Chapter Summaries

Cassandra kept Tony captive in an operating room, but her guards’ absence revealed a zombie outbreak inside the hospital. After killing an infected guard, she armed herself as more zombies approached.

• Cassandra mocked Tony about his brief performance and insisted that she was not Hydra and had no part in killing his parents.
• Cassandra called for her guards, but heard strange moans over her earpiece and went to investigate.
• Cassandra found an infected guard eating a dead subordinate and shot at him when he attacked.
• Cassandra severed the zombie’s head, took its assault rifle, and destroyed the still-moving head.
• Gunfire drew howls and footsteps from infected creatures in the hospital corridor.

Cassandra freed Tony after showing him proof that the hospital was overrun by intelligent zombies, and the former lovers began working together to escape. As Tony built makeshift armor, they confronted their past and the possibility that neither of their parents had left remains.

• Cassandra escaped the operating room, saw intelligent zombies filling the hallway, and showed Tony a video proving they were real.
• Tony learned that the signal jammer was on the roof and that the stairwell was blocked, then decided to build makeshift armor from hospital supplies.
• Cassandra guarded the room while Tony assembled a crude suit and planned to reach the roof, disable the jammer, and summon his armor.
• Tony and Cassandra discussed their shared past, their parents’ missing remains, and how Tony had once used the superhero identity to escape reality.
• Tony told Cassandra that Iron Man was no longer a game and that he was committed to protecting the people he cared about and Earth.

Tony and Cassandra prepared to escape the hospital in a crude exoskeleton, but Natasha arrived after the zombies had already been killed by the Synthezoid army. As they reached the rooftop and found a Quinjet, they saw a flying zombie—Falcon—heading toward the aircraft.

• Tony finished building a makeshift exoskeleton, and Cassandra insisted that he wear it while she pushed its battery cart.
• Cassandra kissed Tony and slept with him briefly before they set out to leave the room.
• Tony opened the door and found Natasha waiting in a corridor filled with dead zombies; she claimed she had killed them and led Tony and Cassandra toward the rooftop.
• Natasha privately concealed that Adjutant and the Synthezoid army had cleared the hospital, while she had erased the surveillance footage.
• Natasha demanded a reward from Tony for supposedly saving him, and the three reached the rooftop as a flying zombie Falcon approached the Quinjet.

S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived at the hospital during a zombie outbreak, where Deathstroke killed the zombified Falcon and helped the others secure the building. He persuaded Coulson to cover up the outbreak as a terrorist attack, leaving the hospital’s victims to be erased from the official story.

• Iron Man recognized the flying zombie as Falcon and asked Natasha to shoot him down so he could question him.
• Deathstroke leapt from the Quinjet, pinned Falcon to the hospital roof, and killed him with his lightsaber.
• Deathstroke teased Tony about a secret, and Tony begged him not to reveal it.
• Coulson told Deathstroke that a hospital-wide outbreak would have to be reported to the United Nations.
• Deathstroke urged Coulson to claim terrorists had caused an explosion and fire, arguing that the cover-up would keep the military from pursuing the zombie virus.
• Coulson accepted that hiding the outbreak would protect the world from the military obtaining the virus.

Deathstroke burned the hospital to contain a zombie outbreak, then led a small team to find Fury at a remote warehouse. The team reached Fury’s running SUV and heard a sound coming from underground.

• Deathstroke destroyed the hospital with a remotely piloted plane and explosives, while Carol and Daisy pretended to fight the fire.
• Deathstroke reassured Coulson that the virus would not spread and promised him an apartment, then explained that the zombies had come through a passage from a Parallel World.
• Tony sent Cassandra away in his Iron Suit, and Deathstroke revealed that Strangle had rescued the only uninfected hospital survivor.
• Deathstroke took Coulson, Quake, and Mockingbird to the warehouse, where Monica determined Fury’s SUV had been left running for about half an hour.
• Deathstroke led the team toward the warehouse and asked Daisy to make thunder after hearing a sound underground.

Deathstroke led the team beneath the warehouse by using thunder to locate a hidden elevator, while Su Ming concealed what he knew and let Fury’s group enjoy the danger. The elevator opened onto a crowd of hungry zombies, and Tony opened fire as the fight began.

• Daisy struck the ground with Mjolnir, and Deathstroke used the thunder to locate a secret underground elevator.
• Natasha destroyed a zombie in the elevator, while the team found no record identifying him as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
• Su Ming recognized the zombie as Ragarro, an immortal pilot from the lost kingdom of Korug, but kept his knowledge to himself.
• The team rode the elevator down as Skye and Mockingbird teased each other and Tony bragged about his scientific genius.
• The elevator doors opened onto a crowd of construction-worker zombies, and Tony fired his repulsors at them.

Deathstroke’s group searched A.R.M.O.R.’s zombie-filled underground facility and deduced how Fury, Egghead, Hawkeye, and Duck had escaped the lobby. They followed Cloak toward the likely route to the Teleportation Portal, where Deathstroke agreed to discuss parallel universes after they found Fury.

• Tony blasted the lobby zombies apart, while he and Gwenpool argued about his post-fight comments about food.
• Coulson and Deathstroke spotted evidence that Fury’s group had escaped through the elevator ceiling, and Carol confirmed their route into the shaft.
• Deathstroke reasoned that Egghead was likely heading for That Door and told Cloak to sense energy signatures and lead the way.
• Jessica found a construction keycard, and Skye retrieved a map of the three-level facility, prompting Tony to threaten to cut S.H.I.E.L.D.’s funding over its Polo Field.
• Deathstroke led the group onward, explained that Fury may have planned to send the Ducky Dozen into a parallel universe, and promised Coulson more information after they found Fury.

Su Ming led the group through Nick Fury’s unfinished underground headquarters, killing scattered zombies as the women discussed the mission and Gwenpool’s plan to make a memorable final kill. The group continued searching the facility, while Jessica watched Deathstroke with renewed interest.

• Su Ming recalled that the zombie outbreak had ruined Fury’s plan to use Reed of Another World’s Teleportation Portal to cross the multiverse.
• Deathstroke recognized the zombie Kurt Barton, a former World War II paratrooper known as Breeze, and cut him down before ordering the group onward.
• Gwenpool and Monica discussed horror movies and how Black characters were often killed first, while Hela enjoyed Gwenpool’s chatter.
• Gwenpool proposed letting the others handle most zombies so she could kill the last escaping survivor, and Daisy warned that Deathstroke might leave her no enemies.
• Skye asked Natasha about Gwenpool, and Coulson noted that only the director knew much about Deathstroke; Jessica watched Deathstroke and appeared to realize something.

Su Ming and the team defeated the zombies pouring through a blue portal and closed it with the Cosmic Cube. Fury emerged from hiding and learned what the portal was, while Su Ming offered to share information about the zombies in exchange for a price.

• Su Ming had Iron Man attack the crowded laboratory, and Daisy recharged Tony’s armor so he could destroy the zombies.
• Su Ming failed to shut the blue door by hand, but used the Cosmic Cube to close the spatial passage.
• The team finished off the remaining zombies, and Su Ming spotted Fury hiding in a ventilation duct.
• Fury questioned Su Ming about the door, the zombies, and the fate of the missing agents; Su Ming explained that the portal linked to Parallel Worlds and that the agents were dead or turned.
• Su Ming led Fury away to discuss zombie intelligence and negotiate what Fury would pay for it.

Deathstroke explained the differences between Multiverses, Parallel Universes, Dimensions, and other kinds of spaces to the group, then led them toward the Polo Field to continue discussing the Parallel World invasion.

• Fury and Deathstroke privately negotiated a deal, and Fury told everyone to keep Deathstroke’s identity as Mr. Wilson secret.
• Deathstroke used a holographic model to explain how choices on a Timeline could create Parallel Universes and distinguished Dimensions from realms, Planes, and realities.
• Professor Xu asked about Mordo’s Wonder House, and Deathstroke briefly explained that it used Hermione’s folded-space technology.
• Skye admitted she only partly understood the lesson, so Deathstroke suggested they continue the discussion while walking to the Polo Field.
• Fury led the group through the corridor as Deathstroke put away the blue door and confirmed that Strangle had killed the zombies that could move.

Deathstroke led the group to the underground Polo Field and explained that the pile of flesh at its entrance was what remained of the zombified Ducky Dozen. After Coulson requested a proper funeral for the fallen heroes, Deathstroke arranged an elaborate coffin procession and told him to make Fury reimburse the expenses.

• Deathstroke entertained the women with stories about Parallel Worlds, including a female Iron Man who married Captain America, while Tony reacted with horror to the idea.
• The group reached the Polo Field, where Deathstroke revealed that the pile of flesh was the remains of the zombified duck team members he had minced.
• Howard the Duck berated Fury for promising him an elite team, and Fury defended the Ducky Dozen as fighters who could each match Captain America.
• Jessica quietly drew conclusions from Deathstroke's comments about Parallel Worlds, the Cancerverse, and his travel devices.
• Coulson led a moment of silence and asked Deathstroke to arrange a dignified funeral for the fallen heroes.
• Deathstroke hired Benjamin's team to place the remains in a coffin and dance it away, then asked Coulson to have Fury repay the funeral costs.

Deathstroke found the Polo Field free of zombies and explained the major kinds of zombies to his companions. He identified the current outbreak as a variant Hunger Virus that infected ordinary people, leaving him ready to trade his knowledge to Fury for benefits.

• Deathstroke found the horses alive inside the Polo Field, but they collapsed in terror when he approached with Strangle.
• Deathstroke declined Strangle’s offer to become a horse and settled down with his companions to explain zombies.
• Deathstroke described zombies created by magic, Voodoo, haunting, and technology, including the history of several technological zombie viruses.
• Deathstroke named Hunger Zombies as the fifth type and said the current virus was a variant that infected ordinary people, unlike the version he knew about.
• Deathstroke decided his old intelligence was unreliable and planned to tell Fury what he knew in exchange for benefits.

Su Ming explained that finding the source of the zombie outbreak was impossible given the countless dimensions and unknown portals. He proposed forcing zombie-infested Parallel Worlds to collide, then produced a bundle of spider-patterned sticks.

• Tony asked how widespread the Hunger Zombie virus was and which Parallel Reality the invading zombies came from, but Deathstroke said their origin was unknown.
• Fury confirmed that earlier trips through the little blue door had led to a normal world, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. unsure whether other portals existed on Earth.
• Hela explained that zombies could spread between dimensions, making it impossible to find their source by eliminating worlds one by one.
• Su Ming said Earth-40K contained or bordered 62,985,923 dimensions, far too many for anyone to search completely.
• Carol asked Su Ming for instructions, and he proposed making zombie-occupied Parallel Worlds collide in pairs.
• Gwenpool identified the plan as Secret Wars, and Su Ming pulled out wooden sticks carved with different spider patterns.

Deathstroke explained how Spider Totems and the Spider Web would let teams enter parallel Earths, locate zombie outbreaks, and link infected universes so they could be destroyed. The group prepared to split up, with Su Ming taking Jessica and Skye while other teams formed and Fury returned to headquarters.

• Deathstroke distributed Spider Totems and explained that teams would plant them in parallel worlds to investigate for zombies and retreat through the Spider Web if needed.
• Iron Man described a quantum-physics approach to making universes collide, and Su Ming demonstrated the plan with fish balls, hair, and a totem stick.
• Su Ming selected Jessica and Skye to join him and warned everyone to plant a totem immediately and retreat if bitten.
• Daisy gathered a team with Hela, Gwenpool, Carol, and Monica, while Xu Xian left to alert Zheng Xian and prepare her agency.
• Black Widow joined the operation covertly, while Tony said the Avengers would stay behind to guard their world.
• Fury chose to return to headquarters with Cavalry and others, warned Howard the Duck to keep the operation secret, and left him determined to prove his detective skills.

Daisy and the others arrived in a Nazi-controlled version of New York to investigate zombie activity, while Deathstroke waited at Kamar-Taj with Jessica and Skye. The chapter ended with a zombie-like creature emerging from Daisy’s hidden totem and fleeing into the sewers.

• Daisy, Miss Poole, Hela, and Monica arrived in New York and realized the world was ruled by Nazis.
• Monica transformed into a ball of light to avoid drawing attention, and the women left the alley to find money and internet access.
• A malformed zombie-like insect appeared beside Daisy’s hidden totem, then ran into the sewers.
• Deathstroke stayed at Kamar-Taj and served tea and pastries to Jessica and Skye while the Adjutant reported to him.
• Jessica worried that Deathstroke had not explained how they would protect clean worlds from future zombie outbreaks, while Skye asked when they would leave to recruit a Mage.

Skye, Jessica, and Su Ming spent the afternoon listening to a Hogwarts student tell a wildly altered story before Monark arrived to take over Kamar-Taj. Su Ming revealed that Loki would be the Mage accompanying them to the Parallel World, and Loki appeared in a woman’s form.

• A Hogwarts exchange student performed a comic version of Lin Daiyu’s tale, and Su Ming praised her storytelling and spell chanting.
• Jessica complained that the tale ended before Lin Daiyu met the willow spirit, while Su Ming said their awaited guest had arrived.
• Monark arrived, claimed confidence in his magical rank, and agreed to watch Kamar-Taj while Su Ming and the others were away.
• Monark said he would not join the mission to the Parallel World, leaving Jessica to ask who their accompanying Mage was.
• Su Ming revealed that the invisible figure in the corner was Loki, who emerged in a green robe and teased him about choosing her because she had become a woman.
• Su Ming slapped Loki’s hand away and called her slutty.

Su Ming’s team arrived in Earth-1610 to investigate whether it had been infected by the Zombie Crisis, while Tony and Coulson’s team scouted a medieval parallel Earth. Coulson’s team confirmed that zombies had overrun their world and escaped, unaware that a zombie alien clung to the Zombie Dragon.

• Su Ming teleported his team to New York, where Loki explained that Thor was in Mozambique chasing her Water Clone and agreed to help investigate Earth-1610.
• Su Ming disguised himself and instructed the team to look ordinary as they prepared to check for the Zombie Crisis.
• Tony’s team arrived at a medieval English castle and searched the world while debating how to identify zombies across parallel worlds.
• Black Widow spotted a Zombie Dragon, and Tony saw a zombie army emerging from underground to attack the castle.
• Coulson ordered everyone to escape using the Spider Totem after confirming the world was overrun by zombies.
• A tiny zombie alien remained clinging to the Zombie Dragon as the team vanished.

Tony's team and Thor's team returned to the Chamber of Destiny after exploring separate zombie-infected universes, and the Adjutant showed them how infected universes were destroyed. Tony requested better reconnaissance equipment and prepared to launch another mission to rescue survivors.

• The Adjutant explained that the Great Weaver had brought Tony's team to the Chamber of Destiny and offered them food and rest.
• Thor's team returned, and Carol and Monica reported that zombie rats had overrun the fascist universe they had visited.
• The Adjutant showed the teams two infected universes colliding and vanishing in the multiverse's garbage disposal process.
• Tony asked for materials to build improved reconnaissance drones and said the next team should try to save uninfected people.
• The Adjutant offered Tony a Skeleton Drone made by Brainiac 21, and Tony asked the Great Weaver to send them to the next universe.

Su Ming led Skye, Jessica, and Loki through New York on Earth-1610, describing its brutal nature while keeping his plans and the group’s mission obscure. He said they were going to visit a superhero friend and ask about a possible zombie outbreak, leaving Skye uneasy about what lay ahead.

• Skye wondered why Deathstroke, Master Monark, and Gwenpool seemed to know her, and suspected that Deathstroke’s stories and Plan C were part of a larger scheme.
• Jessica reasoned that Plan C meant a constrained fallback, while Su Ming considered it one option among many and reserved Plan Z for the worst case.
• Loki and Su Ming discussed Earth-1610 as a place that brought out human cruelty, and Loki said she wanted to play games with its people.
• Skye asked where they were going, and Su Ming said they would visit one of his superhero friends to ask about a zombie outbreak.
• Jessica pointed out an ice cream stand, so Su Ming bought her ice cream and said there was no need to rush.
• Loki teased Skye for worrying, and Skye said she hoped she would still be able to smile later.

Iron Man and the other rescuers returned to the Chamber of Destiny with more than a hundred Survivors, whom the Adjutant examined and found uninfected. She explained that their universe could not be saved and offered the refugees temporary homes in other worlds, leaving Peggy to choose a settlement.

• The Adjutant expanded the circular hall and examined the rescued Survivors, confirming that none of them were infected.
• The 40K Iron Man blamed himself for failing to save more people, while another Iron Man comforted him.
• Peggy asked whether her universe could be saved, and the Adjutant explained that the Zombie Virus had conquered it and could not be reversed with the Infinity Gauntlet.
• Wolverine brought Doctor Strange to prove that they had a Sorcerer Supreme, but the Adjutant said he was not a true Sorcerer Supreme and finished examining the group.
• The Adjutant offered the refugees homes on prepared planets and explained that 40K-1 was a quarantine zone while 40K-2 was unsafe to inhabit.
• Peggy chose Plot Number 70 on 40K-3 for the Survivors to settle in.