Chapter Summaries

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.

Luca launched the Justice League as a heavily funded superhero division and announced plans to seek broad law-enforcement authority, backed by threats and a nationwide supernatural detector. After Ulysses Klaue infiltrated the base to trade Vibranium for Life Potions, Luca seized him and decided to take Wakanda’s Vibranium.

• JARVIS reported Stark Industries’ soaring profits and Luca’s latest physical evolution, while Luca celebrated becoming the world’s richest man.
• Luca announced the Justice League’s salaries, company rules, lethal-force policy, and plan to seek law-enforcement authority from the White House.
• Luca unveiled a detector that would alert the Justice League to supernatural incidents across the United States, then ordered JARVIS to let an unidentified stealth submarine into the base.
• Luca’s Bio-Force Field pinned Ulysses Klaue and his mercenaries to the dock passageway after they emerged from the submarine.
• Klaue offered Vibranium in exchange for Life Potions, but Luca demanded both the metal and Klaue’s source, learning that it came from Wakanda.
• Luca declared that Stark Industries would take Wakanda’s Vibranium and planned to go to Africa under the pretext of alleviating poverty.

Luca learned from Ulysses Klaue that Wakanda concealed a vast Vibranium mine and decided the Justice League would take control of it. He persuaded Peter and the others that the planned invasion was a humanitarian business merger, then ordered the team to depart for Wakanda the next morning.

• Luca brought Klaue to dinner, where Klaue revealed that Wakanda hid a technologically advanced city and a massive Vibranium mine beneath a false agricultural image.
• Natasha and Jessica secretly planned to report the intelligence to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, while Luca considered using Vibranium to upgrade his armor and equip the Justice League.
• Luca ordered Happy to watch Klaue and announced that the Justice League would go to Wakanda to take control of its Vibranium resources.
• Peter and Bruce objected that taking Wakanda’s resources would be robbery and could cause a war, while Steve argued that power belonged to whoever could seize it.
• Luca reframed the plan as an effort to share resources and advance humanity, persuading Peter and Wanda to support it as the Justice League prepared to leave for Wakanda the next morning.

Natasha and Jessica separately sent intelligence about Wakanda’s Vibranium and Luca Stark’s planned expedition to their respective organizations. Fury chose to leave Luca’s mission alone and instead launched a purge of Hydra infiltrators inside S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Natasha secretly sent S.H.I.E.L.D. a Morse-coded report that Wakanda had a Vibranium mine and advanced technology, and that the Stark brothers planned to leave the next day.
• Jessica sent Hydra a report about Wakanda’s resources and Luca Stark’s plan, hoping Hydra would take advantage without provoking him.
• Fury read Natasha’s report and reacted with disbelief and anger when Coulson questioned how Wakanda had hidden its capabilities.
• Fury refused to interfere with Luca Stark’s planned trip to Wakanda and told Coulson to focus on rooting out Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Coulson confirmed that Melinda May’s loyal strike teams were in position, and Fury ordered them to arrest the agents on his list, using lethal force if they resisted.

Pierce diverted Hydra’s Wakanda operation after Nick Fury began purging Hydra infiltrators at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters and ordered an attack on Fury. Fury and Coulson escaped an ambush in downtown Washington through the sewer system and vowed to fight Hydra to the death.

• Pierce ordered Sitwell to gather Hydra forces in East Africa and ambush Luca Stark’s group near Wakanda to steal Vibranium.
• Sitwell reported that Fury had raided S.H.I.E.L.D. departments, arresting Hydra agents and killing two who resisted.
• Pierce put the Wakanda operation on hold and ordered Hydra strike teams in Washington to kill Fury.
• Hydra gunmen ambushed Fury and Coulson’s Chevrolet, damaging it with gunfire and grenades.
• Fury and Coulson escaped through a hidden hatch into the sewers before the Chevrolet exploded, and Fury declared they would fight Hydra to the death.

Luca led Peter, Gwen Stacy, Wanda, and Pietro toward Wakanda to seize its Vibranium, persuading Peter that the mission would help humanity. As the Justice flew to Africa, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra fought across Washington, leaving Nick Fury and Alexander Pierce unable to intervene.

• Luca ordered Peter, Gwen Stacy, Wanda, and Pietro to meet at the helipad for an operation in Wakanda, calling it a team-building exercise.
• Peter questioned whether attacking a sovereign nation was right, but Luca convinced him that Wakanda's secrecy and control of Vibranium harmed humanity.
• Peter agreed to join the mission, and the Justice took off for Africa with Natasha and Jessica aboard.
• Nick Fury, hiding in a sewer safe house with Coulson, learned Luca had left for Wakanda and decided to let him face its defenses.
• Alexander Pierce read Jessica's intelligence about Wakanda's Vibranium, but chose to focus on defeating Nick Fury and taking control of S.H.I.E.L.D. first.