Holy effing crap, I did not see that coming.
First, before we talk about the surprise reveal at the end, let's talk about the rest of this issue. Looking over the course of the series so far, Bendis has done a great job of slowly building the plot step-by-step. (It's almost irrelevant at this point how Ultron took over the world. I find myself caring less and less about it, because I'm much more interested in watching the heroes react to this situation.) First, Hawkeye discovers Spidey on a patrol and takes a risk by rescuing him. Then, Spidey tells his story and it provides an opening for the heroes to get intel on Ultron that they haven't previously had. Then, we see that plan put into action in this issue. Cause and effect. We don't often get that clear of a chain of action in comics (and particularly not Bendis' comics) but you really understand why we are where we are by the end of this issue.
Along the way, Bendis pays attention to the characters, making sure that they're not just chess pieces (as he used to treat them when he wrote "Avengers"). Remember when I reviewed "Fantastic Four" #5 AU and said that we hadn't gotten confirmation that anyone had died? Well, we get it here. We learn that Hulk and Thor are dead, but, most devastatingly, we also learn that Jessica Jones and Danielle Cage are also dead. It's their death that motivates Luke to volunteer for the mission. Once again: cause and effect. Moreover, we even see Taskmaster mourn the death of Black Panther in this issue as he and Red Hulk give their lives to get their hands on Ultron technology. I mean, Bendis even managed to explain Ultron's motivations, reminding us that he has programmed himself to have human emotions, something that would lead him to keep around enough people to gloat about his win. I totally bought it, since, after all, why would Ultron even bother with conquering Earth if he wasn't driven by revenge? It helps set up a believable fatal flaw that the heroes can exploit.
But, of course, the scene stealer is the reveal that Luke isn't "selling" She-Hulk to Ultron, as planned, but to Vision. It seems entirely plausible that Vision has been put to work by Ultron as his middle man, though, given Vision's track record, it's also entirely possible that he really is in cahoots with Ultron. We'll see soon enough.
Bendis is definitely really building something here. This issue was tense; you really felt like you were in that bunker with the heroes, desperate to find any small edge. But, the idea that they've found that edge sets off a spark that we haven't seen and I love the idea that their moving bases to the Savage Land, a desperate ploy just to get them more time. Part of what makes it exciting is that Bendis makes it clear that it's probably unlikely that they're going to be able to get there without trouble.
All in all, this issue really kicks up this series a notch. Great stuff all around.
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