Chapter Summaries

Steve investigated Doctor Lizard’s suspected sewer hideout, discovered the laboratory was a decoy concealing the real lab nearby, and confronted Doctor Lizard. The chapter ended as Steve charged back at the lizard after being hurled into a wall.

• Coulson gave Steve the likely locations, and Alex teleported Steve to a sewer laboratory before leaving him to investigate.
• Steve found no one in the laboratory and realized its month-old records made it a decoy, but then deduced that Doctor Lizard’s real laboratory was nearby.
• Alex revealed he had stayed close and watched as Steve found a pin-hole camera and Doctor Lizard burst through a wall.
• Doctor Lizard attacked Steve, wrapped him with his tail, and hurled him through tables into a wall.
• Steve jumped down unharmed and charged at Doctor Lizard as Alex watched from hiding.

Steve fought Doctor Lizard in the sewers, then pursued him through New York as Alex secretly boosted his speed. The battle drew a crowd and put Captain America back in the public eye, while Doctor Lizard remained at large at the chapter’s end.

• Steve used his shield to knock Doctor Lizard through a wall, then fought him hand to hand as his combat skills returned.
• Doctor Lizard escaped through a manhole into the streets, where his rampage sent pedestrians fleeing.
• Alex cast spells to help Steve catch up, while Steve stopped to catch a sedan Doctor Lizard had thrown at him and save the girl inside.
• Steve caught Doctor Lizard again and called on him to surrender, but Doctor Lizard charged and attacked at full strength.
• Steve adapted to Doctor Lizard’s faster attack and began pummeling him as onlookers filmed the fight and Captain America’s return spread online.

Steve and Spider-Man joined forces to stop Doctor Lizard, but discovered that he had grown stronger. As Doctor Lizard found himself surrounded, a familiar newcomer landed behind him.

• Steve struggled to catch Doctor Lizard until Alex spotted Spider-Man racing toward them.
• Spider-Man webbed Doctor Lizard, introduced himself to Steve, and helped pursue him after he broke free.
• Steve and Spider-Man struck Doctor Lizard, but his powerful tail knocked Steve back and he caught Spider-Man off guard.
• Spider-Man realized Doctor Lizard had become much stronger and traded taunts with him as he cautiously retreated.
• A familiar figure descended behind Doctor Lizard and joined Steve and Spider-Man in surrounding him.

Brian appeared as Captain Britain and accidentally unleashed Excalibur’s powerful sword aura, nearly cutting Peter Parker and splitting a skyscraper. As Steve, Peter, and Brian pursued Doctor Lizard, Brian’s next sword attack lined up with the others, leaving Steve to block it with his shield at the last moment.

• Brian introduced himself as Captain Britain after Peter Parker guessed his name, then lashed out at Peter with Excalibur when Peter called him a rookie.
• Brian’s sword aura nearly struck Peter and cleaved a skyscraper, prompting Brian to apologize and Peter to accuse him of attacking on purpose.
• Doctor Lizard tried to recruit Brian, but Brian charged him instead, and a second sword aura wounded the Lizard and nearly cut Peter.
• Steve stopped Peter and Brian from arguing and led them in pursuit of Doctor Lizard, whom Peter knocked down with a kick.
• Brian fired another sword aura at Doctor Lizard, but Peter warned Steve, who narrowly blocked it with his shield.

Alex used Mind Telepathy to calm Brian and urge him to prove himself through careful action. While Steve and Peter Parker faced Doctor Lizard's hostage threat, Brian finally struck with Excalibur, rescuing the hostages and giving the heroes a chance to attack.

• Alex reached Brian through Mind Telepathy and told him to prove himself instead of letting fear stop him.
• Alex warned Brian not to interfere until he could control his strikes and avoid harming Steve and Peter Parker.
• Doctor Lizard seized a woman and a boy as hostages, forcing Steve and Peter Parker to stand back as he tried to escape.
• Brian appeared behind Doctor Lizard and severed his right claw and tail, leaving the hostages on the ground.
• Steve and Peter Parker charged at the injured Doctor Lizard, and Brian joined them with Excalibur.

Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian fought Doctor Lizard until his rampage and regeneration slowed, prompting him to surrender. Alex then brought the three heroes together at An Family Restaurant, where they introduced themselves and became friends.

• Doctor Lizard overwhelmed Steve and Peter Parker while his severed limbs and tail began regenerating, and Brian offered to use his sword energy before Alex warned him against it.
• After nearly ten minutes, Doctor Lizard slowed down and surrendered before Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian could attack again.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. took Doctor Lizard away, and Alex used Mind Telepathy to give Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian an address so they could meet him.
• Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian arrived at An Family Restaurant, where Alex introduced Steve and Peter before Brian introduced himself and Excalibur.
• Peter Parker examined Excalibur, which lost its radiance in his hand, then returned it to Brian.
• Alex raised a toast, and the four celebrated becoming friends.

Alex took Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian to Mutant Star, a barren planet he had built as a refuge for mutants. After criticizing their fight with Doctor Lizard, he revealed that he had brought them there for gravity training.

• Alex teleported Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian to Mutant Star, where they briefly struggled to breathe until he brought in air from Earth.
• Alex explained that Mutant Star was a planet he had built as a retreat for mutants and told Steve that conflict between mutants and humans would only worsen.
• Peter Parker and Brian explored the barren planet while Steve asked Alex whether he planned to leave Earth, and Alex said he could go wherever he wanted.
• Alex criticized Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian for their poor performance against Doctor Lizard and for the destruction they caused in New York.
• When Steve asked what they should do to improve, Alex announced that he had brought them to Mutant Star for gravity training.

Alex turned gravity training into a group program by setting Mutant Star’s gravity to twice Earth’s, then brought Steve, Peter Parker, Brian, and the X-Men there to begin. The trainees struggled to move under the heavier gravity as Alex watched from above.

• Alex told Peter Parker and Brian they would need extended leave for long-term gravity training, then returned to Mutant Star to continue its transformation.
• After Charles reminded him about the training, Alex decided to open it to a group and brought Steve and the others to Mysterious Valley.
• Emma explained that the students and X-Men wanted to join, and Alex agreed to run the training in batches so Mysterious Valley would remain defended.
• Alex led more than a hundred selected trainees to Mutant Star, where its doubled gravity made most of them stagger and collapse.
• Steve began doing push-ups under the increased gravity, others followed, and Peter Parker quickly became drenched in sweat as Alex monitored them from the air.

After returning to Earth, Alex encountered a terrifyingly powerful blond youth who had lost his memory and destroyed part of New York. The youth vaporized people approaching him, leaving Alex confronting him over the destruction.

• Alex ended the gravity training and teleported Steve, Peter Parker, and Brian to New York after dropping the X-Men off in Mysterious Valley.
• A blast erupted in New York, and Steve and Peter Parker rushed toward it while Alex sent Brian ahead alone as a test.
• Alex found a blond youth hovering over the ruins; the youth said someone had tried to kill him, he had fought back, and he could not remember his name.
• The blond youth’s killing intent focused on the people approaching behind Alex, so Alex warned Steve and others not to come closer.
• The blond youth fired a golden shockwave that vaporized several people and devastated everything in its path, nearly catching Steve and the others.
• Alex told the blond youth that he had gone too far, and the youth turned toward him with chilling indifference.

Alex fought Void, a human with overwhelming power who called himself a supreme god, then lured him away from Earth. At the ruins in New York, Nick Fury and Reed Richards learned that even Alex might not be confident against Void.

• Void dismissed the lives lost in New York as insignificant and told Alex they were the same kind of supreme god.
• Alex struck Void with an uppercut and a whip kick, but Void endured both attacks and revealed that he was called Void and had gained immense power by accident.
• Void ignited Dark Gold Flames that burned away Alex's Psionic Power, so Alex attacked him and fled into the sky to lure him away from Earth.
• Void pursued Alex, leaving the ruins behind as the threatening atmosphere over New York vanished.
• Nick Fury questioned Steve about Alex's remarks, and Steve said Alex had seemed unsure he could defeat Void.
• Reed Richards asked Nick Fury and Steve what they knew about Void, and Nick Fury reacted with disbelief when Steve said Alex lacked confidence.

Alex and Void fought across the Asteroid Belt, where Alex’s ranged attacks failed and Void’s speed and strength forced him into brutal close combat. Their battle left both badly injured and continued as the chapter ended.

• Alex flew into the Asteroid Belt to use its chaotic force fields as an advantage, and Void pursued him through the asteroids.
• Alex attacked Void with an Energy Shockwave and Steel Ball Magnetic Cannon, but Void devoured the shockwave and crushed the steel balls in his hand.
• Void struck Alex with a punch that made him spit blood, then battered him until Alex retreated and recovered.
• Void waited for Alex to heal before attacking again, and the two began trading close-combat blows.
• Alex and Void battered each other until both their faces were grotesquely disfigured and they could no longer heal their injuries.

Alex fought Void after Robert Reynolds’s evil personality took control, while Nick Fury investigated Robert’s connection to Doctor Hank Pym. Hank admitted Robert had once broken into his laboratory but denied knowing anything about the destruction of New York, leaving the serum’s origins unresolved.

• Robert Reynolds warned Alex that Void was his cruel, bloodthirsty evil side, and Alex secretly asked Nick Fury to investigate him.
• Reed recognized Robert as the person behind Void, and S.H.I.E.L.D. found that Robert’s file ended after he broke into Doctor Hank Pym’s laboratory two months earlier.
• Robert transformed into Void in the Asteroid Belt and battled Alex, repeatedly switching between his frightened self and his evil personality.
• Alex urged Robert to find the courage to suppress Void, but Robert panicked, and Void mocked him as a coward and trash.
• Nick Fury questioned Hank Pym, who identified Robert as the thief who had broken into his laboratory but denied knowing why he had destroyed half of New York.

Nick Fury learned that Robert Reynolds had drunk Hank Pym’s failed Sentinel Serum before becoming the powerful Void, while Alex fought Void and discovered the serum had opened a dying universe whose energy created him. Experts offered no practical treatment, leaving Alex to face the problem of the Sentinel himself.

• Hank Pym told Nick Fury and the others that Robert had drunk the last bottle of his failed Sentinel Serum while breaking into his lab.
• Alex told Nick Fury that Robert had split into two personalities, the powerful Void and the weak Robert Reynolds.
• Void explained to Alex that the serum had coincidentally opened a universe on the verge of annihilation, whose energy flooded into Robert and gave birth to Void.
• Nick Fury gathered mental-health specialists, who suggested improving Robert’s living conditions and helping him form friendships but admitted they had no other solution.
• Alex heard the experts’ advice, angrily sent them away, and resumed fighting Void.

Hank Pym revealed that Robert Reynolds drank the last bottle of his failed Super Soldier Serum imitation, while Void explained that the serum had coincided with the destruction of a universe whose energy created him. As Alex continued fighting Void, psychiatric specialists concluded that Robert’s weakness and inferiority complex had produced the personality, but offered no practical solution.

• Nick Fury showed Hank Pym Robert’s file, and Hank said the intruder drank a bottle of Sentinel Serum after failing to steal anything from his lab.
• Hank explained that Sentinel Serum was his failed imitation of Super Soldier Serum, and Reed suggested it may have triggered Robert’s transformation.
• Alex questioned Void, who said the serum had opened a universe on the verge of annihilation and its energy had poured into Robert, creating Void.
• Nick Fury consulted psychiatric specialists, who attributed Void to Robert’s weakness and inferiority complex and recommended improving Robert’s living conditions and relationships.
• Alex heard the specialists’ advice, angrily sent them away, and turned back to the Sentinel problem.

Alex fought Void in space and used telepathy to help Bob reclaim control, then suppressed Void. A newly emerged Robert Reynolds identified himself as the Sentinel and vowed to uphold world peace.

• Alex contacted Charles, who advised him to seal away Void while using telepathy to spur Robert into taking control of their shared power.
• Void knocked Alex out of the Asteroid Belt, freeing them both from its gravitational constraints.
• Alex transformed into a Black Hole and trapped Void, then entered his consciousness and used telepathy to awaken Bob.
• As Bob seized more power, Alex suppressed Void but hesitated over sealing him away because he feared it would not solve the problem.
• An unfamiliar Robert Reynolds appeared, called himself the Sentinel, and declared he would uphold world peace.

Alex confronted the Sentry about the danger of Void returning, but learned that the US Government intended to protect Robert Reynolds as humanity’s chosen hero. Alex returned to Earth and began moving the X-Mansion to Mutant Star, then found the Sentry, Steve, Nick Fury, and Tony Stark gathered at Stark Tower to discuss the Sentry’s situation.

• Alex questioned the Sentry about whether Void could return and rejected the Sentry’s offer to make amends by fighting threats.
• Nick Fury told Alex that the US Government wanted to protect Robert Reynolds because humanity needed a powerful hero, and Alex warned them about Void.
• Alex let the Sentry return under government protection, then went back to Earth and began arranging the X-Mansion’s relocation with Charles.
• Alex teleported to Stark Tower and found Steve, Nick Fury, the Sentry, and Tony Stark discussing how to deal with the Sentry.

Alex helped the Sentry erase the world's memories of Void, then taught Tony Stark a hard lesson about his armor and physical limitations. The chapter ended with Alex removing the shrapnel from Tony's body and assigning Steve to train him.

• Alex helped the Sentry make the world forget Void, and Robert Reynolds joined the US Government as the Sentry.
• Tony Stark challenged Alex, Steve, and Nick Fury, but they defeated him and shook his confidence.
• Alex told Tony to improve his armor's materials and warned that his body and reaction speed could not keep up with increasingly powerful armor.
• Alex asked Steve to train Tony, and Tony reluctantly agreed to follow Steve's instructions.
• Alex crushed the shell fragments in Tony's bloodstream, healed his chest, and teased him by calling him grandnephew.

Alex moved the X-Mansion community to Mutant Star, renamed it Paradise Island, and brought the remaining X-Men to a new base near New York. There, the X-Men spotted the American military pursuing Hulk, whom Alex recognized, and waited to see what would happen.

• Alex used the Tesseract and his Teleportation to move the X-Mansion community, supplies, and school campus to Mutant Star.
• The mutants agreed to rename Mutant Star Paradise Island, with Vivien Leigh's suggestion winning approval.
• Alex brought Charles, Logan, and the other remaining X-Men to their new Earth base on a farm near New York.
• Charles sensed an armed American military force chasing a green monster toward the X-Men's base.
• Alex recognized the monster as Hulk and told the X-Men to wait and watch instead of intervening.

Alex and his companions watched the Hulk battle General Ross’s forces, while Betty tried to reach Bruce Banner through the Hulk’s rampage. The Hulk calmed when Betty called to him, leaving Alex pleased that he had become rational.

• General Ross ordered his troops to attack the Hulk and readied missiles and sonic weapons, while Betty protested that the Hulk was Bruce Banner.
• The Hulk shrugged off the military’s weapons and destroyed a Sonic Attack Vehicle, prompting Betty to ask Ross to let her approach him.
• The Hulk moved to strike Ross and Betty’s jeep, but a mercenary who would become Abomination drew his attention and was knocked nearly unconscious.
• After Ross uncuffed her, Betty ran toward the Hulk and called for Bruce to wake up.
• The Hulk calmed at Betty’s voice, and Alex welcomed his return to reason.

Alex let Hulk escape after he destroyed the military forces, then waited for Hulk to reappear. When Bruce Banner and Betty Ross showed up in Brooklyn, Alex brought his allies there to watch the coming battle and pursue Hulk’s blood.

• Hulk protected Betty from a bullet, then destroyed the military force and nearly killed the future Abomination before leaping away with her.
• Alex left the mutants with Charles to build a base, then met Tony Stark at the battlefield and warned him to keep Hulk’s escape secret.
• A week later, Alex discussed Hulk with Tony and Steve at Stark Tower as the X-Men’s new base took shape.
• Nick Fury reported that the military was massing forces in Brooklyn with a secret weapon, and Tony revealed that Spider-Man had spotted Bruce Banner.
• Alex teleported with his companions to Brooklyn, found Bruce Banner and Betty, and followed them while seeking Hulk’s blood.