Avengers / Defenders War #[nn]

In a chilling prologue to the larger conflict, a blind Loki is brought before Dormammu after a clash with Thor, setting the stage for a dangerous alliance. With cunning and dark ambition, Dormammu reveals a plan that demands both their intellect and deception, and Loki, ever the schemer, consents to play his part.

In "Deception," Dr. Strange attempts to reach the soul of the Black Knight, but the message is twisted by the dark sorcery of Dormammu and Loki, who manipulate the call to lure the Defenders into seeking the long-lost pieces of the Evil Eye—each fragment a key to a power neither side can afford to lose.

In "Chapter 2: Betrayal" from Avengers / Defenders War, the Avengers’ attempts to reach Dr. Strange are met with silence—until his magic reveals the scattered locations of the six pieces of the Evil Eye. With the Defenders on the move to collect them, Loki steps in with a warning that shifts the Avengers’ focus, though his true motives remain hidden. Now split and racing against time, both teams are drawn into a conflict where trust is the first casualty.

In the volcanic heart of Rurutu, the Silver Surfer races to claim the Evil Eye piece, unaware his actions will trigger a deadly eruption as the Avengers’ quinjet passes overhead—leaving Wanda injured. Enraged by her condition, the Vision confronts the Surfer in a clash of wills and power, the sky itself trembling with their conflict. With the Eye piece in hand, the Surfer flees toward Dr. Strange and the Defenders, carrying the weight of a war that’s just begun.

In "Divide… and Conquer Chapter 4," the Silver Surfer delivers urgent news to Dr. Strange, who uncovers a sinister twist: the Avengers have fallen under Loki’s and the Swordsman’s influence. As Strange races to alert the Defenders, the Vision and Scarlet Witch send a desperate warning to their teammates—fearing the Defenders may be too dangerous to trust.

In the dusty heat of Monterey, Mexico, Hawkeye and Iron Man collide in a high-stakes clash fueled by Dr. Strange’s cryptic warning and a moment of unexpected tension with Valkyrie. With sharp wit, precision, and a dash of fortune, Hawkeye narrowly escapes with the crucial Eye piece, leaving the battle unresolved.

In the quiet heart of Indiana, Dr. Strange tracks down a crucial fragment of the Eye, only to find his peaceful retrieval interrupted by the determined defenses of Mantis and the Black Panther. As he tries to avoid conflict, their relentless pursuit forces him to finally draw on his mystical power—just enough to neutralize the threat, but not without consequence.

In "Holocaust," Dormammu's growing awareness of the Avengers' interference sends shockwaves through his schemes, while Loki grapples with the weight of his betrayal—just as the fragile alliance between the heroes begins to unravel.

In "Swordsman vs. Valkyrie Chapter 7," the clash between the Swordsman and Valkyrie escalates as personal grudges collide with larger forces at play. Amid the battle, Captain America and the Sub-Mariner begin to sense they’re being manipulated—caught in a conflict that wasn’t theirs to begin with.

In a flashback to World War II, Captain America and the Sub-Mariner clash over the Eye in Japan, but Sunfire—Japan’s guardian—steps in, taking the artifact for himself. Forced into an uneasy alliance, the two heroes must now work together to reclaim the Eye, only to question whether they’ve been manipulated all along.

In "Breakthrough! Chapter 9," the Hulk and Thor clash in a brutal, city-destroying brawl over Los Angeles, pushing the limits of their power and the stability of the city itself—until the Avengers and the Defenders are forced to unite to stop them.

In "United We Stand! Chapter 10," the Sub-Mariner arrives at Dr. Strange’s doorstep with the Avengers in tow, their alliance forged in unexpected unity. As tensions flare and old rivalries surface, they uncover a shared deception that forces them to join forces and race to Los Angeles to halt the escalating clash between Hulk and Thor. With the six pieces of the Eye now in play and a sinister force emerging in the form of Asti, the fate of Earth hangs in the balance—only together can the Avengers and Defenders stand against Dormammu’s rising threat.

In "To the Death!", the Avengers and the Defenders launch a desperate assault into Dormammu’s dimension to stop his growing rampage. With Earth’s people turning into monsters and heroes struggling to hold the line, the combined teams race against time to end the threat before it’s too late.

In "A Dark and Stormy Knight Chapter 12," the Defenders, wielding the Evil Eye, are swept into the 12th century during the Crusades, where they reunite with the legendary Black Knight. Together, they face a terrifying onslaught of giant, magically conjured gnomes in a battle that tests their courage and unity. Though the Black Knight chooses to remain in the past, the Defenders return to their own time, each carrying the echoes of a fight that changed them.