Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The army of teen heroes recruited in #11 are fighting the invading evil Young Avengers alternates in Central Park. X-person Transonic (Laurie Tromette) can't believe that they can't get help from Avengers Mansion on the edge of the Park. Alex Power (currently of the Future Foundation) explains again that adults can't see or believe this invasion (due to a spell by the interdimensional parasite Mother).
In Mother's white dimension the real YA are trying to rescue Hulkling (Teddy Altman) from her clutches. Ranged against them are some of their exes. While Wiccan (Billy Kaplan) takes on Mother with some of the power of his future identity Demiurge, down-powered Loki tries to survive the magic attack of Leah, America Chavez dodges the power-nullifying bullets of the Ultimate Nullifier, Prodigy (David Alleyne) tries in vain to land a blow on the enigmatic fake Patriot, and Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr) and Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) have to deal with 3 of the Kree's exes.
Noh-Varr is particularly attracted to the good/bad girl Oubliette who's offered to switch sides if he'll have her back. And he feels compelled to tell his current girlfriend Kate that he's going to take up the offer. The UN stops trying to shoot America and instead aims at Loki. America takes the bullet and temporarily loses her superpowers, but that doesn't stop her taking her foe down with an old-fashioned kick between the thighs.
Spurred on by her self-sacrifice Loki admits his recent bad deeds. The previous Kid Loki was a good kid but the current version (an 'echo' of the more-previous evil Loki) manipulated his way into killing him and taking his body over (the good Loki is now the new guy's conscience). He's since been manipulating the YA. He made a deal with Mother (which allowed her access to Earth) but then betrayed her. However it was only so that he could control Wiccan as he evolved into the Demiurge. Leah applauds him and then dissolves away, as do the other opponents except Patriot and Mother. Loki is wallowing in self-accusation and self-pity and asks America to kill him before he can talk his way out of the situation. But she'd rather let him suffer.
Patriot leads them to the Hulking-chair with 1 of his usual enigmatic comments "What you can't outrun". Loki's magic (which his confession has restored to him) turns the tentacle chair back into Hulkling. Up in the 'sky' Wiccan's still losing to Mother. Loki says he didn't go full-Demiurge (maybe a Semi-Demiurge). David tells Teddy to go help him. He talks him out of his doubt that Billy's reality-warping power *made* him love him by saying that a magical power that someone has over you *is* love.
Loki magics Teddy to where Billy actually is inside a protective circle. (So it's obviously a magical projection of Wiccan that's fighting Mother, who's apparently been sending unconvincing versions of Teddy to try to lure him out of the circle.) Teddy convinces Billy that what they have is real. And their love defeats Mother. But it's up to Loki to make her go away. And then he magically sucks all the invading alternates from Central Park.
Then we see Billy wandering through the pages of this series as the Demiurge. But he brings himself down to join the others in the white dimension. He asks Patriot if they can have his 'brother' Tommy Shepherd back now (see #6). But Patriot just says "Denial" and does his own dissolving away. Billy wonders if maybe as Demiurge he could have saved *everything*, but Loki reminds him he might have destroyed everything.
But there are still all the evil alternates to deal with who have been sucked back into this white-verse. There's lots of beating up, mainly from America who's also got her power back. Then she gives them an ultimatum - go back to their own universes or get beaten up again. And they retreat.
Back on Earth Kate hands the Kree composite soul bow (see #4) back to Noh-Varr, signalling that their relationship is over. Billy's parents turn up back to their old selves and not understanding what has happened. After a hug Billy introduces them to his friends. And then they notice that Loki has gone.