Chapter Summaries

Jean Grey used the Phoenix Force to battle Dormammu and nearly destroyed the Dark Dimension, but spared its inhabitants and imprisoned him in the Pocket Dimension instead. Ke Chen returned unharmed, and Jean saw that their solution was to expel Dormammu rather than kill him.

• Jean Grey used the Phoenix Force to destroy Dormammu’s body repeatedly and began breaking down the Dark Dimension.
• Jean learned Dormammu would revive as long as he had followers or the Dark Dimension remained intact.
• Jean saw the Dark Dimension’s frightened inhabitants and stopped short of destroying their home.
• Ke Chen returned unharmed, attacked Dormammu, and revealed that he had deceived him.
• Jean wrapped Dormammu in the Phoenix Force and threw him through a passage into the Pocket Dimension, where he could not draw on the Dark Dimension’s power.

Jean Grey claimed Earth’s protection as the new Ancient One, prompting the Dimensional Demon Gods to back down. In Asgard, Odin and Frigga reflected on the changing age before Thor arrived to report that Mjolnir was missing.

• Jean Grey used the Phoenix Force to declare Earth under her protection, and the Dimensional Demon Gods withdrew after learning Dormammu had been defeated.
• Odin and Frigga discussed Jean’s power, Earth’s mysteries, and their expectation that the coming age belonged to others.
• Frigga accepted her approaching death and told Odin they would meet again in Valhalla.
• Thor rushed in and told Frigga that Mjolnir had gone missing.
• Frigga reassured Thor that Mjolnir would return soon.

Jean Grey became Kamar-Taj’s new Ancient One after mastering the Phoenix Force, while Ke Chen left after promising they could meet again. Jean glimpsed possible futures but chose to bear what she had seen in silence.

• Jean restored New York’s secrecy by removing most people’s memories of the incident, but spared Professor X, the White Queen, and their companions.
• Ke Chen and Jean returned to Kamar-Taj, where Wong arranged the Ancient One’s funeral and the sorcerers accepted Jean as the new Ancient One.
• Jean demonstrated the Trinity Vishanti’s approval by summoning the Sword of Vishanti, and she sealed the Eye of Agamotto after warning Ke Chen it would bring misfortune.
• Jean experienced fragments of time, realized that choices shaped the future, and told Ke Chen she had seen his past desire for her before pouncing on him.
• Jean told Ke Chen she needed to protect Kamar-Taj but could visit him, and Ke Chen promised to see her again before leaving.

Clark recovered from the courthouse explosion while the news blamed him for the deaths, leaving him confused and unable to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Ke Chen brought Peter Parker to meet Gwen for Spider-Man training, where Gwen gave Peter his first web-shooters.

• News reports accused Superman of destroying the courthouse and killing everyone inside, while Clark suspected Lex Luthor but had no evidence.
• Clark questioned why people feared him and why Batman believed he wanted to destroy humanity, finding comfort only in Lois Lane's trust.
• Ke Chen took an eager Peter Parker to a rooftop, where Gwen was waiting to begin his Spider-Man training.
• Peter gave Gwen his homework, and she approved of his effort before handing him a pair of web-shooters.
• Gwen explained that she made her own webs and showed Peter how the wrist-mounted devices worked, correcting his belief that Spider-Man shot webs from his body.

Gwen taught Peter Parker to use Silk and fight, then let him begin learning through experience as Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Maria Hill refused Nick Fury’s invitation to help build S.W.O.R.D., leaving him feeling alone.

• Gwen trained Peter Parker to swing with Silk, and he eagerly tried using his new skills against street punks.
• Gwen demonstrated how to use Spider-Sense, disarmed the punks, and tied them up for the police.
• Gwen told Peter that he needed to gain experience on his own, and Ke Chen sent him home safely.
• Nick Fury asked Maria Hill to help build S.W.O.R.D., but she refused and said she wanted a new life.
• Maria Hill planned to join Ke Chen’s Black Widow, while Nick Fury accepted her decision and felt abandoned.

Jane Foster emerged from the spatial passage carrying the Aether, and Thor brought her to Asgard for help. Hela recognized the Reality Stone and offered to remove it, though she warned that the process would take time because Jane’s body was too fragile.

• Jane Foster entered the spatial passage in London, where the Aether attached itself to her, and she emerged carrying the Reality Stone.
• Thor found Jane, realized something was wrong, and used Heimdall and the Bifrost to take her to Asgard for treatment.
• Thor encountered Hela, who recognized the Aether inside Jane and explained that it was the stone the Dark Elves had once sought.
• Thor asked Hela to save Jane, and Hela said she could remove the Aether but would need time to avoid killing her.
• Hela decided that helping Thor could make it easier for her to become Asgard’s God-King without Thor standing in her way.

Malekith and the awakened Dark Elves prepared to use the Aether during the Celestial Convergence to turn the Nine Realms into a Dark World. After the Dark Elves devastated Asgard, Hela entered Odin’s vault and challenged him through the Destroyer Armor to stop Asgard’s decline.

• Malekith awakened with the returning Aether and ordered Algrim to remain Kurse until his destruction.
• Odin admitted the Aether could not be safely removed from Jane Foster, who woke in Asgard.
• The Dark Elves launched a surprise attack that caused severe destruction and released the prisoners from Asgard’s prison.
• Hela killed the Dark Elves who entered Odin’s vault as the Destroyer Armor confronted her.
• Hela asked Odin whether he wanted Asgard to keep declining.

Hela took the Eternal Flame from Odin’s vault and used it to resurrect the Death Legion and Spirit Wolf, then led them into the battle against the Dark Elves. She killed Kurse and left the Asgardians bowing to her in reverence.

• Hela entered Odin’s vault after Odin moved the Destroyer Armor aside and ignored the Tesseract and Casket of Ancient Winters to take the Eternal Flame.
• Hela found the corpses of the Death Legion and Spirit Wolf beneath the vault and used the Eternal Flame to summon the legion’s souls from Hel.
• Spirit Wolf revived, and Hela rode him out of the vault with the Death Legion following.
• Hela’s Death Legion crushed the Dark Elves as they attacked the Asgardians.
• Hela rode Spirit Wolf against Kurse and pierced him with her Night Sky Sword, killing him.
• The Asgardians watched Hela’s victory and lowered their heads to her in reverence.

Hela and the Asgardians mourned Frigga while Odin and Hela told Thor that the dead could not be revived, and Thor vowed to stop the Dark Elves. On Earth, the Black Widow tracked a Dark Elf spacecraft in London, and Ke Chen arrived on the Helicarrier with Maria Hill, surprising Sharon Carter.

• The Death Legion helped Hela’s forces defeat the Dark Elves, and the Asgardians began clearing the battlefield.
• Thor found Frigga dead and begged Odin, then Hela, to bring her back, but both said the dead could not be revived.
• Odin arranged Frigga’s funeral and told Thor she would enter Valhalla, while Thor vowed to stop the Dark Elves.
• The Black Widow detected Asgardians in Mexico and a Dark Elf spacecraft in London, prompting Melina to go on alert.
• Ke Chen arrived on the Helicarrier with Maria Hill, and Sharon Carter was surprised to see the former S.H.I.E.L.D. deputy director working with the Black Widow.

Ke Chen let Melina decide how Black Widow would respond to the Dark Elf threat in London, and she sent Megatron to stop their spaceship. Malekith used the Aether to overpower Megatron, but Thor’s Hammer shattered into fragments and struck him, halting the transformation of the Nine Realms.

• Ke Chen introduced Maria Hill to Melina as someone who could help manage Black Widow, and the two quickly got acquainted.
• Melina decided Black Widow should protect Earth from the Dark Elves and sent Megatron to London.
• Ke Chen explained that the Dark Elves wanted to turn the Nine Realms into the Dark World.
• Megatron destroyed the Dark Elf spaceship, but Malekith attacked him with the Aether and began transforming the Nine Realms.
• Fragments of Thor’s Hammer broke through the Aether’s defense, struck Malekith, and stopped the transformation before reassembling into a hammer.

Thor defeated Malekith and returned the Aether to Asgard, where Odin sent Sif to give it to The Collector and prepared Frigga’s funeral. Sif delivered Odin’s invitation to Ke Chen on Earth, and he brought her into his house.

• Thor fought Malekith with Thor's Hammer, empowered by Odin and Frigga's magic, and killed him.
• Asgard’s army nearly eradicated the Dark Elves on Svartalfheim, while Thor brought the Aether back to Asgard.
• Odin sent Sif to leave the Aether with The Collector and invited the gods to Frigga’s funeral to assess the Vanir’s intentions.
• Sif arrived at Ke Chen’s home on Long Island, where the Bifrost damaged his lawn, and delivered Odin’s invitation.
• Ke Chen grabbed Sif’s hand and pulled her into the house despite her brief resistance.

Ke Chen accompanied Sif to Asgard for Frigga’s funeral, where he met representatives from across the Nine Realms and spoke with Hela about Sif’s political support. At the funeral, Karnilla, the Norn Queen, approached him to ask why Odin had invited a Midgardian.

• Sif took Ke Chen to Asgard through the Bifrost, where they saw the realm decorated for Frigga’s funeral and crowded with visitors from the Nine Realms.
• Sif introduced Ke Chen to the Light Elves, Vanir, Dwarves, and other representatives gathered in Asgard.
• Hela asked Ke Chen about his relationship with Sif and said she would need Sif’s support if she became the Allfather.
• Ke Chen attended Frigga’s funeral as Midgard’s lone representative while other races regarded Midgardians as weak.
• Karnilla introduced herself to Ke Chen as the Norn Queen and asked whether Odin had invited him.

At Frigga’s funeral, Ke Chen tried to win Karnilla and the other realms over to Hela’s claim to the Allfather’s throne by promising relief from Odin’s rule. As Odin led the Nine Realms in prayer and Frigga’s body rose as golden Starlight, Karnilla remained uncertain whether to trust Ke Chen.

• Karnilla asked Ke Chen whether he hated Odin’s rule, and he told her that Hela becoming Allfather could free Nornheim from it.
• Ke Chen warned Karnilla that Thor would continue Odin’s oppressive rule and urged her to support Hela, but Karnilla recognized Hela’s ruthless past and accused him of lying.
• Odin emerged with Hela, Thor, and Loki, then led Asgard and the gathered realms in prayer for Frigga.
• Frigga’s body transformed into golden Starlight and slowly drifted toward the sky.

After leaving Asgard, Ke Chen brought Sif to Earth to help her capture Lorelei, an Asgardian enchantress who had been controlling men and pursuing a kingdom of her own. The Black Widows located Lorelei and sent Skye and a team to assist Sif, while Ke Chen stayed behind.

• After the Asgardian funeral and banquet, Ke Chen prepared to leave, and Sif asked to accompany him because Lorelei had fled to Midgard.
• Ke Chen and Sif traveled to Earth through the Bifrost, whose energy fluctuations alerted the Black Widows monitoring unusual activity.
• Yelena welcomed Ke Chen and Sif, and the three traveled to the Helicarrier, where they met Melina and Maria Hill.
• Sif identified Lorelei in the Black Widows' records and asked where she was, so Maria Hill offered to take her there.
• Melina refused to let Ke Chen join the capture and sent Skye and a team with Sif to apprehend Lorelei.

Sif took the captured Lorelei back to Asgard, and Ke Chen later sensed Galactus near Zenn-La. Galactus agreed to spare the planet if Norrin Radd found other worlds for him, then began transforming Norrin Radd.

• Sif restrained Lorelei and said goodbye to Ke Chen before Heimdall took them away through the Bifrost.
• Ke Chen visited Julia, Faora, and the other Black Widows at the Celestial Court space station, where they monitored Earth and expanded their intelligence network across the universe.
• Ke Chen sensed an energy fluctuation near Earth and used his Super Vision to find Galactus outside Zenn-La.
• Norrin Radd pleaded with Galactus to spare his home planet and offered to find planets for him to devour.
• Galactus agreed to spare Zenn-La and began transforming Norrin Radd with cosmic energy.

Norrin Radd became the Silver Surfer and found planets for Galactus to consume, while Ke Chen worried about the growing cosmic danger. On Earth, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner developed a new Iron Legion and discussed how to protect Earth from Hulk and other threats.

• Norrin Radd gave up his memories and values to become Galactus's servant, the Silver Surfer.
• The Silver Surfer offered Galactus his homeworld, but Galactus honored his agreement and spared it.
• The Silver Surfer found another planet for Galactus, who drained its energy and then left the Milky Way.
• Ke Chen returned to Earth, relieved that Galactus had departed but concerned about the universe's growing dangers.
• Tony Stark and Bruce Banner worked on a second-generation Iron Legion in a secret laboratory on the Gulf of Mexico.
• Bruce Banner warned Tony Stark that they could not control Hulk, and Tony said their research should focus on protecting Earth.

Tony Stark and Bruce Banner discussed the dangers facing Earth and named the Second-Generation Iron Legion’s control system Veronica, while Tony floated the idea of Ultron. Ke Chen spent several quiet months in New York as Peter Parker gained experience as Spider-Man, even as turmoil spread elsewhere.

• Tony Stark argued that Earth needed the Ultron system to protect it from stronger alien threats, but Bruce Banner hesitated and wanted to finish their current work first.
• Bruce Banner named the Second-Generation Iron Legion’s control system Veronica, explaining that the name came from the Archie comics and reminded him of Betty.
• Tony realized the name Veronica was tied to Bruce Banner’s past relationship with Betty and tried to comfort him.
• Ke Chen rested in New York for several months after returning to Earth, while Jean Grey’s presence kept dimensional threats subdued.
• Peter Parker began sharing his Spider-Man experiences on social media, and his growing experience helped Gwen feel more at ease about his safety.
• New York remained peaceful while turmoil spread through places beyond the city.

As Black Widow and the Avengers pushed their campaign against Hydra into Europe, Yelena met Symkaria’s Silver Sable to arrange cooperation against Hydra and the country’s civil war. Silver Sable agreed to work with Black Widow, but demanded a share of Hydra’s research and resources and asked to meet their master, Ke Chen, whom Yelena refused to introduce.

• Black Widow and the Avengers destroyed Hydra bases across the Americas and began clearing them out of Europe, aided by Baron Strucker’s betrayal.
• Yelena reached Symkaria and met Princess Sylph Sablinova, known as Silver Sable, who was resisting Hydra while trying to end the civil war.
• Yelena offered Black Widow’s help to end the war in exchange for Hydra’s equipment, and Silver Sable insisted Symkaria also receive Hydra’s research and resources.
• Yelena agreed to split Hydra’s spoils with Silver Sable, who stipulated that Black Widow’s operatives in Symkaria must follow her orders.
• Silver Sable asked to meet Black Widow’s master, Ke Chen, but Yelena said he was too busy.

Batman used Kryptonite to attack Superman, driven by his belief that humans were braver and stronger than aliens. Lex Luthor revealed that he had manipulated them while creating Doomsday, and Batman and Superman confronted him as Doomsday was about to be born.

• Batman opened a case of Kryptonite and used it to weaken Superman during another attack.
• Batman told Superman that humans were the brave ones and knocked him into the ground.
• Lex Luthor secretly used General Zod's DNA and corpse to create Doomsday in the Kryptonian birthing chamber.
• Lex Luthor exposed his manipulation of Batman and Superman just as Doomsday was about to be born.
• Batman and Superman confronted Lex Luthor.

Lex Luthor unleashed Doomsday, a monster created from General Zod’s corpse, and it attacked him before Superman intervened. Superman initially pierced Doomsday’s chest, but the creature regenerated with hardened skin, and his next attack failed to penetrate it.

• Doomsday emerged from the Kryptonian ship, and Lex Luthor announced it as a weapon meant to destroy freaks like Superman and Batman.
• Doomsday attacked Lex Luthor, but Clark took the blow and was sent flying; Batman then dodged Doomsday’s next strike and was knocked down.
• Clark pierced Doomsday’s chest and kicked it away, while Batman apologized to Clark after recognizing he was the only one able to fight the monster.
• Doomsday regenerated with steel-like skin, and Clark discovered that his next punch could no longer pierce it.