Chapter Summaries

The Mandarin ordered his forces to return to headquarters and focus on researching the stones after the Stark brothers destroyed one of his bases. An alien named Aruru rebuilt his body from a meteorite, absorbed Benjamin’s memories, and set out to hunt Luca Stark.

• The Mandarin dismissed the intelligence officer’s apology, blamed Benjamin for the base’s destruction, and ordered his forces to return to headquarters and prioritize research on the stones.
• After the convoy left, a meteor landed in the ruined base, and Aruru emerged from it in a body resembling Benjamin.
• Aruru contacted his superior, confirmed his safe arrival on Earth, and received orders to stay hidden and find a suitable target.
• Aruru absorbed Benjamin’s remains to recover his memories, discovered Luca and Tony Stark, and chose Luca as prey because of his unknown energy.
• Aruru launched into the sky and flew across the ocean toward the Stark target.

John, Jack, and Mark, Hydra operatives enhanced by serums, entered a Los Angeles hotel disguised as FBI agents to kill Tony Stark and Luca Stark. They found the lobby deserted except for Happy Hogan at the front desk, whom John recognized as the Stark brothers’ bodyguard.

• John checked Jack and Mark’s condition, assigned them code names, and briefed them on the covert mission against Tony Stark and Luca Stark.
• John, Jack, and Mark swore “Hail Hydra!” and headed to the hotel, planning to pose as FBI agents and stage the deaths as an accident or gang killing.
• The three operatives entered the hotel’s unusually empty lobby and prepared for a possible fight.
• John recognized Happy Hogan at the front desk and asked why the Stark brothers’ bodyguard was there.

John and two companions met Happy at a hotel, where he claimed the Stark brothers had fired him and eagerly directed the supposed FBI agents to their suite. After they entered the private elevator, Happy hurried out to prepare an escape route for Tony and Luca.

• Happy told John and the others that Tony and Luca had fired him, then complained about their demands and treatment.
• John accepted Happy's explanation and presented credentials, claiming they were FBI agents investigating fugitives in the hotel.
• Happy revealed that Tony and Luca were staying in the top-floor suite with five women and directed the agents to the private elevator.
• John, Jack, and Mark headed for the elevator while Happy watched them go and made the sign of the cross.
• Happy retrieved a travel bag and left to bring his car to the back door, anticipating danger for the agents and planning to help the Stark brothers escape.

John, Jack, and Mark rode the elevator to the top floor to assassinate the Stark brothers, but a miniature Stark Industries missile was waiting in the hallway. When it launched, John and Mark escaped with their powers while Jack braced for the blast behind a chunk of wall.

• John grew uneasy about how smoothly the mission had gone, but Jack and Mark dismissed his concerns as coincidence.
• Jack joked that only a missile could stop them, and the three men laughed as the elevator reached the top floor.
• The elevator doors opened to reveal a miniature Stark Industries missile mounted in the hallway, with its countdown reaching zero.
• John sped away and Mark turned into water to escape the blast, leaving Jack behind.
• Jack tore a chunk from the wall to use as a shield as the missile struck it and exploded.

John and Mark survived the missile trap in the hotel, but Jack was fatally injured. John rejected Mark’s suggestion to retreat and continued toward the Starks’ room after Jack killed himself for Hydra.

• A missile blast destroyed the hallway and left Jack critically wounded, while John and Mark escaped the explosion.
• John and Mark found Jack beneath the rubble, and Mark determined that his injuries were beyond recovery.
• Mark suggested they retreat and report to Hydra, but John decided to continue the mission.
• John told Jack he was no longer useful to the organization, and Jack stabbed himself in the throat while declaring, “Hail Hydra.”
• John headed toward the Starks’ room, with Mark following him.

John and Mark broke into Tony Stark’s suite expecting to kill him and Luca, but found Yinsen and six models armed with assault rifles. Mark was shot dead, while John used his super speed to dodge the gunfire as the shooters emptied their magazines.

• John and Mark heard Tony joking with women in the suite and prepared to attack him and Luca.
• John silently destroyed the lock with his vibrating hand, then kicked open the door as Mark rushed inside.
• John and Mark discovered Yinsen and six models aiming tactical rifles at them, while Tony ordered them to fire.
• The models opened fire, killing Mark at close range.
• John activated his super speed and dodged the bullets as the models sprayed the living room and emptied their magazines.

John and his team’s assassination attempt on Tony Stark failed after Tony revealed he had bought the hotel and Luca Stark stopped John from reaching him. Luca left John defeated and bewildered, while Tony remained safe.

• John and his team emptied their rifles, but John knocked Yinsen and the six beauties down as soon as the gunfire stopped.
• John grabbed Tony and demanded to know how he had learned of the assassination, and Tony said he had bought the entire hotel five hours earlier.
• John released Tony, drew a dagger, and prepared to kill him despite Tony’s warning to look behind him.
• Luca emerged from the bedroom and silently appeared behind John, frightening him with the energy glowing in his eyes.
• John tried to flee at super speed, but Luca intercepted him at the door and sent him crashing to the floor.
• Luca told John that he was no ordinary person and mocked John’s speed as too slow to pose a threat.

Luca crippled John with eye beams after foiling the assassins’ attack on Tony, and Tony began interrogating him. John demanded to know how Luca had uncovered their plan, then learned Luca had overheard the organization plotting from hundreds of meters away.

• John tried to escape, but Luca shot through both his thighs and left him unable to stand.
• Tony ordered Yinsen and the models to tie John to a chair while he and Luca traded jokes.
• Tony began questioning John about his identity, organization, and orders, but John first asked how they had discovered the assassination plan.
• Luca explained that he had overheard the organization’s members plotting near Stark Industries during the press conference.
• John was stunned that Luca could hear a quiet conversation from hundreds of meters away.

Luca and Tony revealed that they had anticipated John’s Hydra plot and trapped his team at the hotel. Luca’s brutal interrogation made John agree to talk, though he protested that Luca had not given him a chance to speak.

• Luca explained that his super hearing had let him overhear John’s conversation before the hotel, and Tony confirmed that Happy had planted a missile in the hallway in advance.
• John realized the hotel encounter had been a trap and prepared to die rather than betray Hydra.
• Tony signaled Luca to interrogate John, and Luca repeatedly slapped him while demanding answers.
• John finally begged Luca to stop so he could speak, and Luca apologized for getting carried away.

Luca forced John to abandon his defiance and praise the Stark brothers, while Tony and Luca argued over who deserved the credit. John secretly considered escaping and taking revenge, but Luca recognized his intentions and slapped him again.

• Luca taunted John about his earlier resolve, and John agreed to reveal everything he knew about HYDRA’s assassination plot.
• John praised Luca, Tony, and Stark Industries, prompting the women to laugh and Tony to claim the compliments for himself.
• Luca and Tony argued over their contributions and who had saved Tony from John.
• John silently planned to escape and return with an army, but Luca noticed his expression and struck him again.
• John denied plotting revenge and exaggerated his admiration for the Stark brothers, while Luca said he preferred John when he was defiant.

Luca and Tony interrogated John, who revealed that Obadiah Stane was suspected of hiring Hydra to kill them, though the brothers had already suspected him. John then described his life as a genetically modified Hydra operative and shared his codename, while Luca continued questioning him about the organization.

• Luca threatened John until he agreed to share everything he knew about the assassination.
• John said he did not know the employer for certain, but rumors and overheard conversations pointed to Obadiah Stane, who wanted control of Stark Industries with Hydra’s help.
• Tony and Luca explained that they had already suspected Obadiah because Stark Industries weapons had reached the terrorists who kidnapped Tony.
• John revealed that Hydra had raised him in an underground base, subjected him to brutal training and genetic experiments, and assigned him the codename Lightning Warrior.
• Tony mocked the codename, and Luca told him to let John continue before resuming the interrogation about Hydra.

John revealed Hydra’s secrecy, world-domination goal, and possible survival of Red Skull Schmidt, then questioned why S.H.I.E.L.D. had not protected the Stark Family. As Luca and Tony considered the threat from both organizations, Tony implanted a tiny device near John’s heart, leaving John terrified and Luca asking what it was.

• John explained that Hydra kept members compartmentalized and sought to rule the world, shouting its slogan before Luca hit him and told him to continue.
• John said Captain America had defeated only Red Skull Schmidt’s European branch, while Hydra’s core had infiltrated the world, and he suspected Schmidt had survived.
• John wondered why S.H.I.E.L.D. had not detected the Stark Family assassination plot or protected them, prompting Luca and Tony to consider the organizations’ threat.
• Tony complained about Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s names, then retrieved a miniature device from a briefcase and implanted it near John’s heart.
• John screamed and struggled, while Luca inspected the device and asked Tony whether it was poison or a tracker.

Luca forced John to blame the failed assassination on S.H.I.E.L.D. and conceal Luca’s superpowers, while Tony threatened him with a bomb attached to his heart. As John was released to deliver the cover story, Happy waited outside and suspected Obadiah had ordered the attack.

• Tony explained that he had attached a miniature bomb to John’s heart and could trigger it remotely.
• Luca offered John a chance to live if he claimed S.H.I.E.L.D. had foiled the assassination and kept Luca’s powers secret.
• John agreed to blame S.H.I.E.L.D. and describe Tony as an ordinary rich man.
• Luca called Yinsen over to untie John so he could return and report.
• Happy waited in the Rolls-Royce and concluded that Obadiah had likely organized the attack.

Happy mistook the battered, limping John for an assassin who had killed Luca and Tony, then confronted him on the street. After John assured him the Starks were safe, John continued toward Hydra Base, determined to escape the Starks and seek revenge if he survived.

• Happy saw John leave the hotel alone and feared Luca and Tony had been killed.
• Happy followed John and held him at gunpoint, demanding to know what had happened to the Starks.
• John explained that Luca and Tony were safe and still in their hotel room.
• Happy recognized John's battered face and asked what had happened to him.
• John refused to explain and limped away, vowing to escape and get revenge on the Starks.

After the hotel incident, Tony and Luca arranged transportation and compensation for Yinsen and the women before heading home. Yinsen was left wondering at their childish bickering, while Happy assured him that they were always like that.

• Happy heard Tony call him and hurried to bring the car to the hotel entrance.
• Tony told Happy to take the women home and have them sign nondisclosure agreements.
• Tony arranged for Yinsen to stay with Happy, and Luca gave Happy a black card to buy Yinsen a furnished downtown apartment.
• Tony and Luca argued over who would drive, and Luca took the wheel by pointing out that he had a professional racing license.
• Tony challenged Luca to a Formula One race in Morocco, but Luca teased him about his age and Pepper as they drove off.
• Yinsen asked if Tony and Luca always bickered like children, and Happy said they did before leading him and the women to a van.

Luca and Tony decided to go to Beverly Hills to confront Obadiah after realizing he had tried to kill them both. Meanwhile, Coulson briefed Nick Fury on the failed assassination and S.H.I.E.L.D. considered Luca’s growing power and refusal to join.

• Luca asked Tony when they would go, and Tony hesitated as he struggled with Obadiah’s betrayal.
• Tony realized Obadiah had targeted Luca too and chose to act, so Luca drove them toward Beverly Hills.
• Coulson told Nick Fury that three superpowered assassins had attacked the Stark brothers, two had died, and John had been released badly injured.
• Nick Fury questioned what Luca had become, and Coulson warned that Luca could be a powerful ally or a danger because he had refused S.H.I.E.L.D.’s offer.

Nick Fury explained that he wanted Tony and Luca to grow into leaders capable of taking over S.H.I.E.L.D., then sent the Defenders Squad to attack a Hydra branch. Meanwhile, Tony and Luca confronted Obadiah in his villa after surviving his assassination attempt, and Obadiah denied responsibility.

• Coulson questioned why S.H.I.E.L.D. had not protected Tony and Luca, and Fury said they had to face danger themselves to grow.
• Fury told Coulson that he hoped Tony and Luca could someday take over S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Fury gave Coulson a top-secret file and ordered him to send the Defenders Squad to destroy a Hydra branch.
• Obadiah woke in his Beverly Hills villa and assumed Tony was dead and he would take control of Stark Industries.
• Tony and Luca revealed themselves in Obadiah's bedroom and told him they had survived the assassination attempt.
• Tony said he had dismissed the villa's staff and planned to sell the property because Obadiah had bought it with company funds, while Obadiah denied trying to kill them.

Luca and Tony confronted Obadiah, and Tony killed him after Obadiah confessed to betraying the Stark family. Luca arranged a cover story with Pepper, and he and Tony returned home, leaving Tony flustered by Pepper calling them family.

• Luca pinned Obadiah down and asked Tony whether he would kill him.
• Obadiah confessed that resentment over being overlooked drove him to betray Tony and Luca, then reached for a hidden gun.
• Tony shot Obadiah dead, and Luca comforted him before they left the villa.
• Luca told Pepper to announce that Obadiah had died of a heart attack and arrange for the scene to be cleaned up.
• Pepper welcomed Tony and Luca home and called them family, making Tony embarrassed as Luca teased him on the drive back to Malibu.

After Obadiah Stane’s sudden death sent Stark Industries stock plunging, Tony and Luca stayed out of public view while Pepper Potts faced reporters at the Malibu villa. She defended the brothers and said they were recovering from their ordeal in Afghanistan, leaving the press without new information.

• News outlets reported that Obadiah Stane had died of a heart attack, while Tony and Luca Stark remained missing from public view.
• Stark Industries stock fell sharply as commentators and the Daily Bugle fueled speculation about a company power struggle.
• Pepper Potts handled questions from reporters at the Malibu villa and denied that the Stark brothers had caused Obadiah’s death.
• Pepper said Tony and Luca were resting on medical advice after their captivity in Afghanistan and that she was authorized to manage the company’s affairs.
• Happy escorted the reporters out after they failed to get further news from Pepper.

After reporters left, Pepper went to Tony and Luca’s lab and discovered they were hiding a serious argument behind claims of groundbreaking research. Tony and Luca revealed a holographic scan of Luca, whose displayed data left Tony astonished.

• Pepper rested after dealing with reporters, then answered Luca’s call requesting burgers for himself and Tony.
• Pepper heard Luca warn Tony that something was unstable and could kill him, but Tony insisted he would solve the problem himself.
• Tony and Luca hid their argument from Pepper, who had come downstairs to see what they were working on.
• Tony asked JARVIS to project the results of Luca’s body scan, and a holographic model appeared in the lab.
• Tony called Luca a monster wearing human skin after seeing the scan data, which listed Luca’s height as 191 centimeters and his weight as unknown.