Chapter Summaries

Su Ming left New York with Loki after the feast and turned his attention to the Black Pharaoh, the spectator concealed in the White House. He planned to seek an elusive helper and settled in at Hero Cafe while arranging a delivery.

• Su Ming sent Doctor Doom back to Latveria and told him he would make contact when it was time to reshape the multiverse.
• Su Ming ordered Black Widow and the others to withdraw, learned Polaris had joined Wanda, and heard that Harley and her friends were traveling through Middle-earth under attack by Ringwraiths.
• Su Ming refused to send a rescue for Harley’s group and explained that Earth-40K still faced the Black Pharaoh, who had been watching from the White House.
• Su Ming told Adjutant he would seek a helper whom she could not locate, then went with Loki to Hero Cafe in Queens.
• Su Ming asked Adjutant to have Federal Express deliver a document from Wilson Enterprises to Hero Cafe, and Doll placed the order.

Deathstroke met the Guardians of the Galaxy after they returned from Hala, where Supreme Intelligence’s attempt to raise the planet to the multiversal level had caused its destruction. The group had recovered what Deathstroke wanted, though they mistook the Skrull technology for a Kree data device.

• Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord argued over their dance-off while the Guardians waited in the café.
• Deathstroke arrived with Loki and asked Star-Lord to explain what happened on Hala.
• Star-Lord recounted how the Guardians were exposed, captured, and freed by Rocket Raccoon before Supreme Intelligence’s experiment destroyed Hala.
• Star-Lord presented Deathstroke with a black box, thinking it contained Kree technological data.
• Deathstroke identified the box as Skrull technological data seized by Supreme Intelligence and promised to pay the Guardians their reward.

Deathstroke intercepted Old Man Li, a mysterious cameo-making figure, and invited him to inspect the plan to restore Yggdrasil. The group arrived in the Arctic, where Doctor Strange reported that the tree had shown little sign of recovery.

• The Guardians of the Galaxy left the coffee shop with Deathstroke's IOU, and Loki asked about the fate of the A'San gods.
• Deathstroke explained that the A'San pantheon had been wiped out after he stopped Ragnarök, freeing them from future cycles.
• An elderly courier delivered a document pouch, and Deathstroke recognized him as Old Man Li, who had appeared under many identities.
• Deathstroke told Old Man Li that the Multiversity story had changed and invited him to see his plans for All-New, All-Different.
• Deathstroke, Loki, and Old Man Li teleported to the Arctic, where Doctor Strange greeted them and reported that Yggdrasil had barely begun recovering.

Deathstroke grafted the Golden Apple Tree onto Yggdrasil in Alaska, and Loki confirmed that the new tree carried Yggdrasil’s energy. He left Loki to arrange its protection, sent Doctor Strange to a new post, and flew with Old Man Li toward a meeting with the President of the United States.

• The old man questioned Doctor Strange about his life and wondered why Asgard had crashed in Alaska instead of Texas.
• Deathstroke planted the Golden Apple Tree in a coffin among zombie corpses to graft it onto Yggdrasil, and Loki confirmed the graft had worked.
• Loki planned to have Thor guard the tree and tell their mother that the graft was their achievement.
• Deathstroke ordered Doctor Strange to prepare the ice house for Thor and replace Leonid at Orange Town, while Leonid would guard their Wakanda office.
• Deathstroke took Old Man Li toward the President of the United States and said they needed to put a smiling Black man back among the Background Characters.

Deathstroke and Old Man Li watched the Black Pharaoh, disguised as the U.S. President, deliver a bizarre press conference. Convinced the Old One threatened Earth’s order, Old Man Li called for help through the power of story, and the call connected.

• The Black President answered reporters’ questions with absurd claims about eating dogs, turning dog lovers into dogs, and feeding homeless people dog placenta.
• Old Man Li recognized that the President was a fragment of an Old One and objected to the Cthulhu Mythos intruding into their story.
• Deathstroke explained that the Black Pharaoh had once ruled Earth and that the Old Ones could destroy its order.
• Deathstroke revealed that he had lured Old Man Li into intervening after Loki proved unable to help, hoping to use Li’s story-making power against Nyarlathotep.
• Old Man Li hid his phone from Deathstroke, called someone for help, and the call connected.

Deathstroke confronted the Black Pharaoh and argued that the Old One was constrained by the Marvel Universe’s story. The Pharaoh departed after Mr. Li revealed he had temporarily revoked Nyarlathotep’s character license, and Deathstroke then put Plan C into motion.

• The Black Pharaoh appeared before Deathstroke and offered him a chance to pursue forbidden knowledge and ascend.
• Deathstroke rejected the offer and reasoned that the Pharaoh, like other Old Ones, could not kill major Marvel characters or control the universe’s story.
• The Black Pharaoh admitted his surprise at the limits Deathstroke described, then vanished after warning that the Old Ones would return when the stars aligned.
• Mr. Li explained that he had asked August Derleth to revoke Nyarlathotep’s character license temporarily and warned Deathstroke not to bring Outer Gods into Earth’s story again.
• Mr. Li hurried away, and Deathstroke told Adjutant to teleport a Synthezoid to the White House as part of Plan C.

Deathstroke returned to Earth after resolving the threat at the White House and began planning to introduce advanced technology to civilian life to strengthen humanity. He recruited Loki to oversee the effort and brought her to meet Zheng Xian for S.P.E.A.R. Agency support.

• Deathstroke returned to Loki and Doctor Strange in Alaska, gave Strange money and extra leave, and sent him back to Kamar-Taj.
• Deathstroke learned Loki had notified Thor and discussed meeting Frigga before asking Loki to help develop 40K Earth's civilization.
• Deathstroke asked Loki to act as a ruthless public-facing agent who could deal with people obstructing human progress.
• Deathstroke took Loki to the Sky Ring base, brought Zheng Xian a polar bear, and found him relieved that Deathstroke had returned.

Su Ming left Zheng Xian’s dinner to visit Frigga and Sif, but Adjutant alerted him to a powerful enemy fighting the Justice League in Khandaq. The footage ended with the enemy escaping, and Su Ming asked who he was.

• Su Ming declined Zheng Xian’s offer to fight Shou Lao and left with Loki to visit Frigga and the others in the Amazon Basin.
• Loki told Frigga about the apple tree while Su Ming watched Sif livestreaming as she prepared a giant spider to eat.
• Adjutant showed Su Ming footage of a horned monster attacking Black Adam in Khandaq.
• The Justice League and Black Adam fought the monster after Superman and Barry evacuated the civilians, but it escaped through a wormhole without being injured.
• Su Ming asked Adjutant who the monster was.

Su Ming investigated the mysterious Brutus, while the Justice League analyzed the invader who had devastated Kahndaq and tried to determine where he came from. The League began tracing his strange energy signature, and Green Arrow arrived in unusually high spirits.

• The Adjutant identified the strange fighter as Brutus, and Su Ming suspected he might be connected to Darkseid before teleporting away.
• Batwoman concluded that the invader's unusual energy and Nth Metal reaction pointed to a possible Mystic Side power source.
• Aquaman described how the invader had overpowered him underwater, while Superman and Batwoman suspected the creature came from another dimension.
• After Black Adam drove the Justice League from Kahndaq, Batwoman began analyzing the recorded wavelengths to trace the invader's origin.
• Green Arrow entered with Black Canary and joked that the mysterious Mage might be Deathstroke, but Batwoman insisted the League focus on finding their attacker.

The Justice League discussed the Other-Dimensional Monster and the growing public obsession with Parallel Universes after the multiverse was exposed. Deathstroke arrived and named Cyborg as a possible suspect in the campaign manipulating public opinion.

• Oliver asked the League how they could help investigate the Other-Dimensional Monster, but Batwoman left, saying she did not need help.
• The League discussed Batwoman’s independence and the many crises facing Earth after its multiversal disaster.
• Hawkgirl explained that people across Earth were obsessing over Parallel Universes and that the media seemed to be steering public opinion.
• Superman said Lex Luthor denied manipulating the media, while Oliver noted Batwoman had run out of money after Catwoman swindled her.
• Oliver argued that the League should warn people about the dangers of Parallel Universes, and Hawkgirl said the suspect list was long.
• Deathstroke arrived and accused Cyborg of being a strong suspect because of his Internet expertise and absence from the League’s meeting.

A disguised Deathstroke attacked the Justice League, but the real Deathstroke stopped him before he could destroy the Hall of Justice. The League discussed the threat of impersonators, while Deathstroke learned that Batwoman was investigating Brutus and the group ended on a joke about preparing for a Clone Wars.

• Arthur welcomed the armored figure, but Green Arrow noticed that the stranger's height was wrong and warned the others.
• The real Deathstroke stabbed the impostor with Godslayer and asked who he was; the impostor shouted “Darkseid Is!” and transformed into an Omega-powered bomb.
• Superman shielded Green Arrow and Black Canary while Deathstroke's Cloak of Levitation contained the explosion.
• Deathstroke told the League that the attack did not prove the impostor served Darkseid, then asked Clark about Brutus and the League's troubles.
• Deathstroke warned the League that anyone could be impersonated, prompting Black Canary to suspect that Green Arrow might be a fake.
• Arthur suggested setting up a code phrase for a possible Clone Wars, but Deathstroke pointed out that Arthur was not masked.

Su Ming questioned the Justice League about Brutus, the online Multiverse rumors, and the fake Deathstroke, then chose to investigate Cyborg’s knowledge of the internet. He left the Round Table with Hawkgirl and The Flash to find Cyborg.

• Su Ming asked Superman and Arthur what Brutus had said, learning that Brutus planned to return once he was prepared to claim Earth-0.
• Superman refused to pressure Black Adam for information, while Su Ming expected Batwoman to question him separately in Kahndaq.
• Su Ming discussed the online Multiverse rumors with Green Arrow, Canary, and Arthur, then suspected Cyborg might know who was spreading them.
• The League had no recent information about Darkseid, so Su Ming decided to investigate Cyborg and asked who would join him.
• Hawkgirl volunteered to go with Su Ming, and he called The Flash to take them to Cyborg.

Su Ming, The Flash, and Hawkgirl investigated Cyborg’s abandoned home in Detroit and found evidence that he had vanished after an electrical trap was triggered. They suspected the disappearance was connected to a larger threat and began checking whether other Teen Titans were missing.

• Su Ming, The Flash, and Hawkgirl reached Cyborg’s dark, deserted house in Detroit.
• Su Ming entered the house and found spoiled food and no power, while The Flash confirmed there were no signs of a break-in.
• The Flash found a Promethium fragment beneath the couch, and Su Ming identified it as a piece from near Cyborg’s ankle, possibly damaged by an electrified bear trap.
• Hawkgirl reported that J'onn could not find Cyborg on Earth in the Main Dimension.
• Su Ming asked The Flash to contact Nightwing and check whether other Teen Titans had disappeared.

Su Ming concluded that Cyborg had staged the crime scene to mislead the Justice League while seeking an examination of his body. He took Barry and Kendra to a notorious manor near Happy Harbor, where Cyborg might have gone to meet a scientist he knew.

• Nightwing told Su Ming that Cyborg was missing and that Victor had wanted someone to examine his body for a possible Darkseid backdoor.
• Su Ming reasoned that Cyborg might have staged the scene to frame him and prompt Batman and the Justice League to search for him.
• Barry accepted Su Ming's explanation and offered to help find Cyborg.
• Su Ming asked Barry to take them to Rhode Island, where a reclusive scientist Cyborg knew might be at a manor near Happy Harbor.

Su Ming and Barry visited the secluded manor of the Doom Patrol to find the Chief and Cyborg. Rita Farr recognized Deathstroke, became upset when Barry tried to reassure her, and fled, leaving the visitors without an answer about the others.

• Barry wondered why anyone would live so far from the city as Su Ming opened the manor gate.
• Hawkgirl and Barry argued over whether Harley Quinn had truly changed while Su Ming knocked on the door.
• Rita Farr opened the door, and Su Ming entered and asked whether the Chief and Cyborg were home.
• Rita became emotional at the sight of Deathstroke and transformed into a sagging mass of flesh.
• Barry tried to reassure Rita that Su Ming was a different Deathstroke, but Rita burst into tears and ran away.

Su Ming, Barry, and Kendra found the Doom Patrol and learned that Cyborg had spent a week in the basement with the Chief, investigating strange high-dimensional beeps in his head. The group worried about what the Chief’s treatment might do to Cyborg, but Su Ming joked that turning green could help him join the Green Lantern Corps.

• Su Ming, Deathstroke, and Kendra entered the Doom Patrol’s house and joined the members in the sitting room.
• Emily Song welcomed the visitors, and Su Ming asked the Doom Patrol whether Cyborg was there.
• Crazy Jane said Cyborg had been at the house for a week, while Emily explained that he and the Chief had gone to the basement laboratory to investigate coded beeps in Cyborg’s head.
• Kendra worried about the Chief’s medical skills, and Su Ming joked that a green Cyborg could join the Green Lantern Corps.

Deathstroke befriended the Doom Patrol by offering sympathy and practical advice about their disabilities. Hawkgirl reminded him that Victor was still in the basement, but Deathstroke chose to finish his tea first.

• Deathstroke chatted with Element Woman and Negative Man about discrimination, then convinced the Doom Patrol that he understood their struggles because he wore an eyepatch.
• Deathstroke advised Robotman to ask Superman for a Promethium or Supermanium body, reassuring him that Superman would not look down on him.
• Deathstroke suggested that Negative Man consult Zatanna for a magical solution to his condition, and Negative Man thanked him.
• Hawkgirl reminded Deathstroke that Victor had been in the basement laboratory for seven days, but Deathstroke said the Chief had probably already eaten him and continued drinking tea.

Deathstroke and the others found Chief and Cyborg unconscious in a brain-linking device in the Doom Patrol’s underground laboratory. After learning the device could explore the subconscious, Deathstroke decided to enter Cyborg’s mind with Barry and Hawkgirl to find them.

• Deathstroke followed the Doom Patrol to the underground laboratory where Chief was treating Cyborg.
• The group found Chief and Cyborg strapped into chairs and connected by wires to brains in jars.
• Barry mistakenly declared Cyborg dead, but Deathstroke determined that both he and Chief were alive and stopped Hawkgirl from pulling out the wires.
• Robotman identified the device as a machine for exploring the subconscious, and Deathstroke ordered Barry to prepare glucose and saline.
• Deathstroke announced that he, Barry, and Hawkgirl would enter the Subconscious World and told the Doom Patrol to watch over Chief’s body.

Deathstroke connected himself, the Flash, and Hawkgirl to Cyborg’s mind to try to save the Chief, while Batwoman interrogated Naomi about her origins and the new conqueror. Batwoman took Naomi to the Hall of Justice, still intending to imprison her.

• Barry brought the medical supplies to Negative Man, who treated the Chief while Deathstroke explained how he would connect the heroes to Cyborg’s mind.
• Deathstroke used Strangle to link the Flash and Hawkgirl to Cyborg, and both heroes collapsed as the connection began.
• Strangle took control of Deathstroke’s body and waited for the others to awaken, offering to play cards.
• Batwoman trapped Naomi in a barrier and questioned her about her identity and how she arrived on Earth-0.
• Naomi said her world had been destroyed by Zubado and speculated that he might have given information to the new villain.
• Batwoman lowered the barrier and escorted Naomi toward the Hall of Justice, planning to lock her up despite Naomi believing she had cleared herself.

Deathstroke and the others met Rain Brain, a personality of Kay Challis, who explained the Consciousness Layer and agreed to find a helper for their search for Cyborg. The group remained in the wilderness as Rain Brain went to ask whether another personality would join them.

• Deathstroke explained Cyborg's condition to Rain Brain, and she agreed to help because the Doom Patrol owed their friends a favor.
• Rain Brain described the Consciousness Layer as a waking dream linking humanity's shared consciousness and said Cyborg's consciousness was somewhere nearby.
• Su Ming agreed the team needed to search for Cyborg's consciousness, though Rain Brain was unsure whether they were inside one brain's consciousness or a larger network.
• Su Ming asked for a spellcaster or another fighter skilled in elemental or soul attacks, and Rain Brain went to find a willing personality.