Chapter Summaries

Richard learned that Kiri had waited ten years for Marcus and that she owned Midnight Carnival after rescuing the Dwarf Grand Duke Vilma. When Thor and the Warriors Three arrived demanding Thunder Ale, Richard challenged Thor to a drinking contest, leaving Thor's belongings at stake if he lost.

• Richard tasted Thunder Ale and learned from Sharol that Kiri had rescued Vilma eight years earlier and refused a nobleman's marriage proposal while waiting for Marcus.
• Thor the God of Thunder entered Midnight Carnival with Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg and demanded ten kegs of Thunder Ale.
• Richard calmed the angry patrons with magic and offered Thor a drinking contest for the ale and a selection of rare wines.
• Thor agreed that Richard could take any item from him if Thor lost, and Richard filled the tables with wine kegs to begin the contest.

Richard defeated Thor in a Dwarven Spirit drinking contest at the Midnight Carnival bar, and Volstagg conceded on Thor’s behalf. Thor’s companions left him passed out and gave Richard a pass token to claim a reward at the Golden Palace the next morning.

• Thor and Richard took turns chugging barrels of Dwarven Spirit while Sharol recorded the drinks and Thor’s broken barrels.
• Kiri came downstairs as Thor grew drunk, but he insisted he had not lost and tried to drink another barrel.
• Thor dropped the barrel, and Richard caught it with magic before Thor passed out on the table.
• Fandral checked Thor, and Volstagg admitted the loss and promised Richard could request a reward from Thor the next day.
• Hogun gave Richard a pass token for the Golden Palace, and Thor’s companions carried him away.
• Kiri asked Sharol what had happened, and he handed her the ledger of the drinks and damaged barrels.

Richard collected on his drinking-contest reward from Thor in Asgard, but rejected the treasures and weapons Thor offered. He asked instead for Thor’s Mjolnir, leaving Thor to respond.

• Kiri realized Richard was important and asked him not to involve her bar in his business, while Richard said he expected to leave Asgard soon and teased Marcus about staying behind.
• Richard visited the Golden Palace, where Thor welcomed him and offered to let him choose his prize after breakfast.
• Thor showed Richard five chests containing treasure and divine weapons, but Richard asked whether that was all Thor had.
• Thor promised to satisfy whatever Richard wanted, and Richard said he wanted Mjolnir.

Richard pressured Thor to honor their drinking contest wager, and Loki helped Thor settle on a compromise: Richard could choose three treasures and exchange them for one item in Odin's Vault. Richard chose the Orb of Agamotto and left with Thor, while the ruby on his ring flashed as he turned away.

• Thor and the Warriors Three confronted Richard when he demanded Mjolnir as his prize, but Loki arrived and urged Thor to protect Asgard's standing with Kamar-Taj.
• Thor apologized for not agreeing to Mjolnir as a stake and offered Richard three treasures from his collection as compensation.
• Loki persuaded Thor to let Richard exchange his prize for a treasure from Odin's Vault, and Thor agreed.
• Thor led Richard through Odin's Vault and introduced its treasures, including the Casket of Ancient Winters and the Infinity Gauntlet.
• Richard chose the Orb of Agamotto, put it away, and left with Thor as the ruby on his ring flashed.

Richard took Loki to Jotunheim and revealed that Loki was the son of Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, rather than Odin’s son. Richard offered to help Loki become king in exchange for Asgard’s method of constructing Valhalla, but Loki said a second Valhalla could never be built.

• Richard took Loki from Thor’s palace to a frozen lake in Jotunheim to reveal a secret.
• Richard killed three Frost Giants with a blast of crimson lightning, and Loki’s skin turned cyan.
• Richard told Loki that he was a Frost Giant and Odin had taken him from Laufey to use him to gain control of Jotunheim.
• Loki confronted Richard about his motives, and Richard offered to help him become king in exchange for the method of constructing Valhalla.
• Loki recognized that Richard wanted Valhalla’s construction method, then said a second Valhalla could never be built.

Richard confronted Loki over Valhalla’s origins, then subdued Laufey and refused to let Odin dictate his actions. The chapter ended with Richard growing to a hundred meters tall as Odin demanded to know whether he was declaring war on Asgard.

• Richard threatened Loki, who explained that Odin had used part of Helheim to build Valhalla and give it the power of resurrection.
• Laufey attacked Richard and Loki, but Richard crushed the Frost Giant King to his knees and broke his ice spear.
• Richard urged Loki to kill Laufey for Odin’s recognition, but Loki rejected the opportunity and declared that he would always be Asgard’s God of Mischief.
• Laufey recognized Loki as his son and raged against Odin, while Odin arrived on Sleipnir and ordered Loki home and Richard out of Asgard.
• Richard struck Laufey with an Eldritch Whip, then grew to a hundred meters tall as Odin raised Gungnir and challenged him over war with Asgard.

Richard defeated Odin in a clash of their weapons, then trapped and battered him with a sea of crimson flames before Odin and Loki returned to Asgard. Laufey emerged from the ruins plotting to reclaim the Casket of Ancient Winters and Loki, while Hela sensed a new arrival in Helheim.

• Richard’s Death God Spear clashed with Odin’s Gungnir, and Odin shattered the spear and pierced Richard’s forehead.
• Richard revealed himself alive within an endless sea of crimson flames and threatened to destroy Asgard unless Odin learned respect.
• Richard’s flames exploded around Odin, leaving him badly injured, while Loki used energy nets to slow his fall.
• Loki called Heimdall, and the Rainbow Bridge returned Odin, Loki, and the Eight-legged Steed to Asgard.
• Laufey crawled out from the collapsed cliff and vowed that the Casket of Ancient Winters and Loki would soon return to Jotunheim.
• Hela sensed that a new guest had arrived in Helheim.

Richard confronted Hela in Helheim, fought off her attacks, and convinced her he meant no harm. After he revealed that he had given Odin a farewell gift that would bring on Odinsleep, Hela told him to follow her.

• Richard froze Fenris and petted the wolf until Hela appeared and attacked him with Black Longswords.
• Richard blocked Hela's swords with a Crimson Curtain, but her razor-edged winds tore through it.
• Richard summoned a gigantic palm that forced Hela to the ground, where he held a Crimson Longsword to her neck.
• Richard freed Fenris and told Hela he had given Odin a farewell gift that would cause his Odinsleep to come early.
• Hela climbed onto Fenris and ordered Richard to follow her, and Richard chased after them.

Richard revealed to Hela that he had gathered all six Infinity Stones and promised to help her reclaim what Odin had taken, and Hela declared him her man. Meanwhile, Thor blamed the Frost Giants for Odin’s injury and headed to Jotunheim with his allies.

• Hela recounted how Odin sealed her in Helheim, erased her from history, and sent the Valkyries to kill her.
• Richard showed Hela the Eternal Flame and Casket of Ancient Winters, then revealed his six Infinity Stones.
• Hela asked Richard to break Odin’s seal, but he said the time was not right and promised to help her later.
• Richard comforted Hela, and she kissed him and declared that he was her man.
• Thor learned that Odin was injured, blamed the Frost Giants, and took the Three Warriors and Sif through the Bifrost to Jotunheim.

Thor the God of Thunder and his companions fought through Jotunheim and confronted Laufey after Thor killed several Frost Giants. As Thor charged Laufey, elite warriors trapped his allies and attacked him, and a pillar of lightning descended as the battle escalated.

• Thor the God of Thunder killed three young Frost Giants who tried to drive the Asgardians out of Jotunheim.
• Thor killed a dozen adult Frost Giants with a burst of lightning and called for Laufey to come out.
• Laufey gathered elite Frost Giants and surrounded Thor and his companions, declaring his intent to avenge the Frost Giants and make Odin suffer.
• Thor charged Laufey, but five elite Frost Giants blocked him and launched a coordinated attack while dozens more held back the Warriors Three of Asgard and Sif.
• Thor raised Mjolnir as dark clouds gathered and a thick pillar of lightning struck down.

Thor and the Asgardian warriors fought Laufey and the Frost Giants until Odin intervened, then Odin secretly collapsed after returning to Asgard. Three days later, a falling object landed in New Mexico, and Phil Coulson’s team was sent to investigate.

• Thor struck down several Frost Giants, but Laufey overpowered him and pierced his chest with an ice spear.
• Odin arrived on Sleipnir, rescued Thor, wounded Laufey with Gungnir, and brought the Asgardians back to Asgard.
• Odin sent Thor and the others for treatment, then collapsed and asked Frigga to take him to the hibernation chamber.
• Three days later, Baron Strucker ordered Phil Coulson to lead a team to the New Mexico impact site after a military satellite photographed a falling object.
• Coulson briefed his team aboard the Quinjet, and Skye answered when he called her name.

Thor and his companions arrived in New Mexico after Odin banished them, while Loki claimed the throne and began consolidating his rule over Asgard. The chapter ended with Loki restricting Heimdall’s authority to activate the Bifrost.

• Phil Coulson briefed Skye and Fox on their surveillance duties for the mission in New Mexico, while Melinda May questioned Skye’s training.
• Thor apologized to Volstagg after the group arrived in New Mexico, then promised they would return to Asgard and led them toward a nearby town.
• Frigga watched over Odin in the dormant Secret Chamber and worried that Asgard and Thor could not manage without him.
• Loki told Asgard’s ministers that Odin was recovering and Thor had been banished, then claimed the right to govern as acting King of Gods.
• Loki ordered Heimdall not to activate the Bifrost without his permission, and Heimdall accepted the command.

Thor met Richard in a tavern, where Richard revealed that Mjolnir had fallen in the desert and urged Thor to find his true self. Thor reached the government camp and tried to reclaim Mjolnir, but the hammer rejected him.

• Thor accidentally smashed a bottle in a tavern, apologized, and learned that Richard had bought the establishment.
• Richard told Thor that Mjolnir lay in the desert and suggested Odin’s exile had a purpose beyond punishment.
• Thor insisted he would not bow to Richard, then left with Sif and the Warriors Three to retrieve Mjolnir.
• Thor and his companions traveled to the desert, where Phil Coulson led them to the hammer’s crater.
• Thor tried repeatedly to lift Mjolnir, but it remained immovable, and he fell to his knees in despair.

Thor failed to lift Mjolnir and stayed at the camp with Sif and the Warriors Three while Phil Coulson reminded his team to respect Asgardian customs and the Lord of Crimson. Loki arrived on Earth to find Thor, but Kaecilius intercepted him before Loki slipped into the camp and found his grieving brother.

• Sif comforted Thor in the Mjolnir crater, and the Warriors Three agreed to stay temporarily at the camp.
• Coulson reprimanded Skye for insulting Thor and reminded her, Fitz, and Simmons to honor their faith in the Lord of Crimson.
• Coulson told Fitz and Simmons that Tony Stark was a bishop of the Red Order, shocking the two scientists.
• Loki arrived by Rainbow Bridge, and Kaecilius confronted him and warned that he would be watching him.
• Loki entered the camp in stealth and found Thor alone in his room, grieving at a desk.

Loki told Thor that Odin had died and blamed Thor, leaving him devastated on Earth. Richard returned to Kamar-Taj, where he learned Stephen Strange had arrived and assigned Mordo to train him, leaving Mordo surprised but encouraged.

• Loki appeared before Thor, claimed Odin had died from injuries caused by Thor, and showed him Gungnir as proof before declaring himself king of Asgard.
• Thor believed Loki and collapsed into grief and self-blame after Loki left him on Earth with Sif and the other Warriors Three.
• Richard placed the Eternal Flame and the Casket of Ancient Winters beneath the Human Sovereign Banner and considered seeking a fragment of Helheim or Hell for his Valhalla.
• White Queen informed Richard that Mordo urgently wanted to see him, so Richard returned to Kamar-Taj and learned that Stephen Strange had arrived as Jonathan Pangborn's referral.
• Richard recognized Stephen Strange and ordered Mordo to teach him, persuading the reluctant Mordo by praising his past students and teaching ability.

Richard reunited with the Ancient One, who warned him that his efforts to protect Earth were making him resemble Nick Fury and urged him to trust his allies and focus on growing stronger. After hearing her vision of a future filled with flames and a torn universe, Richard agreed to travel between parallel worlds, but insisted Earth still needed a powerful guardian.

• The Ancient One appeared and shared tea with Richard, who complained that finding a successor was difficult and rejected Smith Strange as unsuitable.
• The Ancient One compared Richard to Nick Fury, prompting Richard to recall his schemes against Tiamut, the Skrulls, Asgard, and Odin and realize he might be acting like a villain.
• The Ancient One recalled how distrust had once nearly fractured Kamar-Taj and advised Richard to trust his subordinates and strengthen himself for the dangers ahead.
• The Ancient One described a vision of endless flames, an Earth reduced to ash, and a torn universe, and said Richard might be able to save the Multiverse.
• Richard agreed to leave Earth's affairs to Kamar-Taj and the Red Order while traveling between parallel worlds to grow stronger, but argued that Earth still needed a guardian, leaving the Ancient One stunned.

Richard returned to the Resident Evil world after leaving Kamar-Taj and preparing his sky fortress, while Jill and Ada Wong discussed their regrets as they defended Raccoon City from the zombie hordes. The chapter ended with the two women returning from the city wall together, still facing the siege and short on combat manpower.

• Stephen Strange thanked Mordo for helping him and looked forward to returning to New York once his hands healed.
• The Sorcerer Ancient One met Odin in his consciousness and told him Richard had ended her retirement; Odin laughed and said she owed him one.
• Richard called White Queen, learned she did not want to return to the Resident Evil world, and promised to bring her sister back if he could.
• White Queen gave Richard a new comm watch clone to assist him, and Richard left his physical magic clone in charge of the sky fortress.
• Richard opened a portal to the Resident Evil world and arrived in Raccoon City, where Jill and Ada Wong stood on the city wall watching the zombie hordes.
• Jill and Ada discussed whether Richard might return, then went back together as they prepared to defend the city from the siege.

Raccoon City’s defenders prepared for a zombie siege, but a newly discovered army of enormous, seemingly artificial zombies overwhelmed their defenses. The chapter left the battle escalating as Winged Fiends struck the helicopters sent to delay the giants.

• Alicia assigned Leon, Jill, Ada Wong, and Alice to defend the city walls and tasked the Red Queen with aerial surveillance.
• The defenders spotted a super giant zombie over fifty meters tall, and Alicia learned that its chest bore human heads and that it was likely artificially manufactured.
• The Red Queen detected more than a thousand of the new monsters approaching Raccoon City.
• As zombies attacked the walls, Alicia ordered airstrikes against the advancing giants despite the warning that the Winged Fiends had not appeared.
• The super giant zombies survived missile strikes, then Winged Fiends attacked and destroyed over a dozen armed helicopters.

Raccoon City faced a massive zombie assault, and Alicia prepared to launch a nuclear bomb after winged fiends approached. The defenders rallied to keep fighting, while Richard appeared in the Arklay Mountains beneath the incoming swarm.

• Super giant zombies hurled butchers, tyrants, and other zombies over Raccoon City’s walls, overwhelming the defenders’ defenses.
• Alicia ordered the Alice legion to intercept the monsters and told the Red Queen to retreat to an underground base and wait for Richard.
• After satellite footage revealed a huge swarm of winged fiends approaching, Alicia ordered the nuclear bomb prepared and sent the commanders her message, “The light of humanity endures forever.”
• Jill, Ada Wong, Alice, and Leon rallied the demoralized soldiers, who resumed firing and echoed Alicia’s call.
• Several members of the reserve force quietly approached the strategic command post as Richard appeared in the Arklay Mountains and saw the winged fiends overhead.

Richard destroyed the attacking Winged Fiends with heavenly lightning while Raccoon City’s defenses struggled against a growing zombie horde. Alicia survived a betrayal inside the command center, but the traitors turned into talking zombies as the battle for the city continued.

• Richard summoned a storm and killed the Winged Fiends with a barrage of lightning.
• As zombies gathered in Raccoon City, Alicia ordered the Red Queen to send Unmanned Bombers to clear them, but Edward, David, and Seven stormed the command center and revealed they had been paid to kill her.
• Alicia deflected the traitors’ bullets and ordered RX-01 and RX-02 to shoot them, then left the command room.
• Edward, David, and Seven rose as talking zombies and attacked Alicia, who stomped Edward’s head, ordered the armor robots to stop them, and fled.
• The Reserve Force fought Butchers and Tyrants in the streets while Alice Clones fired RPGs into the zombie horde.