Chapter Summaries

Sean Sipes was kidnapped by Boer’s mercenaries on Justin Hammer’s orders, while Betty, Gwen, and another woman were taken to an abandoned warehouse. There, Samuel Sterns—now calling himself The Leader—revealed his plan to control Sean and Bruce Banner.

• Boer threatened Sean and forced him to leave the coffee shop at gunpoint, warning him not to resist because his three companions were in danger.
• Sean was driven away hooded and handcuffed while Boer’s team sent the women to a warehouse at New York Harbor.
• Samuel Sterns questioned why his men had captured more people than the plan required, which had targeted Sean and Bruce Banner’s ex-girlfriend.
• Samuel told Betty, Gwen, and the other woman that Sean would soon come to save them and planned to use the captives and Justin Hammer’s resources for his experiments.

Sean entered Samuel Sterns’s warehouse to negotiate the release of Betty and the other women, while Samuel demanded Umbrella shares and threatened their lives. After Samuel transformed Boer and other mercenaries into Hulk-like giants, Sean called on Blonsky to attack.

• Boer’s mercenaries brought Sean to the warehouse, where Sean used Skynet to assess their numbers and weapons.
• Samuel Sterns emerged and demanded Umbrella shares, threatening Betty and the other women if Sean refused.
• Samuel proposed that Sean could take one woman while the other two stayed behind, then had Boer and other mercenaries mutate with Hulk serum.
• Samuel showed Sean the women on a surveillance screen and threatened to have Boer tear one of them apart.
• Sean mocked Samuel, declared that no one could hurt the women, and ordered Blonsky to crush the mercenaries.

Sean and Blonsky slaughtered Samuel’s Hulk-serum mercenaries and rescued Betty, Gwen, and Maya Hansen from the warehouse. After Sean comforted the women, Hulk burst through the warehouse wall.

• Samuel ordered his mercenaries to kill Sean, but Sean severed Boer’s arm with a crimson beam and killed him with golden energy.
• Blonsky transformed into a yellow giant, rejected Samuel’s attempt to control him, and tore through the mercenaries in the warehouse.
• Sean rushed to Betty’s prison room and killed the mercenaries guarding her before the last one could harm the women.
• Sean apologized to Betty, Gwen, and Maya Hansen, and Betty and Gwen threw themselves into his arms.
• Hulk smashed through the warehouse wall as Sean comforted the rescued women.

Samuel Sterns fled the warehouse with Bruce Banner and his research, but Banner broke free and transformed into the Hulk after hearing Betty was in danger. The Hulk killed Samuel and battled Blonsky across the harbor docks, where their fight continued with Blonsky declaring his desire to prove himself more worthy of great power.

• Samuel Sterns escaped Blonsky’s fight, gathered his experimental data, and took the captive Bruce Banner with him.
• Banner heard Samuel mention Betty, broke free of his restraints, and transformed into the Hulk.
• The Hulk resisted Samuel’s mental attacks, killed him, and smashed through the warehouse wall.
• Blonsky finished off the last mutated mercenary and charged the Hulk, beginning a brutal fight that destroyed the warehouse.
• The Hulk and Blonsky exchanged blows at the docks, hurling cargo containers and using a crane boom as a weapon.

General Ross mobilized the National Guard to capture Hulk after he was spotted fighting Blonsky at the Port of New York. Hulk overcame Blonsky and wandered into the city before Iron Man confronted him.

• General Ross learned that Hulk and Blonsky were fighting near the Port of New York and ordered troops and advanced weapons to be deployed.
• Ross secured authorization to mobilize the National Guard and led an armed convoy toward the port while tracking Hulk's movements.
• Hulk unleashed a powerful roar, turned the fight around, and hurled Blonsky into the Hudson River.
• Hulk wandered into New York, ignoring bullets and searching for Betty as police sirens and helicopters followed him.
• Iron Man arrived and challenged Hulk.

Hulk rampaged through New York, overcoming the National Guard’s weapons and defeating Iron Man when Tony tried to stop him. Human Torch Johnny arrived and engulfed Hulk in flames, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Hulk tore through police cars and National Guard vehicles, destroying the infrasonic weapons and a helicopter.
• General Ross ordered the National Guard to concentrate fire on Hulk, but Hulk continued advancing through the attack.
• Iron Man drew Hulk’s attention and attacked him, but Hulk grabbed him and slammed him into the ground before Tony escaped.
• Human Torch Johnny arrived, taunted Iron Man, and unleashed a pillar of fire that swallowed Hulk.

Hulk fought New York’s superheroes and overwhelmed the Fantastic Four, War Machine, and Iron Man as his strength grew with his anger. With the heroes down and the city in ruins, Hulk stood victorious while Sean headed toward the battlefield.

• Human Torch Johnny charged into the flames, but Hulk seized him and smashed him into the road.
• Thing Ben fought Hulk, who struck him through a skyscraper, while Iron Man rescued Johnny and the other Fantastic Four members stayed back.
• Iron Man and War Machine bombarded Hulk as the Army National Guard evacuated civilians, but Hulk grew stronger and wounded Tony and Rhodey’s armor was destroyed.
• Sean sent three women away by helicopter, then flew toward the battlefield with Blonsky as his pilot.
• Hulk hurled a steel rebar through Tony’s armor, sending Iron Man crashing down.
• Hulk stood amid the ruins as Iron Man, War Machine, and the Fantastic Four lay defeated, and roared his name.

S.H.I.E.L.D. watched Hulk overwhelm New York’s superheroes as Sean arrived in his Sentry form to challenge the rampaging giant. Sean and Hulk traded powerful blows, and the chapter left them locked in an escalating fight.

• Nick Fury watched footage of Hulk defeating Iron Man, War Machine, and the Fantastic Four while Coulson relayed the White House’s criticism of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Sean rode toward the battle in a helicopter piloted by Blonsky and said he had been waiting to fight Hulk.
• Sean transformed into Sentry and plunged through the storm to confront Hulk.
• Sean struck Hulk hard enough to drive him into the ground, then caught Hulk’s return punch and hit him in the head.
• Hulk launched Sean through a skyscraper, but Sean rose and charged back at him with a full-force punch.

Sean fought Hulk through the ruined city, enduring heavy injuries while his regenerative ability kept him in the battle. He finally knocked Hulk unconscious and flew away, leaving Bruce Banner to awaken among the wreckage.

• Sean and Hulk exchanged powerful blows, smashing through buildings and tearing up the streets.
• Sean and Hulk continued fighting for ten minutes, while Nick Fury in Washington D.C. decided the Avengers Initiative was imperative.
• Hulk weakened as his rage faded, but charged Sean again with his last strength.
• Sean caught Hulk's fist and struck his head with a heavy punch, sending him crashing through collapsing buildings.
• Sean flew into the clouds as Hulk transformed into Bruce Banner, who awoke with the image of a golden figure lingering in his mind.

New York began rebuilding after the Hulk's battle, while public anger damaged the reputations of Iron Man and other Superheroes. Sean gained a Department of Defense partnership through Umbrella's Abomination, and a charity gala invitation from Stark Industries left him facing another social complication.

• Rescue efforts and donations began across ruined New York, while insurance companies faced bankruptcy from the destruction.
• The Vice President announced Umbrella's Human Enhancement Serum, and Sean rejected investors seeking partnerships.
• Justin Hammer was arrested, and Sean had his secretary send him a box of soap after Umbrella acquired Hammer Industries' factories and contracts.
• Public criticism targeted the government and Superheroes, while the Daily Bugle's coverage further damaged Tony Stark's reputation.
• General Ross praised Sean and favored the rational Abomination over the Hulk, while Betty and Gwen remained unsettled by what Sean had done.
• Stark Industries invited Umbrella to a charity gala for victims' families as Sean worried about Betty and Gwen.

Betty left Sean after discovering Gwen was also involved with him, while Sean stayed with Gwen. At S.H.I.E.L.D.’s New York branch, Nick Fury asked Bruce Banner to join a team he was assembling, and Banner remained uncertain whether he could trust him.

• Betty accused Sean of starting their complicated relationship, then left after he corrected her about which lingerie belonged to Gwen.
• Sean dismissed Betty’s anger and resumed his flirtation with Gwen.
• Nick Fury met with Bruce Banner, who remained wary of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government after being deceived by Samuel Sterns.
• Maria Hill ordered Barton to kill Banner if his heart rate reached two hundred as armed agents stood ready outside.
• Fury told Banner that S.H.I.E.L.D. would protect him and invited him to join a team of a Super Soldier, scientific minds, and agents.

Charles Xavier publicly revealed that he was a Mutant and urged Mutants to step forward as the White House passed the Mutant Registration Act. Watching from prison, Magneto questioned Charles’s trust in humanity and began considering a compromise of his own.

• Charles Xavier delivered a televised speech explaining that Mutants were part of humanity and calling for peace and equal rights.
• Charles promised government protection for Mutants who came forward, and Ororo Munroe, Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and other young X-Men publicly announced their identities and signed the act.
• Magneto watched the broadcast from an underground prison and wondered whether Charles’s gamble would win humanity’s goodwill.
• Magneto considered Sean’s offer and began thinking that he, too, might need to compromise.

Sean explained his plan to guide the Mutant Registration Act into law and integrate Mutants into society through jobs, education, and Umbrella's security service. He revealed that Magneto had been offered a separate path in Africa, while leaving his own role in the coming conflict unanswered.

• Sean told the professor to build support for Mutants while politicians and the public debated the Registration Act.
• Sean warned the professor that gaining equal rights would be a long struggle, and the professor accepted the hardship ahead.
• Sean proposed keeping younger children at the academy while helping young adults find jobs or attend university.
• Sean described Umbrella's security company, which would train Mutants and work with the military under Colonel Blonsky.
• Sean told the professor that Magneto and the Brotherhood had been offered room to operate in Africa, with Magneto serving as a warning to human governments.
• The professor asked what role Sean would play, but Sean did not answer and thought of the Cosmic Overlord's approaching threat.

Students at Westchester's Mutant Academy weighed whether to leave as the professor pushed for the Mutant Registration Act, while Scott distrusted Sean Sipes's influence over the professor. Jean distanced herself from Scott and left to prepare documents for the Mutant Liaison Center, saying she might not return that night.

• John asked Bobby whether the professor would expel students, and Bobby said Ms. Grey had assured them they could choose freely.
• John told Bobby that Colossus Peter wanted to join Sean Sipes's Umbrella Security Squad, while Bobby remained unsure about leaving and telling his family he was a Mutant.
• Rogue Marie said she wanted to try Umbrella because she hoped Sean Sipes might help with her troubles.
• Scott complained to Jean that Sean had deceived the professor, but Jean dismissed his suspicion and avoided his attempt to get close to her.
• Jean said she was going to prepare documents for the Mutant Liaison Center and get her hair done, and told Scott she probably would not be back that night.

Sean persuaded the captured Magneto to lead the Brotherhood out of the United States and establish a homeland in Africa, offering support through forces he had taken over. The chapter ended with a brief scene in which Lu Mingyu searched for a way to rescue a stalled project before an urgent deadline.

• Sean described how the Mutant Registration Act had brought hundreds of Mutants into jobs and social welfare, while he planned to bring the community under his influence.
• Magneto accused Sean of exploiting Mutants like Sebastian Shaw, but agreed to leave the country after Sean stressed that the Brotherhood’s radical approach had no future in the United States.
• Sean proposed that Magneto build a Mutant homeland in Africa and promised support from the forces he had taken over from Sowande.
• Magneto questioned whether Sean would provide the supplies and protection the Brotherhood needed, but accepted the deal despite recognizing that Sean intended to use them.
• Magneto asked Sean to say goodbye to Charles, and Sean told him that what belonged to him would eventually be his.
• Lu Mingyu reviewed failing project data and financial reports as he faced a deadline and worried about losing his position.

Nick Fury brought Erik Selvig to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s underground research base and showed him the Cosmic Cube. Loki secretly arrived on Earth, enchanted Selvig, and left planning to use the Cube to recruit powerful allies against Odin.

• Nick Fury and Commander Hill arrived at the Dark Energy Joint Development Center, where Coulson led them underground.
• Nick Fury met Erik Selvig and brought him to the Cosmic Cube, explaining that it could provide limitless energy.
• Loki appeared beside Selvig and enchanted him into repeating, “Now this is interesting.”
• Loki recognized the Cosmic Cube and decided to use it as leverage to find reinforcements for his struggle against Odin.
• Loki left the base unseen, vowing that next time he would not be alone.

Sean attended Tony Stark’s party for New York’s superheroes and learned that the Hulk’s attack had shaken Tony’s confidence in protecting the world alone. Tony revealed that he wanted Dr. Richards to join the Avengers, while Sean anticipated an approaching alien threat and resolved to face it.

• Sean arrived at Tony Stark’s mansion with Gwen and greeted the gathered superheroes, including the Fantastic Four.
• Sean teased Tony about his past as a playboy before asking why he had organized the party.
• Tony admitted that the Hulk’s attack had made him fear for his life and question whether Iron Man could defend the world alone.
• Sean suggested Tony wanted the Fantastic Four to join the Avengers, but Tony said he had originally invited Dr. Richards because he believed the Avengers might face enemies they could not stop, while Ultron could.

Tony Stark and Reed Richards began building Ultron with Sean’s help, using Umbrella’s Red Queen as a reference. Sean agreed while keeping Skynet’s connection to Red Queen secret, and Tony explained that he trusted Sean because he understood that superheroes were vulnerable.

• Tony told Sean he wanted Ultron to protect Earth, and Sean challenged him over who would control it and how it could be prevented from turning against humanity.
• Tony took Sean to his underground laboratory, where Reed showed them Ultron’s prototype and explained that he wanted to use Red Queen to help develop it.
• Sean agreed to provide Red Queen’s initial data, while keeping Skynet’s information inaccessible to Tony and Reed.
• Tony, Reed, and Sean worked on Ultron’s framework until Pepper called them upstairs for dinner.
• Sean asked Tony why he had shared the plan with him, and Tony said he trusted him because superheroes were vulnerable and he had few friends.

Nick Fury brought Bruce Banner into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secret base to study the Tesseract, hoping to use Banner’s Gamma Ray expertise while keeping the Hulk contained. As the Tesseract project and Sky Carrier construction advanced, Fury looked ahead to Project Insight and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s growing power.

• Fury reassured Banner that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted his scientific help and learned Banner had gone fifteen days without transforming.
• Fury introduced Banner to Dr. Erik Selvig and Agent Barton at the Tesseract laboratory.
• Banner detected Gamma Rays and other radiation from the Tesseract and asked Fury what S.H.I.E.L.D. intended to do with it.
• Coulson reported that Tony Stark had agreed to assist with anti-gravity metal and the Sky Carrier.
• Fury ordered Coulson to watch Stark and surveyed the advancing projects, believing they would prepare S.H.I.E.L.D. to implement Project Insight.

After leaving Stark Mansion, Sean encountered the mercenary Deadpool on a New York highway and let him into his car. Deadpool recognized Sean as the target known as Number Two, whose bounty was five million dollars.

• Sean drove Gwen home, then reflected on Tony Stark's Ultron Project and the threats facing S.H.I.E.L.D. and the world.
• Sean spotted Deadpool sitting on an overpass and called out to him as he drove by.
• Deadpool leaped from the overpass into Sean's car, injured himself on the gearshift, and introduced himself as a mercenary.
• Sean declined Deadpool's offer to eliminate an enemy, while Deadpool tried to bargain for a commission.
• Deadpool checked his bounty cards, recognized Sean as Number Two, and exclaimed that he was worth five million dollars.