Chapter Summaries

Russell began testing whether the T-Virus could create Super Soldiers using clones of Natasha, Yelena, and Bucky. After every experiment failed, he asked Zereel whether Kree scientists were for sale.

• Russell added his attribute points to Strength and asked Natasha to report to Laboratory No. 2.
• Russell explained that Natasha's clones would be used to test a new Super Soldier Serum and sealed the T-Virus in the laboratory.
• The Chitauri scientists found that Natasha's clones lacked the strength expected of someone enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum, and Russell continued the experiments by injecting them with the T-Virus.
• The T-Virus caused the clones to mutate into grotesque forms, and experiments with Yelena's and Bucky's clones also failed.
• Zereel suggested obtaining Kree genetic scientists, and Russell asked whether any Kree were for sale.

Russell set out to find Kree scientists being sold as slaves so he could free them and make them work for him, and traveled with his companions toward Knowhere. As his ship entered an asteroid belt, a sleeping crew aboard a black T-shaped warship woke and ordered their vessel to destroy it.

• Russell rejected buying Kree scientists directly and said he would rescue them in exchange for their service.
• Zereel told Russell that Kree scientists were sold in Knowhere and explained how they ended up there.
• Russell ordered an ancient cannon tested and installed on Zereel's flagship.
• Seven cosmic days later, Russell traveled toward Knowhere with Natasha, Bucky, Jason, Yelena, and twelve Winter Soldiers, followed by three warships.
• Natasha and Bucky piloted Russell's ship into an asteroid belt, firing on asteroids in their path.
• A crew aboard a black T-shaped warship woke after detecting the approaching ship and ordered it destroyed to keep their whereabouts secret.

Russell's group fought through an asteroid belt and discovered Malekith's Dark Elves hiding within it. After Russell's flagship cannon crippled their warship, he left Zereel to decide whether to install the cannon on his flagship.

• Natasha and Bucky piloted Russell's spacecraft through the asteroid belt, where four fighters attacked them, and Russell escaped to meet up with Zereel's three warships.
• Russell ordered the warships to clear a path through the asteroid belt, where Malekith and Algrim prepared the Dark Elves to fight what they believed might be Asgardians.
• Russell ordered his three warships to attack the Dark Elf warship, but its advanced energy shields let it withstand their fire.
• Zereel charged the flagship's main cannon, which Russell had obtained through an Item Card, and its beam pierced the Dark Elf warship's shield and hull.
• Zereel suggested installing the cannon on Russell's flagship, and Russell told him to handle it as he saw fit.

Russell captured Malekith and the Dark Elves after destroying their warship, then demanded their surrender and property. Malekith tried to prove his strength with a Stone of Curses, but passed it to Algrim, who in turn ordered a soldier to use it.

• Russell learned that the fleeing Dark Elf fighters had been forced to land and that Malekith was requesting negotiations.
• Russell recognized Malekith, ordered the Chitauri to beat the disarmed Dark Elves, and had Winter Soldiers subdue Malekith and Algrim.
• Russell rejected Malekith's offer to pay for their lives and demanded that the Dark Elves surrender all their property.
• Malekith claimed the Dark Elves could perish together with their enemies, and Russell challenged him to earn the right to negotiate.
• Malekith produced a Stone of Curses and told Algrim to use it, but Algrim passed it to a Dark Elf soldier instead.

Russell made Malekith demonstrate the Dark Elves’ strongest Curse Warrior, then had Bucky defeat him with his Vibranium equipment. Malekith offered the Dark Elves’ loyalty, but Russell demanded payment and sent them away.

• A Dark Elf soldier transformed into a Curse Warrior by crushing the Stone of Curses.
• Russell ordered Bucky to test the Curse Warrior, and Bucky blocked his attacks with a Vibranium shield.
• Bucky crushed the Curse Warrior’s fist, pierced his wrist with a Vibranium blade, and decapitated him.
• Russell mocked Malekith by saying Bucky had once scrubbed toilets, while Malekith realized Russell’s forces were formidable.
• Malekith offered the Dark Elves’ loyalty, but Russell refused to take them in and told them to hand over their money and leave.

Odin summoned Thor and Loki after learning the Dark Elves had become active, then sent the brothers to confront them. Thor eagerly set off with Loki, while Odin expected Thor might suffer a setback and had made preparations for his safety.

• Odin ordered a guard to summon Thor and Loki because of unusual activity among the Dark Elves.
• Odin considered his sons' flaws and decided the Dark Elves would make a useful enemy for Thor to face.
• Thor arrived carrying Loki, who crashed into the hall, and asked Odin whether a war was coming.
• Odin told Thor about the Dark Elves and gave him a Star Map with their coordinates.
• Loki tried to refuse the order, but Thor grabbed him and flew off to prepare for the mission.

Russell’s crew arrived at Knowhere, the mining settlement inside a Celestial’s skull, while Loki tracked the Dark Elves there and Thor prepared to confront them. The chapter left Thor convinced that Loki’s past attacks were acts of brotherly care, as Loki retreated to recover from Thor’s friendly punch.

• Russell’s crew marveled at the Celestial skull and changed into Dark Elf gear before entering Knowhere, where Russell warned them not to start trouble unless provoked.
• Russell explained that Malekith had borrowed his ship after paying reparations and planned to sell a Dark Elf to The Collector Tivan to raise money.
• Russell’s ship entered the skull and docked at Knowhere, where Malekith led the Dark Elves away while Russell revealed that he had put trackers on them.
• Loki confirmed that the Dark Elves were at Knowhere, contacted The Collector Tivan, and told Thor where they had gone.
• Thor punched Loki in the chest and encouraged him to rest before their coming fight, while Loki struggled toward his room.
• Thor interpreted Loki’s past ambushes and poisoned blades as attempts to sharpen his combat instincts, believing that Loki loved him and meant him no harm.

Russell searched Knowhere for Kree scientists while dealing with a child thief and the gang pursuing him. Meanwhile, Thor and Loki met the Collector Tivan and asked about the Dark Elves.

• Russell went to Knowhere’s talent market and found four Kree scientists, then arranged to meet a married couple who studied forbidden genetic evolution.
• Russell stopped a blue-skinned boy from stealing a Dark Elf Black Hole Bomb, then lured The Thing and his gang into an alley and left alone.
• Russell’s lackeys reported that the boy had disappeared, while the boy, Yondu, told three companions they needed to escape Knowhere.
• The Collector Tivan welcomed Thor and Loki, and Thor bluntly asked whether Tivan had seen the Dark Elves.

Thor and Loki searched Knowhere for the Dark Elves and discovered they were trying to buy starships. Malekith decided to seize a ship and rebuild the Dark Elves’ power, but Thor and Loki surrounded his group as they left the bar.

• Thor tried to force The Collector Tivan to reveal the Dark Elves’ location, but Loki dragged him away before the confrontation escalated.
• Loki ordered Asgardian soldiers to search Knowhere, and Thor spotted Dark Elves visiting black-market starship shops.
• Algrim told Malekith that merchants had raised starship prices, which Malekith blamed on The Collector leaking their information.
• Malekith ordered the Dark Elves to seize a starship and leave Knowhere, then vowed to lead them to rise again.
• Thor and Loki surrounded Malekith and the Dark Elves outside the bar, and Malekith ordered his followers to fall back.

Russell interviewed Isaac and Taren, Kree genetic-engineering scientists seeking protection from the Kree Empire and its Starforce squad, led by a Captain Marvel named Stegers. Russell promised to show them a divine artifact, while Thor and Loki faced two powerful Curse Warriors emerging from a destroyed bar on Knowhere.

• Russell tested Isaac and Taren's scientific expertise and learned they wanted a top-tier laboratory and protection from Kree pursuers.
• Isaac revealed that Starforce's Captain Marvel was named Stegers and that the squad answered to the Supreme Intelligence.
• Russell said he had a divine artifact that would give Isaac and Taren confidence in him.
• Thor and Loki led Asgard's warriors against Dark Elves hiding in a bar, and explosions knocked soldiers to the ground.
• Two magma-covered Curse Warriors emerged from the rubble, and Thor charged at them while Loki ordered the soldiers to spread out.

Thor and Loki fought the Curse Warriors while Malekith and Algrim prepared to escape with the Stone of Curses. Russell’s group left the trading hall and unexpectedly found themselves mistaken for Dark Elves by an Asgardian soldier.

• Loki urged Thor to use lightning against the Curse Warriors, and Thor repeatedly knocked them down while Loki beheaded them with his daggers.
• Malekith and Algrim argued over who should use the Stone of Curses, but returning Dark Elf soldiers interrupted them and Malekith chose to flee toward the central area.
• Malekith fired at a phantom and threw a Black Hole Grenade before ordering his people to break out.
• Russell left the trading hall with Yelena and the Kree scientist couple, who had signed contracts to sell themselves to him.
• An Asgardian soldier ran into Russell’s group and shouted for help, mistaking them for Dark Elves trying to escape.

Russell tried to escape the chaos in Knowhere with the Dark Elves, but Thor and Loki arrived and mistook him for their enemy. After Thor's lightning failed to harm Russell, Thor hurled Mjolnir at him, and Russell stopped it with one hand.

• Russell fled toward the starport while Tivan refused to intervene in the Asgardians' pursuit and ordered the damage billed to Odin.
• Russell waited at the starport with Natasha, Jason, and the Winter Soldier squad as Algrim brought the wounded Malekith and Dark Elves to board their ship.
• Algrim pledged the Dark Elves' loyalty to Russell, who sent them into the starport as Asgardian soldiers approached.
• Thor and Loki arrived, and Russell used three Lottery Draws to obtain their character cards and a Shapeshifting Magic skill card.
• Russell joked that the God of Thunder was afraid of electricity, prompting Thor to attack him with lightning, which Russell absorbed.
• Thor threw Mjolnir at Russell, but Russell stopped the hammer in midair with one hand.

Russell used Thor's Character Card to seize Mjolnir, wield its power, and escape Asgard after leaving Thor defeated. On the ship bound for Morag, Russell let Natasha lift the hammer and told her she had to keep holding it.

• Russell caught Mjolnir, summoned lightning with it, and claimed the hammer had judged him worthy.
• Loki questioned Russell's identity, and Russell told him to ask Odin and demanded money in exchange for Mjolnir.
• Thor chased Russell, but a lightning strike hurled him into a building while Loki held back the Asgardian warriors.
• Loki dug Thor from the rubble and promised to tell Odin what had happened.
• Russell ordered the ship to Morag and had Natasha lift Mjolnir, then told her to keep hold of it at all times.

Russell recruited Yondu and planned to establish a Hydra base on Svartalfheim while evading ships following him from Knowhere. Meanwhile, Kree Starforce leader Stegers pursued the missing ship and encouraged Will to become a hero who could inherit the title of Captain Marvel.

• Russell discovered that Yondu and three other boys had stowed away aboard his ship, then learned Yondu had once tried to use him as a pawn.
• Russell formed a contract with Yondu and let him and his friends take a room aboard the ship, while Malekith asked to serve without undergoing the contract process.
• Russell asked Malekith for a Star Map and decided to build a Hydra base on Svartalfheim, hoping to get construction funds from Odin.
• Bucky reported that ships were following them, so Russell chose to escape through a nearby asteroid belt without revealing Zereel's involvement.
• Stegers and Kree Starforce searched for Russell's ship, and Stegers promised Will he could inherit the title of Captain Marvel once he became a hero.

Thor and Loki struggled with the loss of Mjolnir and agreed to cooperate with Stegers to pursue the Dark Elves. Meanwhile, Russell searched Morag for the Power Stone, leaving the story with his team exploring the abandoned planet.

• Thor told Loki that Mjolnir had found another owner and would not answer his summons, while Loki said Odin had not replied.
• A soldier brought Thor and Loki word that someone wanted to discuss the Dark Elves, and they met Stegers, Captain Marvel of the Kree Empire.
• Stegers explained that he was pursuing two Kree fugitives, and Loki agreed to cooperate using the Asgardians' Star Map in exchange for the Kree being handed over to Stegers.
• Loki began telling Stegers how the Dark Elves had taken an important Asgardian weapon.
• Russell brought Bucky to Morag to search for the temple that might contain the Cosmic Orb and the Power Stone.

Russell let a group searching for the Power Stone lead him to its hiding place on Morag, then took the stone before learning that Thor and Loki had arrived to reclaim Mjolnir. The wounded black-robed figure survived and reported his discovery to Thanos.

• Russell told Zereel to let an approaching ship land and sent Natasha with him to investigate.
• A black-robed figure arrived at Morag with soldiers and identified the ruined palace as the Power Stone’s hiding place.
• Zereel reported that Asgardian ships had arrived, and Russell planned to capture Thor and Loki.
• Russell’s group followed the black-robed figure into the palace, where they found the Cosmic Orb behind energy barriers.
• Natasha used Mjolnir’s lightning to defeat the soldiers, Russell shot the black-robed figure, and Bucky retrieved the Cosmic Orb for Russell.
• After Russell and his group left, the black-robed figure crawled out of the rubble and told Thanos that he had found the Power Stone and encountered Russell.

Russell, disguised as Loki, tried to ambush Thor, but Thor recognized the impostor and knocked him through a stone pillar. Russell’s side then revealed its forces and surrounded the Asgardians, only for Loki to unleash reinforcements and Captain Marvel to attack the Winter Soldiers; Bucky recognized the person blocking him as Steve.

• Thor led the Asgardian soldiers toward Russell’s ship after Loki went ahead to scout.
• Russell, disguised as Loki, attacked Thor, but Thor blocked the strike, identified him as a fake, and smashed him through a stone pillar.
• The real Loki arrived, and Natasha descended in Thor’s armor with Mjolnir as Russell’s forces surrounded the Asgardians.
• Loki summoned four allies to break through the Dark Elf lines while Captain Marvel knocked down the Winter Soldiers.
• Bucky blocked Captain Marvel with his Vibranium shield, then froze when he recognized Steve.

Bucky reunited with the amnesiac Steve Rogers, now calling himself Captain Marvel Stegers, but Stegers attacked his old friend and joined the battle against Russell. Russell used Peggy Carter and a fabricated Hydra history to stir Stegers’s memories, though Stegers remained unsure and resisted returning with him.

• Bucky revealed himself to Stegers, who recognized him briefly before denying that he was Steve and striking him away.
• Stegers attacked Russell’s battlefield and knocked Natasha away before demanding to know who Russell was.
• Bucky explained that Steve had lost his memory, and Russell tried to jog it by showing him Bucky and invoking Peggy Carter.
• Russell invented a story in which Steve had been a Hydra Captain and told Stegers that Peggy was his fiancée and Bucky his friend.
• Stegers recognized his shield and recovered some feelings for Peggy and Bucky, but he said Russell’s story still felt wrong and refused to leave yet.

Russell manipulated the amnesiac Stegers into accepting that he was Steve, Hydra’s captain, and persuaded him to return home to Carter by threatening to find her another boyfriend. After Stegers shouted “Hail Hydra,” Russell ordered the group to gather their people and leave, but one Starforce member suddenly showed signs of trouble.

• Russell told Stegers that Carter had been heartbroken by his disappearance and would find a new boyfriend if he did not return.
• Russell pressured Stegers to shout Hydra’s slogan, and Stegers finally roared, “HAIL HYDRA!!”
• Natasha arrived and greeted Stegers, while Russell ordered everyone to regroup and return home.
• Bucky woke the Winter Soldiers and Yelena as Stegers woke the Starforce members and said he was going home to someone who had waited for him.
• One Starforce member stiffened, and green light appeared in his eyes.

Stegers’s attempt to leave the Kree Empire triggered the Supreme Intelligence’s orders, and Russell discovered that the returning Captain Marvel was an enemy. Russell tried to hold Stegers off with Natasha’s lightning, but the Black Order fleet arrived as Stegers pursued them.

• Stegers said he was leaving to recover his memories, and the Starforce members blessed him despite the cyborg’s warning to contact the Supreme Intelligence.
• The Supreme Intelligence’s orders made Stegers erupt with energy, and Will destroyed the cyborg after he revealed that Captain Marvel was forbidden to leave.
• Thor shielded Loki from the clash between Captain Marvel and Natasha, leaving both brothers unconscious for Russell to capture.
• Russell and Natasha attacked Stegers after Russell realized he was not the real Stegers, but Stegers shattered Russell’s lightning assault and pursued them as they fled.
• Russell contacted Zereel for help with the flagship’s main cannon, but Zereel reported that the Black Order fleet had arrived.