Chapter Summaries

Earth came under attack from Undead raised by the Death Seed, but Su Ming decided not to return, preserving his concealment while continuing the Cosmic Voyage. He planned to use the crisis to encourage more humans to leave Earth for space.

• The Adjutant showed Su Ming and his companions reports of skeletons and mummies attacking people across Earth.
• Hela identified the purple flames as the Death Seed's artificial consciousnesses, and Carol noted that destroying the skulls could stop the Undead.
• Su Ming checked feeds showing the Justice League and Spider-Women Alliance defending his villa, while Kamar-Taj, China, and several other allied territories remained safe.
• Thanos offered to help defeat the Undead, but Su Ming refused to change course because returning to Earth would expose his location.
• Su Ming said the attack strengthened the case for the Cosmic Voyage and planned to use it to persuade more humans to venture into space.

The Guardians of the Galaxy arrived at the coordinates Deathstroke had given them but found only empty space. A star system suddenly appeared, and Star-Lord decided it was part of Deathstroke’s plan before choosing a planet to investigate.

• Star-Lord and the Guardians checked their navigation data but found no planet or stage at the agreed coordinates.
• Yondu and the others also confirmed the coordinates were correct, while Nebula questioned whether Deathstroke or Adjutant had made a mistake.
• A star system with one yellow star and three Earth-like planets suddenly appeared in front of the ship.
• Star-Lord guessed that Deathstroke had hidden the system to make their documentary more convincing, and the others accepted his explanation.
• Star-Lord randomly selected one of the three planets and flew toward it to begin the adventure.

Loki, Sif, and Frigga followed the Guardians of the Galaxy to a hidden planetary system while arguing over Thor’s future marriage. On Earth, Tony located Loki’s stolen ship and prepared to take the Avengers after him through an artificial wormhole.

• Loki and Sif spotted a hidden planetary system and speculated about its value and who had discovered it.
• Loki taunted Sif about Thor marrying a Midgard woman, and Frigga promised she would not allow Thor to marry a weak human.
• Sif resumed following the Guardians’ ship and planned to start a scenic livestream with Hera.
• Tony found Loki’s ship, and Thor clarified that he loved Jen and intended to marry only her.
• Steve urged Tony to pursue Loki before he caused trouble, and Tony activated the Celestial Force Field Generator to create an artificial wormhole.

Jessica, Peter, and Squirrel Girl sought to follow the Avengers after their ship entered a wormhole, and Squirrel Girl persuaded the Nuwali to help using Deathstroke’s influence. The trio reached the destination system ahead of the Avengers and waited for them to emerge.

• The Avengers' ship opened a wormhole and disappeared, leaving Jessica, Peter, and Squirrel Girl unsure how to track it.
• Peter told Doreen about an invitation to visit an Artificial Sun project, but Jessica redirected the conversation to their next move.
• Doreen spotted the Nuwali fleet and suggested asking its advanced spatial technology to trace the Avengers’ wormhole journey.
• A Nuwali commander recognized Doreen and offered full cooperation because of Deathstroke, whom the Nuwali respected.
• The Nuwali cloaked the trio’s ship and transported it near the Avengers’ arrival coordinates, where the trio waited in a four-body planetary system.

Deathstroke and the others found Eternity incapacitated in the Far Shore Dimension, and Su Ming tried to secure a deal in exchange for restoring him. A Goddess appeared to stop Vishanti from witnessing the contract, leaving Su Ming to decide whether he could trust Eternity.

• Deathstroke led the group off the nail-covered ship and told Thanos to guard Hela while they approached Eternity.
• Su Ming examined Eternity and explained that the cosmic being was stalled or paused rather than biologically unconscious.
• The group climbed across Eternity to his face and found that his open, glowing eyes did not respond to them.
• Su Ming drafted a contract requiring Eternity to do one future favor in exchange for being restored, then signed it on Eternity’s behalf.
• A Goddess caught the contract and warned that Vishanti could not witness it because Eternity might someday become the Living Tribunal.
• Su Ming questioned whether he could trust Eternity’s credit after the Goddess ruled out Vishanti as a witness.

Oshtur arrived to speak with Deathstroke about his agreement with Eternity and Vishanti’s plans for the Living Tribunal. She asked him to keep the position vacant and prevent anyone from completing the ascension, leaving him to decide whether he was ready to help.

• Thanos recognized Oshtur and envied the warm attention she showed Deathstroke.
• Oshtur invited Deathstroke to speak privately, but he refused to leave his unconscious companions behind.
• Deathstroke asked whether Vishanti wanted him to break his agreement with Eternity and help Oshtur take the Living Tribunal’s position, and she denied it.
• Oshtur explained that she wanted the Living Tribunal’s position to remain vacant so Vishanti and others could retain their autonomy.
• Oshtur asked Deathstroke to stop anyone from becoming the new Living Tribunal or leave Eternity’s ascension unfinished, then faded away.

Su Ming put Eternity to sleep with the Sand of Time and led the group inside him to seek information without waking him. Deep within Eternity, they encountered a living giant among the drifting corpses of Planet Eaters.

• Hela returned after Oshtur left, and Su Ming used the Sand of Time to make Eternity fall asleep.
• Thanos demanded a way to get information without waking Eternity, so Su Ming warned him not to challenge his strength.
• Su Ming explained that Infinity was not the answer and tested Eternity’s nostrils with glow sticks.
• Su Ming bound himself, Thanos, Hela, and Carol with tentacles and charged into Eternity’s nostril.
• The group passed visions of dying universes and drifting Planet Eater corpses before seeing a living giant dressed in a green bedsheet.

Su Ming confronted The Glyph inside Eternity and tried to negotiate, but The Glyph attacked the group. Su Ming countered with the Black Sun and charged at him with a Lightsaber, his energy shifting to match Lifebringer’s.

• The Glyph identified Su Ming as Deathstroke and dismissed his offer to make a deal.
• Su Ming provoked The Glyph by threatening to report his actions to Lord Infinity and blame him for Eternity’s condition.
• The Glyph launched a surprise attack, but Su Ming turned and split the invisible force field with his Lightsaber.
• The Glyph began preparing another spatial attack, and Su Ming unleashed the Black Sun against him.
• Su Ming charged across the distance with his Lightsaber as his energy affinity shifted to match Lifebringer’s.

Deathstroke and his allies attacked The Glyph, whose body proved vulnerable and bled when struck. The fight continued as Deathstroke used the Time Stone to keep The Glyph close and preserve their damage, while he aimed to cut off his head.

• Deathstroke opened the fight with a massive Lightsaber slash that cut deeply into The Glyph’s arm and struck something like bone.
• Strangle, Cloak, Hela, Thanos, and Carol joined the assault, while the Orange Cat began devouring a corpse of Galactus.
• The Glyph tried to use space to escape, but Deathstroke used the Time Stone and TVA support to restore the group’s positions and keep the damage in place.
• Deathstroke kept attacking The Glyph’s head and taunted him after confirming that his pale green blood flowed from his wounds.

After defeating The Glyph, Su Ming and the others examined his corpse while discussing his nature and the dangers of Carol’s Binary state. They found an illusory brain inside The Glyph’s skull, and Carol offered an explanation.

• Su Ming used his Lightsaber to cut open The Glyph’s corpse while Strangle recovered after devouring a Galactus corpse.
• Carol arrived exhausted from Binary state, and Su Ming had Strangle feed her to restore her energy.
• Su Ming explained that The Glyph was driven to destroy the universe and himself, while warning that Carol could lose herself if Binary state continued too long.
• Su Ming opened The Glyph’s skull, revealing a glowing, phantom-like brain.
• Carol recognized the organ as a brain without a material body.

Su Ming and the others considered how to access The Glyph’s memories through its incorporeal brain, while Hela prepared to make contact. At Deathstroke’s villa, the Justice League finished clearing the undead animal bones and tried to leave the property unharmed.

• Carol explained that powerful Mental Power could create an external brain, and said Supreme Intelligence had described the ability to her.
• Su Ming asked Hela to test whether she could resonate with the brain and feel The Glyph’s memories, and Hela reached toward it.
• Arthur celebrated the Justice League’s victory over the undead beasts while John recalled the horrors of Blackest Night.
• Barry used Cyborg’s oven-like form to burn the accumulated bones and asked Arthur to move so he could clear the area near Deathstroke’s home.
• Arthur disagreed that Deathstroke would dislike the bones but moved aside, and Barry continued cleaning up the villa.

The Justice League learned that the skeleton attack was worldwide and left to help people across 40K Earth. Gin told the Spider-Women Alliance to stay behind because Peter was out of contact in space, where a major battle might be approaching.

• Michelle praised Barry's speed but called him “mister,” prompting him to check his reflection and tidy his hair.
• John used his Power Ring to explain that the Justice League came from Earth-0 in the DC Multiverse.
• Barry said the skeleton attack was worldwide, and the Justice League members ate quickly before heading out to help.
• Gin gave the departing heroes corked cups of alcohol and said Slade had prepared contingencies for undead resurrections.
• Gin told the Spider-Women Alliance that Peter had gone into space and was out of contact, so they should wait rather than search for him.
• Gin withheld Peter's location because the area might become a battlefield and Death was moving toward it.

The Guardians of the Galaxy searched a habitable planet for the fictional Ailai Bailai Civilization and moved on when they found no traces. Loki and Sif secretly followed them, while Steve, Bucky, Thor, and Tony also began tailing the group, leaving several hidden ships in pursuit.

• Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy explored a planet, but Gamora reported that scans had found no ruins of the Ailai Bailai Civilization.
• Rocket sensed something unusual nearby, and Star-Lord led the team back to their ship and flew toward another planet.
• Loki and Sif emerged from the sea in an invisible ship, and Loki ordered Sif to follow the Guardians in hopes of discovering their treasure.
• Steve and Bucky watched Loki's ship, while Tony kept the Avengers' concealed ship following her and the Guardians.
• Another invisible spaceship rose from the forest and joined the pursuit.

Jessica, Squirrel Girl, and Peter decided to follow the Avengers into space, hoping to find treasure and help if danger arose. Meanwhile, Su Ming and his companions investigated a planetary system that had appeared in the Eridanus Supervoid, a region they remembered as completely empty.

• Jessica explained that Adjutant’s ship systems let her hide from the Avengers, and she persuaded Peter and Squirrel Girl to follow the group into space.
• Peter agreed to pursue the others, hoping to earn enough to buy Aunt May new clothes, and Jessica piloted their ship after them.
• Su Ming examined a star map with Hela and Carol and noted that a planetary system had appeared in the Eridanus Supervoid.
• Carol and Thanos confirmed that the region had previously been an empty Blank Zone with no galaxies, life, or resources.
• Hela pointed out that other people from Midgard had arrived ahead of them and asked what they were doing there.

Su Ming and his companions identified the ships following Star-Lord, including Loki, the Avengers, and Spider-Man’s group, as they headed toward the battlefield. Before they could move on, three habitable planets broke free of their orbits and fused into a string of candied hawthorns.

• Su Ming told Deathstroke and Carol that Star-Lord and the others had gone west instead of east, though he suspected something had influenced their judgment.
• Su Ming identified Loki’s ship among the pursuers and explained that she was likely following Star-Lord with the Asgardian survivors.
• Carol spotted an Avengers ship following Loki, and Su Ming recognized it as likely Tony Stark’s vessel.
• Su Ming identified the final ship as the one he had given Squirrel Girl, carrying Spider-Man and his friends.
• Thanos announced that he was ready to reach the Goddess, but the three habitable planets abruptly left their orbits and merged into a string of candied hawthorns.

Su Ming and his companions approached a strange system where three habitable planets were joined together, while Thanos sensed Death nearby. The Guardians of the Galaxy attempted a dangerous landing on the middle planet, leaving their survival uncertain as their ship battled debris and violent planetary forces.

• Carol wondered whether the Sovereign had joined the three planets, but Hela and Thanos ruled them out as a likely match for the golden race.
• Thanos sensed the Goddess of Death nearby, and Su Ming decided to wait for the upheavals to settle before landing.
• Carol spotted the Guardians of the Galaxy struggling to land on the middle planet, and Su Ming complained that they were risking their lives at the wrong coordinates.
• Yondu steered the Guardians' ship through debris as Groot restrained the crew and Rocket cursed Star-Lord for pursuing dangerous footage.
• Star-Lord defended the landing as a chance to film an exciting spectacle, while Mantis feared that the crew would die before reaching the surface.

After the Guardians of the Galaxy survived a hazardous landing on the merged planet, Star-Lord tried to lure out the Synthezoid Monsters by dancing and making noise. His plan succeeded when several hostile figures approached, and he prepared the team to fight them.

• Yondu piloted the damaged ship through flying debris and brought the Guardians safely to the planet, where they waited for conditions to stabilize.
• Rocket reported damage to the ship, while Star-Lord decided they should explore and search for the ancient tomb.
• The planet's environment quickly stabilized, and the Guardians left the ship to investigate the muddy forest and surrounding terrain.
• Star-Lord reasoned that making a commotion would draw out the Synthezoid Monsters, so he played loud music and danced for his teammates.
• Several figures flew toward the Guardians, and Star-Lord drew his Elemental Dual Pistols and told the team to leave one attacker alive.

The Guardians of the Galaxy fought a squad of flying undead creatures on a planet that changed when they arrived. Deathstroke’s team suspected the enemy was staging a horror film and prepared to protect the Guardians once they entered darkness.

• Star-Lord ordered the Guardians to abandon their attempt to capture an enemy and attack the flying skeletal creatures.
• Rocket, Gamora, Nebula, Yondu, and the others fought the monsters while Star-Lord urged them to look stylish for the cameras.
• Hela asked Deathstroke why the planet’s environment had stabilized after the Guardians landed, and he noted that it had changed only after their arrival.
• Carol suggested the enemy might be making a horror movie, and the group discussed which Guardians would be killed first in the imagined story.
• Thanos theorized that the enemy wanted to spread fear by recording bizarre deaths, while Su Ming considered what that implied about the Black-robed figures.
• Su Ming planned to use darkness to protect the Guardians and hoped Star-Lord would lead them into a tunnel.

The Guardians of the Galaxy, Loki’s group, the Avengers, and Little Bug’s group entered the cave while Su Ming and Hela waited with Thanos. Hela sensed that the cave was saturated with the concept of death, raising the possibility that the enemy was the Goddess of Death herself.

• The Guardians of the Galaxy entered a descending cave, followed by Loki, Sif, and Frigga.
• The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. set up a camp at the entrance as Steve led an armed expedition into the cave.
• Jessica, Squirrel Girl, and Peter secretly slipped inside along the cave ceiling.
• Su Ming asked Thanos whether he could sense Lady Death, but Thanos said her presence seemed to be everywhere.
• Hela revealed that the dense aura of death had strengthened her and suggested the enemy might be the Goddess of Death.

Su Ming, Thanos, Hela, and the Cloak of Levitation followed the black-robed figures into the cave, where Peter became trapped in a strange vision of life as a young woman in 1892. Peter awoke with no memories and screamed after seeing an egg that contained a staring black-and-white eye.

• Su Ming dismissed Hela's suspicion of Death and told Thanos that Death had probably been abducted or deceived.
• Su Ming had the Cloak of Levitation carry the group invisibly into the cave after the black-robed figures.
• Peter experienced darkness, weightlessness, and a drifting loss of memory before waking in a grand bedroom.
• Peter learned from the butler that it was 1892 and that she lived in a manor in Nottinghamshire, but she could not remember her past.
• Peter recognized memories of eggs and mayonnaise as the butler served breakfast, then screamed at the eye inside the egg cup.