Chapter Summaries

Blink rescued Tony Stark and Yinsen from captivity, but Tony collapsed after entering her Portal. Tony woke in the world of the Zanpakutō and was told he would have to pass a trial to obtain it, then plunged into a sudden fall.

• Tony and Yinsen finished crafting weapons and protective gear while imprisoned.
• Blink arrived through a Portal and took Tony and Yinsen away, but Tony collapsed as he passed through.
• Professor X found Tony unconscious and sensed no mental activity from him.
• The Six Paths Sage confronted the Ancient One after she brought Tony's soul into her universe.
• Tony woke in the world of the Zanpakutō and learned he had to pass a trial to obtain it.
• A burly man snapped his fingers, and Tony began falling while screaming.

Tony Stark endured the trials in his Zanpakutō’s world, forging a Heart Guard, a Reactor, and finally armor that was also a blade. He returned to the outside world with new power, where Professor X and Tony were both surprised that telepathy could not reach him.

• Tony completed the First Trial by using his will to forge a red-and-yellow Heart Guard in a thousand hammer blows.
• Tony reflected on the people he wanted to protect and forged a Reactor during the Second Trial.
• Tony persisted through pain and exhaustion to complete the Third Trial, creating an object that resembled both armor and a blade.
• The Elderly Strongman acknowledged Tony’s warm heart and told him to take the hilt and call out its name.
• Tony returned to the outside world, where Professor X tried to soothe him with telepathy but could not penetrate his body.
• Tony woke, mistook Professor X for a stranger, and asked where Pepper Potts was.

Tony Stark left Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters with Yinsen after meeting Professor Charles, while the Six Paths Sage uncovered how Tony had entered this universe and gained a body made from his Zanpakutō. On the road, Toad and Sabretooth attacked Tony on Magneto’s orders, and Tony drew his Zanpakutō to fight back.

• Professor Charles introduced himself as a mutant and asked Tony to stop working on Weapon X, but Tony did not recognize the name and gave only vague replies.
• Tony and Yinsen left Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters after exchanging contact information with Charles.
• The Six Paths Sage subdued the white-bearded Ancient One and learned that she had brought Tony’s soul to this universe, where his Zanpakutō had reconstructed his body.
• Toad and Sabretooth stopped Tony’s car on Magneto’s orders and attacked Tony and Yinsen.
• Tony drew his Zanpakutō and called out “Shikai-Vulcan, God of Fire and Craftsmen,” appearing in yellow-and-red armor with a glasslike blade.

Tony tested his new Zanpakutō armor against Sabretooth before confronting Magneto, who mistook him for a mutant and demanded he join the Brotherhood. Tony attacked and discovered Magneto could not control his armor, leaving him confident as he charged again.

• Tony pinned Toad and used Sabretooth as a test subject for his Zanpakutō, then transformed its Beast Form into armor.
• Tony sensed Magneto approaching and prepared to fight him while restraining Sabretooth with Spiritual Pressure.
• Magneto offered Tony a place in the Brotherhood of Mutants, but Tony tried to negotiate for time before choosing to attack.
• Tony scorched the surrounding area and launched himself at Magneto, who knocked him down with iron plates but could not control his armor.
• Tony realized this Magneto was less powerful than the one he had feared and charged again, moving fast enough to avoid the iron plates.

The Six Paths Sage rescued Tony from Magneto’s universe and sent him back to the World of the Living, where everyone believed he was dying. Tony suddenly returned to life, healed by the Zanpakutō, and reunited with Pepper.

• The Six Paths Sage defeated Magneto with an illusion, left an imprint on the universe, and prepared to take Tony home.
• Tony said goodbye to Yinsen and gave him weapons for protection before the Six Paths Sage threw him through a passage to the Pure Land.
• While Tony was away, Pepper dealt with visitors seeking to discuss Stark Industries as doctors struggled to keep Tony alive, and Krillin deterred anyone looking to exploit the situation.
• Happy told Pepper that Tony had stopped breathing, but Tony suddenly sat up in his hospital bed, fully healed.
• After Otsutsuki Thirty and Otsutsuki Twenty-Nine tossed Tony back into the World of the Living, he greeted Pepper, who wept in disbelief.

After Tony Stark recovered, he withdrew from public life, while Steve Rogers returned to a world transformed by decades of technological and supernatural change. Two years later, Steve led the newly confirmed Avengers Squad, and Tony reemerged to announce a major Stark Energy Group expansion.

• The military and Nick Fury argued over whether Steve Rogers should serve with the military or S.H.I.E.L.D., while Lieutenant General Caval rejected Fury's proposal.
• Nick Fury visited Steve, told him that Howard Stark had died and Peggy Carter was still alive, then gave him a mission briefing.
• Steve accepted the changing world and picked up the Vibranium Shield S.H.I.E.L.D. had left for him.
• By mid-2008, Steve had become captain of the Avengers Squad after S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council negotiated with the military and Captain America-related businesses.
• Tony Stark resurfaced to announce that Stark Energy Group planned to build five hundred reactor power plants over five years.

Steve and Barton investigated an unnatural storm over the Mohaja Desert as a mysterious object fell from the sky into a sealed space. Trapped inside with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Steve waited to learn what would happen as Thor’s trial began.

• Steve sensed that the relentless storm over the Mohaja Desert was supernatural and urged S.H.I.E.L.D. to evacuate nearby towns, but most residents refused to leave.
• A gash opened in the sky, and Mjolnir plunged into the desert as Jiang Xiang sealed the area to create a trial space for Thor.
• Steve and Barton reached the boundary of the sealed space and discovered they could not escape.
• Steve reflected on Nick Fury’s incomplete disclosures and the military’s efforts to recruit him after he displayed superpowers.

After Odin banished Thor to Midgard, Kamr told him that Mjolnir was waiting at a trial site and that he could reclaim it by passing the trials. Meanwhile, Erik, Jane Foster, and Caroline investigated Jiang Xiang’s isolation barrier, while Odin watched Loki and Sylvie manage Asgard.

• Odin sealed Thor’s divine power, took away his right to wield Mjolnir, and banished him to Midgard after Thor injured a Vanir envoy.
• Erik, Jane Foster, and Caroline investigated the barrier around a town, while the trapped townspeople discovered that it blocked their spit but allowed them to draw water.
• Kamr, a god of the Indian Pantheon, met Thor in a bar and told him someone had asked him to check whether Thor could survive.
• Kamr gave Thor cards with a map to Mjolnir and the location of the first trial, then vanished.
• Odin approved of Kamr’s help and watched Loki hold Gungnir while Sylvie managed Asgard’s affairs.

Thor traveled with Willy through a crisis-stricken desert and focused on passing Odin’s trial, while Willy prepared for chaos by stockpiling supplies and weapons. After Willy killed armed locals, Thor questioned his decisiveness, and Jiang Xiang watched to see what kind of king Thor would choose to become.

• Thor accepted a ride from Willy after wandering the desert without food or water, and told him he was the God of Thunder on his way to face the King’s Trial.
• Willy explained that reaching Thor’s destination would take days and stocked up on food, water, and guns because he expected chaos.
• Thor tried to summon Mjolnir and call Heimdall, Loki, and Sylvie, but neither attempt succeeded.
• Willy shot several people outside his home and gave Thor food and liquor, prompting Thor to question why Willy had killed his own people.
• Jiang Xiang observed Thor’s response to the suffering caused by the trial and wondered whether he would become a worthy God-King or reject the burden of kingship.

Loki led an alliance against the Frost Giants on Jotunheim, using Gungnir and support from other realms to defeat Laufey and rout his forces. Convinced the victory was his own, Loki prepared to return to Asgard and claim the credit.

• Odin worried that Loki’s campaign was wasting the Bifrost’s energy, but Frigga persuaded him to let the battle continue.
• Loki and Sylvie assembled support from Vanaheim, Nidavellir, and Alfheim while Sylvie rallied the Nine Realms against the Frost Giants.
• Loki attacked from behind the front lines with Gungnir as the allied warriors fought the Frost Giants on Jotunheim.
• Laufey charged Loki and fell after a single strike, causing the Frost Giants’ morale and defenses to collapse.
• Loki declared the war over and planned to return to Asgard with his army, believing he had earned a place in its history.

Steve and Barton crossed the Land of Silence and discovered Mjolnir. Steve lifted the hammer and gained ancient armor as dark clouds and lightning gathered.

• Odin watched Thor flirt with Jane while Willy tried to drag him toward the next trial, but Thor returned to telling Jane stories.
• Steve and Barton crossed a blizzard toward a silent, ominous region after Steve followed a mysterious card and helped townspeople.
• Steve entered the Land of Silence and searched carefully as the power within him began to stir.
• Steve and Barton found Mjolnir in a vast pit and learned its identity and enchantment.
• Steve suppressed his urge to claim the hammer, then lifted Mjolnir, causing lightning to gather and ancient armor to appear on him.

Steve lifted Mjolnir and was struck by its lightning, which began awakening its power in him as he fell asleep. Thor sensed the hammer leaving him, rushed through the desert after it, and collapsed; Odin and Jiang Xiang each assumed the other would rescue him, leaving Thor facedown for a day.

• Jiang Xiang noticed Steve lift Mjolnir and returned to cultivating while Odin saw the mortal holding the hammer.
• Steve learned that Mjolnir could grant him Thor's power, then survived a lightning strike as the hammer's runes appeared and began merging with him.
• Thor sensed Mjolnir leaving him, unleashed his sealed physical potential, and set off alone to find it.
• Thor struggled across the desert, reflected on his sheltered life, and collapsed unconscious from exhaustion and heat.
• Odin assumed Jiang Xiang would rescue Thor, while Jiang Xiang believed Odin would take him home, so Thor lay facedown for an entire day.

Loki found a mysterious blue box in Odin’s vault, and its color revealed that he and Sylvie were Frost Giants, though Sylvie already knew. Meanwhile, Bor revived the dying Thor, who awoke with Odin’s seal gone and an eerie song in his ears.

• Loki entered Odin’s vault and found a blue box sealed to a wall, while Sylvie followed him.
• After touching the box, Loki and Sylvie’s arms turned blue, and Loki suspected they were Frost Giants.
• Sylvie told Loki that their mother had revealed her origins to her centuries earlier, leaving Loki stunned that he alone had been kept in the dark.
• Thor’s soul encountered Bor, who used a remnant of his power to send Thor back into his body.
• Thor awoke feeling vigorous, discovered Odin’s seal was gone, and called for Mjolnir while hearing an unexplained song.

Odin sent Loki to Earth to face Thor in a final test for the crown prince, while their clash caused a terrifying energy burst that alarmed people and S.H.I.E.L.D. Odin ultimately chose Sylvie as Asgard’s crown princess.

• Odin realized Thor’s destiny had changed after Thor lost his hammer, while Thor continued searching for it.
• Heimdall teleported Loki from Asgard to Earth, where Odin declared that Loki and Thor would duel for the right to become crown prince.
• Loki attacked Thor with Gungnir, but Thor used heroic spirit power to evade the strike, and the blast created a crater and frightened people in the desert town.
• Thor and Loki fought with lightning, heroic spirit power, the king of the gods’ power, and ice power as Steve, Jane Foster, Willy, and S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived nearby.
• Odin crowned Sylvie crown princess of Asgard, and she vowed to protect the realm.

Odin entered the Odinsleep after destroying a soul trace in his Vault and asking Jiang Xiang to watch over Thor and Loki. As the brothers fought on Blue Star, Laufey arrived to invade Midgard, and Jiang Xiang watched while Thor and Loki faced him together.

• Odin destroyed an azure soul trace in his Vault, left the celebration, and prepared to enter the Odinsleep after asking Jiang Xiang to look after Thor and Loki.
• Loki declared himself the true King of the Gods and fought Thor, while Coulson's agents investigated Thor's identity and powers.
• Laufey sensed Odin had entered the Odinsleep, abandoned his remaining plans, and opened a Frosted Passage to invade Midgard.
• Laufey announced that he would kill Odin's sons, and Thor and Loki stopped fighting each other to charge at him together.
• Jiang Xiang watched from a flying carpet with Magneto and the Six Paths Sage, explaining that he had promised Odin to give the brothers more training.
• Thor and Loki attacked Laufey with lightning, Gungnir, and Thor's fighting power, but Laufey blocked their strikes and mocked them.

Thor and Loki fought Laufey on Midgard until Magneto and other powerful warriors intervened and killed him. When the brothers returned to Asgard, Heimdall told them that Sylvie had been named heir to the God King's throne.

• Laufey attacked Thor and Loki, but Thor held him off with Loki's help until Laufey sent both brothers flying.
• Steve struck Laufey, then Magneto and several Skyfather-level warriors arrived and killed the ruler of Jotunheim.
• Coulson approached Thor and Loki to learn about the battle, while Thor reunited with Jane Foster.
• Thor and Loki returned to Asgard and found that Gungnir had left Loki's hand.
• Heimdall told Thor and Loki that Princess Sylvie had been named heir to the throne, leaving them dumbfounded.

Old Man, Frank, and Huang Tu visited Asgard, where Frigga sent the Reality Stone to Jiang Xiang and warned Sylvie that Ragnarok was approaching. Meanwhile, Nick Fury rejected a World Security Council effort to give Woda Malick authority over the Avengers Squad.

• Old Man took Frank and Huang Tu to Asgard for the victory banquet and had them train there for more than two weeks.
• Frigga gave Old Man a gift box for Jiang Xiang, and she and Sylvie watched the visitors depart through the Bifrost.
• Frigga told Sylvie that Odin had deliberately sent the Reality Stone to Midgard and explained that Asgard was preparing for Ragnarok.
• Sylvie asked about the vanished Valkyrie army, and Frigga revealed that Sylvie had an older sister.
• A World Security Council representative told Nick Fury that Woda Malick would share command of the Avengers Squad and oversee logistics and cleanup.
• Nick Fury questioned whether the arrangement was an order, then ended the call when Councilman Malick admitted it was not.

Steve investigated disappearances in Hell's Kitchen, rescued a kidnapped child, and uncovered a Black Wolf Gang ritual called the Cityfall Plan. After the suspect's head exploded during interrogation, Steve and Falcon set out to investigate, suspecting the outpost's deputy commander was obstructing them.

• Steve went to Hell's Kitchen after learning that nearly eighty people, including children, had disappeared.
• Steve stopped Kalda, a burlap-clad mage carrying an unconscious child, and captured him after dodging an invisible attack.
• At the S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost, Kalda revealed under truth serum that the Black Wolf Gang planned a god's offering called the Cityfall Plan, then his head suddenly exploded.
• The outpost commander reported the supernatural threat to Nick Fury despite the deputy commander's objections.
• Steve and Falcon left to investigate and Steve told Falcon that the deputy commander was connected to a newly transferred deputy director and had not previously worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Nick Fury sent Coulson to investigate Freddy as Freddy and Kaecilius prepared the Cityfall Plan as a cover for a Wilder Sect operation in Oak City. Jiang Xiang supported Freddy, responded to Mephisto’s probing, and advanced his plans for the Pure Land while the Talismans appeared across Blue Star.

• Nick Fury reviewed intelligence on Freddy, found no unusual reports, and ordered Coulson to visit Freddy’s Fortune-Telling Shop.
• Kaecilius accused Freddy of acting behind his back, but Freddy dismissed him and said the Cityfall Plan would soon be completed.
• Kaecilius prepared to counter Kamar-Taj and the Sorcerer Supreme, relying on Dormammu’s power to hide him from magical surveillance.
• Freddy inspected his arrangements in New York, revealing that his cooperation with Kaecilius and the Cityfall Plan concealed the Wilder Sect’s effort to establish an uncanny domain in Oak City.
• Jiang Xiang supported Freddy, placed a Lightning Demon in Mephisto’s Hell Dimension, and planned for the Pure Land to eventually control the souls of the dead.
• All the Talismans appeared across Blue Star as Old Man organized Asgardian records and prepared to revise his introductory books on Qi Magic.

Kaecilius pressured Norman Osborn to hand over Oak City's Biomedicine Center, threatening him through his son Harry. Afterward, Norman rejected relying on Kaecilius and pursued Dr. Connors's Lizard Regeneration Serum instead.

• Kaecilius met Norman Osborn and demanded more support for his serum project, insisting he needed Oak City's Biomedicine Center.
• Norman warned that surrendering the center could cost him the Board's support, but Kaecilius urged him to consider Harry before leaving.
• Norman sent several data files to Lieutenant General Thaddeus Ross and reflected that Kaecilius's promised serum was not worth trusting.
• Norman called Dr. Connors and ordered him to prepare doses of the Lizard Regeneration Serum to show the Military.
• Dr. Connors told interns Gwen Stacy and Daisy to leave his laboratory so he could prepare the serum himself.