Issue(s): Avengers #400
Cover Date: Jul 96
Title: "History repeats itself"
Credits:
Mark Waid - Writer
Mike Wieringo - Penciler
Tom Palmer - Inker
Nancy Poletti - Assistant Editor
Mark Gruenwald - Editor

Review/plot:
This is an anniversary issue and it's very much in the tradition of Silver Age anniversary issues like Fantastic Four #100 where the heroes fight fake versions of all their old foes. I hate that sort of thing but Mark Waid is a big fan of the Silver Age and i bought these final three issues in part because i am a fan of Mark Waid (and in part because of the Onslaught crossover) so i guess this is the price i pay.

The illusions in this case are generate by (a disguised) Loki, who is getting them from Jarvis' memories.

What i love about this is that Loki, a guy who hates the Avengers so much he orchestrated Acts of Vengeance, couldn't be bothered to do any research into their old villains on his own. He doesn't really know anything about them, so he has to use Jarvis.

Anyway, once revealed, Loki is beaten back with little effort. He does make the Avengers fight the (adamantium "coated") statues of their founders, which is kind of cool.

The key message here is teamwork.

Loki winds up as an adamantium-coated statue himself; it's said Thor will deal with him "later".

And then:

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The final page - unrelated to the rest of the story - places this directly before the Onslaught crossover (specifically Uncanny X-Men #335, which takes place after Onslaught: X-Men). There are cameos by a few non-Avengers (and/or non-current Avengers) - "Spider-Man", the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, and She-Hulk, but they are context-free and the closeness to Onslaught is what dictates placement.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A