Chapter Summaries

Chen Xu secretly watched Loki deceive Thor about Odin’s death and claim the throne of Asgard. After Loki tried and failed to lift Mjolnir, Chen Xu revealed himself and confronted him about his purpose on Earth.

• Chen Xu entered the Mirror Dimension and watched agents report that Thor had tried to lift Mjolnir, which emitted strange electromagnetic waves.
• Agent Phil Coulson questioned Thor, but Thor stayed silent and Coulson left the interrogation room.
• Loki appeared and lied that Odin had died, that Thor had failed his test, and that Loki had inherited the throne, leaving Thor devastated.
• Loki tried to lift Mjolnir, then Chen Xu revealed himself after startling him with a loud cough.
• Loki learned that Chen Xu was from the New York Sanctum, and Chen Xu questioned him about his intentions on Earth.
• Loki grew angry when Chen Xu dismissed his warnings, and seemed ready to attack.

Chen Xu confronted Loki on Earth and waited for a chance to travel to Asgard, while Loki returned home and froze Heimdall with the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thor reunited with Sif and the Warriors Three, but the Destroyer never arrived, leaving Chen Xu uncertain about Loki’s plans; Loki sat on Asgard’s throne handling its affairs.

• Chen Xu confronted Loki about watching Thor and questioned Asgard’s purpose on Earth, then watched Loki return to Asgard through the Bifrost.
• Loki discovered that Heimdall had allowed Sif and the Warriors Three to leave and accused him of betraying Asgard.
• Loki used the Casket of Ancient Winters to freeze Heimdall and seal the Bifrost, then went to the palace with Gungnir.
• Chen Xu sensed another spatial distortion on Earth and waited for a chance to go to Asgard, while Thor reunited with Sif and the Warriors Three.
• After waiting several days without the Destroyer arriving, Chen Xu wondered whether his presence had changed events or Loki had abandoned his plan.
• Loki sat on Asgard’s throne and handled the realm’s affairs.

Loki agreed to consider a deal to secure his throne, while Thor faced the Destroyer on Earth. Chen Xu intervened to protect Thor and challenged the Destroyer, leaving both him and Loki surprised when his attack damaged its armor.

• A man in black reminded Loki that Thor’s survival threatened his hold on the throne, and Loki asked to discuss their terms after declaring that Thor was not his brother.
• Chen Xu considered abandoning his mission, but a vortex tore through the town’s magical barrier and summoned a pillar of energy.
• Thor sent the doctor away and walked toward the Destroyer, while Chen Xu let him go, expecting him to regain his divine power.
• The Destroyer struck Thor down, and Chen Xu appeared to shield him, hoping to earn Thor’s favor and gain access to Asgard.
• Loki recognized Chen Xu and attacked him, but Chen Xu blocked the Destroyer’s laser and used Chaos Magic to strip away a layer of its armor.

Chen Xu joined Thor in traveling to Asgard after Thor defeated Loki’s Destroyer on Earth. At the palace, Thor and Loki were already fighting, and Queen Frigga approached Chen Xu while he supported the wounded Heimdall.

• Loki encased the Destroyer in ice armor and renewed his attack on Chen Xu, but Thor regained his strength and destroyed it with Mjolnir.
• Chen Xu identified himself as a sorcerer from the New York Sanctum and offered to help Thor deal with Loki’s illusions; Thor accepted.
• Thor called for Heimdall, who broke free of Loki’s ice and opened the Bifrost, carrying Thor and Chen Xu to Asgard.
• Thor asked Chen Xu to look after the wounded Heimdall and went to confront Loki; Chen Xu flew Heimdall toward the palace.
• Chen Xu arrived at the palace as Thor and Loki fought, and Queen Frigga approached him.

Chen Xu used Chaos Magic to stop Thor and Loki from fighting, then persuaded Frigga to let him tour Odin's Vault. He gained the Omega Rays from the system and explored the vault with Thor, where he saw the Eternal Flame and the Cosmic Cube.

• Frigga asked Chen Xu to separate Thor and Loki, and he used Chaos Magic to repel their attacks and suppress their magic.
• Frigga thanked Chen Xu, and he asked to visit Odin's Vault; she agreed and told Thor to take him there.
• As Thor opened the vault, the system awarded Chen Xu the Omega Rays and combined them with his Chaos Magic.
• Chen Xu entered the vault with Thor, saw the Eternal Flame, and learned it had been taken from Surtur by Odin.
• Chen Xu noticed the Cosmic Cube, and Thor explained that it could be used for teleportation.

After returning from Asgard, Chen Xu resumed his work at the New York Sanctum while learning that Loki had been lost in space after a fight with Thor. Loki ended up before Thanos, who called him useless and dismissed him as a stray dog.

• Chen Xu left Asgard and returned to Earth, while Thor and Frigga welcomed him as a friend and Loki objected.
• Nick Fury heard Phil Coulson’s report about the Asgardians and the Destroyer, then decided to accelerate the Avengers plan.
• Chen Xu patrolled the Dark Dimension, reinforced the New York Sanctum’s seals, and practiced his Omega Beams, which could nearly pierce any substance on Earth.
• Chen Xu learned from Ancient One that Thor had knocked Loki into space, Odin had awakened, and the exchange had been postponed.
• Loki met Thanos, challenged his treatment of him as an ally, and threatened to leave after Thanos called him a stray dog.

Loki accepted Thanos's offer of an army in exchange for the Cosmic Cube, while Chen Xu learned from Ancient One that his Chaos Force had caused cosmic disturbances and was urged to seek the Phoenix Force. Ancient One gave Chen Xu a record about the Chaos Force as he left, leaving the Phoenix Force mission ahead of him.

• Thanos offered Loki an army for the Cosmic Cube and lent him a mind-controlling scepter, and Loki agreed to their deal.
• Ancient One told Chen Xu that Mengbilia had returned to the Dark Dimension after Satannish sent his soul to Dormammu.
• Ancient One revealed that Chen Xu had caused the Phoenix Force's eruption and the Scarlet Universe's abnormality through his Chaos Force.
• The system urged Chen Xu to sign in at the Golden Angle Building, and Ancient One encouraged him to obtain the Phoenix Force.
• Ancient One gave Chen Xu a record concerning the Chaos Force after he left the Sanctum.

Chen Xu received a book on Chaos Force, then checked in at the Golden Angle Building and gained a fragment of the Phoenix Force. After the system fused it with his Chaos Force and Omega Rays, he stopped Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four’s fight and left, while Doom vowed to become a magician.

• Chen Xu accepted Ancient One’s book on mastering Chaos Force and returned to the New York Sanctum.
• On the way to the Golden Angle Building, Chen Xu learned that the Phoenix Force had detected his powerful mental strength and chosen him as a potential host.
• Chen Xu arrived at the Golden Angle Building and checked in while Doctor Doom fought the Fantastic Four, earning one-thousandth of the Phoenix Force.
• Chen Xu witnessed a vast phoenix shattered by an unseen attack, then the system began fusing the Phoenix Force, Chaos Force, and Omega Rays within him.
• Doctor Doom fired energy beams at Chen Xu, who reflected them and froze Doctor Doom and two members of the Fantastic Four before disappearing.
• Doctor Doom watched Chen Xu leave and vowed to become a magician.

Chen Xu became acting Sorcerer Supreme while Ancient One was away, spending his time studying the sanctum’s books between Dormammu’s daily attacks. After Dormammu suddenly stopped and Ancient One returned, Chen Xu grew suspicious of their timing, but Ancient One told him to return to the New York Sanctum.

• Chen Xu returned with the Phoenix Force, and Ancient One appointed him acting Sorcerer Supreme while he was away.
• Ancient One warned Chen Xu not to be seduced by the Darkhold, then left after giving him access to the sanctum’s library.
• Dormammu attacked the sanctum’s seals daily, and Chen Xu repeatedly reinforced them with his powerful mental strength.
• After a week of attacks, Dormammu suddenly went quiet while he eagerly claimed a soul in the Dark Dimension.
• Ancient One returned soon after Dormammu disappeared and told Chen Xu to go back to the New York Sanctum.

Chen Xu discovered that the Ancient One who had returned was actually Dormammu controlling the Sorcerer Supreme’s body, while the real Ancient One was imprisoned. Investigating the strangely empty Dark Dimension, Chen Xu was attacked by a controlled Erbi Mengbilia and prepared to strike him with Lightning Magic.

• The Ancient One told Chen Xu that his task was complete and sent him back to the New York Sanctum, though Chen Xu sensed something was wrong.
• Chen Xu worried that his presence had changed events and wondered why the Phoenix Force had reacted uneasily to the Ancient One.
• While patrolling the Dark Dimension, Chen Xu found no dark creatures and entered it to investigate, but his search revealed nothing.
• As Chen Xu headed out of the Dark Dimension, a powerful dark force approached and Erbi Mengbilia attacked him with lethal spells.
• Chen Xu realized that Erbi Mengbilia had been controlled again and unleashed Lightning Magic to target his mind and soul.

Chen Xu learned that Dormammu had possessed Ancient One and was preparing to break the Sanctum's seal, so he fought his way through the controlled Temple Mages to confront him. Dormammu admitted he could possess bodies, and Chen Xu rejected his promise of eternal life as a sham that left people soulless.

• Mengbilia told Chen Xu that Dormammu had controlled Ancient One and needed the soul fragments of Mengbilia, Mordo, and Ancient One to break the Sanctum's seal and invade Earth.
• Chen Xu believed Mengbilia and hurried to the New York Sanctum, where he found the Temple Mages soulless and under Dormammu's control.
• The Temple Mages attacked Chen Xu, and he incapacitated them with his spiritual power before traveling to Ancient One's Sanctum.
• Chen Xu found Dormammu possessing Ancient One and asked whether Dormammu could control or possess the bodies of his followers.
• Dormammu admitted he could possess bodies, then praised eternal life; Chen Xu answered that life without souls or minds was only a scam.

Chen Xu expelled Dormammu from Ancient One’s body and protected the Sanctum before pursuing him into the Dark Dimension. He fought through Dormammu’s creatures and defeated the four dark lords, leaving Dormammu waiting in the Dark Sanctum.

• Dormammu attacked Chen Xu, but Chen Xu used the Phoenix Force to knock out the Sanctum sorcerers and blast Dormammu from Ancient One’s body.
• Chen Xu placed Ancient One’s body in his Sanctum, protected the bodies there with spells, and entered the Dark Dimension to find Dormammu.
• Chen Xu destroyed the dark creatures blocking his way as Dormammu sent the four dark lords to test him.
• Chen Xu erased two dark lords with Omega Rays and broke down the other two with the Phoenix Force.
• Chen Xu continued toward Dormammu’s Dark Sanctum, unaware that the Phoenix Force and Chaos Force had strengthened his Omega Rays and offset their flaws.

Chen Xu fought Dormammu in the Dark Dimension and overwhelmed him despite Dormammu drawing on the dimension’s power. As Chen Xu threatened to destroy the Dark Dimension, Dormammu begged him to stop, and Chen Xu demanded the Ancient One’s soul in exchange.

• Dormammu sensed that Chen Xu had defeated the four dark lords and erased two of them so completely that he could not revive them.
• Chen Xu entered the Dark Sanctum and mocked Dormammu, prompting Dormammu to attack with the Dark Dimension’s energy.
• Chen Xu and Dormammu clashed, and Chen Xu transformed into a phoenix and fired Omega Rays at Dormammu’s energy sphere.
• Thanos sensed the battle’s energy disturbance and sent Ebony Maw to investigate the Dark Dimension.
• Chen Xu’s growing power began tearing apart the Dark Dimension, so Dormammu begged him to stop.
• Chen Xu offered to stop if Dormammu handed over the Ancient One’s soul, and Dormammu hesitated.

Chen Xu forced Dormammu to return Ancient One and the Temple Mages’ souls, then secured a promise that Dormammu would not invade Earth again. Back on Earth, Chen Xu resumed his quiet life as events surrounding Captain America and the Avengers Initiative began to unfold.

• Chen Xu negotiated Ancient One and the Temple Mages’ souls from Dormammu, then demanded that Dormammu stop invading Earth before leaving the Dark Dimension.
• Chen Xu returned the souls to their bodies at the New York Sanctum, where Ancient One and the Temple Mages woke and thanked him.
• Thanos questioned Ebony Maw about unusual activity, while S.H.I.E.L.D. and the American Council supported Nick Fury’s Avengers Initiative after Thor’s arrival.
• People discovered Captain America frozen inside a fighter plane buried in the snow, signaling that the larger conflict had begun.
• Chen Xu reinforced the Sanctum’s seals, went out for steaks, and enjoyed a peaceful night at a hotel.

Chen Xu encountered Wade Wilson and unknowingly passed Captain America after his awakening, then returned to a quieter life at the New York Sanctum. In Asgard, Odin told Thor that Dormammu had taken Ancient One’s soul and urged him to recognize Chen Xu’s importance.

• Chen Xu overheard two men offer Wade Wilson an experiment that might cure his cancer, but he left without intervening.
• Chen Xu nearly collided with a speeding man outside a hospital and wondered if he was a mutant before returning home.
• After Chen Xu left, Stephen learned he had slept for seventy years and mourned the life he had lost.
• Chen Xu resumed reading and patrolling dimensions at the New York Sanctum after Dormammu stopped invading Earth.
• Odin asked Thor about ruling Asgard and told him to befriend Chen Xu, then revealed that Dormammu had taken Ancient One’s soul.

Thor learned that Chen Xu had defeated Dormammu and agreed to go to Earth to retrieve Loki. At the New York Sanctum, Chen Xu used the Time Stone to learn that Marina’s parents were alive, and Marina kissed him before he pushed her away.

• Odin told Thor that Chen Xu had rescued the mages and Ancient One by entering the Dark Dimension and defeating Dormammu.
• Odin revealed that Loki was alive and working with Thanos, and Thor agreed to bring him back and learn why he was targeting Earth.
• Marina arrived at the New York Sanctum asking to learn magic, and Chen Xu offered to perform a divination if she kept it secret and left afterward.
• Chen Xu used the Time Stone and Marina’s hair to see her childhood and discovered that her parents were still alive.
• Marina thanked Chen Xu by kissing him, and he immediately pushed her away.

Marina learned that she possessed a power she could develop, then left Chen Xu flustered after kissing him. Chen Xu learned Thor had come to Earth to find Loki, and Thor asked him to help stop Loki from threatening the Nine Realms.

• Marina clung to Chen Xu, asked to learn magic, and learned that the Supreme Sorcerer’s approval was required.
• Chen Xu told Marina she had an extraordinary power of her own, though he could not help her develop it; she thanked him and kissed him.
• Marina and Chen Xu exchanged phone numbers before she left, and Chen Xu returned to the New York Sanctum to read the Darkhold.
• A burst of energy brought Thor to Earth, and Chen Xu found him drinking in a nearby bar.
• Thor told Chen Xu that Loki had robbed more than eighty civilizations and might be preparing to attack Asgard.
• Chen Xu suspected Loki planned to attack Earth and seek Jörmungandr’s power, so Thor asked him to help prevent it.

After returning to the New York Sanctum, Chen Xu realized the Cosmic Cube had activated and hurried to S.H.I.E.L.D., where Loki had arrived and stolen it. Loki escaped despite Chen Xu’s attempt to trap him, leaving Chen Xu determined to find the Cube and study its power.

• Chen Xu returned to the New York Sanctum and reflected on how his actions had changed events and made Loki more cautious.
• Nick Fury and Phil Coulson investigated the Cosmic Cube after it activated by itself and opened a wormhole.
• Loki emerged from the wormhole, controlled Hawkeye and other agents, stole the Cosmic Cube, and escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
• Chen Xu arrived and confronted Loki, but Loki escaped through a portal after Chen Xu’s Spatial Confinement failed to stop him.
• Chen Xu recognized the Cosmic Cube’s power and wondered where Loki had gone.

Loki escaped Chen Xu and began gathering titanium to open a wormhole for the Chitauri invasion, while S.H.I.E.L.D. investigated his plans and tried to recruit Chen Xu. Loki learned that Nick Fury had approached Chen Xu and considered framing him to prevent them from joining forces.

• Loki used the Space Stone to escape Chen Xu, then took control of a mafia boss and ordered him to gather titanium for the Cosmic Cube.
• Nick Fury reviewed Chen Xu’s history, ordered an investigation in Kathmandu, and placed S.H.I.E.L.D. on combat alert.
• Nick Fury and Agent Phil Coulson told Chen Xu that Loki was working with a New York gang, but Chen Xu refused to help without payment.
• The Chitauri army waited in space for Loki to open a wormhole, while Thor sensed Loki’s presence on Earth and demanded to know his intentions.
• After S.H.I.E.L.D. agents investigated the gang, Loki learned that Nick Fury had approached Chen Xu and discussed using the titanium search to frame him.

Loki framed Chen Xu for crimes in New York to turn the city against him, but Chen Xu caught up with Loki as he traveled to Germany. Thor arrived to stop Chen Xu from killing Loki, and the chapter ended with Thor and Steve disputing where Loki should face judgment.

• Loki arranged for Hawkeye and his men to commit crimes and spread the story that Chen Xu was responsible, making Chen Xu infamous across New York.
• Nick Fury learned of the apparent robbery, while Coulson argued that Chen Xu had been framed; Chen Xu received S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dossier and set out after Loki.
• Loki flew toward Germany to obtain titanium for the space portal and fought off Black Widow and Steve Rogers when they intercepted him.
• Chen Xu arrived in time to shield Steve from Loki's attack, then used his mental power to immobilize Loki.
• Thor descended between Chen Xu and Loki, asked Chen Xu to spare Loki, and offered to take him to Asgard for judgment.
• Steve insisted that Loki be tried under Earth's laws, while Thor argued that Asgard should judge him.