Uncanny Avengers #8.AU (HERE BE SPILERS!)

Of all the "Age of Ultron" tie-in issues, this one is the most clever, advancing the story that Remender is currently telling in "Uncanny Avengers" while at the same time giving us a glimpse of the new future created by Wolverine after he killed Hank.  Remender accomplishes this seemingly impossible task by focusing on Kang and the Apocalypse Twins, with Kang using this new future as a proving ground for the Twins.

We don't really learn anything new about the "Age of Ultron" storyline here, other than the fact that Thor died at some point, causing Odin to lead the departure of the Asgardians from Earth and ceding it to Morgana Le Fey.  (Previously, it was unclear to me whether Thor was dead or departed with the Asgardians for reasons not yet revealed at the time.)  Remender does confirm certain pieces of information that we've previously gleaned in the "Uncanny Avengers" storyline, such as the Twins spending time in Red Skull's camps after his onslaught on mutantkind and the death of Angel at Wolverine's hands.  But, for the most part, Remender uses this issue not to advance the plot, per se, but to develop the Twins as sympathetic characters.  Kang's the one who sent them to the camps (repeatedly) to crush the humanity from them, hardening them to serve as the saviors of mutantkind when the time comes.  However, the Twins know that he's evil and it's clear that they're trying to find a way to reconcile their need to save their endangered people with their desire not to further his own personal agenda.  Uriel in particular is shown struggling with the need to appease Kang (and keep his sister safe) while preserving his humanity and Remender uses Rogue brilliantly to tease out that struggle.

It still remains to be seen the role that Kang plays in this new dark future, particularly if the Red Skull is seemingly running the camps.  Does the Skull work for him or is Kang just biding his time to take on the Skull, something that has happened by the time the adult Twins arrive in our world?  But, that question is actually not an "Age of Ultron" question, but an "Uncanny Avengers" one, which shows how well Remender did in blending the two storylines together.  In fact, if you're not reading "Uncanny Avengers" and got this issue only for the "Age of Ultron" tie-in aspects, you're probably disappointed.  But, given how the reverse is generally true, it was a pleasure to be on the positive side of that situation for once.