Chapter Summaries

Su Ming received a mysterious object from Joker and was instantly teleported away before he could inspect it. Joker searched the Batcave, then left with The Batman Who Laughs's head after defacing the unconscious heroes and killing Monitor.

• Su Ming demanded his payment from Joker, who gave him a tiny object he had found in the Batcave.
• A flash of blue light teleported Su Ming away as soon as the object reached his hand.
• Joker searched the Batcave for Su Ming, then accepted that he had vanished.
• Joker took The Batman Who Laughs's head and drew smiling faces on the unconscious Barry and Diana.
• Joker returned to draw a smile on Monitor's brain with lipstick, killing him, then left the cave.

Su Ming was summoned to Doctor Manhattan after acquiring the Comedian's Badge and learned that Manhattan had trapped Slade in the stolen ten years. Manhattan insisted Su Ming leave the universe, and Su Ming chose to be sent through a hole in the Source Wall, vanishing into the unknown beyond it.

• Su Ming found himself holding the bloodstained Comedian's Badge and realized it had connected him to Doctor Manhattan.
• Su Ming suspected Manhattan had imprisoned Slade within the ten years stolen from the Main Universe, where Slade had lived through countless illusory lives.
• Doctor Manhattan met Su Ming in a cosmic palace and explained that the universe's future had become uncertain and that Su Ming could not remain.
• Su Ming asked for Batwoman to repay her debt, but Doctor Manhattan gave him a bag of energy-bearing gems instead.
• Su Ming asked Doctor Manhattan to send him through a hole in the Source Wall, and Doctor Manhattan teleported him away.

Su Ming traveled beyond the Source Wall and crossed the multiverse in search of a Marvel world, relying on Doctor Manhattan’s energy to keep him alive. He entered the Marvel Multiverse and was pulled toward a familiar planet, though the energy protecting him was nearly gone.

• Su Ming passed through the Gray Mist of the Source Sea and confirmed that other universes existed beyond DC.
• Su Ming searched passing worlds, recognized the He-Man Universe, and avoided worlds that did not suit his plans.
• Su Ming found the Marvel Multiverse beside the Disney Universe and endured its outer barrier to enter.
• Su Ming selected a world marked by six bright points, hoping it contained the Infinity Stones, but his own gems could not recharge his dwindling protection.
• An unknown force carried Su Ming through the Milky Way and Solar System toward a familiar planet.

Su Ming made a painful emergency descent through Earth's atmosphere and landed near a Pacific island, where he began searching for a harbor and signs of people. A red-feathered bird with a curved beak gave him a clue to his location.

• Su Ming used Godslayer as glider wings and then a parachute to slow his descent toward the Pacific Ocean.
• He crashed into the sea near a chain of islands and identified dolphins and coral reefs as signs of nearby sheltered waters and possible human habitation.
• Su Ming used the Bat Oxygen Tank to reach shore, then set off along the coastline in search of a harbor.
• He walked beside the jungle and recognized a red-feathered bird with a straw-like curved beak.

Slade explored the Hawaiian island where Manhattan had deposited him and sought a sailor who could tell him where and when he had arrived. Bolde revealed that it was 1925, leaving Slade with a date but still needing a way to reach a major city.

• Slade identified the island as Hawaii and suspected that the world's timeline differed from his own.
• Slade found a small, concealed harbor, buried most of his armor and weapons in the jungle, and approached a fisherman.
• Slade introduced himself to the fisherman, Bolde, and learned that Bolde was a former British sailor who had lost his leg when his ship sank.
• Bolde told Slade that he had captained the destroyer Swordfish, which sank in 1917, allowing Slade to determine that it was 1925.

Su Ming learned about Bolde’s shipwreck, his failed attempt to die with his ship, and his retreat to Kahoolawe. He discovered that Bolde owned the island and lived there with hired workers, while considering how the coming war might bring Bolde back to naval service.

• Su Ming reflected on the uncertainty of mine warfare and how American industrial power had changed naval attitudes toward abandoning sinking ships.
• Bolde explained that an explosion had cost him a leg and that he had awakened in a Liverpool convalescent home after being discharged.
• Bolde told Su Ming that he had moved to Hawaii to spend the rest of his life in seclusion, and Su Ming considered how World War II might return him to service.
• Bolde identified the island as Kahoolawe and said he had bought it for two thousand pounds.
• Bolde explained that his butler, gardener, and hired workers lived on the island with him, and that they brought food and water from Honolulu each week.

Su Ming planned to turn Kahoolawe into a private base and establish an arms company to fund his future mercenary work. He resolved to sell his gold, secure a legal identity, and wait for an opportunity to buy the island from Bolde.

• Su Ming decided Kahoolawe’s location and open land made it suitable for a private base, though it lacked freshwater.
• Su Ming planned to use his knowledge of modern weapons to establish an arms company and profit from military spending before World War II.
• Su Ming recognized that he needed money both to build a global network of safehouses and to support his mercenary work and Bloodlust.
• Su Ming planned to sell his gold jewelry, obtain a legal identity, and travel to the mainland United States.
• Su Ming intended to build a relationship with Bolde and buy Kahoolawe when Bolde returned to military service.

Su Ming traveled with Bolde from the remote island to Honolulu, where he planned to sell gold jewelry and establish an identity before continuing his journey. He left Bolde waiting at the dock and headed toward a pawnshop near the harbor.

• Su Ming offered to treat Bolde to a meal in Honolulu, and Bolde agreed to take him there by boat.
• Su Ming packed his armor and weapons, disguised his sword and God Metal 47 as a surfboard, and boarded Bolde’s boat in island-style clothes.
• After a four-hour trip, Su Ming and Bolde reached Honolulu, where Bolde sent the steward and workers to sell their cargo.
• Su Ming decided to pawn his gold jewelry for cash and spotted a Chinese pawnshop near the busy harbor.
• Su Ming told Bolde he was going to the bank, then left him waiting at the dock while he went toward the pawnshop.

Su Ming tried to sell his gold jewelry in a Honolulu pawnshop and used a fabricated royal history to convince the shopkeeper of its value. The shopkeeper recognized a chance to resell the pieces to Hawaii’s royal family, but their deal had not yet been settled.

• Su Ming entered a pawnshop after dealing with several pickpockets and presented his gold and gemstone jewelry to the Old Man.
• The Old Man admired the jewelry but offered the usual pawnshop valuation, while Su Ming said he wanted to sell it through a different arrangement.
• Su Ming claimed the jewelry had belonged to Empress Marie Louise and said he needed money to buy ships and search for his missing father.
• Su Ming suggested that the Old Man could sell the jewelry to Hawaii’s former Queen, and the Old Man realized the royal family could make him a fortune.

Su Ming sold a piece of jewelry for ten thousand U.S. dollars and planned to obtain an identity before heading to the American mainland. He joined Bolde for dinner in Honolulu, where a failed cocktail order left him trying a local drink instead.

• Su Ming sold his jewelry to The Old Man for a ten-thousand-dollar Citibank cashier's check, which he exchanged for cash.
• Su Ming considered how to obtain a Hawaiian identity record so he could travel to the American mainland and begin his plans.
• Su Ming returned to the cargo ship and met Bolde, who took him to a small Honolulu restaurant for Loco Moco.
• Su Ming ordered grilled lobsters and a Martini, but the waiter could not provide the cocktail, so Bolde asked for Pineapple Plum Sake instead.

Su Ming relaxed in Hawaii, drinking with Bolde and telling him embellished war stories while discussing the possibility of another conflict. After half a month of leisure, he began adapting to peaceful life and watched the sunset from the beach.

• Su Ming asked Bolde whether he wanted to return to Britain and fight in another war, and Bolde admitted that he still longed for the battlefield.
• Su Ming entertained Bolde with invented stories about his wartime exploits, earning the older soldier's admiration and strengthening their friendship.
• Su Ming carried the drunken Bolde back to the harbor, promised to visit Kaho Island again, and then found an inn in Honolulu.
• Su Ming spent several days enjoying Hawaii's beaches, hunting, diving, and horseback riding, while his battle instincts affected how he assessed people and hunted game.
• Su Ming befriended Old Zhang the Butcher, who admired his exceptionally clean and bloody hunting work.
• After half a month, Su Ming grew more accustomed to peace, stopped reaching for his gun at strangers, and watched the sunset from the beach.

Su Ming agreed to help Butcher Old Zhang with the Honolulu gangs extorting Chinese merchants, then wiped out four gangs overnight. After obtaining identity papers, he boarded a cruise ship bound for New York, leaving Hawaii behind.

• Su Ming listened as Old Zhang explained that Honolulu gangs had forced him and other market merchants to pay protection money repeatedly, and promised to deal with them.
• Su Ming used his Iconic Uniform and Godslayer to kill members of four gangs in their hideouts, leaving a few survivors to spread the story.
• The police and military investigated the bloody scenes while the survivors described a black-and-yellow ghost, and Old Zhang suspected Su Ming was responsible.
• Su Ming bribed a clerk for identity papers that made him a legal American with New York as his ancestral home.
• Su Ming bought a first-class ticket on a Panama-route cruise ship and watched the Hawaiian Islands disappear behind him.

Su Ming spent the long voyage training and experimenting with Tenth Metal and Doctor Manhattan’s gemstones, but he found little practical use for either. After nearly a month at sea, he arrived in New York, where he planned to live.

• Su Ming grew restless aboard the ship and spent most of his days training in the gym.
• Su Ming experimented with Tenth Metal, discovering it could make a boneless glove and form a key in a lock.
• Su Ming tried multiple ways to activate Doctor Manhattan’s gemstones, but only the Nightfall Greatsword could split one into two smaller stones.
• After nearly a month at sea, Su Ming saw the Statue of Liberty and reached New York during Prohibition.
• Su Ming stepped ashore in New York, which would be his home for a long time.

Su Ming arrived in Prohibition-era New York and planned to build wealth by producing bootleg liquor before eventually establishing an arms company. He researched the city's underground infrastructure and began searching for a concealed factory site.

• Su Ming bribed a customs officer and entered New York with more than nine thousand dollars.
• He decided to brew and sell bootleg liquor, relying on his strength to protect the operation from gangs.
• Su Ming chose abandoned underground spaces as possible factory sites and used New York State Library records to map them.
• After memorizing the city's underground pipelines and locating hundreds of candidate sites, Su Ming set out to inspect them within three days.
• Su Ming left the library, opened a manhole in a secluded alley, and descended into the sewers.

Su Ming encountered Ancient One in the sewers, and she invited him to the New York Sanctum to assess whether he threatened Earth. After examining him and finding no magical aura or talent, Ancient One began a routine conversation with him.

• Su Ming saw space fold around him in the sewers and drew the Godslayer as Ancient One appeared.
• Ancient One introduced herself as the mage and invited Su Ming through a portal to the New York Sanctum for questioning.
• Su Ming entered the Sanctum, reasoning that Ancient One wanted to check his origins and rule out demonic ties.
• Ancient One examined Su Ming's aura and concluded that he had no magical talent and posed no threat to Earth.
• Ancient One offered Su Ming a drink, and he asked for whiskey on the rocks.

Su Ming, using the name Slade Wilson, spoke with Ancient One about his arrival, his work as a mercenary, and his intentions in this universe. Ancient One sent him back to the sewers with a barrel of liquor, while suspecting they would meet again.

• Ancient One questioned Su Ming about his name, arrival, powers, mercenary work, and view of the world.
• Su Ming concealed his knowledge of the Marvel universe and claimed he only wanted to survive.
• Ancient One decided Su Ming could live freely in the world and sent him back to the sewers with a barrel of liquor.
• Su Ming pretended to be confused and continued onward, while Ancient One watched him leave through the Mirror Dimension.
• Ancient One opened a portal to London, anticipating that she and Su Ming would meet again.

Su Ming established a concealed underground distillery beneath the New York Sanctum, recruited former brewery workers, and began selling his Skywalker liquor during Prohibition. He prepared to open a basement bar and put Gin in charge of selecting staff, while hinting he might entrust Gin with the business.

• Su Ming chose an abandoned reservoir beneath Bleecker Street 117 for his distillery and used Ancient One's liquor as a starter culture.
• Su Ming recruited former distillery workers with high wages and led them through underground passages to the factory.
• After a week, Su Ming began selling cleanly bottled Skywalker liquor, producing up to five hundred barrels a month.
• Su Ming bought a basement for a bar, hired the literate Irish immigrant Gin to manage daily affairs, and prepared to open the bar.
• Su Ming asked the workers to recommend trusted relatives and friends for bar jobs, then told Gin to review the candidates.
• Su Ming said he might leave the bar and distillery in Gin's care if Gin performed well.

Su Ming expanded the Peace Hotel into a thriving members-only bar and used intimidation and bribes to secure protection from officials and rival gangs. He left Gin to manage his growing territory while investing in stocks and waiting to profit from the 1929 crash.

• A neighbor traded his family's apple pie recipe for a friend's promise to bring him to Su Ming's members-only bar.
• Su Ming and Gin bribed or threatened New York officials, gaining their cooperation and protection for the bar.
• Su Ming had Gin manage neighboring gangs and enforce rules against drug and human trafficking across their territory.
• Su Ming invested in General Motors and oil company stocks, planning to sell before Black Tuesday and short the market afterward.

After Black Tuesday wiped out fortunes and drove people to suicide, Su Ming reflected on the risks facing the Marvel Universe and continued planning to prepare for future threats. At Peace Hotel, he used music and drinks to comfort devastated customers, then summoned Gin to help clear bodies from outside.

• The stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, but Su Ming had already sold his stocks and made nearly two hundred million dollars by shorting the market.
• Su Ming considered how his actions could alter the future and decided he must keep preparing for dangers such as Thanos and other emerging forces.
• As desperate residents jumped to their deaths outside Peace Hotel, the bartender told Su Ming that the police lacked the manpower to respond.
• Su Ming ordered the bartender to call Gin and bring strong men to clear the street, then played and sang "Piano Man" to lift the customers' spirits.
• Su Ming bought the crowd another round and gestured for Gin to follow him.

Su Ming instructed Gin to use his wealth to acquire struggling companies and farms during the Great Depression, while opening trade routes into Africa to seek gold and investigate Wakanda. Gin delegated the acquisitions to the Old Man, who joined Wilson Enterprises as chief legal counsel, and Su Ming began planning his next moves.

• Su Ming told Gin to buy a record company, major industrial firms, farms, ranches, tractor factories, and ocean-going cargo ships, and to consolidate the factories on the East Coast.
• Su Ming instructed Gin to sell goods across Africa through French North Africa and investigate Wakanda, explaining that gold and oil would retain their value during the financial crisis.
• Gin hired the Old Man as Wilson Enterprises' chief legal counsel and tasked him with assembling a legal team to negotiate the acquisitions.
• The Old Man negotiated deals with companies near bankruptcy, while Su Ming signed checks to finance the expansion.
• Su Ming met the Old Man, gave him a thousand-dollar bonus, and assigned him the codename Vodka before beginning to plan further arrangements.