Recaps

Luca showed Tony his new biological suit, which amplified his physical abilities seventyfold and absorbed enormous amounts of energy, then demonstrated his power by lifting and towing a U.S. aircraft carrier. After setting it down safely, Luca proposed that he and Tony head to the desert to try out his next idea.

• Luca revealed his black biological suit to Tony and explained that it had merged with Chaos Magic.
• JARVIS reported that the suit synchronized with Luca, increased his physical attributes seventyfold, and could evolve.
• Luca and Tony flew to an aircraft carrier in international waters, where Luca lifted it more than ten meters above the sea.
• Luca dragged the carrier across the ocean at high speed while his Bio-Force Field controlled the surrounding water.
• Luca gently returned the carrier to the sea and invited Tony to go with him to the desert.

Luca lent Tony his living suit, letting him experience its immense power and explore its abilities. After they fought to a stalemate and tied in a race, Tony returned the suit and left inspired to develop nanotech armor of his own.

• Luca took Tony to the Nevada desert and authorized him as the living suit’s second host.
• Tony discovered the suit could amplify his strength, change its appearance, fly, resist magic, and transform into weapons.
• Tony challenged Luca to a fight, and they battled for half an hour without either gaining an advantage.
• Luca and Tony raced across the desert to the California border and finished in a tie.
• Tony returned the suit to Luca and said he would develop nanotech armor, promising to defeat him someday.

Norman Osborn came to Stark Tower desperate for the Stark Miracle, but Luca and Tony mocked his offer and revealed that they knew he was the Green Goblin. Luca left Norman shaken and unsure whether he would receive treatment.

• Jessica and Natasha competed for Luca and Tony’s attention until Luca ordered them to clean the house or lose their bonuses.
• Norman arrived at Stark Tower and begged to see Luca, hoping to obtain the Stark Miracle before his genetic collapse killed him.
• Luca told Tony that Norman’s visit would let them destroy the Osborn Group, and Tony agreed to receive the documents.
• Norman offered Luca and Tony up to a billion dollars for a cure, but they laughed at his offer and rejected money as motivation.
• Luca said he would not sell the drug to the Green Goblin, and Tony explained that Norman’s identity could be uncovered from the Osborn Group’s aviation purchases.

Luca subdued the Green Goblin, forced Norman Osborn to transfer control of the Osborn Group, and cured his genetic collapse. After Norman fled Stark Tower, Luca and Tony celebrated the acquisition and said it would fund the Justice League.

• The Green Goblin took control of Norman Osborn and lunged at Luca, but Luca pinned him to the floor with his Bio-Force Field.
• Luca forced Norman to sign over absolute control of the Osborn Group, threatening to kill him if he refused.
• Luca gave Norman Stark Miracle, which cured his genetic collapse and silenced the Green Goblin personality.
• Norman fled Stark Tower, and Luca and Tony celebrated taking over the Osborn Group to fund the Justice League.

Pietro felt lonely and asked Steve for advice on dating, so Steve took him to a Manhattan bar to demonstrate his blunt approach to women. After a blonde woman followed Steve to a hotel, Pietro returned to the bar, newly confident that he could try the same approach.

• Pietro watched Wanda replay Luca Stark’s press conferences and lamented that he was the only bachelor among his friends.
• Steve arrived at the apartment, recognized Pietro’s frustration about dating, and offered to teach him how to approach women.
• Steve took Pietro to a retro bar in Manhattan and sat beside a blonde woman in a red dress.
• Steve criticized the woman’s perfume, told her he liked the smell of a woman sweating in bed, and invited her to meet him at the Westin Hotel within five minutes.
• The blonde woman hurried after Steve, and Pietro watched Steve lead her into the hotel.
• Pietro returned to the bar, convinced that he could use Steve’s domineering approach himself.

Peter began his internship at Doctor Otto Octavius’s New York laboratory and helped improve Otto’s artificial-sun reactor design. He grew concerned when Otto revealed a neural-control system for operating the reactor, but Otto insisted his inhibitor chip made it safe.

• Peter arrived at the Osborn Group laboratory and greeted Doctor Otto Octavius, who showed him the reactor simulation.
• Peter spotted a flaw in the reactor’s magnetic-field model and suggested a change that impressed Otto.
• Otto showed Peter four neural mechanical tentacles designed to let him work near the dangerous fusion reactor.
• Peter warned that a neural link could damage Otto’s brain if the machinery sent signals back, but Otto said an inhibitor chip would prevent that.
• Peter remained uneasy about the chip’s reliability as Otto prepared to use the tentacles.

Luca gave Gwen Stacy a nanotechnology suit and defeated Shocker during a bank robbery, publicly announcing the armor as Stark Industries’ latest breakthrough. That night, Ancient One brought Steve and Wong to Kamar-Taj to discuss the future, leaving Steve unimpressed by the sorcerers’ training grounds.

• Luca presented Gwen Stacy with a protective new suit and explained its features while they spent time together on a rooftop.
• Gwen Stacy and Luca responded to a bank robbery, where Shocker’s sonic weapons destroyed her webbing before Luca shielded her from the blast.
• Luca used his Symbiote Suit’s tentacles to crush Shocker’s exoskeleton and knock him unconscious, then told reporters the armor was Stark Industries nanotechnology.
• Ancient One opened a portal in Wong’s apartment and invited Steve and Wong to Kamar-Taj to discuss future threats and the Starks.
• Steve entered Kamar-Taj, saw its sorcerers training, and dismissed the place as a hippie cult summer camp.

Steve met the Ancient One at Kamar-Taj, where she showed him the wider universe and explained that Luca Stark had disrupted the timeline. She warned that the resulting damage to Earth’s defenses could bring Dormammu’s invasion sooner than expected.

• Wong led Steve to the Ancient One despite Steve’s insults and refusal to drink tea.
• The Ancient One sent Steve’s soul beyond his body to show him the universe’s dimensions and parallel realities.
• Steve returned to his body unimpressed and joked that the Ancient One should sell the experience in a New York nightclub.
• The Ancient One used the Time Stone to show Steve how Luca Stark’s powers had made the timeline chaotic and weakened Earth’s defensive barrier.
• The Ancient One warned that Dormammu and other ancient demon gods could invade Earth sooner than she had foreseen.

Ancient One asked Steve to bring Luca Stark and Tony Stark to Kamar-Taj to discuss the demon gods threatening Earth. When Luca and Tony arrived, Luca immediately tried to turn Kamar-Taj’s energy network into a business deal.

• Ancient One asked Steve to invite Luca Stark and Tony Stark to Kamar-Taj, hoping Luca would use his power against the demon gods.
• Steve warned Ancient One that Luca cared about money and his own interests, but agreed to pass along her invitation.
• Tony showed Luca a prototype bracer that deployed a red-and-gold armored gauntlet using a memory-metal folding storage matrix.
• Steve and Wong arrived through a portal and told Luca and Tony that Ancient One wanted to meet them about demon gods threatening Earth.
• Luca and Tony armored up and traveled through the portal to Kamar-Taj.
• Ancient One welcomed Luca and Tony, but Luca interrupted her and offered to buy Kamar-Taj’s energy extraction rights or form a joint venture.

At Kamar-Taj, Luca and Tony dismissed Mordo and challenged the Ancient One, who demonstrated her power by separating their souls from their bodies and showing them the multiverse. Rather than fear the experience, the brothers became fascinated, then agreed to hear the Ancient One out.

• Mordo confronted Luca and Tony for treating Kamar-Taj as something they could buy, but Luca and Tony mocked his temper and appearance.
• Steve threatened Mordo when he raised his magical whip, and the Ancient One ordered Mordo to stand down.
• The Ancient One struck Luca and Tony, sending their souls through the microscopic world, higher dimensions, and the multiverse before returning them to their bodies.
• Tony excitedly discussed using what he had seen to improve his armor, while Luca praised the experience as a potential virtual reality attraction.
• Luca recognized the Ancient One's power and invited her to explain why she had brought them to Kamar-Taj, and she led them toward the tea room.

The Ancient One invited Luca and Tony to study magic at Kamar-Taj, where Tony displayed extraordinary talent but Luca discovered his Chaos Magic prevented him from using ordinary magic. Tony and Steve decided to stay at Kamar-Taj while Luca returned to New York.

• The Ancient One explained Earth's magical defenses and asked Luca and Tony to stay at Kamar-Taj to learn magic, and both agreed to try.
• Tony used a Sling Ring to open a portal to Stark Tower almost immediately, astonishing the Ancient One, Mordo, and Wong.
• Luca failed to open a portal because his Chaos Magic rejected outside energy, and the Ancient One explained that his body generated its own power.
• The Ancient One offered to personally teach Tony, who agreed to stay and study magic.
• Steve decided to stay at Kamar-Taj as well, and Luca returned to New York through a portal.

Nick Fury uncovered evidence that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and ordered Coulson to begin a secret response. In New York, Luca watched Stark Industries complete its takeover of the Osborn Group while Natasha remained undercover as his assistant.

• Nick Fury examined S.H.I.E.L.D. records and found that Brock Rumlow’s squad had carried out unauthorized missions and that large sums of money had vanished through shell companies.
• Nick Fury traced the hidden financial authorization to Alexander Pierce and concluded that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council.
• Nick Fury ordered Coulson to search his office, secure Howard Stark’s 1991 case files, and stop reporting his orders to Pierce.
• Nick Fury told Coulson that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed a trusted force of its own and that its rules had to change.
• Natasha served Luca coffee at Stark Tower while Luca watched news reports announce Stark Industries’ takeover of the Osborn Group.

Luca tricked Jessica into believing he would lose his powers for an hour, hoping to lure Hydra into attacking him. As Jessica and Natasha took over the Osborn Group, Peter discovered that Dr. Otto Octavius had attached mechanical tentacles to his spine ahead of a nuclear fusion test.

• Luca told Jessica that he would become powerless at midnight and ordered her to protect him, while secretly planning to use the false information to draw out Hydra's elite.
• Jessica left intending to report Luca's supposed weakness to Minister Pierce, and Natasha concealed her listening device before Jessica exited the office.
• Jessica and Natasha traveled to the former Osborn Group to oversee its takeover, where Norman Osborn greeted them and prepared the laboratory accounts and personnel records.
• Peter arrived at the physics laboratory and found Dr. Otto Octavius welding four mechanical tentacles to his spine despite Peter's warnings about the control chip.
• Otto dismissed Peter's concerns and headed toward the nuclear fusion reactor for its final ignition test.

Otto’s fusion experiment spiraled out of control, destroying his inhibitor chip and transforming him into Doctor Octopus. Peter put on his new suit and entered the laboratory to stop him, but the chapter ended with Peter unharmed after the suit absorbed most of Otto’s attack.

• Otto ignored Peter’s warning and activated the fusion reactor, which formed an artificial sun that grew unstable.
• A magnetic storm damaged the laboratory and shattered the inhibitor chip on Otto’s neck, causing the tentacles to merge with his nervous system.
• Peter changed into his new red-and-blue suit, activated its assistant AI Anna, and followed her route toward the reactor.
• Peter swung into the laboratory and confronted Otto, who had become Doctor Octopus and attacked him with a tentacle.
• Peter’s suit absorbed most of the blow, leaving him unharmed as he landed on a toppled machine.

Peter shut down Doctor Octopus's reactor and chased him onto the streets, where he hesitated to use a potentially lethal electric attack. Doctor Octopus escaped while Peter saved civilians, leaving Spider-Man to question whether he had made the right choice.

• Peter used electrified webs to disable two of Doctor Octopus's tentacles, then tore apart the reactor's power cables and shut down the artificial sun.
• Doctor Octopus smashed through the laboratory wall and attacked police officers on a New York street, but Peter stopped him from crushing them with a patrol car.
• Peter fought Doctor Octopus with help from Anna, who identified exposed tentacle joints as a weakness he could target with electric webs.
• Peter hesitated to fire at Doctor Octopus's tentacle connections after seeing Otto briefly regain control, fearing the attack would damage his brain or kill him.
• Doctor Octopus attacked a building, and Peter caught falling debris with a web net while civilians escaped.
• Doctor Octopus fled, and Peter blamed himself for letting him go and wondered what the right thing to do was.

Jessica discovered Luca appeared to have lost his powers and secretly welcomed the arrival of Hydra’s assassination team, led by Crossbones and the Winter Soldier. After Luca revealed his weakness had been a ruse, Crossbones shot him in the head, and the team prepared to take his body away.

• Luca collapsed in apparent weakness, while Jessica realized his powers seemed to be gone and Happy assured him the villa’s security was active.
• At midnight, an electromagnetic pulse disabled the villa’s systems, and Happy fled into a safe room as Crossbones and the Winter Soldier led armed agents inside.
• Jessica pretended to protect Luca and was knocked aside by Crossbones, then secretly watched as the agents surrounded him.
• Crossbones mocked Luca and ordered his agents to seize him, but Luca dropped the act and said the game was over.
• Crossbones ordered his team to open fire, shot Luca in the head, and then told the agents to retrieve his body for study.

Luca Stark survived Hydra’s assassination attempt and slaughtered the attackers, then captured the Winter Soldier. He deceived Jessica about his powers and left her believing Hydra could exploit his supposed weakness.

• Crossbones reported Luca Stark dead, but Luca rose from the couch as his gunshot wound healed and revealed his symbiote suit.
• Luca stopped the agents’ bullets and killed more than a dozen Hydra agents with his tentacles, then knocked Crossbones unconscious.
• Luca recognized the Winter Soldier as the man who had killed his parents, but chose to capture him so he and Tony could take revenge together.
• Luca caught the Winter Soldier’s punch, crushed his mechanical arm, and shattered his kneecaps before ordering Happy to lock him in cell five.
• Luca praised Jessica and claimed his deadly technology had been destroyed after one use, prompting her to plan to report the supposed weakness to Minister Pierce.
• Luca told Jessica to help Happy clean the living room and went upstairs to sleep.

Alexander Pierce ordered Hydra to stop targeting Luca Stark and accelerate its plan to take control of S.H.I.E.L.D. Luca returned to Wanda, spent the morning with her, and then left to deal with the Osborn Group while she rested.

• Pierce learned that Luca Stark had wiped out the STRIKE Team and captured the Winter Soldier, so he ordered Hydra to stop probing Luca and the Justice League.
• Pierce suspected Nick Fury was investigating Hydra and ordered the plan to move forward so Hydra could strike first.
• Luca returned to Wanda’s apartment and found her waking in bed.
• Wanda told Luca that Pietro had been out picking up women after Steve took him to a bar.
• Luca and Wanda kissed and spent the morning together before Luca dressed and left to handle matters at the Osborn Group.

Peter told Luca that guilt over sparing Doctor Octopus had left him unsure how to use his power, and Luca harshly convinced him that mercy toward Otto endangered innocents. When Doctor Octopus attacked a Stark Industries warehouse for a tritium core, Luca set out with Peter to teach him how to stop the villain.

• Jessica brought Luca tea as he reviewed the Osborn Group asset restructuring report, and JARVIS announced that Peter wanted to see him.
• Peter confessed that he had hesitated to use his suit’s high-voltage shock against Doctor Octopus, allowing Otto to escape and injure civilians.
• Luca rebuked Peter for putting Otto’s safety ahead of innocent lives and warned that the villain could cause even greater destruction.
• Peter accepted Luca’s argument and vowed not to go easy on Doctor Octopus if they met again.
• JARVIS reported that Doctor Octopus was attacking a Stark Industries warehouse in Queens to steal a tritium core, and Luca decided to take Peter there himself.

Doctor Octopus attacked a Stark Industries warehouse in Flushing to seize tritium, while General Ross tried to capture him and preserve the energy cores. Luca brought Peter to the scene and pushed him to accept lethal force, leaving Peter resolved to watch Luca deal with Otto.

• Doctor Octopus smashed through the warehouse defenses and advanced toward the tritium storage area, declaring that he would complete his fusion project.
• General Ross ordered his troops to keep their distance, capture Otto alive, and leave the warehouse and its energy cores intact so the military could exploit them.
• Luca flew toward Flushing with Peter and confronted him about his earlier mercy toward Otto, arguing that it had allowed soldiers to be injured.
• Peter accepted Luca's lesson and resolved to watch him handle Otto.

As Doctor Octopus attacked Stark Industries’ Flushing energy warehouse, people across New York watched and worried about Luca’s response. Luca finally arrived at the battlefield in a blue-white streak, leaving the fight poised to begin.

• Wanda watched the live broadcast and prepared to use Chaos Magic if Luca needed help.
• Gwen watched the attack, worried Luca might be hurt and that Peter Parker would get in his way, and readied her web-shooter.
• Pietro saw Doctor Octopus on the news and assumed Luca had already gone to stop him.
• Natasha suspected General Ross planned to capture Doctor Octopus and seize Stark Industries’ reactor technology, while Jessica hoped the battle would reveal information about Luca.
• Nick Fury dismissed the military’s chances against the Stark brothers and continued investigating Hydra inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Doctor Octopus attacked a news helicopter and advanced toward the energy core before Luca arrived at the battlefield in a blue-white streak.

Luca Stark arrived at the energy warehouse and swiftly defeated Doctor Octopus, destroying his mechanical tentacles and stopping his plan to ignite the artificial sun. Peter Parker accepted Luca’s lesson about decisively stopping dangerous criminals and vowed not to repeat his mistake.

• Luca Stark landed in front of Doctor Octopus and told Peter Parker to watch how he fought.
• Doctor Octopus attacked Luca with all four tentacles, but Luca caught one and pulled him down.
• Luca repeatedly slammed Doctor Octopus into the ground, tore off two tentacles, and crushed the last one, leaving Otto unconscious.
• Luca told Peter that destroying a madman’s weapons was the most effective way to protect New York.
• Peter considered the danger Otto had posed to Flushing and New York, then told Luca he understood and would do what was necessary.

After Luca Stark defeated Doctor Octopus, military leaders, Hydra, and S.H.I.E.L.D. backed away from plans to challenge the Stark brothers. The chapter ended with Nick Fury ordering a purge of Hydra while instructing his agents not to interfere with the Starks.

• General Ross ordered his troops to retreat and leave the scene to Stark Industries after seeing Luca tear apart Doctor Octopus's tentacle.
• Wanda and Gwen Stacy watched the broadcast and felt relieved and more devoted to Luca.
• Pietro abandoned his plan to prank Luca and decided to behave while working off his debt.
• Jessica resolved to warn Pierce against sending anyone after the Stark brothers, while Natasha decided that staying near Luca was safer than serving S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Pierce ordered Hydra to destroy its assassination plans against the Stark brothers and focus on Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury ordered Coulson to seal Howard Stark's files, direct agents to investigate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal infiltration, and stop interfering with the Stark brothers.

After Luca Stark defeated Doctor Octopus, he joked with reporters before flying away with Peter Parker, while Tony Stark experimented with magic at Kamar-Taj. In Wakanda, T'Chaka warned T'Challa that the Stark brothers might threaten Wakanda’s secrecy and ordered covert agents to monitor Stark Industries.

• Luca Stark answered reporters’ questions about his strength, his biological nanotech suit, and Stark Industries’ acquisition of the Osborn Group, then flew away with Peter Parker.
• At Kamar-Taj, Steve Rogers mocked Luca while Wong defended him, and Tony Stark used mathematical analysis to develop a magic array for his armor.
• T'Challa told T'Chaka that Luca’s power and planned superhero division could threaten Wakanda’s secrecy.
• T'Chaka suspected Stark technology might resemble or rival Vibranium and cautioned T'Challa against approaching the Stark brothers.
• T'Chaka ordered the Dora Milaje’s covert agents to increase surveillance of Stark Industries and chose to let S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra test the waters first.

After a lesson with Peter, Luca learned that the Justice League’s new base had been completed and arranged a celebration dinner there. He summoned the team and assigned Jessica and Natasha to serve, then turned his attention to the next phase of his plans against Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Luca returned to Stark Tower with Peter and told him to be more decisive the next time they faced a maniac.
• JARVIS reported that the new superhero base off the coast of New York had passed its safety tests, so Luca planned a celebration dinner and invited Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May.
• Luca ordered Jessica and Natasha to serve food and drinks at the dinner in maid outfits, and they reluctantly agreed.
• Luca asked JARVIS to invite Gwen Stacy, Wanda, and Dr. Banner, while excluding Tony and Old Popsicle, who were studying at Kamar-Taj.
• Luca looked toward the completed base and declared that the next phase of his plans against Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. was beginning.