Chapter Summaries

Ratso used his Shadow Kingdom teleportation to overpower Dormammu, until a voice from the Villa ordered him to finish the fight. Dormammu fled toward Doctor Doom and the others to force them into the battle, and they finally stood with him against Ratso.

• Ratso repeatedly teleported around Dormammu and beat him while Doctor Doom and Mephisto watched without intervening.
• After a voice from the Villa told Ratso to finish Dormammu, Dormammu fled toward Doctor Doom and the others, hoping to take revenge on them for watching him suffer.
• Dormammu reached the group, and Zarathos accused him of exposing their hiding place, but Dormammu claimed he had drawn Ratso out for them.
• Ratso spotted Doctor Doom and the others and prepared to attack, while Dormammu threatened to leave unless they helped.
• Doctor Doom and the others joined Dormammu, letting their terrifying auras rise as they faced Ratso.

Ratso tried to attack Dormammu but repeatedly escaped into the Shadow Kingdom, forcing Doctor Doom and the others to find a way to catch him. Zarathos bound Ratso with his Magic Chains and the group dragged him out, while Tony left the Villa as Dormammu prepared to take revenge.

• Ratso attacked Dormammu, but Doctor Doom, Zarathos, and the others drove him back into the Shadow Kingdom with their combined attacks.
• Zarathos turned his iron chain into Magic Chains, and Doctor Doom and the others waited for Ratso to reappear.
• When Ratso emerged behind Dormammu, Zarathos wrapped him in the chain, which followed him into the Shadow Kingdom.
• Doctor Doom and the others pulled the chain until they dragged Ratso out of the Shadow Kingdom and surrounded him.
• Tony watched Ratso get captured and left the Villa as Dormammu threatened to make him pay.

Tony found Dormammu and summoned The Ancient One, intending to claim a reward for capturing him. The Ancient One arrived to face Doctor Doom, Zarathos, Mephisto, and Dormammu, only to learn Tony expected her to be his backup plan.

• Dormammu threatened Ratso until Ratso spotted Tony and called him for help.
• Tony confirmed Dormammu's identity, then messaged The Ancient One to come join him.
• Tony and Doctor Doom's group waited in a tense standoff while Ratso was ignored.
• The Ancient One arrived at the Villa and realized Doctor Doom and the others were the same enemies who had attacked her before.
• The Ancient One warned Tony they could not handle the group, and Tony told her she was his backup plan.

Tony and the Ancient One argued over who would fight Dormammu, but Doctor Doom and his allies forced the Ancient One to face them instead, leaving Dormammu alone with Tony. The three attacked the Ancient One while Tony and Dormammu sized each other up.

• Tony refused to let the Ancient One fight Dormammu and insisted he would handle him himself.
• The Ancient One charged toward Dormammu, but Doctor Doom and his two allies intercepted her and claimed her as their opponent.
• Doctor Doom used dimensional teleportation to move the Ancient One and the three allies a kilometer away.
• Dormammu realized he had been left alone with Tony, while Tony deduced that Doctor Doom's group wanted to eliminate the Ancient One before turning on him.
• Doctor Doom, Zarathos, and their remaining ally attacked the Ancient One as Tony and Dormammu watched each other warily.

Tony overwhelmed Dormammu, whose attempt to attack ended with him sacrificing his right forearm to escape Tony’s flames. Seeing The Ancient One begin to falter against Doctor Doom and the other two opponents, Tony turned his attention back to Dormammu and began beating him relentlessly.

• Tony waited while The Ancient One held off Doctor Doom and the other two opponents, then taunted Dormammu into attacking.
• Dormammu charged Tony with a flame-wreathed punch, but Tony caught his fist and burned him with flames that overpowered Dormammu’s magic.
• Unable to free himself or stop the fire, Dormammu severed his right arm, which burned to ash.
• Tony saw The Ancient One beginning to falter and turned back toward Dormammu with killing intent.
• Tony struck Dormammu in the face, then intercepted him before he landed and sent him flying again.

Tony prepared to face Doctor Doom, Dormammu, Mephisto, Zarathos, and their allies after the Ancient One was defeated. As the group surrounded him, the Ancient One watched closely, ready to intervene if he was in danger.

• Doctor Doom and the others blasted the Ancient One beside Tony, and Tony questioned how quickly she had lost.
• The Ancient One decided to watch Tony fight before helping him, though she intended to intervene if things went badly.
• Dormammu joined Doctor Doom and the others, then assigned himself and Zarathos to occupy Tony while Doctor Doom and Mephisto attacked.
• Doctor Doom and the others took positions around Tony and ignored the wounded Ancient One.
• Tony allowed them to surround him, leaving the Ancient One unsure whether he was confident or arrogant.

Tony unleashed his full power against Dormammu, Zarathos, Doctor Doom, and Mephisto, overwhelming the first two and blocking Mephisto’s attack with eye lasers. The chapter ended with Doctor Doom firing a devastating blast at Tony as Tony calmly raised his hand.

• Doctor Doom and Mephisto gathered energy while Dormammu and Zarathos charged Tony to keep him occupied.
• Tony struck Dormammu and Zarathos with a single punch, crushing their attacks and sending them crashing into the earth.
• Tony turned toward Doctor Doom and Mephisto, and Mephisto panicked and fired the energy blast he had prepared.
• Tony stopped Mephisto’s blast with lasers from his eyes, shocking the Ancient One, Ratso, and Doctor Doom.
• Doctor Doom launched an even greater energy blast at Tony, who calmly raised his right hand as it approached.

Tony defeated Doctor Doom, accepted Mephisto’s surrender, and ordered him to destroy Zarathos. The Ancient One began to suspect that Tony had altered the demons’ natures, leaving her uneasy about what he had done.

• Tony absorbed Doctor Doom’s energy blast, restrained him, and struck him with the returned attack.
• Mephisto surrendered to Tony and agreed to attack Zarathos when Tony ordered him to.
• Zarathos accused Mephisto of shamelessness, then realized Tony had drawn something from him that made him more humane.
• Mephisto overwhelmed the wounded Zarathos and annihilated him despite his regenerative powers.
• The Ancient One recalled Tony’s earlier encounters with the demons and grew suspicious of his influence over them.

The Ancient One discovered that Tony was a demon king and joined forces with Dormammu to drive him from the Blue Planet, while Mephisto pledged loyalty to Tony. Tony then gained demon king authority and began unleashing overwhelming darkness force, leaving the Ancient One shocked as he rejected her ultimatum.

• The Ancient One halted Mephisto and Dormammu as they fought for Tony's favor, then confronted Tony about the dense Darkness Source within him.
• The Ancient One exposed the demon-chi chain linking Zola to Tony and declared that she would not tolerate a demon king on the Blue Planet.
• The Ancient One persuaded Dormammu to lend her his Dark Dimension mark, while Mephisto chose to serve Tony instead of joining them.
• The Ancient One took control of the Dark Dimension and demanded that Tony leave the Blue Planet permanently.
• Tony gained control of the Dark Serpent Group and demon king authority, then challenged the Ancient One's right to drive him away.

Tony defeated The Ancient One’s attack and obtained the Darkness Mark, but she escaped with her Subspace Dimension while Dormammu fled back to the Dark Dimension. As Tony turned toward New York, Orange Cat pressed the Pager at S.H.I.E.L.D.

• The Ancient One used the Blue Planet’s power to fight Tony while Dormammu tried to open a portal home, but Tony’s blows shattered her magic sword and wounded her.
• The Ancient One charged Tony with a clone carrying the Darkness Mark, and Tony absorbed it before realizing her real body had escaped.
• Dormammu recovered half of his Darkness Mark and fled through a portal, cursing The Ancient One as Tony considered taking the Dark Dimension.
• Mephisto told Tony that The Ancient One could live another three thousand years, and Tony attacked her hidden Subspace Dimension above New York.
• The Ancient One blocked Tony’s demonic dragon and took the Subspace Dimension away, while Orange Cat pressed the Pager in a dim S.H.I.E.L.D. room.

Tony gave Mephisto a Darkness Mark and ordered him to create a land of darkness, threatening to strip away his consciousness if he failed. Mephisto sent his demons to seize people on the Blue Planet, and they devised a plan to lure crowds with idol concerts.

• Tony placed a Shadowkhan control mark on Mephisto and gave him a Darkness Mark, then ordered him to establish a land of darkness.
• Mephisto traveled through a portal to an abandoned town and summoned his demonic subordinates.
• Mephisto ordered the demons to capture living beings and transform them into Dark Creatures for an eternal Dark Kingdom.
• The demons worried about the Sorcerer Supreme, but Mephisto claimed Tony had severely wounded her and threatened to devour any demon who failed.
• The skeletal mage suggested capturing celebrities, staging miraculous idol events, and teleporting the gathered humans to the land of darkness.

Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man unleashed their dark expansions, turning people and creatures into violent beings who served them. As darkness spread and power flowed toward Tony, he ordered the Alliance to pause expansion and noticed a cosmic force arrive on Earth, suspecting S.H.I.E.L.D. had called Captain Marvel.

• Doctor Octopus released a reagent into rain clouds, transforming a farmer and nearby animals into bloodthirsty creatures, then fused with the Raysu Mask and declared his return as Octopus Raysu.
• Spider-Man spread Venom through a reservoir, transformed people into symbiote warriors, and fused with the Batsu Mask to become Spider Batsu.
• Tony reviewed the expansions and concluded that darkness destroyed other forms of order, leaving the law of slaughter as the only rule.
• As darkness spread, mutated plants fed on energy and supported a chain of predators, while power from the land converged on Tony.
• Tony told the Dark Alliance to stop expanding once their territories reached the size of small countries and to accumulate power.
• A cosmic force pierced the dark clouds and flew away, leading Tony to suspect that S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier and admitted she could not defeat Tony or stop his Dark Lands from consuming energy. In the Dark Dimension, The Ancient One offered Dormammu a way to survive by sacrificing other dimensional lords, leaving him to consider the dangerous plan.

• Captain Marvel reached the helicarrier, learned Nick Fury had died, and told Coulson she did not think she could beat Tony.
• Captain Marvel explained that the Dark Lands absorbed energy and warned that nuclear weapons could make the threat worse.
• Coulson gave Captain Marvel a ring from The Ancient One and told her the Sorcerer had fought Tony before.
• The Ancient One visited Dormammu and offered to take his half of the Dark Dimension's darkness mark, but he refused to surrender it.
• The Ancient One advised Dormammu to offer other dimensional lords to Tony and left him a spellbook for temporarily relocating teleportation coordinates.

The Ancient One and Captain Marvel planned to flee and grow stronger before confronting Tony, while Tony prepared his dark army and traveled to the Dark Dimension. Dormammu redirected Tony toward another dimension, sacrificing a neighboring dark lord to buy himself time.

• The Ancient One met Captain Marvel and admitted she could only fight Tony briefly, so they planned to find a new home and wait for the heroes to arrive.
• The Ancient One hinted that someone would keep Tony occupied, while Captain Marvel agreed to search for a new home.
• Tony ordered Bucky, Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man, and General Ratso to assemble his army and establish a dark order.
• Tony told his generals to protect his remaining recruits, then opened a portal to the Dark Dimension.
• Dormammu redirected Tony's approach toward another dimension and hoped the neighboring dark lord would delay him.

Tony was diverted from the Dark Dimension into the territory of the Bone Lord, where he pretended to be the Ancient One and fought four dimensional lords. He stole half the Bone Lord’s origin and struck the other lords aside as he began to retreat.

• Tony discovered that his teleportation had taken him to another dimension and encountered the Bone Lord.
• Tony claimed to be the Ancient One, and the Bone Lord summoned three or four neighboring dimensional lords to help seize the Darkness Mark.
• The lords locked down the surrounding space and attacked Tony, who beat the Bone Lord in close combat.
• Tony tore out and swallowed half of the Bone Lord’s origin, then accelerated away with the Rabbit Talisman.
• The Decay Lord tried to intercept Tony, but Tony slapped him and two other lords, sending them spinning through space.

Tony tricked the Dimension Lords into believing the Ancient One had attacked them, then fled and left them her magical signature and the Blue Planet’s coordinates. The Ancient One visited Thanos, revealed that Tony had several Infinity Stones and planned to turn the universe into a Dark Universe, and threatened to use Ebony Maw in a Time Bomb until Thanos agreed to believe her.

• Tony taunted the Dimension Lords, gave them the Ancient One’s signature and the Blue Planet’s coordinates, then escaped using the Rabbit Talisman.
• The enraged Dimension Lords prepared to build a dimensional portal and attack the Ancient One.
• The Ancient One left Captain Marvel to watch the house and used the Time Stone to open a portal to Thanos.
• Ebony Maw and the Black Order mocked the Ancient One, then panicked when she revealed she had come in person.
• The Ancient One held Ebony Maw and warned Thanos that Tony had several Infinity Stones and planned to make the universe a Dark Universe.
• Thanos doubted the Ancient One until she threatened to sacrifice Ebony Maw to make a Time Bomb, then said he believed her.

The Ancient One returned from confronting Thanos and the Dark Dimension Lords, then learned that Tony had manipulated events to claim part of the Death Dimension's essence. On Asgard, Loki killed Hela, and Thor unleashed the Gods' Storm against him.

• The Ancient One escaped Thanos's territory, was ambushed by the Four Dark Dimension Lords, and returned bruised to the Temple Hut.
• The Ancient One told Captain Marvel that Tony had stolen the Dark Dimension Lords' essence, attacked them, and left her magical signature and the Blue Planet's coordinates behind.
• Tony told Doctor Octopus that Dormammu had redirected his teleportation into the Death Dimension, where Tony acquired half its essence.
• Loki pinned Hela and taunted her, but Thor arrived and demanded that he let her go.
• Loki stabbed Hela in the neck with the Scepter, killing her as Thor watched.
• Thor struck Loki with the Thunder Hammer, then unleashed the Gods' Storm, leaving Loki stunned by Thor's surging power.

Thor defeated Loki but spared him after hearing how Tony had given him friendship, respect, and a choice. Ratso and the Shadow Kingdom generals then cornered Thor, beat him, and held him for Loki to stab in the kidney.

• Tony and the others watched Thor beat Loki instead of coming to his aid.
• Loki told Thor that Tony treated him as a friend and gave him respect, power, and a choice.
• Thor left Loki alive, saying he had decided provoking Tony was not worth it for Asgard.
• Ratso and the Shadow Kingdom generals confronted Thor, while Loki recovered and joined them.
• Loki trapped Thor long enough for the generals to overpower and restrain him.
• Loki stabbed Thor in the kidney, and Thor protested that he had been stabbed in the wrong place.

After Loki and the Generals returned to Tony, they discovered that Mephisto had drawn nearly a million people to a concert as part of a scheme to turn them into Dark Creatures. The demons expanded the operation by recruiting other Hell factions to build more teleportation circles, and Mephisto planned to test whether teleporting part of the crowd would complete the Dark Lands assignment.

• Loki stabbed Thor twice in the kidneys before Thor left, and Ratso destroyed a psychic presence spying on the Generals.
• The Generals returned to Tony, who revealed that Mephisto’s demons had used magic to control celebrity idols and lure nearly a million people to a concert.
• The Skeleton Mage proposed paying demons from other factions a share of the souls to inscribe teleportation circles and recruit more crowds.
• Mephisto agreed to take thirty percent of the souls and ordered the demons to turn the idols into demons.
• Mephisto ordered his forces to teleport part of the crowd first and check whether it completed the Dark Lands assignment.

The demon lords transported a crowd into the Dark Lands and used a staged saintess’s failed resistance to complete a Dark Conversion Ritual. Mephisto joined the Dark Alliance, learned its enemies included the Ancient One and Asgardian remnants, and the Ancient One prepared to target Hyperion while hiding her plans.

• The demon lords completed a large-scale Teleportation Array and transported the Idol Fan Meeting crowd into the Dark Lands.
• Skeleton Billy struck down a woman who rallied the crowd, then led the demon lords in concealing the area and carrying out the Dark Conversion Ritual.
• Skeleton Billy revealed that the saintess had been a planted succubus, earning praise from the Five Generals and a place at Mephisto’s side.
• Mephisto donned General Nega’s Shadow Mask and joined the Dark Alliance, where Ratso told him their enemies included the Ancient One, Asgardian remnants, and the Multiversal Dark Dimension.
• The Ancient One searched the Heroes’ futures and told Captain Marvel she planned to secretly build a long-distance Teleportation Array to reach Hyperion.