Chapter Summaries

Apocalypse and Thor destroyed both Destroyers, and everyone learned that Apocalypse could wield Thor's Hammer. Thor and the Asgardian warriors returned to Asgard through the Bifrost, leaving Jane, Daisy, and Eric behind.

• Apocalypse joined Thor's fight, smashed Destroyer No. 1 into the ground, and accidentally knocked Thor out of the sky.
• Thor destroyed Destroyer No. 2 with lightning, then Apocalypse took Thor's Hammer and used it to destroy Destroyer No. 1.
• Thor and the others were astonished that Apocalypse could wield the hammer, and Thor explained that one Destroyer was an imitation of Odin's armor.
• Thor kissed Jane goodbye and summoned Heimdall with Apocalypse, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and the others.
• Heimdall broke free of Loki's ice, killed Loki's guards, and opened the Bifrost, carrying Thor and the Asgardians to Asgard.

Thor and Apocalypse arrived in Asgard as Loki attacked the palace, where Loki killed Laufey and convinced Frigga that he had saved Odin. Frigga warmly welcomed Apocalypse as an honored guest from a higher dimension, leaving Thor confused.

• Thor reached the Rainbow Control Room and sent Fandral to take the unconscious Heimdall to the infirmary before rushing toward the palace.
• Apocalypse carried Sif through the air so she could guide him to the palace, while Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg went to fight Frost Giant foot soldiers.
• Laufey tried to kill the sleeping Odin, but Loki struck him down and killed him in front of Frigga.
• Frigga believed Loki had avenged his family and embraced him, just as Thor and Apocalypse arrived.
• Frigga greeted Apocalypse instead of Thor and called him Asgard's honored guest, explaining that he came from a higher dimension.

Frigga explained that Apocalypse came from another dimension and possessed an unusually profound truth, while warning that the future could not easily be changed. Apocalypse discovered Loki was only an illusion and realized he was using the Rainbow Bridge to destroy Jotunheim.

• Frigga revealed that she had invited Apocalypse to Asgard after glimpsing his arrival in the river of time.
• Frigga described Apocalypse’s truth as surpassing that of any being she had encountered and said his existence would greatly affect the universe.
• Apocalypse questioned whether Asgard’s future could be changed, and Frigga said attempts to alter it could bring worse outcomes or outside intervention.
• Thor began to explain Loki’s scheme, but Apocalypse noticed Loki had been unusually silent and threw Sif’s sword at him.
• The sword passed through Loki’s fading illusion, and Apocalypse warned Thor that Loki was using the Rainbow Bridge to destroy Jotunheim.

Loki used the Bifrost to destroy Jotunheim, and Apocalypse tried to redirect its deadly beam while Thor fought to stop him. Thor shattered the Bifrost, but the beam continued to sweep through space as the control room remained unreachable.

• Loki aimed the Bifrost’s amplified light at Jotunheim, tearing apart its surface while Thor demanded that he stop.
• Apocalypse struck Loki through his illusions and rushed to the Rainbow Control Room, but its energy barrier kept him out.
• Apocalypse used Thor’s Hammer to try to break through the barrier, then climbed onto the Bifrost’s pointer and forced it to turn upward.
• The redirected beam swept across Jotunheim and into space, cutting through stars and threatening distant planets.
• Thor repeatedly struck the Bifrost while Apocalypse mistook his warnings for encouragement, and the Bifrost finally exploded.

After Apocalypse and Thor destroyed the Rainbow Bridge, Odin rescued them but let Loki fall into the void, leaving Thor worried and Apocalypse suspicious of Odin and Frigga’s motives. The next day, as Asgard prepared a victory banquet, Thor showed Apocalypse the realm’s astonishing artificial landscape.

• The Rainbow Bridge exploded, and Odin saved Apocalypse and Thor while Loki fell into the void beneath the Cosmic Sea.
• Apocalypse reassured Thor that Loki was probably alive and learned that the Rainbow Light might have struck a planet.
• Apocalypse reflected on Odin and Frigga’s actions and suspected they had orchestrated events to eliminate the Frost Giants and secure Thor’s rule.
• Thor called Apocalypse over before the victory banquet, and they discussed whether Odin had built Asgard and its artificial sun.
• Sif approached Thor and Apocalypse.

At a royal banquet, Odin and Frigga honored Apocalypse as a prince of Asgard, then Frigga offered to betroth him to Sif. The chapter ended with Apocalypse revealing that he already had a wife.

• Apocalypse discussed Sif's appearance and Thor's lack of romantic interest with Thor, and Sif overheard them.
• Odin and Frigga praised Loki and Thor at the banquet, then named Apocalypse a prince of Asgard.
• After accepting the title, Apocalypse sensed an unfamiliar energy outside the palace.
• Frigga asked Apocalypse what he thought of Sif and offered to betroth them, with Sif blushing beside her.
• Apocalypse told Frigga that he already had a wife.

Apocalypse tried to respond to Frigga’s offer to match him with Sif, but Thor’s praise of his supposed devotion to his wife stopped him from accepting. After leaving Thor to check strange energy fluctuations, Apocalypse encountered a Time Variance Authority representative who had come to deliver a message.

• Frigga offered Sif to Apocalypse, and Thor argued that Apocalypse’s rejection of Daisy proved his loyalty to his wife.
• Frigga suggested Sif could wait until Apocalypse’s Earthling wife had lived her century, but Thor declared that true love meant letting Sif remain free.
• Sif told Apocalypse she would respect his decision a hundred years later, then ran off, while Frigga left satisfied with his supposed noble character.
• Thor celebrated his intervention with Apocalypse over drinks, and Apocalypse swallowed his frustration at having been blocked from accepting Sif’s offer.
• Apocalypse went to investigate the lingering energy fluctuations and found a translucent cuboid and a Time Variance Authority representative, who said she had come to deliver a message.

Apocalypse learned that Kang had exempted timelines connected to him from TVA punishment, but warned that his actions were stirring powerful beings trapped within the Sacred Timeline. Odin then led him to Asgard’s treasury, where he revealed that the Eternal Flame could help Apocalypse break through his limits.

• The TVA agent explained that Kang had made Apocalypse an exception, then warned that powerful beings were searching for the cause of the Sacred Timeline’s instability.
• Kang warned Apocalypse that Frigga must stop looking into the river of time, and refused to help him directly because the TVA was being watched.
• After the agent vanished, Apocalypse told Odin and Frigga about the warning, and Frigga agreed not to peer into the river of time again.
• Odin brought Apocalypse, Thor, and Sif to Asgard’s treasury and confirmed that the Infinity Gauntlet there was real but sealed.
• Odin stopped before the Eternal Flame and told Apocalypse it was the key to breaking through his shackles.

Apocalypse underwent Odin’s Eternal Flame body-tempering method, using Recovery Potions to survive a dangerous full-body refinement and replenish his vitality. After completing one refinement and replenishment, he decided to attempt the process again.

• Odin explained how the Eternal Flame could burn away bodily impurities and then restore vitality, warning Apocalypse that the refinement could kill him.
• Apocalypse drew a spark from the Eternal Flame and endured it burning through his body, repeatedly using Recovery Potions to regrow his flesh.
• When the flames burned away his mouth, eyes, and brain, Apocalypse kept pouring potions into a wound in his abdomen until his awareness and body returned.
• The Eternal Flame finished refining Apocalypse from head to toe, and Odin urged him to replenish his vitality with a gentler wisp of flame.
• Apocalypse completed one refinement and replenishment, then declined to stop and told Sif he wanted to try again.

Apocalypse completed nine rounds of body refinement in Asgard, emerging with immense strength and a life-giving radiance, while Thor and Sif stayed by his side. When Heimdall reported that Loki had appeared on Earth, Odin began preparing to send Thor and Apocalypse there; meanwhile, Black Widow learned that Barton had betrayed SHIELD and was assigned to bring in Doctor Bruce Banner.

• Apocalypse completed his ninth refinement and restoration, burning away much of Asgard's treasury and gaining power beyond five times the Hulk's strength.
• Apocalypse sparred with Thor and let Sif tend to him while Odin and Frigga worried about the cost of winning him over.
• Heimdall reported that Loki had appeared on Earth, and Odin told Thor and Apocalypse that he needed several days to prepare Dark Energy to send them there.
• Black Widow tortured arms dealers while waiting for news of Apocalypse, then received Nick Fury's call about Barton's betrayal.
• Nick Fury sent Black Widow a photo and ordered her to bring in Doctor Bruce Banner.

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.