Recaps

Apocalypse devoured Zola and helped resolve the chaos left by the battle by offering the five million civilians compensation in the form of assets on a resource planet. The aftermath exposed hidden forces on Earth, devastated internet infrastructure, and left Scott Lang surrounded by recruiters as soon as he left prison.

• Apocalypse absorbed Zola’s remaining consciousness and mental energy, destroying him completely, then discussed celebrating with Thor and the others.
• Vision reported that 5,003,767 civilians expected fifty million dollars each after he had calmed them in Apocalypse’s name, alarming Nick Fury and Helen.
• Apocalypse proposed compensating the civilians with assets on a resource planet, and Nick Fury agreed to arrange a settlement program with visible results within two or three years.
• Apocalypse used the Reality Stone to uncover hidden places and forces on Earth, including the Skrulls’ ships and bases on the Moon, and told Nick Fury to monitor Ego’s seed.
• Zola’s destruction ruined many companies’ data and network equipment, making engineers highly sought after; Scott Lang was mobbed by recruiters upon leaving prison.

Scott Lang left San Quentin Prison after serving three years and found that his hacking skills had made him a sought-after hire amid the internet’s recovery. He walked out carrying gifts from inmates who had asked him to bring back news about the Apocalypse King.

• Scott Lang was surrounded by recruiters from major internet companies eager to hire him.
• Scott remembered how he had hacked VistaCorp to return money to customers and received a three-year prison sentence.
• Scott and the other inmates became devoted fans of the Apocalypse King as news reported his victories over aliens and other threats.
• When the prison lost its network signal during the battle against Zola, the warden told the inmates the Apocalypse King was fighting a God of the Internet, calming their complaints.
• Scott left prison with gifts from fellow inmates, who asked him to find news about the Apocalypse King after his release.

Scott left prison and set out to visit his daughter, Cassie Lang, after declaring that the company which brought him an autographed photo of the Apocalypse King could hire him. Apocalypse stopped Scott and Luis on the road and gave Luis a stack of money, leaving Scott wary of the stranger who knew their names.

• Scott said he would work for whichever company got him an autographed photo of the Apocalypse King, and recruiters discussed rumors about the scarce photos.
• A Google employee who had signed a nondisclosure agreement said the Apocalypse King was a young man with a dazzling smile.
• Scott collected business cards and left, wanting to see his daughter, Cassie Lang.
• Luis picked Scott up in his van and offered him a place to stay, while Scott asked him to stop talking so much.
• Apocalypse tried to hitch a ride, then made a stack of bills appear when Scott and Luis drove past.
• Luis stopped the van, and Apocalypse climbed in, gave him the money, and greeted both men by name; Scott asked who he was.

Apocalypse met Scott after his release from prison, befriended him, and offered to help him reconnect with his daughter Cassie. He asked Nick Fury to arrange Scott’s visitation rights, leaving Fury to contact the governor and pass the request along.

• Apocalypse told Scott that people outside the prison knew his name and introduced himself as Tang, saying he wanted to be friends.
• Apocalypse promised Scott a photo of the Apocalypse King for Cassie, then printed and framed a signed photo of himself while Scott and Luis waited.
• Scott realized the photo could help make Cassie happy and told Apocalypse that the court had taken away his visitation rights.
• Apocalypse offered to restore Scott’s visitation rights and called Nick Fury for help.
• Nick Fury agreed to contact the governor and said the request might take ten minutes.

After Apocalypse arranged visitation rights for Scott Lang, he brought Scott to see his daughter Cassie. The chapter ended with Cassie and Scott embracing at her home.

• Nick Fury threatened the governor into quickly approving Scott Lang's visitation order.
• A court officer delivered the order to Scott, and Apocalypse's actions increased Scott's trust in him.
• Apocalypse offered Luis an interview with S.H.I.E.L.D., leaving Luis stunned.
• Scott arrived at his ex-wife's home and reunited with Cassie.

Scott reunited with Cassie and introduced her to Apocalypse, who strengthened her with divine power and amazed her by apparently demolishing and restoring her mother's house. Cassie invited Apocalypse to stay for dinner.

• Scott showed Cassie the signed photo and introduced Apocalypse as the Apocalypse King and his friend.
• Apocalypse touched Cassie's forehead with divine power, improving her physical potential, and Cassie recognized him as the real Apocalypse King.
• Apocalypse told Cassie that Scott was a superhero who would one day help save the world, inspiring Scott to become someone his daughter could admire.
• When Cassie asked to see him fight alien spaceships, Apocalypse instead appeared to destroy her mother's house with a gesture.
• Apocalypse restored the house with a snap, and Cassie invited him to stay for dinner.

Apocalypse secured Cassie Lang's education with a generous fund as part of Scott Lang's supposed S.H.I.E.L.D. hiring package, winning over her family. When Paxton tried to identify Apocalypse from a photograph, S.H.I.E.L.D. intervened, revealed his importance, and warned the family to keep their connection secret; Apocalypse then turned to his first assignment.

• Apocalypse gave Cassie Lang an education fund covering her expenses through a doctorate, and Paxton judged the agreement genuine.
• Apocalypse told Paxton that he was recruiting Scott Lang for S.H.I.E.L.D. and predicted Scott would become a superhero.
• Cassie Lang kept Apocalypse's photograph beside her bed, while Apocalypse gained Scott Lang's trust.
• Paxton submitted Apocalypse's photograph to the police database, triggering a security lockout and a visit from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. agents questioned Paxton and the chief, explained Apocalypse's identity, and had them sign confidentiality agreements.
• The chief asked Paxton for a chance to see Apocalypse's photograph, and Apocalypse moved on to his first assignment.

Scott Lang joined Luis's planned burglary at Dr. Hank Pym's house, where he discovered and put on the Ant-Man Suit. After Apocalypse told him to press its red button, Scott shrank and found himself in a world of giant furniture.

• Apocalypse told Scott Lang to help Luis with a burglary, and Scott agreed despite suspecting Apocalypse had a hidden purpose.
• Luis, Scott Lang, Kurt, and Dave planned to break into a wealthy old man's house while Apocalypse accompanied them.
• The group arrived at Dr. Hank Pym's house, where Hank watched them through cameras mounted on ants.
• Scott Lang bypassed the security and broke into the vault using his burglary skills.
• Scott found a sealed suit in the vault, and Apocalypse urged him to put it on and press its red button.
• Scott Lang pressed the button, shrank, and cried out in confusion as the room's furnishings towered over him.

Scott Lang escaped Hank Pym’s house after shrinking in the Ant-Man Suit, then returned to normal and left with Apocalypse. Apocalypse tried on the suit himself, but it shrank and tore apart, leaving him with a tiny scrap.

• Scott panicked when he shrank, fled a giant rat, and reached the van, where Apocalypse told him to press the red button on his left hand.
• Scott returned to normal, frightened Luis and the other thugs, and drove away with them and Apocalypse.
• Hank Pym watched Scott leave with the suit and considered his plans to stop Cross from turning shrinking technology into a weapon.
• Scott recognized the suit’s value, but Apocalypse told him that Scott mattered more than the equipment.
• Apocalypse squeezed into the Ant-Man Suit and pressed its button, shrinking it into a torn scrap the size of a soybean.

Apocalypse’s resistance to the Pym Particles destroyed the Ant-Man Suit, so he sent Scott Lang to return it to Dr. Pym. Pym welcomed Scott inside, then called the police and had him arrested for the burglary to gain leverage over him.

• Apocalypse’s body resisted the Pym Particles and tore apart the shrinking Ant-Man Suit, which Scott Lang placed in a bottle.
• Apocalypse told Scott to return the suit to its owner, and Scott went to Dr. Pym’s home the next morning to apologize.
• Dr. Pym examined the suit, discovered it had run out of Pym Particles, and began repairing it while Scott drank coffee.
• Paxton and other officers arrived in response to a burglary report, and Scott froze as they pointed their guns at him.
• Dr. Pym told Paxton that Scott had broken in and blown open his vault, then asked the officers to arrest him while he reserved the right to press charges.

After Scott Lang was arrested for breaking into Hank Pym's house, the police chief treated him like an honored guest because he believed Scott was the Apocalypse King's close friend. Hank secured Scott's release on bail by asking him to help with a task that night, and Scott arrived at Hank's home with Apocalypse.

• Cassie Lang's stepfather brought Hank Pym and Scott Lang to the police station, where he asked Scott about Apocalypse and requested an introduction.
• The police chief fawned over Scott during the interrogation, while Hank Pym insisted that Scott's theft be recorded.
• Hank agreed to Scott's release on bail and told him to come that night to help with a task in exchange for dropping the charges.
• Hank waited at home with Hope, and Scott arrived with Apocalypse, who introduced himself as Tang and the Apocalypse King.

Dr. Pym brought Apocalypse into his plan to stop Cross, while Scott Lang began training in the repaired Ant-Man Suit. Hope challenged Apocalypse and explained why she deliberately dressed to appear less attractive at work.

• Hope and Apocalypse struck up a friendly conversation, leaving Scott Lang and Dr. Pym surprised by how quickly they got along.
• Dr. Pym explained Cross's dangerous research and said he would not involve S.H.I.E.L.D. because he did not trust it.
• Hope questioned why Dr. Pym trusted Scott Lang instead of her, while Apocalypse declined to take Scott's place in the Ant-Man Suit.
• Dr. Pym brought out his patched-up Ant-Man Suit, and Scott Lang went to train with it under his guidance.
• Apocalypse asked Hope about her appearance, and Hope explained that she dressed to avoid being treated as merely a pretty face at work.

Apocalypse watched Scott train with the Ant-Man Suit and considered the complex nature of Pym Particles, while Hope questioned whether Scott could handle the mission. After Hope rejected Apocalypse’s explanation for why he could not wear the suit, a silent figure slipped downstairs at midnight.

• Dr. Pym trained Scott to shrink through a keyhole, judge his surroundings, and control his strength while tiny.
• Apocalypse reasoned that Pym Particles changed a person’s weight and other traits as well as their size.
• Hope argued with Apocalypse over his coffee, and Scott was hit by the cup as he returned to normal size.
• Hope told Dr. Pym that Scott was progressing too slowly and suggested she would find her own way to take part in the mission.
• Apocalypse said his body, strengthened by Odin’s Eternal Flame, would require far more Pym Particles to shrink; Hope dismissed his claim and went upstairs.
• At midnight, while Dr. Pym and Scott slept, a tall figure silently slipped downstairs.

Hope tried to sneak out in the Ant-Man Suit to scout Pym Technologies, but Apocalypse stopped her and explained why Dr. Pym chose Scott Lang for the mission. He revealed that Hope’s mother, Janet, was alive in the Quantum Realm, leaving Hope and Dr. Pym demanding to know how to reach her.

• Hope put on the Ant-Man Suit and shrank, but Apocalypse trapped her beneath a glass before she could leave.
• Apocalypse told Hope that Dr. Pym chose Scott Lang because he was an outsider and losing Hope would be unbearable to her father.
• Hope described how Dr. Pym had sent her to boarding school after Janet’s apparent death, and Apocalypse explained that he had been searching the Quantum Realm for Janet.
• Apocalypse told Hope that Janet had survived entering the Quantum Realm and was still alive there.
• Dr. Pym emerged from behind the door and asked whether Janet could have survived without food.
• Apocalypse released Hope, and she punched him before demanding to know where Janet was and how they could save her.

Dr. Pym told Hope how Janet had disappeared into the Quantum Realm, ending their long-standing misunderstanding. Apocalypse said Janet was alive and that Scott Lang could help reach her, but Dr. Pym insisted they wait until they had dealt with Cross and learned more.

• Dr. Pym explained that Janet had sacrificed herself to enter a missile and fallen into the Quantum Realm, and he and Hope reconciled.
• Scott Lang arrived and interrupted their embrace, and Hope asked Apocalypse what he meant by saying Janet was still alive.
• Apocalypse identified Scott Lang as the key to reaching Janet and warned him to keep a Blue Flying Ring in reserve.
• Apocalypse explained that Scott could enter the Quantum Realm to find Janet while Dr. Pym handled the rescue, but Dr. Pym refused to begin testing yet because of Cross and the danger of rushing.
• Hope sent Scott back to training and warned Apocalypse not to lie, and Apocalypse asked how she would reward him if he told the truth.

Apocalypse helped Scott Lang develop his mental powers, allowing Scott to control ants and master the Flying Rings as he completed his Ant-Man training. Hank Pym proposed one final exercise before they infiltrated Cross’s laboratory, but Apocalypse objected, and Hank suggested they inspect Cross’s client meeting first.

• Scott made progress switching between normal and shrunken forms, but failed to control ants because he no longer had to rely on longing for his daughter.
• Apocalypse pressed a hand to Scott’s head and painfully developed his mental domain, enabling Scott to control ants with precision.
• Scott quickly learned to use the Flying Rings and hid a blue ring in his Ant-Man Suit for emergencies.
• Hank Pym told Scott to steal a Signal Scrambler Prototype from a S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, but Apocalypse argued they could attack Cross’s laboratory directly.
• Hope insisted that sneaking in was safer, and Hank proposed they attend Cross’s client meeting the next afternoon before deciding what to do.

Hope changed her appearance and joined Apocalypse, Dr. Pym, and Scott Lang at Pym Technologies for Cross’s presentation. Cross unveiled the Wasp Suit and drew eager offers from arms dealers, until someone in the crowd announced they would take one.

• Hope revealed her natural appearance, and Apocalypse teased her about paying him before he had rescued her mother.
• The group entered Pym Technologies despite Hope’s warning that Cross had imposed strict security, and employees recognized Dr. Pym and Hope.
• Cross introduced Dr. Pym as his mentor and presented restored footage of Ant-Man to explain his inspiration for the Wasp Suit.
• Cross demonstrated the suit by shrinking himself, and arms dealers clamored to buy it.
• Dr. Pym and Hope worried about Cross’s progress before a voice in the crowd said, “I’ll take one.”

Apocalypse intervened at Cross's Wasp Suit presentation, trapped Cross, and stopped a Hydra attack before it could harm the guests. After revealing himself as the Apocalypse King to Scott Lang and Dr. Pym, he admitted he wanted Pym's formula, though Tony had not sent him.

• Apocalypse trapped Cross and took control of the miniature Wasp Suit before the suit could spread to the black market.
• Hydra agents recognized Apocalypse, threw disguised bombs, and fled, but Apocalypse halted the explosions and dragged them back into the laboratory for S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Apocalypse restrained the Hydra agents and told Scott Lang he had intended to let him practice against Cross.
• Scott Lang, Hope, and Dr. Pym learned that Apocalypse was the Apocalypse King, and Scott reconsidered whether he had heroic potential.
• Dr. Pym asked whether the Starks had sent Apocalypse to steal his formula, and Apocalypse said he wanted it but Tony had nothing to do with it.

Apocalypse confronted Cross over the Pym Particle Formula, but before he could decide Cross’s fate, White Ghost appeared and rescued him. She escaped despite Apocalypse using the Spatial Cage, divine power, the Reality Stone, and a mental attack, leaving him unable to track her.

• Dr. Pym refused to give Apocalypse the Pym Particle Formula, and Apocalypse said he only wanted to keep it out of the wrong hands.
• Hope questioned why Apocalypse had trained Scott, and he insisted Scott would become a crucial superhero.
• Cross argued that Apocalypse had no legal grounds to kill him, though the guests recognized the danger of his cracking the formula.
• White Ghost emerged from the crowd, took the shrunken Cross, and passed through Apocalypse’s Spatial Cage and the floor.
• Apocalypse attacked White Ghost with divine power, the Reality Stone, and a mental sword, but none of them stopped her.
• White Ghost escaped underground with Cross after giving Apocalypse the middle finger, and the nearby guests denied helping her.

Apocalypse recognized the White Ghost as Ava and learned from Nick Fury that S.H.I.E.L.D. had once employed her while falsely implying it could cure her Quantum Body. Ava had escaped with Cross, and Apocalypse left with her history and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s deception in mind.

• Apocalypse identified the White Ghost as Ava, warned Scott Lang about her powers, and suspected she had taken Cross to use his technology to cure her Quantum Body.
• Hope asked what to do about Cross's research data, and Apocalypse told her and Dr. Pym to destroy the servers after securing the Pym Particle Formula.
• Apocalypse called Nick Fury to request Ava's file and revealed that Ava had escaped with Cross after defeating him.
• Nick Fury explained that Ava had served as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enforcer, believed its Phase-Shifting Suit meant it could cure her, and defected after discovering it had never sought a cure.
• Apocalypse accused Nick Fury of acting underhandedly, and Fury replied that those at the top could not get things done by following the rules entirely.

Apocalypse worked with Nick Fury to locate Ava and explored ways to contain her Quantum Body. After Dr. Pym said a suitable device would be extremely difficult to build, Apocalypse prepared Scott and Hope to pursue another approach, but Dr. Pym objected to Hope joining the mission.

• Apocalypse told Fury to investigate Bill Foster, who had been helping Ava find a treatment, and Fury agreed to look into him.
• Fury said Falcon was already on his way to Pym Technologies, and Falcon arrived soon afterward.
• Apocalypse asked Dr. Pym about restraining a Quantum Body, and Dr. Pym described a quantum energy field that would take enormous resources and time to build.
• Apocalypse gave Scott files to study and told him he would have to take the field; Hope studied the material with Scott and began to understand it.
• Apocalypse decided Hope would join Scott, but Dr. Pym refused to let his daughter take part in a dangerous mission.

Apocalypse persuaded Dr. Pym to let Hope use the Wasp Suit and joined her and Scott Lang in tracking Professor Bill Foster. They discovered Foster's enormous hidden laboratory and its vast supply of Pym Particles, then found Foster meeting Cross and Ava there.

• Apocalypse convinced Dr. Pym that Hope should take her first steps as a superhero under his protection, and Hope put on her Wasp Suit.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. reported that Professor Bill Foster had left for home, so Apocalypse followed him while Hope and Scott rode on his shoulders in miniature.
• Foster entered a hidden basement laboratory filled with advanced equipment and a huge container of slowly produced Pym Particles.
• Scott warned that miniature bombs made with Pym Particles could let terrorists attack nearly any building and be almost impossible to stop.
• Apocalypse, Hope, and Scott saw Cross and Ava in the laboratory as Foster asked what had happened.

Apocalypse confronted Cross, Ava, and Professor Bill Foster in their hideout after tracking them down. He revealed he could cure Ava, but she refused to trust him and attacked; Scott Lang and Hope then disrupted her quantum state, leaving her hand trapped in Apocalypse’s body.

• Apocalypse appeared in the hideout and blocked the exit by collapsing the stairs.
• Ava attacked Apocalypse while Cross shrank in the Wasp Suit and tried to escape, abandoning Professor Bill Foster.
• Hope turned back at Apocalypse’s command, while he urged Ava to stop and offered to cure her.
• Hope warned Apocalypse that all of Ava’s quantum afterimages were real, but Ava reached into his chest and tried to pull out his heart.
• Apocalypse called for help, and Scott Lang and Hope disrupted Ava’s Phase-Shifting Suit, trapping her hand inside his body and severing it as she returned to normal size.

Apocalypse subdued Ava by having Scott Lang and Hope alter her Phase-Shifting Suit, then healed her severed hand with a Green Recovery Potion. Cross returned after finding himself trapped by an invisible barrier and, determined to make Apocalypse his test subject, enlarged himself and hoisted the Pym Particles container onto his back.

• Apocalypse used himself as bait so Ava briefly became physical, allowing Scott Lang and Hope to alter her suit; the change severed Ava’s hand when it was caught in his chest.
• Apocalypse reattached Ava’s hand with a Green Recovery Potion, caught her when she tried to flee, and had Scott Lang tie her up.
• Cross returned after discovering an invisible barrier prevented his escape, and Hope urged him to stop before he went too far.
• Cross revealed that he had developed defective Pym Particles and discovered the Quantum Realm while exploring how far objects could shrink.
• Cross activated his suit to grow larger, attached the Pym Particles container to his back, and challenged Apocalypse to take the fight upstairs.

Cross used Pym Particles to transform himself and unleash the Nuclear Blast Fist, forcing Apocalypse to divert the attacks away from the people and city behind him. As the blasts tore through the atmosphere and reached space, S.H.I.E.L.D. and other organizations detected the disturbance.

• Cross grew to a hundred meters tall, but Apocalypse swatted him into the spatial barrier and then began contracting the Spatial Cage around him.
• Cross returned to normal size while growing so dense that he sank into the concrete, then unleashed the Nuclear Blast Fist and shattered the cage.
• Apocalypse warped space to redirect Cross's nuclear-energy attacks skyward, protecting Hope, Scott Lang, Ava, Bill Foster, and the city behind him.
• Cross repeatedly punched at Apocalypse, devastating the surrounding area as Apocalypse struggled to contain and divert each blast.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. detected the disturbance, and Nick Fury reacted to the apparent nuclear blast in the command room.