Juggernaut (comics)

Superherobox|

caption=The Juggernaut, as depicted on the cover of "New Excalibur" #12. Art by Michael Ryan
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Juggernaut
real_name=Cain Marko
species= Magic-empowered human avatar
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="X-Men" #12 (July 1965).
creators=Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
alliance_color=background:#cccccc
alliances=New Excalibur
Exiles
Brotherhood of Mutants
Exemplars
X-Men
partners=Black Tom Cassidy
aliases=
powers=Superhuman strength, stamina, and durability
Regenerative healing factor
Force field generation
Ability to become virtually unstoppable while in motion|

The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in "X-Men" #12 (July 1965), and was created writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. Cain Marko, the stepbrother and childhood bully of X-Men founder Professor Charles Xavier, became a being of unstoppable force and destruction upon touching a gem of mystical powers.

Publication history

Juggernaut first appeared on-panel in "Uncanny X-Men" #12, although his presence was sensed by Professor Xavier in the previous issue.

Although commonly appearing as a supervillain, in the Marvel Universe since 1965, Juggernaut had his own one-shot in the late 1990s and was formally a hero and main character in "New Excalibur".

Fictional character biography

Over the course of the comics, The Juggernaut has evolved from a simplistic, destructive villain to a complex and at times even heroic character. When Juggeranut first appears, he is revealed as the stepbrother of Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men. Marko is portrayed, in his initial appearance, as having been an angry, greedy bully as a child. "Uncanny X-Men #12", 1965, Marvel Comics, writer Stan Lee] Later comics revealed that Marko was also bullied by his older, larger schoolmates ["Marvel-Team-Up" #150] and physically abused by his father, and established his hatred of Xavier as coming from his resentment over how Xavier used his powers to get ahead. 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 the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, and immediately grabbed it. Upon the gem was an inscription, and he read 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!". When Cain grabbed it, the cavern collapsed. Charles was able to escape, but it took Cain years to dig himself out. Upon escaping, he sought revenge on Xavier."Uncanny X-Men #12", 1965, Marvel Comics, writer Stan Lee]

Although he was originally an X-Men villain, he has also appeared in stories with other heroes of the Marvel Universe, such as Spider-Man, the Avengers, Deadpool, and the Incredible Hulk.

Often accompanying him during his travels was his friend the mutant mercenary known as Black Tom Cassidy, whom he met when they were both in jail at the same time. Sharing a hatred for family members - Juggernaut for his stepbrother, Professor X, and Cassidy for his cousin, the X-Man known as Banshee - the two became close friends. When they got out of prison, they became partners and first battled the "new" X-Men. ["X-Men" #101-103]

Onslaught

During the Onslaught storyline, it was Juggernaut who bore much of the brunt of Onslaught's rage - perhaps unsurprisingly, since the monster was after all composed mainly out of Charles Xavier's feelings of anger, frustration and hate. When Marko first encountered the being, he was knocked clean across the United States with a single blow, and he was later trapped by Xavier inside the gem that gave him his powers.

Exemplars

Later, the Juggernaut and seven other beings were revealed to be a part of the Exemplars, who, like Cain, were living manifestations of the power of various mystical entities. The eight beings were entranced and coaxed into battling each other in order to determine the entity that was supreme. The Juggernaut turned on this group, and was later attacked by them, only to be aided by the The Avengers.

Juggernaut Reformed

In a later storyline, the Juggernaut joined the X-Men. Initially this was part of a scheme with Black Tom Cassidy to destroy them from within, but after Cassidy turned on the Juggernaut, Xavier asked his stepbrother to return with them to the mansion."Uncanny X-Men #410–412", 2002, Marvel Comics, writer Chuck Austen] While at the mansion, Juggernaut began to change when he befriended a young mutant boy from Canada named Sammy Paré particularly as both had similar backgrounds, including an abusive father."Uncanny X-Men #413", 2002, Marvel Comics, writer Chuck Austen] "Uncanny X-Men #416", 2003, Marvel Comics, writer Chuck Austen] Over time he began to be portrayed as a more sympathetic character, though he still retained his violent streak, attacking Sammy's abusive father at one point, and subsequently getting into a large and destructive fight with the superhero team Alpha Flight that led to his arrest. "Uncanny X-Men #432-434", 2003-04, Marvel Comics, writer Chuck Austen] Due to stopping another supervillain from escaping, and staying when he had the chance to escape himself, and the intervention of Sammy's mother, he was released.

New Excalibur

Upon leaving the X-Men, Juggernaut joined the New Excalibur team in London."New Excalibur #1", 2006, Marvel Comics, writer Chris Claremont] He has been portrayed as being close to Nocturne, starting from a storyline in which they were both moles in Black Tom's Brotherhood. In one storyline, the Juggernaut seeks to reclaim his lost power by traveling to the Temple of Cyttorak in Korea. He kills his challenger and reclaims the Gem. This story expands on the origin of the character, establishing that there were other Juggernauts before him, and revealing that he killed his predecessor before seeking his initial revenge on Xavier. ["New Excalibur" #13-15]

World War Hulk

In the course of the "World War Hulk" storyline, Juggernaut, whose powers have been weakening, is convinced by Cyttorak to fully embrace the destructive nature of the Gem's power, instead of simply using that power to be a defender of his brother. Upon doing so, he becomes strong enough to fight the Hulk to a stand-still. The Hulk eventually spins out of the way, causing the Juggernaut to run deep into a lake. After Hulk leaves, Cain dismisses Xavier's attempts to thank him for his aid, and warns that nobody should come looking for him after he leaves, lest they not like what they find.

Manifest Destiny

Juggernaut will return in #2.

Powers and abilities

Juggernaut is a magical avatar of the supernatural entity Cyttorak; he gained superhuman powers through the transference of mystical energies from Cyttorak via a magical gemstone, the Ruby of Cyttorak. (Because of his association with the X-Men, Juggernaut is often mistakenly labeled a mutant.) The ruby bonds to his soul and alters his being, a scale of power rivalling that of Thor and the Hulk. The Juggernaut possesses superhuman strength, as well as the mystical attribute of being physically unstoppable: once in motion, it is virtually impossible to stop his movement completely.

Besides giving him superhuman strength, the mystical energy of Cyttorak grants the Juggernaut virtually inexhaustible stamina while being impervious to virtually all attacks, as well as the ability to survive without food, water or oxygen.

When transformed into the Juggernaut, Marko wears a costume made of unidentified extraordinarily damage-resistant fabric and materials. His helmet and skullcap are constructed from an unknown metal with mystical properties which shields him from all forms of psionic attack or probes. The helmet he wears gives him protection from Charles' telepathic powers. In order for telepaths to be able to affect Juggernaut, both the helmet and skullcap must be removed.

The power of the Juggernaut has a transformative effect on the minds of those who possess it, compelling them to acts of extreme violence and destruction.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse, Juggernaut abandons violence and seems obsessed with Xavier's death. He goes by the name of Brother Cain and has become a monk, a complete pacifist, and dwells in Avalon, with Destiny. He functions as a guide to Avalon, meeting people at a waypoint that Mystique brings them to. 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.

Exiles

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 his brother Charles Xavier, who is an anti-human extremist in this reality, becoming the first member of Xavier's murderous X-Men.

Marvel Zombies

Juggernaut is one of the zombified supervillians seen attacking Galactus. He is later killed by Wolverine, who has gained some of the cosmic abilities of the Silver Surfer after eating him.issue

MC2

Juggernaut is the father of Zane Yama, a.k.a. J2. For years Juggernaut was stuck in another dimension, but managed to return to his wife and son.

Ultimate Juggernaut

In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Cain Marko is not related to Xavier, instead sharing early connections with Rogue, having grown up in the same trailer park as her. He appears to be a mutant, rather than having mystical powers. The Juggernaut is part of the Weapon X program in the Ultimate continuity, and it is from them he got his helmet, which allows him to track other members of the program.

Other media

Television

* Juggernaut appeared in the episode "A Firestar is Born" of "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends", voiced by William H. Marshall.
* Juggernaut appeared in the 1989 pilot "Pryde of the X-Men", voiced by Patrick Pinney.
* Juggeranut appeared in the 1990s animated series voiced by Rick Bennett.
* Juggernaut appeared in "", voiced by Paul Dobson.
* Juggernaut is set to appear in "Wolverine and the X-Men".

Film

In ', Juggernaut (played by Vinnie Jones) serves as one of Magneto's Brotherhood Alliance army. In this version, he is a mutant with no explicit connection to Charles Xavier. Vinnie Jones, who played the Juggernaut, has said he would like to reprise his role in a spin-off, as he felt there was too little time in ' to imbue the character with depth. Jones also suggests that Juggernaut's feelings towards humanity and mutant-kind are neutral, but he is fighting for Magneto because Magneto got to him first. He also used the now famous catchphrase created by an internet parody, as stated below. [cite news | author = Shawn Adler | title = Vinnie Jones Has A Juggernaut Pitch | publisher = MTV | date = 2007-08-07 | url = http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/08/07/vinnie-jones-has-a-juggernaut-pitch/ | accessdate=2008-02-09]

Video games

* Juggernaut is a boss in Data East's 1991 arcade game, "Captain America and the Avengers".
* Juggernaut is a boss in the "X-Men" arcade game.
* Juggernaut was one of two bosses; along with Apocalypse; for Wolverine's stage in the 1992 game "".
* Juggernaut appears in X-Men for the Sega Genesis.
* Juggeranut appears as a Danger Room simulation in the "" Super NES game.
* Juggernaut is a playable character in several of Capcom's Marvel-based fighting games, beginning with "" as the semi-final boss, after already selectable in Marvel Super Heroes and returns in the "Marvel vs. Capcom" crossover series in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, in as a "striker", and in .
* Juggernaut also appeared as a boss in the 2000s ' and ', and as a playable character in "".
* Juggernaut appeared as an enemy in "X-Men Legends" voiced by John DiMaggio. A flashback level featured the X-Men fighting Juggernaut to keep him from reaching Professor X.
* John DiMaggio reprises Juggernaut who is a playable character in "". He is shown as one of the latest members of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

Internet parody

On May 22, 2003, the parody troupe My Way Entertainment released an overdub of " entitled "The Juggernaut Bitch!!," which used a variety of slang, profanity, and non sequiturs. The Juggernaut was voiced by Randy Hayes, who created 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 the website phenomenon YouTube became prominent, it quickly became a video of viral proportions.

The clip became a popular Internet meme, [ [http://campusalive.com/tigerweekly/06-14-2006/3082 Covering The Louisiana State University Community (LSU) - Tigerweekly.com ] ] and the line was included in "" during Juggernaut's fight with Kitty Pryde, albeit with a slight tidying up. 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.

Books

In the "X-Men"/"Star Trek" crossover novel "Planet X", Wolverine programs the holodeck of the "Enterprise-E" to simulate Juggernaut (along with Sabretooth, Unus the Untouchable, and the Blob) for him and Worf to fight.Fact|date=September 2008

References

External links

* [http://marvel.com/universe/Juggernaut_%28Cain_Marko%29 Juggernaut] at Marvel.com
* [http://www.wonkolabs.com/history/juggernaut.htm The Full Juggernaut Bio]
* [http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/spotlight/showquestion.asp?faq=10&fldAuto=96 UncannyXmen.net, Spotlight feature on Juggernaut]