Chapter Summaries

Ultimate Reed captured and analyzed the Corrupted Spider-Man, then investigated the Eye Demon's link to the Cancerverse. In the Cancerverse, the Guardians of the Galaxy found temporary shelter with the Church of Universal Truth, whose leader was awakening inside a golden cocoon.

• Ultimate Reed stopped the Corrupted Spider-Man from attacking Miles, took Miles's bracelet, and promised to rescue the Peter Parker trapped in another universe.
• Ultimate Reed dissected the Corrupted Spider-Man, identified magical traces linked to the Eye Demon, and used a device to access the Cancerverse's underlying code.
• The Guardians of the Galaxy entered the Church of Universal Truth's extradimensional territory and fell unconscious; Star-Lord later woke to find Borgia watching over him and his teammates.
• Borgia told Star-Lord that the church was protecting Thanos because his death could let the Corrupted heretics reach and capture the Death Goddess.
• Borgia explained that the church was saving Thanos to delay the heretics until its leader could act, then showed Star-Lord Adam Warlock suspended in a golden cocoon.

Star-Lord and Thanos remained with the Church of Universal Truth while Doctor Strange investigated the virus, but the Creator disrupted the Cancerverse and exposed the church as a cover for Brad. Adam emerged from the cocoon to protect his believer, and Brad escaped the Creator’s grasp.

• Borgia told Star-Lord that he would leave with Thanos once Thanos had recovered, while Doctor Strange returned to Earth-616 to discuss the virus with Tony Stark.
• The Creator halted the Cancerverse, then restarted it and drove the Corrupted to burn their lifespans and unleash a surge of psychic magic.
• The Creator found the Church of Universal Truth, exposed Borgia as Speed and the robed followers as robots, and traced Speed’s altered history back to Brad.
• The Creator began pulling Brad from his body, but Adam emerged from the cocoon and knocked the Creator’s hand aside to protect his believer.
• The Creator realized Brad had concealed a real Adam cocoon inside the fabricated church, and Brad’s body returned to normal as he declared himself the church’s most devout believer.

Adam confronted the “Creator,” who dragged him into a singularity to escape, while Brad raided the Reed Council and damaged the Creator’s database. The Old Living Tribunal pulled Adam away before his ascension, and the Creator returned to find Brad had escaped with the Chaos Cage; the Creator then headed for the Cancerverse as Doctor Strange and Iron Man assembled a team to enter it.

• Adam caught the “Creator” by the arm, resisted his attempts to escape across space and universes, and was dragged with him into a singularity.
• Brad and his avatars infiltrated the Reed Council, put the puppet Reeds to sleep, damaged the Creator’s database, and hurled the Chaos Cage beyond the Multiverse.
• Adam’s divinity surged inside the singularity, but the Old Living Tribunal intervened and removed him before he could ascend into a new Living Tribunal.
• The “Creator” returned to the Reed Council, discovered Brad’s raid, and realized that Brad had escaped while leaving the Chaos Cage beyond the Multiverse.
• Brad told Donald that he wanted to see whether Ultimate Reed would save the sleeping Reeds, while the “Creator” ordered the database restored and went to the Cancerverse.
• Doctor Strange and Iron Man assembled a team on Earth-616 and opened a passage to the Cancerverse.

Doctor Strange and Iron Man led Earth-616’s heroes into the Cancerverse, where they fought Demon Hulk before the Creator, disguised as Brad, revealed his upgraded counterforce field and drove them to retreat. The real Brad watched from hiding and realized the Creator had learned and improved his technology.

• Doctor Strange sensed a disturbance in the Cancerverse as Demon Hulk attacked the arriving heroes, and Sentry and Thor restrained him while Doctor Strange and Iron Man tried to cure him.
• The Creator, disguised as Brad, interrupted the heroes with a missile attack that let Demon Hulk escape, then announced that he considered the universes experimental subjects.
• The Creator used his counterforce field to strip Sentry of his powers and weaken Thor, frightening the other heroes and dividing their resolve.
• Doctor Strange reopened a portal, and the heroes retreated to Earth-616 after Iron Man failed to decipher the Creator’s encrypted field.
• The real Brad watched the confrontation and realized the Creator had upgraded the counterforce field he had developed.

After the heroes returned to Earth-616, Tony Stark and Doctor Strange foresaw how efforts to crack Brad’s counterforce field would trigger a war among superheroes and supercriminals. The Creator revealed that he had engineered the field to provoke suspicion, while Brad sensed a cross-universal force targeting him and suspected the Creator had arranged an attack.

• Thor discovered that his powers had not returned and left to seek Odin’s help, while Robert Reynolds reported that he could no longer feel Sentry or Void.
• Tony Stark questioned whether Robert wanted his Sentry powers back, then argued that cracking the counterforce field would create a destabilizing arms race among Earth’s organizations.
• Doctor Strange divined a future in which S.H.I.E.L.D. and superheroes fought over the technology, Robert regained his powers, and escalating violence led to a war.
• The Creator explained to the Reed Council that he had encrypted the counterforce field to breed insecurity and suspicion, hoping the Main Universe would kill Brad and bury the technology.
• Brad examined the Creator’s encryption, inferred that he meant to provoke others into attacking him, and sensed a force crossing universes that had locked onto his particles.

Brad traced an attack from Earth-616 to an earlier moment in the Cancerverse, while Robert Reynolds regained the Sentry force and set out to confront Void. In the Cancerverse, Sentry found the Guardians of the Galaxy overwhelmed by Mar-Vell and struck him down.

• Brad turned ethereal to break the attacker's lock, then opened a breakpoint in spacetime in the Cancerverse and watched the past Creator who had copied his appearance.
• Robert Reynolds heard Void’s voice return, regained his golden powers, and flew through the Portal to settle matters once and for all.
• Tony Stark realized Sentry had left for another universe, and Doctor Strange arrived to suggest they seek help.
• The Guardians of the Galaxy landed on an asteroid, where Thanos and Star-Lord spoke about their past before Mar-Vell and the Corrupted ambushed them.
• Mar-Vell’s forces defeated the Guardians and began enveloping Thanos in black vapor, but Sentry arrived and smashed Mar-Vell beneath the asteroid’s surface.

Brad manipulated Sentry to uncover his true ability, then erased Sentry’s arrival and restored the Cancerverse’s timeline. He unleashed the Eye Demon on the Death Goddess, causing the Cancerverse to spread into other universes and leaving the Creator alarmed at the crisis’s scale.

• Sentry arrived to help the Guardians of the Galaxy and asked Star-Lord to help him find Brad, but Brad froze the scene and revealed himself.
• Brad made Sentry confront his fear of the Void, recorded and analyzed him, and discovered that Sentry’s true ability was incomplete reality manipulation.
• Brad erased Sentry’s arrival from the Cancerverse, returned him to the Main Universe, and restored the timeline to the moment before he had appeared.
• Mar-Vell killed Thanos and summoned the Death Goddess, but Brad drew the Eye Demon’s attention and the demon dragged her away.
• With death erased from the Cancerverse, its tentacles spread into nearby universes, devouring thirteen parallel universes and two multiverses.
• The Creator learned of the Cancerverse’s expansion and realized that Brad’s plan had exceeded his predictions.

Brad used the Cancerverse to kill the Creator, destroying the Reed Council in the process, but the runaway universe threatened to consume every multiverse. He revealed that Doctor Strange Supreme could redirect it and brought him to help.

• The Creator entered the Cancerverse and found Brad manipulating Mar-Vell, who was guiding the universe as it devoured other worlds.
• Brad exposed himself and the Creator to the Cancerverse’s consciousness, and its tentacles consumed them along with the All-Powerful Helmet.
• The Creator’s death erased the Reed Council, while Brad’s remote body self-destructed and he returned to the Main Camp through Transdimensional Computation.
• Number Four warned that the Cancerverse would consume every multiverse in just over forty days, and Number One went there to train despite the danger.
• Brad revealed that Doctor Strange Supreme had digested the Eye Demon’s power and could redirect the Cancerverse, then welcomed him through a portal.

Robert accepted both Sentry and Void as parts of himself, harmonized their powers, and unleashed enough energy to wound the Cancerverse. As Robert fought inside it, the Cancerverse approached the Main Universe again, and Doctor Strange, Mister Fantastic, and Phoenix prepared to repair the breach but Mister Fantastic refused to leave.

• Robert recognized that Sentry and Void were both parts of him and synchronized their powers within himself.
• Robert sensed the Cancerverse attacking the Main Universe, punched through its barrier, and wounded the Cancerverse.
• Robert followed the retreating Cancerverse inside and fought off its attacks while the superheroes discussed the danger.
• Brad used data from Dark Strange's spell to program the Cancerverse to approach the Main Universe's breach again.
• Mister Fantastic warned the superheroes of the Cancerverse's return, and Doctor Strange, Mister Fantastic, and Phoenix went to examine the breach.
• Phoenix said Robert's psychic imprint had to be erased before they could repair the breach, but Mister Fantastic said they could not leave.

Mister Fantastic, Doctor Strange, and Phoenix repaired the Universe Barrier and brought Robert back from the Cancerverse, while Brad drank the third virus to begin his plan to take over the multiverse. The virus began transforming Brad and his Magic Universe clone, who continued lecturing at X Magic Academy as he announced an ultimate evolution.

• Mister Fantastic warned Doctor Strange and Phoenix not to leave the Main Universe, and they helped repair the breach Robert had made in the Universe Barrier.
• Brad drank the third virus and confronted Doom, who explained that Skynet and the Husk Robot had dissipated after escaping the Chaos Cage and warned that beings of their power were difficult to kill permanently.
• Doctor Strange pulled the unconscious Robert out of the Cancerverse, and Mister Fantastic explained that the Cancerverse's information completeness had grown after it devoured other universes.
• Brad began coughing blood as the third virus took effect, then told Number Four he planned to use this rare opportunity to conquer parallel universes.
• At X Magic Academy, Brad's Magic Clone began transforming into silver-gray substance while continuing his lecture, and he declared that he would bring everyone along for the ultimate evolution.

Brad assimilated the Magic Universe and 8,832 Parallel Universes into his body, then returned to Earth-9527 and revisited New York. The chapter ended when Tony Stark recognized Brad in an old photograph and asked Pepper Potts to take it down.

• The silver-gray substance consumed the Magic Universe, but Brad absorbed its final power and restored Carter and the people of the X Magic Academy to life within it.
• Brad explained that the Magic Universe had become part of his body, then sent Carter back to the X Magic Academy, where the survivors attacked him with magic.
• Brad and his clones assimilated the 8,832 known realities branching from the Home Universe while avoiding the Main Universe's notice.
• Brad returned to Earth-9527, where Tony Stark did not recognize him when they passed outside Stark Tower.
• Tony spotted a young man resembling Brad beside Howard Stark in an old Stark Industries group photograph and asked Pepper Potts to take it down.

Tony learned that his father’s old friend Brad had provided Stark Industries with its advanced computer technology, then discovered Brad had returned and was speaking with Obadiah. Brad later met the Ancient One in the underground chamber where the Book of God had reappeared, and she revealed that it recorded his dark deeds.

• Tony asked Obadiah about the young man in an old photograph, and Obadiah identified him as Brad, Howard Stark’s friend and the source of Stark Industries’ computer technology.
• Obadiah remembered Brad’s earlier disappearance, then found him sitting in his office and questioned why he still looked so young.
• Brad warned Obadiah that Stark Industries would be worthless in a cosmic catastrophe and suggested Obadiah might help him in the future.
• Brad entered the underground chamber where the Ancient One waited with the Book of God, whose defenses he had bypassed.
• The Ancient One told Brad that the Book of God had returned on its own and had shown her that he had brought a universe to its end and fallen into darkness.

Brad investigated the Book of God but found no explanation for its influence, postponing the Home Universe’s assimilation until he had dealt with the splintered realities. He then confronted HYDRA’s Supreme Council, reasserted his authority, and recruited Doctor Faustus to work with him.

• Brad found that the Book of God remained unresponsive and decided to postpone assimilating the Home Universe until he had assimilated the earlier parallel universes.
• Baron Zemo convened HYDRA’s Supreme Council, where Madame Viper and Doctor Faustus questioned his reasons for calling the meeting.
• Brad appeared before the council and identified himself, while Faustus and Viper remained suspicious of the supposed return of HYDRA’s former leader.
• Brad criticized Faustus’s human-enhancement research and used a force field to pull him from his distant location to the meeting.
• Brad warned the council to provide him with assistance and not interfere with his movements, then invited Faustus to work at his side as a student.

The War Horseman entered a ruined universe through Apocalypse’s inscription technology and witnessed the history of its cosmic war and Venom’s rise. Venom used genetic samples gathered across the multiverse to rebuild intelligent life, drawing the attention of Intelligent Tony.

• Brad sent the War Horseman to investigate a universe tied to Skynet’s legacy, and the War Horseman entered its time loop to claim an inheritance.
• The War Horseman witnessed how the Kree, Shi'ar, Skrull, and Earth’s artificial intelligences unlocked limitless evolution, leading to a war that nearly wiped out intelligent life.
• After Eddie Brock died, Venom rejected Tony’s Cloud Universe and left Earth to collect genetic samples and recreate species.
• Venom created blue-skinned Apocalypses to gather genetic data across universes, stored the samples in the Higher-Dimensional Crystal, and used the Jamie Madrox, Storm, and Elixir genes to expand his work.
• Venom recreated intelligent species and billions of humans on habitable planets, and his achievements attracted Intelligent Tony’s interest.

The War Horseman witnessed Tony Stark and Venom build rival civilizations that fought across the universe until Tony perfected computronium and Venom created a New Universe by destroying the Higher-Dimensional Crystal. Tony remained in the Old Universe’s repeating cycle, where he gave the War Horseman Venom’s legacy and the story began again with Tony’s awakening and Eddie Brock finding him.

• Tony Stark turned the Milky Way’s copied consciousness programs into the Machine Intelligence race, while Venom created the New Human Divine Kingdom.
• Tony and Venom’s civilizations went to war after Tony sought to perfect computronium, and their conflict continued for tens of thousands of years as Venom’s warriors nearly died out.
• Tony collected the last new human’s information and perfected computronium, but Venom destroyed the Higher-Dimensional Crystal and used it to create a New Universe.
• Tony chose to remain in the Old Universe and repeat its history, explaining that Venom was absent from the New Universe and that he would not interfere with its evolution.
• Tony gave the War Horseman Venom’s legacy before the cycle restarted, and Eddie Brock approached the newly awakened Tony Stark.

Brad sent War Horseman out of the Marvel Multiverse with a symbiote gene extract and an assignment to explore other worlds, where his growth would escape the multiverse’s four-dimensional record. As War Horseman was transported away with several powerful allies, an unexpected figure rushed after him, declaring allegiance to his new boss.

• War Horseman asked Brad about Venom’s higher-dimensional crystal, Tony Stark’s computronium, and Venom’s hive mind program, and Brad explained how information completeness and a four-dimensional existence accounted for their powers and origins.
• Brad gave War Horseman a symbiote gene extract uncontaminated by multiversal information, explaining that it could let him grow by learning from worlds outside the Marvel Multiverse.
• Brad described his stalled plans, his expected conflict with the Main Universe and Doctor Doom, and his decision to send War Horseman away as a separate bet.
• The Beyonder’s projection, Adam Warlock, Doctor Strange Supreme, and Kang the Conqueror appeared, and the group jointly sent War Horseman out of the multiverse.
• An unexpected person appeared during the transport and lunged after War Horseman, saying they were joining their new boss.

Clark and Judy investigated strange lightning strikes on a farm, where Clark rescued them from a sudden storm and a naked man appeared inside a ball of lightning. The newcomer, Brad, learned he was on Earth and copied Superman’s genes, gaining a vast array of superpowers.

• Clark drove Judy to interview a farmer whose property had been struck by lightning repeatedly beneath clear skies.
• At the scorched patch of ground, Clark sensed a more powerful strike coming and carried Judy and the farmer away just before it hit.
• A lightning sphere appeared and dissipated, revealing Brad in a superhero landing pose as Clark changed into Superman.
• Brad and Superman exchanged questions, and Brad explained that he had come seeking refuge after crossing into another universe.
• Brad examined Superman’s genes, copied them into his own body, and began absorbing energy from the sun while discovering more than thirty new powers.

Brad arrived in Superman’s world as a refugee, copied Superman’s genes, and earned Clark Kent’s trust before staying at the Fortress of Solitude. Through delayed hive-mind fragments, he witnessed his defeat in the Main Universe and learned that Arno Stark had enacted a hidden contingency to preserve him and manipulate the multiversal upheaval.

• Brad explained to Superman that he could copy genes and had been sent away from a doomed universe as a contingency, and Superman offered him temporary shelter.
• Brad printed himself a lab coat, flew with Superman to the Fortress of Solitude, and resisted the temptation to take its technology.
• Brad’s delayed memories showed the Main Universe heroes defeating and imprisoning him while Doom used the chaos to force multiverses to collide.
• Arno Stark visited Brad in prison and gave him a capsule that caused his death, while a counterpart helped move Brad’s clone to the Zero-Time Zone Dimension.
• The two Arnos’ plan used the information predator to replace Main Universe Arno with the counterpart from universe 9527, and the surviving Arno prepared to help Kang the Conqueror become the TVA’s founder.

Brad left the Fortress of Solitude and traveled to Gotham, seeking a place where he could keep a low profile. He found a job advertisement from Doctor Crane and, after reaching Crane’s lab, stopped him from releasing gas through a concealed tube.

• Superman found Brad’s message at the Fortress of Solitude and decided not to search for him.
• Brad returned to the outskirts of Metropolis, reunited with Wade Wilson, gave him money, and built himself a car from junkyard materials.
• Brad drove to Gotham, assessed the city and its dangers, and decided to keep a low profile while looking for work.
• Brad found an advertisement for an assistant to Doctor Crane, called him, and followed his directions to a remote laboratory.
• Doctor Crane welcomed Brad into the lab and prepared to release gas from a rubber tube, but Brad caught his wrist and offered to fix the flickering light.

Jason alerted Batman that Dr. Crane had hired a young assistant, and Batman investigated to make sure the newcomer was safe. Batman found no evidence Crane had harmed anyone, but Brad’s immunity to the doctor’s concentrated Fear Gas and his control over Crane left the story with a new, unsettling partnership in place.

• Jason showed Batman surveillance footage of Brad visiting Dr. Crane’s home and regretted failing to monitor him sooner.
• Batman refused to let Jason accompany him and rode alone to Crane’s residence, while Alfred served Jason coffee he mistakenly drank.
• Batman confirmed Brad was sleeping unharmed, searched Crane’s laboratory, found no Fear Gas residue, and knocked Crane unconscious after warning him not to hurt innocents.
• Crane discovered Brad had drunk his concentrated Fear Gas without harm, and Brad praised the toxin while offering Crane another formula to improve it.
• Batman returned to the Batcave, tasted Alfred’s coffee, and decided he preferred the beans prepared for Jason.