Recaps

Hulk protected Betty from Ross’s attack at Culver University, then fled with her as footage of the battle spread across the news. Mark authorized Killian to research Extremis for human enhancement and sent three Mutants to steal gamma ray data, while Emil recovered in Ross’s laboratory and demanded another fight with Banner.

• Hulk shielded Betty from helicopter gunfire, destroyed the helicopter, and fled with her after the explosion knocked her unconscious.
• Students’ footage of the battle spread online and across the media, and the public began calling the green monster Hulk.
• Mark agreed to fund Killian’s human-enhancement research with Extremis and ordered Declan Lyle to build a dedicated laboratory and assemble a team.
• Mark sent three Mutants to Culver University to steal gamma ray experimental data from Ross’s laboratory.
• Ross found Emil fully recovered after treatment with the incomplete Super-Soldier Serum, and Emil demanded to fight Banner again.

Bruce Banner took Betty to meet the researcher known as Mr. Blue, hoping Samuel Sterns could help him control Hulk. As Banner arrived at Rayburn College, S.H.I.E.L.D. alerted General Ross, while three Mutants began investigating the military laboratory at Culver University.

• Betty woke in the cave with Banner after Hulk had protected her, and Banner decided he needed to eliminate the danger Hulk posed to her.
• Banner took Betty to the cloaked Alien Spaceship and contacted Mr. Blue, who revealed that he was Samuel Sterns at Greyburn College in New York.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. monitored Banner and Samuel's messages and informed Ross, who mobilized his remaining soldiers and brought Emil along to capture Banner.
• After Ross's forces left Culver University, three Mutants sent by Mark approached the military's underground laboratory to investigate it.
• Banner and Betty arrived at Rayburn College and met Samuel, who reacted excitedly to Banner's unusual strength.

Samuel's inhibitor kept Banner from transforming, but Ross's soldiers captured him before Emil stole Banner's blood and became a new monster. When Emil rampaged through the streets, Banner jumped from Ross's helicopter and transformed into Hulk to stop him.

• Samuel injected Banner with an inhibitor that prevented him from turning into Hulk, but Ross's soldiers tranquilized Banner and arrested him alongside Betty.
• Emil forced Samuel to transfuse him with Banner's blood, transforming into a three-meter-tall green monster with bony spikes.
• Emil escaped the laboratory and attacked soldiers and civilians, prompting Ross to turn his helicopter toward the chaos in District 121.
• Banner urged Ross to let him confront the monster, then jumped from the helicopter and transformed into Hulk as he neared the ground.

Jasper, Amos, and Joel infiltrated Culver University’s underground Gamma Ray Laboratory and fought past its guards to reach the researchers. They downloaded and erased the laboratory’s data, then withdrew after ordering the researchers to stay put.

• Jasper used his invisibility to scout the laboratory and reported that a dozen soldiers and over twenty researchers remained inside.
• Amos killed the two soldiers at the entrance, while Joel disabled the laboratory’s electronics and plunged it into darkness.
• Amos broke through the blast-resistant door and defeated the soldiers who rushed to stop him.
• Joel and Jasper held the researchers at gunpoint while Amos connected a receiver to the server.
• Alice downloaded the research data to her server and deleted the laboratory’s files, then Amos and his companions withdrew after warning the researchers not to leave.

Hulk battled Emil in the street, growing stronger as his anger rose and eventually overpowering him. After Betty stopped Hulk from killing Emil, military reinforcements arrived and aimed their weapons at Hulk.

• Emil charged Hulk and knocked him across the street, but Hulk grew stronger as the fight continued.
• General Ross ordered his helicopter gunner to fire on Emil, who leaped up and grabbed the helicopter.
• Hulk grappled with Emil in midair, then cushioned the helicopter's fall and tried to rescue Betty from the burning cabin.
• Emil blocked Hulk, but Hulk overwhelmed him and was about to kill him when Betty called out to stop him.
• Hulk released Emil, and arriving military reinforcements trained their searchlights and guns on Hulk.

Ross captured Emil but learned that three metahumans had destroyed the Gamma Ray Laboratory and erased its research data. Mark had the stolen data reviewed for his Extremis research, and he was invited to Stark Industries’ upcoming expo, where Hammer Industries and the Payne Group would also be present.

• Ross ordered the pursuit of Hulk to stand down, captured Emil, and learned that the Gamma Ray Laboratory had been attacked and its servers wiped.
• Ross inspected the wrecked laboratory, heard how Jasper and two other metahumans had infiltrated it, and asked S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate.
• Nick Fury assigned investigators to the attack, while Mark told Jasper and the others to lie low after their mission.
• Alice organized the stolen research data, and Mark instructed Killian to treat it as top-secret company information.
• A month later, Mark’s Extremis laboratory was completed at a cost of more than two billion dollars.
• Tony invited Mark to Stark Industries’ expo and confirmed that Hammer Industries and the Payne Group’s Talia would attend.

Mark agreed to attend the Stark Expo and brought Talia and Payne Group executives into its central area. After Stark Industries, the Payne Group, and Oscorp presented their products, Justin Hammer introduced his robotic Mecha, but Iron Man’s dramatic arrival stole the audience’s attention.

• Tony told Mark that Stark Industries had completed its Particle Collider and created the new element to replace palladium in the Arc Reactor.
• Mark agreed to attend the Expo with Talia and left Banner on the Space Station, where Banner remained isolated and studied Kree technology.
• Happy escorted Mark into the Expo’s central area, where Mark joined Talia and three Payne Group executives.
• Pepper presented Stark Industries’ products, Talia presented the Payne Group’s products, and Norman Osborn showcased Oscorp’s technology.
• Justin Hammer introduced Hammer Industries’ Prototype No. 1 robotic Mecha, but Iron Man landed onstage and drew the crowd’s attention away from him.

Ivan Vanko remotely seized control of Justin Hammer’s robots at the expo and attacked Tony, but Mark rescued the crowd and disabled the machines. Mark and Tony then flew out to confront another group of approaching robots, while Justin tried to slip away.

• Tony arrived at the expo and demanded that Justin Hammer reveal where Ivan Vanko was, after JARVIS found palladium Arc Reactors in the robots.
• Ivan took control of the robots, which aimed their weapons at Tony as Justin discovered his remote no longer worked.
• Tony flew above the audience to draw the robots’ fire, and Mark rushed onto the stage and blocked most of the bullets with his Biological Force Field.
• Mark vaporized the falling glass with Heat Vision and froze the robots with Super Breath, saving the crowd.
• Mark spotted dozens of flying robots approaching outside, and he and Tony flew out to stop them as Justin tried to leave the stage.

Natasha captured Justin Hammer and learned that Ivan Vanko was behind the attack, while Tony and Mark destroyed the attacking robots. After Natasha warned Tony that Ivan might target Pepper, Tony rescued her as Mark pursued Ivan, who lost an arm when Mark's Heat Vision struck his Mecha.

• Natasha stopped Justin Hammer from escaping, forced him to reveal that Ivan Vanko was in the Hammer Industries laboratory, and handcuffed him.
• Tony and Mark destroyed the robots attacking the venue, while Natasha led S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to the laboratory and found evidence that Ivan might be targeting Pepper.
• Natasha warned Tony about the threat to Pepper, and Mark spotted Ivan flying toward the venue in a silver-gray Mecha.
• Mark fired Heat Vision to obstruct Ivan, giving Tony time to reach the venue and fly away with Pepper.
• Mark struck Ivan's Mecha with Heat Vision, severing its right arm and Ivan's arm.

Mark took the defeated Ivan to Advanced Idea Mechanics, where Killian treated his injuries and implanted a miniature bomb in his neck. Mark offered Ivan life in exchange for abandoning revenge against Tony and working for him.

• Tony prepared to kill the unconscious Ivan, but Pepper stopped him because civilians and police were watching.
• Mark arrived, promised to keep Ivan from seeking revenge, and carried him away while police arrested Justin Hammer.
• Mark brought Ivan to Advanced Idea Mechanics, where Killian treated his missing arm and implanted a miniature bomb in his neck.
• Mark told Killian he could remove the bomb in his own neck, and Killian had an assistant take it out.
• Ivan woke up, and Mark threatened to detonate the bomb unless Ivan gave up revenge on Tony and agreed to work for him.

After acquiring Hammer Industries’ Brooklyn factory and making Ivan chief engineer of Payne Industries, Mark received a visit from S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Coulson, who suspected the Payne Group was hiding Doctor Banner. Mark asked whether S.H.I.E.L.D. intended to capture Banner like the military.

• Mark forced Ivan to submit, then ordered Killian to fit him with a prosthetic arm and keep him at the facility.
• Justin Hammer was sentenced to life in prison, and Hammer Industries entered bankruptcy liquidation after the Stark Expo attack.
• Mark told Talia to bid on Hammer Industries’ Brooklyn factory, and Dalia bought it for over seventeen billion dollars before Payne Group established Payne Industries and hired Ivan as chief engineer.
• Coulson called Mark directly, and Mark invited him to his New York villa.
• Coulson arrived with Tony and Natasha and said S.H.I.E.L.D. suspected the Payne Group was hiding Doctor Banner because Banner’s encrypted communications had used a Payne Group satellite signal.
• Mark asked Coulson whether S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to capture Banner as the military had tried to do.

Mark relayed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s offer to recruit Banner into the Avengers, and Banner accepted after learning it could end his fugitive status. Mark later declined Congress’s invitation for Superman to receive a medal, while Tony agreed to attend alone.

• Coulson and Natasha told Mark that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted Banner to join the Avengers and would seek a pardon for him.
• Mark told Banner about the offer, and Banner agreed to join so he could stop being a fugitive and see Betty.
• The Federation pardoned Banner and the FBI canceled its warrant, allowing Banner to visit Betty at Culver University.
• Federation officials warned General Ross to stop pursuing Banner, while Ross decided to resume his experiments with Emil after the laboratory data was destroyed.
• Tony told Mark that Congress planned to award them medals for stopping Ivan Vanko’s robot attack, but Mark refused to attend as Superman.
• Congress publicized the ceremony without mentioning that Superman had declined the medal.

Tony accepted Superman’s Hero’s Medal on his behalf before Coulson sent him to a U.S. military base in Qatar under attack by an extraterrestrial machine. Tony arrived after the machine fled, and the chapter ended with him asking commander James what had happened.

• Senator Stern awarded Tony his medal and had him accept Superman’s Hero’s Medal in absentia.
• Coulson told Tony that suspected extraterrestrial forces were attacking a U.S. military base in Qatar, and Tony flew there in his Mecha.
• A giant humanoid machine attacked the base, overwhelmed the soldiers, and downloaded classified data from the servers.
• Commander James smashed the servers to stop the download, and the machine attacked him before transforming into a helicopter and fleeing as Tony approached.
• Tony arrived at the devastated base, where surviving soldiers and James welcomed him, and he asked James what had happened.

Tony investigated a mechanical attack on a military base, then rescued soldiers from a giant mechanical scorpion and took it back to Stark Tower for study. Mark identified the attacker as a likely Decepticon and flew to Hoover Dam, where he located Sector Seven and the AllSpark but hesitated to break in and risk making enemies of Superman and the United States.

• James showed Tony surveillance footage of a towering machine attacking the base, and JARVIS found no similar creations on Earth.
• Tony spotted fleeing soldiers and destroyed a mechanical scorpion that attacked them, then took its remains to Stark Tower.
• Mark watched satellite footage and concluded the attacker was probably Blackout, a Decepticon searching for Megatron and the AllSpark.
• Mark flew to Hoover Dam and used his super hearing to locate Sector Seven's underground base, where Megatron and the AllSpark were held.
• Mark considered taking the AllSpark by force but worried that doing so would make Superman and the United States his enemies.

Mark watched Sam Witwicky reveal Archibald’s glasses, which carried the AllSpark’s coordinates, and tracked Sam after he bought Bumblebee. As the Federation and S.H.I.E.L.D. prepared for an alien threat and Frenzy stole Sector Seven intelligence, the Decepticons targeted Sam, who discovered his car was an Autobot.

• Mark ordered Alice to locate Sam Witwicky and watched footage of Sam showing Archibald’s glasses to his classmates and buying a yellow Chevrolet-Bumblebee.
• Owen convened a Defense Department meeting, where Tony confirmed that the mechanical scorpion from Qatar was beyond Earth’s technology and officials planned a joint response with S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Frenzy infiltrated Air Force One, stole top-secret intelligence about Sector Seven and the AllSpark, killed two agents, and escaped.
• President Bush ordered the Federation into level-three combat readiness, while the Decepticons learned that Sam had the glasses and prepared to seize them.
• Sam chased his stolen car to an unfinished building and watched it transform into a five-meter-tall Autobot.

Mark arrived at Hoover Dam during the battle for the AllSpark, where Sector Seven’s forces were being overwhelmed by the Decepticons. After Sam handed him the AllSpark and asked him to save Jazz, Mark attacked Megatron, melting his armor with Heat Vision.

• Mark tracked the Decepticons to Hoover Dam and found the Autobots and human soldiers losing the battle against the awakened Megatron and the Decepticons.
• Sector Seven’s soldiers gave the AllSpark to Sam and told him to take it to another military base for safekeeping.
• Mark appeared before Sam, accepted the AllSpark, and agreed to rescue Jazz, whom Megatron was beating on a rooftop.
• Megatron fired his ion cannon at Mark, but Mark’s Biological Force Field stopped the attack.
• Mark struck Megatron with Heat Vision, forcing him to dodge as his armor melted and exposed the conduits inside his body.

Mark killed Megatron by destroying his Spark, forcing the Decepticons to flee, then used the AllSpark to create a Transformer from a Cadillac at Payne Manor. The newborn Transformer attacked those nearby until Mark subdued it, though he had not yet gained complete control over it.

• Mark battered Megatron, burned through his chest, and destroyed his Spark with Heat Vision.
• Starscream announced Megatron's death, and the Decepticons fled while Mark left with the AllSpark.
• Mark went to Payne Manor and used the AllSpark to transform a Cadillac into a new Transformer.
• The newborn Transformer attacked the people at the manor, and Mark pinned and struck it until it calmed down.

Mark used Alice to reprogram a newborn Transformer named Kitty to obey Rosalie and protect her, then created Transformers from two private planes and a yacht. After monitoring them for half a month, Mark found them stable, but Sector Seven director Tom Banachek arrived at Payne Manor with a group seeking him and Rosalie.

• Mark connected a data cable to the newborn Transformer and had Alice replace its behavioral logic with directives to protect its master and obey her.
• Mark designated Rosalie as the Transformer's master, and she named it Kitty after it followed her command to transform into a car.
• Mark brought two private planes and Obadiah's yacht to life as Transformers and had Alice install the same directives.
• News spread that Superman had killed Megatron and taken the AllSpark, while the Autobots allied with the Federation to hunt the remaining Decepticons.
• After monitoring the Transformers for half a month, Mark concluded they were stable, and Kitty grew attached to Rosalie.
• Tom Banachek arrived at Payne Manor with a group and asked to see Mark and Rosalie.

Tom Banachek visited Mark to demand that Sector Seven regain custody of the AllSpark, but Mark refused and sent him away. Mark then urged Rosalie to run for mayor of Los Angeles and decided to organize her campaign.

• Mark explained that Sector Seven handled alien matters and admitted to Banachek that he had the AllSpark entrusted to him by Superman.
• Banachek asked Mark to hand over the AllSpark for safekeeping, but Mark refused and reminded him that Superman had saved it from the Decepticons.
• Banachek threatened Mark with consequences, but Mark stood firm, and Banachek left without the AllSpark.
• Rosalie worried that Sector Seven would continue causing trouble, and Mark said the Payne Group needed greater political influence.
• Mark suggested that Rosalie run for mayor of Los Angeles, and he decided to organize her campaign after she showed interest.