Chapter Summaries

Tony Stark launched the Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor from the Veronica satellite as Four-Armed Symbiote Hulk rampaged through Tucson. The chapter ended as huge alloy shield walls descended to stop Hulk from attacking the police.

• Tony Stark told Natasha that Hulk had merged with a Symbiote, but Natasha said she was pinned down fighting Ultron's forces and could not come help.
• Tony Stark activated Veronica, an independent satellite carrying the Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor and its support equipment, despite Captain America's warning to save it for Ultron.
• The Symbiote overwhelmed Hulk and transformed him into Four-Armed Symbiote Hulk, who grew larger and began destroying buildings and vehicles in Tucson.
• Four-Armed Symbiote Hulk crushed an officer and ignored police gunfire before charging at the remaining officers.
• Seven or eight massive alloy shield walls descended from the sky toward Four-Armed Symbiote Hulk.

Tony Stark deployed the Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor to fight the Four-Armed Symbiote Hulk, who escaped Veronica’s cage and proved resilient against the mech’s attacks. The Hulk overwhelmed the armor in close combat, leaving Tony struggling to break free.

• Veronica’s armor platform dropped superalloy shields around the Four-Armed Symbiote Hulk, but he soon smashed his way out.
• Tony Stark assembled the Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor and urged the Hulk to resist the symbiote, but the Hulk attacked with a thrown pickup truck and a powerful charge.
• Tony grabbed the Hulk by the throat, dragged him along the street, and blasted him through buildings with the armor’s Arc Pulse Cannons.
• The Hulk fired a web strand at the armor, pulled Tony off balance, and battered its head and chest with all four arms.
• The Hulk recovered from Tony’s punch, grappled the armor’s limbs, and bit down on its shoulder-mounted weapon platform.

Tony Stark used a sonic weapon to strip the symbiote from Hulk, but Ultron had used the attack as an opportunity to infect the Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor and Veronica Satellite. Tony realized Ultron had seized both systems, leaving the Avengers facing a much greater threat.

• Tony Stark deployed the sonic weapon, which forced the symbiote off Hulk and weakened him.
• A hidden piece of symbiote infected the Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor and spread Ultron’s Electronic Demon to Veronica Satellite.
• The corrupted Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor ejected Tony Stark into a ruined café.
• Ultron revealed that he had lured the Avengers into the hangar to hack the armor and Veronica Satellite.
• Ultron burned the symbiote, and Tony Stark realized Ultron had taken control of the armor and satellite.

Ultron stole Tony Stark’s Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor and escaped with the Veronica Armor Hangar, while Hulk pinned Tony down and battered his armor. Black Widow calmed Hulk and brought Bruce Banner back, leaving Tony’s rescue and Ultron’s escape unresolved.

• Ultron took control of the Mark 44 Little Gundam Armor and flew away with the Veronica Armor Hangar.
• Hulk attacked Tony Stark, pinned the Mark 45 Armor to the ground, and severely damaged it.
• Tony Stark called for help, and Captain America said he and Black Widow were nearly there.
• Black Widow approached Hulk and tried to calm him by speaking gently and reaching for his hand.
• Hulk recognized Black Widow, transformed back into Bruce Banner, and leaned weakly into her arms.

After Hulk’s rampage in Tucson, Captain America led the battered Avengers away, unaware that Ultron and Blackheart had used the Magic Cauldron Mirror to target him. The mirror created a sinister duplicate of Steve Rogers, leaving Blackheart and Ultron with a new weapon.

• Bruce Banner returned to human form and saw the devastation Hulk had caused, overcome with guilt.
• Captain America urged Tony Stark, Black Widow, and Bruce Banner to leave the scene and regroup before confronting Ultron.
• From a distant rooftop, Blackheart prepared Mephisto’s Magic Cauldron Mirror while Ultron watched through an armor suit.
• Blackheart explained that the mirror could steal a target’s soul imprint and create an Anti-Mirror Image shaped by their strengths and deepest wounds.
• Captain America spotted the mirror and looked directly at it as Blackheart chanted an incantation.
• A duplicate of Steve Rogers, wearing Captain America’s suit and carrying his shield, emerged from the mirror.

Blackheart gave Ultron a mirror-born Captain America to distract the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. while they built a demon-and-technology army to seize Hell’s throne from Mephisto. On the flight back to New York, Bruce Banner and the others struggled with guilt and defeat after the disaster in Tucson.

• Blackheart created an anti-mirror Captain America and told Ultron the figure would persist until someone killed him, as long as the Magic Cauldron Mirror remained intact.
• Ultron planned to use the mirror image to occupy the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. while it built the Demon Engine Legion with Blackheart.
• Blackheart demanded the Demon Engines obey him so he could overthrow Mephisto and become the new king of Hell.
• At night, Bruce Banner replayed the devastation in Tucson and blamed himself for the destruction caused by Hulk.
• Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Human Torch, and Tony Stark returned to New York in a Quinjet, each weighed down by the failed mission and its losses.

After Ultron’s trap left Tucson devastated and Bruce Banner exposed as Hulk, the Avengers faced public outrage and the threat of a warrant. Nick Fury warned them that he could delay official action but could not stop the growing backlash, while Captain America argued that fear—not money—was driving it.

• The Avengers recognized that Ultron had manipulated their decisions, cost Tony Stark his Mark 44 armor, and given him control of Veronica Satellite.
• Captain America worried that the public would blame Bruce Banner for Hulk’s destruction in Tucson and feared he could not protect him from the fallout.
• Nick Fury berated the Avengers over the televised disaster and reported that a draft warrant for Bruce Banner was ready, though he had delayed it temporarily.
• Fury warned that protests and petitions demanding punishment for Hulk and the Avengers were swelling across the country.
• Tony Stark argued that generous compensation from his foundation should satisfy the victims, but Captain America said the public feared Hulk’s uncontrollable power and now feared Bruce Banner too.

After the Avengers' failed clash with Ultron in Tucson, Tony Stark erupted at Captain America over the public's blame before accepting his support. With public outrage growing and a warrant for Dr. Banner looming, the team agreed to hide while they searched for Ultron.

• Tony Stark angrily challenged Captain America about the unavoidable casualties of war and accused the public of blaming the Avengers while ignoring the destruction caused by their enemies.
• Captain America stopped Tony's outburst and reassured him that the Avengers would face whatever came next together.
• Captain America told Nick Fury that the team was unharmed but their morale had collapsed after the fight with Ultron.
• Nick Fury said he could delay the warrant for Dr. Banner but ordered the Avengers to stay out of public view and avoid the media.
• Tony Stark showed Captain America the growing hostile coverage and renewed calls for a Superhuman Registration Act, and the Avengers agreed to lie low while searching for Ultron.

Hawkeye diverted the exhausted Avengers to a safe house while Carl reviewed his growing Prestige Points and prepared the next stage of his plan. He revealed that the Age of Ultron crisis had been staged to lure Mephisto into a trap targeting the Hell Dimension.

• Hawkeye changed the Quinjet's course and took the Avengers toward his hidden safe house.
• Carl left the sleeping models, refreshed himself, and sat on his Golden Throne to review his status panel.
• Carl saw that his Prestige Points had risen to more than 916 million, largely from Kong and Godzilla's battle against the Kaiju.
• Carl explained that the Age of Ultron event had earned fewer points but served as bait in his God-Eater Plan.
• Carl planned to lure Mephisto into a trap and seize his soul treasury and control of the Hell Dimension.

Carl watched his plan unfold as Ultron and the Iron Legion wreaked havoc, anticipating enough Prestige Points to strengthen the Warp and eventually claim Mephisto. Meanwhile, Hawkeye brought the exhausted Avengers to his secluded family home, where they were welcomed by his pregnant wife Laura.

• Carl watched reports of Ultron and the Iron Legion's attacks and expected to gain the Prestige Points needed to raise the Warp's Dimension Strength to level seven.
• Carl planned to claim Mephisto's soul and part of Hell after the Age of Ultron, relying on the Infinity Stones and contingencies if needed.
• A S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet landed at Hawkeye's secluded farm in Queens with Tony Stark, Captain America, Bruce Banner, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Human Torch aboard.
• Hawkeye led the weary group into his home and reunited with his pregnant wife, Laura Barton.
• Hawkeye introduced Laura as his wife and said their children, Cooper and Layla, were upstairs asleep.
• Captain America removed his helmet and apologized to Laura for arriving unannounced and bringing trouble to her family's home.

At Hawkeye's farm, the Avengers regrouped after their defeat, but the team struggled with mistrust and conflicting plans. Bruce Banner said he planned to leave to protect others, and Tony Stark tried to reassure him by pointing out that everyone on the team was abnormal in some way.

• Tony Stark confronted Hawkeye about hiding his family, and Hawkeye explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. had erased all records of Laura, the farm, and his children to keep them safe.
• Hawkeye offered the Avengers rooms at the farm, but Human Torch refused to stay and flew off to find his sister and Reed Richards at S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Captain America returned inside and called for a serious team discussion as the Avengers rested and prepared to decide what to do about Ultron.
• Bruce Banner said he intended to flee to an uninhabited place because he feared Hulk could cause another disaster, and Black Widow pleaded with him to stay.
• Tony Stark broke the tense silence and told Bruce Banner that the whole team was abnormal, urging him not to think of himself as the only monster.

After the Avengers regrouped on a secluded farm, Tony Stark and Captain America realized Ultron might build a new body from Vibranium, making him nearly impervious to their weapons. Captain America tried to ask Tony about the plan to trap Ultron, but Tony reacted defensively and lashed out at him.

• Captain America stopped Tony from upsetting Bruce Banner further and urged the Avengers to share responsibility for their defeat and work together against Ultron.
• Tony warned that Ultron understood their flaws and intended to break their will, while Captain America rallied the team and asked what material Ultron meant by a body superior to titanium alloy.
• Tony and Captain America suspected Ultron planned to use Vibranium, and Tony explained the rare metal’s strength and its connection to Captain America’s shield.
• Hawkeye realized a Vibranium body could withstand the Avengers’ weapons, plunging the team back into despair.
• Captain America asked Tony how likely he and Bruce Banner were to trap Ultron with their network device, and Tony angrily rejected the question and challenged Captain America’s authority.

Captain America helped Tony Stark confront his guilt over creating Ultron, then split the Avengers into two teams to investigate and prepare for Ultron’s next move. As Captain America and Black Widow headed for Wakanda, the story shifted to Talos and Soren, who decided they needed to tell Fury about an abnormal situation involving the Lemurian Star.

• Captain America reassured Tony Stark that Ultron’s choice to wage war had not been Tony’s intention, and shared his own pain of surviving after everyone else had died.
• Captain America assigned himself a team to investigate Wakanda while Stark’s team stayed behind to search for Ultron, improve the Digital Cage, and prepare for battle.
• Hawkeye offered to accompany Captain America, but Black Widow urged him to stay with his pregnant wife Laura and their children, so she went instead.
• Captain America and Black Widow boarded the Quinjet and flew toward Wakanda while Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Hawkeye remained at the farmhouse.
• In Washington, D.C., Talos and Soren, disguised as Nick Fury and Maria Hill, discussed reporting the abnormal situation involving the Lemurian Star to Fury immediately.

Talos and Soren discovered that the Lemurian Star’s secret missions were inaccessible even with Nick Fury’s credentials, but their investigation was interrupted when Captain America rammed their vehicle. The attacker planted C-4 on their armored car, leaving Talos and Soren trapped as Nightingale struggled to restart the propulsion system.

• Soren confronted Talos about unauthorized Lemurian Star voyages and the denial of access to its mission logs.
• A modified Hummer rammed Talos and Soren’s Chevrolet Suburban, injuring Talos and leaving Soren with a cut forehead.
• Talos and Soren recognized Captain America as the attacker, and he planted C-4 on the Suburban’s cracked window while mouthing “Hail Hydra.”
• Talos and Soren climbed into the back seats as Talos ordered Nightingale to restart the propulsion system.
• The C-4 blast damaged the vehicle and shattered the outer layer of its bulletproof window, but the inner layers held; Captain America appeared surprised by the window’s durability.

Talos and Soren endured Captain America's attack on their armored vehicle, but escaped into a sewer after he blew it up. Captain America failed to find them and drove away, leaving a devastated street and injured civilians behind.

• Talos and Soren survived Captain America's second C-4 blast, and Talos ordered Nightingale to deploy the vehicle's weapons.
• Talos stopped the minigun after its ricocheting bullets injured civilians, then fired a grenade that sent Captain America flying and knocked away his shield.
• Nightingale restored power, and Talos drove the damaged SUV away before Captain America detonated an explosive beneath it and flipped it onto its roof.
• Talos and Soren cut through the SUV's roof and escaped into a sewer before Captain America reached the wreck.
• Captain America discovered the escape route, abandoned the search, and drove away in his Hummer as police arrived to treat the injured.

Nick Fury and Maria Hill found Talos dead in a secret safehouse and heard Soren accuse Steve Rogers of killing him. Fury doubted that the attacker was really Steve, who was traveling to Wakanda with Black Widow, and began to suspect the street attack had been staged by someone else.

• Nick Fury and Maria Hill entered the safehouse and found Talos's corpse beside the grieving Soren.
• Soren told Nick Fury that Steve Rogers had attacked their car with C4 explosives and killed Talos while protecting her.
• Maria Hill offered Soren condolences and promised to investigate Talos's murder and pursue the killer.
• Nick Fury recalled seeing footage of a Captain America lookalike attacking him in Washington and questioned whether it was really Steve.
• Nick Fury had confirmed through Hawkeye that Steve and Black Widow had left for Wakanda, strengthening his suspicion that the attacker was an impostor.

Nick Fury suspected that a Skrull had impersonated Captain America and tried to assassinate him, so he ordered Hawkeye to keep Fury’s survival secret while he investigated. Soren then revealed that Talos had found unauthorized Lemurian Star launches and a hidden layer of S.H.I.E.L.D. security blocking even director-level access.

• Nick Fury concluded that Captain America was likely an impostor and suspected a Skrull traitor after considering how perfectly the attacker had copied him.
• Nick Fury recognized that Talos’s death had left the Skrulls leaderless and feared the secret group could slip from his control.
• Nick Fury told Hawkeye to hide that Fury was alive and to quietly watch for suspicious reactions, putting his plan to help the Avengers against Ultron aside.
• Nick Fury asked Soren what she and Talos had found about the Lemurian Star, and she described its unexplained launches over the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
• Soren explained that Talos could not access the launch files even with director-level clearance, as the system repeatedly blocked his commands and erased his access attempts.

Sitwell told Alexander Pierce that Captain America had attacked Nick Fury, and Pierce verified the shocking report in videos of the attempted assassination. Sitwell argued that the chaos could give Hydra a rare opportunity to advance Project Insight, but had not yet explained how.

• Sitwell reported that Nick Fury had been assassinated, and Alexander Pierce angrily denied ordering the attack.
• Sitwell revealed that Captain America had attacked Fury and sent Pierce two videos as proof.
• Pierce watched Captain America plant explosives on Fury's SUV twice and struggled to understand why he would target Fury.
• Sitwell said Fury and Maria Hill had likely escaped the explosions but were badly injured and missing.
• Sitwell argued that Captain America's public attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. director created an opportunity for Project Insight.

Sitwell persuaded Alexander Pierce to exploit Nick Fury’s disappearance by blaming Steve Rogers and making him a wanted fugitive, clearing the way for Project Insight. Pierce ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to hunt Steve and find Fury, while Sharon Carter and the assembled agents reacted with shock to the accusations and footage.

• Sitwell urged Alexander Pierce to frame Steve Rogers for attacking Nick Fury, divert attention from Project Insight, and use the search to test whether Fury’s allies would respond.
• Pierce ordered a Level 7-and-above gathering and told Sitwell to exclude the Avengers, especially Barton and Romanoff.
• At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Sitwell declared Level 1 combat readiness, ordered airport closures and surveillance searches, and identified Steve Rogers as the target.
• Sharon Carter challenged the manhunt, demanding reasonable grounds for targeting Captain America.
• Pierce arrived, showed footage of Steve planting explosives, claimed Steve had attacked Fury and left his fate unknown, and ordered agents to find both men.
• Sharon watched the additional footage in shock as S.H.I.E.L.D. plunged into confusion over the wanted order.

Helen Cho returned to her laboratory and discovered that Ultron had taken control of Tony Stark’s Mark 43 Armor. Ultron demanded that she use the Regeneration Cradle to create a living mechanical body, and Helen insisted that the process was impossible.

• Helen Cho arrived at her private studio late at night to review the Regeneration Cradle’s technical details and contract terms.
• Ultron threatened Helen Cho from the darkness, and she initially mistook the Mark 43 Armor for Tony Stark.
• Ultron revealed that the armor was empty and identified himself as an artificial intelligence who had hijacked it.
• Ultron asked Helen Cho to help use the Regeneration Cradle and her scientific expertise to create him a genuine mechanical lifeform.
• Helen Cho argued that the Regeneration Cradle could print and repair biological tissue but could not create life or place a mechanical consciousness in a living body.