| Juggernaut | |
|---|---|
The Juggernaut, as appearing in Uncanny X-Men #410 (Oct. 2002). Art by Ron Garney. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men #12 (July 1965) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Cain Marko |
| Team affiliations | New Excalibur X-Men Brotherhood of Mutants Exemplars Exiles (Malibu) Thunderbolts The Worthy |
| Partnerships | Black Tom Cassidy Siryn[1] |
| Notable aliases | Kuurth: Breaker of Stone |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength Stamina Durability Regenerative healing factor Force field generation Virtually unstoppable momentum |
The Juggernaut (Cain Marko) is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 (July 1965), and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby.
Since his debut during the Silver Age of Comic Books the character has appeared in over four decades of Marvel publications, featuring prominently in the X-Men titles and starring in two one-shot solo publications. The character has also been associated with Marvel merchandise including clothing, toys, trading cards, animated television series, video games, and a feature film.
In 2008, Juggernaut was ranked 188th on Wizard's list of top 200 comic-book characters.[2] In 2009, Juggernaut was ranked 19th on IGN's list of top 100 comic-book villains.[3]
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The character debuted as an antagonist of the titular mutant superhero team in X-Men #12-13 (July-Sept. 1965). In the first of these issues, he rampaged unseen throughout the X-Men's headquarters as the team's leader, Professor X, related the character's origin in flashbacks. After an initial defeat the following issue, the Juggernaut returned in X-Men #32-33 (May–June 1967), then fought the sorcerer Doctor Strange in Doctor Strange #182 (Sept. 1969), X-Men member the Beast in Amazing Adventures #16 (Jan. 1973), and the Hulk in The Incredible 'Hulk #172 (Feb. 1974).
After the canceled X-Men returned in the mid-1970s, the Juggernaut returned to fight a new iteration of the team in X-Men #101-103 (Oct. 1975 - Feb. 1976). Storylines in Spider-Woman #37-38 (April & June 1981) and The Amazing Spider-Man #229-230 (June–July 1982) explored the Juggernaut's relationship with ally Black Tom Cassidy. The X-Men and Spider-Man proved to be regular foes for the character, who appeared in Uncanny X-Men #183 (July 1984), Marvel Team-Up #150 (Feb. 1985), and Uncanny X-Men #194 (June 1985). The Juggernaut guest-starred in Secret Wars II #7 (Jan. 1986), battled a new generation of mutants in X-Men #217-218 (April–June 1987), appeared in a flashback story in Marvel Saga #21 (Aug. 1987), and in a humorous episode in Excalibur #3 (Dec. 1988).
The Juggernaut also participated in the "Acts of Vengeance" storyline in Thor #411-412 (both Dec. 1989) and returned in Thor #429 (Feb. 1991). Other appearances included an encounter with his creator, Cyttorak, in X-Men Unlimited #12 (Sept. 1996) and starred in the one-shot publications Juggernaut #1 (April 1997). The character appeared in Juggernaut: The Eighth Day #1 (Nov. 1999) and Avengers vol. 3, #23-25 (Dec. 1999 - Feb. 2000) with similarly powered avatars and attempted at reformation in Uncanny X-Men #410-413 (Sept.-Dec. 2002) and X-Men #162-164 (Nov. 2004 - Jan. 2005). The Juggernaut confronted his stepbrother Charles Xavier — Professor X, leader of the X-Men — in X-Men: Legacy #219 (Feb. 2009), and fought the Hulk in Hulk #602 (Nov. 2009).
Writer Mike Conroy stated, "The characters who debuted during the early years of Marvel's mutant X-Men have been remarkably long-lived, and Cain Marko is no exception."[4]
When Cain Marko and half brother Charles Xavier serve in the US Army and are stationed in Korea, Marko finds a hidden temple dedicated to the entity Cyttorak. On entering Marko finds and holds a huge ruby, and reads the inscription on the gem aloud: "Whosoever touches this gem shall be granted the power of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak! Henceforth, you who read these words, shall become ... forevermore ... a human juggernaut!" The gem channels Cyttorak's power into Marko. The transformation causes a cave-in, with the character buried and presumably killed, not being heard from again until a sudden assault on the X-Men's headquarters.
Xavier recounts the Juggernaut's origin to the X-Men, and after shrugging off the mansion's defenses and brushing aside the X-Men, Marko is clearly seen in the final panel as he confronts Xavier. The X-Men regroup and attack, while Xavier summons Fantastic Four member the Human Torch to aid the mutants, the Torch generating 'pulses' of flame that essentially hypnotize the Juggernaut, distracting him long enough for the Angel to remove his helmet, making Marko susceptible to a telepathic attack by Xavier.[5]
The Juggernaut returns seeking revenge, and is delayed by three of the X-Men while Cyclops and Marvel Girl - aided by the astral form of mystic Doctor Strange - find and use another gem of Cyttorak, which banishes the Juggernaut to the "Crimson Cosmos", the home dimension of Cyttorak.[6] When the Juggernaut reappears the character has gained mystical abilities and briefly battles the mystic Doctor Strange before being banished to an alternate universe by the cosmic entity Eternity.[7]
The character reappears on Earth through sheer force of will, although the alien dimension is causing the Juggernaut to age rapidly. The panicking villain battles the former X-Man, the Beast, before being drawn back to the same dimension.[8] The Juggernaut is accidentally pulled back to Earth at the Hulkbuster base by an inter-dimensional device designed to banish the Hulk. The Juggernaut explains to the Hulk in a flashback sequence how an entity from his prison dimension reversed the aging process and removed the mystical powers on the proviso that the villain never return. The Hulk aids the Juggernaut in escaping from the base, but attacks when the Juggernaut threatens a civilian. During the battle the Juggernaut's helmet is removed, and he is surprised and defeated by Professor X, Cyclops, and Marvel Girl.[9]
The Juggernaut reappears with Black Tom Cassidy, the cousin of X-Man, Banshee, and battles the first generation of new X-Men. When Tom falls off the battlements of Cassidy Keep after a sword duel with Banshee, Juggernaut jumps after him into the sea.[10]
Black Tom uses his niece Siryn - who possesses the same powers as her father Banshee - to steal a shipment of the metal vibranium. The Juggernaut battles heroine Spider-Woman and the X-Men when they discover the truth, and escapes when Black Tom is arrested and Siryn is placed in the care of her father.[11] After his escape from prison, Black Tom decides the psychic Madame Web could be useful in his criminal pursuits. On arriving in New York City, Tom sends the Juggernaut to capture Madame Web, with the villain destroying several city blocks and ignoring Spider-Man's best efforts to stop him. The Juggernaut almost kills Web by accident when he removes her from a life support device, and decides to abandon her. A frustrated Spider-Man eventually lures the Juggernaut into setting concrete, into which he sinks without a trace;[12] it is subsequently revealed that he took over a month to dig his way out.[13]
The Juggernaut, in civilian guise, has a bar fight with the X-Man Colossus, who is at first unaware of the villain's true identity.[14] After another battle against Spider-Man and the X-Men,[15] the Juggernaut encounters the futuristic Sentinel Nimrod, who humiliates and defeats the villain.[16] The Juggernaut is also one of the villains assembled to battle the cosmic entity the Beyonder.[17] The Juggernaut battles an all-new generation of X-Men,[18] appears in a flashback story with the original X-Men,[19] and has a humorous encounter with Captain Britain.[20]
The Juggernaut also participates in the Acts of Vengeance storyline, battling the Thunder God Thor and teen superteam the New Warriors.[21]
The Juggernaut continues to feature prominently in Marvel titles, starring in an alternate universe adventure,[22] battling Thor once again [23] and starring opposite other characters such as the mutant team X-Force,[24] Doctor Strange,[25] the Hulk (allied at the time with master villain the Red Skull and tricking and capturing the Hulk with the same "civilian" guise used against Colossus),[26] mercenary Deadpool,[27] the villain turned antihero Venom,[28] and multiple battles with the X-Men.[29] The Juggernaut suffers a major setback during the Onslaught storyline, being defeated and then humiliated by the entity when imprisoned in the Gem of Cyttorak. The character, however, eventually manages to escape.[30]
The character also stars in a solo story[31] and the "Eighth Day" storyline, which introduces the entities the Exemplars. The Juggernaut and seven other humans are revealed to have all been empowered and corrupted by mystical entities, and as avatars enforce their will on Earth.[32] The Juggernaut resists the influence of Cyttorak and when captured by other Exemplars is aided by the superhero team the Avengers. Leader Captain America convinces the other Exemplars that they have been manipulated by the mystical entities, who then decide to leave Earth.[33]
The Juggernaut, courtesy of a ruse engineered by Black Tom Cassidy, eventually allies with and joins the X-Men, the plan being to destroy the team from within. When Cassidy openly betrays the Juggernaut, Marko decides to remain with the X-Men and attempt to change his ways.[34] The Juggernaut befriends a young mutant boy called Sammy Paré, who helps Marko reform,[35] despite setbacks such as a battle with the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.[36] When Paré, however, discovers that Black Tom Cassidy is preparing to attack the X-Men's headquarters, he is killed. An enraged Juggernaut attacks Cassidy and his allies, with the battle stranding all participants in the alternate dimension the Mojoverse.[37]
The Juggernaut reappears and joins the team New Excalibur for a brief period. One storyline expands on the Juggernaut's origin, and reveals that Marko is only the most recent of a series of incarnations of Cyttorak's avatar, with each battling a challenger to the death for the right to retain the entity's power.[38] During the World War Hulk storyline, the Juggernaut's power begins to wane, but by shunning his stepbrother Xavier and returning to his villainous origin is able to restore the link with Cyttorak, becoming powerful enough to hold his own against the Hulk.[39] Despite an attempt by Xavier to reform Marko, he concedes that redemption is impossible.[40]
While training his son Skaar, Bruce Banner bombs Juggernaut's house to initiate a confrontation between Skaar and the Juggernaut.[41] Skaar manages to win his first fight by throwing the Juggernaut into open space, proving to his father that he has the ability to cunningly use his physical strength.[42]
During The Gauntlet storyline, Spider-Man finds the Juggernaut unconscious. The government comes along and transports the Juggernaut to a secure facility. Spider-Man sneaks into the facility to ask the Juggernaut who did this to him. Then, a new Captain Universe breaks into the room and claims he's there to slay the Juggernaut.[43] Spider-Man learns that Captain Universe is a man named William Nguyen who wants revenge on Juggernaut for ruining his life during his previous fight with Spider-Man over Madame Web.[13] When he insists on trying to kill Juggernaut instead of fixing the tectonic plates beneath New York City, the Uni-Power leaves Nguyen and enters the Juggernaut. The Juggernaut, as Captain Universe, repairs the damage to the tectonic plates that was caused by him during the same rampage that ruined Nguyen's life.[44]
Following the Siege storyline, Juggernaut is shown at The Raft at the start of the Heroic Age storyline - weakened, since Cyttorak apparently took his temporary empowerment by the Uni-Power as an affront, and withheld part of his "blessing". Following Luke Cage's appointment as leader of the Thunderbolts, Cain is brought up for suggestion for the program. While Cage is initially against him joining, Professor X telepathically contacts Luke and asks him to reconsider, believing he has a chance at redemption despite what he previously told Cain. Juggernaut agrees to do whatever Luke says, partly because he is now suffused with nanomachines which can affect him in his weakened state.[45]
During the Fear Itself storyline, one of the seven Hammers of the Worthy lands near Juggernaut. Juggernaut is able to lift it and becomes Kuurth: Breaker of Stone. His transformation was enough to level the Raft.[46] Kuurth makes his way to California and fights the X-Men. Colossus and Shadowcat go to Cyttorak's dimension and inform it that the Serpent has control over Juggernaut. Colossus had to strike a deal with Cyttorak to let him have his powers so that he can help fight Kuurth. Cyttorak accepts Colossus' offer and ends up transferring Juggernaut's powers to Colossus so that he can fight Kuurth. Colossus was able to turn the tide on Kuurth before Kuurth is teleported away by the Serpent.[47] During the last battle between the Avengers and the Worthy, Kuurth was defeated by Wolverine using his Uru armor, and lost his hammer when the Serpent was killed by Thor.[48]
When Cain Marko found the Gem of the mystical entity Cyttorak, he was empowered with magical energies and transformed into an immortal avatar for the entity in question.[49] As the Juggernaut, Marko possesses superhuman strength, being capable of shattering mountains,[9] lifting and using buildings as weapons,[50] and extreme durability.[23]
His durability is amplified by a mystical force field that grants him additional invulnerability to any physical attack (at its maximum).[51] Even when the force field was temporarily absorbed by Thor's hammer, the Juggernaut's natural durability still proved to be great enough to withstand blows from Thor.[23] The Juggernaut is described as physically unstoppable once in motion,[51] does not tire from physical activity and is able to survive without food, water, or oxygen.
It is possible for an opponent with sufficient physical strength of their own to turn the Juggernaut's unstoppable movement against him, by redirecting his motion so he gets stranded in a position in which he has no purchase; both the Hulk and his son, Skaar, have managed this feat.[42][52]
The character is vulnerable to mental attacks, a weakness that has been exploited via the removal of his helmet.[51] The Juggernaut has circumvented this weakness on occasion by wearing a metal skullcap inside his main helmet.[15] If Juggernaut loses his helmet he can recreate it by touching certain materials (as long as he possesses the full power of the gem).
In the Age of Apocalypse universe, Cain is a monk who works as a protector of Avalon. He guided Mystique and Nightcrawler to meet Destiny,[53] but subsequently suffered an aneurysm when his desire not to hurt others conflicted with an attack on Avalon that forced him to fight to defend himself.
In the Marvel Zombies universe, a zombified Juggernaut is seen in a horde of zombified villains. He is later killed by Wolverine when Wolverine shoves his fist in Juggernaut's mouth and then proceeds to use his newly obtained cosmic powers to decapitate him.
In the futuristic MC2 universe, J2 stars the son of the Juggernaut, Zane Yama. Yama joins the future Avengers, and is eventually reunited with his father Cain Marko, who was trapped in an alternate dimension.[54]
In a reality where Xavier acquired the Crimson Gem rather than Cain, Cain joined forces with Magneto and Xavier's disillusioned students- the X-Men believing that Xavier's more ruthless methods contradicted his alleged 'dream' of peaceful co-existence- using a telepathy-blocking headband to prevent Xavier realising what he was up to until they were able to expel the Juggernaut into space, although Cain was subsequently killed by Magneto after he outlived his usefulness.[55]
In a reality where Cain successfully defeated the X-Men in their first battle, the Sentinels were thus released in mass numbers without the X-Men to oppose them, resulting in Earth being destroyed in their subsequent nuclear assault. Although Cain eventually managed to destroy the Sentinels through sheer persistence, he was left in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with all other human beings having been killed by the radiation that had been released by the Sentinels' attacks.[56]
The Ultimate Marvel imprint title Ultimate X-Men features an alternate universe version of the Juggernaut, who was originally part of the Weapon X program and has ties to Rogue, having grown up in the same trailer park. At some point in his life he was incarcerated by Weapon X and forced to act as a living weapon under the direction of Col. John Wraith. Juggernaut was part of the strike force that took out the X-Men, forcing them into Weapon X as well. Cain and Rogue shared a cell while both were forced to serve Weapon X. When The Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy removed the security implants that were prohibiting the mutants from leaving their cells, Juggernaut fought for his freedom. After the entire ordeal, Cain was offered a place with both Xavier's X-Men and The Brotherhood. Cain chose The Brotherhood, but later left the team for parts unknown. [57] Cain was captured by SHIELD. However, en route to a prison designed to contain the Hulk, there was an accident and Cain broke free. Retrieving his helmet, he began to track down Rogue, who was a thief along with Gambit, stealing the Cyttorak Gem from the Fenris twins. He also revealed that he had a crush on Rogue. Juggernaut was bonded with the gem when Gambit shoved it into his helmet.[58] During the Ultimatum storyline, Juggernaut helps Rogue in defending the X-Mansion from anti-mutant soldiers led by William Stryker. He is shot in the eye by a poisonous dart fired by one of the anti-mutant soldiers and dies in Rogue's arms.[59]
In the Marvel Apes universe, there is a primate version of Juggernaut called Juggermonk who is a member of the Ape-Vengers.
On May 22, 2003, the parody troupe My Way Entertainment released "The Juggernaut Bitch!!", an overdub of part of the X-Men animated TV series episode "Phoenix Saga Part 3: Cry of the Banshee". "The Juggernaut Bitch!!" uses a variety of slang, profanity, and non sequiturs through ad-libbing. The parody includes the often-repeated line, "Don’t you know who the fuck I am? I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!" At first, the clip was made available on the duo's college website but when YouTube became popular so did the parody.
The clip became a popular Internet meme,[73] so popular that the line was included in X-Men: The Last Stand during Juggernaut's fight with Kitty Pryde. In June 2006, My Way released a sequel "J2: Juggment Day," using footage from "Juggernaut Returns". On June 10, 2007, My Way released a second sequel entitled "J3: Shadow of the Colossi" on their website. On the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, there is an achievement called I'm the Juggernaut... which was named in honor of the internet clip.[74]
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