Recaps

Takagi Kenta and the crew of a Japanese whaling ship encountered a massive sea monster that shrugged off their weapons and smashed their vessel. As the ship sank amid rising swarms of deep-sea creatures, the monster raced toward the coastal cities with towering waves.

• Koyama Hideaki told Takagi Kenta to work with Fujita and help bring down the enormous target ahead of the ship.
• The whaling crew fired a harpoon, but the rope went slack, and a towering wave struck the ship; Takagi Kenta sensed that something other than a whale was watching them.
• A nearly forty-meter, stone-armored beast survived the harpoon and the ship's torpedoes, then rammed the vessel from below and leaped onto its forward deck.
• The impact wrecked the forward deck, threw sailors overboard, and left Koyama Hideaki looking out at the damage.
• Blue-lit deep-sea creatures rose around the sinking ship as the whale-like monster raced toward the coastal cities with towering waves.

Namor awakened an army of ancient sea creatures, which devastated Nippon’s coast and overwhelmed the Self-Defense Forces. As the government struggled to understand the attack, young officials asked Krakoa for help.

• Namor ordered more giant beasts to wake and advance toward Nippon.
• The creatures triggered a massive tsunami, wrecked coastal settlements, and attacked ships and inland areas.
• Nippon’s leaders concluded that the sea creatures were coordinated by an unseen commander and launched a military response.
• Air, ground, and naval forces failed to stop the beasts, which resisted heavy weapons and attacked aircraft and ships.
• Evacuees prayed for protection at a shrine in Kyoto while the blue glow continued spreading across the coast.
• Young government employees sent Krakoa a request for assistance, declaring that Nippon recognized Mutants and humans as the same kind of people.

As giant beasts devastated Nippon’s coast, Russell blocked other countries from intervening, while Krakoa refused Nippon’s pleas for help. Nippon’s leaders found their own superhuman factions unwilling to fight, and Wilson Fisk ended the chapter wondering where Reynolds was hiding.

• Nippon’s chief cabinet secretary offered to accept any terms, but Apocalypse refused aid and said Nippon had to bear the consequences of its ocean pollution and whaling.
• Footage of the attack spread worldwide, while Russell’s warning stopped the United States and other countries from sending forces or rescue teams into Nippon.
• The Hand planned to relocate its headquarters, while The Chaste decided to stay put because Daredevil could not lead them into battle.
• Nippon’s leaders learned that neither The Hand nor The Chaste would provide effective support, then received Wilson Fisk’s message that America would follow Russell’s position.
• Wilson Fisk studied a document bearing the name Reynolds and wondered where he was hiding.

Kingpin granted Alexander Pierce temporary asylum after learning that a botched Tesseract experiment had left Steve Rogers dangerously unstable. Steve returned to the Helicarrier, accused its crew of being Hydra, and attacked as Hill ordered the defense protocol activated.

• Kingpin expanded the search for Robert Reynolds, then learned Alexander Pierce was seeking asylum because Captain America was hunting him.
• Kingpin pressed Pierce to tell the truth, and Pierce revealed that a failed attempt to infuse Steve Rogers with Tesseract energy had left him paranoid and out of control.
• Kingpin arranged security for Pierce, strengthened White House defenses, and sent Russell an encrypted warning about Steve.
• Steve returned to the Helicarrier, accused Hill and the crew of being Hydra, and smashed a server rack with his shield.
• Hill ordered the level-seven defense protocol, but Steve blasted the guards away with an invisible force.

Steve Rogers, convinced that S.H.I.E.L.D. was Hydra, fought his clone and severely damaged the Helicarrier, sending it plunging out of control. As the ship neared destruction, Tony Stark arrived in the unfinished Celestial Armor and steadied it with a force field.

• Hill ordered the Helicarrier's personnel to evacuate and summoned the Steve clone from the Laboratory after Steve attacked the guards.
• Steve accused the clone of being part of Serpent S.H.I.E.L.D. and defeated him in a shield-and-knife fight.
• Steve stamped the deck, fracturing the Helicarrier's structure and damaging its core until its engines failed and it began to fall.
• Hill warned that the Helicarrier would break apart within a minute as Steve prepared to destroy it completely.
• Tony Stark arrived in the unfinished Celestial Armor and enveloped the falling Helicarrier in a force field, stabilizing the ship.

Tony used the Celestial Armor to subdue Steve and stop his attack on the Helicarrier. Meanwhile, Russell turned his attention toward Queens, where Thor and Loki saw Peter Parker’s face begin to mutate.

• Tony blocked Steve’s Tesseract-energy beam with the Celestial Shield and knocked him off course as he charged the armor.
• Tony bound Steve with Celestial restraints and a golden net, suppressing the Tesseract energy until Steve stopped resisting and fell unconscious.
• After the Helicarrier was secured, Tony prepared to deal with Russell, who received a message from Kingpin and sensed something in Queens.
• Peter found Thor lounging drunk at his home while Loki joked about Thor earning money by repairing roofs.
• Peter revealed his face, and Thor watched in shock as it visibly began changing into something inhuman.

Peter asked Russell to reverse the spider-like mutations Russell had caused, and Russell restored his human appearance. Russell then offered Peter a black Symbiote, leaving Peter to decide whether to accept it.

• Thor reacted with alarm to Peter’s increasingly spider-like face, and Loki explained that Russell’s genetic alteration was still changing him.
• Peter told Thor and Loki that Dr. Connors could not understand the implanted genetic sequence, and he worried Gwen Stacy and Aunt May would reject his appearance.
• Russell appeared as Peter hesitated to ask for help, and Peter asked him to change him back.
• Russell reversed Peter’s mutations in seconds, restoring his human face and removing his extra arms.
• Russell presented Peter with a black Symbiote from the Gene Laboratory, and Peter hesitated as it reached toward him.
• Russell reminded Peter that with great power came great responsibility.

Peter accepted the Symbiote, bonded with it, and named it Venom, becoming Venom Spider-Man. Russell promised to make him an Omega-level being, leaving Peter wondering why Russell was helping him so generously.

• Peter trusted his instincts and let the Symbiote bond with him, while it discovered his memories and the energy it could draw from him.
• Peter received the Symbiote's memories of its travels, its time under Knull's control, and the experiments performed on it in a laboratory.
• Peter spoke with the Symbiote, named it Venom, and completed the bond as it formed a black suit with a white spider emblem.
• Thor and Loki admired Peter's new suit, and Russell called his new identity Venom Spider-Man.
• Peter tested his increased strength, admitted he felt an urge to unleash his power, and asked Russell why he was helping him.

Russell asked Peter to help advance human civilization by drawing top scientists into research, while Knull awakened beneath the Arctic ice and seized control of the Symbiotes. As Eddie and Venom were overwhelmed, Eddie prayed to the Om Messiah and awoke before a radiant temple, where Venom believed they had been saved.

• Russell explained that he wanted Peter to help bring human civilization into the cosmos by spending more time on research and contacting Connors, Osborn, and Stark; Peter agreed to try.
• Knull burst out from beneath the Arctic ice, unleashing destructive weather and reasserting control over Symbiotes across Earth and the universe.
• Venom told Eddie that Knull had reconnected the Symbiotes to his Psychic Network and was overwriting Venom's consciousness.
• Eddie tried to reach Russell, but Knull's control forced him into the street as Venom struggled to resist.
• Eddie prayed to the Om Messiah before losing consciousness, then awoke in a golden temple as Venom said they were saved.

Russell protected Symbiotes from Knull’s awakening while explaining that Thor had once shattered Knull’s Black Dragon, which later lay dormant beneath the Arctic ice until Nick Fury’s experiments revived him. As Knull emerged and drew Symbiotes into his Psychic Network, the heroes confronted the threat and S.H.I.E.L.D. received an urgent report of the Arctic breakout.

• Eddie and the Venom offspring decided to head for New York, while Oblivion Angel Number One severed dozens of praying Symbiotes from Knull’s Psychic Network and sheltered them in the Divine Kingdom.
• Peter felt Knull’s summons through the Symbiote inside him, but Russell shielded Venom Spider-Man and explained that Knull had awakened on Earth.
• Russell asked Thor about the Black Dragon he had struck with Mjolnir a thousand years earlier, then revealed that Knull had survived and become buried beneath Arctic ice.
• Thor recalled shattering the Black Dragon, and Russell explained that Nick Fury’s attempts to extract Symbiotes from its body had awakened Knull.
• Peter rejected Russell’s suggestion that his Symbiote could replace Knull as God of Symbiotes.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. received Arctic footage of the Black Dragon breaking through the ice, and Tony confronted the transformed Nick Fury about the disaster and his hidden research base.

S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.P.E.A.R. responded to Knull’s destructive advance through the Arctic, while Ancient One watched the threat approach New York. Weather Witch confronted Knull before he could reach the city, and he continued toward her despite her warning.

• Hill told Tony that someone had to go to the Arctic, and Tony agreed to spend twenty-four hours assessing Knull and the Celestial Armor before deciding whether to fight.
• Knull summoned Symbiotes from across space and destroyed Arctic outposts as air forces failed to stop his southward advance.
• Zheng Xian ordered Weather Witch and the S.P.E.A.R. Team to eliminate Knull after Li Xiangyang confirmed Russell had denied responsibility.
• Dark Strange sensed Knull’s signal but declined to intervene, while Ancient One used the Time Stone to observe Knull’s approach to New York.
• Weather Witch blocked Knull’s path and warned him to stop, but he continued toward her as she launched a blizzard charged with lightning.

The Weather Witch fought Knull but failed to stop him from fleeing south toward New York, where Thor went out to meet the Black Dragon. As the two clashed above the clouds, Jameson sent reporters and Peter to photograph the approaching threat.

• The Weather Witch struck Knull with storms and lightning, but his psychic power let him counter her attacks and exploit the rhythm of her energy.
• The Weather Witch drew the Holy Spear, and Knull recognized it before fleeing south at high speed; she reported his route to Zheng Xian, who ordered her to return with Gungnir.
• Kingpin warned Russell that the Black Dragon was nearing New York, and Russell told him to stay out of it because the right woman would handle Knull.
• Russell told Thor that the Black Dragon had come for revenge, and Thor flew out through Peter's window to confront it while Loki called him naive.
• The Black Dragon and Thor collided above the clouds as Jameson ordered the Daily Bugle staff and Peter to get photographs of the threat.

Thor and Tony fought Knull’s Black Dragon over New York, forcing it to retreat toward the Atlantic. Tony then confronted Kingpin at the White House and demanded that Russell face him, but Dark Strange intervened and challenged Tony first.

• Peter told Russell that Jameson wanted him to photograph the Black Dragon and Thor, and Russell urged him to go take the pictures.
• Thor struck Knull’s wounded neck but struggled against the dragon’s growing psychic attacks and tendrils.
• Tony arrived in the Celestial Armor and blasted Knull, sending the Black Dragon crashing into a trench outside New York.
• Knull spotted Dark Strange watching from the Empire State Building, decided to retreat, and flew toward the Atlantic; Thor pursued him while Tony stayed behind.
• Tony flew to the White House, demanded that Kingpin resign and revoke the superheroes’ warrants, and told him to make Russell come out and fight.
• Dark Strange appeared above the White House and said Tony had to defeat him before he could see Russell, so Tony rose into the sky to face him.

Dark Strange and Tony fought above New York as Tony tested the Celestial Armor against the sorcerer’s speed, magic, and defenses. Dark Strange transformed by drawing on the power he had gained from devouring Demons from Hell, leaving Tony facing a much stronger opponent.

• Dark Strange attacked the Celestial Armor with a black sword while Tony assessed his abilities and defended the armor’s weak points.
• Tony used an energy grid to predict Dark Strange’s movements and struck him with a golden beam, scorching his robe.
• Tony activated emergency output mode, and his golden energy clashed with Dark Strange’s dark-purple magic above the clouds.
• Dark Strange warned Tony that Russell was several tiers stronger than he was, while Tony insisted he had not yet used his full strength.
• Dark Strange absorbed the dark mist and changed into a demon-like form with armor-like patterns, six tentacles, and a third eye.
• Tony’s readings showed Dark Strange’s energy surging past multiple high-threat thresholds.

Tony abandoned his challenge after Dark Strange explained that Russell was far stronger, while Thor pursued Knull and was overwhelmed by his psychic power. The chapter left Thor trapped in false memories and sealed inside a cocoon of Symbiotes.

• Dark Strange told Tony that his armor could not defeat him and that Russell was vastly stronger, while Kingpin and his aides praised Russell's power.
• Tony flew toward the Helicarrier, and Dark Strange wondered whether intervening had helped or hindered Russell.
• Thor chased Knull's Black Dragon and taunted him until Knull stopped and turned to fight.
• Thor broke through Knull's psychic defenses with Mjolnir, but Knull unleashed a powerful psychic storm that shattered Thor's helmet and overwhelmed his mind.
• Thor saw false memories of civilizations destroyed by darkness and confronted a black humanoid who claimed to be him.
• Knull's Symbiotes wrapped around Thor and formed a cocoon while Thor remained trapped in altered memories.

Odin sought help rescuing Thor from Knull, who had trapped him inside a Symbiote cocoon and was rewriting his memories. Russell agreed to intervene with Loki, while Odin reconsidered Russell’s suggestion to release Hela.

• Heimdall told Odin that Knull had trapped Thor above Earth and was altering his memories.
• Odin traveled to the Sanctum Sanctorum and asked Ancient One to help rescue Thor, but she recommended Russell instead.
• Ancient One brought Odin to Russell’s home, where Loki confronted Odin over their broken relationship.
• Odin explained that Thor’s role in preventing Ragnarok mattered to all the Nine Realms, including Earth.
• Russell agreed to confront Knull and invited Loki to come with him.
• Russell advised Odin to release Hela, and Odin quietly considered the suggestion as Thor remained trapped in the cocoon.

Thor struggled against Dark Thor inside the Cocoon as Knull transformed his body into a conduit for the Living Abyss. The darkness spread across Earth and into the surrounding stars, while Russell and Loki recognized that it was reshaping the planet.

• Dark Thor told Thor he would take his body and use it to do whatever he wanted, while Thor sensed objects entering Earth's atmosphere.
• Knull awakened the symbiotes riding the incoming meteors and coordinated their descent over New York.
• Knull compressed the dark sphere around Thor, emerging as a dark figure whose body drew power from the Living Abyss.
• Russell explained to Loki that the symbiotes were bringing the Abyss to Earth, and Loki confirmed that its energy was altering space through both the Psychic Network and the spreading tentacles.
• Dark Thor opened his eyes as the darkness expanded across North America, engulfed Earth, and began dimming nearby stars.
• Black Dragon roared as Knull celebrated the power pouring through Thor and the symbiotes.

Russell restored New York’s sunlight and stopped Knull from reaching Peter Parker, who carried a Codex Knull needed. As cosmic powers watched the standoff above Earth, the chapter left the Nine Realms’ rulers weighing what Knull’s awakening could mean.

• Russell used the Plasma Prism Tower to drive away the darkness and restore daylight across New York, prompting residents to call him the Om Messiah.
• Knull recognized Peter Parker’s Symbiote Suit and the Codex within him, then dove toward Peter before Russell blocked his path with a golden curtain of light.
• Knull turned back toward Russell after the barrier disrupted his psychic field, while ancient beings across the cosmos watched their confrontation.
• Ancient One said Knull had made a grave mistake by invading Earth, and Odin agreed that the era belonged to Russell.
• Gods across the Nine Realms watched the battlefield, while Laufey, Surtur, and Malekith delayed their plans and ancient beings discussed Knull’s awakening.

As the Shadow Elder Gods plotted to trigger Ragnarok in Asgard, Russell freed Thor from Knull’s control above New York. Thor admitted he could not defeat Knull, so Russell proposed turning him into Rune King Thor, alarming the gods watching from across the dimensions.

• The Shadow Elder Gods decided to bring Surtur into their plan against Asgard and considered freeing Hela and her Invincible Legion to spark Ragnarok.
• Apocalypse, Magneto, and Dark Phoenix arrived through a Krakoan rift, but Russell refused Dark Phoenix’s offer to fight Knull’s Black Dragon.
• Russell pointed at Dark Thor and caused the Symbiote layers to peel away, while Knull’s attempts to reinforce his control were blocked.
• Thor said Knull had altered his memories and was too powerful for him to defeat in his current state.
• Russell proposed using Rune King Thor, and Loki explained that Odin’s restricted archives described the power as an extension of the World Tree.
• Dormammu ordered Kaecilius to watch Thor, while the Shadow Elder Gods wondered how Russell knew the secret of Rune King Thor.

The Shadow Elder Gods debated whether Russell knew of them and decided to monitor him while continuing their plan to free Hela. Hela’s seal broke, and after learning how much the Nine Realms had changed, she set out for Asgard to confront Odin and reclaim the throne.

• The Shadow Elder Gods suspected Russell might know about Rune King Thor, but agreed to watch him while proceeding with their plans for Asgard and Hela.
• Thor accepted Russell’s offer to become Rune King Thor, while Loki silently reacted and Kaecilius recorded the exchange.
• Hela’s seal broke, restoring her power, and she vowed to return to Asgard and kill those who had taken her throne.
• Hela interrogated souls in Helheim, learned that Russell led powerful Mutants on Midgard, and chose to go to Asgard first.
• Odin told Ancient One that Hela had escaped and would return to Asgard, hoping Thor and Loki could earn her acceptance.

The Shadow Elder Gods discovered that Hela’s seal had been broken and suspected Odin had acted after meeting Russell. Russell confronted them within the World Tree, claiming Thor had sent him to collect Asgard’s debt, and began taking control of their Rune Power.

• Ancient One questioned Odin about freeing Hela, and Odin said Thor and Loki would decide their own paths.
• The Shadow Elder Gods sensed Hela’s escape and debated whether Odin had acted against their plans or been influenced by Russell.
• Russell appeared among the Shadow Elder Gods through a duplicate and announced that he had come to collect Asgard’s debt on Thor’s behalf.
• The Shadow Elder Gods attacked Russell with World Tree energy chains, but the chains stopped before reaching him and dissolved.
• A Shadow Elder God warned that taking Rune Power would damage their control and sustaining foundation, but Russell said he was there to collect anyway.

Russell drew the World Tree’s core Rune Power directly into himself, then sent it through a quantum connection to Thor. Thor began integrating the new power as the confrontation with Knull continued above New York.

• Russell rejected the Shadow Elder Gods’ objections and said the World Tree’s runes could readjust after being transferred to Asgard.
• Russell’s presence caused the World Tree to manifest visibly, and he drew its core energy into himself as the Shadow Elder Gods watched.
• Russell transferred the Rune Power to Earth, prompting Knull to recognize that Russell had gained power approaching Knull’s peak strength.
• Russell sent all the Rune Power he had gained to Thor, while Apocalypse, Magneto, and Dark Phoenix sensed the transfer.
• Thor received the World Tree’s Rune Power, which formed a new channel alongside his existing abilities and began resonating with Mjolnir.

Russell summoned the Necrosword from a barren planet and gave it to Thor as the battle with Knull loomed. Meanwhile, Ancient One kept Mephisto at the edge of the battlefield as the fighting’s energy strained her containment array.

• Thor completed the integration of Rune Power from the World Tree, and Russell summoned the Necrosword from a fissure on a barren planet.
• Knull recognized the Necrosword and protested when Russell handed it to Thor, but Russell refused to return it.
• Ancient One intercepted Mephisto and barred him from approaching the battlefield, while Odin offered to help from Peter Parker's home.
• Mephisto claimed he only wanted to observe Russell, and Ancient One warned him to leave Strange alone.
• The battlefield’s energy spillover strained the containment array, and Mephisto speculated that a multiversal being might be behind Russell’s growth.

Arishem and other cosmic observers focused on Earth as Thor and Knull began a battle that shook the universe’s underlying structure. Thor used the World Tree’s power and the Necrosword against Knull, who began probing how Thor’s energy link worked.

• Arishem turned his attention toward Earth as the confrontation between Knull, Thor, and Russell drew cosmic observers.
• Mephisto urged Ancient One to join the fight, while she accused him of plotting around Strange and discussed Strange’s possible future as Sorcerer Supreme.
• A massive energy release destabilized the Magic Array, and Ancient One quickly restored it.
• Thor attacked Knull with the Necrosword, whose presence made the Symbiotes around Knull unstable.
• Knull caught the blade and overrode the Symbiotes’ reactions, but Thor used rune power from the World Tree to wound Knull’s palm.
• Knull resisted Thor’s expanding field and asked whether another being connected to the World Tree could siphon its power and disrupt Thor’s stable state.

Knull drew Thor and the battle toward the World Tree while calling on Malekith and the Dark Elves to interfere with Thor’s connection to its power. The Dark Elves’ fleet reached the World Tree’s energy layer and began making contact, preparing to disrupt the power sustaining Thor.

• Knull shifted his fight with Thor through the World Tree’s channels and instructed Malekith to join the battle in exchange for abyssal power.
• The Dark Elves’ fleet changed course, entered the Solar System under Knull’s dark-energy coating, and advanced toward the World Tree.
• Thor recognized Knull’s plan to use the fleet to study and weaken his connection to the World Tree, but continued fighting while marking its channels with runes.
• Malekith studied the World Tree’s energy flows and identified the route supplying Thor, then ordered the fleet into formation along its outer energy layer.
• The Dark Elves’ ships began contacting the World Tree’s power, and Malekith announced that they would disrupt Thor’s supply to give Knull an advantage.