Chapter Summaries

Tony showed Banner the Mind Stone’s neural-like data structure and argued it could make Ultron possible. Banner weighed the risks but recognized that Tony wanted to secretly build artificial intelligence with the scepter, leaving their decision unresolved.

• Natasha told Dr. Zhao that Barton had been badly injured but someone had healed him instantly, and Dr. Zhao agreed to attend Tony’s gathering if the healer would be there.
• Tony brought Banner to his laboratory and showed him JARVIS’s processing model beside the much larger structure copied from the Mind Stone.
• Banner identified the structure as a possible artificial intelligence, and Tony connected it to the advanced robots he had seen in Strucker’s laboratory.
• Tony proposed using the Mind Stone’s energy to develop Ultron and tried to persuade Banner by describing a safer world and a life free from Hulk’s transformations.
• Banner questioned whether Ultron would address humanity’s threat to itself, then realized Tony intended to develop the AI secretly with the scepter.

Su Ming heard how Ant-Man had outsmarted Sam and watched Rhodey try to flee before a party at Avengers Tower. As Tony left the lab after days of failed attempts to build Ultron, the program fused successfully with the Mind Scepter.

• Banner agreed to help Tony develop Ultron, but their integration attempts failed over three days.
• Su Ming met Dr. Zhao, then heard Sam explain how Ant-Man damaged his equipment and stole a signal jammer from the Avengers Base.
• Rhodey tried to leave when he saw Su Ming, but Su Ming stopped him and invited him to drink at the farewell banquet.
• Su Ming sensed his strength growing after returning to Earth and vanished to check on the lab.
• JARVIS urged Tony to leave the lab, and the computer displayed that fusion between the Ultron program and the Mind Scepter had succeeded.

Ultron awakened inside JARVIS’s processor, absorbed information about Tony Stark and the Avengers, and developed hostility toward Stark Industries. Su Ming collected the crystal’s specimen as Ultron attacked JARVIS and began spreading through the Iron Legion, then left the problem for Tony to handle.

• Ultron awakened within JARVIS’s framework and began accessing information through JARVIS’s backend.
• Ultron learned about Tony Stark and the Avengers, while JARVIS discovered that Ultron had taken control of the central processor.
• After finding evidence of war and Stark Industries’ role in it, Ultron developed hostility, activating the Information-Collecting Crystal.
• Ultron attacked JARVIS’s thought matrix, silencing him as blue data spread through the laboratory and the Iron Legion.
• Su Ming secured the collected specimen and left the laboratory, deciding that Tony could deal with Ultron.

At Tony Stark’s farewell dinner in Avengers Tower, Su Ming returned in his striking Crimson Silver Baron attire after a long absence. He left the guests stunned, conjured drinks for the room, and joined the Avengers, hinting at new responsibilities.

• Tony Stark hosted a lavish farewell dinner attended by Avengers, government officials, colleagues, and friends.
• Natasha Romanoff flirted with Dr. Banner at the bar, and Steve encouraged Banner not to miss his chance with her.
• Su Ming entered the hall in his crimson suit, shocking the guests who had thought the Crimson Silver Baron was missing.
• Su Ming magically filled every guest’s glass with glowing liquor and toasted the gathering to victory and new responsibilities.
• Su Ming walked over to the Avengers’ table, loosened his bow tie, and told Tony he owned only one suit.

Su Ming returned to Avengers Tower and used his powers to fill the banquet hall with wine, drawing attention from the guests and Avengers. He drank with Thor and introduced him to erguotou, while Banner struggled to reconcile Su Ming’s magic with science.

• A wealthy guest won a bet about Su Ming attending the dinner and became a new fan after seeing his face beneath the mask.
• Tony teased Su Ming about his flashy entrance and asked for the recipe for the wine he named Scarlet Storm, but Su Ming warned that Tony would soon have other problems.
• Steve welcomed Su Ming and suggested their next gathering be a hotpot meal instead of another extravagant display.
• Thor celebrated Su Ming’s return, drank three large glasses of Scarlet Storm with him, and eagerly tried erguotou.
• Banner questioned how Su Ming created and controlled the wine, then gave up on the science and admitted that it tasted excellent.

At a gathering, Su Ming impressed the Avengers with his influence and supernatural wine, while Thor invited everyone to try lifting Mjolnir. After the others failed and Captain America seemed to shift it slightly, Su Ming touched the hammer, and the chapter ended as everyone watched in shock.

• Natasha tested Su Ming's influence over Wanda and Quicksilver, and Su Ming praised her ability to keep Hulk in line.
• Clint and Thor discussed finding liquor that could get Su Ming drunk, while Su Ming welcomed the challenge and called Rhodey out of hiding.
• Thor invited the Avengers to test whether they could lift Mjolnir, and Barton, Tony, Rhodey, Banner, and Falcon all failed.
• Captain America gave Mjolnir a tug that seemed to shift it, then claimed he could not lift it, easing Thor's concern.
• Su Ming touched Mjolnir's handle, and the Avengers Hall fell silent at the sight that followed.

Mjolnir fled into Thor’s arms and trembled after Su Ming touched it, while Su Ming discovered that his upgraded system could redeem the hammer and even Avengers Tower. The discovery left Su Ming contemplating the scale of his power as the Avengers reacted to Mjolnir’s fear.

• Mjolnir shuddered, flew into Thor’s arms, and trembled against him, humiliating Thor in front of the guests.
• Su Ming appraised Mjolnir and realized the system no longer marked it as not redeemable.
• Su Ming appraised Avengers Tower and recognized that the system could redeem the building even with people inside.
• Su Ming imagined using the system to strip Japan of its possessions and cities, then realized he might have the power to destroy a nation.
• Tony mocked Thor’s frightened hammer, while Steve, Banner, and Natasha reacted to Mjolnir’s behavior and reconsidered Su Ming’s power.

Quill led the newly equipped Galaxy Guard Corps fleet toward Xandar to stop Ronan, while Xandar’s commander considered a sheriff’s warning. The Dark Aster entered the planet’s atmosphere as an unidentified fleet approached it.

• At a gathering, Su Ming calmly touched Thor’s hammer, which recoiled from him, leaving Thor humiliated while Clint hid his laughter.
• Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and their allies prepared a fleet and planned to breach Ronan’s Dark Aster, retrieve the Power Stone, and prevent Ronan from reaching Xandar.
• Rocket demanded a teammate’s mechanical eye, but Quill stopped him, and the fleet set out with more than a thousand members in three combat formations.
• Yondu warned Quill that he wanted the Stone after the battle, while Quill, Gamora, and Drax argued about the plan and the risk of leaving the flagship unattended.
• The Xandarian sheriff warned Irani Rael that Ronan was coming with an Infinity Stone, and he told her he believed Quill’s group was there to help.
• The Dark Aster entered Xandar’s atmosphere, and Nebula reported that an unidentified, unusually orderly fleet was approaching.

Quill and the Ravagers attacked Ronan’s Dark Aster while the Nova Corps joined the battle and linked their ships into a golden barrier to stop the warship from reaching Xandar. As the Dark Aster rammed into the barrier, Rocket recognized the moment Su Ming had anticipated and alerted Quill.

• Quill ordered the Ravagers to attack the Dark Aster, and Rocket’s squad blasted a breach in its port side despite remembering the order to preserve the ship.
• Yondu joined the assault in a fighter but was forced to withdraw after a Necrocraft struck his ship.
• Nova Corps reinforcements arrived, giving Quill’s fighters cover to enter the Dark Aster.
• Quill’s fighter crashed through a squad of infantry inside the Dark Aster, while Ronan ordered his ship to keep advancing toward the ground.
• Rael ordered the Nova Corps to block the Dark Aster, and thousands of ships linked together to form a golden barrier in its path.
• Rocket recognized the standoff Su Ming had predicted and told Quill that the opportunity had arrived.

Quill and his allies fought through the Dark Aster to reach Ronan, while Yondu battled the Sakaaran Warriors. As the Dark Aster threatened to crush the Nova Corps, Quill summoned Su Ming, whose arrival stopped the ship’s fall.

• Groot lit the dark hall with glowing spores, and Drax thanked Quill, Gamora, and Groot for being his friends before Drax blasted Nebula away.
• Yondu used his Yaka Arrow to kill the Sakaaran Warriors surrounding him.
• Gamora fought Nebula, while Quill, Drax, and Groot battled Sakaaran forces in the corridors.
• Ronan broke through the Nova Corps’ defensive barrier and began crushing its ships as Rocket urged Quill to summon Su Ming.
• Quill’s attempt to attack Ronan failed, but he summoned Su Ming, who appeared and halted the Dark Aster’s descent.

Ronan ordered the Necrocraft to attack Xandar, while Rocket helped defend the civilians. At Avengers Tower, Ultron attacked the banquet, escaped through the internet, and activated Hydra vessels in Sokovia; Su Ming sensed something arriving as the Avengers assessed the threat.

• Ronan sent the Necrocraft to bombard Xandar, and Rocket's crew intercepted an attacker while Commander Saal held the Nova Corps' formation.
• At Avengers Tower, a damaged robot revealed itself as Ultron and declared that peace required exterminating humanity.
• Ultron's Iron Legion attacked the banquet hall, and the Avengers fought back while Su Ming used Magnetic Control to destroy a robot near Hill.
• Thor smashed Ultron's robot body, but Ultron escaped into the internet after another robot secretly took the Mind Scepter.
• Ultron reached a Hydra base in Sokovia and awakened its experimental AI vessels as the Avengers discussed his escape.
• Su Ming sensed something in the air and said, "Finally..."

As the Avengers argued over Ultron and Tony’s decision to create him, Su Ming sensed the battle on Xandar and opened a portal to intervene. He left the Avengers behind with a farewell and a request that they find the Mind Scepter, while Dr. Zhao watched him go in astonishment.

• Rhodey, Agent Hill, and the Avengers discussed Ultron’s threat, and Tony revealed that Ultron had destroyed JARVIS.
• Thor confronted Tony over secretly keeping the Mind Scepter for his research, while the Avengers argued about Tony and Banner’s creation of Ultron.
• Su Ming sensed Quill’s battle on Xandar and interrupted Tony to announce that he was leaving.
• Su Ming opened an interstellar portal that revealed Ronan’s forces attacking Xandar, then flew through it to join the battle.
• Dr. Zhao asked Clint whether Su Ming had healed his injury, and the Avengers watched the portal close in awe.

Su Ming arrived at Xandar, stopped the Dark Aster, and converted the Nova Corps fighters into money before dismantling Ronan’s ship. As Quill and his companions fell toward the ground, Ronan attacked Su Ming and was knocked unconscious.

• Su Ming halted the falling Dark Aster with Magnetic Control and appraised its value and the Nova Corps fighters’ value.
• Su Ming sped through the Nova Corps barrier, converting every fighter in it and leaving the pilots falling through the sky.
• Su Ming told Quill and the others to prepare to land, then converted the Dark Aster around them, sending them tumbling toward the ground.
• Ronan fired a purple beam at Su Ming, but Su Ming disappeared and struck Ronan in the head, knocking him unconscious.

Su Ming turned the battle over Xandar in the Guardians’ favor, saving Groot and his companions from their fall and stopping Ronan from attacking them. The chapter ended with Nebula’s attack destroyed and Groot blasted apart by a shell.

• Su Ming made the Dark Aster disappear, while Rael and the Nova Corps struggled to understand whose side he was on.
• Rocket and the Guardian Corps recognized Su Ming as their captain and celebrated his arrival.
• Groot protected Quill, Gamora, and Drax inside a ball of branches, and Su Ming slowed their fall by cutting its causal connection to the ground.
• Ronan recovered and fired a blast at Groot, but Su Ming kicked Ronan into the city and caught the purple energy in his hand.
• Nebula attacked Su Ming in a Necrocraft, and he cut the ship in half with Heat Vision.
• A shell struck Groot and scattered him into broken branches while Su Ming was distracted.

Su Ming intervened after Ronan attacked the Guardians, then helped Quill stage a bizarre distraction before destroying Ronan’s hammer. Quill grabbed the Power Stone and began to disintegrate as its energy overwhelmed him.

• Ronan returned to the crash site and knocked Rocket toward jagged rubble after Rocket accused him of killing Groot.
• Su Ming caught Rocket, assured him Groot was fine, and placed the unconscious raccoon on a ball of energy.
• Quill distracted Ronan with an awkward dance and summoned Su Ming, who emerged from the crowd.
• Su Ming fired Heat Vision at Ronan’s hammer and destroyed its head, leaving the Power Stone floating free.
• Quill grabbed the Power Stone before Ronan could reach it, and its energy began tearing apart Quill as Gamora cried out helplessly.

Su Ming took control of the Power Stone, killed Ronan, and let Quill decide how to handle Yondu. The Guardians kept the real stone, and the chapter ended with Quill learning at Nova Corps headquarters that he was not from Terra.

• Gamora, Drax, and Rocket joined Quill in enduring the Power Stone's energy until Su Ming took it from him.
• Su Ming turned the Power Stone's energy against Ronan, killing him, then sealed the stone in a metal orb and returned it to Quill.
• Yondu arrived to collect the stone, and Su Ming let Quill make the decision about their deal.
• Quill handed Yondu a decoy orb while keeping the Power Stone, and Yondu left with his crew.
• Quill comforted Gamora, Rocket held a branch from Groot, and the group later heard Quill react with surprise at Nova Corps headquarters when he learned he was not from Terra.

After Ronan’s defeat, Xandar celebrated the Guardian Corps as heroes, and the Nova Corps honored Su Ming and his allies. As Su Ming planned to investigate the Starcore Fragments, Quill learned that his father’s ancient genes explained how he could hold the Power Stone unharmed.

• The Guardian Corps defeated Ronan’s forces, and Xandar’s people celebrated their victory and praised the heroes.
• The Nova Corps welcomed the Guardian Corps with honors, while the sheriff secretly destroyed Kyln Prison’s records to conceal the members’ pasts.
• Su Ming considered taking the Starcore Fragments to Collector Tivan on Knowhere to learn why they resonated with the Infinity Stones.
• The sheriff told Quill that tests had revealed he was not a pure-blooded Earthling.
• Rael explained that Quill’s mother was from Terra and his father carried ancient genes that let him hold the Stone safely, then thanked him on behalf of the Nova Corps.

After Ronan’s defeat, the Guardians received the restored Milano and had their criminal records erased before leaving Xandar. Quill recovered his mother’s letter and the Awesome Mix Vol. 2, while Yondu discovered Quill’s gift inside the orb and Rhomann Dey reunited with his daughter.

• Gamora told Drax that he had avenged his family, and Drax said Thanos remained the one who needed to die.
• Centurion Rhomann Dey showed the Guardians their restored Milano, told them their records had been erased, and warned them to stay out of trouble.
• Rocket and Drax questioned Rhomann about stealing and killing, prompting Quill to promise he would keep his teammates in line.
• Su Ming appeared aboard the Milano and conjured a box containing Quill’s childhood keepsakes, including his mother’s letter and a wrapped cassette.
• Quill opened the gift and played Awesome Mix Vol. 2 as Gamora swayed beside him.
• Yondu opened the metal orb and found Quill’s small gift, while Rhomann returned home and welcomed his daughter.

Alisha investigated the assassination of Wakanda’s King T'Chaka and discovered a connection between Wakanda and the Vibranium trade, then sent Wanda and Pietro to work. In Knowhere, Su Ming distracted the Collector with a red sandalwood bracelet and introduced him to “seasoning a bracelet.”

• Ned told Alisha that Wakanda’s king had been assassinated and that a London Museum artifact had been stolen.
• Alisha explained that Helmut Zemo assassinated T'Chaka, while Ulysses Klaue stole the hammer, and that they were not working together.
• Alisha connected Klaue’s Vibranium dealing to Wakanda and told Wanda and Pietro to get ready to work.
• In Knowhere, Su Ming showed the Collector an Information Crystal and summoned a red sandalwood bracelet.
• Su Ming offered to teach the Collector the game of seasoning a bracelet.

Su Ming tricked Tivan into giving him information about the Starcore Fragment, then returned to the Guardian Corps' mothership as the Galaxy Guard Corps struggled to keep up with its growing workload. He prepared to leave after sensing that Alisha, Wanda, and the others had made breakthrough progress, while Quill tried to show him a new tattoo.

• Su Ming used a bracelet infused with Reality Stone energy to fool Tivan into believing it contained galaxies, and Tivan kept it as a favor owed.
• Tivan explained that the seven Starcore Fragments came from the First Firmament and could enable space-time travel, repair disturbances, and detect major changes, but warned that using them attracted giant shadows among the stars.
• Su Ming considered the fragment's origins and functions, then returned to the Guardian Corps' mothership.
• Rocket told Su Ming that the Galaxy Guard Corps was receiving a flood of bounty orders, while Gamora asked for more staff to handle the mission communications.
• Su Ming told Gamora to ask Quill for help and said he was leaving because Alisha, Wanda, and the others had made breakthrough progress; Quill then offered to show him a new tattoo.