Chapter Summaries

Lucian discovered that he could copy abilities from two people at once, then began copying Sersi’s Matter Transmutation and Sprite’s Illusion Projection. He learned the system could be upgraded with rare high-level items and headed to Chicago with Sersi and Sprite to eliminate threats on Earth, while Tony followed in confusion.

• Lucian examined Sersi’s Matter Transmutation and learned it could reach level nine with Celestial energy.
• Lucian started copying Sprite’s Illusion Projection and discovered he could copy from two people simultaneously, moving Sersi’s Matter Transmutation to the background.
• Lucian learned that copying Matter Transmutation level nine would take 36.5 days and asked how to improve the system’s copying efficiency.
• The system said it was eligible for an upgrade but required high-level items with different properties, and it had already deciphered the Infinity Stones.
• Lucian headed to Chicago with Sersi and Sprite to eliminate threats on Earth, while Tony chased after them and questioned his destination.

Lucian confirmed that Makkari had rescued Ikaris and warned the other Eternals to evacuate, then gained an enhanced Mind Control ability. On the flight back to New York, he gave Tony Loki’s daggers and discussed the design of his new armor, promising to find him two assistants.

• Lucian searched Phastos’s Chicago home and found that Phastos and his family had packed up and left.
• Lucian used nearby residents’ memories to confirm that Phastos had been there that morning, concluding that Makkari had rescued Ikaris and alerted the other Eternals.
• Lucian’s Illusion Projection merged with Mind Control, and he tested the enhanced ability by making Chicago appear to be in ruins.
• Lucian headed back to New York with Sersi and Sprite while Tony caught up and asked about the armor’s design.
• Lucian gave Tony three of Loki’s daggers to use in a vibranium alloy and requested nanotechnology for the armor.
• Tony explained that nanotech armor would take months to develop, and Lucian promised to find him two assistants who could keep up.

Lucian planned to recruit the Avengers and the Maximoff siblings to prevent the Eternals from using their Uni-Mind against him. He told Tony to summon the team to Stark Tower for a strategy meeting called Avengers Two: Emergence Day.

• Lucian identified the Eternals’ Uni-Mind as a threat and decided he needed allies to disrupt their synchronization.
• Lucian recruited Tony by warning him that the coming fight would be extremely dangerous and could kill him.
• Lucian selected Hulk, Steve, Natasha, Hawkeye, Wanda, and Pietro as additional fighters, with the Mind Stone Scepter key to bringing in the Maximoff siblings.
• Lucian told Tony to contact Nick Fury and summon the Avengers, including Banner and Rogers, to Stark Tower for a strategy meeting.

Lucian recruited Dr. Helen Cho to help Tony develop mature nanotechnology for the Nano-Vibranium Armor, using a brutal display of regeneration to overcome her refusal. He took her from Seoul and flew toward Wakanda, where he planned to recruit Shuri next.

• Lucian left Tony to hide the unconscious captives and teleported to Seoul to recruit two technological geniuses for Tony’s armor project.
• Lucian entered the U-Gin Genetics Laboratory and asked Helen Cho to help develop mature nanotechnology, but she refused because she feared its military use.
• Lucian terrified Helen by making two researchers’ hands and an arm explode, then restored their injuries completely with regeneration.
• Helen recognized the regeneration technology as the realization of her research and agreed to work with Lucian after he promised funding, protection, and safeguards against creating Super Soldiers.
• Lucian carried Helen out of the laboratory and flew with her toward Wakanda to recruit Shuri.

Lucian broke into Wakanda and used a vision of T'Challa's death to persuade Shuri to help him research nanotechnology, promising to save her brother. He took Shuri and Helen Cho away after stopping T'Chaka's attack, leaving Shuri without a chance to say goodbye.

• Lucian revealed Wakanda's hidden city and teleported Helen Cho inside, triggering alarms.
• Lucian entered the royal laboratory, restrained the guards, and showed Shuri a vision of T'Challa dying.
• Shuri agreed to leave with Lucian to help with nanotechnology research if he saved her brother.
• T'Chaka attacked Lucian in the Black Panther Suit, but Lucian halted him and tossed him into the air before safely lowering him.
• Lucian teleported away with Shuri and Helen Cho while Shuri tried to say goodbye to her father.

Lucian gathered the Avengers and showed them the Celestials’ plan to destroy Earth through the Emergence, while Nick Fury questioned his claims. Tony then uncovered evidence that the Eternals had lived unchanged across centuries.

• Lucian arrived at Stark Tower with Helen Cho and Shuri and named the assembled group the Preventers.
• Lucian showed the Avengers a vision of the Celestials creating the Eternals and explained that humanity would feed a newborn Celestial inside Earth until its Emergence destroyed the planet.
• Nick Fury questioned how Lucian knew about the threat, why the Eternals had not intervened in past disasters, and how the Avengers could verify his story.
• Tony revealed JARVIS’s search results showing the Eternals appearing unchanged in historical photographs and records spanning more than a century.

Lucian revealed that a Celestial was gestating beneath Earth and brought the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. to question Ajak, the leader of the Eternals. Ajak confirmed that the Celestial would consume Earth’s intelligent life when it emerged, and Lucian’s answers left the group facing a threat the Celestials had kept hidden.

• Lucian told Nick Fury that a newborn Celestial slept beneath Earth and urged S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate, while asking Tony to provide Helen Cho and Shuri with a laboratory.
• Lucian used telekinesis to carry the group to Ajak’s hidden underground chamber and revealed that she was alive and hypnotized.
• Lucian questioned Ajak, who identified herself as the Eternals’ leader and said their mission was to eliminate the Deviants and safeguard humanity.
• Ajak explained that the Celestial would emerge once intelligent life reached sufficient numbers and consume that life energy to complete its birth.
• Ajak revealed that she carried a communication orb that could alert Arishem, and Lucian denied hypnotizing Helen Cho or Shuri before telling Natasha that his home was New York.

Lucian refused Nick Fury’s demand to take custody of Ajak, using a mental nightmare to incapacitate him before leaving with her. He concealed Ajak’s location and withheld key facts about the Eternals, setting the Avengers and Ikaris on a collision course.

• Fury demanded that S.H.I.E.L.D. take Ajak, but Lucian trapped him in a repeating nightmare about the Celestials destroying Earth.
• Steve, Hawkeye, Natasha, and Tony declined to take responsibility for Ajak, and Natasha warned Steve that Fury had no safer plan.
• Lucian flew away with Ajak after the sealed chamber hid itself underground, then sent three decoy pods with matching energy signatures in different directions.
• Lucian reflected that the Avengers and the Eternals each lacked crucial information, including the truth about the Celestial’s birth and Ikaris’s loyalty to it.
• Lucian expected Ikaris to seek the Eternals’ help to activate the Uni-Mind, while keeping the cost of saving Earth from them.

Lucian recruited Wanda and Pietro by offering them power in exchange for working for him, then carried them toward Hell's Kitchen. The siblings left Sokovia as their former protest crowd watched in awe and confusion.

• Lucian buried Nick Fury's pod in the wasteland and flew to Sokovia to find Wanda and Pietro.
• Lucian read Pietro's memories of their parents' deaths in a bombing and learned why the siblings had spent years protesting Stark Industries and foreign interference.
• Lucian demonstrated his power by blasting a vast opening through the clouds above Novigrad, convincing Pietro that he could offer the strength they wanted.
• Pietro offered his life as payment, but Wanda insisted they would face the consequences together; Lucian said the only price was that they work for him.
• Wanda and Pietro accepted, and Lucian carried them toward Hell's Kitchen while the crowd watched them disappear.

Lucian used his psychic power to order Hydra leader Alexander Pierce to send elite agents to Hell's Kitchen, then brought Wanda and Pietro there. The siblings arrived uncertain about what Lucian expected of them, and he declared the neighborhood their turf.

• Lucian reached Pierce's mind and ordered him to send people to Hell's Kitchen to await instructions.
• Pierce recognized Lucian as Pivot and ordered elite tactical squads to obey him unconditionally, bringing along the woman who had previously contacted Lucian.
• Lucian decided Hydra's resources were more useful than building an organization from scratch and believed fear would keep Pierce obedient.
• Wanda worried about what working for Lucian would require, while Pietro repeatedly asked where they were going.
• Lucian brought Wanda and Pietro to Hell's Kitchen and told them it was their turf.

Lucian established Hell's Kitchen as his territory and ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Simona to clear and rebuild the area as the headquarters of Vought International. He took Wanda and Pietro to a meal, where they ate their fill after years of hardship.

• Simona and dozens of armed agents arrived, bowed to Lucian, and followed his order to secure and clear the buildings in Hell's Kitchen.
• Lucian told Simona to name his organization Vought International, and she recorded the name.
• Lucian asked Wanda and Pietro what they wanted to eat, then had Simona arrange a wide selection of dishes from nearby restaurants.
• Wanda and Pietro ate until they were full while Lucian waited beside them.

Lucian used the Mind Stone Scepter to awaken Wanda’s Chaos Magic and give Pietro super speed, though the process left Pietro unconscious. After checking their abilities, Lucian resolved to keep Wanda and Pietro close and prepare them to grow stronger.

• Simona told Lucian that the first-floor clearing was complete, and he brought Wanda and Pietro into a room to use the Mind Stone Scepter.
• Lucian activated the scepter, and its energy awakened Wanda’s dormant Chaos Magic while Pietro endured severe pain.
• Pietro passed out, and Lucian checked the System Panel, which showed [Super Speed LV5] and [Super Physique LV3].
• Wanda regained consciousness and worried over Pietro, whom Lucian said would recover after a few days’ rest.
• Lucian checked Wanda’s abilities and saw her Chaos Magic could develop to far greater levels, then told her and Pietro to learn control and grow stronger.

Lucian arranged rooms for Wanda and Pietro, then considered how to prepare for the coming conflict with Ikaris and decided to approach Hulk. At Stark Tower, he asked Banner to bring Hulk out so he could talk to him.

• Lucian sent Wanda and the unconscious Pietro with Simona, told Wanda they would need to train their powers, and learned the system could not estimate how long copying her Chaos Magic would take.
• Lucian reviewed the more than thirty days remaining on his Matter Transmutation copy and judged that Ikaris would likely try to rescue Sersi before then.
• Lucian traveled to Stark Tower and asked JARVIS to summon Banner.
• In the laboratory, Tony, Shuri, and Helen Cho debated designs for Nanotech Armor while Banner enjoyed working peacefully with Hulk quiet inside him.
• Banner met Lucian on the top floor, where Lucian asked him to bring Hulk out for a conversation.

Lucian took Banner to a deserted island to help him communicate with Hulk, then copied Hulk’s Infinite Rage ability. Hulk attacked Lucian anyway, and Lucian prepared to fight back using a strategy aimed at calming his anger.

• Banner refused Lucian’s request to bring Hulk out, but Lucian offered to mediate between them and promised he could help control Hulk.
• Lucian flew Banner to a deserted island, where Banner triggered his transformation by slapping himself until Hulk emerged.
• Lucian used mental power to restrain Hulk and discovered that Hulk could understand him, then copied his Infinite Rage ability.
• Hulk attacked Lucian while he was distracted, and Lucian blocked both punches before warning Hulk not to make him fight dirty.
• Hulk declared that he would not listen, and Lucian threatened to make him feel so good that he could no longer get angry.

Lucian fought Hulk without letting him land a hit, then brought Hulk and Banner together in a shared mental space so they could confront their fear, anger, and conflicting memories. After seeing how the military pursuit endangered civilians and how Hulk experienced being shut away, Banner fell silent as Hulk accused him of never listening.

• Lucian dodged Hulk’s attacks and used psychic power to keep Hulk from building up enough rage to destroy the island.
• Lucian offered to create a mental channel between Hulk and Banner, and Hulk agreed to meet him.
• Lucian withdrew his control and opened a stable mental space where Banner and Hulk could speak face-to-face.
• Lucian projected their memories of the Brazil pursuit, showing Banner being attacked by soldiers and Hulk escaping while a vehicle he struck endangered residents.
• Banner acknowledged his fear of Hulk and explained that Hulk’s anger could hurt people, while Hulk said he had not meant to harm anyone inside the damaged house.
• Hulk showed Banner his memory of being trapped alone in darkness whenever Banner was safe, leaving Banner silent as Hulk said Banner never listened.

Banner and Hulk reached a fragile agreement to communicate and share control, and Lucian encouraged Hulk to learn fighting techniques. As Lucian waited for Wanda and Pietro to be brought to the island, Hulk chose Eight-Level Fist for his training.

• Banner thanked Hulk for protecting him and proposed rules for sharing control, including protecting ordinary people and stopping once danger had passed.
• Hulk asked Banner to seek his permission before taking control again, and their first willing touch opened a fragile passage between their consciousnesses.
• Lucian suggested Banner take a break and let Hulk have the body, and Banner agreed to spend a few days off.
• Lucian offered to teach Hulk fighting techniques, and Hulk eagerly watched training videos on a tablet.
• Lucian asked Simona to locate Wanda and Pietro and bring them to the island, then saw Hulk choose an Eight-Level Fist tutorial.
• Lucian began Hulk's first lesson by telling him to practice a standing stance.

Lucian brought Simona and supplies to the island, where he trained Wanda, Pietro, and Hulk as they practiced their newly awakened powers. Elsewhere, Ikaris awoke wounded in the Eternals' spaceship medical bay.

• Simona arrived with former Hydra agents, and Lucian ordered her to provide Hulk with the best food he wanted.
• Wanda joined Lucian's training and practiced lifting stones with her powers.
• Lucian woke Pietro, who discovered his super speed and raced around the island.
• Pietro tried to surprise Lucian, but Lucian tracked him and snatched the leaf from his fingers.
• Lucian corrected Hulk's stance while his Copy progress on Infinite Rage continued.
• Ikaris opened his eyes in the Eternals' spaceship medical bay.

Aboard the Domo, Ikaris woke from his defeat and learned that Sersi and Ajak were missing while the Eternals investigated Lucian. He agreed to recover before they acted together, but feared Lucian might know the secret of the Emergence.

• Ikaris woke in the Domo’s medical bay and tried to rush off to rescue Sersi, but Phastos and Druig stopped him.
• Druig explained that Makkari had rescued Ikaris after sensing Lucian recover from their fight, then retreated rather than risk confronting him.
• Ikaris learned that Ajak had disappeared and that Druig had found a hidden psychic imprint around Kingo’s consciousness.
• Ikaris suggested Lucian might be connected to the Deviants, while Phastos showed footage of Lucian fighting alongside the Avengers in New York.
• Phastos said an unknown energy was damaging Ikaris and ordered him to rest for at least half a month; Gilgamesh and Makkari urged him to recover before the Eternals acted together.

Lucian trained Hulk in the Two-Yi Stance and gave Wanda and Pietro successive serums to strengthen their bodies. The second enhancement forced the siblings to relive their parents’ deaths, and Lucian presented them with another round of injections as Hulk watched.

• Lucian corrected Hulk’s stance and made him continue training before teaching him to punch.
• Lucian gave Wanda and Pietro Sister Sage’s improved Compound V, raising their Super Physique levels and strengthening their bodies.
• Lucian injected the siblings with serum made from Sam’s blood, which brought their painful memories of their parents’ deaths in Sokovia to the surface.
• Wanda faced her memories and thanked Lucian, while he told both siblings to endure the experience themselves.
• Lucian produced two more syringes, and Pietro injected himself again as Wanda prepared to follow.

Lucian completed Wanda and Pietro’s V1 enhancements, raising their physical abilities and Wanda’s Chaos Magic while granting them immortality. He then began teaching Hulk Bajiquan as Simona’s agents watched and hoped to earn enhancements of their own.

• Pietro and Wanda endured their fourth and fifth injections, and Lucian confirmed that their super physiques had reached LV6 while Wanda’s Chaos Magic had risen to LV6.
• Lucian told the siblings that V1 stopped aging; Wanda tried to kneel in gratitude, but he lifted her and Pietro and called them his people.
• Pietro backed down from challenging Hulk after Lucian restrained him, and Lucian sent the siblings to eat before continuing their training.
• Lucian taught Hulk Bajiquan punches and close-quarters techniques, sparring with him and demonstrating how to use his strength.
• Simona sent her agents on patrol after they asked how they could receive injections, telling them that outstanding work might earn Lucian’s notice.