The Avengers investigate who murdered the Collector from afar moments ago, but they find nothing, partly because the same bolt that killed the Collector also destroyed his records. As the heroes seek a way off the Collector’s ship, Iron Man finds a time machine, and its records show that Collector was pulling Thor out of time and space in recent months to ensure he would aid the Avengers against major threats, then returning him with his memories erased, explaining Thor’s memory gaps and abrupt comings and goings. A shaken Two-Gun Kid, homesick for the 1870s, asks Iron Man to use the machine to send him back there; after Two-Gun says his goodbyes, Iron Man complies. Vision finds Collector’s teleporter and uses it to send all the heroes back to Earth, though its problematic controls result in Wonder Man getting hit by a bus, Captain Marvel saving Scarlet Witch from a long fall, and Hawkeye getting stuck on a flagpole. While Korvac and his wife Carina commune with each other, the Avengers convene at their mansion to discuss finding the Collector’s killer. Ms. Marvel arrives offering help, and Iron Man accepts. When Jocasta offers to aid the search, Quicksilver denounces her as a mere machine, sparking heated debate when Moondragon and Vision come to Jocasta’s defense. Iron Man breaks up a near-fight between Quicksilver & Vision, then helps Wonder Man free himself from a set of super-enhanced barbells he was using to show off for Ms. Marvel. The team’s search is hindered by Gyrich’s recent removal of the team’s computer databanks, so Iron Man calls in Starhawk for assistance, not knowing Starhawk’s cosmic senses have been blinded to Korvac’s existence.