The big 400th issue of Avengers is a celebration of the team’s history, written by Mark Waid and penciled by Mike Wieringo, who had collaborated on a well-received Flash run (1993-1994) and would later produce a legendary Fantastic Four run (2002-2005) before Wieringo’s untimely death in 2007.
The anniversary issue is preceded by the final page of issue #399, in which Captain America surprises Jarvis, who apparently was not aware of Cap clearing his name with the U.S. government after the conclusion of the “Man without a Country” storyline in Captain America #453. (To be fair, that issue didn’t come out until next month.)
(There was just a little more to it than that, but sigh, fine.)
In issue #400, Jarvis is visited yet again, this time by a strange young fella named Tyfon with a soul patch who claims to be from the future—presumably a dystopian period in which soul patches are back in style—and asks more from Jarvis than just a spot of tea.
The action starts when various groupings of Avengers, including the four below, find themselves fighting random villains. After they defeat their foes, several onlookers cheer them, one saying he prefers them to “those creepy X-Men” and another following up with “they’re our kinda people” (italics in original). Our heroes find the tragic humor in this, with Vision hitting the nail on the head at the end.
(Whether he actually has a soul is an issue for debate, but that just adds to the irony!)
Next, the defeated villains decompose into “shadow matter,” which comports with the experience of Cap, Iron Man, and Hawkeye… eventually.
Back at the mansion, Tyfon tells Jarvis this is the day the Avengers’ greatest foe opens up a portal to a dark dimension, launching a new dark age. (No, not this dark age.) Tyfon doesn’t know who this foe was, but he knows who does: Jarvis, whose memories he reads with the help of a device he has with him. (Where’s Machinesmith when you need him? Oh yeah…)
Hmm, this kid seems awfully interested in Thor… speaking of whom, the Thunder God’s team with Wasp, Black Widow, and Giant-Man are eventually joined by Cap (in typical dramatic fashion) and the others, on this day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. (Or something like that.)
(By the way, Thor’s powers, which were missing in his last appearances here, were restored in this month’s Thor #500, taking place before this story.)
Even more Squadron Sinister members and other assorted villains show up to confront the Avengers, along with the encroaching darkness. Jarvis watches this unfold while he continues to feed Tyfon his memories… until he gets to the Avengers’ very first foe, whom the youth does not want to hear about.
This, of course, make Jarvis suspicious, so he starts to question the idea that this first foe was ever a real threat at all…
…which forces the young man to reveal his true form, which he shows to the Avengers as well when Jarvis summons them to the mansion.
Loki animates the adamantium-coated statues of the original Avengers to fight the current Avengers individually, until Cap inspires the team to join together to resist what has became a solid wave of adamantium threatening to coat them.
The Avengers succeed in turning the wave back against Loki, coating him in the adamantium—which he somehow escapes before his next appearance—after which they turn their attentions to Jarvis, whom they assure saved the day. Cap wraps up the adventure by expressing his pride at serving beside the rest of them and reaffirming their resolve and dedication…
…which will be sorely tested in the coming days, as previewed by yet another strange young visitor, this one prophesying problems from the X-Men’s side of things.
This scene is actually continued in Onslaught: X-Men #1, which is followed by Uncanny X-Men #335, both covered along with Avengers #401—the penultimate issue of this first volume of Avengers.
ISSUE DETAILS
Avengers (vol. 1) #399, June 1996: Ben Raab and Terry Kavanagh (writers), Mike Deodato, Jr. (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), John Kalisz and Malibu Color (colors), Bill Oakley (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Avengers (vol. 1) #400, July 1996: Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), John Kalisz and Malibu Color (colors), Bill Oakley (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
All collected in: Avengers/Iron Man: First Sign (and, I assume, the 27th and final volume of the Avengers Epic Collection, when it’s published).
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Avengers #396, Captain America #449, Iron Man #326, and Thor #496 (March 1996)
ALSO THESE MONTHS: Captain America #452-453 (June-July 1996)
NEXT ISSUE: Avengers #401, Uncanny X-Man #335, Onslaught: X-Men #1, and X-Men #55 (August 1996)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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