Grief-stricken over the loss of Shalla-Bal, the Silver Surfer lashes out — blaming Nebula for the crisis in the Soul Hunter’s realm. His fury nearly destroys her, but Thanos intervenes, urging restraint. The Surfer’s blast pierces Thanos’ shield, transforming Nebula back into her human form. She escapes, leaving behind chaos and revelation.

Elsewhere, a newly formed star system draws the attention of both Kree and Skrull fleets. The Surfer disables their warships and abducts Prime Ministers Zarek and Kiar, placing them on a collapsing planet to force peace. “To prevail,” he says, “I must become the most unreasoning of all.”

As the planet destabilises, the ministers begin to talk. Borders blur. Old grudges soften. “A small price to pay for a war that weighs so heavily,” Zarek concedes.

Meanwhile, Thanos battles his darker self — a psychic war between chaos and conscience. With the Surfer’s guidance, Thanos turns his power inward, purging the evil within. “True peace cannot be imposed,” he later tells the Surfer. “It must come from within.”

The Surfer returns to find the ministers have drafted a peace accord. But back on Kree-Lar, Admiral Zedrao stages a coup, rejecting the pact. The Surfer, tempted to retaliate, instead chooses restraint. He takes the ministers to Zenn-La.

There, he transmutes his own statue into one of Shalla-Bal. “In my grief, I became a tyrant,” he admits. “Like Zedrao. Like the Supreme Intelligence. Like…”

“Thanos,” the Titan finishes.

The Surfer bids farewell to Thanos — now Zenn-La’s guardian — and to the ministers he once held captive. “I search elsewhere to ease my troubled soul,” he says. “Such is the price the Silver Surfer must pay.”

The Soul Hunter (Part 2) | The Hunger