Chapter Summaries

Russell tried to escape the Black Order but became entangled with Captain Marvel Stegers and Ebony Maw before Thanos arrived in person. Thanos’s appearance triggered four lottery draws, granting Russell a Thanos Character Card, two Skill Cards, and an Infinity Gauntlet Item Card.

• Russell landed on Morag with Natasha and tried to persuade Stegers to join forces against the Black Order, but she revealed that the Supreme Intelligence had taken control of her mind and warned him to flee.
• Russell escaped with Natasha, returned to the wounded, and began preparing to evacuate with two captured princes.
• Ebony Maw attacked Russell, revealed that Corvus Glaive had been her lover, and said Thanos wanted to meet him.
• Thanos arrived on a floating throne, prompting Russell to trigger four lottery draws and obtain a Thanos Character Card, Super Strength and Energy Release Skill Cards, and an Infinity Gauntlet Item Card.

Thanos tried to force Russell to serve him with the Mind Stone, but Russell’s AT Field resisted the attack while Thanos severed Natasha’s contract. Captain Marvel Stegers arrived and clashed with Thanos, and Russell prepared to join the fight using Kanon’s Character Card and the Infinity Gauntlet Item Card.

• Thanos ordered Russell to hand over the Power Stone and replace Corvus Glaive, but Russell refused.
• Thanos used the Mind Stone to invade Russell’s mind, but Russell activated his AT Field and drove the power out.
• Thanos severed Natasha’s contract with Russell, and Russell ordered his spacecraft to leave while retrieving Jason’s soul.
• Captain Marvel Stegers attacked Thanos, and their collision shattered Russell’s AT Field and hurled Russell and Natasha into the rubble.
• Russell chose Kanon’s Character Card and activated the Infinity Gauntlet Item Card as he prepared to enter the battle.

Russell equipped Kanon's Character Card, reshaped the Infinity Gauntlet and forged Sea Emperor Scale Armor, then seized the Power Stone and survived its energy. He arrived on the battlefield just as Stegers fell to Thanos and prepared to attack Thanos with the Phantom Demon Emperor Fist.

• Russell used Matrix Forging to resize the Infinity Gauntlet and forge armor from the Golden Chariot fragments.
• Russell crushed the Cosmic Orb, pulled out the Power Stone, and endured its energy as he mounted it on the Infinity Gauntlet.
• Stegers used Photon Energy and afterimages to attack Thanos, but Thanos dodged his strike and smashed him into an underground river.
• Thanos sensed the Power Stone's energy and rushed toward it, but Russell appeared wearing Golden Armor with the Infinity Gauntlet.
• Russell pointed at Thanos and began the Phantom Demon Emperor Fist.

Russell unleashed his Galaxy Explosion against Thanos, and their collision devastated a vast section of Morag before both survived. As Thanos renewed his offer to recruit Russell, Captain Marvel Stegers suddenly returned through a tear in space.

• Russell used Phantom Demon Emperor Fist to briefly stun Thanos, then charged his ultimate technique, Galaxy Explosion.
• Thanos countered Russell's attack by absorbing cosmic energy, and their powers collided, collapsing space and carving a vast crater into Morag.
• Russell escaped the destruction with Natasha, Thor, Loki, and Ebony Maw through the Golden Triangle Dimension.
• Thanos punched his way back through space with Ebony Maw and offered Russell a position in his forces, promising not to use the Mind Stone to control him.
• Russell told Thanos he had not used the Power Stone, but Captain Marvel Stegers suddenly emerged through a tear in space.

Russell fought Thanos on Morag while Captain Marvel Stegers struggled against the Supreme Intelligence’s control. Russell gradually mastered the Power Stone during their battle and struck Thanos from behind through a dimensional gateway.

• Stegers attacked Russell and Thanos while wrestling with the Supreme Intelligence, and Thanos used the Mind Stone to disrupt his control further.
• Russell ambushed Thanos with a Power Stone strike, but Thanos dodged and countered using his enhanced senses and combat skill.
• Russell and Thanos clashed their Infinity Gauntlets, and their collision sent both fighters staggering across the ruined ground.
• Russell increased his speed and forced Thanos into a prolonged exchange as their battle triggered earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on Morag.
• Thanos realized Russell was using him to improve his Power Stone control and withdrew, but Russell opened a dimensional gateway and punched him in the back.

Russell used spatial portals and the Power Stone to overpower Thanos, dragging him into a devastating crash on Morag before attacking him in the crater. As Thanos grabbed Russell and began to speak, Stegers charged in and hurled Thanos away, leaving Russell asking him to continue.

• Russell redirected Thanos into a heavy punch and battered his back, but Thanos countered with an explosion that sent them both flying.
• Russell used a feint and a portal to strike Thanos into another dimension, then followed him outside Morag's atmosphere.
• Thanos hurled Russell toward Morag, but Russell reappeared behind him and used Earth Throw to drive them into the planet's surface.
• Russell hammered and stomped Thanos in the crater until Thanos rose and seized Russell by the head.
• Stegers charged out of the dirt, grabbed Thanos, and slammed him away as Russell told him he was listening.

Russell stalled Thanos and Stegers while Natasha tried to get the prisoners to safety, but the two opponents fought on. Stegers lifted Mjolnir and left to rejoin the battle, while Thor watched a third person claim the hammer.

• Thanos and Stegers struck a temporary alliance, agreeing that Thanos would take the Power Stone while Stegers rescued two Kree Empire scientists from the Dark Elves' ship.
• Russell arrived and provoked Stegers by describing Teka's wedding, causing Stegers to attack Thanos while Russell signaled Natasha to escape with the prisoners.
• Stegers and Thanos resumed fighting, and Russell joined in, using Phantom Demon Emperor Fist to send Thanos through a portal to another dimension.
• Stegers knocked Mjolnir from Natasha's grasp, and it landed in front of Thor, who was still shackled beside Loki.
• Stegers asked to borrow Mjolnir, lifted it easily, and strode away as Thor gave up hope of reclaiming it.

Thor and Loki grieved over losing Mjolnir as Stegers wielded it against Thanos, helping Russell unleash a devastating Galaxy Explosion. Thanos survived and counterattacked, but Russell and Stegers closed in again with Mjolnir as the battle threatened to destroy Morag.

• Thor lamented that Mjolnir had changed hands four times, while Loki withdrew in despair over being passed over by the hammer.
• Natasha told Thor and Loki that Russell knew of at least ten people who could lift Mjolnir, and the brothers found comfort in each other's misery.
• Stegers struck Thanos with Mjolnir and lightning as Russell immobilized him with telekinetic force and hit him with Galaxy Explosion.
• Thanos emerged from the lava badly injured but alive, then used the Mind Stone to strengthen himself and vowed not to lose.
• Thanos shattered the ground with an energy blast, but Stegers hurled Mjolnir at him while Russell and Stegers moved in to attack again.

Russell and Stegers joined forces against Thanos, overpowering him with lightning, Photon Energy, and plasma blasts until Thanos unleashed the Mind Stone and tore Morag apart. Russell escaped with Natasha and the two captives, while Thanos fled and Stegers fell under the Supreme Intelligence's influence; the three combatants were left badly injured.

• Thanos used the Mind Stone to amplify his cosmic rays, but Russell and Stegers fought back with the Power Stone, Mjolnir, lightning, and Photon Energy.
• Russell spat high-temperature plasma at Thanos, and the pair traded energy blasts while Stegers quietly increased his attack.
• Stegers joined Russell in blasting Thanos, forcing Thanos to strain against their combined assault and lose control of his anger.
• Thanos unleashed the Mind Stone's power, mentally stunning Russell and Stegers and unleashing catastrophic natural disasters across Morag.
• The battlefield was torn into the void; Thanos escaped with Ebony Maw, while Russell rescued Natasha and the two captives and returned to Morag.
• Russell renewed Kanon's Character Card after his Golden Armor shattered, while Stegers fell under the Supreme Intelligence's control and the injured survivors faced one another.

Russell escaped the battle with Thanos and brought his wounded allies away from Morag, where both sides had suffered heavy losses. As his ships headed for Svartalfheim, Stegers asked to return home and see if it would restore her lost memories.

• Russell attacked Thanos and tried to provoke Stegers into resisting the Supreme Intelligence, but Stegers feigned loyalty and struck at Russell instead.
• Thanos blasted Stegers down, then ordered orbital warships to bombard Morag while he escaped with Ebony Maw; Russell evacuated with the wounded.
• Russell's Chitauri and Dark Elf followers became more loyal to him after witnessing his fight with Thanos, and he ordered Zereel to hurry their journey to Svartalfheim.
• Russell arranged treatment for Stegers's Starforce comrades and sent them away before they had fully recovered.
• Stegers told Russell that she still could not recover her memories and asked to go home to try to awaken them.

Stegers rejected returning to Earth after Russell warned him that it could expose everyone to the Kree Empire, then destroyed the wristbands that let the Supreme Intelligence control him. He became Steve Rogers, Hydra Captain, and Russell learned that Mar-Vell might inherit Captain Marvel’s power.

• Russell told Stegers that returning to Earth was too dangerous while the Supreme Intelligence still controlled him.
• Stegers snapped the wristbands, gave up the title of Captain Marvel, and declared himself Hydra Captain.
• Russell mourned the broken wristbands, while Steve said most of his abilities remained but were weaker.
• Russell had Steve record his mental-training methods, and Steve explained that Mar-Vell was a promising successor to Captain Marvel.
• Steve remembered that Russell had thrown Mar-Vell into a fighter jet and dismissed his suspicion that Russell was a villain.

Russell arrived on the ruined Svartalfheim with Malekith, Algrim, and the other Dark Elves, who hoped to survive by serving him. He prepared to bring Carter and others to the planet and ordered Thor and Loki to be tied up for a prisoner exchange with Asgard.

• Three warships landed on Svartalfheim, where Malekith and the fewer than thirty remaining Dark Elves mourned their ruined home.
• Russell arrived, and Malekith and Algrim eagerly fawned over him while Zereel laid out a red carpet.
• Steve tried to speak with Russell, who told him Carter and others, including Howard Stark, would soon arrive; Steve said he did not remember Howard.
• Natasha asked whether they should contact Asgard about exchanging captives, but Russell said Odin already knew where they were.
• Russell ordered his men to build a platform and tie Thor behind Loki, making sure they were bound tightly.

Russell waited in Svartalfheim with Thor and Loki captive until Odin arrived, then negotiated Asgardian support for Hydra’s base and friendly cooperation. Odin reclaimed Mjolnir and returned to Asgard, while Russell realized he had forgotten to mention how much the base would cost.

• Russell kept Thor and Loki bound for three days and had Steve photograph them while Natasha wielded Mjolnir.
• Odin arrived in Svartalfheim with three hundred Asgardian warriors and exchanged greetings with Russell.
• Russell released Thor and Loki, and Odin agreed to provide financial and technological assistance for Hydra’s base and pursue friendly cooperation.
• Odin gave Russell a golden shield as a token for visiting Asgard, then reclaimed Mjolnir from Natasha and returned home.
• Russell realized he had not told Odin that building the base would cost a great deal, but assumed Asgard could easily afford it.

Russell expanded Hydra’s new Svartalfheim base and moved T-Virus research there, where Kree scientists identified the energy needed to clone enhanced people. After leaving the Power Stone with Natasha to manage the branch, Russell returned to the real world, and a month later received notice that his eleventh mission world was about to begin.

• Odin made Thor and Loki oversee Asgard’s reparations to Svartalfheim, while Thor mistakenly believed his family was sacrificing its fortune.
• Russell repeatedly enlarged and fortified Hydra’s underground base, which Asgardian engineers completed in three months.
• Russell moved T-Virus research to the new base, and the Kree scientist couple determined that cloning enhanced individuals required immense energy.
• Russell left the Power Stone at the Svartalfheim base, put Natasha in charge, and returned to the real world.
• Russell watched Marvel films and repeatedly visited the Marvel Universe before an electronic notification announced his eleventh mission world.

Russell arrived in 2000 near Route 66, where his car broke down while he was traveling to the Church headquarters in Los Angeles. He accepted a ride from former priest Jacob Fuller and met Jacob’s children, Kate and Scott, as the group headed toward Las Vegas.

• Russell checked his belongings, learned he was a priest transferred to Los Angeles, and identified his location as Route 66 near the Texas–New Mexico border.
• Russell discovered that his car’s fuel pump had broken and met Jacob Fuller, who offered him a ride to Las Vegas.
• Russell joined Jacob, Kate, and Scott in their RV and learned that Jacob had once been a priest and that Kate and Scott were his children.
• Russell told Scott and Kate a fanciful story about a secret Church division that fought demons, then claimed it used the power of science.

Russell entertained Jacob, Scott, and Kate with fabricated tales about exorcisms and revealed his cynical explanation for why Jacob had repeatedly visited a neighbor. The next morning, Seth and Richard took Jacob’s family hostage in their RV, and Russell arrived just as Seth ordered Jacob to let him in.

• Jacob questioned Russell about religion and the combat department, exposing that Russell could not distinguish Christian denominations, while Scott and Kate urged him to keep telling stories.
• Russell claimed that exorcists avoided killing demons because they needed to preserve work for the future, then suggested Jacob had prolonged visits to believers for money.
• Jacob admitted that he had scammed money to buy his children toys and the family car, and Russell continued entertaining Scott and Kate during the drive.
• At a motel, Russell paid for rooms for himself and Jacob’s family, and the night passed without incident.
• The next morning, Seth held Jacob’s family at gunpoint while Richard watched Scott and Kate, and Seth ordered Jacob to drive them toward Mexico.
• Russell knocked on the RV door and demanded to join the trip to Las Vegas, so Seth ordered Jacob to let him in.

Russell rode with the Seth brothers after they hijacked Jacob’s RV, calmly gambling and pretending to be a foolish priest while the group crossed into Mexico. The RV reached the brothers’ meeting place, Shake Your Head Bar, where Russell sensed a strong smell of blood.

• Russell joined Jacob, Kate, Scott, and the armed Seth brothers in the RV, then lost every hand of poker to Richard.
• Seth questioned Jacob about Russell and learned that Russell had claimed to be a con man posing as a priest.
• At a police checkpoint, Russell told an officer he was going to Mexico to save lost souls by winning their money at a casino.
• The police waved the RV through the checkpoint, and Seth promised to release Jacob’s family after meeting his contact.
• Near midnight, the RV arrived at Shake Your Head Bar, and Russell noticed the overwhelming smell of blood.

Russell and Jacob’s family visited a rough bar, where the Seth brothers caused trouble and Russell’s priestly appearance drew the bartender’s hostility. The family settled in for the night, with Russell and Scott eyeing the dancers while Jacob tried to distance himself from them.

• Russell sensed a bloody presence around the bar, then followed Jacob’s family inside after Seth punched the greeter and Richard kicked him.
• The Seth brothers embraced the bar’s rowdy atmosphere, while Russell viewed the dancers as people who needed the Lord’s light.
• When the bartender refused to serve the Seth brothers, Jacob showed his truck driver’s license and smoothed things over.
• The bartender demanded that Russell leave because he was clergy, but Russell flashed a Franklin to a dancer and convinced the bartender to back off.
• Jacob scolded Russell for disgracing his priestly clothes, and Russell joked that he had chosen pleasure over power.
• Scott asked Russell for a Franklin to give to a dancer, and Russell teased him before dismissing the woman Scott pointed out.

Russell and Scott watched a dancer at the bar, but the performance turned into a massacre when the staff and dancers revealed themselves as monsters. Russell used electric magic to save Jacob’s family and faced the remaining creatures with his guns drawn.

• Russell teased Scott about his taste in women before a seductive dancer took the stage with a golden python.
• The dancer attacked Richard, and the bar staff and performers transformed into monsters that began killing the patrons.
• Seth shot the dancer who killed Richard, but she healed herself by drinking another man’s blood.
• Monsters surrounded Russell and Jacob’s family, but Russell electrocuted the attackers with an Electric Arc.
• Russell stood on a table in his priest’s robe, raised his Desert Eagles, and declared the monsters guilty.

Russell discovered that the monsters in the bar could only be killed by destroying their hearts, then used guns, lightning, and fire to clear the hall and the swarm of Vampire Bats outside. He told Jacob's family to leave and returned to the bar to deal with more monsters below.

• Russell found that headshots only made the monsters regenerate, while shots through their hearts killed them.
• Russell killed the remaining monsters in the hall and burned the attacking Vampire Bats with a wall of flaming liquor and lightning.
• Russell left the bar and told the surviving crowd that it was safe outside.
• Seth confronted Russell about Richard's death, and Russell said Richard had been guilty.
• Russell told Jacob to leave, then returned to the bar because more monsters remained below.