Chapter Summaries

Ivan attacked Tony Stark at the racetrack, forcing Tony to fight for his life while Apocalypse carried the armor suitcase to him. Apocalypse helped Tony break free of Ivan’s Electric Whips, and Tony subdued Ivan, who promised to settle the score another day.

• Ivan stepped onto the racetrack and used his Electric Whips to destroy a race car before cutting Tony’s car in half, forcing Tony to leap clear.
• Pepper Potts and Happy gave Apocalypse the red suitcase armor and asked him to take it to Tony; Apocalypse handed Black Widow responsibility for protecting them.
• Apocalypse threw the suitcase to Tony, who donned the armor and fought Ivan while spectators watched from the stands.
• Ivan wrapped his Electric Whips around Tony’s neck, and Tony struggled to free himself even after ripping out Ivan’s chest Arc Reactor.
• Apocalypse grabbed the whips and tore them apart, allowing Tony to defeat Ivan and remove his second Arc Reactor.
• Security personnel took Ivan away as he shouted that he would reclaim what Tony and his father owed him.

Apocalypse and Iron Man learned why Ivan Vanko had attacked: Ivan blamed the Starks for his father’s ruined life and stolen credit for their Arc Reactor research. Apocalypse demonstrated that Ivan could be saved from a fatal injury with a Recovery Potion, hinting at a cure for palladium poisoning and revealing his plan to recruit Ivan later.

• Apocalypse and Iron Man returned to the VIP section, where Black Widow and Pepper Potts checked on them while Happy stood awkwardly aside.
• Apocalypse asked Black Widow to find Ivan Vanko’s Siberian address, then sent Yinsen there to retrieve a bird.
• Iron Man and Apocalypse visited Ivan in prison, where Ivan explained his father’s history with Howard Stark and accused him of stealing the Arc Reactor research.
• Ivan taunted Iron Man about palladium poisoning, and Apocalypse claimed a non-radioactive New Element could exist despite current theories.
• Apocalypse pulled Ivan’s heart from his chest, then used a Recovery Potion to regrow it and prove that Ivan’s view of science was limited.
• Iron Man realized Apocalypse meant to recruit Ivan, but Apocalypse said the time was not right.

As Iron Man’s palladium poisoning worsened, his reckless behavior pushed Colonel Rhodes to take one of his prototype armors and leave. Coulson gave Iron Man his father’s Arc Reactor research, while Apocalypse learned Coulson was heading to New Mexico and planned to investigate Thor’s Hammer after helping Iron Man.

• Hammer used his influence to bring Ivan to the United States, where Ivan secretly prepared contingencies while researching at Hammer Industries.
• Iron Man’s palladium toxin level reached 90%, and Apocalypse told him his Recovery Potions had run out; Iron Man kept his condition from Pepper Potts and threw himself into partying.
• Iron Man’s drunken party antics angered Colonel Rhodes, who put on a prototype armor and fought him before flying away with it; Iron Man had deliberately let him take the armor as a contingency.
• Coulson brought Iron Man research materials his father had left with S.H.I.E.L.D., but Iron Man dismissed their usefulness.
• Coulson told Apocalypse he was going to New Mexico, and Apocalypse revealed he knew about the hammer there and planned to investigate after resolving Iron Man’s crisis.

Iron Man and Apocalypse discovered the New Element hidden in Howard Stark’s city model and built a Miniature Arc Reactor that could save Iron Man’s life. Iron Man thanked Apocalypse for helping him, but Ivan called to announce his plan to take revenge within forty minutes.

• Iron Man brought strawberries to Pepper Potts, and Apocalypse eased the awkward moment by giving her kiwis and explaining that Tony had bought them for her.
• Iron Man spoke privately with Pepper Potts but still could not tell her the truth about his condition.
• Apocalypse prompted Iron Man to inspect Howard’s city model, and Iron Man uncovered data for a powerful New Element hidden inside it.
• Iron Man and Apocalypse built a Miniature Particle Accelerator and used it to transform palladium into a New Element, creating a stronger Miniature Arc Reactor.
• Iron Man thanked Apocalypse for his help, and Ivan called to say he had made his device dual-cycle and would take revenge within forty minutes.

Apocalypse flew to Hammer's weapons presentation in a sky-blue armor suit while Iron Man headed there to protect Pepper Potts and Natasha. After warning the crowd to leave, Apocalypse exposed the Steel Soldiers' vulnerability, and Ivan activated them against the audience.

• Iron Man gave Apocalypse a flight-focused armor suit, and Apocalypse accelerated it to Mach 3.5 on the way to Hammer Industries.
• Apocalypse called Yinsen and ordered him to hide a Siberian bird in the downtown botanical garden ahead of a possible battle.
• At Hammer's presentation, Hammer introduced his Steel Soldiers and presented Colonel Rhodes's War Machine armor as his own prototype.
• Apocalypse landed onstage, warned the audience to evacuate, and challenged Hammer's claims about the Steel Soldiers' speed.
• Apocalypse told Rhodes to ask who designed the weapons and whether Hammer controlled the Steel Soldiers, and Ivan activated the machines, which aimed their weapons at the crowd.

Apocalypse stopped the Steel Soldiers’ attack at the event and rushed to Hammer Industries, where Ivan had vanished from the control room. He joined Iron Man and War Machine at the botanical garden, determined to capture Ivan and prevent the remaining machines from exploding.

• War Machine and Apocalypse protected the guests as Apocalypse destroyed the Steel Soldiers inside the hall and learned from Hammer that Ivan was at Hammer Building.
• Hundreds of Steel Soldiers flew toward the city, but Apocalypse intercepted and tore apart the swarm while Iron Man and War Machine helped evacuate people and fight the scattered machines.
• Apocalypse reached Hammer Building, helped Happy, and found that Ivan had escaped the control room; he sent Black Widow after Hammer and joined Iron Man and War Machine in pursuit of Ivan.
• At the botanical garden, Apocalypse found Ivan overpowering Iron Man and War Machine with help from unmanned Steel Soldiers, and resolved to recruit Ivan and stop him from detonating the machines.

Apocalypse stopped Ivan’s attack and persuaded him to work for him by rescuing his beloved pet bird, though Ivan refused to join forces with the Stark family. After Iron Man gained public acclaim for the crisis, Apocalypse headed to a New Mexico town, where he expected to find Thor.

• Ivan tried to flee, but Apocalypse caught him and withstood his weapons, then urged him to abandon his grudge against Tony.
• Apocalypse said humanity would face a greater crisis and threatened to roast Ivan’s pet bird if he refused to work with him.
• Yinsen brought Ivan’s bird, and Ivan agreed to work for Apocalypse while insisting he would not join the Stark family.
• Apocalypse let Iron Man take credit for saving the people, boosting his reputation, and counted the Recovery Potions he had earned.
• Apocalypse flew to a small town in New Mexico, expecting Thor to be there.

After Thor was stripped of his power and banished to Earth, Apocalypse met him in a western desert town and helped him escape the hospital staff. Thor and Apocalypse went to a bar with Jane, Daisy, and Eric, where their rowdy drinking drew the attention of the locals.

• Thor disobeyed Odin, led his companions to Jotunheim, and was banished to Earth after Odin rescued them from the Frost Giants.
• Apocalypse encountered Thor outside the hospital and paid his medical bill, stopping the staff from restraining him.
• Jane, Daisy, and Eric arrived, and Thor asked to be taken to a bar despite Jane's concerns about his recent accident.
• Thor and Apocalypse challenged each other to drink large mugs of vodka, while Eric became dizzy and Jane and Daisy watched in disbelief.
• Thor smashed his empty mug, prompting the bar owner and several local men to gather and eye the newcomers suspiciously.

Apocalypse got Thor and Eric drunk, arranged for Thor to stay in Jane’s RV, then went to the desert to test whether he could lift Thor’s Hammer. Even with strength equal to three Hulks, he could not move it, and he left worried about the power of beings like Hela, Odin, and Surtur.

• Apocalypse challenged Thor to a drinking contest, and Thor and Eric both passed out.
• Apocalypse took Thor to Jane’s RV and left Eric at a hotel, while Daisy unsuccessfully tried to seduce him.
• Apocalypse reached the desert where Thor’s Hammer had fallen and examined the locals’ failed attempts to move it.
• Apocalypse used up to three Hulks’ worth of strength to try to lift the hammer, but it stayed fixed in place as the surrounding ground cracked.
• Apocalypse sensed that the hammer seemed to mock him and realized it could not be moved unless his power overwhelmed it.
• Apocalypse thought about Hela crushing the hammer, Odin sealing her away, and Surtur destroying Asgard, then prepared to make one final attempt.

Apocalypse gained Thor's Hammer's recognition and lifted it, drawing the attention of Heimdall and Odin, who warned him that the hammer could not be his. After letting it go, Apocalypse met Coulson and told him someone would come to claim it.

• Apocalypse opened his spiritual world to Thor's Hammer, earned its recognition, and learned how to wield it.
• Apocalypse spoke to Heimdall and endured Odin's distant spiritual pressure before Odin invited him to visit Asgard but refused to give him the hammer.
• Apocalypse released Thor's Hammer and reflected on Odin's power and the mysterious force that might have ended Asgard's expansion.
• Apocalypse met Coulson, who explained S.H.I.E.L.D. was investigating the unknown life-form that had arrived with the hammer.
• Apocalypse told Coulson someone would try to take the hammer and advised him not to be too rude.

Apocalypse challenged Thor to a fight, hoping to discover whether Asgard had any cultivation methods. Their battle drew a crowd, and after Apocalypse overwhelmed Thor with flashy techniques and illusions, they settled into trading punches until someone ordered them to stop.

• Apocalypse overheard Thor telling Jane about the World Tree and wondered whether it resembled Ego's living network of planets.
• After spending the night with Jane, Thor met Apocalypse for breakfast, and they agreed to fight with the loser owing three drinks.
• Apocalypse tested Thor with imitated kung fu moves, but Thor's combat experience let him counter the attacks despite having lost his divine power.
• Apocalypse created a crowd of afterimages and punched Thor in both eyes, prompting Thor to demand they trade punches one at a time.
• Apocalypse and Thor exchanged punches until a clear voice ordered them to stop.

Apocalypse stopped fighting Thor and asked him about Asgardian cultivation techniques, while Jane tended Thor’s wounds and tried to keep the two men from fighting again. After Apocalypse convinced Thor that he had spoken with Odin and was not his father’s follower, Thor began to trust him, leaving Apocalypse curious about how to gain more power.

• Jane broke up Thor and Apocalypse’s fight, then helped Thor into the bar and tended to his injuries.
• A crowd asked Apocalypse to teach them kung fu, and Ron knelt to beg him to accept him as a disciple, but Apocalypse refused.
• Apocalypse asked Thor about cultivation techniques in Asgard’s library, and Thor warned that an Earthling would need to surpass the limits of his race and bloodline.
• Apocalypse told Thor that Odin had invited him to Asgard, but Jane dismissed the conversation as Thor’s delusions.
• Thor questioned Apocalypse about his identity and whether he was a follower of Odin, and Apocalypse convinced him by pointing out that Odin’s followers would not attack the future king of Asgard.
• Thor’s trust in Apocalypse rose to 20%, and he asked what Odin had said; Apocalypse withheld the reason for the invitation, prompting Thor to threaten to fight him again once he reclaimed his hammer.

Apocalypse and Thor rode to the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp around Thor's Hammer, where Thor tried to reach it and was intercepted. Apocalypse stopped Hawkeye from shooting Thor, fought off Hawkeye's arrows, and revealed that he was Natasha's husband, leaving Hawkeye stunned.

• Jane tried to stop Thor and Apocalypse from acting out, but they rode off together toward Thor's Hammer.
• At the camp, Thor sneaked past the defenses and fought his way toward the hammer while Apocalypse watched from a hillside.
• Hawkeye fired a Yaka Arrow at Thor, but Apocalypse knocked it aside with a stone.
• Hawkeye attacked Apocalypse with several arrows, and Apocalypse caught them and smothered an explosive arrow's blast in his hands.
• Apocalypse caught Hawkeye and identified himself as Natasha's husband, then called Natasha to ask why she had never told Hawkeye about him.
• Natasha anxiously asked whether Apocalypse had killed Hawkeye, leaving Hawkeye speechless.

Apocalypse and Hawkeye pranked Black Widow, then watched Thor grieve after failing to lift his hammer. Apocalypse detected Loki delivering a false account of Odin’s death and warned Coulson that Loki would kill him someday.

• Apocalypse teased Black Widow about Hawkeye, and Hawkeye joined in until she realized they had planned the prank together.
• Apocalypse introduced himself to Hawkeye as Natasha’s husband, and they turned their attention to Thor’s failure to lift the hammer.
• Thor mourned his unworthiness in the rain, while Coulson treated him kindly and later watched him with Apocalypse and Hawkeye.
• Loki appeared to Thor through an illusion and lied that Odin had died and that Thor was forbidden from returning to Asgard.
• Loki failed to lift Thor’s Hammer, sensed Apocalypse watching him, and left without investigating.
• Apocalypse told Coulson that Loki was the man who would kill him someday.

Apocalypse gave Coulson and Hawkeye Recovery Potions, then helped Coulson handle Thor’s release and Jane Foster’s research materials. After Coulson discovered Thor’s identity and Nick Fury asked Apocalypse to take action, the town had two quiet days before Loki’s next move.

• Apocalypse gave Coulson and Hawkeye Recovery Potions before leaving them, and Coulson later reviewed Apocalypse’s file with Hawkeye.
• Jane, Daisy, and Eric brought fake credentials to retrieve Thor, and Coulson agreed to release him in exchange for copies of their research materials after consulting Apocalypse.
• Thor left with Jane and the others after saying he would prove himself worthy of his hammer, while Coulson told him someone else had lifted it.
• Coulson recognized Jane’s notes about the hammer and Asgard, reported his discovery to Nick Fury, and was told to consult Apocalypse before taking further action.
• Nick Fury asked Apocalypse to take action, and the town then spent two peaceful days as Thor grieved and Jane stayed with him while Loki prepared for what came next.

Loki negotiated with Laufey to stage an attack on Asgard, while Sif and Thor’s companions traveled to Earth to find Thor and learned that Loki had lied to him. Thor reunited with them but lacked the power to return, and Hogun challenged Tang Tianqi after hearing he had struck Thor.

• Loki offered Laufey the Source of Power in exchange for help staging an attack on Asgard, while Heimdall suspected Loki’s schemes but could not intervene.
• Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg arrived on Earth, where Coulson directed them to the town where Thor was staying.
• Sif and her companions found Thor in a bar and revealed that Loki had lied about the queen refusing to let him return.
• Thor admitted he could not reclaim the throne without his divine power, and the group agreed to set their worries aside and drink.
• Thor introduced Tang Tianqi to his companions and said Tang had given him two black eyes, prompting Hogun to challenge Tang.

Apocalypse fought Thor’s four Asgardian warriors outside town, testing himself against their divine power and coordinated attacks. He unleashed his supersonic assault, but Sif, Hogun, and Volstagg regrouped defensively, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Thor’s warriors confronted Apocalypse outside town after he mocked Thor’s skills, and Hogun opened the fight with a mace strike.
• Apocalypse repelled the warriors’ coordinated attacks, disarming them and forcing them to recognize his strength.
• Sif and the others enhanced their weapons with divine power, wounding Apocalypse as he studied their attacks and recovery.
• Thor urged the warriors not to kill Apocalypse, and Apocalypse answered with his supersonic ultimate attack, wrapping Fandral in the meteor-hammer chains.
• Sif ordered Hogun and Volstagg to form a back-to-back defense, and the three blocked Apocalypse’s attempts to attack from any direction.

Apocalypse and Thor’s warriors defeated their first assault before Loki sent the Destroyer to Earth. As Sif and the others fought the machine, Apocalypse saved her from its flames and launched a full-strength counterattack.

• Apocalypse defeated Sif, Hogun, and Volstagg, then accepted Thor’s invitation to visit Asgard after Thor reclaimed his hammer.
• The Destroyer arrived through the Rainbow Bridge and began attacking the town, while Coulson’s agents escaped thanks to Apocalypse’s warning.
• Thor went to find Jane while Apocalypse and Sif’s group confronted the Destroyer; its first blast knocked Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg aside.
• Sif struck the Destroyer from behind, but it turned and prepared to fire at her, so Apocalypse twisted its head and saved her.
• Apocalypse slammed into the Destroyer’s chest, knocked it down, and roared as he prepared to fight at full strength.

Apocalypse fought the Destroyer with his full strength, but Loki sent a second Destroyer that trapped and blasted him, prompting Thor to believe his friend was dead. Apocalypse had faked his death to push Thor toward awakening his power, but Sif noticed him peeking and caught him in the act.

• Apocalypse traded powerful blows with the Destroyer, while Sif and the others retreated to protect Thor from the battle’s shockwaves and debris.
• Apocalypse realized his physical attacks could not permanently damage the Destroyer, and Loki summoned a second one from Asgard.
• The two Destroyers coordinated their attacks, trapping Apocalypse and engulfing him in flames that set the town ablaze.
• Thor mistook Apocalypse’s charred body for a corpse, grieved, and walked toward the Destroyers while telling Sif to return to Asgard and stop Loki.
• Apocalypse revealed that he had faked his death to help Thor awaken his power, but Sif heard his charred shell crack and caught him opening one eye.

Thor awakened his divine power and fought the two Destroyers, but their fusion and ability to recover left him in a stalemate. Sif exposed Apocalypse’s feigned death, and he returned to the battle wearing only gold underpants.

• Thor confronted the Destroyers, awakened his lightning powers, and summoned Thor's Hammer without needing it to awaken.
• The two Destroyers fused into a stronger enemy, then split apart to evade Thor’s attacks and keep him from using another ultimate move.
• Thor and the Destroyers fought to a stalemate as Jane, Sif, and the others worried he would run out of strength.
• Sif insisted Apocalypse was pretending to be dead and threatened him with her sword while the others tried to stop her.
• Apocalypse caught Sif’s sword, sat up, and hurried toward the battle in his remaining gold underpants.