Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Someone has stolen the Reality Gem from Thanos, and he has recruited Silver Surfer to help him get it back. The villain has been experimenting with the Gem and managing to create new realities which don't last long. But at the end of last issue he sent each of them to a different new reality, which is where this issue will mainly take place.
Norrin Radd does a brief recall of his history (for *very* new readers). How he was happy on Zenn-La with his love Shalla-Bal until Galactus arrived to eat the world. To save them he agreed to become the Herald of Galactus with the Power Cosmic, and seek out worlds for his master to consume. Until they came to Earth and the Fantastic Four (or more exactly Alicia Masters) persuaded him to rebel. Galactus punished him by trapping him there, but later he escaped to space.
But now he has landed in a new reality where he is still the servant of the Big G. SS refuses to obey but his master will hear none of it. He destroys a small world but demands a more satisfying 1, And the Skyrider finds himself compelled to lead him to 1 such.
Meanwhile in another reality Thanos in his crashed throne/chair has met a version of his 'daughter' Nebula riding a dinosauroid. And now we see she leads an army of robots and 1 of Thanos' Sanctuary arks. She thinks her father is here to thwart her dream of universal conquest. Thanos says he'll repair his chair and then go, but his daughter thinks this a typical example of him ignoring her. So she orders her robots to attack. They mob him until he causes an explosion which wrecks them all. Except for 1 which he has to destroy personally. Nebula is left to attack with gun and blade seeking the respect she never got from him, or failing that his life. Eventually he tires of this and chokes her to death.
Then he returns to mending his chair. But Mistress Death visits him (unexpectedly because they have long stopped meeting). He offers her Nebula as a gift which she ignores. But then he finds himself reverting to an old state where he pleads for her love, saying that he will do anything for her. But she just envelops him in her darkness.
Back in Surfer's 'reality' Galactus has chosen a populated planet to eat. SS strikes at him with the Power Cosmic to stop him, but his master's return blast sends him crashing to the surface where he alerts the people to their danger and soars back to space to resume his attack. They meet in a clash of energies ...
... but the result is another change of reality. This time there is no Galactus but 4 figures emerge from an energy portal - 4 versions of of Surfer himself.
But to end this issue we pick where we left off with Jack Of Hearts and *his* master. Jack repeats his promise to kill SS and Thanos, but his master says it won't be necessary because they are lost in the myriad realities created by the Reality Gem. And now he stands revealed as Tyrant, who will rule this universe.