Chapter Summaries

Dean, empowered by the curse, attacked Lucifer while Clark and Kara restrained him, and Sam fought Michael in Adam’s body. After Sam killed Michael, Zhang Ye told Gabriel that events matched a prophecy of the world’s destruction, though the God behind it was not the one Gabriel remembered.

• Dean struck Lucifer with a curse-enhanced punch, and Clark and Kara held Lucifer in place so Dean could wound him again.
• Michael battled Batman and the Bat-Family, while Jason wounded one of Michael’s wings.
• Sam confronted Michael with the Valkyrie Blade and used golden runes to withstand Michael’s holy fire.
• Sam drove Michael’s Archangel Blade into him despite Michael warning that Adam would die too, and Michael began to fall as his wings burned.
• Zhang Ye told Gabriel that the unfolding events matched a prophecy of the world’s destruction, but that God was not the one Gabriel remembered.

On a deserted shore, Zhang Ye told Dean and Sam that Chuck’s control over their lives might be gone, then explained how the brothers had benefited from supernatural luck. He left them with a share of Lucifer and Michael’s luck as they prepared to move on to an uncertain future, while Zhang Ye turned his attention back to the zombie universe.

• Dean thanked Zhang Ye for helping him and Sam defeat Lucifer and Michael, and Zhang Ye said their arrangement had benefited everyone.
• Zhang Ye warned Dean and Sam that Chuck could still control their lives, but reasoned that Chuck would likely leave the universe alone because he had not intervened.
• Zhang Ye explained that Chuck had granted the brothers extra luck, which had protected them from everyday problems and helped their lives unfold dramatically.
• Dean and Sam worried that their luck had disappeared, and Zhang Ye reassured them that he had divided Lucifer and Michael’s luck between them.
• Zhang Ye reflected that Dean and Sam could now pursue an unknown future, then decided to focus on the zombie universe.

After defeating Lucifer and Michael, Zhang Ye said goodbye to Jo and left Hunter's Tavern. He then prepared Clark, Bruce Wayne, Reed Richards, and the others to travel to the Zombie Heroes Universe and stop a multiversal zombie outbreak.

• Dean and Sam told Ellen that Lucifer and Michael were gone, while warning that Heaven and Hell would face power struggles.
• Jo realized Zhang Ye was leaving; he promised to buy her a drink next time, then departed Hunter's Tavern.
• Zhang Ye caught Pietro eavesdropping and teased him before turning to Clark and Bruce Wayne about their mission.
• Bruce Wayne and Reed Richards reported that their attempts to decode the mysterious numbers had failed, while discussing what they knew about the zombie virus.
• Zhang Ye told the group to kill the contaminated zombies rather than risk their safety, then opened purple portals and led them onward.

Zhang Ye returned to Stark Tower after many years and reunited with Tony Stark, bringing heroes from other universes. They gathered to plan how to contain the Zombie Virus and liberate Universe Z without letting the infected threaten the wider Multiverse.

• Tony Stark, still unchanged by time, gave up waiting outside Zhang Ye’s old laboratory and headed toward his room.
• Zhang Ye arrived through a purple portal with Clark, Bruce Wayne, Diana, Mister Fantastic, Logan, and others, and Tony greeted him with a Repulsor Ray before recognizing him.
• Tony mistook the visitors for hallucinations until Zhang Ye confirmed they were real and explained that the Multiverse contained worlds where he was a comic-book character.
• Zhang Ye arranged rooms for the visitors, then brought Clark, Bruce Wayne, Diana, Mister Fantastic, and Logan to the conference room with Tony.
• Zhang Ye opened a meeting about containing the Zombie Virus in Universe Z and preventing its infected from threatening other universes.

The Zombie Heroes of Universe Z sought a way to escape their lifeless world, while Pym struggled to crack the Watchers' universe-transmission device. Professor X's scan then revealed fresh flesh in a New York junkyard, giving the starving heroes a new target.

• Zombie Moon Knight, Zombie Sentry, Zombie Hulk, Zombie Quasar, Zombie Quicksilver, Zombie Spider-Man, Zombie Namor, Zombie Sandra, and the Zombie Super-Skrull reminisced about their victories and the heroes they had devoured.
• The Zombie Super-Skrull demanded that Pym finish cracking the Watchers' technology, but Pym asked for more time despite using captured brains to aid his calculations.
• A hunger alert sounded, and Zombie Quicksilver realized Professor X had detected something through Cerebro.
• Zombie Quicksilver checked Professor X's map and found a signal indicating fresh flesh in a New York junkyard.

Zhang Ye and the heroes arrived at the former Xavier's School, where Logan found Cyclops's glasses among a mountain of bones, and Zhang Ye explained that they would destroy the remaining zombies to protect the Multiverse. The heroes split up through portals to attack zombie strongholds across the universe, with battles about to begin on Titan, Xandar, and Counter-Earth.

• The heroes emerged near the former Xavier's School and found a vast pile of human remains; Logan recognized the site as X-Men territory and recovered Cyclops's glasses.
• Zhang Ye told the heroes that the universe's time loop was close to breaking and that they had to eliminate the remaining zombies before the virus could spread to other universes.
• Ashley asked whether the world could be saved, but Zhang Ye said the risk of renewed contamination made destroying it the safer choice.
• Zhang Ye opened portals across the universe, and the Justice League and New Avengers split into groups to hunt down the remaining zombies.
• On Titan, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Wolverine Logan, Mera, Shazam, and Etrigan confronted Zombie Thanos as he fed on an Asgardian soldier.
• On Xandar and Counter-Earth, Kara, female Thor, and Black Canary arrived to face the zombie Nova Corps, while Batman's group prepared to strike the infected Wundagore Knights.

Zhang Ye sent the heroes through portals to attack zombie gathering sites, while secretly giving them the ability to rewind their bodies to an earlier state. After the portals closed, Zombie Quicksilver attacked the group, and Pietro pursued his zombified counterpart.

• Zhang Ye explained that he had secretly anchored the heroes in time so he could rewind them if they were bitten or killed.
• Mister Fantastic asked how they would find Earth's Zombie Heroes, and Zhang Ye said the zombies would come to them after he removed the concealment spell.
• Zombie Quicksilver raced from Avengers Tower toward the group, hoping to feed on the five figures he sensed.
• Clark moved despite Quicksilver's speed, struck at him with Heat Vision, and sent him crashing into a pile of bones.
• Zombie Quicksilver fled, and Pietro chased him through the city streets, lamenting that his first meeting with a parallel-universe self was a pursuit of his zombified counterpart.

Clark and the others confronted Zombie Sentry and the approaching Zombie Heroes, while Ashley recoiled from Zombie Spider-Man, who claimed to be her grandfather. The battle began with Zombie Hulk sneaking up on Clark as the zombie horde surrounded Zhang Ye’s group.

• Clark sensed a powerful threat approaching and recognized the newcomer as a contamination-free but virus-infected Sentry.
• Clark rose to meet Zombie Sentry, and the two exchanged taunts before preparing to fight.
• Zombie Hulk, Zombie Spider-Man, and other Zombie Heroes arrived; Ashley was horrified to meet the monstrous version of her grandfather, Peter Parker.
• Zhang Ye considered Zombie Spider-Man’s shifting lucidity and questioned how contamination had affected his hunger.
• Zombie Sentry attacked Clark, who countered by slamming him into the ground and dodging his golden laser.
• Ashley warned Clark about Zombie Hulk’s sneak attack as the other Zombie Heroes surrounded Zhang Ye’s group.

Ashley fought Zombie Spider-Man, who overwhelmed her and mocked her as weak and unworthy of the Spider family. She used a makeshift bow and an Adamantium Arrow to kill him, then declared that her father was Hawkeye.

• Zombie Spider-Man’s attacks forced Ashley backward, and he punched her into a ruined wall, leaving her injured.
• Venom urged Ashley to ignore Zombie Spider-Man’s taunts, while she studied the battlefield and spotted a stone monument.
• Ashley used webs to set a trap, but Zombie Spider-Man dodged it and continued mocking her.
• Ashley revealed a makeshift bow fashioned from a taut web and a bone arrow tipped with the silver arrowhead from her necklace.
• Ashley told Zombie Spider-Man that her father was Hawkeye and shot him through the chest and brainstem with an Adamantium Arrow.
• Zombie Spider-Man fell dead, and Ashley cursed him as she watched his body hit the ground.

Clark fought Sentry, Zombie Hulk, and the Super Skrull while the others battled zombie heroes across New York. Raven and Tony Stark joined the fight, and Stark used Jarvis to analyze Sandra as he prepared a magical counterattack.

• Clark drew Sentry, Zombie Hulk, and the Super Skrull away from his allies as their battle devastated New York City.
• Ashley defeated Zombie Spider-Man and joined Mister Fantastic and Zhang Ye, while Reed said Clark could handle his three opponents.
• Raven revealed herself and used magic to immobilize Zombie Namor as she prepared to strike him.
• Mister Fantastic stopped Sandra from attacking Raven, and his body withstood her sword.
• Tony Stark arrived in a green suit protected by the Seraphim Shield and used Jarvis to analyze Sandra and calculate counterspells.

Tony Stark used his dimensional magic against Sandra while Zhang Ye focused on Zombie Quasar and drove him into space. Zhang Ye redirected a meteor swarm toward New York and pursued Quasar to the moon, leaving the battle below to Clark and the others.

• Tony Stark corroded Sandra’s arm with dimensional magic, and she tore it off before attacking with her meteor hammer.
• Tony Stark evaded Sandra’s strike and hit her with Exalon’s Touch while Mister Fantastic held back his Divine Relics.
• Zhang Ye confronted Quasar, who gathered energy from the Quantum Bands and rejected Zhang Ye’s warning about the contamination.
• Zhang Ye attacked Quasar with the Black Umbrella’s tentacles and summoned a meteor swarm, forcing Quasar to flee toward the moon.
• Zhang Ye redirected the meteor swarm toward New York, warned Clark, and pursued Quasar toward the moon.

Kara and Black Canary purged the zombie Nova Corps from Xandar, reflecting on Zhang Ye’s burdens as they finished the mission. On Counter-Earth, Dick Grayson, Jason, Damian, Bruce, and Kate fought the zombie beastmen, with Bruce quietly enjoying the family’s antics.

• Kara and Black Canary fought through Xandar, and Black Canary discovered that Zhang Ye’s safety lock had caused two Mjolnirs to return to her.
• Kara and Black Canary discussed Zhang Ye’s secrets and the pressure he placed on himself as they destroyed the remaining zombie Nova Corps.
• Kara and Black Canary surveyed Xandar’s ruins and hoped the other teams’ missions were going well.
• Dick Grayson objected as Jason charged at the zombie beastmen on Counter-Earth, while Jason encouraged Damian to try the modified Batcycle.
• Bruce told Kate he trusted Dick to guide Damian, and Kate noticed Bruce’s brief smile.

Zhang Ye defeated the zombified Quasar on the Moon, then discussed with the Watcher how the vanished pollution had altered the universe. He concluded that pollution had granted the zombies power and sustained the Quantum Bands, leaving the source and meaning of that power unresolved.

• Zhang Ye pursued Quasar through space and knocked him into a crater on the Moon.
• Zhang Ye blocked Quasar's attack, severed his arms, and shattered his frozen body, leaving the Quantum Bands behind.
• The Watcher arrived and explained that Pym was trying to use his technology to open a gateway to the Multiverse.
• Zhang Ye questioned why the Quantum Bands had worked and why the zombies remained hungry after the pollution disappeared.
• Zhang Ye proposed that pollution had given the zombies higher-dimensional power, controlled heroes' thoughts, and replaced Eternity as the Quantum Bands' energy source.

Zhang Ye and the Watcher discussed the contamination’s effects and the fate of the devastated universes while the heroes reported their cleanup progress. As the operation wound down, Stark announced that he had deciphered the meaning of the numbers.

• Zhang Ye removed the Quantum Bands from a zombie and asked the Watcher about his unusual power and the contamination.
• The Watcher explained that the lifeless universes would gradually fade and fragment, while the zombie universe’s future remained uncertain.
• Black Canary, Damian Wayne, Wonder Woman, and Mister Fantastic reported clearing Xandar, Counter-Earth, Titan, and other areas and gathering technology and research.
• Mister Fantastic revealed that he had found evidence of a Watcher fortress, but Zhang Ye told him to focus on the mission and send help to Clark and Pietro.
• Stark contacted Zhang Ye and said he had figured out what the numbers meant.

Tony Stark deciphered the numbers Zhang Ye had received from the Zombie Sentry as IP addresses paired with dates, revealing that the contamination had been hiding information tied to them. Zhang Ye experienced a disorienting vision before returning to reality, shaken and asking for a drink.

• Zhang Ye explained to the Watchers that the Zombie Sentry had given him a string of numbers and that Tony Stark had been decoding it.
• Tony Stark showed Zhang Ye how Jarvis transformed the binary strings into IP addresses and associated dates.
• Zhang Ye recognized the numbers as IP addresses, and Tony Stark confirmed that this was what the contamination had concealed.
• Zhang Ye became overwhelmed by emotions and saw a vision of someone typing into a system as comic-book pages flashed before him.
• Tony Stark touched Zhang Ye's shoulder, bringing him back to reality, and Zhang Ye said he wanted something to drink.

Zhang Ye and Tony Stark decided to pursue the contamination by looking beyond the known universes, while Susan encountered a mysterious broadcast in the House of Mystery. The chapter ended with the Vought Plus logo appearing on her television.

• Zhang Ye explained that the contamination was a distorted collective consciousness flowing from a higher world and acknowledged that its source could be anywhere.
• Tony Stark admitted he wanted to trace and eliminate the contamination so he would not be dragged into another disaster, and Zhang Ye persuaded him to continue investigating.
• Zhang Ye identified the Marvel Multiverse as the place where contamination had been most severe and proposed looking farther ahead for a lead.
• Susan checked the energy control core, then watched Franklin and Valeria on television while worrying about Reed Richards and the Wasteland heroes on their mission.
• Susan noticed the television flickering despite the House of Mystery existing outside the timeline, raised her force field, and watched the screen stabilize on a Vought Plus logo.

Susan saw an anomalous Vought Plus advertisement interrupt the television and planned to report it to Zhang Ye. Zhang Ye discovered that the strange data had reached the House of Mystery after he encountered Zombie Sentry, and he connected Susan’s call after ordering the base monitored for contamination.

• Susan watched a bizarre Vought Plus advertisement, then dispelled her energy force field and decided to report the interruption to Zhang Ye.
• Miss Minutes warned Zhang Ye that unfamiliar information had invaded the House of Mystery and might have been aimed at him.
• Zhang Ye found an error report on the Time Twister and learned that the signal had reached him about a week earlier, likely during his fight with Zombie Sentry.
• Zhang Ye suspected the signal came from the sources of contamination and ordered Miss Minutes to monitor the House of Mystery and the wasteland for signs of corruption.
• Miss Minutes reported that the House of Mystery remained uncontaminated and said Susan was trying to contact Zhang Ye, who told her to connect the call.

Zhang Ye investigated a mysterious Vought Streaming advertisement that Susan traced to no known source and concluded it might connect a newly born universe to the Mental Contamination. After devising a way to seek its coordinates from within the contamination, he prepared to investigate alone.

• Susan reported that the Vought Streaming video had appeared without a traceable source and resembled an advertisement featuring Justice League-like superheroes.
• Tony Stark suggested the Supreme Squadron, but Zhang Ye said the figures were unrelated and identified them as characters from The Boys, raising questions about their connection to the contamination.
• Zhang Ye and Tony concluded that the video might point to a universe born from Mental Contamination, outside the Watchers' known observations.
• Susan proposed approaching the contamination to find the universe's coordinates, and Tony suggested Zhang Ye could use a controllable source to make contact through a deep mental projection.
• Zhang Ye decided to investigate the contamination himself, left Tony to handle cleanup and support the Overseers, and opened a scarlet portal.

Sentry awoke in the Sanctum Sanctorum, where Doctor Strange cured him of the Zombie Virus and explained that they were trapped in a hellish universe distorted by Mental Contamination. As Sentry tried to understand why he had been sent there, a mysterious man emerged from a portal, and Punisher recognized him.

• Sentry woke in the Sanctum Sanctorum and recognized Doctor Strange, while Punisher kept a wary watch over him.
• Doctor Strange showed Sentry that he had returned to normal and said he had cured the Zombie Virus inside him.
• Doctor Strange told Sentry that the universe was a prison shaped by Mental Contamination, where the dead mutated and survivors were driven into madness.
• Sentry and Doctor Strange discussed how people could resist contamination and wondered why the wizard had sent Sentry there.
• A strange spiritual force opened a crimson portal in the Sanctum Sanctorum, and a man in a black trench coat emerged.
• Punisher recognized the newcomer and exclaimed, "It's you!"

Zhang Ye visited Doctor Strange, Punisher, and Sentry in their prison and explained how Mental Contamination exploited their worlds’ weaknesses, revealing that it came from an IP address above their realities. He promised that if he found the source and a solution, he could free their world and restore the dead, and Punisher pledged to help him.

• Doctor Strange acknowledged that Zhang Ye’s decision to imprison them had been the best way to prevent their contaminated universe from being destroyed by the Prime Universe.
• Zhang Ye explained how Mental Contamination had used Deadpool’s healing and madness to enable his slaughter, and the zombie virus to spread through Sentry’s world.
• Zhang Ye revealed that he had found a contamination-born IP address inside Zombie Sentry’s mind, suggesting that beings above their worlds were behind the threat.
• Doctor Strange concluded that Zhang Ye, who was unaffected by contamination, might be the key to breaking the deadlock.
• Punisher asked whether their world could return to normal, and Zhang Ye said he could free it and possibly bring back those who had died if he found the source and a solution.
• Punisher pledged his life to Zhang Ye and offered to do whatever he needed.