Recaps

Black Widow recruited Doctor Banner to help track the Tesseract and was given a secret weapon meant to calm the Hulk. When Banner transformed in Calcutta, Black Widow and the 9th Elite Squad put on photographs of Apocalypse’s face.

• Director Fury explained that a being had stolen the Tesseract and corrupted Doctor Eric and Hawkeye, and he sent Black Widow to recruit Doctor Banner to track its gamma rays.
• Fury gave Black Widow a psychological team’s secret weapon, which he claimed had a ninety percent chance of turning the Hulk back into Banner.
• Black Widow distributed the secret weapon to the 9th Elite Squad, whose members were shocked to find it was a photograph of Apocalypse.
• In Calcutta, Black Widow lured Doctor Banner to the outskirts and tried to persuade him to help, but he accused her of planning to cage him.
• Doctor Banner transformed into the Hulk, and Natasha ordered the 9th Elite Squad to put on the photographs of Apocalypse’s face.

Black Widow and the 9th Elite Squad used photos of Apocalypse and a recording of his voice to frighten Hulk into turning back into Doctor Banner without anyone getting hurt. Afterward, Black Widow revealed Apocalypse was her man, and S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered Loki’s whereabouts.

• Hulk destroyed a house, but seeing multiple photos of Apocalypse made him curl up and refuse to fight.
• Black Widow stopped a squad member from raising his gun and played Apocalypse’s recorded words to Hulk.
• Hulk’s fear of Apocalypse overwhelmed him, and he transformed back into Doctor Banner, who went with Black Widow’s team.
• The 9th Elite Squad examined Apocalypse’s photo and wondered about the power of his smile.
• Black Widow told the squad that Apocalypse was her man, and the men began imitating his smile.
• Black Widow received word that S.H.I.E.L.D. had found Loki, who had deliberately allowed them to locate him.

Loki’s arrival on Earth and the evidence of Apocalypse’s apparent death devastated Black Widow and Iron Man. Iron Man steadied himself with Pepper Potts’s help, then went to prepare to confront Loki.

• Loki used his scepter to corrupt people in several European cities, spreading chaos and leaving footage of his actions behind.
• Nick Fury showed Black Widow videos that led S.H.I.E.L.D. to conclude Thor and Apocalypse had died, and Black Widow vowed to use every means to kill Loki.
• Nick Fury sent the videos to Iron Man, who grieved over the apparent loss of Apocalypse and asked Pepper Potts to hold him.
• Iron Man resolved to finish what Apocalypse had started and headed to his laboratory to prepare to kill a god.

Nick Fury prepared S.H.I.E.L.D. for the threat posed by Loki, assembling the Avengers aboard the Helicarrier while holding back from summoning Captain Marvel. Loki stole iridium and attacked a European concert, but Captain America and Iron Man intervened before Loki could carry out his plan to infiltrate the Helicarrier.

• Nick Fury removed Tang Tianqi from the Avengers Initiative list but kept Captain Marvel’s Interstellar Pager instead of using it, then welcomed Iron Man, Captain America, and Doctor Banner aboard the Helicarrier.
• Hill cloaked the Helicarrier, while Banner was assigned to track gamma radiation and the Tesseract and the others prepared for action.
• Loki attacked a concert in Europe, gouged out a prominent figure’s eye, and enabled Hawkeye to steal a vial of iridium from a vault.
• Loki revealed himself to the crowd and threatened an aged veteran, but Captain America blocked his attack and fought him to protect the civilians.
• Loki overpowered Captain America, but Iron Man struck him with an energy blast before Loki could be captured and taken to the Helicarrier as planned.

Loki’s attempt to fake surrender failed, and he fought Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow before escaping. The team suspected he had helpers, while the Time Variance Authority worried that the altered timeline could collapse the Sacred Timeline.

• Black Widow, Iron Man, and Captain America attacked Loki despite his claims of surrender, and the three fought him in a stalemate.
• Loki struck Black Widow with a blast, but she healed herself with a green potion and returned to the fight.
• Loki created illusions to escape, but the heroes dispelled them; Iron Man’s lasers hit Loki before he fled over a wall.
• On the Quinjet, Black Widow said Loki could not have killed her husband, and Iron Man concluded Loki must have helpers to occupy Earth.
• The Time Variance Authority noticed another branch in the Sacred Timeline and discussed how to stabilize it without angering the outlaw beyond the law.

After Loki’s thefts pointed to a plan to use the Tesseract and iridium to open a wormhole, the Helicarrier prepared for an invasion. Thor and Apocalypse arrived, reunited with the team, and eased Nick Fury’s fears about Loki’s allies.

• Banner and Iron Man deduced that Loki had stolen iridium to stabilize a wormhole powered by the Tesseract, and Captain America confirmed the implications.
• Nick Fury ordered Hill to search for Loki and assigned Banner and Iron Man to track gamma rays and the Tesseract, but Loki and Hawkeye vanished for two days.
• The Helicarrier’s defenses targeted Thor and Apocalypse when they appeared above it, and Apocalypse shielded them from the weapons.
• Apocalypse reunited with Iron Man and kissed Black Widow, then met Banner, Hill, and Captain America while Thor joked about Captain America’s butt.
• Nick Fury learned from Thor and Apocalypse that Loki had no powerhouse capable of killing Apocalypse, and the team’s concerns eased.
• Apocalypse and Black Widow spent time together in private, making up for their separation.

Apocalypse stopped Loki from destroying the Helicarrier, captured him, and freed Hawkeye from the Mind Stone’s control. As the group dealt with Loki, Hulk broke through the deck and tore him in half after Loki taunted him.

• After Loki sabotaged the Helicarrier and destroyed another engine, Apocalypse found him at the nuclear reactor and blocked a blast powered by the Mind Stone.
• Apocalypse saw through Loki’s illusions, dragged him out of invisibility, and restrained him instead of killing him when Loki invoked his bond with Thor.
• Apocalypse removed the Mind Stone’s influence from Hawkeye, who remembered his actions and regretted hurting people.
• Hill accused Loki of causing mass casualties, while Thor defended him as his brother before admitting Loki had been adopted.
• Hulk burst through the deck, stomped Loki while humiliating him, then grabbed his legs and tore him in half as Thor shouted his name.

Apocalypse and the Avengers fought to stop Loki’s Chitauri invasion after the Tesseract opened a wormhole over New York. Apocalypse freed Doctor Eric and found the energy shield protecting the device, leaving him to search nearby for Loki’s real body.

• Thor discovered that the Loki he had fought was a clone, which vanished into ash when destroyed.
• Loki activated the Tesseract, opening a wormhole and unleashing Chitauri soldiers and a Leviathan on New York.
• Apocalypse flew toward the wormhole to find Loki, while Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Hulk battled the invading forces.
• Apocalypse reached the device powering the wormhole and freed Doctor Eric from the Mind Stone’s control.
• Apocalypse learned that the device’s energy shield could not be shut down and failed to break it with a punch.
• Apocalypse concluded that Loki was hiding nearby and set out to find him.

Apocalypse fought the Chitauri in New York, then encountered the Avengers from another timeline and gave them a clue to their next destination. He captured Loki and demanded the Mind Stone, but Loki refused and threatened to die before revealing its location.

• Apocalypse destroyed two Leviathans and sensed four unfamiliar people: Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Ant-Man.
• Apocalypse learned they had traveled from another timeline and, after Ant-Man said they lacked enough Pym Particles, secretly wrote “1970” on a car roof as a hint.
• Apocalypse left the group and rushed toward the Hulk, who was chasing Loki through the city.
• Loki escaped aboard a Chitauri aircraft, but Apocalypse brought it down and seized him.
• Apocalypse demanded to know where the Mind Stone was, and Loki refused, saying he would die rather than tell him.

Apocalypse failed to locate Loki’s real body as the Chitauri fleet massed beyond the wormhole and two nuclear missiles threatened New York. He absorbed energy from the Tesseract and destroyed a Chitauri warship with a single blue blast, leaving the invasion’s fate unresolved.

• Apocalypse discovered that the Loki he had seized was another duplicate, while the Chitauri fleet gathered on the other side of the wormhole.
• Nick Fury warned the Avengers that two nuclear missiles were heading for New York, and Iron Man and Apocalypse carried them through the wormhole.
• The nuclear blasts damaged only the lead Chitauri warship, and Fury warned that more than ten missiles would follow unless the Avengers retreated.
• Apocalypse asked Fury to delay the next launch for five minutes and tried to absorb energy from the Tesseract.
• Apocalypse drew blue energy from the Tesseract and destroyed a Chitauri warship with a giant blast.

Apocalypse used the Tesseract’s energy to unleash the Infinite Divine Fist, destroying the Chitauri fleet and stopping a planet-destroying projectile from reaching Earth. After the wormhole closed, Apocalypse reflected on his new attack while Loki was captured by Ebony Maw.

• Apocalypse repeatedly punched through the wormhole, destroying Chitauri warships and making the surviving ships retreat.
• Apocalypse guided a fist imprint into a nearby warship, then sealed the wormhole when a Chitauri craft dropped a planet-destroying projectile toward Earth.
• The projectile exploded against Apocalypse’s fist imprints, covering New York in dark clouds, while Apocalypse sensed Loki hiding beyond the wormhole.
• Loki escaped the blast with the Mind Stone but was captured by Ebony Maw, who blamed him for the Chitauri defeat.
• Apocalypse returned the Space Stone’s energy to the Tesseract, shattered its metal device, and watched the wormhole close as the Chitauri soldiers on Earth fell still.

After stopping Apocalypse, the chapter followed his return to New York, where he considered the altered timeline and settled into a brief quiet life with Black Widow. It ended with Snakehead confronting him at a coffee shop, unaware that Apocalypse was preparing to kill him and his two lackeys.

• A portion of Apocalypse's energy revealed a cloaked Skrull ship in space, which quickly turned invisible again after its crew regained control.
• The TVA faced a disrupted timeline after Apocalypse left with the Tesseract, while he received potions and Luck Sharing rewards for saving people.
• Apocalypse returned to his New York residence, saw how the battle had made the superheroes famous, and remained an unknown figure to the public.
• Black Widow returned home, and Apocalypse offered her a Golden Recovery Potion that could restore her ability to have children; she decided not to take it yet.
• After Black Widow left on another mission, Apocalypse went out for coffee and encountered Snakehead and two lackeys, who surrounded him.
• Apocalypse raised three drops of liquid from his coffee, preparing to kill Snakehead and his lackeys.

Apocalypse discovered that Snakehead was trafficking Eastern women and called Nick Fury for help rather than attacking the gang alone. Nick Fury mistook the call for a crisis involving a powerful enemy and mobilized S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers; as Snakehead’s men grew greedy over Apocalypse’s bank balance, a roar sounded during the evacuation of 18th Street.

• Apocalypse learned that Snakehead was selling trafficked women and agreed to go with him, but called Nick Fury when Snakehead demanded a cash deposit.
• Snakehead and his men drew pistols on Apocalypse, took his card, and sent an underling to withdraw money.
• Nick Fury misread Apocalypse’s call as a warning about a dangerous foe and issued a Level Seven alert, deploying S.H.I.E.L.D. and summoning the Avengers.
• The military evacuated civilians from the streets around 18th Street while Apocalypse waited at the coffee shop.
• Snakehead’s underling returned with a bag of cash and reported that Apocalypse’s account held a ten-digit sum, making the men greedily stare at him.
• As the evacuation reached 18th Street, an enormous roar rang out.

Apocalypse’s call for help brought the superheroes to confront Snakehead and two other human traffickers, creating a citywide response to a simple arrest. Fury sent the prisoners to Island Prison, where General Ross refused to accept them after seeing that Apocalypse King had captured them.

• The Hulk and the other superheroes arrived, and Apocalypse stopped the Hulk from attacking Snakehead and the two men so they could be questioned.
• Apocalypse explained the misunderstanding to Fury, who arrested the traffickers with heavy restraints and portrayed them as dangerous supervillains.
• Apocalypse learned that people called him Apocalypse King and joined the superheroes for a meal while Fury faced questions from officials and news agencies.
• Fury sent Snakehead to Island Prison and planned to keep him there before killing him when the opportunity arose.
• General Ross read the prisoner file, refused to sign the acceptance form, and called Fury to complain about receiving someone captured by Apocalypse King.

Apocalypse and Black Widow tracked down House, an Asgardian selling superpowered gear that fueled a wave of crimes. Apocalypse captured him after House fled and wrecked property, and House begged not to be handed over to Black Widow.

• Nick Fury persuaded General Ross to imprison Snakehead in the Super Prison, where Ross placed him in its highest-security cell.
• As superpowered crimes increased, Black Widow received a mission to arrest House, whose protective gear bore an Asgardian mark.
• Apocalypse recognized the mark and joined Black Widow, confirming that House was Asgardian when they found him fleeing a restaurant.
• House smashed through cars and walls with a divine-powered hammer, but Apocalypse stopped him in an alley and took the hammer away.
• House begged Apocalypse to kill him or let him go rather than turn him over to Black Widow, while Apocalypse dispersed the divine power gathering around him.

Apocalypse and Black Widow questioned House, whose fear of Natasha’s reputation led him to reveal his intelligence sources. After Apocalypse exposed his Asgardian Princely Seal, House admitted he had come to Earth over twelve hundred years earlier and sold divine-power equipment, leaving him to explain the harm it had caused.

• House described Black Widow’s brutal reputation and gave her the locations of intelligence sellers before Apocalypse reassured Natasha that he had worried about her safety.
• Black Widow softened her demeanor when Apocalypse asked about her interrogation methods, while House realized she was far gentler with him than with criminals.
• Apocalypse questioned House about the mark on his equipment and revealed his Princely Seal, prompting House to recognize his authority and kneel.
• House admitted he had been on Earth for more than twelve hundred years and had arrived as a blacksmith with an Asgardian mining team.
• Apocalypse accused House of selling dangerous divine-power protective gear, and House began explaining that demand had surged after the Battle of New York.

Apocalypse and Black Widow dealt with the Asgardian blacksmith House, then learned Happy had been injured in an explosion. At the hospital, Apocalypse identified the blasts as the work of human bombs and connected them to the Iron Man 3 plot.

• Apocalypse asked Black Widow to find out whether S.H.I.E.L.D. could use House, and Nick Fury agreed to take him in.
• House realized Apocalypse was the Apocalypse King and followed Black Widow around as her shopping assistant.
• Apocalypse and Black Widow split up after learning Happy had been hurt in an explosion, with Black Widow taking House to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Apocalypse going to the hospital.
• Happy told Apocalypse, Iron Man, and Pepper Potts that he had seen one man explode and another regenerate a blown-off leg.
• Iron Man explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. had asked him to investigate bombings claimed by the Mandarin, and Apocalypse revealed that the attackers' bodies were the bombs.

Apocalypse revealed Killian’s role in the Mandarin conspiracy and warned Iron Man about the people and plans behind it. Iron Man used the information to thwart Killian’s attack, while Apocalypse left for London to investigate the Aether, the Reality Stone.

• Apocalypse told Pepper Potts that Killian had created the Mandarin persona and explained that Killian sought revenge on Iron Man over a humiliation years earlier.
• Apocalypse warned Iron Man that Dr. Maya Hansen and the Vice President were working with Killian, then gave Iron Man a note advising him not to reveal his home address.
• After Apocalypse left, Happy celebrated being called his friend, while Iron Man and Pepper Potts left the hospital and faced reporters.
• Iron Man read Apocalypse’s note but gave reporters a false address, and Killian’s aircraft were destroyed by remote-controlled suits at an empty villa.
• Iron Man’s contacts detained Maya and fed Killian false information, allowing remote-controlled suits and soldiers to surround Killian’s base within half a day.
• Apocalypse flew to London to investigate the Aether, the Reality Stone.

Apocalypse tried to draw the Aether out of Jane with the Tesseract’s energy, but the clash nearly killed her and awakened Malekith and the Dark Elves. Thor decided to take Jane to Asgard, and Apocalypse, Thor, Jane, and Daisy left Earth via the Rainbow Bridge.

• Apocalypse arrived at the abandoned building and found Thor guarding the unconscious Jane while police surrounded them.
• Apocalypse used the Tesseract’s energy to try to extract the Aether, but the backlash shattered Jane’s internal organs, and he saved her with a Recovery Potion.
• Malekith awoke aboard the Dark Elf spacecraft as the Aether’s energy awakened the sleeping Dark Elves.
• Thor decided to take Jane to Asgard, and Daisy asked to go along so she could care for her.
• Daisy clung to Apocalypse as Thor summoned Heimdall, and the four departed on the Rainbow Bridge.

Apocalypse warned Odin and Thor that Malekith and the surviving Dark Elves would seek Jane and the Aether during the Nine Realms’ Convergence. As the invasion approached, Apocalypse stayed to protect Jane and Frigga while Thor prepared Asgard’s defenses, and Heimdall began searching for the enemy.

• Apocalypse told Odin and Thor that the Aether had awakened the Dark Elves, and Odin explained its history and Malekith’s plan to use the Convergence to plunge the Nine Realms into darkness.
• Apocalypse recognized Frigga’s fear of her foreseen death and promised to guard her and Jane instead of joining the battle outside.
• Thor prepared to face the invaders, while Apocalypse, Frigga, Daisy, and Sif remained with Jane; Jane wondered why Thor had barely visited her.
• After meditating outside Jane’s room for several days, Apocalypse sensed the Dark Elves’ arrival and alerted Heimdall, who activated the Rainbow platform and scanned the space around Asgard.

The Dark Elves attacked Asgard, disabling the temple’s golden shield while Thor fought to hold them back. As warships converged on Jane’s room, Apocalypse destroyed one with a single punch, leaving the remaining attackers stunned.

• Heimdall detected the Dark Elves’ invisible mothership, and Asgard’s turrets exposed it and shot down many of its warships.
• The Hexagonal Minotaur broke out of his cell, destroyed the temple’s energy core, and caused the golden shield to vanish.
• Thor attacked the Dark Elf warships while Apocalypse and Sif stayed behind to protect Jane and the queen.
• Dark Elf warships converged on Jane’s attic and fired at Apocalypse, but his divine-energy shield stopped their attacks.
• One warship rammed the attic, and Apocalypse punched it apart with twenty times the Hulk’s strength, stunning the remaining Dark Elves.

Apocalypse protected Queen Frigga and Jane from the Hexagonal Minotaur and the Dark Elves’ gravitational bombs as the battle for Asgard intensified. When the Dark Elf mothership charged toward the tower, Apocalypse destroyed it with the Infinite Divine Fist, leaving Thor and the others stunned by his power.

• The Hexagonal Minotaur burst into the tower and threatened Jane and Queen Frigga, but Apocalypse seized it and hurled it outside, where an energy shell blasted it apart.
• Dark Elves threw Gravitational Collapse Bombs into the room, and Apocalypse sent them back, killing the two attackers caught in their miniature black holes.
• Queen Frigga recognized that the Minotaur’s attack had been averted, while Sif returned her attention to defending the room.
• The Dark Elf mothership strengthened its shield and charged toward the tower, so Thor forcibly dragged Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg away from its path.
• Apocalypse unleashed the Infinite Divine Fist from the tower, pierced the mothership, and left its hull in a doughnut-shaped shell.

After Apocalypse saved Asgard from the Dark Elves and changed Frigga’s fate, he learned that Malekith held the means to remove the Aether from Jane. Apocalypse, Thor, and Jane traveled to Vanaheim to confront him, but they arrived in the vast, gloomy realm without knowing where to find him.

• Apocalypse destroyed the Dark Elf mothership with one punch, then helped Thor and the Asgardians eliminate the remaining enemy soldiers.
• Odin and Frigga thanked Apocalypse for protecting Asgard and changing the queen’s fate; Apocalypse asked whether Frigga had seen a future version of Thor, and she said she had not.
• Apocalypse learned that Malekith had not joined the attack and explained that the Dark Elf king knew how to control the Aether, which could save Jane.
• Apocalypse agreed with Thor’s plan to seize the method by force, and he, Thor, and Jane left for Vanaheim while Daisy and Sif remained behind.
• Apocalypse, Thor, and Jane arrived in Vanaheim, where Thor realized the immense, dark realm would make finding Malekith difficult.

Apocalypse forced Malekith to provide the incantation for extracting Aether by threatening the Dark Elves and destroying their forces. He extracted the Aether from Jane, though its living-looking form searched for another host.

• Apocalypse illuminated Vanaheim with dozens of hovering fist imprints, and Thor called for Malekith to come out.
• Apocalypse struck Vanaheim, killing many Dark Elves, before Malekith appeared and demanded the return of Aether and the removal of the fist imprints.
• Apocalypse rejected Malekith’s terms and destroyed the Dark Elf warships when they approached.
• Malekith agreed to provide the incantation after Apocalypse threatened the Dark Elves with further destruction.
• Apocalypse used the incantation to extract the Aether from Jane, who saw a vision of the universe falling into darkness.

Apocalypse failed to stop Malekith from merging with the Aether, and the Dark Elf king unleashed a growing tornado at Greenwich as the Nine Realms converged. With Thor away protecting Jane and the portals nearing alignment, Apocalypse searched for a way to prevent the destruction.

• Eight portals opened over Vanaheim as the Convergence began, and the Aether flew toward Malekith before Thor's lightning caused it to explode into crystals.
• Thor carried Jane through a portal to Earth, while Apocalypse destroyed the Dark Elves with Infinite Divine Fists.
• Malekith fused himself with the Aether, forming a blood-red tornado that Apocalypse's punches could not harm.
• Malekith entered an Earth portal and reached Greenwich, where his tornado grew to thousands of meters and devastated the surrounding region.
• As the portals converged into an infinity symbol and storms battered the Atlantic, Apocalypse wondered what Thor would do to stop Malekith.