed to help people like Peter.
• Alvin challenged Pietro to follow Peter’s example and offered to support his future choices if he succeeded, while Pietro agreed to match Richard’s schedule and get into college.
• Alvin shook Pietro’s hand on the wager and said Pietro had bet his entire summer vacation.
• Alvin ordered Pietro to build a heated cabin for Bourne and Wanda, then assigned him to walk Maximus and help the wolf lose weight.
• Bourne thanked Alvin for persuading Pietro, and Alvin warned him that Wanda’s calm demeanor hid her talent for making terrible borscht.

Alvin explained why he was putting Pietro through Richard’s demanding routine while Frank questioned the growing pressure surrounding the basketball competition. Steve confidently promised the Wolves would win, then learned Hell’s Kitchen was spreading rumors about his relationship with April and the Yad Nightclub.

• Alvin told Bourne that Pietro needed two years of discipline and experience to learn to control his abilities and handle life beyond school and home.
• Frank warned Alvin that the competition’s growing attention had turned it into more than a game, but Alvin said the team was prepared and should enjoy the trip.
• Steve claimed the Wolves would beat their amateur opponents and invited Alvin and Frank to have a drink before taking the players to practice.
• Ginny revealed that Alvin had used Hela to heat the desserts, and Alvin carried her away after she teased Pietro for being too slow.
• Frank told Steve that rumors claimed he was a Supreme VIP at the Yad Nightclub while April was in Africa reporting on Wakanda.
• Steve asked when the rumors had started and how much it would cost to make the trending topic disappear.

Stark and Norman Osborn discussed political pressure on their energy group and the shifting balance after the space war, then learned a gargoyle had been killed. Satan hunted for Adam, while Lennore sought Raymond’s help protecting the gargoyles and Shang-Chi offered Hell’s Kitchen’s support.

• Stark and Norman Osborn suspected the hearing was a warning about their influence and planned to work with Alvin and pressure the active congressmen.
• A pillar of light appeared over Manhattan, and JARVIS reported that a gargoyle had died.
• Satan captured another gargoyle, tortured him for Adam’s whereabouts, and left through the portal the gargoyle became.
• Russell found the gargoyle’s belongings and called Coulson to investigate the killing and nearby surveillance.
• Lennore told Raymond that two gargoyles had been killed, but Shang-Chi urged her to bring her people to Hell’s Kitchen instead of accepting Raymond’s dinner offer.
• Raymond promised to protect the gargoyles in his own way after Lennore left.

Alvin staged a humiliating prank on Castle to punish him for the villain in his new book, while Johnny Storm rejected a recruiter’s offer to lead a Mutant Team. The chapter ended with Alvin fleeing in a Broadcast Van after interrupting the recruiter and rescuing Castle from Beckett’s fury.

• Alvin disguised himself as a cameraman and arranged for Kara Felger to give Beckett special attention while Castle visited the clothing store.
• Alvin had Pietro send models to flirt with Castle, then arranged for a Beckett lookalike to embrace and kiss him in front of the real Beckett.
• Alvin filmed Castle’s predicament so he could use the footage to force him to change his book outline.
• Johnny Storm refused a middle-aged man’s offer to lead a Mutant Team, recalling that he had already spent forty-five days in jail over the program.
• Alvin accidentally struck the recruiter with his camera, rushed inside to intervene, and escaped in a Broadcast Van while Johnny watched the injured man on the ground.

Alvin disrupted a government-connected effort to recruit Mutants as superheroes and helped the supermodels publicize their photos with him. A paparazzo then posted pictures suggesting Johnny Storm was dating Jessica, and Shang-Chi asked Alvin to help find whoever had targeted her.

• Alvin arranged for Security Guards to detain the balding government operative and helped the broadcast director prepare a claim for the damaged van.
• Sue Storm left the clothing store with Johnny Storm, who reflected on his past arrogance before heading to arrange her wedding dress.
• Jessica visited the store and posed with the Writer and Beckett while Johnny awkwardly left; a paparazzo posted photos implying Johnny and Jessica were on a date.
• Alvin showed Odin and Frigga footage of Thor being struck by two women Scientists, then threw Loki off the balcony.
• Shang-Chi called Alvin to say someone was targeting Jessica, and Raymond showed Alvin the paparazzo's photos.
• Shang-Chi said he intended to find and take out the troublemaker, while Alvin questioned whether he meant to challenge Johnny Storm.

Alvin talked Shang-Chi out of rushing to Northern Europe over photos involving Jessica, while Raymond revealed that someone was systematically killing the Night Dragons and that devils had entered New York seeking Adam. The Night Dragons had withdrawn to Hell’s Kitchen, and Alvin left Raymond permission to help Lennore as the group returned to the question of what Shang-Chi should do about Jessica.

• Alvin told Shang-Chi that rushing to Jessica would make whoever sent the photos think their scheme had worked, but Shang-Chi insisted he wanted to show her his trust and support.
• Raymond teased Shang-Chi about his romantic situation, then recalled a woman who had once been destroyed by darkness and said he wanted to help Lennore survive in a hostile world.
• Raymond told Alvin that two Night Dragons had been killed in New York as part of a carefully planned effort to target them.
• Raymond said Coulson had told him that devils had entered New York looking for Adam, and that Russell was investigating them.
• Alvin gave Raymond permission to help Lennore and the Night Dragons when necessary, then asked Shang-Chi what he planned to do about Jessica.

Shang-Chi wanted to confront Johnny Storm over the photos involving Jessica, while Alvin and Old Cheng pushed him toward a more focused plan to find whoever was behind them. Satan revealed that the photos were part of a scheme to recruit Johnny and explained that his group needed to capture Adam as a vessel for their souls.

• Shang-Chi blamed Johnny Storm for Jessica’s troubles, but Old Cheng warned him against indiscriminate killing and told him to teach Johnny a lesson while tracking down the person who posted the photos.
• Alvin offered Shang-Chi a plan to beat up Johnny in a way that would make Johnny thank him, and Shang-Chi agreed to hear it.
• Alvin suspected the photos were meant to provoke a conflict between Johnny and Hell’s Kitchen, so he decided to let Shang-Chi handle the matter without overreacting.
• Johnny studied the photos in a coffee shop as Sue Storm urged him to leave town, while Nick and Richard watched from across the street and waited to see who approached him.
• Satan told his staff to remove the fool and paparazzo responsible for the photos, then arrange for someone to approach Johnny after he left town.
• Satan explained that the plan was meant to build a team of superheroes while keeping his identity safe from The Ancient One, and said they needed Adam as a vessel capable of bearing their souls.

Alvin confronted Johnny Storm and Sue Storm over a scheme targeting Johnny, explaining that someone was trying to provoke a conflict with Hell's Kitchen. Johnny agreed to make the staged fallout look real, and Alvin prepared to have Shang-Chi beat him up.

• Sue Storm tried to leave the café with Johnny Storm, but Shang-Chi arrived with Nick and Richard as Alvin entered through the back door.
• Alvin questioned Johnny and Sue about the trouble caused by pictures of Johnny and Jessica, while Johnny accused Alvin of using his family-protection logic to justify a beating.
• Sue defended Johnny as the café shifted into the Mirror Dimension, and she raised a telekinetic barrier against Alvin.
• Alvin revealed that someone was targeting Johnny to provoke Hell's Kitchen and said a paparazzo connected to the pictures had been killed outside town.
• Johnny realized he needed to take a beating to convince the people behind the scheme that their plan had worked, and he challenged Alvin to make the fight convincing.

Shang-Chi arrived to punish Johnny Storm for the trouble involving Jessica and fought him until Sue Storm intervened. The fight ended with Johnny carrying Sue into the sky while Frank watched from a distance and left.

• Shang-Chi told Nick and Richard he would beat Johnny Storm to make him pay for upsetting Jessica, then Johnny burst out of the Coffee Shop and attacked him.
• Shang-Chi used his strength and Mountain Shaker to slam Johnny into the ground and strike him with powerful punches while Jessica watched with Alvin.
• Sue Storm tried to stop Shang-Chi with Telekinesis, but Nick stunned her with a stun gun as Shang-Chi kept attacking Johnny.
• Johnny blasted Shang-Chi back, then scooped up Sue Storm and flew into the sky while Richard shielded Nick and Frank lowered his gun and left.

After Shang-Chi’s battle drew attention to martial artists, Public Relations Manager Ryan visited Lin Shaoqing in the World Security Council’s Secret Prison Cell to ask for advice promoting a government superhero team. Lin exposed how easy it was to escape his restraints, then watched Ryan’s staged team videos and agreed to hear him out.

• Odin had the Valkyrie Squad arrest Shang-Chi, Nick, and Richard and make them work until the town’s festivities ended.
• Videos of Shang-Chi fighting the “Human Torch” spread, prompting people to notice martial artists such as Lin Shaoqing.
• Ryan visited Lin in the Secret Prison Cell, and Lin slipped his Restraint Ring and opened the cage to make the guards process his release papers.
• Ryan explained that the World Security Council had hired him to promote a superhero team and asked Lin about Shang-Chi’s martial arts.
• Lin watched footage of the team fighting Aliens in France, mocked their staged performance, and asked Ryan what advice he wanted.