Chapter Summaries

Tony prepared to analyze Wanda’s Chaos Magic with Stark Industries technology while Wong warned that the experiment could be dangerous. Luca entered the laboratory with Wanda, Pietro, and Jessica, and the chapter ended as Luca stood inside the shield ready for the experiment.

• Wong tried to persuade Tony that magic required reverence and could not be reduced to science, but Tony called it quantum interference and ordered JARVIS to model its energy.
• Steve mocked both Wong’s talk of magic and Tony’s scientific jargon, while Tony dismissed Steve’s complaints.
• Luca entered the laboratory with Wanda, Pietro, and Jessica, teased Jessica about her nerves, and reassured Wanda about the experiment.
• Tony activated the detectors and containment shield, while Wong warned that directly exposing Luca to Chaos Magic could destroy him.
• Luca stepped into the shield and removed his clothes as Wanda and Jessica reacted to his physique.

Luca withstood Wanda’s reality-altering Chaos Magic, absorbed some of it, and offered to reduce her debt in exchange for nightly charging sessions. He left Jessica terrified after noticing her attempt to warn headquarters, then ordered her to bring him clothes and free Pietro from the wall.

• Wanda unleashed her full power on Luca, whose body began turning into crystal under the Chaos Magic.
• Luca’s biological force field overcame the magic, healed his body, and let his cells assimilate some of its energy.
• JARVIS reported that Luca’s resistance to reality warping had increased, while Tony planned to develop anti-magic armor using the recorded frequency.
• Luca called Wanda his personal power bank and offered to reduce her debt by ten thousand dollars each day if she came to his room nightly to charge him.
• Pietro attacked Luca over his demand, but Luca slapped him into a wall and knocked him unconscious.
• Jessica secretly messaged headquarters to abort the plan, but Luca noticed her fear and ordered her to fetch clothes and pull Pietro out of the wall.

Luca defeated Pietro and gained Wong as a magic adviser, while Hydra decided to avoid provoking him and keep Jessica undercover. That night, Wanda nervously entered Luca’s bedroom.

• Jessica freed Pietro from the wall, and Pietro gave up on challenging Luca after seeing his power.
• Wong agreed to advise Stark Industries on magic in exchange for food, wine, and a luxury suite.
• Pierce and Dr. Zola judged Luca too dangerous to target, so Hydra chose to lie low and keep Jessica reporting on him.
• Pierce ordered Jessica to avoid dangerous missions and told Hydra to stop direct operations against the Stark brothers.
• Wanda nervously knocked on Luca’s bedroom door and entered wearing the nightdress Pepper had bought for her.

Luca recharged himself by absorbing Wanda’s Chaos Magic, and the experience left Wanda flustered and unexpectedly drawn to him. He told her she would travel with him to New York the next morning, where the Stark Expo was ready and Gwen Stacy had already returned.

• Luca guided Wanda through channeling her Chaos Magic into him, and their energies resonated as he sensed her feelings and she felt his loneliness and protectiveness.
• After an hour, Luca finished recharging with enhanced strength while Wanda was left exhausted on the bed.
• JARVIS told Luca that Tony wanted him at the landing pad and that they would fly to New York in the morning for the Stark Expo.
• JARVIS relayed Gwen Stacy’s message that her exchange-student term had ended and she had returned to New York.
• Luca covered Wanda with a blanket, told her she could sleep there, and promised to take her to New York the next morning.
• Wanda recovered enough to return to her room, then wondered why she did not hate the intimate experience and suspected Luca had deliberately tried to attract her.

As the group prepared to fly to New York, Wanda struggled to face Luca after their time alone the previous night, while Pietro angrily imagined what had happened but backed down. Happy announced that the private jet was waiting, and Luca led everyone out to begin their New York trip.

• Wanda came downstairs exhausted, and Luca teased her about needing another recharge, making her blush and hurry to the dining table.
• Pietro suspected Luca had done something to Wanda and started to confront him, but stopped when Luca's glance reminded him he could not win.
• Steve taunted Pietro for not protecting his sister, and Pietro resolved to become the fastest man on the planet.
• Jessica served coffee and reflected that Wanda's interest in Luca might make her own undercover mission safer.
• Happy rushed in and warned that Pepper was already waiting on the private jet, so Luca told everyone to leave for New York.

Luca and the others arrived in New York for the Stark Expo, where Gwen Stacy reunited with Luca and stirred Wanda’s jealousy. Meanwhile, Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko prepared an Iron Army attack on the expo and vowed to kill the Stark Family.

• On the flight to New York, Luca teased Wanda while Pepper warned him to behave, and Tony and Dr. Banner discussed adding an energy-absorption system to the Mark VI armor.
• After landing, the group settled into a Manhattan apartment while preparing for the Stark Expo.
• Gwen Stacy climbed through the apartment window, embraced and kissed Luca, and Wanda reacted with jealousy as Chaos Magic bubbled the water in her glass.
• Pepper pulled Tony away from the scene, while Pietro and Steve watched Luca’s romantic predicament unfold.
• At Hammer Industries, Justin Hammer showed Ivan Vanko the Iron Army and promised to unveil it at the expo, while Ivan declared that the Stark Family had to die.

Luca introduced Gwen Stacy to Wanda, Pietro, and Steve, while Wanda struggled with jealousy and Gwen met her childhood idol. Steve’s blunt correction of the heroic stories in Gwen’s textbooks shattered her idealized image of Captain America, and Pietro failed to convince Wanda to give up on Luca.

• Luca introduced Wanda Maximoff to Gwen Stacy as his personal assistant and introduced Gwen as his girlfriend; the two women exchanged polite greetings despite Wanda’s jealousy.
• Luca introduced Pietro to Gwen, and Pietro reluctantly greeted her despite his anger at Luca.
• Luca introduced Steve Rogers, and Gwen excitedly recited heroic stories about him from her textbooks.
• Steve denied the textbook stories, cursed the politicians who invented them, and told Gwen he had been frozen in the sea since 1941.
• Luca teased Steve about his foul mouth, while Wanda grew more upset seeing Luca with Gwen.
• Pietro warned Wanda that Luca was a playboy, but Wanda glared at him until he backed down.

Vince secretly began absorbing energy from Hammer Industries’ copied reactors so he could confront Luca during Ivan Vanko’s attack and report Luca’s strength to his race. As the group prepared for the Stark Expo, Luca gathered the Justice League and Peter Parker for an announcement and led them toward the expo grounds.

• Vince entered Hammer Industries’ secret laboratory and decided to absorb reactor energy because he feared Luca’s growing power.
• Vince enveloped several reactors in black fluid and endured the pain as he drained their energy.
• Wong, Steve, and the others prepared for the Stark Expo, where Luca planned to announce Stark Industries’ superhero department and a superhero base.
• Peter arrived in a rented suit and excitedly greeted Steve, who insulted him and shattered his image of Captain America.
• Luca reassured Peter, then led the group out to board Stark Industries’ motorcade for the expo grounds in Flushing.

Luca and Tony unveiled Stark Industries’ new projects and superhero division at the Stark Expo, introducing the Justice League to a global audience. Steve Rogers turned his introduction into an impromptu comedy routine after discovering Luca had written his speech.

• Luca arrived at the Stark Expo with Gwen Stacy and Wanda, while Steve Rogers cursed at the reporters’ flashbulbs and Happy held him back.
• Tony and Luca descended onto the stage in their armor and announced Stark Industries’ robotics and human treatment projects.
• Luca announced the creation of Stark Industries’ superhero division and revealed plans for a superhero base off the coast of New York.
• The Justice League members introduced themselves and demonstrated their abilities to the audience.
• Steve abandoned Luca’s speech to complain on the microphone, then asked who had written it; Luca admitted he had, and Steve told him, “Fuck you.”

Justin Hammer unveiled Hammer Industries’ armed drones, but Ivan Vanko hacked them and turned the stage demonstration into an attack. Luca and the others defeated the drones and Ivan, then Luca stopped Vince’s ambush and revealed he had been expecting him.

• Justin Hammer took the stage to show off Hammer Industries’ military drones and mock Tony.
• Ivan Vanko hacked the drones, which opened fire on Luca and Tony and sent the audience fleeing.
• Luca shielded himself while Steve, Peter Parker, Tony, Gwen Stacy, Wanda, Pietro, and Master Wong fought the drones.
• Ivan Vanko arrived in upgraded armor, but Tony struck him down and dominated the fight.
• As Luca moved to finish Ivan, Vince attacked him with a black energy spike, which Luca stopped with his force field.
• Luca spotted Vince hiding in the shadows and told him he had been waiting for him.

Aruru revealed his monstrous form and overwhelmed the Justice League with a corrosive energy wave, while Luca absorbed his power and fought back. After Aruru struck Luca with a toxin spike and buried him in rubble, Wanda’s grief and rage awakened her Scarlet Witch powers.

• Aruru shed his disguise, transformed into a winged black monster, and unleashed an energy wave that incapacitated Hulk, Tony, and Steve while Peter, Gwen, Wanda, and Luca avoided it.
• Luca resisted Aruru’s attack and absorbed energy during their beam clash, forcing Aruru to retreat from the exchange.
• Luca struggled to damage Aruru’s resilient body, so he asked Wanda to channel Chaos Magic into him.
• Aruru turned invisible and stabbed Luca with a toxin spike, then bombarded him until rubble buried him; Gwen found Luca gravely wounded while Wanda watched in despair.
• Wanda confronted Aruru after he threatened her, and her grief and rage awakened her Scarlet Witch powers.

Wanda awakened her Chaos Magic and overpowered Aruru, while Luca revealed that he had faked his near-death to trigger Wanda’s awakening. The chapter ended with the team learning Luca had deliberately taken Aruru’s attack as part of his plan.

• Wanda erased Aruru’s energy beam, tore off his wings, and trapped him with Chaos Magic when he tried to flee.
• Tony, Pietro, and Steve watched Wanda’s power in shock as Aruru was pinned to the ground.
• Gwen Stacy wept over Luca until he opened his eyes, teased her, and rose from the ruins without serious injuries.
• Luca explained that he had taken Aruru’s attack to build resistance and stimulate Wanda’s true potential.
• Wong explained that Wanda’s Chaos Magic needed an external stimulus to awaken, and the team cursed Luca for staging his near-death.

Luca killed Aruru at the expo and caught Wanda as she collapsed, while Gwen Stacy demanded the promised late-night snack. Watching footage of the battle, Wilson Fisk ordered his gang to keep a low profile and avoid drawing the Justice League's attention.

• Luca used his assimilated toxin and lasers to kill Aruru, who sent a message to his home planet before dying.
• Luca caught a piece of living black matter that had fallen from Aruru and sealed it in his armor.
• Wanda collapsed from exhaustion, and Luca caught her; Gwen Stacy linked arms with him and reminded him of his promise to buy her a late-night snack.
• Reporters crowded around Luca and the Justice League at the ruined expo grounds for interviews.
• Wilson Fisk watched footage of the battle and ordered his subordinates to keep Hell's Kitchen's criminal businesses low-key and avoid confronting Stark Industries.

After a late-night meal with Gwen Stacy, Wanda, and the others, Luca examined the black matter captured from Aruru and used his blood to tame it. He named it Shadow Symbiote and planned to study it before wearing it as armor.

• Luca hosted Gwen Stacy, Wanda, Steve, Tony, Pietro, and Master Wong for an extravagant late-night meal.
• Gwen Stacy questioned Luca about his claim that he and Wanda had to exchange magical energy, and Luca described it as academic research.
• Luca brought the black fragment intercepted from Aruru to the temporary lab and asked JARVIS to scan it.
• JARVIS identified the fragment as an adaptable parasite that could bond with a host and provide biological armor.
• Luca exposed the black matter to his blood, subdued it, and named it Shadow Symbiote.

Luca and Tony began hunting Bucky Barnes while Jessica was ordered by Pierce to stay undercover and avoid provoking Luca. Meanwhile, Fury learned that a Siberian Hydra base might hold records about Howard Stark’s death and planned to use them against the Stark brothers.

• Luca and Tony discussed improving the armor, then ordered JARVIS to search the world for Bucky Barnes, whose metal left arm identified him.
• Jessica reported Justin Hammer’s defeat and Luca’s power to Pierce, who ordered her to stop hostile actions and remain inside Stark Industries’ circle.
• Jessica ended the call in humiliation as she looked at the revealing outfits Pepper had arranged for her.
• Coulson told Fury that agents had found recent Hydra activity at an abandoned Siberian base and records connected to Howard Stark’s 1991 death.
• Fury ordered agents to retrieve the Siberian records, intending to use the truth about Howard’s death as leverage over the Stark brothers.

Two months later, Luca Stark launched the Stark Miracle, a gene-repair medicine that could cure many chronic illnesses and make patients five years younger. The Osborn Group saw Stark Industries as a threat and decided to accelerate its own human enhancement drug research.

• Luca ordered Jessica to wear a revealing outfit and sent her to buy ten hamburgers for Master Wong.
• Wong used a magic portal to fetch doughnuts and argued with Steve, who mocked him for using sacred magic to get takeout.
• Luca presented the Stark Miracle at a Stark Industries launch event and announced that its first treatment courses would be auctioned from a starting price of five hundred million dollars.
• Osborn Group representatives warned Norman Osborn that the Stark Miracle threatened their market share and urged him to speed up development of their human enhancement drug.

Matt Murdock stopped a mugging in Hell’s Kitchen and warned Foggy Nelson that Kingpin’s recent silence suggested a threat. Meanwhile, Tony and Luca developed an anti-magic armor and met Natalie Rushman, whose application to be Tony’s assistant seemed to conceal her identity as a trained agent.

• Matt defeated three thugs who were robbing a girl and sent her home safely.
• Matt told Foggy that the Stark brothers’ unchecked power worried him and that Kingpin’s quiet behavior suggested he was planning something.
• Tony showed Luca his new anti-magic armor, designed to absorb energy attacks, and said JARVIS was searching for Bucky.
• JARVIS told Tony and Luca that Pepper had brought an unannounced applicant for Tony’s personal assistant position.
• Natalie Rushman introduced herself, and Luca recognized her as a highly trained agent and challenged her to reveal what she could do.

Luca and Tony tested Natasha with impossible job interview demands before Luca revealed he knew she worked for Nick Fury and hired her anyway. Natasha and Jessica recognized each other as agents, while Luca planned to use their presence to manipulate their respective organizations; the chapter ended with Luca and Tony heading to check on Ice Boy.

• Luca prompted Tony to test Natasha, who refused to dismantle a gun or hack the Pentagon, and Pepper intervened to defend her qualifications.
• Luca hired Natasha at the lowest market rate and hinted that he knew she worked for Nick Fury, while Natasha concealed her alarm.
• Luca summoned Jessica to show Natasha around, and the two women recognized each other as dangerous operatives while pretending to be friendly.
• Luca told Tony he would use the agents as tools and feed their organizations false information, and Tony wondered who had sent Natasha.
• Tony joked about Natasha's attractiveness and his own toughness before Luca and Tony went to see how many remote controls Ice Boy had broken.

Jessica Jones confronted and defeated Natasha Romanoff in a rooftop fight, then warned her to quit investigating the Stark brothers. Natasha reported the encounter to Nick Fury, who ordered her to remain undercover while he investigated Jessica.

• Natasha arrived on the Stark Tower rooftop, where Jessica accused her of being a trained agent.
• Jessica and Natasha fought, and Jessica overpowered her with superior strength and speed.
• Jessica warned Natasha to abandon her assignment and left the rooftop.
• Natasha called Nick Fury and reported that Jessica was a superhuman who had defeated her.
• Fury ordered Natasha to stay undercover near Tony Stark, avoid provoking Jessica, and leave Jessica's investigation to him.

Norman Osborn gave in to the Green Goblin personality, armed himself, and flew out to terrorize New York. Peter Parker's date with Mary Jane ended in an argument when he sent her away from the attack, and he changed into Spider-Man to confront Green Goblin.

• Norman Osborn's Green Goblin personality overcame his resistance, and he put on his armor, took his glider, and flew into the city.
• Peter Parker walked with Mary Jane when Green Goblin began bombing cars and shops nearby.
• Peter told Mary Jane to go home, upsetting her enough that she ran off and said she would never date him again.
• Peter slipped into an alley, changed into his homemade Spider-Man suit, and prepared to face Green Goblin.