Chapter Summaries

Luke learned that Vishanti had likely chosen him as a backup Sorcerer Supreme and returned to Las Vegas to negotiate Hell Group’s establishment with Mephisto. Two weeks later, he made Howard the group’s spokesperson, leaving Howard to insist that he would protect Superman’s reputation.

• Ancient One told Luke that Vishanti may have selected him as a backup while Stephen Strange was still unready, and warned him to care for the important thing from beyond that he carried.
• Luke returned to the Hell Hotel and told Mephisto that Hell would need to improve its public image and accept Kamar-Taj’s conditions to establish Hell Group.
• Mephisto agreed to sacrifice some profit and promised to behave as a legitimate businessman in the human world.
• Two weeks later, Luke told Howard that he had used Howard Stark’s name to make him Hell Group’s spokesperson.
• Luke suggested that Howard’s position could help him with the succubi, and Howard accepted the role and vowed to protect Superman’s reputation.

Howard took Steve and Bucky to Las Vegas for Steve’s bachelor party while Luke teased Howard about becoming a Hell Hotel director. Meanwhile, Apocalypse sensed a Phoenix and declared that he had found it.

• Luke explained to Howard that his new status as a Hell Group director would attract succubi, while silently worrying about the danger they posed.
• Steve reunited with Luke and Howard and described his nerves about marrying Margie after his proposal and wedding preparations.
• Howard began driving Steve, Luke, and Bucky toward Las Vegas for Steve’s bachelor party, planning a spa visit as their first stop.
• Apocalypse questioned Caliban and Erik Lehnsherr about their feelings, then sensed a Phoenix across time and space.

Apocalypse tracked down the Phoenix Force in California, hoping to claim its power and prove Mutants superior to humans. He restrained the Phoenix briefly, but it broke free and fled through space, and Apocalypse pursued it.

• Apocalypse's ancient defeat by the Phoenix Force was revealed, along with his search for its scattered power after awakening.
• Apocalypse followed the Phoenix fragments from Eastern Europe and Asia to California, where he found the Phoenix reunited.
• The Phoenix's arrival stirred the emotions of Little Erik and the other Mutants.
• Apocalypse restrained the Phoenix with telekinesis, but its flames burned him and destroyed his protective barrier.
• Apocalypse withdrew his power to protect the Mutants, and the Phoenix escaped through space.
• Apocalypse told the Mutants to stay put and entered a spatial passage to pursue the Phoenix.

Luke and his friends saw a Phoenix Force approaching Las Vegas, and Luke ordered an evacuation before flying out to stop it. As the Phoenix devastated the landscape, Apocalypse appeared and demanded that it submit to him, only to be met with an energy blast.

• Howard reluctantly joined Luke and Steve in the hot spring and complained about Steve's plans to marry.
• Luke and Steve teased Howard about his bachelor lifestyle and the women he brought to Stark Mansion.
• A massive fire phoenix appeared over Las Vegas, and Luke identified it as the Phoenix Force.
• Luke ordered Steve to arrange a city evacuation and told Howard to help, then flew toward the Phoenix.
• Apocalypse emerged from a spatial passage, demanded that the Phoenix kneel, and was struck by its energy sphere.

Apocalypse fought the weakened Phoenix Force, believing he could overpower it and make it his weapon. As he attacked the Phoenix and damaged Las Vegas, Luke arrived to stop him, and Apocalypse launched a final punch at the Phoenix.

• Apocalypse taunted the Phoenix and offered himself as a host, but it insulted his appearance and enraged him.
• Apocalypse trapped the Phoenix in a lightning cage and attacked it with energy blasts and psychic assaults.
• Apocalypse endured the Phoenix's flames behind layers of shields and struck it, sending fire raining down on Las Vegas.
• Luke arrived and demanded that Apocalypse pay for the damage and come with him to S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Apocalypse dismissed Luke's threat and threw a final punch at the Phoenix.

Luke attacked Apocalypse with a Tenth Metal sword and forced him to recognize the weapon's deadly power. Their battle continued with Apocalypse fighting back, but Luke revealed a magical trick that left hundreds of copies of himself surrounding him.

• Luke struck Apocalypse with the Tenth Metal sword, cutting off his arm and nearly cleaving him in two.
• Apocalypse regenerated his arm and rejected Luke's demand that he respect the laws and will of the new era.
• Apocalypse created a bronze war spear and charged Luke, but Luke split the spear and shattered Apocalypse's chest armor with his sword.
• Luke opened a spatial passage and attacked Apocalypse, who blocked the blade and countered with another spear.
• Apocalypse struck what appeared to be Luke, only for the figure to dissolve into airflow as hundreds of Lukes appeared around him.

Luke fought Apocalypse above Las Vegas, overwhelming him despite the mutant’s many destructive powers. After Apocalypse crashed into the city and struggled to rise, Luke condemned him to execution on the spot.

• Luke used Ikonn’s Form and swung his Tenth Metal sword at Apocalypse, who unleashed lightning, frost, and destructive sound waves.
• The Phoenix abandoned its attempt to escape its lightning cage, while Captain America, Howard, and Mephisto watched the battle from Hell Hotel.
• Apocalypse escaped Luke’s sword strike through a passage in space and fired an energy cannon, while Luke answered with Heat Vision that destroyed nearby skyscrapers.
• Luke struck Apocalypse with an iron fist, sending him through buildings and into a trench, then blamed him for the damage to Las Vegas.
• Apocalypse asked Luke how he would deal with him, and Luke sentenced him to execution before charging forward.

Superman defeated Apocalypse’s desperate attacks and prevented his self-destruction from harming the city by feeding him to the Phoenix. The Phoenix disappeared in the resulting explosion, while Captain America watched in confusion.

• Apocalypse was battered by Superman’s blows and tried to ambush him with a road roller and Sunspot’s explosive energy.
• Apocalypse threatened to destroy the city in a suicide attack, but Superman endured the blast and seized him.
• Superman carried the nearly exploding Apocalypse toward the Phoenix, which panicked and begged him to stay away.
• Superman stuffed Apocalypse into the Phoenix, and the explosion scattered invisible shockwaves through the clouds.
• Superman thanked the Phoenix for its sacrifice, while Captain America wondered where the flaming Phoenix had gone.

After the Phoenix Force saved Las Vegas, Luke absorbed some of its scattered fragments but decided not to pursue becoming its host. As Apocalypse’s followers began to disperse, a Phoenix fragment entered the young Erik, and other potential hosts emerged around the world.

• Luke absorbed a Phoenix Force fragment, regained his strength, and glimpsed the Phoenix’s true form in the White Hot Room.
• Luke left Captain America to coordinate Las Vegas’s recovery and arranged a charity gala at the Hell Hotel.
• Caliban declared that Apocalypse had fallen, while Erik proposed that the Mutants split up and go their separate ways.
• Caliban took charge of the Mutants by offering to secure money and identity documents, and Erik was forced to follow the group.
• A Phoenix fragment entered Erik, while other fragments reached potential hosts, including a Mutant at the school in Westchester and a young man imprisoned in Atlantis.

Luke woke to Howard’s account of an exhausting night with a succubus at Hell Hotel. Meanwhile, Caliban’s group sheltered near a California highway, where Erik had a high fever and Caliban seized a passing doctor for help.

• Luke let Howard into his suite and listened as Howard described spending eight hours with a succubus.
• Howard said he wanted to return to New York and focus on scientific research, but Luke’s mention of female Angels revived his interest.
• At a motel near a California highway, Caliban learned Erik had a high fever and complained that the Mutants had no doctor.
• A couple stopped at the motel, and Caliban ordered the man, who worked at a Los Angeles hospital, to help them.
• Caliban’s men lifted the couple’s car and surrounded the family to prevent them from leaving.

After reporting on the Nevada disaster, Luke returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and assigned plans for Apocalypse’s remaining followers, Hydra, and the expanding Vampire families. He finished preparing the agency for his eventual journey to the sea of stars and left to attend Steve’s wedding.

• Luke met with the White House about the losses and casualties in Las Vegas, then flew to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
• Peggy reported that sixteen of Apocalypse’s disciples and followers remained unaccounted for, and Luke ordered them kept under control.
• Luke decided to remove Logan and Victor from teaching duty and send them to deal with Apocalypse’s followers.
• Peggy briefed Luke on Dr. Zola and Baron Strucker’s Hydra alliance, and Luke planned to use them to consolidate Hydra under his control.
• Peggy reported that Serena’s Vampire family had destroyed Ghoul Clan strongholds, and Luke allowed the Corvinus Family to keep expanding under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s watch.
• Peggy realized Luke was preparing for a long journey and promised to manage S.H.I.E.L.D.; Luke left to attend Steve’s wedding.

Steve married Margie at Howard's Long Island estate, where Luke arranged an elaborate celebration. At the reception, Bucky's memories stirred as he watched his best friend marry, and he asked Luke for vodka.

• Luke stopped Steve from holding the wedding at Old Joseph's Bar and arranged the ceremony at Howard's estate.
• Luke told Steve that Howard was recovering from illness and would skip the celebration and banquet.
• Luke described the prominent political, military, and business guests he had invited to make the wedding grand for Margie.
• Steve and Margie exchanged vows and rings before their guests.
• Bucky sat apart from the celebration, drank cocktails, and felt memories surface as he watched Steve and Margie.
• Bucky told Luke that his best friend had married but he did not feel as happy as he expected, then asked for vodka.

Logan and Sabretooth investigated a disappearance near Highway One while Apocalypse’s followers waited for the feverish Erik to recover. When Erik awakened, he revealed his magnetic powers, killed Caliban, and declared himself Magneto, an Apostle of the Phoenix.

• Logan and Sabretooth drove toward California to investigate missing people believed to be connected to Apocalypse’s followers.
• Sabretooth complained that Logan had grown tame because of his relationship with Kayla, while Logan defended his life with her.
• At a motel near Highway One, Caliban threatened a doctor who could not explain why Erik’s fever would not break.
• Erik awakened and used his magnetic powers to make the motel shake and metal objects circle him.
• Erik extracted iron from Caliban’s body, formed a metal pellet, and killed him with it.
• Erik rose through the roof and declared himself an Apostle of the Phoenix and Magneto.

Wolverine and Sabretooth investigated the destroyed motel and agreed to work with Nick Fury to track Apocalypse’s Disciples. At Cahill’s Academy, Charles was struck by a fiery crystal fragment that caused his psychic power to surge out of control, and Emma knocked him unconscious to stop the school-wide shockwave.

• Wolverine and Sabretooth arrived at the ruined motel and learned that witnesses had seen Mutants involved in the destruction.
• Nick Fury introduced himself, explained that the site had suffered a powerful electromagnetic pulse, and asked the brothers to help contain Apocalypse’s Disciples.
• Wolverine and Sabretooth agreed to cooperate with Fury, then split up to follow different trails by scent.
• Raven teased Charles about Ms. Frost’s relationship with Superman, and Charles released psychic power in an attempt to quiet her.
• A fiery crystal fragment crashed into Charles’s mind, causing his psychic ability to erupt uncontrollably and knock Raven unconscious.
• Emma reached Charles and struck his neck, stopping the psychic shockwave and leaving him unconscious.

After becoming an Apostle of the Phoenix, Black Queen Selene traveled to Atlantis to recruit the imprisoned Namor as an ally. She reached the prison and found him alive but gravely injured and powerless.

• Selene accepted a fragment of the Phoenix Force and gained new power as an Apostle.
• Selene decided to seek Namor in Atlantis because she needed Mutant allies.
• Captain Stefan and his submarine crew became infatuated with Selene and helped her reach Atlantis.
• Selene passed the Ocean Legion's inspections and entered Atlantis's underwater prison.
• Selene found Namor imprisoned in a damp cell, unable to stand after his defeat.

Namor languished in an Atlantis prison, crippled and consumed by hatred for Superman, until Selene offered him strength and revenge in exchange for signing a contract. After accepting a fragment of the Phoenix Force, Namor learned that his first task was to restrain Superman.

• Namor struggled through imprisonment and dehydration, blaming Superman for his defeat and lost crown.
• Selene visited Namor and claimed she could save him and help him reclaim Atlantis.
• Selene offered Namor the Phoenix Force and used life energy to restore his movement and strength.
• Namor signed Selene's contract and accepted a fragment of the Phoenix Force.
• Selene told Namor to deal with Superman and restrain his movements.

Namor agreed to help Selene distract Superman while she prepared a mass-sacrifice ritual in London, though he demanded time to see the surface first. Back in Washington, Luke learned of the Phoenix Force's effects at Mutant Academy and then heard that Namor had contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. to report Selene's plan.

• Selene persuaded Namor to hold Superman off for about half an hour during her ascension ritual, promising to take him to a safe dimensional world afterward.
• Namor agreed to help Selene but asked to see the world above water and breathe fresh air first.
• Luke reviewed reports that Charles's psychic powers had gone out of control, injuring students at Mutant Academy, while Magneto remained at large after defeating Wolverine and Sabretooth.
• Luke advised sending agents to find Magneto and having Emma help Charles control the Phoenix Force.
• Stryker told Luke that Namor had contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. to report Selene's plan to carry out a mass extermination in London, and Luke asked where Namor was.

Luke met Namor in Boston and praised him for reporting Selene’s plan to massacre London, then asked him to reveal her location. When Selene returned to her hotel, Namor and Luke confronted her and announced her arrest.

• Luke met Namor at a S.H.I.E.L.D.-controlled seafood restaurant in Boston.
• Luke praised Namor for reporting Selene’s planned massacre of London and called his actions heroic.
• Luke asked Namor to tell him where Selene was, offering to have S.H.I.E.L.D. stop pursuing his prison escape.
• Selene waited at a Boston hotel and fantasized about using an ascension ritual to become a god.
• Namor returned to the hotel with Luke, who told Selene she had been exposed and ordered her to come with them.

Luke protected Namor from Mephisto’s claim by marking his soul with Death God power, then confronted Selene over her crimes. Selene sought leniency, and Luke extracted her soul and bound it as both protection and a restraint.

• The Black Queen invoked Namor’s broken soul contract, but Luke used the Death God Scepter to block Hell’s claim and mark Namor’s soul for his Netherworld.
• Luke shattered Mephisto’s flaming face and challenged the Hell Lord to confront him in the mortal world.
• Selene realized Luke was a Death God and, facing charges, asked for leniency rather than trying to defend herself.
• Luke postponed his plan to shoot Selene, but declared that she would pay with her freedom and life.
• Luke invoked Vishanti, pulled Selene’s soul from her body, and placed a Death God mark on it as protection and a shackle.

Luke returned to the Mutant School, gave Emma the main fragment of the Phoenix Force, and subdued the fragment inside Charles. He left the school planning to gather the remaining Phoenix Hosts and bring the Phoenix Force together.

• Luke decided to send Namor back to Atlantis to support the monarchy and use Selene's magical skills for the Magical Congress.
• Luke returned to the Mutant School, where Emma told him that entering Charles's mind had left her exhausted and injured.
• Luke gave Emma the main Phoenix Force fragment, which she absorbed in Diamond Form.
• Luke found Charles unconscious in the underground medical room and entered his mental world to confront the Phoenix fragment.
• Luke struck the flame phoenix with a hand formed from the pure white light of the Vishanti, forcing it to submit.