Chapter Summaries

Lin Hai suggested ways to store the heroes’ suits and armor in objects they could activate to put them on quickly. Peter chose a spider pendant, Harry chose a belt, and Gwen chose her staff, and they planned to take their revised designs to Master Hamil at Kamar-Taj.

• Lin Hai asked Peter, Harry, and Gwen what objects could hold their suits or armor for quick activation.
• Peter chose to store his suit and Miniature Arc Reactor in an enlarged spider emblem worn as a pendant.
• Lin Hai suggested that Harry put his Miniature Arc Reactor in a belt buckle and store the Nova Armor in the belt, and Harry approved.
• Gwen decided to store her light armor in her staff.
• Lin Hai told everyone to revise their drawings before they went to Kamar-Taj to meet Master Hamil.

Lin Hai and the others brought their completed blueprints to Mage Hamil, who had discovered useful Runes on the Destroyer Armor. He explained that those Runes could make their rapid-equipping armor possible, though he needed more time to study them.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry arrived at Mage Hamil’s courtyard and found him studying the partly dismantled Destroyer Armor.
• Mage Hamil told Lin Hai and Gwen that he had found Runes for protection, defense, energy flow, wisdom, and light on the armor.
• Lin Hai and the others explained their plan to combine their protective gear into items that could rapidly equip them.
• Mage Hamil said Runes for transformation, creativity, and restriction could theoretically produce the effect they wanted.
• Mage Hamil asked the group to wait while he studied the Runes further, and Lin Hai and the others agreed.

Harry and Peter created smaller, thinner Miniature Arc Reactors and brought them to Master Hamil, who confirmed they could power their armor. Master Hamil also said the Sorcerer Supreme would craft Lin Hai’s armor and integrate it into his Plum Blossom Spear when she returned to Earth.

• Harry and Peter combined their engineering and physics expertise to make Miniature Arc Reactors smaller and thinner.
• Peter and Harry brought the new reactors to Lin Hai on the rooftop, and Lin Hai opened a Portal to Kamar-Taj.
• Master Hamil examined the reactors and confirmed they could power the magical runes and circuits in Peter and Harry’s armor.
• Master Hamil told Lin Hai that he could not integrate armor into the Plum Blossom Spear, but the Sorcerer Supreme would do so herself after returning to Earth.
• Lin Hai reflected on how The Ancient One had chosen to guide him because his presence made the future uncertain and offered hope of changing its destructive course.

Master Hamil finished Peter, Harry, and Gwen’s magical suits, and Lin Hai brought them to Kamar-Taj to collect them and meet the Ancient One. Peter and Harry activated their new armor, while Gwen’s suit remained to be tried on.

• Master Hamil called Lin Hai to announce that the three suits were complete and the Ancient One had returned to Kamar-Taj.
• Lin Hai told Gwen and Harry the news, and Harry called Peter, who rushed over to join them.
• Lin Hai opened a Portal, and the four visited the Ancient One before collecting the suit cores from Master Hamil.
• Peter activated his golden spider badge and transformed it into a red-and-blue Spider-Suit with six metallic legs.
• Harry activated the reactor on his belt and transformed it into a silver-and-blue Nova Armor.

Gwen received her new light armor, and Harry later reported that the new armor and Spider-Suit had powerful defenses, self-repair, and nearly instantaneous thought-based controls. After spending Chinese New Year in Huaxia and visiting Ta Lo, Lin Hai and Gwen returned to Brooklyn Heights, where Harry shared the results of his tests.

• Gwen activated her silver-and-gold light armor, and Master Hamil stopped her from bowing to him again.
• The Ancient One told Lin Hai to leave his weapon with her and said Master Hamil would notify him when his armor was ready.
• Lin Hai and Gwen celebrated Chinese New Year with Lin Hai's family in Sichuan-Shu and visited Old Chen and the Azure Dragon in Ta Lo.
• After returning to Brooklyn Heights, Lin Hai and Gwen heard Harry explain that the new gear could stop armor-piercing rounds and repair minor damage.
• Harry said psychic runes let him control the armor by thought with almost no delay, and he had worn it through daily activities for two days.

Lin Hai collected the Uru Metal armor The Ancient One had made and tested how well it conducted his Life Force. As the Chitauri invasion drew near, he promised to help defend Earth, then learned that Yinsen had begun studying magic at Kamar-Taj.

• Master Hamil called Lin Hai to report that his armor was finished, and Lin Hai went to Kamar-Taj with Gwen.
• The Ancient One gave Lin Hai the Plum Blossom Spear, and he transformed it into armor and tested its Life Force conductivity.
• The Ancient One reminded Lin Hai of the coming invasion, and he promised to lead Earth's defenders against the Chitauri.
• The Ancient One told Lin Hai that Master Hamil had begun teaching Yinsen magic because of his character and affinity for it.

Lin Hai visited Yinsen at Kamar-Taj and saw how quickly he had settled into studying magic. The next day, Nick Fury arrived at Lin Hai’s home with Steve Rogers, whom Lin Hai recognized as Captain America.

• The Ancient One gave Lin Hai the remaining Uru Metal after Hamil and Kamar-Taj had taken their agreed shares.
• Lin Hai and Gwen visited Yinsen, who described his magical studies and his growing comfort at Kamar-Taj.
• Nick Fury called Lin Hai and said he was bringing a confidential guest, warning him to keep Peter, Harry, and Gwen from sharing the information.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry prepared dinner together while they waited for Fury and his guest.
• Nick Fury arrived with Steve Rogers, and Lin Hai greeted Steve as Captain America.

Nick Fury brought Steve Rogers to Lin Hai’s home for a medical examination and to introduce him to Lin Hai’s team. Peter was stunned to meet Captain America, then returned with his collection of memorabilia and got Steve’s promise to sign it after dinner.

• Nick Fury brought Steve Rogers to Lin Hai, who explained that he could examine Steve’s condition with Life Force.
• Steve told Lin Hai that he had lost a bet with Nick Fury over whether Lin Hai would recognize him.
• Lin Hai introduced Steve to Gwen, Peter, and Harry while Nick Fury settled in for dinner.
• Peter ran to his room after Lin Hai confirmed Steve was Captain America, then returned with his collection of Captain America memorabilia.
• Steve thanked Peter for being a fan and promised to sign the items after dinner.

Nick Fury brought Steve to Lin Hai’s home for a thorough examination after Steve described how he had crashed the Hydra plane and spent seventy years frozen in the ice. Lin Hai treated Steve’s old injuries and lingering discomfort, leaving him feeling more flexible and healthier than ever.

• Peter and Harry cleared the table while Steve signed Peter’s collection of Captain America memorabilia.
• Peter asked Steve how he had supposedly died, and Steve recounted steering the damaged Hydra plane away from New York before it crashed into the ice.
• Nick Fury explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. had discovered Steve frozen in the plane during an Arctic expedition and described his recovery and rehabilitation.
• At Fury’s request, Lin Hai examined Steve and used a dark green glow to treat old injuries and lingering effects of thawing.
• Steve tested his movement after the examination and realized his discomfort had vanished and his body felt better than it had after receiving the Super-Soldier Serum.

Steve remembered Peggy Carter as he said goodbye to Lin Hai and the others after his examination. A few days later, Lin Hai visited Tony with Gwen, hoping to use Uru Metal to interest him, and Tony greeted them in his laboratory.

• Steve recalled the dance he had promised Peggy and thanked Lin Hai for his examination before leaving with Nick Fury.
• Lin Hai decided to visit Tony and use Uru Metal to tempt him into making a deal for future technology.
• Lin Hai arranged the visit through Pepper, who said Tony was free and working on new armor at his Malibu villa.
• Lin Hai and Gwen arrived at Tony's villa, and Pepper led them down to the laboratory.
• Tony finished working on a chip, turned to greet Lin Hai, and joked that he missed getting checkups.

Lin Hai visited Tony and told him about his group’s upgraded equipment, then offered him an iron ingot as part of a bet. Tony eagerly took the Uru Metal ingot, intending to see if he could melt it within a day for a chance to experience magic at Lin Hai’s Magic School.

• Lin Hai tended to Tony’s body, and Tony described his plan for Mark VII armor that could fly to him and equip itself.
• Lin Hai said he, Peter, Harry, and Gwen had upgraded their equipment, but Tony dismissed the idea that it could impress him.
• Lin Hai summoned a Portal and produced a black iron ingot, which Tony initially mistook for ordinary iron.
• Lin Hai bet that Tony could not melt the Uru Metal ingot into a state fit for casting within one day, offering him a visit to the Magic School if he succeeded.
• Tony accepted the bet, grabbed the ingot, and headed to his workbench.

Tony tested Lin Hai’s Uru Metal ingot with extreme heat and a powerful laser, but barely managed to warm it. After spending twenty-eight hours trying to melt it, Tony admitted he had lost the bet and asked Lin Hai what the metal was and how he had shaped it.

• Tony used a blowtorch, a five-thousand-degree furnace, and an industrial laser on the Uru Metal ingot, but it remained intact and only grew slightly warm.
• Lin Hai left Tony’s laboratory with Gwen, knowing Tony was too absorbed in the ingot to notice them.
• The following afternoon, Lin Hai and Gwen returned to Malibu, where JARVIS let them into the villa and underground laboratory.
• Tony, exhausted from twenty-eight hours of experiments, realized how much time had passed when Lin Hai explained he had come from home.
• Tony admitted he had lost the bet and asked Lin Hai what the ingot was and how he had melted or shaped it.

Lin Hai explained Uru Metal and the wider universe to Tony Stark, hoping to broaden his ambitions beyond Earth. Tony accepted Lin Hai’s terms for winning the bet and left determined to find his own way to melt the metal.

• Lin Hai asked Tony what he would offer after losing their bet, and Tony promised to build something for Lin Hai whenever he asked.
• Lin Hai described Uru Metal, Nidavellir, the Nine Realms, and other civilizations across the universe, while withholding some information.
• Tony became fascinated by the universe, and Lin Hai reflected that exposure to alien technology and materials could help Tony reach his full potential.
• Tony asked whether Lin Hai’s upgraded protective gear used Uru Metal, and Lin Hai explained why Tony could not receive magical gear.
• Lin Hai encouraged Tony to find his own way to melt the Uru Metal, and Tony confidently accepted the challenge.

After a peaceful month with Gwen, Lin Hai received Nick Fury’s call about Loki stealing the Tesseract and turning Hawkeye and Professor Selvig against S.H.I.E.L.D. Lin Hai reprimanded Fury for recklessly activating an artifact he did not understand, then agreed to meet once Fury gathered his people.

• Lin Hai spent the month touring Manhattan with Gwen before the coming invasion could damage the city.
• Nick Fury called Lin Hai and reported that Loki had stolen the Tesseract and recruited Hawkeye and Professor Selvig.
• Lin Hai told Fury that the Tesseract had never belonged to Earth and blamed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s experiments for provoking the crisis.
• Lin Hai warned Fury that his reckless decisions could cost many lives and said he might deal with Fury himself if he caused another disaster.
• Nick Fury admitted his oversight and promised to consult Lin Hai about matters he did not understand.
• Lin Hai accepted Fury’s promise and agreed to meet after Fury gathered his people.

Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry joined Tony at Stark Tower to watch him switch the building over to clean power from an Arc Reactor. After the tower lit up and Tony arrived, he ignored a call from Agent Coulson to greet his guests.

• Tony invited Lin Hai to see Stark Tower become self-sufficient on Arc Reactor power, and Lin Hai agreed to come with Gwen, Peter, and Harry.
• The four arrived through a Portal on Stark Tower’s rooftop, where Pepper was waiting in the darkened building.
• Pepper activated the switch, and the Arc Reactor powered the tower floor by floor until its illuminated STARK sign lit up the night sky.
• Tony flew in wearing the Mark VI, and a mechanical system quickly removed his armor as he walked toward Lin Hai and the others.
• JARVIS told Tony that Agent Coulson was calling, but Tony chose to entertain his guests instead.

Tony showed Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry Stark Tower before Coulson arrived with an urgent S.H.I.E.L.D. file. Tony opened the files and revealed footage of Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk, leaving the group to examine the potential Avengers.

• Tony asked Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry to assess Stark Tower, and they praised it before following him inside.
• Tony asked Peter what he thought of the Mark VI removal platform, and Peter enthusiastically praised its design and asked technical questions.
• JARVIS announced that Coulson had altered its program, and Coulson called Tony before appearing in Stark Tower's private elevator.
• Coulson handed Tony a laptop and said the urgent files were something Lin Hai would understand, while Tony complained about being excluded from S.H.I.E.L.D. matters.
• Tony opened the files and projected recordings of Thor wielding Mjolnir, Captain America in wartime, and the Hulk resisting gunfire and throwing an armored vehicle.

Lin Hai explained Thor, Captain America, and Bruce Banner to Tony, Gwen, Peter, and Harry as they examined their holographic projections. The group learned how the three gained their abilities, while Tony focused on the risks of Banner’s transformations.

• Pepper told Tony she was flying to Washington that night, kissed him goodbye, and left with Coulson.
• Lin Hai explained that Thor was an Asgardian whom ancient people would have considered a god, though he could also be viewed as a powerful alien.
• Lin Hai told Tony and the others that Captain America had survived his plane’s crash by entering a frozen, hibernation-like state and had been revived by S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Tony recognized Bruce Banner as a brilliant nuclear physicist, and Lin Hai explained that gamma radiation transformed him into a powerful green giant when he became enraged or faced danger.
• Tony admired Hulk’s strength but disliked that Banner lost control and that Hulk’s appearance clashed with his tastes.

Lin Hai explained why S.H.I.E.L.D. had shown Tony the files of Thor, Hulk, and Captain America, and described the Tesseract’s history and recent activation. He argued that Nick Fury had acted arrogantly by researching it without understanding that Kamar-Taj’s mages were responsible for protecting Earth.

• Tony recognized Thor, Hulk, and Captain America as his future Avengers teammates and complained about their unusual qualities.
• Tony recognized the Tesseract from Howard’s notes and connected it to the New Element powering his Arc Reactor.
• Lin Hai explained that the Tesseract had been found by Hydra, recovered by Captain America, retrieved by Howard, and researched again by Nick Fury before someone used its activation to reach Earth.
• Tony asked Lin Hai what he thought of Fury’s actions, and Lin Hai called Fury ignorant and arrogant for interfering with threats beyond his understanding.
• Lin Hai described Kamar-Taj’s mages and the Sorcerer Supreme as Earth’s primary protectors, then pointed out that Fury should have known about them through S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dealings with Zheng Xian.
• Tony agreed that Fury had failed to investigate something important.

Natasha brought Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry to a S.H.I.E.L.D. base aboard an aircraft carrier, where they reunited with Coulson and met Steve Rogers. Coulson left for the bridge after reporting that S.H.I.E.L.D. had begun tracking the target, while Natasha prepared to show the group around.

• Lin Hai and his companions returned to Brooklyn Heights after briefing Tony about the incident.
• Natasha arrived the next morning, joined the group for breakfast, and told them S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent her to bring them to a base.
• Peter and Harry equipped their concealed gear before the group rode with Natasha to a hidden warehouse.
• Natasha revealed a Quinjet, and the group flew across the ocean to a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier.
• Lin Hai's group met Coulson and Steve Rogers on the carrier deck, and Coulson left for the bridge after reporting that S.H.I.E.L.D. had begun tracking the target.

Lin Hai and the others met Bruce Banner aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier as it rose from the sea and activated its reflective panels to disappear. Nick Fury welcomed the group and promised Banner he could leave once they found the Tesseract, but Lin Hai’s warning cough hinted that Fury’s promise was not true.

• Natasha introduced Bruce Banner to Steve, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry on the Helicarrier’s deck.
• The Helicarrier rose above the sea on its turbines, and Natasha led the group toward the command center.
• Nick Fury ordered the Helicarrier’s reflective panels activated, making it blend into the sky.
• Steve paid Nick Fury after losing their bet, and Fury thanked Banner for coming aboard.
• Banner asked how long he had to stay, and Fury said he could leave once they found the Tesseract.
• Lin Hai coughed as Fury spoke, then brushed it off when Fury and Banner looked at him.