Chapter Summaries

John used money and manipulation to turn Bird against the Viper Gang, then entered Satan’s Mansion with Fudge. Meanwhile, an injured Matt stole contraband from the club and hid in a bathroom, where John found him and offered help.

• John offered Rand and the other Viper Gang members money, prompting Bird to stab Rand after Rand tried to alert the gang.
• John calmed Bird, persuaded him to share the money with Harold and Vincent, and convinced the three men to leave the Viper Gang together.
• John entered Satan’s Mansion with Fudge while Fudge accused him of inciting a crime and agreed to investigate Rand’s death.
• Corey blamed Daredevil for disrupting his contraband business and ordered the death race to draw in more money.
• Matt uncovered the race’s contraband operation, stole a bag of drugs, fought his way out, and hid in a bathroom stall.
• John found Matt injured in the bathroom, and Matt admitted that he needed help.

John and Matt infiltrated Satan's Mansion to recover stolen goods and investigate kidnapped children, while Roman competed in the Death Race. John killed Corey by using Parseltongue to command Corey's own snake, and Roman unexpectedly won the race.

• John, Matt, Ferdinand, and Fudge went to the Death Race, where Matt asked John to help rescue kidnapped children and John agreed to handle the second floor.
• Roman entered the race in John's luxury car and took the lead despite facing heavily armed opponents.
• Matt went to investigate upstairs while John gave Fudge money to bet on Roman's car.
• Madame Gao met Corey about the children and promised him more merchandise if he proved himself, but Corey learned his shipment had been stolen and ordered Daredevil killed.
• John confronted Corey with the stolen goods, and when Corey refused his offer, John used Parseltongue to make Corey's Patterned Snake kill him.
• Roman won the Death Race, delighting Ferdinand.

John took an Evolution Serum, a hidden badge, and documents from Corey’s safe while Matt rescued the imprisoned children and fought Roman and Sophia. After John settled the damaged-car bill by taking Roman’s prize money, Matt sensed Madame Gao leaving Hell’s Kitchen in a black SUV.

• John opened Corey’s hidden safe, took the Evolution Serum, a serpent-tentacled skull badge, and documents, and left the rest of the valuables behind.
• Matt found the imprisoned children, fought off their captors, and battled Roman until Ferdinand intervened and stopped his brother.
• John met Matt outside Satan’s Mansion and charged Roman for damaging his modified car, taking Roman’s prize money to cover the bill.
• John told Matt that his clothes needed tailoring, then left in his pickup while Roman went to get his own car repaired.
• Matt sensed that Madame Gao was inside a departing black SUV and realized Hell’s Kitchen had grown more complicated.

John brought Hammer Industries’ new Iron Soldier to the Air Force Base for testing, where its performance impressed General Ross and Rhodey. Ross placed an order for fifty units of each model, worth more than ten billion dollars, setting Hammer Industries up for a major revival.

• Natasha confronted John about the bounty on the Ten Rings leader and the money behind it, then reported that Hammer Industries had finished assembling a new Iron Soldier.
• John and Natasha visited Hammer Industries, where Ivan said the Iron Soldier’s program was ready and declined to attend the test at the Air Force Base.
• John presented the Iron Soldier to General Ross, and the machine passed tests of speed, durability, and firepower.
• Rhodey questioned the Iron Soldier’s security, and John explained that its independent network and dedicated server prevented remote control.
• General Ross ordered fifty units of each Iron Soldier model, and John left the arrangements to Natasha.

John left Hammer Industries to tour Brooklyn, while Natasha was summoned to S.H.I.E.L.D. after something was brought out of the ice. The Ten Rings leader survived another attack and contacted Fisk for help; as John and Ferdinand drove into Manhattan, a car following them fired a rocket at their vehicle.

• John joked with Natasha at Hammer Industries before leaving work, and Natasha received Nick Fury’s call to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. because someone had brought something out of the ice.
• The Ten Rings leader hid from attackers, treated his infected wound, and called Fisk to demand money and protection.
• John had Ferdinand drive around Brooklyn so he could study the area, then noticed a silver car had been tailing them since they left the company.
• The people in the silver car fired a rocket at John and Ferdinand’s luxury car, engulfing it in flames.

John survived an assassination attempt and traced the attack to Wilson Fisk, while Matt encountered John after the assassin died. The next morning, John asked Natasha to investigate Fisk as he upgraded his magical glove with uru.

• Three machine gunners attacked John's car, and John used magic to escape with Ferdinand before teleporting away to find those responsible.
• A passenger in the silver car killed the driver and two gunmen, then burned the vehicle to conceal the operation.
• Wilson Fisk celebrated the attack as an opportunity to expand his power and take the place of the late Underworld President.
• Matt became Daredevil and found John interrogating a badly beaten assassin, who shot himself after John identified Fisk as the likely mastermind.
• John told Matt to say he had not been in the car, then asked Natasha to use S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate Wilson Fisk.
• John tested his uru-enhanced silver glove, and Natasha discussed Fisk's possible ties to the Hotel System and the High Table.

John brought Ivan to Taran Industries and tasked him with studying the Destroyer armor, promising to support his work and his revenge on Tony Stark. Ivan accepted John as an ally and destroyed the hidden threat he had planted in the New Iron Soldier.

• John met Ivan at a tea house, discussed his work for Hammer Industries, and offered him a mysterious new subject to study.
• John bought the tea house to stop Ivan from flirting with a waitress, then took Ivan and Ferdinand to Taran Industries.
• John showed Ivan the Destroyer armor and explained that it had survived missiles and powerful attacks without damage.
• Ivan examined the Destroyer and eagerly asked for equipment to analyze its unusual metal.
• John told Ivan he could openly build weapons and armor to challenge Tony Stark, and Ivan shook his hand in gratitude.
• After John left, Ivan crushed the USB drive containing his hidden threat inside the New Iron Soldier and returned to studying the Destroyer.

John took a vacation, met a friendly tea companion, and confronted Natasha after she secretly entered his home to warn him about assassination attempts. Natasha revealed she was leaving because an old man was hospitalized, and John showed her a badge that she recognized as Hydra’s.

• Coulson inspected Old Bridge Town after Jorson’s crew restored it in three days, then accepted the expensive bill for S.H.I.E.L.D.
• John gave Ferdinand half a month off and went traveling while Ferdinand considered studying and Mrs. Pierce tried to change her habits.
• John shared tea and conversation with an unnamed man at a restaurant, then vanished with Apparition after sensing someone had taken the bait.
• Natasha sneaked into John’s room, told him she was leaving and warned that attempts on his life would continue.
• John showed Natasha a badge, and she recognized it as Hydra’s.

John learned that the badge he possessed belonged to Hydra, while Matt began investigating Wilson Fisk and S.H.I.E.L.D. focused on Project Pegasus and the newly recovered Captain America. When FBI agents Ray and Dax asked John to cooperate for his protection, John beat Dax at another coin-catching game and warned that someone else should be afraid.

• Natasha warned John that Hydra was more dangerous than a gang after recognizing his badge as Hydra property.
• Matt rescued a woman in Hell's Kitchen, then decided to investigate Wilson Fisk after recalling John's words.
• Fudge showed Matt a Braille printer John had sent, and Matt learned that John was a major shareholder in Hammer Industries.
• Dr. Selvig joined S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Project Pegasus, while Fury told Natasha to leave her assignment watching John and Coulson eagerly asked to see the recovered old popsicle.
• Ray and Dax warned John that the attackers and a fourth man were dead, offered him protection, and asked for his cooperation.
• John challenged Dax to catch a gold coin, snatched it away before Dax could, and told Ray that he was not the one who should be afraid.

John explored a New York art gallery, encountered Wilson Fisk, and shared tea with a regular acquaintance. Meanwhile, an Adjudicator ordered Winston to cancel the huge bounty on the Ten Rings leader within three days or risk losing his position.

• John visited an art exhibition, spoke with an elegant woman about a painting called Snow Rabbit, and left after reflecting on the feeling it stirred in him.
• John recognized Wilson Fisk as he passed him at the gallery and continued on his way.
• John met his tea-drinking acquaintance and recommended a book about magic and adventure before leaving.
• A female Adjudicator arrived at the Continental Hotel and demanded to meet its manager about the bounty placed on the Ten Rings leader.
• The Adjudicator told Winston that the High Table questioned his fitness as manager and gave him three days to cancel the bounty.
• After the Adjudicator left, Winston objected that oppression would not win people's hearts.

John negotiated with Tony Stark for an artificial intelligence in exchange for access to magic crystals, then upgraded his Limited Gauntlet with a second piece of uru. He tested its power and discovered three listening devices in his home, suspecting S.H.I.E.L.D. was spying on him.

• Tony drove John to Stark Mansion and warned him that Ivan Vanko's Iron Soldier project could fail because of palladium poisoning.
• John and Tony traded accusations over their past conflicts before Tony asked John to use magic to help him.
• John agreed to provide Tony with magic crystals in exchange for an artificial intelligence comparable to JARVIS, and gave him a card to order them.
• John returned home by Apparition and fused a second piece of uru into his Limited Gauntlet.
• John tested the upgraded gauntlet by disassembling and restoring objects, walls, and floors, then noticed three listening devices and wondered whether S.H.I.E.L.D. was spying on him.

John joined Matt and Fudge as they investigated Peggy, an employee accused of murdering her coworker at the United Construction Company, and warned that the killer might strike again. After accepting Agent Dax’s invitation to talk, John met him at the place he often visited.

• John crushed a listening device, spotted Ray following him, and suggested that Ray investigate Fisk.
• John went with Matt and Fudge to the Police Station, where they learned Peggy was suspected of killing Daniel Fisher.
• John and Matt believed Peggy was telling the truth, but John pointed out that she could still be hiding something.
• Agent Dax asked John to meet him that night, and John agreed despite Matt’s warning that Dax was more than he seemed.
• John reminded Matt and Fudge that whoever killed Daniel might kill again, then left the law office and used his Wand to reach Agent Dax.

John challenged Dax to repeated coin games, dismantling his fixation on Julie and his treasured therapist’s tapes before stopping him from taking his own life. Dax accepted John as a new guide and left to follow him, while John recognized that Dax was a Squib with an Obscurus.

• Dax recalled how his destructive impulses led him to kill his baseball coach and how his therapist helped him find Julie as a north star.
• Dax met John intending to kill him, but John proposed a coin game with Dax’s cassette tapes and pin as stakes.
• John repeatedly won the coin tosses, leaving Dax distraught and telling him that Julie did not belong to him.
• Dax lost his wager over his north star and reached for his gun, but John stopped him with the gold coin and offered the Sun as a new guide.
• Dax took the coin and later watched Julie without feeling attached, then left to follow the Sun.

John refused the Adjudicator’s demand to cancel the bounty, and the Ten Rings leader’s death made the bounty impossible to withdraw. After inviting Matt, Fudge, and Peggy to investigate the United Company, John’s story widened to Taran Industries’ weapons work and Loki’s plans to bring the Casket of Ancient Winters to Earth.

• Winston brought John to the Adjudicator, who demanded that he cancel the bounty, but John refused and hinted that he knew someone had sent her.
• Winston announced that the Ten Rings leader had been killed and the bounty claimed; John denied involvement and told the Adjudicator to reveal who was behind her demand.
• The news of the $120 million bounty sparked an uproar among assassins, and John told Winston that the game was still on.
• Matt and Fudge helped Peggy expose the United Construction Company’s pension crimes, and John invited Peggy to join an investigation of the company.
• Ivan continued developing Taran Industries’ weapons and reactor prototype, while Loki used his blood to activate the Casket of Ancient Winters and send its power toward Earth.

John traded Magic Crystals with Yuri Orlov for information about Kingpin and met Danny, one of Orlov’s bodyguards. While exploring Queens, John reunited with Peter and May, shared a meal with them, and promised to visit for Christmas; the chapter ended with Wenwu introducing himself to John.

• John gave Yuri Orlov a bag of Magic Crystals in exchange for an account of Kingpin’s power and ambitions against John’s father.
• Orlov warned John that others on the High Table also coveted his father’s position and introduced him to his bodyguard Danny.
• John met Peter and May in Queens, took their photograph, and joined them for Thai food.
• John talked with Peter about magic and invited him to imagine receiving a wizarding-school letter by owl.
• John promised Peter and May that he would visit them at Christmas and bring Peter a present.
• John noticed an Asian man across the street, who introduced himself as Wenwu.

John met Wenwu, who demanded that he secretly protect Shang-Chi, and the two fought after John refused to help without compensation. John transported Wenwu to a snowy location, where their battle continued and the Wand flew toward Wenwu’s eye.

• Wenwu confronted John about the Ten Rings puppet he had killed and asked him to protect his fourteen-year-old son, Shang-Chi, from the shadows.
• John refused Wenwu’s demand for help without an equivalent exchange, and used Apparition to take Wenwu to a remote area where they could fight.
• Wenwu attacked with the Ten Rings while John countered with spells, shields, Apparition, and Transfiguration; their clash damaged the surrounding terrain.
• John and Wenwu continued fighting until John transported them away from an approaching convoy to a snowy location.
• John blasted the Ten Rings away and sent the enlarged Wand hurtling toward Wenwu’s eye.

Ferdinand was knocked unconscious and taken away after escaping the hospital, while John and Wenwu fought before reaching a deal over Shang-Chi and Kingpin. Their handshake was interrupted by a yeti, and John Apparated with Wenwu as an avalanche buried the creature.

• Ferdinand was taken to the hospital after inhaling pepper spray, then fled from the bill and drove away without Roman.
• A stranger knocked Ferdinand unconscious, moved him into the passenger seat, and drove off in his truck.
• John broke free of Wenwu’s ten rings, and Wenwu offered business concessions in exchange for John helping Shang-Chi.
• John refused Wenwu’s offer and instead demanded that the Ten Rings end their partnership with Kingpin, which Wenwu agreed to do.
• John and Wenwu shook hands, then a yeti charged at them and sent Wenwu flying.
• John bound Wenwu and Apparated away with him as the yeti’s roar triggered an avalanche that buried it.

John brought Wenwu to New York, where they shared tea and discussed power, immortality, and the emptiness of a long life. Wenwu gave John a photograph of his son, Sean, who was working as a dishwasher at the Continental Hotel.

• John Apparated with Wenwu to New York, where he used a Confundus Charm to convince an elderly couple they were ordinary passersby.
• John and Wenwu visited Jack’s tea shop and learned that Robert had gone to visit Terry.
• John and Wenwu discussed how power could protect loved ones, and Wenwu reflected on his centuries of conquest and his wife’s death.
• John offered Wenwu cake, and Wenwu tried strawberry cream cake with East Asian tea before they parted.
• Wenwu gave John a photograph of Sean, and John wondered what the fourteen-year-old could do in New York.
• Sean washed dishes at the Continental Hotel, where the receptionist offered him a financial aid application.

Dax kidnapped Ferdinand to learn how John Wick had vanished, but John called and redirected Dax to the Wick family home. John then recruited Dax to help find Shang-Chi and urged him to treat his violent inner nature as a potential strength.

• Dax interrogated Ferdinand about John Wick, but Ferdinand refused to betray his employer.
• John called Ferdinand’s phone and ordered Dax to bring Ferdinand to the Wick family home for a job.
• John revealed that he had known Dax was following him and gave him Shang-Chi’s photograph, asking him to find the fourteen-year-old runaway.
• John told Dax that his inner monster could be both a curse and a blessing, and encouraged him to become a superhero.
• Dax agreed to investigate Shang-Chi, while Ferdinand was left bewildered that Dax had become one of John’s allies.

Fury and Coulson waited for the frozen Captain America to wake, while John encouraged Robert to act on his conscience over Irina. John learned that Shang-Chi was living near May and decided to buy his apartment; Robert then confronted a Russian with $9,800 and a timer.

• House told Fury that Captain America might wake if something triggered his memories, and Coulson watched over the sleeping hero and his shield.
• Robert told John that Irina had acted on his encouragement to pursue her dream and suffered for it, and John urged Robert to follow his heart.
• Robert decided that some things had to be done and left, while John offered his support.
• Dax gave John a file showing that Shang-Chi had moved to New York under the name Sean and was attending Midtown High School.
• John recognized Shang-Chi's apartment as being near May's home and ordered Ferdinand to buy it so he could keep an eye on him.
• Robert entered an opulent room with $9,800 and started his watch's timer before facing a vicious-looking Russian.