Chapter Summaries

Deadpool took the Mushroom Zombies to a New York water treatment plant in the Hands of Creation’s peaceful, unreal Utopia, intending to contaminate the water supply. He entered the plant with the zombie, while the taxi driver he had warned set off to take his family on vacation.

• Deadpool taunted the absent Hands of Creation and carried the restless Mushroom Zombies from a rooftop toward the street.
• Deadpool persuaded a kind taxi driver to take them to the water treatment plant without paying, claiming the zombie needed a wash.
• Deadpool warned the driver to leave New York and take his family, and the driver agreed to go on vacation after dropping them off.
• Deadpool arrived at the water treatment plant, hoisted the zombie onto his shoulder, and pushed through the gate into the darkness.

Deadpool contaminated a water treatment plant’s reservoir with tea leaves and a Mushroom Zombie, causing a rapid outbreak of Mushroom Zombies across the United States. The infection spread as the newly transformed creatures attacked nearby living beings.

• Deadpool carried the Mushroom Zombie into the water treatment plant and opened the clear-water reservoir’s inspection hatch.
• Deadpool cut off the zombie’s wrist to take its watch, then kicked the zombie and its severed arm into the reservoir and shut the hatch.
• Deadpool stayed behind to guard the reservoir, joking with The Nonexistent Audience while he waited.
• People who drank the contaminated tap water began transforming into Mushroom Zombies, with their heads exploding and their bodies reshaped into mushrooms.
• The new Mushroom Zombies attacked nearby creatures and spread their spores, causing the number of infected to rise rapidly.

Deadpool watched the zombie outbreak spread and planned to send more Mushroom Zombies while joking about charging Cousin for emotional damages. In Multiverse 1, Justice Incarnate gathered to discuss the multiverse’s displacement, but the assembly ended in confused debate without a clear resolution.

• Deadpool watched an infected person turn a would-be helper into a living corpse and blamed the deaths on the outbreak he had caused.
• Deadpool decided to ask Cousin for extra pay and prepared to spread more second-generation Mushroom Zombies around the world.
• Deadpool left the rooftop after burning the spirit money Cousin had given him as a token for the city’s dead.
• Superman from Earth-0 told the Justice Incarnate assembly that Multiverse 1 had been moved into a new system and could not return without a multiversal war.
• Diana explained the Hands of Creation and the events behind Multiverse 1’s displacement to the gathered superheroes.
• Thousands of superheroes argued among themselves, while the meeting’s leaders let the discussion continue without reaching a conclusion.

The heroes debated whether to restore the Multiverse or accept the new Megaverse, with most unconcerned about the change. Superman urged them to prepare for threats from the Hand of Creation and the Origin Court, while the meeting ended without a clear decision.

• Diana asked J'onn what he thought, and he said the Multiverse seemed unchanged, so the new system did not matter much.
• Barry and Arthur agreed that life continued as before and questioned the value of the meeting.
• Superman said the heroes should prepare for the Hand of Creation and the Origin Court rather than focus on restoring the Multiverse.
• Batwoman left to prepare, while Hawkgirl worried that their former Pocket Dimensions and realms had been taken.
• Cyborg said the Mages should address the loss of the realms, and Shazam volunteered his expertise but was ignored.
• Diana concluded that most favored waiting, while Black President Superman and Green Arrow suggested the change might offer a chance to shape their own fate.

After reading the enormous book, Deathstroke shared selected memories of his encounter with The Source with his companions while Big Cat tried to read the book itself. The Adjutant reported that Diana's meeting was unlikely to oppose the relocation, and Deathstroke prepared to deal with the mages who had lost out.

• Deathstroke said he had seen The Source and used Strangle's tendrils to transmit selected memories and information to Monark, Little Rich, and Wanda.
• Deathstroke handed the book to Big Cat, which opened it and became enveloped in green light.
• The Adjutant told Deathstroke that Diana and the Justice Incarnate meeting seemed unlikely to reach a conclusion because the superheroes had no objections to their changed living conditions.
• Deathstroke said they needed the Dimensional Demon Gods to take in the displaced mages and ordered troublemakers eliminated early.
• The Adjutant offered to arrange a discussion with Green Arrow, then projected a portrait of Link instead.

Su Ming explained that Oliver was testing him partly to reassure the heroes about living under his control, and promised to visit him in Star City after dealing with the Origin Court. Meanwhile, Little Rich and Big Cat examined the nature of The Source, and the chapter left Su Ming concluding that every being and every change had its own origin connected to it.

• Su Ming told the Adjutant that Oliver’s test could help the heroes see him as human and feel safer in the new universe.
• Su Ming asked the Adjutant to tell Oliver he would visit him in Star City on Earth-0 after handling the Origin Court.
• Little Rich emerged from his deep thought with a new understanding of The Source and his own awareness.
• Big Cat described seeing The Void through the book and nearly having its consciousness overwritten by stories of its past and Future.
• Little Rich proposed that the book was a window through which a Consciousness Body saw the story of its origin.
• Su Ming concluded that The Source comprised the origins of all things, with every change remaining connected to it.

Su Ming learned that The Source was a cosmic process rather than an independent will, and that Origin Court had acted on its own. He freed the Record Keeper and sent it to Earth-0, then reflected that its mission was complete.

• Su Ming concluded that The Source gathered and manifested settings, while Origin Court had acted independently of it.
• Su Ming shut down the Record Keeper’s equipment, kept its book, and released it from its work.
• The Record Keeper left reluctantly, and Su Ming called it back to ask where it wanted to go.
• The Record Keeper said it wanted to visit Hawaii, and Su Ming had the Adjutant send it to Earth-0.
• Little Rich said the Record Keeper should not exist on their dimensional level, and Su Ming replied that its existence fit the greater environment of its time.

Su Ming watched Wanda and Monark react to memories revealing the nature of The Source and their possible destinies. Wanda survived thanks to Chaos Magic, while Monark woke from the memories in distress.

• Little Rich warned Su Ming that Wanda and Monark’s brainwaves showed signs of impending mental breakdown.
• Wanda’s Chaos Magic flared, protected her, and left her exhausted as she returned to the sofa.
• Wanda told Su Ming she had seen her origin, her alternate selves, and the path she might have followed.
• Su Ming reassured Wanda that people could change their futures and promised he would not let anything happen to her.
• Su Ming had Strangle spray tea over Monark, waking the Magic Prince from his nightmare.

Su Ming reassured Monark after the mage nearly died from learning cosmic truths, then prepared the group to face the Origin Court and Origin Judges if they pursued them. Su Ming left with Monark and the cat, heading to 40K Earth while Franklin and Wanda stayed ready to fight.

• Su Ming warned Wanda to stop playing with dolls because her Chaos Magic could bring them to life unpredictably, and Wanda blushed as she realized he knew about her private tea parties.
• Monark recovered from the dangerous experience of seeing the story setting of his death, and Su Ming reassured him that he could revive him if necessary.
• Su Ming told Franklin and Wanda to prepare for a possible attack by the Origin Court and Origin Judges, and Strangle took the Origin Codex.
• Su Ming picked up the cat and asked Monark where he wanted to go; Monark chose London on 40K Earth to speak with Master Merlin at the Sanctum Sanctorum.
• Su Ming snapped his fingers and vanished with Monark and the cat.

Su Ming arrived in Star City to meet Green Arrow and watched him and Black Arrow exchange arrows in their familiar rooftop shootout. After the pair ran out of arrows and went their separate ways, Oliver greeted Su Ming and prepared to discuss what he had asked him about.

• Su Ming traveled to Earth-0's Star City after dropping The Mustache Mage at the London Sanctum Sanctorum.
• Su Ming watched Green Arrow and Black Arrow trade shots from separate rooftops while he talked with Kitty.
• Green Arrow and Black Arrow ran out of arrows, ended their match, and left; Black Arrow nodded to Su Ming on his way out.
• Oliver approached Su Ming, apologized for the shootout, and explained that his relationship with Black Arrow was hard to describe.
• Su Ming hugged Oliver and suggested they find somewhere to talk about what Oliver wanted to ask him.

Su Ming visited Green Arrow’s underground base and explained how the loss of the original Pocket Dimensions affected Justice League Dark. The chapter ended with Oliver deciding that Constantine and Deadman were the only members they needed to worry about.

• Oliver invited Su Ming to Green Arrow’s base, and they used Space Teleportation instead of riding Oliver’s motorcycle.
• Su Ming and Oliver found the base empty, shared beers, and discussed the disappearance of the original Pocket Dimensions.
• Su Ming explained that Zatanna, Etrigan, Bobo, Man-Bat, Madame Xanadu, Enchantress, and Changeling were unaffected.
• Su Ming said Constantine and Deadman were affected, and Oliver concluded that there was nothing to worry about if only those two were at risk.

Su Ming reassured Green Arrow after showing him the truth of The Source and explained that their immediate concern was the Origin Court. He promised to defend Multiverse 1 with the Origin Codex, leaving Oliver more confident about their situation.

• Su Ming and Green Arrow discussed Constantine and the danger Deadman faced after losing his connection to Goddess Rama Kushna.
• Deathstroke asked Green Arrow to reveal why he had called him, and Oliver admitted he wanted to know about The Source.
• Su Ming shared a memory of The Source with Oliver, who learned that higher beings shaped the reality of his existence.
• Oliver said he wanted to challenge The Source but acknowledged that it was beyond his power.
• Su Ming said they only needed to prepare for the Origin Court for now and promised to use the Origin Codex to plead Multiverse 1's case.

Su Ming and Green Arrow discussed the threat posed by the Origin Court before Adjutant detected an unknown intruder entering the 40K Megaverse. The intruder vanished after briefly appearing, and Su Ming and the cat began considering what kind of entity it might be.

• Su Ming told Green Arrow he intended to confront the Origin Judges, and said Green Arrow could share the intelligence with the Justice League and Batwoman.
• Adjutant reported that an intruder had breached the boundary of the 40K Megaverse and showed Su Ming and Green Arrow an image of a dark region with glowing red eyes.
• Adjutant explained that the intruder absorbed light, time, matter, and energy, apparently eating the Megaverse.
• Su Ming traveled to the intruder's coordinates but could neither see nor sense anything, and Adjutant confirmed the trail had disappeared.
• The cat said the intruder had no dreams or soul, leading Su Ming to suspect a Concept Manifestation; the cat suggested it might be a concept already present in the 40K Universe.

Deathstroke investigated the mysterious void left by an unknown intruder and prepared his multiversal defenses while waiting to learn what the creature wanted. He left the Hand of Creation and Hand of the Void to buy time as he monitored the surrounding universes.

• Deathstroke agreed that Dream of a Thousand Cats had narrowed the intruder’s identity to a Concept Entity, but said the possibilities remained too numerous to investigate.
• Deathstroke gave Dream catnip and identified the strange presence lingering in the void as an aura of Despair.
• The Sorcerer Supreme ordered the Adjutant to move 40K Earth and Earth-0 closer to the center and position the subsidiary universes as outer satellites.
• The Adjutant asked whether to add more universes, but Deathstroke declined because the multiversal system could not safely contain them.
• Deathstroke told the Adjutant to make Deadpool hurry and arrange a fight between the Hand of Creation and the Hand of the Void.
• Deathstroke ordered increased monitoring across every universe and assigned Little Rich to watch their Megaverse from the Beyond Realm.

Su Ming and Little Rich investigated a strange flat universe where a video computer virus had infected humans. They discovered a possible connection between the virus and Celestial biology, but needed to establish whether it could be safely used against the Celestials.

• The Adjutant told Su Ming that Little Rich had found a dramatically changed Single Universe in another multiverse system.
• Little Rich showed Su Ming a flat universe inhabited by three-dimensional humans and created equipment to examine it more closely.
• Su Ming directed Little Rich to observe New York, where a reporter described a past video computer virus attack and a protest gathered outside the New York State High Court.
• Little Rich suggested that the virus could infect humans because their minds might resemble the binary-based thought processes of Celestials.
• Su Ming considered using the virus against the Celestials, while Little Rich cautioned that they first had to determine whether it would endanger people in the 40K Universe.

Su Ming and his companions watched the Virus Maker arrive at court to stand trial for creating a virus that killed 76 million people. The prisoner claimed God had guided him to expose a world that had lost its grip on objective facts, leaving Su Ming to suspect his actions were part of Giant Black Shadow’s plan.

• Jill Bennington reported from the courthouse as an angry crowd demanded the death penalty and police struggled to contain them.
• Officers escorted the Virus Maker from an armored vehicle, and Jill questioned him about killing 76 million people and whether he believed he was God.
• Su Ming asked Adjutant and Little Rich what they thought of the killer, and Little Rich suggested the incident might be the start of a larger story.
• Su Ming agreed that the Virus Maker’s actions were likely part of Giant Black Shadow’s plan, while the cat described the incident as a crisis that could grow from a small beginning.
• The Virus Maker told Jill that God had instructed him, claimed the world was flat and people were not truly alive, and insisted he was clearer-minded than the viewers watching him.

Deathstroke investigated why the programmer’s virus was called the Damascus Miracle, while Little Rich checked the universe’s history for clues. They concluded the name likely linked Damascus Steel to the virus as a modern weapon, and prepared to examine the steel’s history.

• The cat told Little Rich that the programmer might have learned about the world through a dream, where feeling mattered more than logic.
• Deathstroke asked why the virus was called the Damascus Miracle and why its creator used the name Miracle Maker.
• Little Rich searched the universe’s history and found that the programmer had no personal connection to Damascus and that the world’s history mostly matched their own before World War II.
• Deathstroke inferred that the name referred to Damascus Steel, reasoning that ancient steel weapons and modern computer viruses were both weapons.

Su Ming confirmed that the programmer called the Miracle Maker had dreamed of the future and was chosen by the flat World Will as its Prophet. After the man died outside the courthouse, Su Ming recovered part of his brain and learned that the coming apocalypse was near.

• Su Ming explained to Little Rich how Damascus Steel production had saved countless slaves and concluded that the programmer was not insane.
• The Miracle Maker urged people to abandon their lives, then a gunshot exploded his head as the crowd cheered and the police searched for the shooter.
• Su Ming used Quantum Concepts to retrieve brain tissue and fed it to Strangler Sprout so he could access the dead man's memories.
• Su Ming learned that the programmer had seen the future in dreams and had been chosen by the World Will as its Prophet.
• Su Ming said the World Will had taken the man's soul at the appointed time, and he waited in Sepulk's command room for the approaching apocalypse.

Black snowflakes descended across Earth and erased parts of living beings while turning inanimate matter into Black Mud and maggots. After Dream of a Thousand Cats tested a flake and lost a paw, Su Ming suspected the snow was preparing the universe for an unknown predator and urged Adjutant and Little Rich to investigate before the threat consumed the Single Universe.

• Black snow covered Earth, erasing portions of people it touched without killing them, while buildings and vehicles began turning into Black Mud and maggots.
• Su Ming used Quantum Concepts and The Force to capture and examine a snowflake, discovering it was a Concept Manifestation rather than ordinary matter.
• Dream of a Thousand Cats touched the snowflake, bit off its rapidly eroding paw, and explained that the flakes converted its energy into matter.
• Su Ming theorized that the black snow prepared the universe for the Giant Black Shadow to feed on, while the people in the Courthouse Entrance footage vanished.
• Su Ming ordered Adjutant and Little Rich to accelerate their investigation after learning the black snow had spread across the Solar System.

Su Ming tested Black Snow on different Aliens, a zombie, and the maggots it produced, discovering that it erased living beings but transformed nonliving matter and could empower the maggots. As the Solar System’s sun was consumed and the flat universe faced destruction within half an hour, Su Ming preserved the specimens for research.

• Su Ming used the Anti-Life Equation to make an Alien prisoner touch Black Snow, confirming that it erased the creature’s body as it did a human’s.
• The Adjutant suggested testing a non-carbon-based lifeform, and Su Ming had an elemental rock Alien touch a snowflake; it was erased after a brief hesitation.
• Su Ming killed another prisoner and had the Adjutant revive it as a zombie, then found that Black Snow transformed its body into black mud and maggots.
• Su Ming ordered the Adjutant to preserve the black mud and maggots for Little Rich’s research, then used The Force to make a maggot touch Black Snow.
• The maggot grew larger and developed new mouthparts, while the sun was swallowed by Black Snow and the flat universe faced destruction within half an hour.