Recaps

Luke’s strategy turned the battles in Boston and Philadelphia in humanity’s favor, while he explained to the Ancient One why Namor and Sebastian Shaw were unlikely to attack New York. He began his third act in the Atlantic, sending Darwin to locate Atlantis as Howard prepared Valkyrie Missiles aboard the Nautilus.

• Luke explained that Kayla could use her mental link to control the Seahorse Legion’s commander while Sabretooth and Wolverine attacked the fortress.
• Sabretooth and Wolverine massacred the Seahorse Warriors inside the Philadelphia fortress as Kayla worked under their cover.
• Luke told the Ancient One that Namor and Sebastian Shaw would avoid confronting him directly, then announced that his next battlefield would be the Atlantic Ocean.
• Howard piloted the Nautilus to a location 400 meters beneath the Atlantic and sent Darwin to find Atlantis by following glowing deep-sea creatures.
• Howard prepared four Valkyrie Missiles aboard the Nautilus to surprise Atlantis.

Luke used the threat of Valkyrie Missiles to pressure Namor into negotiations, while the Ancient One warned him about the potential devastation. As Atlantis's attacks faltered and Namor rejected Sebastian Shaw's proposal to use the Continental Shelf Shaker, Poseidonia came under attack.

• The Ancient One showed Luke possible consequences of launching Valkyrie Missiles, and Luke insisted he only wanted Namor to negotiate.
• The Ancient One conceded that Luke had won their wager and welcomed him on behalf of Kamar-Taj.
• Namor learned that Steve Rogers had driven back the Orca Corps in Boston and that the Seahorse Legion had suffered heavy losses in Philadelphia.
• Sebastian Shaw suggested activating the Continental Shelf Shaker, but Namor rejected the idea because it could devastate Atlantis as well as the land.
• A Liaison Officer reported that Poseidonia had been attacked and that the Land World had warned Atlantis to retreat or face further strikes.

Luke and the Ancient One discussed Atlantis’s failed invasion, the danger of its Continental Shelf Shaker, and the possibility that the Sorcerer Supreme would intervene if it threatened the world. In the fortress, Sebastian Shaw persuaded the wavering Namor to consider using the weapon as a bargaining threat, while the White Queen recoiled from Shaw’s apocalyptic ambitions.

• Luke considered further ways to force Atlantis to negotiate, while the Ancient One explained that the Continental Shelf Shaker could trigger disasters powerful enough to destroy civilizations.
• The Ancient One said she would intervene if Atlantis threatened the world, and Luke suspected she used the World Window to spy on people.
• After learning the crystal had been stolen, Namor prepared to return to Poseidonia, but Sebastian Shaw warned him Superman might be waiting.
• The Hammerhead Shark Legion commander urged Namor to abandon the failing war, but Shaw flattered Namor into believing the invasion had a far-sighted purpose.
• Shaw proposed using the Continental Shelf Shaker as a deterrent to force Superman to return the Golden Trident, and Namor said he would think it over.
• The White Queen challenged Shaw over his willingness to destroy lives, and Shaw defended a catastrophic destruction as the start of a new world.

The President learned that Rear Admiral Cavill had ended the war and ordered a press conference and negotiations with Atlantis. At Liberty Island, Namor arrived to negotiate, and Luke appeared above the Hudson River holding the Golden Trident as the waters parted beneath him.

• The President received word from Secretary Nimitz that Rear Admiral Cavill had ended the war and ordered a press conference announcing the victory.
• The President appointed Rear Admiral Cavill as the Land World's representative for negotiations with Atlantis.
• Namor agreed to negotiate after learning that an explosion had devastated part of Poseidonia and that the Land People possessed even more dangerous weapons.
• Namor ordered the Hammerhead Shark Legion Commander to bring warriors to Liberty Island and resolved to retrieve the Golden Trident.
• Namor and his guards arrived at Liberty Island aboard Atlantis's flagship, where Nimitz and Navy officials waited for Rear Admiral Cavill.
• Luke appeared above the Hudson River holding the Golden Trident, and the water parted beneath him as the gathered forces watched.

Luke arrived at the ceasefire talks on Liberty Island carrying Neptune’s Trident, stunning both the American officials and Atlantis’s forces. As negotiations stalled, Namor stepped forward with a confident expression to make an announcement.

• Nimitz and the other American officials welcomed Luke after he parted the Hudson River with Neptune’s Trident.
• Namor and the Atlantean Legion Commander reacted angrily to Luke holding the symbol of royal authority, and Namor considered using the Continental Shelf Shaker as leverage.
• Luke told Nimitz to make bold demands in the ceasefire negotiations, though he stayed silent during the talks.
• The American and Atlantean representatives exchanged polite statements while disagreeing over compensation and other terms.
• Namor broke the negotiating deadlock and prepared to address the room, while Luke rested with his eyes closed.

Luke redirected the Atlantis peace negotiations after Namor’s speech, then demanded that Atlantis stop protecting Sebastian Shaw, a former Auschwitz commandant and war criminal. Namor resisted under the White Queen’s psychological influence, and Luke warned that negotiation was not the only way to secure peace.

• Namor argued that Atlantis had gone to war over damage to marine ecosystems and the persecution of Mutants, but Nimitz applauded and steered the conference back to the armistice and peace summit.
• Luke denied that the military had persecuted Mutants and said he would discuss their treatment at the upcoming Peace Summit.
• Luke accused Sebastian Shaw of serving the Third Reich and managing Auschwitz, then demanded Atlantis hand him over or stop protecting him.
• Namor asked what would happen if he refused, and Luke warned him to consider carefully, saying negotiation was not the only means of achieving peace.

Namor wrestled with Superman’s ultimatum while Luke and Nimitz planned a global peace summit to pressure Atlantis. Sebastian Shaw manipulated Namor into abandoning negotiations and agreeing to use the Continental Shelf Shaker against the Land World, leaving the two of them to carry out the plan alone.

• Namor returned to the Sea Dragon flagship and considered whether to hand over Sebastian Shaw or risk war within Superman’s forty-eight-hour deadline.
• Luke told Nimitz that he wanted a Peace Summit to unite the British, the Soviet Union, and the God Spear Bureau against Atlantis.
• Sebastian convinced Namor that accusations of war crimes were fabricated and urged him to use the Continental Shelf Shaker to kill Superman.
• Namor agreed to trust Sebastian rather than risk losing his crown and returning to the life he had known as a child.
• Sebastian said they would activate the weapon without involving other club members, to prevent the plan from leaking.

Luke discussed the White House’s negotiating strategy with Atlantis and hoped Namor would make a disastrous decision, then learned from the Ancient One that Namor had been persuaded by Sebastian Shaw to pursue the Planetary-class Weapon. The Ancient One urged Luke to let S.H.I.E.L.D. intervene and use the crisis to remove Namor from the throne, and Luke asked her for the pair’s location.

• Luke reflected on the White House’s diplomatic goals and hoped Namor would deploy the Planetary-class Weapon, drawing Atlantis into ruin.
• The Ancient One opened a portal into Luke’s suite without knocking, then returned to the door and knocked after Luke objected.
• The Ancient One explained that Namor had been persuaded by Sebastian Shaw through mental guidance to pursue the Planetary-class Weapon.
• The Ancient One refused to let the Three Sanctuaries handle the crisis and suggested Luke use S.H.I.E.L.D. to stop the plan and remove Namor from the throne.
• Luke asked the Ancient One to tell him where Namor and Sebastian Shaw were hiding.

Luke decided that Sebastian Shaw and Namor must die, while the Ancient One agreed to deal with them after securing the Continental Shelf Shaker. Namor and Sebastian reached the weapon beneath the sea, believing it could help create a new future for their respective causes.

• Luke told the Ancient One that Sebastian Shaw must die and that he hated Namor’s spoiled behavior, despite recognizing that Namor had also been manipulated.
• The Ancient One agreed that Luke could deal with Namor and Sebastian Shaw, but said they first had to handle the Continental Shelf Shaker.
• The Ancient One used the World Window to show Luke Namor and Sebastian traveling through the deep sea in a flying boat.
• Namor told Sebastian that the Continental Shelf Shaker came from the Ancient Celestials and had once been used to devastate Earth’s civilizations.
• Namor and Sebastian arrived at the weapon’s location, and Namor identified it as the Ultimate Weapon left by the Ancient Celestials.

Namor and Sebastian Shaw uncovered Atlantis’s supposed Continental Shelf Shaker, which Luke recognized as Celestial armor. Ancient One explained that Atlantis’s Lost City had once housed a Central Energy Institute that absorbed solar energy, leaving Luke intrigued.

• Namor led Sebastian Shaw through the Lost City and calmed its sea-beast guardians by communicating with them.
• Namor opened the underground gallery beneath the supreme temple, revealing a colossal machine he identified as the Continental Shelf Shaker.
• Luke recognized the supposed weapon as Celestial armor and realized its energy could devastate Earth if released.
• Ancient One explained that ancient Atlantis had developed a solar-energy system and operated a Central Energy Institute in the Lost City.

Luke and Ancient One watched Namor and Sebastian Shaw prepare to activate the Continental Shelf Shaker, then Luke used Za Warudo to steal the Celestial Armor before time resumed. Namor and Sebastian were left staring at the empty seabed.

• Ancient One explained that Atlantis's Central Energy Institute had been destroyed, and she and Luke discussed the Continental Shelf Shaker's activation and how long it would take to operate.
• Namor prepared to activate the Continental Shelf Shaker while Sebastian Shaw proposed gathering Mutants and using the weapon to force the nations of the world into submission.
• Luke opened a magical portal into the deep-sea ruins and confronted Namor and Sebastian Shaw as Namor began powering up the Celestial Armor.
• Luke stopped time with Za Warudo and strained to lift the giant armor, then carried it through a portal before the nine seconds ran out.
• Time resumed, the seabed shook, and Namor and Sebastian Shaw found the Continental Shelf Shaker gone.

Luke returned to Atlantis and confronted Namor, who attacked despite Sebastian's warnings. Luke overwhelmed Namor and left him badly injured, accusing Sebastian of using him and warning that he would lose his future.

• Sebastian recognized that a stretch of their memories had been erased and urged Namor to retreat without the Continental Shelf Shaker.
• Namor refused to abandon Atlantis's Ultimate Weapon and insisted that he and Sebastian could face Superman together.
• Luke returned to Atlantis through a portal and provoked Namor into settling their grudge.
• Namor attacked Luke, but Luke's Bio-Force Field stopped his punch and his kick crushed Namor's breastbone.
• Luke beat Namor down, accused Sebastian of letting him bear the blame while the Hellfire Club stayed behind the scenes, and lifted him for a backbreaker.

Luke defeated Namor and arrested him for a joint trial, then tracked Sebastian Shaw to London. Sebastian sought help from Selene and Mister Sinister, but Luke found him and emerged through a magical portal.

• Luke broke Namor’s spine, declared their personal grudge settled, and arrested him on multiple charges rather than killing him.
• The Ancient One opened a portal and sent Namor away, while Luke discovered Sebastian Shaw had escaped.
• Sebastian reached a London villa and asked for help, but Selene said Mister Sinister was busy with clone research.
• Sebastian resolved to have Mister Sinister awaken the Mutant God, but Luke opened a portal into the villa and confronted him.

Luke confronted Sebastian Shaw and Black Queen Selene at the Hellfire Club, overpowering Shaw while Selene’s magic failed to affect him. Selene summoned a meteorite, and Luke broke through the roof as the fireball fell toward him.

• Luke emerged through a portal and struck Sebastian Shaw with overwhelming force.
• Selene admired Luke but initially stayed out of the fight, angering Shaw.
• Selene revealed her life-absorbing mutant power and cast a spell that Luke resisted.
• Luke continued attacking Shaw until Selene silenced him and prepared a stronger spell.
• Selene summoned a meteorite, and Luke smashed through the roof as it came crashing down.

Luke stopped a meteor from destroying a populated area, then Ancient One warned him that Selene, the Hellfire Club’s Black Queen, was a dangerous witch. She sent Luke back to the dam base, where he fought Sebastian Shaw and left him trapped in an unstable energy balance.

• Luke sliced the incoming meteor apart with Heat Vision and ground the debris to dust with his Bio-Force Field.
• Ancient One told Luke that Selene was a powerful witch who had lived for thousands of years by draining others, then warned him to avoid her touch.
• Ancient One opened a portal that sent Luke to the dam base, where Sebastian Shaw was waiting after fleeing with Selene.
• Luke fought Sebastian, enduring his absorbed energy and counterattacks while rejecting his offer to surrender the Hellfire Club and the Mutants.
• After more than a minute of fighting, Luke left Sebastian unable to control the energy he had absorbed, and the metal gate shut before a massive explosion.

Luke led negotiations after Namor and Sebastian Shaw were defeated, arranging joint judgment for Namor and condemning Shaw. He then portrayed Emma Frost as the informant who had exposed Shaw’s conspiracy, leaving her bewildered by the credit forced upon her.

• Luke told the Atlantean delegation that Namor had planned to use the Continental Shelf Shaker and proposed that a joint court judge him.
• The Atlantean delegation agreed to hand Namor over for a trial jointly conducted by Atlantis and the Land World.
• Luke declared Sebastian Shaw a conspirator and traitor, then turned to the Hellfire Club representatives.
• Emma Frost tried to use her psychic powers on Luke, but his mental defenses repelled her and left her dizzy.
• Luke thanked Emma for supposedly giving S.H.I.E.L.D. information about Shaw’s plan, and the meeting applauded her as the world’s savior.
• Emma denied exposing Shaw and wondered when she had ever done so.

Luke maneuvered Emma Frost into becoming a public representative for Mutants, leaving her suspicious of his intentions but listening to his plan for changing public opinion and securing government support. With Sebastian Shaw dead, Luke argued that accusations of betrayal would lose their force and that Emma could help lead the Hellfire Club.

• The White Queen realized Luke had staged a story portraying her as Earth's savior, and her fellow Hellfire Club members began treating her as a traitor.
• Luke told Miss Frost that S.H.I.E.L.D. would hold a Peace Summit in Paris and pressed her to attend as a Mutant representative; she reluctantly agreed.
• That night, the White Queen confronted Luke and demanded to know why he had made her look like a betrayer.
• Luke said he needed a spokesperson for the Mutants and believed Emma was suited to the role, prompting her to suspect he wanted to control the Hellfire Club.
• Luke argued that with Sebastian Shaw dead, the charge of betrayal no longer mattered, and said a Peace Summit and government support could change how humans viewed Mutants.
• The White Queen's hostility faded as she listened to Luke describe his plan, though the conflict over Mutants' place in human society remained unresolved.

Luke persuaded Emma Frost to consider aligning the Hellfire Club with S.H.I.E.L.D. by promising reforms for Mutants and revealing Sebastian Shaw’s crimes. The chapter ended with Emma accepting Luke as the Hellfire Club’s new king beside her as its queen.

• Luke argued that trust between humans and Mutants had to be proven through action, and Emma Frost began to lower her guard.
• Luke promised that S.H.I.E.L.D. would urge the White House to improve Mutants’ circumstances during the Peace Summit.
• Luke revealed that Sebastian Shaw had tortured hundreds of Auschwitz prisoners while trying to discover how to trigger Mutant powers.
• Luke urged Emma to expose Shaw’s crimes and present herself as a hero to the Hellfire Club’s Mutants.
• Emma agreed that Luke was suitable to become the Hellfire Club’s new king.

Luke turned from persuading the White Queen to shaping the Paris Peace Summit, where nations competed for access to Atlantis’s resources and technology. He directed S.H.I.E.L.D. to make countries seeking entry demonstrate their commitment, advancing his plan for a World Security Council.

• Luke rejected the idea of marrying the President’s daughter and reflected on the powerful political families whose influence shaped American politics.
• Luke called Carter through S.H.I.E.L.D.’s encrypted line and asked how the Paris Peace Summit was progressing.
• Carter explained that most nations wanted a share of Atlantis’s resources and technology, while the God Spear Bureau showed little interest in the spoils.
• Luke said the British and Soviets should prove their sincerity if they wanted summit entry, since S.H.I.E.L.D. controlled the invitations.
• Carter noted Luke’s aim to create a World Security Council that would fund and empower S.H.I.E.L.D., and agreed to negotiate toward it.

Luke prepared for the Peace Summit by arranging preliminary cooperation with Atlantis and the Hellfire Club, while Carter questioned his plans and his dealings with Emma Frost. After learning Steve had fought Wolverine Logan and Sabretooth Victor, Luke decided to intervene.

• Luke proposed exporting entertainment and cultural products to Atlantis to build support for Land World culture and expand S.H.I.E.L.D.'s influence in trade.
• Luke told Carter that Emma Frost planned to debut as a hero and cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D., while Carter questioned why the White Queen had met with him for an hour.
• Luke dismissed opposition to Emma by pointing to Sebastian Shaw's exposed history as a butcher who persecuted mutants.
• Carter told Luke that the Peace Summit proposal had passed, with the meeting set for Versailles Palace in Paris and Luke appointed as the representative.
• Luke learned that Steve had fought Wolverine Logan and Sabretooth Victor, and said he would handle the situation.

Rogers recalled his fight with Wolverine Logan, then told Luke he was still troubled by Bucky's disappearance. Luke revealed that Baron Strucker had taken Bucky to Siberia and offered Rogers a chance to join an investigation, which Rogers eagerly accepted.

• Rogers and Wolverine Logan traded insults in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s training room and began a fight that left both badly injured.
• Luke visited the bruised Rogers, who said he had been thinking about where Bucky had gone.
• Luke told Rogers that S.H.I.E.L.D. had confirmed Baron Strucker took Bucky to Siberia.
• Luke said agents would investigate Hydra and Leviathan there and search for Bucky, and Rogers agreed to go.
• Luke warned Rogers not to mention Bucky too often to Margie.

Luke warned Rogers about the dangers of rescuing Bucky in Moscow and advised him on how to tell Margie about the mission. At Lake Arkalia, Dr. Bolivar Trask explained that Logan and Victor had volunteered for the Weapon X program, and said Logan's reason was love.

• Luke warned Rogers that Leviathan's Red Room agents made a Moscow rescue dangerous and assigned the Howling Commandos to accompany him.
• Rogers invited Luke to dinner, but Luke refused and advised him to prepare a romantic evening before telling Margie about going to the Soviet Union.
• Luke arrived at the Lake Arkalia dam base and asked Dr. Bolivar Trask about progress on the Mutants project.
• Trask explained that Logan and Victor had volunteered for the Weapon X program, surprising Luke.
• Trask said Logan had volunteered because of love.

Luke learned that Wolverine agreed to an extremely painful modification because Silver Fox Kayla had been injured, and Dr. Trask showed him liquid Adamantium intended for the experiment. The chapter left Luke asking how Stryker discovered the rare metal in Africa.

• Dr. Trask told Luke that Wolverine had volunteered for the modification after X-Force’s mission against the Atlanteans left Kayla injured.
• Luke teased Dr. Trask for knowing so much about Wolverine’s romantic life, and Trask claimed his interest in Mutants was work-related.
• Dr. Trask credited William Stryker with finding a peculiar metal in the African rainforest that could be used to strengthen Wolverine.
• Dr. Trask showed Luke a furnace holding liquid Adamantium and explained that it had to stay hot until it was shaped.
• Luke considered Adamantium’s strength and rarity, then asked Dr. Trask how Stryker had found it in Africa.

Luke oversaw the Weapon X experiment that bonded Adamantium to Logan and partially modified Victor, then stopped Trask from brainwashing them. Logan and Victor awoke in a berserk state, fought each other, and then turned their attention to Luke.

• Trask explained the risks of the Weapon X experiment, and Luke ordered him not to brainwash Logan or Victor.
• Researchers injected molten Adamantium into both brothers as Luke monitored their condition.
• Luke stopped Victor's modification at fifty percent and ordered Logan's experiment to continue.
• Logan's heart stopped after the injection, but he revived with alloy claws and attacked the laboratory.
• Luke ordered Victor awakened so the brothers could fight, but they soon charged at Luke together.

Luke subdued the Adamantium-infused Victor with a single kick, snapping Logan out of his frenzy. That evening, Luke took Marlena to dinner in Manhattan, where they discussed business and ended the night with a private, risqué encounter.

• Victor and Logan turned their attention to Luke, and Victor charged up the wall toward him.
• Luke kicked Victor in the head, knocking him unconscious, and Logan immediately came to his senses.
• Luke told Logan to put on clothes, while Logan realized that the Adamantium claws had made him stronger.
• Luke and Marlena went to a Manhattan restaurant, where she relayed Alessandro's interest in Las Vegas business and spoke about her dislike of John Kennedy.
• After dinner, Marlena crouched beneath the table and began a private encounter with Luke.