Ultron Beyond (Marvel NEW)/Issue 2

The second chapter of the Ultron Beyond series in Marvel NEW, preceded by Ultron Beyond Issue 1 and succeeded by Ultron Beyond Issue 3.

Synopsis
''With the Spirit of Vengeance in his hands, the sinister Ultron starts his malicious plan. Intending to summon the demon, Mephisto, to Earth, Ultron has acquired Blaze as a crucial component. But the next step requires yet another addition of great power: the Sorcerer Supreme. But can Ultron defeat Earth's Mightiest Sorcerer himself?''

Plot
Opening the scene with the view of Reed Richards' lab in the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four's leader is seen conversing with a bunch of other heroes that have shown to attend his invitation. They discuss the dire plan Ultron has, with the Avengers being quite puzzled with why Ultron wanted a vigilante of mystic origins. Thor says that even if Ultron comes up with another grand plan of his, the Avengers will defeat him just like in previous times. Spider-Woman tells the Thunder God to sound off the arrogance and asks Mr. Fantastic of what Ultron said in Fisherman's Wharf.

Reed tells her that all he actually said nothing, but referred a future plan of his. Black Panther responds by advising the alertness of other magic users out there. Spider-Man remarks that while Ghost Rider was a thing, he isn't too much of a powerful magic user. With the Spirit of Vengeance having used his powers mostly for physical means. He also adds that Ultron has no idea of what firepower they have in store.

The Thing, coming out of his shower, agrees with Spider-Man. However, he warns him that sometimes magic doesn't always work against a scientific abomination. Thor disagrees, saying that his past battles with the Hulk had him using some magics and winning over him. Hulk, standing beside him, grunts in mild anger. The Human Torch asks Reed of the possibility of who's gonna be captured next by Ultron. He tells him that his calculations indicate that Ultron would've gone for the lesser ones if he knew of the risk of challenging someone as powerful as someone like Doctor Strange.

In an instance, an intimidating voice booms out from the lab's microphone system, telling the heroes, "Would I?"

-

Back in Ultron's lair, Dragon Man asks him if it's the best decision to announce himself. Ultron responds by saying that the heroes have gone to weak and frail for him, with them being very underestimating to him. With that fact, they won't expect what's coming next. Ultron then unveils a new line of drones to Dragon Man, saying that while the heroes' deaths won't be necessary for his plan, they will certainly be grievously injured by the drones. Made of beta-class adamantium, it might not be as strong as Wolverine's bones but they'll be sufficiently powerful to keep the heroes at bay.

Dragon Man then questions him of the drone's usage in assaulting Doctor Strange. Ultron then says that they won't be able to simply crush or dissolve them using their magics. Dragon Man gets confused, with Ultron referring to multiple persons. Dragon Man looks at a change in Ultron's monitor, with his master saying that the plan has changed and now they'll need more mystics for his plan to work properly. Dragon Man finally understands, but doesn't know how the new drones can stand up against the magicians.

Ultron then reveals an organic he reluctantly recruited: Charles Benton, AKA Asmodeus. Dragon Man asks him if he has cleansed his mind, but Asmodeus replies by telling him to chill, as he's in only for the reward. Ultron explains that while Asmodeus isn't a high-level mystic at all, his enchantment to the drones will work well enough. Asmodeus grunts in complaint, with Ultron responding that it's a fact, even if he has fought with Strange in moments. Ultron turns see his monitor, with hidden insect cameras surveying multiple magical heroes and the dwellings in which they reside in.

-

Back to the heroes' perspective, multiple heroes are seen visiting several famous bases of heroes. Captain America and Iron Man pays a visit to Professor X, warning them of Ultron's possible incursion to capture the mystic mutants the X-Men have in their ranks.

Spider-Man talks with Iron Fist in a chinese restaurant, who says that Ultron's out of his mind if he's going to capture someone who only uses magic to beat up thugs and ninjas with an iron fist. The nearby Luke Cage agrees, as do Daredevil and Jessica Jones.

Thor is seen sitting down a pub in Asgard, where he reluctantly warns Loki and the Enchantress of Ultron's threat. Loki soundly dismisses him, as Ultron's nothing to him. The Enchantress on the other hand, is mostly ignorant and tells Thor that he can't even reach the Realm Eternal.

Spider-Woman speaks with Vision, Jocasta, and Scarlet Witch at the Avengers Mansion, warning them of the same thing. The Scarlet Witch accepts and tells her that she'll be ready. Vision and Jocasta both agree to protect her at all costs.

Bruce Banner meets up with the Hulkling, telling him to keep his boyfriend safe, wherever he is. Wiccan is not with Hulkling that time.

Back at Ultron's lair, Ultron's surveillance bugs managed to record all of those, including off-screen warnings to other magic users. The Dragon Man then asks him if it's the right time to unleash the drones, in which Ultron replies yes. He then prepares the launching of his drones to multiple locations. Before the drones can launch, Asmodeus asks Ultron of what he's going to do next before getting his reward. Ultron then advises him to stay focused and tend to his heart condition; he's still needed after this.

-

Returning to Iron Man and Captain America's visitation to Professor X, they are seen talking with Charles who is puzzled by Ultron's want. He assures him that the X-Men will be safe, together. Captain America is proud at his confidence, but also advises him to keep an eye out for his Danger Room, as it can be manipulated by Ultron. Coincidentally, the manifestation of the Danger Room and a member of the X-Men, Danger, came in to the attendance of the trio.

Iron Man immediately becomes suspicious, as well as Steve. But the two keep themselves cool. Charles calmly asks her of what she's doing there. Danger wanted to ask him something, but suddenly she lags. Noticing the lag, Iron Man prepares his repulsors and calls her name. Danger then responded in Ultron's voice, saying, "No."

Iron Man quickly tries to fire his repulsors, but Danger immediately attacked him and Captain America. Witnessing this, Professor X tries to activate the alarm but Danger lifts him up. Possessed by Ultron, he tells him that he and his mutants will be fine if he let him do his job. Xavier relents and shows bravery to him, but got himself thrown across the room. With Xavier incapacitated, he then sees incoming Ultron Drones, ready to swarm the X-Mansion.

At the same time, Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, and Wolverine enter the room, telling "Danger" to stand down while questioning what happened. "Danger" tells them to ask the professor before leaping out of the mansion. With the roof wrecekd, the mutants then see the horde of Ultron Drones, with Wolverine swearing in shock. He then ends up being blasted by three drones, sending him to the level below where other mutants are seen relaxing.

In other perspectives, Ultron Drones are seeing attacking many locations where the mystics are in. Daimon Hellstrom is seen trying to ward off swarms of Ultrons, Jocasta and Vision defending Scarlet Witch with her own assistance, Iron Fist and his allies beating down drones, Nico Minoru being blasted apart my the drones, and others. Also in Canada, the Alpha Flight confronts an Ultron horde, with them thinking that Ultron's trying to invade Canada while they're only in for Shaman.

While all of this happens, Dr. Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum remains calm. However, he does detect the attacks coming to his fellow magicians. Mr. Fantastic, who is present there, asks him if Ultron is a big threat to him. Doctor Strange replies that he can't tell him, because he himself can't tell if Ultron's going to be mad enough to attack him or be wise enough to stop at someone else.

-

Going to Ultron's perspective, he, Dragon Man, and Asmodeus are seen floating above the skies of New York City while Ultron shows a screen showing the drones' attacks. Asmodeus is impressed in how his enchantment performed, with the scene of a drone outright resisting Magik's Soulsword shown. Ultron sarcastically congratulates his success, but mocks his heart condition. Benton does a facepalm and asks him if they're going to join on one of the attacks. Dragon Man tells him that they already have a bigger fish to fry, referring to Doctor Strange.

Immediately, they arrive at the doorstep of the Sanctum Sanctorum, with Wong having acknowledged their presence and acting as its first line of defense. Later, Clea emerges through a portal from the Dark Dimension, saying that she has come to her husband's aid. Mr. Fantastic recommends her not to do so, but she relents as it's her responsibility to protect him too. Strange tells Reed that Ultron is indeed, a being capable of being underestimated. He recognizes his potential, but he has no way of getting away from his assault after tasting a portion of his power.

At the door, Ultron then asks Benton if physical force is a way to break it down. Benton responds that he has no idea, as he never entered the place. Dragon Man then tries to knock it down but ends up having a few glitches in his hands, literally. Ultron asks Benton to do the same enchantment, and he complies. After that, the three combined forces to break it down, succeeding afterwards.

Entering the Sanctum, they see Wong who tries to warn Ultron off. Dragon Man immediately assaults him, but the Sorcerer Supreme's assistance brings up a shield. Still, he's bounced around the room and ends up having his shield destroyed by Asmodeus. Wong, having just noticed Asmodeus, curses Ultron for being too ridiculous. Ultron hears this and blasts him with his energy beams. Wong tries to free himself from the stream, but Ultron keeps the pressure one until he's nearly knocked out.

With his last stamina, Wong still stands and casts a restraining spell on Ultron. Dragon Man frees Ultron by inflicting grievous burns on Wong with his fire breathe, nearly killing him. Ultron then orders his crew to proceed while summoning multiple other Ultron Drones to the scene.

While making his way to Doctor Strange's main room, Ultron encounters the Sorcerer Supreme's astral projection. He mocks him of his "silly" efforts and is apparently aware of his want to restore his glory. Ultron unfazingly mocks him back, reminding him of his desperation (which was similar to his currently) when he lost his hands. The Sorcerer Supreme then gives him and his crew one last chance to surrender. Ultron responds by blasting a large array of energy beams to the astral projection and the gate behind it, which leads to the main room.

There, they see Doctor Strange, Clea, and Mr. Fantastic ready for battle. Clea says that wounding Wong was one big mistake, and that coming here is even a bigger mistake. Ultron ignores Clea's words, saying that he fears nothing, even eldritch powers "beyond comprehension". Mr. Fantastic challenges him by asking him of another reason aside from being afraid of Doctor Strange for him to recruit Asmodeus. Asmodeus tells Reed that he's only in for the reward: humiliating Dr. Strange.

A fight then ensues between the two sides, with Ultron's side being clearly outmatched. In the middle of the fight, Benton is knocked out by Clea who brings it to the two mechanicals' notice. Ultron briefly stops and mocks Clea for being too foolish to see strength in weakness. In an instance, Benton suddenly gets revived. However, apparently Benton is infected in the first place by Ultron with a revolutionary "Ultron Virus" of his, turning him into yet another Ultron Drone, but a stronger one.

With another "drone" by his side, using both magic and Ultron's technology, Ultron asks Strange of what's the chances of him winning now. Strange replies by unleashing his Bolts of Balthakk, knocking back the two androids. Benton, now Ultron-ized, casts a spell of his that's supposed to unleash a barrage of bolts made of dark energy. However, he casts it using binary language and the spell ends up unleashing bolts not just made of dark energy, but of the same beta-adamantium that Ultron uses on his new drones.

Surprised by this ordeal, Clea, Mr. Fantastic, and Doctor Strange are too shocked to react and ended up being pierced by the bolts. Falling down, bleeding mercury-like blood, Dr. Strange looks up to see Ultron stomping on his face and kicking him over. Stephen asks him how, and Ultron simply tells him that he's been prepared for quite a long time. And perfecting the virus to levels beyond perfect takes a while, but it's worth it.

Ultron orders Dragon Man to lift Clea up, and he complies. Clea tries to break free using her magic, but fails to do so. Ultron explains that the bolts unleashed by Asmodeus are capable of interrupting other forms of magic. He also tells her to relax, as he doesn't want to kill her to have a problem with her uncle (Dormammu). Clea asks him of what he's going to do, and Ultron responds by injecting Strange with nanites that make Strange unleash a blood-curling yell, signifying his pain.

Enraged, Clea once again tries to break free but Dragon Man ends up breaking her arms. Benton on the other hand, simply looks at the event, without any expressions on his face. Clea then lies down in both rage and tears, with Dragon Man "comforting" her, telling her that she should be grateful that Ultron didn't come for her.

After a while, Ultron managed to pacify Strange and tells Dragon Man that their work is done here. Dragon Man then asks of both Strange and Benton's state. Ultron says that Strange will wake up as usual back in the lair, while Benton is forever his to command, acting as his first "Ultron Vanguard". Dragon Man then admits to Ultron that he prefers subordinates if they can speak, like him. Ultron then restores Benton's consciousness, but still in his Ultron form. Asmodeus, surprised, asked Ultron what happened. Ultron tells him that he has become perfect, and it's time for them to return to base. At the same time, Dragon Man receives intel that the drones have done their jobs and captured the intended targets. Satisfied, the trio teleport to Ultron's lair.

-

In Ultron's lair, the captured Johnny Blaze is seen trying to free himself from the bonds. Ultron then approaches him and asks him of his condition. Johnny simply curses him and spits at him, triggering Ultron to strike his gut with his knee. Ultron tells him that he shouldn't worry all too much, as he's not alone anymore. Frozen in fear, he mutters of impossibility. Ultron then drags his restraining unit to the lair's control room, where his eyes widen in terror as he sees fellow magical heroes and vigilantes in restraints. They are Doctor Strange, Magik, Scarlet Witch, Pixie, Doctor Voodoo, Shaman, Snowbird (admittedly, she's not an intended target), Daimon Hellstrom, Nico Minoru, and Meggan (Captain Britain's wife).

Ultron then goads Johnny, telling him that as he said, nothing is impossible. At the same time, the magicians wake up and try to break free. Many of them being enraged, including Shaman who tries to curse Ultron, only to be silenced with the same neural dampener as Johnny Blaze's. Magik, who immediately notices Asmodeus being converted to Ultron, mocks him while giggling, asking him if he's going to simply turn them into one of his drones. Ultron shakes his head and questions himself if humanity's mind is all too small.

Snowbird threatens to tear Ultron apart with the power of the gods, but Ultron dismisses her while telling her that he has no fear of a weak demigod. Daimon says a similar thing, threatening to send him to Hell. After that, Doctor Voodoo asks him of his intention. Ultron states that Daimon is quite right: he wants to go to Hell. Hearing this, Doctor Strange laughs at the absurdity, mocking Ultron by saying that he's gone so desperate that he wanted to commit suicide. Meggan and Pixie look at Doctor Strange in "terror", as the latter wonders if Strange has really lost his mind.

Ultron chuckles and tells them that his plans are way beyond their comprehension. But Strange, back to his serious state, says that trying to reclaim his glory by stealing Hell's power won't do him any good. Ultron leaps up to him in an intimidating manner, and tells him that he has a back-up plan for that, and he'll know his true plan later on.

After that, Ultron tells Dragon Man to calibrate and synchronize the neural dampeners in order to smoothen the "process". Dragon Man approaches a console and types something while Asmodeus, now speaking in binary once again, casts a spell that Shaman describes as a "connector" spell. The magicians, including Johnny, then feels a great pain in their head for three seconds.

Recovering, Ultron congratulates them for surviving the process. He tells them that lesser magicians would've died from the process. Nico hears him and asks him of the "lesser magicians". Ultron then orders drones of his to bring out the "dead subjects". In gazes of terror, the corpses of Sarah Mumford and Lorelei (Amora, the Enchantress' sister) are seen by the magicians. Meggan, terrified, shouted at Ultron. Ultron knew that she's especially enraged at Old Sarah Mumford, with her being an ally to both Meggan and her husband, Captain Britain. Voodoo on the other hand, asks Ultron of what he'll do when Asgardians come down and discover Lorelei's death. Ultron responds by revealing that Amora agreed to "sell" her years ago to Ultron.

Dragon Man, "tired" of them, advises Ultron to start now. Ultron agrees but he tells Dragon Man that he'll be back for a while. He flies off for a while, with Dragon Man guarding the prisoners. The Ultron Asmodeus then approaches Doctor Strange, who stares at him with both disgust and concern. He asks him of what happened to Benton, and the result is surprising. Benton, or at least what remained of his soul, asks Strange to help him because this virus Ultron mentioned of is slowly taking over his soul. Asmodeus himself is as sure as hell not up to serving Ultron, and he'd prefer beiing locked up in the Vault 'til the end of the world.

Doctor Voodoo warns Doctor Strange that it could be a trap, but Benton tells him that he's serious. However, Benton's words were "glitched out", before Dragon Man dragged him and says that the virus still has some malfunctions. Dragon Man then attached him to some sort of a machine, where Benton is painfully subjected to a painful process that truly destroys his human soul. Now, Asmodeus has none of humanity left in him.

At the same time, Shaman is muttering a magical spell that's supposed to unbind the restraints. However, the spell is suddenly broken up as the magicians feel a great evil entering the room. Ultron returns with a book in hand. Seeing the book, the magicians' eyes widen in shock. Except Snowbird and Shaman who have no idea what the book is. Ultron then asks Doctor Strange if he knows the book, and Strange shouts out his disbelief. The book Ultron is holding is the Darkhold, a book of infinite evil and dark magic.

Strange asks him if he has any idea what the book is, and Ultron replies by telling him its other names: Shiatra, the Book of the Damned, the Book of Sins, and the Chthon Scrolls. Ultron tells him that all the talk about it being so heavily guarded is nonsense, as he literally has no difficulty in massacring Cagliostro and his forces after attaining information about it.

Without further a due, Ultron then commands Asmodeus and Dragon Man to prepare for the second phase. In an instance, Dr. Strange's body is suddenly paralyzed and Ultron takes over his mind. Before taking over his mind with the neural dampener, he admits that he has no idea of how to do the "summoning", so the neural device will make Doctor Strange do so. After that, Ultron tells Ghost Rider and Daimon Hellstrom that their links to Hell will be an important part of the process, and it won't be all too painless.

Starting the process, Ultron then opens the Darkhold and lets Strange telekinetically propel it towards him. Opening the intended pages, Strange then performs a powerful, verbal spell of dark magic that affects the other magicians in the room. During the spell, the room darkens back and forth while Ultron and his crew stand their ground. Daimon Hellstrom and Ghost Rider feel pain they never felt in their lives, screaming loud enough to shatter Ultron's monitor. Johnny himself then transforms to his Ghost Rider form and Daimon is lit up with hellfire. Pixie witnesses the pain and feels them, trembling in terror. And after Strange's chants become louder and louder, suddenly the room seemingly imploded and the book fell. -

After a while, everyone in the room recovered. Ultron however, says that he witnessed the entire process. Dragon Man asks of what happened, and he immediately sees the book's pages, stained in ash and blood. Dragon Man then looks up and in awe he sees what results of the process. The mystics recover, and they look at what happened of the ritual. They all see the result, and are left wordless. But for Doctor Voodoo, he suddenly trembles in an unwilling fear and he has never thought Ultron would do this.

A voice then asks of who summoned him, in which Ultron replies him. The being is surprised of his summoning by him and turns to see Ultron. Ultron tells him that he has heard many tales of him from many sources, and it's time for him to know the truth. The being is curious about Ultron's ordeal, but accepts his action anyway. Finally, in the comic's final scene, the being asks Ultron of what his intention is before getting his own big reveal: Mephisto.