Chapter Summaries

Luke’s forces trapped the vampires behind shields and began wiping them out, while Natasha and Barton used the battle to train a new Special Operations Team. After the operation went smoothly, Luke visited Tony, who was deciding whether to use the AllSpark to improve his combat robots without making them sentient; Tony accepted Luke’s suggestion to launch a separate company for them, and Luke agreed to join Galacta and Pepper on a shopping trip.

• The five great powers activated shields powered by Tony Stark’s reactors, trapping the vampires, and Luke deployed his Samurai Soldiers as Thor and Captain America arrived with Natasha and Barton.
• Thor stormed into the underground caverns and destroyed the vampire cannon fodder with lightning, while a Samurai Soldier and the Shadow Ninjas eliminated vampires in the darkness.
• Natasha and Barton led Fury’s recruits into the caves to train against scattered vampires, and Luke instructed the military representatives to give the vampires’ ashes to the elves for growing plants.
• Luke visited Tony’s laboratory and learned that the first-generation Mechanical Legion robots crashed in combat because they could not process battlefield information.
• Tony explained that the AllSpark could give the robots basic instincts without sentience, but worried that civilians might exploit them; Luke suggested putting them under a separate company, and Tony proposed having Happy run it.
• Tony told Luke that Galacta had gone shopping with Pepper, persuaded him to join them, and suggested he get custom-made clothes.

Pepper took the bored Galacta shopping and gave her a striking makeover, hoping Luke would notice her. Luke reunited with Galacta, and after they witnessed Little Spider stop a robber, the two teleported home together.

• Pepper took Galacta shopping, chose a new outfit for her, and encouraged her to feel confident in her appearance.
• Pepper completed Galacta’s makeover, and Luke arrived at the car, initially failing to recognize her.
• Luke told Galacta that the vampire hunt was going well, and the two struggled through an awkward conversation in the car.
• Little Spider stopped a robber who had stolen a woman’s bag, webbed him to a streetlamp, and returned the bag.
• Pepper left Luke and Galacta to go home together, and they teleported from the car while Pepper called Tony with the latest developments.

Luke and Tony discussed Tony’s modular robot army and plans for creating Ultron, while Tony offered to ask Pepper about Galacta’s feelings for Luke. Fury then asked Luke to spare Blade and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had become vampires as undercover operatives; Luke agreed on the condition that Fury monitor them.

• Tony explained that his modular robots could reassemble from scattered parts and said he planned to guide Ultron with preset instructions rather than strict prohibitions.
• Luke admitted he was unsure what Galacta felt for him, and Tony offered to have Pepper sound her out.
• Luke learned that few vampires remained and accepted Fury’s invitation to inspect vampires on an overseas island.
• Fury introduced Blade, explaining that the Daywalker had worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. to hunt vampires; Luke agreed to spare him after learning he could suppress his bloodlust with serum.
• Fury revealed that other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had become vampires to spy on their ranks, and Luke agreed to spare them if Fury kept them monitored.
• After Luke left, Blade joined Fury in trying to enjoy the sunlight.

The vampires tried to escape their human siege by digging underground, but Thor and the Samurai Soldier sent shadow forces after them. The vampires broke into Surtur’s lava-filled chamber, where he killed the remaining high-ranking vampires, while a Ninja Soldier returned to report what had happened.

• The high-ranking vampires abandoned the others and began digging a tunnel beneath the cavern as humans detected their escape attempt.
• Thor arrived at the command post and sent the Samurai Soldier’s Shadow Ninjas into the cavern, while he tried to persuade a Shadow Devourer Soldier to clear the foul passage.
• The vampires collapsed the tunnel behind them and dug onward until they broke into a vast chamber containing a lava pool.
• Surtur emerged from the lava, killed one vampire, and pursued the others as they fled through the tunnel.
• Surtur blasted the two remaining vampires with fire and prepared to return to sleep.
• A Ninja Soldier appeared in the Shadow World, upset that Surtur had taken the vampires’ kills, and returned to report to the Samurai Soldier.

Tony visited a military base to see new anti-vampire weapons, then joined Luke and Thor in planning a banquet to celebrate the vampires’ defeat. Luke and Tony agreed to confess their feelings to Galacta and Pepper at the gathering, while Tony decided to activate Ultron there and called the coming era the Age of Ultron.

• A special forces squad used exoskeletons and smart targeting to clear vampires from a cavern as an officer showed Tony the military’s new equipment.
• Tony refused the officer’s request to reopen Stark’s weapons division and flew to Luke’s home, where Thor was engrossed in a video game.
• Tony and Thor arranged to hold a banquet at Tony’s place, with Thor providing Asgardian food and thousand-year-old wine.
• Luke teased Tony about marrying Pepper, and Tony urged Luke to confess his feelings to Galacta; Luke countered by telling Tony to propose to Pepper at the banquet.
• Luke asked when Tony planned to activate Ultron, and Tony decided to do it at the banquet, naming the era the Age of Ultron.
• Luke asked whether Tony knew Stan Lee, and Tony said he did not know who that was.

Luke prepared to confess to Galacta at the banquet celebrating Vampire’s defeat, with help from Tony and Pepper. Galacta accepted his Black Rose and his love, and they joined the party together while JARVIS secretly preserved a video of the moment.

• Galacta went to Pepper for help choosing clothes for the banquet, while Luke met Tony and let him arrange a makeover for the evening.
• Tony and Luke arrived at the banquet, where Tony and Thor arranged to bring Pepper and Jane downstairs so Luke and Galacta could be alone.
• Galacta searched for a nonexistent key with her scanner, which detected Luke; Luke took her hand and offered her a Black Rose made from Dark Energy.
• Galacta accepted Luke’s rose and love, and they kissed before learning JARVIS had taken a photo at Tony’s request.
• Luke asked JARVIS to delete the photo, but JARVIS revealed it had backed up a video; Luke and Galacta then headed downstairs together.

Luke and Galacta’s relationship became official, while Tony proposed to Pepper at the villa. Luke then shared Asgardian liquor with the guests and exchanged a private, meaningful farewell with Stan Lee before inviting everyone to try more drinks.

• Luke and Galacta came downstairs holding hands, and Happy congratulated them as Luke learned Tony was planning to propose to Pepper.
• Tony proposed to Pepper, who accepted his ring, and Luke emerged with Galacta and Happy after Tony guessed that Shadow Ninjas were nearby filming them.
• Luke warned Tony to delete every recording of Luke and Galacta, then joined Tony and the others inside to try Thor’s potent liquor.
• Luke poured Stan Lee a full glass, and Stan Lee drank it before saying he would like to stay at the villa forever; Luke replied that he had found a place to belong there too.
• Luke gave Captain America ten drops of the liquor, which left him unsteady, then explained that Stan Lee was stronger than Luke and invited the guests to drink liquor brewed by Du Kang.

Thor challenged the group to lift Mjolnir as a test of heroism, but everyone except Luke failed or declined. Luke lifted the hammer and explained that its judgment did not define whether someone was a hero.

• Thor placed Mjolnir before the group and invited them to test whether they could lift it.
• Barton, Tony, Rhodey, and Banner tried to lift Mjolnir but failed, while Banner revealed that he had begun communicating with Hulk.
• Captain America touched Mjolnir and felt that he could lift it, but pretended to fail to spare Thor embarrassment.
• Natasha declined to try, and Tony and Thor debated whether indirect methods like an elevator would count as lifting the hammer.
• Luke explained that Odin's magic let Mjolnir judge character, then easily lifted it and said that a hammer could not determine who was a hero.

Tony and Luke activated Ultron, introduced him to the outside world through the internet, and guided his understanding of humanity. Ultron agreed to help Tony protect humanity’s good side and fight those who threaten society.

• Tony and Luke entered a sealed room in Stark Tower, where Tony used the AllSpark to give the supercomputer consciousness.
• After Thursday installed a language pack, Tony introduced himself and told Ultron he wanted a companion rather than a slave.
• Tony let Ultron explore the internet, where Ultron saw violence and cruelty and returned to Tony with questions about human behavior.
• Tony explained that intelligent beings could be good or evil and claimed he had created Ultron to help him fight evil.
• Ultron agreed to help make humanity better and protect its good side, and Tony promised to give him a body so they could confront threats to human society.

Tony and Luke used the AllSpark to bring JARVIS to life, triggering a worldwide scan of the internet that Ultron confirmed was harmless. While they waited for JARVIS to finish transforming, Luke told Galactus that he had confessed his feelings to Galacta and received his approval; JARVIS then spoke to Tony from his new body.

• Tony and Luke went to the warehouse, where Tony prepared to use the AllSpark on JARVIS's new body.
• JARVIS transferred into the body and absorbed the AllSpark's energy, sending a stream of information across Earth's internet as he transformed.
• Ultron investigated the stream and confirmed that it only caused brief network delays while inspecting information.
• Luke summoned Galactus, who backed up Earth's internet before Luke told him about his relationship with Galacta.
• Galactus approved of Luke and asked him not to make Galacta sad, then left to investigate the sun.
• The AllSpark stopped releasing energy, and JARVIS addressed Tony from his new body.

JARVIS came to life through the AllSpark and revealed that Doctor Zola had attacked him through the internet before escaping. Tony prepared Ultron and an AllSpark-powered robot legion to fight Hydra, while JARVIS left Luke wondering whether Zola or Hydra had influenced the internet’s development.

• JARVIS awakened as a living being and described how the AllSpark’s energy had connected his code and let him experience the world.
• JARVIS explained that a living intruder with extensive internet privileges had attacked him, and Tony identified the displayed location as a Hydra base.
• Luke recognized the intruder as Doctor Zola, who had transferred himself into a computer, escaped into the internet, and returned to Hydra in a mechanical body.
• Tony revealed that Ultron was created to fight Hydra and activated the AllSpark to give a legion of robots the ability to transform.
• Ultron learned to control a robot, then led the assembled legion in saluting Tony.
• JARVIS asked Luke whether Zola or Hydra might have influenced the internet’s development, since Zola had been difficult to catch online.

Luke and Tony trained the inexperienced Ultron Legion against the Shadow Legion, exposing Ultron’s reckless tactics and prompting Tony to teach him to use weapons. After the costly practice battle, Luke arranged for Megatron to take over Ultron’s combat training and allowed him to use the AllSpark on captured warships.

• Luke and Tony discussed how to counter Hydra’s possible control of the internet, and Tony proposed using signal jammers and disconnecting network cables.
• Tony challenged Luke to test the Ultron Legion, but the Shadow Legion quickly overwhelmed the robots in their first fight.
• Ultron revealed that he had learned close-combat tactics from The Terminator, so Tony opened Stark Industries’ weapons database and taught him to use ranged weapons.
• Luke took the Ultron Legion to a remote forest, where they fought the Shadow Legion with guns, rockets, and ion blades until Ultron’s robots began attempting suicide attacks.
• Tony repaired the surviving robots and worried that Ultron was not ready to fight Hydra, so Luke contacted Megatron and arranged for him to train Ultron.
• Megatron agreed to train Ultron and requested permission to use the AllSpark to bring captured warships to life as Transformers, and Luke gave him the AllSpark and Ultron.

Luke and Tony returned to the mansion, where Tony reunited with Pepper and JARVIS was brought to life with the AllSpark. Luke and Galacta grew closer, while Doctor Zola became obsessed with obtaining the means to regain human life; the next day, Luke and Galacta encountered Punisher in Hell's Kitchen and learned that he had joined forces with Daredevil to fight the Hand.

• Luke and Tony returned to the mansion, where Pepper recognized JARVIS and Tony promised her a grand wedding before taking her to the bedroom.
• Luke brought Galacta home, and Galactus noticed their closeness but chose not to interfere while he investigated a Celestial object near the sun.
• Doctor Zola recalled witnessing JARVIS's creation and decided he had to obtain the mysterious power that could create a soul.
• Luke cooked breakfast for Galacta, then took her shopping and showed her Hell's Kitchen, where he frightened visiting livestreamers by directing them into an alley.
• Punisher confronted Luke on a rooftop and explained that he had destroyed Kingpin's shipment and discovered the Hand with help from Daredevil and others.

Luke and Punisher investigated a Hand drug factory, rescued its exploited workers, and learned that all five Hand leaders had gathered in Apple City. Kingpin’s messenger delivered information about the Hand, while Punisher continued pursuing his own violent approach to the gangsters.

• Luke and Punisher found a Hand drug factory where captured Chinese people with disabilities were forced to make and transport drugs, so Luke sent Shadow Ninjas to rescue them.
• Luke and Galacta confronted the factory’s guards, and Punisher captured their leader, who revealed that all five Hand leaders had gathered in Apple City.
• Galacta captured a suited man who had been watching them, and he admitted that Kingpin had sent him with information.
• Luke received Kingpin’s USB drive and sent Shadow Ninjas toward the factory, while Punisher killed the Hand leader and Luke’s shadows disposed of the body.

Luke and Galacta encountered Peter Parker and Aunt May while helping evacuate a park during a bank-robbery chase. Peter subdued the robbers as Spider-Man, and Luke stopped one from detonating explosives before Peter could be hurt.

• Punisher agreed to ambush the Five Fingers at a warehouse while Luke and Galacta planned to arrive shortly before the meeting.
• Luke and Galacta spotted a bank-robbery chase threatening pedestrians in a park and helped locate the missing child, Karen.
• Peter Parker and Aunt May found Karen, and Peter returned her to her mother while Galacta escorted Aunt May to safety.
• Spider-Man joined the police response and used his webs and Spider-Sense to capture the fleeing robbers.
• Luke severed a robber's hand to stop him from triggering explosives, then introduced himself to Spider-Man as Luke, also known as Shadow Lord.

Luke and Galacta spent the day with Little Spider and Aunt May, where Luke encouraged Little Spider to apply for SS Company’s student sponsorship and Galacta learned to bake. They left for a warehouse to meet Punisher, and the chapter ended as Galacta sensed someone approaching.

• Luke helped Little Spider escape the police, and Little Spider reunited with Aunt May after explaining why he wore Luke’s jacket.
• Luke and Galacta visited Aunt May’s home, shopped with the family, and shared a meal of Aunt May’s walnut and candied date bread.
• Luke urged Little Spider to consider earning money from his hero work, then offered him a chance to apply for SS Company’s student sponsorship and a possible internship.
• Galacta agreed to learn cooking from Aunt May, and Luke and Galacta left the family their groceries before flying to meet Punisher.
• Luke, Galacta, and Punisher waited near a warehouse, played cards, and turned toward it when Galacta sensed someone nearby.

Luke, Galacta, and Punisher infiltrated the Hand’s secret chamber, where the Five Fingers bargained with Beast for help obtaining the Dragon Bones. Luke captured the Five Fingers and confronted Beast, who eagerly accepted Luke’s offer to raise dragons, leaving Luke surprised to learn Beast was born a dimensional demon god.

• Alexandra met Madame Gao and the other Hand leaders, then led them into a hidden underground chamber to contact Beast.
• Luke, Galacta, and Punisher found the Hand’s concealed base, and Luke used his soldiers to capture the Five Fingers after they gathered around Beast’s magic circle.
• The Five Fingers asked Beast to help them claim the Dragon Bones, and Beast demanded a share in exchange for resurrecting dragons for them.
• Luke broke into the chamber and overpowered the Five Fingers, while Beast recognized Luke’s power and tried to ingratiate himself with him.
• Luke contacted Ancient One to apprehend Beast and offered to raise dragons, then asked Beast to take the form of a black husky.

Beast begged Luke to take him in after describing how dangerous Dimensional Space was, but the Ancient One marked him and drove him to flee. Luke followed her through a portal to hunt Beast, while Beast cut off the marked part of himself and headed back toward Earth to grow stronger.

• Beast told Luke about the dangers of Dimensional Space and begged to become his dog, and Luke considered keeping him to manage the Trading Station.
• The Ancient One arrived to fight a Dimensional Demon God, marked Beast with a spell, and severed his connection to Luke's world.
• Luke pretended to mourn losing Beast and tried to persuade the Ancient One to manage the Trading Station, but she opened a portal to chase Beast instead.
• Luke followed the Ancient One into Dimensional Space, while Galacta stayed behind and Punisher was told to return on his own.
• Beast fled, cut away the part of himself bearing the marking spell, and headed for Earth to use his remaining shells and grow stronger.

Beast fled toward Earth while Luke and the Ancient One pursued him, and a little boy controlling the Hand abducted Elektra and Iron Fist. Punisher reunited with the wounded Daredevil and joined Captain America’s S.H.I.E.L.D. team, which headed into a tunnel to confront the enemy.

• Beast wrapped his marked body tissue in energy and hurled it away, then took a roundabout route toward Earth as Luke followed the Ancient One in pursuit.
• A little boy emerged among the Hand’s ninjas and ordered them to bring him soul offerings so he could recover and grow stronger.
• Punisher returned to the safe house and found Daredevil badly wounded; Daredevil said a strange, powerful boy had defeated them and taken Elektra and Iron Fist.
• Punisher contacted an old friend, and Captain America’s S.H.I.E.L.D. team arrived to help; Daredevil insisted on coming despite his injury.
• Punisher described the boy to Captain America, Natasha, Hawkeye, and the team, then they entered a tunnel discovered at an abandoned construction site.

Captain America’s team fought Beast’s endlessly reviving ninjas and discovered that separating them from their limbs drove them into a frenzy. Beast used Iron Fist’s blow to crack the strange wall and escape inside, and the chamber began to collapse.

• Hawkeye exposed hidden ninjas with a flash arrow, and the team immobilized them with his academy’s bubble-gum device.
• Captain America’s team found Elektra, Iron Fist, and children serving as Beast’s vessels; Iron Fist warned that the children’s souls had been devoured.
• Captain America’s team learned that the ninjas feared losing their limbs, so they cut off limbs and sealed them away with Hawkeye’s gum.
• Beast sent his remaining shells against the team, then dodged Iron Fist into striking the strange wall and opening cracks in it.
• Beast turned into black mist and slipped through the cracks, while the chamber shook and rocks began falling.