Juggernaut (comics)
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Juggernaut (Cain Marko) is a fictional Marvel Comics character associated with the X-Men franchise. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared X-Men #12 (July 1965).
Marko is X-Men founder Charles Xavier’s step-brother and bullied Xavier when they were children. Granted almost unsurpassed superhuman strength and invulnerability by the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, Juggernaut then embarked on a lengthy criminal career, often tangling with his step-brother’s superhero team.
In 2000s issues of X-Men comic books, Juggernaut underwent a crisis of conscience and joined the team. He is currently a member of the European offshoot Excalibur.
A popular character, Juggernaut has fought the X-Men in several animated series and video games. Vinnie Jones played the character in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand in which he is a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants.
Contents |
[edit] Character biography
[edit] Origin
Cain Marko is the stepbrother of Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men. His father, Kurt Marko married Charles' mother, Sharon, after her husband Brian Xavier died. Kurt neglected Cain and drove Sharon to alcoholism. Anti-social and malicious in general, Cain held a special contempt for his stepbrother Charles Xavier who due to a hidden mutant power of telepathy excelled at all endeavors and cast Cain completely in shadow. One day Cain was further humiliated as Xavier probed his mind and learned of Cain's insecurities toward him and of Kurt Marko's physical abuse. The revelation to Cain that Xavier used a superhuman advantage to surpass him all this time was a major factor in Cain's hatred towards his brother.
Cain was sent to a military boarding school due to his lack of discipline and later served in the army. While serving together in the Korean War, Cain and Charles stumbled onto the ancient temple of Cyttorak, lost for centuries. On an altar, Cain saw a huge red gem, the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, and immediately grabbed it. Upon the gem was an inscription, and he spoke it 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 cavern collapsed. Charles was able to escape, but it took Cain years to dig himself out as he underwent the transformation. Cain seethed with rage at his stepbrother and, after finally emerging from the mountains he was buried under, set out to hurt Charles as much as possible.
[edit] Criminal Life
Juggernaut first appeared on-panel in Uncanny X-Men #12, although his presence was sensed by Professor X in the previous issue. He has since fought various heroes of the Marvel Universe, primarily the X-Men but also including Spider-Man, the Avengers, Deadpool, and the Incredible Hulk.
Despite his great power and the danger he poses to the X-Men, he has used these abilities not to be a supervillain, but more of a petty thug and career criminal. Unlike Magneto, Mr. Sinister, or Apocalypse, who are devoted to an ideology, Juggernaut's primary motivation is largely greed. During his criminal career the Juggernaut amassed notable wealth and thoroughly enjoyed his work. Often accompanying him was the mutant mercenary known as Black Tom Cassidy, who was his only friend, and with whom he once tried to share his power. Tom did not like the physical effects of the power on his body however, so it was eventually returned to Cain. As the power is mysteriously divided and diminished when possessed by more than one host, Cain hurled the gem into space to prevent anyone from invoking the power for themselves and weakening him again.
Later, the Juggernaut was revealed to be a part of 7 others known as The Exemplars, who, like Cain, are living manifestations of the power of various mystical entities. The 8 were entranced and supposed to battle each other to determine which entity was supreme. This battle would result in the destruction of the Earth but was prevented due to the Juggernaut breaking out of the trance with help from Professor Xavier. The Juggernaut then began taking down his fellow Exemplars early, which thwarted the intended plan. For this, the Exemplars later united against the Juggernaut and kidnapped him. The Juggernaut was rescued by the Avengers, who after being defeated by the Exemplars managed to convince them that they were not in their right minds. Released from their trance the Exemplars left peacefully. As a return for the favor of saving his life, the Juggernaut agreed to go to prison willingly (it would also be easier for him to escape later than to fight the Avengers).
[edit] Redemption
While in prison after a battle with Generation X, Juggernaut was abducted by the sentient Celestial ship, Prosh, and enlisted into a mission to help save man and mutantkind. Along with some others, his mind was sent back in time at different stops of his life where he could discover clues. In most stops, he found himself during parts of his life where he was trapped in various ways (buried under rubble, in prison, etc.), and realized he had wasted his life. When it was discovered that Prosh himself was the threat that he had warned them about, having been programmed by the Celestials to attack humanity, Juggernaut and the others defeated him. Soon after, the Juggernaut accepted an offer from the Commission on Superhuman Activity to become their headhunter and, in exchange, was pardoned from his past crimes. However, he threw away his pardon soon after when Black Tom talked him into going back to being a mercenary with him.
Later, the two friends would find themselves both in dire predicaments; the virus Black Tom had been suffering from, along with his secondary mutation, had converted his body into plant-matter, and the Juggernaut's power was reduced due to his patron deity Cyttorak redrawing his energies, most likely because of Juggernaut's betrayal of the Exemplars. The two formed a deal; Juggernaut would pretend to reform, trying to work on Xavier's soft side to become an X-Man. When or if Tom managed to recover, and if Juggernaut was able to convince the X-Men of his change, they would be able to defeat the X-Men from the inside.
The two staged a battle, in which the Juggernaut called the X-Men, asking them for help with Tom's powers, and Tom turned on Juggernaut, having gone mad due to his transformation. In the battle, the Juggernaut helped the X-Men defeat Tom, who then faked his death. After the battle, and with Tom gone, Xavier asked his stepbrother to return with them to the mansion.
While at the mansion, Juggernaut began to change when he befriended a young mutant boy from Canada named Sammy Pare (both had similar backgrounds, including an abusive father). After helping the X-Men on several occasions, he and Xavier started to reconcile their differences, and Xavier let his step-brother join the team (though many of the other members were less willing to forgive, either giving him the cold shoulder or trying to get him kicked out).
When Sammy's mother learned how he had befriended a dangerous criminal, she had the authorities take him home. When Cain later went to Canada to see how Sammy was doing, he arrived just in time to see Sammy being hit by his father during one of his beatings. Furious, he brutally beat up Mr. Pare, and Mrs. Pare called the Canadian superteam Alpha Flight to stop him. During the battle, she too was knocked out, and after realizing what he had done Juggernaut allowed himself to be arrested.
While in prison, he stopped the supervillain Rhino from escaping, instead of using the opportunity to escape himself. This, along with a plea from Mrs. Pare, who stated that various reports to the police of her husband's abusive nature had been ignored, and nothing had been done about it until the Juggernaut came. She also said that she realized he did care for Sammy, and that she was more scared of him being locked up and no one being left to protect them, than she was of him himself. Ultimately, Juggernaut's sentence was many hours of public service, along with court monitored therapy sessions for his anger management problems and his own history of abuse with his father.
Later, Black Tom Cassidy resurfaced, having gained enough control over his new powers though now resembling a humanoid tree, and Juggernaut joined his new Brotherhood of Mutants, with the intention of betraying the group and warning the X-Men when he had the chance. Sammy stumbled upon the Brotherhood having a meeting, and thinking that Juggernaut had betrayed the X-Men he became angry and started yelling. Annoyed, Black Tom killed the boy. Enraged, Juggernaut tried to kill his former friend. When the Brotherhood were sucked into a black hole by the second Xorn, Juggernaut accompanied them to make sure Nocturne (another mole) would be safe if everyone survived and to make sure the Brotherhood didn't try to attack the mansion again.
He ended up in Mojoworld and became the property of Mojo along with Nocturne. To escape, Nocturne took control of Mojo's henchman, Spiral, and opened a portal to the X-Men's Danger Room, where they were reunited with the team. This, however, was a trap set by Spiral, who was in more control of her body than thought, leaving a portal open to allow Mojo to cross over as well. Mojo turned the X-Men into X-Babies, but they managed to overpower his forces anyway. Juggernaut still felt extremely guilty about Sammy's death, and how the boy's last words were that he hated him. He wondered if he should remain a child, this being his chance to start over with a clean slate, but Storm comforted him and convinced him not to. The X-Men were re-aged, and Juggernaut remained with the team.
In the wake of House of M, in which the majority of the mutant population was depowered, Juggernaut has joined the New Excalibur team in London. In a recent conflict, Juggernaut came face to face with a depowered and angry Black Tom Cassidy holding a young girl hostage. Deciding to negotiate instead of fight, Juggernaut talked Cassidy down, making him feel remorse for killing Juggernaut's friend Samuel Pare and turning himself in. It has been suggested in recent New Excalibur that Juggernaut may once again "turn to the dark side".
[edit] Powers and abilities
Because of his association with the X-Men, Juggernaut is often mistakenly labeled a mutant. Juggernaut is considered a mutate, a normal human that was changed by the Ruby of Cyttorak. The ruby bonded to his soul and altered his being, giving him powers exceeding those of most 'Homo Superior.' The ruby is the root of his power, not genetic evolution.
Juggernaut traditionally possessed huge power, of mystical origin. He had tremendous physical strength, a total resistance to physical injury due to his mystic spell of invulnerability; an impenetrable force field that he could summon at will (Though this force field was temporarily cancelled out by Thor when he threw his hammer and surrounded the both of them in mystical energies.); and unlimited stamina. His spell also granted him unbreakable skin, therefore making his forcefield an added protection in case he did not wish for a certain attack to touch his physical body. Due to the mystical energies flowing through his body, he did not need to eat, breathe, or drink fluids. As a vessel of mystic energy, he also possessed many abstract powers that had yet to be fully revealed. Finally, while moving, he could, essentially, not be stopped, except in extreme cases such as when he fought the Hulk (whose power level was put to greater effect by Celestial technology at the time), by Thor when he united his godly power with his magical hammer and fired a concentrated beam at Juggernaut, and the psychic being Onslaught.
To compensate for his most significant vulnerability — to telepathic assault — he also wore a helmet of a mystical alloy, which prevented his mind from being read or attacked.
With his depowerment at the hands of Cyttorak, however, his power levels decreased in almost every aspect. He now needed to breathe, and, while still highly super-strong, possessed only a fraction of the strength he once wielded. He also became mortal and could be killed by relatively minor amounts of punishment. Finally, he was no longer an "unstoppable force", and was stripped of his mystical armour and telepathy-shielding helmet (instead wearing "unstable molecule" replicas that did not replicate the telepathic shield). Although, as seen in New Excalibur issue #3, Juggernaut can still easily power through the combination of the evil version of Jean Grey's telekinetic onslaught and the evil version of Cyclops' full assault optic blast with no ill effects to himself. Juggernaut also easily withstood an ice barrage from the evil version of Iceman, when it was seen that in Uncanny X-men issues #410-411 that he could not then withstand an assault from Iceman. He still, however, does not possess his mystical armor and remains susceptible to attacks on his mind and senses by telepaths.
[edit] Other versions of Juggernaut
- The Exiles encounter an alternate Juggernaut in a world where all superhumans have been jailed or exterminated. Cain Marko has been detained for years in a maximum-security prison, held immobile so that he cannot use his powers. He is freed by a genocidal Charles Xavier, becoming the first member of Xavier's murderous X-Men.
- An alternate Juggernaut briefly appears in the Marvel Zombies series. Infected with the zombie virus, he is one of a horde of supervillains seeking to feed on the corpse of Galactus. Their attempt is unsuccessful and a zombified Wolverine uses his newly acquired Power Cosmic to decapitate Juggernaut.
[edit] Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of Apocalypse, Juggernaut abandons violence and seems obsessed with Xavier's death. He goes by the name of Cain and has become a monk, a complete pacifist. He dwells in Avalon, with his "sister" Destiny.
When Avalon is attacked by Apocalypse's Pale Riders, Cain initially refuses to fight. A furious Nightcrawler then tells him that everyone in Avalon will die if he doesn't help to battle the invaders. Cain struggles with the decision, but falls and dies before he can act - seemingly killed by an aneurysm, a victim of his own mental conflict.
[edit] MC2
Juggernaut is the father of Zane Yama aka J2. For years Juggernaut was stuck in another dimension, but managed to return to his wife and son.
[edit] Ultimate Juggernaut
In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, not much is known about Cain Marko. What is known is that he grew up in the same trailer park as Rogue did and does not seem to be related to Xavier in any way. He refers to himself as trailer trash at some point, but also points out that because he grew up in a trailer park people often underestimate his intelligence. This had led to a belief that he is actually smarter than his 616 counterpart. Ultimate Juggernaut seems to be a regular mutant with super strength, with no mystical background to his powers.
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. When The Brotherhood 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 has apparently left the team for parts unknown. In the Ultimate X-Men 2005 annual, Juggernaut was bonded with a gem stolen by Rogue and Gambit called the Cyttorak Gem. Though its full repercussions are unknown, Juggernaut did describe himself as feeling "better than ever". He also revealed that he had a crush on Rogue, whom he grew up with and shared a cell with while in the Weapon X program.
His trademark helmet was made for him by Weapon X. It is able to track anyone who has ever been in the Weapon X program. It was destroyed by Gambit when he battled Juggernaut in Las Vegas.
[edit] Appearances in other media
[edit] Television
- Juggernaut was the villain in the "A Firestar is Born," the episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends that featured the X-Men. He was voiced by William H. Marshall.
- Juggernaut appeared in Pryde of the X-Men, a 1989 pilot for an X-Men animated series, where he was a henchman of Magneto.
- The character fully appeared in three episodes of the 1990s X-Men animated series, "The Unstoppable Juggernaut," "Phoenix Saga Part 3: Cry of the Banshee" (with a teaser cameo at the end of the previous episode) and "Juggernaut Returns." Voiced by Rick Bennett, he attempted to get revenge on Xavier in all three episodes.
- Juggernaut also appeared in the later series X-Men: Evolution, voiced by Paul Dobson. This version was Xavier’s half-brother, a mutant whose powers were awakened by the Cyttorak gem. The gem was said to hold special properties that enhanced and evolved mutants. In this series, his strength and intelligence are significantly less than in other continuities, although he can still throw tanks and other vehicles.
[edit] My Way parodies
In February of 2006, the parody troupe My Way Entertainment released an overdub of "Phoenix Saga Part 3: Cry of the Banshee" entitled "The Juggernaut Bitch!!," which used a variety of slang, profanity and non-sequiturs. [1]. The Juggernaut was voiced by Randy Hayes, who created the often-repeated line "Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!" The clip became a popular Internet meme [2] and the line was included in X-Men: The Last Stand. In June, My Way released a sequel "J2: Juggment Day," using footage from "Juggernaut Returns".
[edit] Film
Vinnie Jones played Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand. The film version of Juggernaut seems closer to that of the Ultimate X-Men version. He is a mutant and no reference to Juggernaut being related to Charles Xavier was made.
His helmet, as opposed to the dome with three holes (one for each eye and another for the mouth), instead appears to be a concrete dome which leaves his face exposed. Juggernaut first appears in the mobile prison convoy, but is freed by Magneto. Reading from the prison records, Pyro states that, if allowed to build any momentum, he cannot be stopped, explaining why he can't be simply chained down. Once freed, Juggernaut joins Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants.
He is involved in two battles. He faces off against Wolverine in Jean Grey's old neighborhood. Later, during the attack on Alcatraz Island, Magneto sends Juggernaut to kill Leech, a mutant who is the source of the reviled "cure" for genetic mutation. The significantly younger and less physically powerful Shadowcat outwits him. She uses her phasing power to trap him in the ground and he responds with the famous My Way line.
His fate is unknown at the end of the film and Jones has stated that he may return for future installments in the series, including the upcoming Wolverine spin-off. [3]
[edit] Video games
Juggernaut has appeared in various X-Men video games spinoffs:
- He appeared in Data East's 1991 arcade game, Captain America and the Avengers, inside of the satellite of Red Skull, as the mid-boss of the stage 4 , The Laser Canon. He has the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak inserted in the visor of his helmet, instead of the normal three holes. His opening phrase: "Obey me, or die!"
- He appeared in the X-Men arcade game, is the boss of Stage 5, guarding the gathering of the Egyptian-style temple, and wielding a bazooka; and return later in stage 7 as the fifth and last of five sub-bosses, after Master Mold, inside of Avalon, Magneto's base in Asteroid M.
- He was one of two bosses -along with Apocalypse, - for Wolverine's stage in the 1992 game Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge.
- He also appears in X-Men for the Sega Genesis.
- He also appears in the X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse Super NES game.
- And made rare appearances as a playable character in several of Capcom's Marvel-based fighting games, beginning with X-Men: Children of the Atom; his Capcom rendition is notable for being the largest version of the Juggernaut yet; slightly taller than in the comics, and just about as wide.
- Cain also appeared as a boss in the 2000's X2: Wolverine's Revenge and X-Men: Mutant Academy 2, and as a playable character in X-Men: Next Dimension.
- Most recently, he appeared as an enemy in X-Men Legends, and as a playable character in its sequel, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. In both video games, he was voiced by John DiMaggio.
[edit] Trivia
- Juggernaut is known in Brazil and Portugal as Fanatico, which means Fanatic.
- Juggernaut was used in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure" in Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights 16. The show includes various pop culture icons.
[edit] External links
- MDP: Juggernaut - Marvel Database Project
- A complete Juggernaut Bio
- UncannyXmen.net, Spotlight feature on Juggernaut
- Juggernaut on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki
- Ultimate Juggernaut on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wikifr:Le Fléau (X-Men)
it:Fenomeno (X-Men) nl:Juggernaut pt:Fanático (X-Men) fi:Juggernaut (sarjakuvahahmo)
