Chapter Summaries

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.

After a night with Marlena, Luke set out to visit Howard before his White House medal ceremony and S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting. He found Howard at his Long Island estate, where Howard claimed he had designed a new energy system but then showed Luke his latest research.

• Luke woke beside Marlena, reviewed his packed schedule, and flew to Howard's Long Island estate.
• Howard complained that Luke had landed noisily and explained that he had been absent from S.H.I.E.L.D. while designing a more powerful energy system.
• Luke learned Howard had produced an initial design after returning from the Atlantic, though Howard admitted he had also neglected Stark Industries.
• A young woman appeared beside Howard, and Luke realized Howard's exhaustion was not solely from scientific research.
• Howard brushed off Luke's skepticism and led him downstairs to show his latest research results.

Howard showed Luke his concept for a palladium-powered nuclear fusion reactor and discussed the work needed to make it stable and practical. Luke agreed to seek out the Soviet defector Anton Vanko and suggested Howard might eventually miniaturize the reactor for Powered Armor.

• Luke followed Howard into the underground laboratory, where Howard revealed his rough design for a nuclear fusion reactor.
• Howard explained how palladium could help produce fusion energy and described his idea for containing and heating plasma with a magnetic field.
• Luke pointed out that reactor stability, energy loss, and practical applications still needed to be addressed, and Howard agreed that the design was only a framework.
• Luke suggested recruiting nuclear physicists through S.H.I.E.L.D., and Howard proposed Anton Vanko as a possible collaborator.
• Luke agreed to ask the Atomic Energy Commission about Vanko and asked Howard whether he had considered miniaturizing the reactor for Powered Armor.

Luke proposed that Howard develop powered armor, and Howard considered the design while Luke promised Atlantis’s help and better materials. At Luke’s medal ceremony, the President pushed him to marry his daughter Mary, so Luke decided to put Howard’s playboy reputation to use.

• Luke explained powered armor to Howard, who outlined possible Superman Suit-inspired features and the technical challenges of building a practical suit.
• Luke promised Atlantis could solve technical problems and that he would send Howard a surprise package of materials, then ordered him to get ready for the medal ceremony.
• The President congratulated Luke on becoming a Lieutenant General and urged him to settle down and marry Mary.
• The President invited Luke to a family dinner and said Mary admired him, prompting Luke to look toward Howard and devise a plan.

After receiving his promotion to lieutenant general at a White House ceremony, Luke met with the White Queen to discuss the Hellfire Club’s future and her responsibilities as its leader. Their conversation turned flirtatious, and Emma proposed an intimate encounter in the White House reception room.

• The President presented Luke with his medal and the ceremony marked his promotion to lieutenant general.
• Luke told the President he would attend the family dinner after meeting the Hellfire Club’s Mutants, then encouraged Howard to accept an arrangement.
• Luke met the White Queen in the Red Room while the other Mutants underwent The Pentagon’s inspection.
• Emma told Luke about her troubled family, her telepathy, and her struggle to trust others, and Luke advised her to stop listening to everyone’s thoughts.
• Emma framed her flirtation with Luke as a way to deepen their cooperation, then reclined on the desk and asked whether the White House was an acceptable place.

Nova Drake provoked Iceman Regan with claims that the White Queen had betrayed the Hellfire Club and become involved with Luke, leading the two Mutants to fight. The White Queen arrived, told the group that Luke had been promoted to Lieutenant General, and led them to meet him in the Red Room.

• Nova Drake accused the White Queen of betraying Mutants and suggested she had a relationship with Major General Superman, angering Iceman Regan.
• Iceman Regan and Nova Drake fought while the Hellfire Club members watched.
• The White Queen entered and scolded them for fighting at the White House.
• The White Queen said Luke had been promoted to Lieutenant General and instructed the group to follow her to the Red Room.
• Iceman Regan noticed that the White Queen's clothes looked slightly wrinkled.

Luke met with the Hellfire Club’s younger Mutants and reassured them that S.H.I.E.L.D. would not prosecute their past crimes. He urged them to improve their public image and fight for Mutant rights, then used his Bio-Force Field to silence Nova Drake and challenge his ideas about freedom and democracy.

• Iceman Regan entered the Red Room and felt intimidated by Luke’s imposing presence.
• The White Queen introduced the younger Hellfire Club members, and Luke told them S.H.I.E.L.D. would waive prosecution for their past offenses.
• Luke urged the Mutants to build trust and actively seek equal rights rather than rely on human charity.
• Nova Drake asked how Mutants should fight for their rights, and Luke said they should first improve their public image.
• Drake defended his rebellious style in the name of freedom and democracy, so Luke used his Bio-Force Field to choke him and challenged him to reconsider those ideals.

Luke proposed using the Hellfire Club to build a positive public image for Mutants by turning selected members into celebrity superheroes. Emma accepted his plan, which would begin with preparing the club for the Paris Peace Summit and later arranging publicized rescue work.

• Luke pressured Nova Drake until he fell to his knees, then told the Hellfire Club members to prepare their appearances for the Peace Summit in Paris.
• After the others left, Emma questioned Luke's plan to make her appear approachable, and he explained that his hard-line image would draw the club members closer to her.
• Luke proposed forming a team of attractive Mutants, including Iceman Regan and Nova Drake, and presenting them as superheroes and idols.
• Luke suggested that Regan work with the New York Fire Department to rescue people while newspapers publicized the deeds and improved public opinion of Mutants.
• Emma agreed to follow Luke's plan to lower Mutants' perceived threat and encourage their acceptance into society.

Luke brought Howard to The President’s family dinner after inventing a story about his ancestor Geralt and promising Howard an encounter with sorceresses. The President invited Luke into his study to hear urgent S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence related to the Soviet Union, leaving Howard to pursue Mary.

• Howard asked Luke about their promised visit, and Luke claimed his ancestor Geralt had relationships with sorceresses to reassure him.
• Luke and Howard arrived at Blair House with wine, and The President and the First Lady were displeased that Howard had joined the family dinner.
• The First Lady introduced her daughter Mary, and Luke encouraged Howard to make his move.
• Luke told The President he had important S.H.I.E.L.D. information related to the Soviet Union, and The President took him to the study.

Luke and Howard thwarted the President’s attempt to arrange a match with his daughter, then left Blair House after entertaining the First Lady and her family. Back in the study, a mysterious intruder restrained the President and used nanites to transform himself into the President’s exact likeness.

• Luke declined the President’s cigar and discussed Soviet ambitions and Atlantis’s interests at the coming Peace Summit.
• Howard entertained the First Lady and the President’s daughter with bawdy stories and won their favor over dinner.
• The President tried to discuss marriage with Luke, but Luke redirected him toward Howard, and the two men praised each other until the President gave up on matching his daughter with Luke.
• Luke and Howard left Blair House, and Howard reminded Luke of his promise to take him to Kamar-Taj.
• A stranger appeared in the President’s study, restrained him, spoke of the unusual timeline and its heroes, then injected nanites that reshaped him into the President.

Luke arrived in Paris for the Peace Summit, where his fame and exaggerated wartime legends drew attention. He met Zheng Xian, who revealed that Agent Yan had left on another mission, leaving Luke wondering what major threat required the God Spear Bureau’s ace.

• Luke arrived at the Royal Hotel in Paris and faced cheering crowds and reporters eager to photograph the war hero.
• Luke and Howard joked about his popularity, his publicity campaign, and the outlandish stories told about his wartime exploits.
• Luke explained that the Peace Summit would begin the next day at Versailles Palace and last three days.
• Zheng Xian joined Luke and Howard in the elevator, and Luke recognized him as the leader of the God Spear Bureau.
• Zheng Xian said Agent Yan had been accompanying him but had left to handle another mission, prompting Luke to suspect something serious had happened.