Chapter Summaries

Android 18 overwhelmed Black Bolt with her speed and attacks, but he retaliated with a Quasi-Sonic Wave that failed to harm her. Enraged by her taunt, Black Bolt unleashed an even fiercer wave aimed at her and the villa behind her.

• Android 18 punched Black Bolt out of the air and sent him crashing into a crater.
• Black Bolt quickly recovered and absorbed Android 18's Ki Blasts with his Quasi-Sonic Wave.
• Android 18 endured the attack unharmed and mocked Black Bolt's power.
• Black Bolt grew furious and sent a stronger Quasi-Sonic Wave toward Android 18 and the villa behind her.

Android 18 defeated Black Wong after he attacked the villa, but Wanda intervened before she could kill him, saying Loren wanted him questioned. Wanda removed Black Wong’s mouth with magic so he could no longer use his Quasi-Sonic Wave, and Android 18 left him in Wanda’s custody.

• Android 18 blocked Black Wong’s Quasi-Sonic Wave with a punch and knocked him down with a series of attacks.
• Android 18 pierced Black Wong’s chest with a Finger Beam and prepared to finish him off.
• Wanda arrived through a magic portal and told Android 18 that Loren wanted Black Wong kept alive for questioning.
• Wanda used magic to remove Black Wong’s mouth, preventing him from using his Quasi-Sonic Wave.
• Android 18 offered to learn magic from Wanda, handed Black Wong over to her, and flew home to bathe.

Maximus learned that Black Bolt had been taken away instead of killed and ordered his subordinates to provoke a rescue attempt, hoping Loren would destroy his rivals. At Morgan Manor, Medusa warned Loren that Maximus had engineered the conflict, and Loren prepared to interrogate Black Bolt while dismissing the scheme as a threat to Maximus himself.

• Clairvoyant reported to Maximus that a blond woman had nearly killed Black Bolt, but another woman intervened and the clan leader was taken away.
• Maximus ordered two subordinates to tell Black Bolt's trusted aides that he and Medusa were imprisoned, hoping they would attack Morgan Manor and be killed by Loren.
• Loren opened a Space Gate to Medusa's bedroom, surprising Medusa with the extent of his abilities.
• Loren told Medusa to return to her room while he interrogated Black Bolt, and asked whether Maximus had informed her about Crystal.
• Medusa suspected Maximus had tipped off Black Bolt to provoke a conflict between the Inhumans and Loren, and warned Loren not to fall for the scheme.
• Loren dismissed Maximus's plan and said the borrowed knife would end up harming its wielder.

Loren subdued Black Wong, entered his Consciousness Sea, and erased his memories of being engaged to Medusa. After examining Wong’s memories, Loren discovered who had been manipulating events and sent 2B to bring Maximus to him.

• Loren found Black Wong frozen by Tifa and ordered her to release him.
• Black Wong attacked Loren, who lifted him with Remote Object Control and struck his Consciousness Sea with a Psychic Nail.
• Inside Black Wong’s Consciousness Sea, Loren explained that Black Wong could not use his Quasi-Sonic Wave there and demanded his submission.
• When Black Wong refused, Loren used the Great Brainwashing Technique to erase his memories of his engagement to Medusa.
• Loren examined Black Wong’s memories, identified who had been pulling the strings, and ordered 2B to bring Maximus to him.

Loren used Psychic Power to brainwash Black Bolt and ordered him to turn the Inhumans away from Morgan Manor. Black Bolt led his people home without a fight, while 2B had already drenched the Inhumans’ territory in blood.

• Loren identified the approaching group as Inhumans and refused Tsunade’s offer to fight them.
• Loren ordered the brainwashed Black Bolt to send his people away and warned him against offending him again.
• Black Bolt promised the Inhumans would stay away from Morgan Manor, then left to meet his subordinates.
• Black Bolt gestured for his followers to return home, and they followed him without questioning the order.
• Loren’s wives learned that he had used Psychic Power to alter Black Bolt’s memories and attitude.
• 2B continued her attack in the Inhumans’ territory, which was already drenched in blood.

Maximus tried to use Black Bolt’s followers’ anger against Loren to seize power, but 2B attacked the Inhumans’ territory and confronted him. She demanded that he either surrender and come with her or die where he stood.

• Maximus learned that Black Bolt’s followers had gone to Loren’s manor and hoped their clash with Loren would let him become king of the Inhumans.
• A crimson flame blasted through the hall, killing several of Maximus’s subordinates.
• 2B descended in flames and confronted Maximus, who recognized her and tried to hide his schemes behind a friendly manner.
• 2B threw shackles at Maximus and told him to put them on and come with her or die.
• Maximus’s smile disappeared as he reacted angrily to 2B’s ultimatum.

Maximus used the Mind Stone to attack 2B with Telepathy, but discovered he could not sense or control her consciousness. 2B wounded him with her Miao Saber and recognized the gem, while Maximus’s attempt to command her also failed.

• Maximus tried to drag 2B into the Consciousness Sea, but his Telepathy could not detect her consciousness.
• 2B attacked Maximus with a Nano-Adamantium Miao Saber and pierced his left shoulder as he tried to retreat.
• Maximus released a powerful energy shockwave, revealing a device on his wrist that held the Mind Stone.
• 2B recognized the Mind Stone and suspected Maximus had mentally invaded S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Maximus used the Mind Stone to order 2B to kneel, but his Psychic Power could not control her because she had no soul.

2B defeated Maximus after the Mind Stone failed to control her, then explained that she was not human before killing him. When Black Bolt returned, he killed the Inhumans who demanded war against Loren, and 2B spared the rest before flying back to Morgan Manor.

• Maximus used the Mind Stone to try to force 2B to kneel, but she remained unaffected and cut off his right arm.
• 2B took the Mind Stone, explained that her Psychic Power could not affect her because she was not human, and killed Maximus.
• 2B warned the surviving Inhumans not to provoke her Boss, and they urged Black Bolt to avenge Maximus and declare war on Loren.
• Black Bolt returned from Morgan Manor, rejected the call for war, and killed the Inhumans who had demanded it with a Quasi-Sonic Wave.
• 2B spared Black Bolt and the remaining Inhumans, then flew back to Morgan Manor to claim her reward.

After 2B killed Maximus and recovered the stolen Mind Stone, Loren received Senzu Bean Manufacturing Technology from the system and imagined using it alongside his Saiyan Gene Serum. As 2B hurried back to the laboratory, Loren invited her to join him and the Commander and Tifa.

• After 2B killed Maximus, the system rewarded Loren with Senzu Bean Manufacturing Technology and 15 System Points.
• Loren checked the system interface and thought Senzu Beans could help him grow stronger after he used the Saiyan Gene Serum he was developing.
• Alice told Loren that 2B had completed her mission, recovered the Mind Stone, and was heading to the laboratory.
• Loren told Alice to tell 2B she could do whatever she wanted because he was in a good mood.
• Loren said the Commander and Tifa would warm him up before 2B arrived, and the Commander wrapped her arms around his neck.

After S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents regained their senses, Nick Fury learned that Maximus had controlled them and that Loren had helped awaken them. Fury sent Natasha to Morgan Manor to thank Loren and ask for the Mind Scepter so Project Pegasus could resume.

• Nick Fury and the other agents woke from Maximus's control with no memory of what they had done.
• Natasha reviewed the surveillance footage and realized Loren had helped free them.
• Nick Fury watched the footage, considered the incident a humiliation, and ordered Project Pegasus to continue.
• Nick Fury asked Natasha to visit Loren, thank him, and negotiate for the Mind Scepter.
• Natasha pretended to question the assignment while privately welcoming the chance to see Loren.
• Nick Fury glanced at Agent Hill as he considered who else might be able to approach Loren.

Nick Fury ordered Maria Hill to accompany Natasha on a mission to Morgan Manor, hoping she could gather information from Loren. Natasha warned Hill that Loren would pursue her, while Hill decided to dress more plainly but questioned why Natasha was not doing the same.

• Nick Fury sent Maria Hill to Morgan Manor with Natasha, saying Natasha might need help handling Loren.
• Hill reluctantly accepted the order and went to prepare for the mission.
• Natasha warned Hill to remove her makeup and dress less attractively so Loren would be less likely to target her.
• Hill agreed to change her clothes but kept her makeup, saying she wanted to look appropriate when meeting an important person.
• Hill asked why Natasha was not making herself less attractive, and Natasha said she wanted Loren to touch her.

Hill prepared to meet Loren after Natasha hinted at her past with him, while Thor arrived at Morgan Manor to ask Loren to find Jane Ford. Loren realized Jane’s disappearance could signal the Reality Stone’s emergence and agreed to help in exchange for Asgardian maidservants, then provoked Thor by joking about his mother.

• Natasha denied Hill’s suspicion that she had slept with Loren but left Hill wondering what she meant by “talking big.”
• Hill changed into a plain tracksuit and prepared to go with Natasha to Morgan Manor.
• Alice detected a Bifrost fluctuation near the manor and told Loren that Thor was requesting an audience.
• Thor told Loren that Jane Ford had disappeared and asked him to help find her.
• Loren suspected Jane’s disappearance was connected to the Reality Stone and agreed to help in exchange for choosing several Asgardian maidservants.
• Loren joked about Thor’s mother, making Thor angrily forbid him from touching any of his family.

Loren rescued Jane Foster from the spatial gap between Earth and Svartalfheim and discovered that the Reality Stone had taken over her body, leaving her unconscious. He told Thor that Malekith could remove the Stone and agreed to help when the Dark Elves appeared, claiming the Reality Stone as his spoils.

• Loren used the Space Stone to locate Jane Foster and opened a portal that brought her back to Thor.
• Loren told Thor that the Reality Stone, also called Aether, occupied Jane's body and trapped her consciousness.
• Loren explained that the Nine-Planet Alignment had loosened the seal on Aether and allowed Jane to be transported to Svartalfheim.
• Thor considered taking Jane to Odin, but Loren warned that Odin could not help and that bringing Aether to Asgard would invite danger.
• Loren advised Thor to wait for Malekith, who could extract Aether, and Thor agreed to stay on Earth with Jane.
• Loren promised to help when Malekith appeared and said he would take the Reality Stone as spoils of war.

Gwen called Loren for help catching a criminal who was fleeing with modified Chitauri flight technology, and Loren equipped her with an upgraded Vibranium Spider Suit. The criminal was still ahead as Loren joined Gwen in the air.

• Loren asked Alice to monitor Thor because he expected the Dark Elves to act within days.
• Gwen called Loren while pursuing a flying criminal who had robbed banks and carried out a terrorist attack.
• Loren opened a Space Gate to Gwen and teased her before agreeing to help.
• Loren sent Gwen an upgraded Vibranium Spider Suit with antigravity flight and Alice as its AI.
• Loren stepped through the Space Gate and walked through the air beside Gwen as she tried the new suit.

Gwen used her new Vibranium Spider Suit to capture Vulture and tried to learn where he got his alien weapons. When Vulture refused to talk, Loren crushed his arm, and Vulture revealed that Green Goblin had supplied the equipment.

• Gwen flew after Vulture in her new Spider Suit, but his energy blast struck her without harming her Vibranium armor.
• Gwen cut through Vulture’s turbine wings, caught him in a Silk web, and demanded to know where his equipment came from.
• Vulture refused to answer, so Loren crushed his right arm and threatened to crush the other one.
• Vulture broke under Loren’s threat and said Green Goblin had given him the equipment.

Loren learned that Green Goblin was behind the trouble and offered to deal with him to keep Gwen from getting involved, though he wanted to prevent her from clashing with Norman Osborn. After Gwen captured Vulture, she took Loren to a rooftop to enjoy the view and teased him before deciding to reward him.

• Loren realized that Green Goblin was likely Norman Osborn and worried that Gwen's sense of justice could lead her into a dangerous conflict with him.
• Gwen vowed to bring Green Goblin to justice, but Loren offered to handle him himself because he cared about her.
• Gwen webbed Vulture above the road, and the police arrived and arrested him.
• Gwen bound Loren with webbing and carried him to a high-rise rooftop to enjoy the view together.
• Gwen asked Loren to compare her with Tifa, and he tactfully said Gwen was better when she demanded he choose.
• Gwen said she was satisfied with Loren's answer and decided to reward him, leaving him bewildered.

Loren learned that the Dark Elves had arrived on Earth seeking the Aether and delegated the threat to the Commander while staying with Gwen. Malekith sent a smaller craft toward the Aether’s location, but a woman’s voice interrupted his order.

• Loren brought Gwen to the presidential suite of one of his hotels and held her from behind.
• Alice detected a Dark Elf spacecraft entering Earth’s atmosphere and informed Loren.
• Loren ordered Alice to give the Commander full authority to handle the Dark Elves.
• The Commander dispatched A2 and Tsunade to deal with the threat.
• Malekith confirmed the Aether was on Earth and ordered a smaller craft to approach its location under stealth.
• A woman’s voice told Malekith’s crew they did not need to go to the target location.

Alice infiltrated the Dark Elf ship and warned Malekith on Loren’s behalf, provoking him by claiming her Boss was worthy of worship. The confrontation escalated when A2 and Steel Hand arrived through a portal to carry out their mission.

• Malekith realized the voice addressing the ship came from an intruder controlling its communications and demanded that they reveal themselves.
• Alice identified herself as the planet’s most advanced intelligent digital lifeform and said she had come on her Boss’s orders to warn Malekith against acting rashly.
• Alice declared that her Boss was worthy of Malekith’s worship, angering him with her defiance.
• A2 and Steel Hand appeared through a portal inside the ship and confronted Malekith.

A2 and Tsunade subdued Malekith aboard his spaceship and confronted him about seeking the Reality Stone. Malekith denied his intentions, and Tsunade threatened to snap his neck as they prepared to take him alive.

• Malekith dismissed A2 and Tsunade after learning they served Loren, whom he had never heard of.
• A2 evaded Malekith's attack, struck him down, and warned that Loren had ordered them to capture him alive.
• Malekith grew wary of Loren's power and asked why Loren's people had targeted him.
• A2 implied they knew Malekith had come for the Reality Stone, but Malekith claimed his ship had reached Earth by accident.
• Tsunade mocked Malekith's excuse, lifted him by the neck, and threatened to snap it.

Tsunade overwhelmed Malekith aboard the Dark Elf spacecraft, shrugging off his strongest dark energy attack and knocking him unconscious. She dismissed him as too weak and decided to return to wait for a fight with her Boss.

• Malekith escaped Tsunade’s grip by transforming into black mist and challenged her to a fight.
• Tsunade punched Malekith into the spacecraft’s steel wall, leaving him dazed.
• Malekith fired his strongest dark energy beam at Tsunade, but she emerged completely unharmed.
• Malekith charged at Tsunade in disbelief, and she used a Body Flicker to appear behind him and knock him unconscious.
• Tsunade called Malekith boring and said she would return to wait for a fight with Boss.