This is the second post focused on the Onslaught Saga, which brings the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four together to battle Onslaught, an entity formed from the warped consciousnesses of Professor Xavier and Magneto, who plans to wipe out humanity for the sake of mutants. More important for us, the issue of Avengers covered here is the final one of the first volume of the title, which began with Avengers #1 in September 1963 and reintroduced Captain America to the Marvel Universe with issue #4 in March 1964. (Cap’s own title wrapped its first volume with issue #454 last month.) This explains the “portrait” cover, beautifully rendered by longtime series inker Tom Palmer (and spoiled by all the promo text and logos).
Right, on to the story then—which, I must reiterate, is not summarized here in any exhaustive fashion, but is available in its entirety on the Marvel Unlimited and the trade paperbacks listed at the end of this post and the last one.
Avengers #402 opens after a massive EMP shut down power in New York City at the end of X-Men #55. The team focuses on search and rescue, starting with the subway tunnels, as Cap realizes it’s better to move the stalled train rather than simply let all the passengers out to stumble around in the dark.
Luckily for everyone involved, they have their own otherworldly power source…
…though it turns out to be more powerful than expected! Once the train is stopped, Cap directs both his teammates and the passengers with the calm authority he exemplifies throughout this crisis.
This quality proves particularly valuable when they find the Black Widow being mobbed by panicking civilians…
…but even Cap can’t keep urging calm forever, and once the team finds a moment of relative quiet themselves, Natasha admits to despair which, to their surprise (and ours), Cap shares.
This does not go unnoticed among his longtime friends and colleagues, who have to admit that even Cap’s ability to inspire hope has reached its limit.
The image below certainly seems to suggest that even he may be on the verge of giving up hope…
…which is what the Wasp fears, again worrying about what his despair will do to everyone who relies on him.
Finally, Janet implores Cap to say something inspirational, but he only has words that seem defeatist.
But that’s only one way to read them, as she finds out as he starts to execute a plan…
…whacking two of their giant foes with his shield…
…and letting them beat each other.
Of course, she knew that’s what he meant the whole time. (So did you, right?)
Whether he was actually as deep in despair earlier as his teammates thought, Cap is back now, leading them against their enemy…
…and emerging victorious, reassuring the crowd (and themselves) that they can still get the job done.
When Onslaught appears on a electronic sign to taunt the Avengers, they show him that they are back and they are coming for him…
…in the final page of the last issue of the first volume of Avengers.
Taking place around the same time (although Thor lost his shirt somehow), The Incredible Hulk #445 features the Green Goliath’s own contribution to the fight, alongside some of the Avengers (as mentioned above). Although some of the collected heroes are skeptical of the Hulk, despite the fact that Bruce Banner is in control of him now, the Falcon is not, and Hawkeye wonders why.
Sam tells Clint about his nephew Jim, the Hulk’s one-time partner who died from AIDS in The Incredible Hulk #420, and how the Hulk took care of him in his final days.
Meanwhile, the Hulk is debating battle strategy with Cap, arguing that the perfect is the enemy of the good, and surprise is sometimes more important than preparedness.
Cap gives limited assent, and when Hulk asks for volunteers to come with him, both Sam and Clint sign on.
When Pietro asks Cap what he thinks, he says both that he disagrees and that he could be wrong, which the Hulk appreciates (with a little snark, I think).
Before he goes too far, though, Onslaught shows the Hulk through telepathy the different ways his plan could go, each of them disastrous and deadly, until the Jade Giant turns back…
…and lets Cap think that he came to agree that waiting is best.
You have to wonder how afraid Onslaught was of the Hulk to go to such extraordinary lengths to turn him away!
Finally, in X-Men #56, the penultimate issue of the entire event, only has several pages featuring Cap—but first, let’s see a magnificent Doctor Doom, here confronting the defanged Magneto known as Joseph (whom we meet in the last post).
This encounter is told by Joseph to Cap, who explains why Doom might align with him temporarily, even though usually he is a foe—as, Joseph admits, Magneto is too.
Joseph admits that he feels some responsibility for Onslaught, if his old evil Magneto personality is indeed part of him, but Cap acknowledges that he is now a different man who can forge his own path in however little time they have left (although Cap tries to remain optimistic about that too).
Cap gives final orders to Hank Pym, Mr. Fantastic, and the Invisible Woman, while Jean Grey tells Cyclops how Professor Xavier, back to his old self at last, is planning to confront Onslaught.
This all ends in Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1—and wait til you see what comes next.
ISSUE DETAILS
Avengers (vol. 1) #402, September 1996: Mark Waid (writer), Mike Deodato, Jr. (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), John Kalisz and Malibu Color (colors), Bill Oakley (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Avengers Epic Collection: Timeslide and X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught Omnibus.
The Incredible Hulk (vol. 1) #445, September 1996: Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (pencils), Robin Riggs (inks), Glynis Oliver and Malibu Color (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught Volume 2 and X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught Omnibus.
X-Men (vol. 2) #56, September 1996: Scott Lobdell and Mark Waid (writers), Andy Kubert (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Joe Rosas and Malibu Color (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught Volume 3 and X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught Omnibus.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Avengers #401, Uncanny X-Man #335, Onslaught: X-Men #1, and X-Men #55 (August 1996)
ALSO THIS MONTH: Marvel Fanfare #1 and Spider-Man Team-Up #4 (September 1996)
NEXT ISSUE: Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1 (October 1996)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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