I'm the Juggernaut! Ain't nothin' -- ain't nobody -- can beat me! 
- —Juggernaut
Cain Marko, better known as Juggernaut, is a long time enemy and sometimes ally of the X-Men. As a child, Cain was regularly abused by his alcoholic father. His stepbrother, Charles Xavier, on the other hand was treated much better while also exceeding him in studies and sports. All of it caused Cain to hate Xavier for years. While serving in the US army, Cain accidentally found the Temple of Cyttorak and obtained the Crimson Gem. The Gem's mystical power transformed Marko into Cyttorak's avatar on Earth — the Juggernaut. Marko used his powers to spread chaos and cause destruction often together with his partner-in-crime Black Tom Cassidy.
After years of being a villain and terrorist, Marko started to reform. He reconciled with Xavier, joined the X-Men and later the Excalibur.
When the Asgardian God of Fear descended on Earth, Cain was possessed by one of its servants, Kuurth, for a short time. Eventually, Marko became Cyttorak's avatar once again and gained even greater strength.
History
Early Life[]
Cain Marko is the son of Dr. Kurt Marko, who was an atomic researcher, and Marjory Marko. Cain's parents separated, and his mother died when he was three. Cain was eventually sent to boarding schools, which he continued to get expelled from.[citation needed] Dr. Marko's wealthy colleague, Dr. Brian Xavier, another atomic researcher, died in an accident, and Dr. Marko eventually married his widow, Sharon Xavier, for her great wealth. On marrying Sharon, Dr. Marko moved into her large Westchester County mansion, and, after yet another expulsion from school, eventually moved Cain in also.[11]
Dr. Marko favored his gentle, smart stepson, Charles Xavier, to his own son, which led to Cain bullying the young Charles and Dr. Marko secretly beating Cain. Cain was abusive to his stepbrother at every opportunity. Charles' telepathic powers began emerging when he was still a boy, around ten, and, on one occasion, he found himself experiencing the anguished thoughts and emotions of Cain; after Cain had been beaten by his father. The inexperienced young Charles could not control or end his contact with Cain's mind at this time. Somehow, Cain sensed that Charles was reading his mind and had discovered his secret shame.[12]
Dr. Kurt Marko's death
Sharon died shortly thereafter, of a broken heart, leaving Charles to live with his stepfather and abusive stepbrother. During an argument in Dr. Marko's private laboratory over money, Cain accused him of having a hand in Dr. Xavier's "accidental" death, at the disaster at Alamogordo. Dr. Marko was quick to be steadfast in defending himself, taking Cain by the collar of his coat and yelling at him to "never say that again". Charles was stationed outside the door, however, and overheard the conversation. When Cain realized, he intended to cause a ruckus, by destroying some of his father's chemical experiments, throwing a vial of green liquid that caused similar containers to shatter, spilling the chemicals throughout the laboratory. The collision of the different substances caused a violent explosion that left the lab aflame. Though Dr. Marko managed to rescue both Cain and Charles from the fire, he himself died of smoke inhalation. In his dying words, Dr. Marko begged forgiveness for not saving Dr. Xavier when he had the chance and telling Charles to keep his powers secret from Cain. Cain was standing over, however, and heard of Charles' gift, which led him to believe that Charles had invaded his thoughts deliberately. From then on, Cain regarded Charles as his enemy.
Cain continued to live in the Xavier mansion, growing increasingly resentful of his stepbrother's scholastic and athletic achievements as well as his telepathic powers (which Charles mastered as he grew older), while Charles entered England's Oxford University. Cain even pushed Charles too far one day and the two got into a fight, which Charles easily won.[11] What happened to Marko after he left home was unclear.[13] However, it was known that Cain became a mercenary and was eventually imprisoned in a Third World jail when the revolutionary forces he was fighting for were defeated.[citation needed]
Birth of a Juggernaut[]
Later, Marko and Xavier found themselves serving together in the same U.S. military unit in Korea. Marko deserted under fire and Xavier went after him to bring him back. Xavier followed Marko into a cave, that housed the lost secret Temple of Cyttorak, a powerful mystical entity. Marko impulsively grabbed a glowing ruby from the lap of an idol and read the inscription (which mystically appeared to his mind to be in English): "Whosoever touches this gem shall possess the power of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Henceforth, you who read these words shall become forevermore a human juggernaut." As Xavier watched, the gem's mystical power transformed Marko into a larger, superhuman being. Just then, enemy high explosive bombardment caused a cave-in and Marko was buried under several thousand tons of rock. Xavier survived and returned to his unit.[11]
Due to the fact that he did not need air or food to survive, Marko, now the Juggernaut, eventually dug himself free with his new-found, immense strength and invulnerability. He then confronted the previous man to hold the mantle of the Juggernaut, the local Jin Taiko. He killed Taiko in order to fully embrace the powers of the Juggernaut, and under the influence of Cyttorak slaughtered Taiko's entire village, since they ceased their worship to him.[14] After many years, Marko made his way to America to use his newfound power to kill Xavier, leaving the gem in Korea. As the Juggernaut, Cain had released his soul to the deity Cyttorak, becoming his human avatar.[citation needed]
The Juggernaut
Marko attacked Charles, now a professor and founder of the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, at their old home and learned that his new helmet protected him from psychic attacks. Professor Xavier and his group of X-Men were helpless to stop him, until Professor Xavier asked for the assistance of the Human Torch, who burned the rivets of Cain's helmet, allowing for the X-Men to removed it.[15] After Professor Xavier sent Cain into a coma, he locked him in a room in the basement of the mansion. While attempting to remove the mystic powers of Cain, Professor Xavier placed the two of them in a device and, due to the intervention of the Factor Three, Cain was revived and temporarily retained Professor X's telepathic powers. After defeating the X-Men, Cain was contacted by the Factor Three for membership. While attempting to join them, Juggernaut was tricked by the X-Men, and sent to the Crimson Cosmos of the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak.[16]
Prisoner of the Crimson Cosmos[]
While attempting to find a pathway back to Earth, Cain made his way to the Dream Dimension and aided Dr. Strange in battling Nightmare to rescue Eternity. After successfully rescuing Eternity, Cain attempted to destroy him and was banished back to the Crimson Cosmos.[17] Due to a number of mystic coincidences, it being Halloween, and his desire for revenge, Cain was briefly returned to Earth, in Rutland, Vermont. The powers that be in the Crimson Cosmos, to teach him an abject lesson, made Cain believe that he was aging rapidly until death. Due to the circumstances of his arrival, Cain was pulled between the Earth dimension and the Crimson Cosmos, while causing chaos in Vermont to regain his youth through hate. Coming to the aid of the citizens of Rutland, the former X-Man Beast battled Juggernaut, who was winning until he realized that Beast's new beastly appearance was real and not a costume. Due to Cain's hate turning to fear, he began to age again and, before he could perish, another portal appeared, returned Cain to imprisonment, and restored him to life when he was brought back to the realm.[18]
While attempting to seal away another rampaging beast, the Hulk, Dr. Peter Corbeau sent the Hulk to Cain's mystical dimension and accidentally warped Cain in his place. After Cain attempted to break-out of the Hulk's Hulkbuster Base I cell, Dr. Corbeau attempted to reverse the procedure and resulted in the Hulk and Juggernaut in the cell. Together, the pair broke-out of the prison and made short work of all the military force that Colonel John Armbruster threw at them, but, when Cain began to terrorize civilians, the Hulk and Juggernaut began an epic battle. The pair were evenly matched until the Hulk grabbed Cain by the helmet and began to spin him around. The speed and force of Hulk's attack was enough for Cain's helmet to snap loose and send him into a mountain. Before Cain could begin his sneak attack retaliation, the X-Men arrived, and Professor Xavier mentally subdued him again.[19]
Partners in Crime[]
Later, Juggernaut was freed and hired to kill the X-Men by Erik the Red. Together with Black Tom Cassidy, the two set a trap for the X-Men, at Banshee's Cassidy Keep,[citation needed] where Cain first met the X-Man Colossus. Cain proved to be enough to overpower the mutants, but when Black Tom was thrown into the waves below the castle, Cain withdrew and jumped in to try and save him.[20] Cain and Tom resurfaced in New York, attempting to kidnap Madame Web, hoping her psychic visions could help defeat the X-Men, but were opposed by Spider-Man. Although Spider-Man could not stop Juggernaut from taking Madame Web, he was able to outsmart Cain and leave him in a pool of wet cement at a construction site.[21]
Alongside Black Tom Cassidy
Cain eventually made his way out of the cement and was seen again in a bar in Manhattan. While attempting to forget his defeat, Juggernaut's drinking was interrupted by Colossus, who accidentally spilled his beer on Cain. Eager to let out his frustrations, Cain beat up Colossus, while Wolverine and Nightcrawler watched-on. After asking if they wanted a beating too, the other X-Men said "no" and Cain left, paying for his beer.[22]
Wishing to improve Tom's defenses, Cain had the idea for what would make for a rather unique birthday present and went to Korea to retrieve the Gem that gave him his powers. After walking through the Korean army, Cain retrieved the gem and gave it to Tom, turning him into a Juggernaut as well. However, both of them had only half of the original's powers and Black Tom became enraged, engaging his ally in a brief battle, which was then interrupted by Spider-Man and the X-Men. Rogue leeched-off Cassidy's Juggernaut powers and, later, Cain reclaimed the full set when he touched the ruby a second time. Realizing that the ruby was not only the source of his strength but could also be used to take it away from him, Cain decided to hurl it into space where no one could find it to use against him. Cain was later seen at a New York bank conducting a legitimate business transaction but was attacked by Nimrod. This time, Cain was aided by the X-Men, although it appeared to the public the X-Men were aiding a felon.[23]
Cain was later seen on Muir Island by the X-Man Dazzler, who Cain was a huge fan of musically. Cain was attempting to keep the local authorities busy, while Black Tom looted the Bank of Scotland. Dazzler wished to prove her worth, having recently joined the X-Men, but Cain did not wish to harm the beautiful hero, even offering to pay for damages of an accident they had. Dazzler unleashed the full fury of her powers, passing out from over exertion, leaving Cain mortified at the thought that he had killed her. After mistakenly burying Dazzler alive, the new group of X-Men defeated Cain and handed him over to the authorities.[24]
Confronting Captain Britain
Cain was sent to the ultra-maximum-security prison, Crossmoor, in London, until he was freed by the British crime lord Vixen. Vixen offered Cain her help, in exchange for his assistance in her plans. Cain destroyed the prison wall and most of the prisoners escaped, beating up the guards, and also destroyed most of the tanks, while Vixen and her troops flew away with jet packs. Cain was confronted by Captain Britain, who ordered him to give up. Cain overpowered Captain Britain but was defeated and returned to custody by Excalibur.[25]
Cain's reputation as an unstoppable force gained the notoriety of the Gods, when Loki had him teleported from Crossmoor to Queens, where Cain began to rampage. Loki's goal, as always, was to have Cain face-off with his brother, Thor, which came shortly after. Surprisingly, Cain was able to beat Thor, but the arrival of the New Warriors gave Thor the time he needed to recover, and Cain was covered in molten metal. After the metal cooled, Thor took the temporary prison to an asteroid in space and left Cain.[26]
The gem did not stay in space, due to Nova sending it back to Earth, and a young boy named Stevie was granted a different set of powers, but still drained Cain's powers. Ironically, while in space, Cain overthrew an alien planet and became its absolute ruler. This time, Cain was stopped by the arrival of Thor and Excalibur, where Cain first displayed his force field and Thor used Mjolnir to break it and teleported Cain to another asteroid in deep space.[27] Cain's partner in crime brokered a deal to get him back to Earth and Black Tom had Arianna Jankos build a interdimensional teleporter, in exchange for Black Tom helping Arianna stop a corporate buyout of her company. When activated, the teleporter exploded and out popped Juggernaut. Black Tom planned to aid Arianna, by holding the would-be purchasers hostage in the World Trade Center, but Tom's cousin, Siryn, attacked them. Grateful for being back on Earth, Cain gladly fought Siryn outside, until Warpath of X-Force arrived to aid her. Realizing the odds were against them, Tom detonated bombs, destroying the World Trade Center. Arriving to aid their teammate, Cain then battled X-Force and Spider-Man, while Cable attempted to kill Black Tom inside the ruins of the tower. As Tom lay in his own blood, Deadpool arrived and teleported him and Cain, who was fairing nicely in his battle outside, to Mr. Tolliver, in exchange for their services.[28]
After arriving back on Earth, Cain was initially held at bay by Stevie and it was unknown what became of Stevie, but, apparently, Cain encountered the child a second time and successfully reclaimed his power source. This time, the gem was mystically bonded to Marko and merged with his body, making Cain no longer need his costume to have the full range of his powers, except for the immunity to telepathy granted by his helmet.[29]
Later, Cain was summoned to the Crimson Cosmos to aide Dr. Strange and Nova from becoming Cyttorak's priest and priestess. Cyttorak's manifestation seemed to be an elf-like figure, who wore a pointed helmet-like hat with a ruby grafted onto it and, greedy for more power and thinking that this new stone would increase his own abilities, Cain battled his benefactor and ripped the stone out. Strangely, though, he felt no difference and, when Dr. Strange and Nova teamed up against him, they made him drop the glowing jewel and it returned to its rightful place.[30]
In the intervening years, the Juggernaut clashed several times with Spider-Man, the Hulk (both as the Merged Hulk and the Horseman of War), Spider-Woman, and the Avengers.[31]
Onslaught[]
The sentient psionic being known as Onslaught, actually an amalgamation of the psyches of Xavier and Magneto, ripped the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak from Juggernaut's body and imprisoned him within it. Inside the jewel, Cain learned he was an avatar for Cyttorak. As such, the otherworldly entity sought to assume control of Juggernaut's form. But Cain, through sheer force of will, destroyed the evil god and returned to Earth, stronger than ever, but unable to fully control his amplified abilities.[32]
Eighth Day: The Octessence[]
Cyttorak was merely one of a pantheon of eight gods, all with earthbound avatars. These Exemplars enlisted the Juggernaut's aid in constructing a machine that would enslave the human race. As the Exemplars tended to their final preparations, Cain withdrew deep into himself, where he clashed with Cyttorak. Charles entered his stepbrother's mind to aid him in the battle, but the Exemplar known as Bedlam sensed his presence and expelled him. Still, Charles' short stay in Juggernaut's head had helped Cain regain control of his psyche. After defeating Cyttorak, Juggernaut destroyed the Exemplars' God Machine. He then turned his attention to the avatars themselves, defeating each in turn.[33]
X-Men Forever[]
Juggernaut again was cast as a hero when the sentient spaceship Prosh escaped the confines of a Celestial prison, returned to Earth, and dispatched a group of disparate beings on a journey through time to uncover the keys to preserving human evolution. Besides Cain, Prosh's task force included Phoenix and Iceman, members of the X-Men; and Mystique and Toad, mutant terrorists. Their mission: save the human race from a threat that might not manifest itself for millions of years. Juggernaut was shown that for all his physical strength, he long had lacked strength of character. Despite all his yearning for power, he had squandered his supernaturally enhanced abilities. When Prosh reassembled the members of his team in the present, they fought and defeated the enigmatic alien entity known as the Stranger, who sought to control the natural evolution of humans and mutants. If not acquiring a new-found respect for life and human dignity, at least Juggernaut gained a better sense of understanding for the mutant plight.[34]
Life as a X-Man[]
X-Men outfit
As the result of an undisclosed battle with Cyttorak, his patron deity, Cain lost most of the power of the Juggernaut. Thereafter, Cain reconciled with Xavier and joined the X-Men. In an unusual turn for someone of Cain's personality, he immediately befriended several people at the mansion including a young mutant boy named Sammy Pare, a.k.a. Squidboy, who had a positive influence on him. Cain later allowed himself to be taken into custody and then had a one-night stand with She-Hulk, who as Jennifer Walters was representing him in his trial for all the crimes he had committed as a criminal.[35] (It would turn out later that it was, in fact, an "Earth A" alternate of Ms. Walters.[36]) Amazingly, Cain was exonerated of all his crimes and allowed to go free despite having numerous outstanding felonies both at home and abroad.[35]
Later, Black Tom Cassidy resurfaced, 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. Squidboy 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. Furious with rage, 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.[37]
He ended up in Mojoworld and became the property of Mojo along with Nocturne. To escape, Nocturne took control of Mojo's henchwoman, 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 over Squidboy'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.[38]
In the wake of House of M, in which the majority of the mutant population lost their powers, Juggernaut joined the new Excalibur grouping in London.[39]
World War Hulk[]
Cain was among the various teams of X-Men attempting to protect Professor Xavier from the wrath of the Hulk. Though Cain had recently come into possession of the gem of Cyttorak, he was still unable to call forth his full power during his first battle with the Hulk and was quickly defeated. Cyttorak himself appeared before Cain and explained that Cain himself was the cause of his own weakness. Cyttorak intended for Cain to use the powers granted to him to fulfill his own selfish desires and needs and not for heroic purposes. Cain finally accepted his role as Cyttorak's avatar to its fullest extent and regained his full power. He challenged the Hulk once more and the Hulk was unable to defeat him once again. As Cain continued to push the Hulk back, the Hulk used his cunning to use Cain's own momentum and near-unstoppable movement against him, which briefly removed him from the field of battle long enough for the Hulk to escape. Shortly afterward, Cain refused all of Xavier's attempts to thank him. Before leaving, he gave Xavier a warning not to send anyone to try to find him.[40]
Cain later engaged Skaar, the son of the Hulk, in a fight, being ultimately defeated and launched into orbit.[41]
As Captain Universe
Captain Universe[]
Cain was later found unconscious by Spider-Man. The government arrived soon afterwards and transported him to a prison. When Spider-Man went to the facility to ask the Juggernaut who had done that to him, a new Captain Universe broke into the room and claimed he was there to slay the Juggernaut. Spider-Man learned that this new Captain Universe was a man named William Nguyen, who wanted revenge on Juggernaut for ruining his life during his previous fight with Spider-Man over Madame Web. When Nguyen insisted on trying to kill Juggernaut instead of fixing the tectonic plates beneath New York City as instructed by the Enigma Force, the power left him for the Juggernaut. As Captain Universe, Juggernaut repaired the tectonic plates, which had been damaged by him during the same rampage that ruined Nguyen's life and apologized to Nguyen for ruining his life. The Enigma Force left shortly thereafter, as it wasn't needed there anymore.[42]
Thunderbolts[]
After the Siege of Asgard, Cain became a member of Luke Cage's Thunderbolts.[43]
When the Serpent was freed by Skadi, he called seven hammers to Earth. The Juggernaut was transformed by one of these hammers into one of the Worthy: Kuurth, Breaker of Stone. He then heavily damaged the Raft, allowing many prisoners to escape before flying away.[2]
Possessed by Kuurth, Breaker of Stone
After this, Cain, now Kuurth, attacked a petrol station 60 miles from San Francisco, gaining an ally who he possessed. As Kuurth continued towards San Francisco, he met with the police force on the highway who attempted to stop his rampage. After Kuurth's ally gained the influence of the anti-mutant protesters, Marko was directly attacked by the first wave of X-Men, Cyclops, Shadowcat, Colossus, and Iceman. While Colossus managed to crack Kuurth's helmet, he was unsuccessful in removing the helmet, which needed to be done to allow Emma Frost to telepathically control him. This team was later joined by Magneto, who was unable to stop Kuurth's hammer using his magnetism but was saved from death by an interfering Kitty Pryde. Cain couldn't be stopped by the first team and so was next attacked by an aerial force consisting of Angel, Cannonball, Storm, and Dazzler. During this time, Hope Summers had absorbed almost every X-Man's power and battled Marko, managing to remove his helmet before collapsing. Emma Frost then tried to take control of his mind but was overpowered by Kuurth and his ally.[44]
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. After losing his hammer and blessing of Cyttorak, Cain was re-imprisoned in the Raft. He was later confronted by a pair of guards, who taunted him for the loss of his powers. John Walker the warden appeared, admonishing the guards and dismissing them. He then offered Cain his former spot on the Thunderbolts. Man-Thing managed to use his access to the Nexus of All Realities to teleport to Earth-616 a Cyttorak from another universe in which Marko was dead, thus becoming Juggernaut once more.[45]
This power was revealed to be temporary however, and Cain soon lost the blessing. Fellow Thunderbolt Man-Thing offered to send Cain and the other Thunderbolts to a location of their choice. Cain chose a place with a lot of open landscape for him to roam in before the powers of the Juggernaut left him completely.[46]
The Once and Future Juggernaut[]
While the Juggernaut's powers eventually left him, Cain still retained some level of super strength. He relocated to a farm in Utah, where he lived peacefully and, at some point, heard that Charles Xavier had died. When Cyttorak sent his gem back to Earth to find a new host for him, Cain was one of the many individuals throughout the world who heard its call. Determined to destroy the gem, he took various weapons and contracted Vanisher to take him to the Temple of Cyttorak in Thailand, where the gem rested. They arrived just as the X-Men and many others were fighting for the gem.[47]
As Vanisher teleported away, Cain battled the mercenaries there and knocked Man-Killer out of the temple. He turned his attention to the X-Men afterwards, attacking them and demanding them to admit that they killed his brother. Cain only stopped attacking them when Northstar told him that it was Cyclops who had killed Xavier. Cain was about to destroy the gem, which he had just found, when he was attacked by Colossus, who also wanted to destroy the gem, but thought he wanted its power for himself. They battled until the Living Monolith claimed both the gem and the power of Juggernaut for himself.[48]
Battle for the power of Cyttorak
While Abdol showed off his newfound powers, Marko stayed behind with the X-Men as they tried to figure out a way to defeat the new Juggernaut. Colossus eventually came with the idea of calling Cyttorak to strike a deal with him. Once in front of the Crimson Demon, Colossus defied him to give him enough power to kill even him himself and they would fight to the death, but he instead gave it to Marko, who became Juggernaut once again. With more power than ever before, Marko defeated Abdol.[49]
Although he had enough power to kill Cyttorak, Cain only wanted to kill the man who killed his brother: Cyclops. The X-Men tried to stop him, but he easily defeated them. He was then confronted by Colossus, who tried to remind him that he wanted to destroy the gem, but Cain didn't listen. Juggernaut easily punched him miles away and attacked him again, but Colossus managed to trick him into destroying the ground he stood on and Cain fell off a cliff, being buried alive by the very ground he had destroyed. Marko eventually managed to dig himself out of it.[50]
ResurrXion[]
The Juggernaut resurfaced once more, aiding his old friend Black Tom Cassidy in dealing with the time-displaced X-Men. Upon spotting Cyclops, Marko went on a rampage, vowing revenge against him, mistaking him for the older Cyclops. Realizing that Juggernaut's rampage would endanger the boat they were on along with the crew and passengers, Beast was forced to use dark magic to send the Juggernaut to Siberia via a portal through Hell, something Cyclops wasn't happy about.[51]
Vs. Deadpool
Eventually making his way to Manhattan, the Juggernaut attacked the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach in the hopes of getting revenge on the young X-Men, unaware that they didn't reside there anymore. Following his defeat at the hands of the older Iceman,[52] the Juggernaut was accidentally summoned to the Avengers Mansion alongside the Cyttora by Doctor Voodoo of the Avengers Unity Division. After Quicksilver's recklessness almost got Synapse killed, Doctor Voodoo commanded the Cyttora to seal the Juggernaut inside his own armor and banished him.[53] He later returned to Earth and tried to collect a twenty million dollar bounty that had been put on Deadpool's head, but the Merc With a Mouth ran over him with a concrete truck and buried him under its contents.[54]
Disciple of Cyttorak[]
Becoming Cyttorak's champion on Earth again, Juggernaut joined the cannibalistic Disciples of Cyttorak at the Temple of Cyttorak in Thailand. When Thor invaded their temple to reclaim the Warlock's Eye, an ancient weapon of mind control that fell to Earth following Asgardia's destruction, the Juggernaut opposed him, for the cult wanted to use the weapon to conquer the whole world for their master. It took all of Thor's newly created enchanted hammers to put the Juggernaut down.[7]
The Juggernaut's defeat at the hands of Thor made Cyttorak question whether or not he was still worthy of being his avatar. Thus, Cyttorak decided to test him in an illusory world created by his other disciples. With the help of a younger version of himself manifested by his mind, Cain let go of the restraints he subconsciously held onto for years and unleashed his full power at Cyttorak, finally passing the test. However, Cain didn't like Cyttorak messing with his head, and decided to search for the other seven Gems of Cyttorak to make his master pay for what he had done.[55]
During the War of the Realms, the Juggernaut was captured by Frost Giants and taken to Jotunheim so their wizards could rob him of Cyttorak's power. After the war was over, the Punisher and Foggy Nelson freed and recruited him to hunt the monsters who had escaped the final battle on Midgard, a quest which they eventually completed.[56]
The Threat of O*N*E[]
As a member of a new incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants led by Magneto, the Juggernaut attacked an Air Force base in East Transia. The X-Men soon showed up to stop them and both groups battled until Magneto's helmet was knocked off his head, revealing to everyone that he was actually Joseph in disguise. This made Juggernaut so mad he ended up knocking Joseph to the ground as Pyro shot his flamethrower at him to brand him a traitor. The battle was over after Cyclops knocked Pyro out. Juggernaut held Joseph in place while telling Cyclops that he was doing this for mutants and wanted to become an X-Man again.[57]
Juggernaut and Hope Summers vs. Fabian Cortez
Juggernaut went on to perform a number of missions to help Cyclops tie up loose ends as part of the X-Men's last mission. This eventually culminated in Emma Frost, who had previously erased her existence from everyone's mind except Cain, calling in the X-Men to help her escape O*N*E. As the X-Men stormed their headquarters, General Callahan set off a gene bomb in Magik's head that suppressed the power of her X-Gene and unleashed the Darkchylde. While the remainder of the X-Men surrendered, Juggernaut confronted his former ally, who proceeded to grab his Cyttorak Gem and crush it, leaving him powerless before condemning him to Limbo.[58]
New Lease on Life[]
Trapped in Limbo, a powerless Cain dragged his armor along as he tried to find a way out. He was ultimately able to exit Limbo and entered the Crossroads, where he sacrificed his armor to get home.[59] At a hospital, Charles visited a recovering Cain via a telepathic projection, wanting to know if he was alright, but sadly was forced to deny Cain from becoming a citizen of Krakoa. After fully recovering, Cain was determined to regain his powers as Juggernaut. After going to a forgotten shrine dedicated to Cyttorak in Budapest for information,[60] Marko obtained the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak and the remains of the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, allowing Marko to regain his powers. When Cyttorak met with Marko, Marko told him that he would no longer work for him and that he wasn't linked to him due to his armor made from Bands of Cyttorak found on Earth. Marko then vowed to no longer work for gods or madmen.[61]
Some months later, he got a job working for Damage Control by helping remove rubble and bringing down buildings needing demolishing. During this time, he befriended a homeless teenager named D-Cel, who had the power to slow down kinetic forces, after rescuing her. Marko thought she was a mutant, but D-Cel claimed that she wasn't a mutant; instead, she got her powers from an unspecified accident.[59]
After a failed attempt to apprehend Hulk, Marko was sued for twenty-five million dollars due to causing the bankruptcy of a construction company.[60] During the court proceedings, they were assaulted by Quicksand. After Cain defeated Quicksand, Cain's lawyer Bernie Rosenthal was able to convince the person suing him to settle the case out of court. Cain then learned that Quicksand had been mind-controlled by Zola who went after D-Cel for experimentation and who worked for the company Absolution Solutions to experiment on superhuman prisoners.[62]
After thwarting Zola's operations,[63] Cain took his fight to Absolution Solutions with help from D-Cel. Their attack was for naught as they learned Absolution Solutions were backed by the government and thus Juggernaut couldn't legally take them out. To protect D-Cel from imprisonment and experimentation, he convinced her to openly admit that she was a mutant and ask for asylum on the mutant-only nation of Krakoa. Days later, Juggernaut forced Zola to restore Quicksand using remains of her recovered by Damage Control. Juggernaut convinced Quicksand not to attack Zola and instead help him ensure that superhuman prisoners weren't mistreated.[64]
Krakoa[]
Juggernaut was eventually granted citizenship on Krakoa after the Quiet Council put it to a vote. In exchange he was made to join Nightcrawler's Legionaries, he believed this was all by Xavier's design, but Nightcrawler revealed to him his brother had voted against him and it was him who had worked out this arrangement. As part of the team, he was partnered with ForgetMeNot, although he believed he didn't have a partner. ForgetMeNot was seen interrogating Paulie "The Pall" DiCosta at the Green Lagoon about his wife Lisa, who he was accused of murdering. When Paulie got aggressive, he had Cain burst in and apprehend him so they could take him to The Station.[65]
After months of working in service of Krakoa, Marvel Girl would nominate Cain as a member of the newest iteration of the X-Men. Juggernaut was elected an X-Man by the people of Krakoa at the third Krakoan Hellfire Gala, but was captured during the Orchis ambush on the gala mere minutes later, when he was beaten into unconsciousness by Nimrod.[66]
Fall of X[]
Juggernaut was imprisoned by Orchis at the Henry Gyrich Re-education Center along with Cyclops, tied together to a deadly machine: if Juggernaut had to break out, a bomb would've exploded under Cyclops, killing him. Kate Pryde discovered Marko and freed him without breaking the machine, but was caught by Nimrod again. Doctor Stasis, leader of Orchis' Human/Resources department, decided to control the power of the Juggernaut by harnessing his powers and transferring them to himself.[67] The day of the transfusion Juggernaut was freed by Firestar (who was working for the X-Men as a mole in Orchis), escaped the building and finally rejoined the X-Men.[68]
Juggernaut would spend the next few weeks working with the team and prepping their strike against Orchis. When the time came, Cain's role was to extract and rescue Krakoa from the clutches of Orchis (with the living island reverted to a small and shriveled avatar due to being deprived of mutant energy). Juggernaut would wreak havoc on Orchis' forces but would eventually be overwhelmed by their adamantium weaponry, needing to be supported by Apocalypse and Sunfire's Arakkii forces.[69]
From the Ashes[]
After the war against Orchis came to a close with a mutant victory, Juggernaut would relocate to Alaska and join Cyclops' new team of X-Men.[70]Attributes
 |
Powers
- Demonic Empowerment: After losing the the Gem of Cyttorak along with his powers, Cain bonded to the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak[62] found on Earth and repowered using the pieces of the Gem of Cyttorak,[63] seemingly giving the following powers:
- Superhuman Strength: Cain is strong enough to easily tear down buildings and cause shockwaves by hitting the ground.[59] He could disperse Primus' body with a handclap.[63]
- Superhuman Leaping: Cain's great strength extends to his legs and can use it to make incredible jumps.[64]
- Superhuman Stamina: Cain can fight for prolonged periods of time without getting tired.[71]
- Invulnerability: Cain can easily resist a building collapsing on him[59] and can take blows from the likes of Hulk[60] and Quicksand[62] without major damage. Even bullets are incapable to cause him any damage but Adamantium has been showed to be one of the few metal able to pierce his skin.[72]
- Force-Field: Cain can generate and extend a personal force field from his body to furtherly enhance his durability.[73]
- Irresistible Force Embodiment: Once Cain starts to advance in a direction it is virtually impossible to stop him. Even D-Cel ability to slow down kinetic motion was unable to completely stop him and could only slow his advance.[59] Texas Twister was also unable to significantly slow down Marko's advance, despite pushing himself to his limits.[74]
- Summoning: Juggernaut can summon his specialized armor at any time he wants.[62][59] While it was originally believed that he summoned his armor from another dimension he revealed that his armor is actually stored inside of his body.[75]
- Regenerative Healing Factor: The Gem of Cyttorak allows Cain to recover from injuries at an accelerated rate. He was able to recover from the near-lethal beating that Nimrod gave him[66] with no sign afterward.[67]
- Superhuman Strength: Cain is strong enough to easily tear down buildings and cause shockwaves by hitting the ground.[59] He could disperse Primus' body with a handclap.[63]
Abilities
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: As a result of his days in the military and his experiences as a superhuman, the Juggernaut is a formidable hand to hand combatant preferring to use street fighting and brawling techniques that allow him to make full use of his great strength.
Weaknesses
Cain was susceptible to exceedingly high levels of mental and mystical attack. For example, Mjolnir once was able to absorb and negate Cain's formerly impenetrable magic force field. Both types of attacks were able to harm him, but neither were shown to cause any type of permanent injury. His weakness to mental attacks was typically nullified by his helmet, but after his latest upgrade, he is now completely immune to psychic assault even without his helmet.[50]
If Juggernaut does not use his powers in a manner approved of by Cyttorak, the power of the gem does not work correctly, essentially making him a human with only a portion of some of his powers.[80] Also, being infused with unstoppable force can be used against him, as Hulk did during one of their battles, deflecting Cain's charge, causing him to speed away, unable to stop himself.[80] Furthermore, by halting his movement, or putting him in a situation where he cannot use any leverage, the strength Cain gains from his charge is rendered useless. [21]Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Juggernaut Armor: After being stripped of his powers, Cain was imbued with new powers after bonding to the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, which formed a new armor that Marko could manifest at will.[62] His armor furtherly enhances his durability and it is completely bulletproof.[94] Unlike his previous armor this new one can allow telepathic communication.[73]
Weapons
Notes
- Cain was seen receiving a red X-Men logo tattoo on his arm during a cameo in Deadline #1.
See Also
- 360 appearance(s) of Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 20 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 94 minor appearance(s) of Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 104 mention(s) of Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 17 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 482 image(s) of Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 34 quotation(s) by or about Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 2 victim(s) killed by Cain Marko (Earth-616)
- 3 item(s) used/owned by Cain Marko (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Amazing Spider-Man #629
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fear Itself #2
- ↑ New Excalibur #20
- ↑ Defenders (Vol. 2) #10
- ↑ New Excalibur #16
- ↑ Marvel Comics Presents #65
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Thor (Vol. 5) #1
- ↑ Savage Avengers #14
- ↑ Punisher Kill Krew #3
- ↑ Deadline #1
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 X-Men #12
- ↑ Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #4
- ↑ Professor Xavier and the X-Men #12
- ↑ New Excalibur #15
- ↑ X-Men #12–13
- ↑ X-Men #32–33
- ↑ Doctor Strange #182
- ↑ Amazing Adventures (Vol. 2) #16
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Incredible Hulk #172
- ↑ X-Men #101–103
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Amazing Spider-Man #230
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Uncanny X-Men #183
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Uncanny X-Men #194
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #218
- ↑ Excalibur #3
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Mighty Thor #412
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Mighty Thor #429
- ↑ X-Force #4
- ↑ Avengers: West Coast #64
- ↑ Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #44
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Incredible Hulk #457
- ↑ X-Men Unlimited #12
- ↑ Juggernaut (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 X-Men Forever #6
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Uncanny X-Men #436
- ↑ She-Hulk (Vol. 2) #21
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #164
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #461
- ↑ New Excalibur #5–24
- ↑ World War Hulk: X-Men #2–3
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 Incredible Hulk #602
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #627–629
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 Thunderbolts #144
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #543
- ↑ Dark Avengers #180
- ↑ Dark Avengers #181
- ↑ Amazing X-Men (Vol. 2) #16
- ↑ Amazing X-Men (Vol. 2) #17
- ↑ Amazing X-Men (Vol. 2) #18
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 Amazing X-Men (Vol. 2) #19
- ↑ X-Men: Blue #1
- ↑ Iceman (Vol. 3) #5
- ↑ Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 3) #28–29
- ↑ Despicable Deadpool #298
- ↑ X-Men: Black - Juggernaut #1
- ↑ Punisher Kill Krew #2–5
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 5) #16
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 5) #17–21
- ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 59.3 59.4 59.5 59.6 Juggernaut (Vol. 3) #1
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 Juggernaut (Vol. 3) #2
- ↑ Juggernaut (Vol. 3) #3–4
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 62.2 62.3 62.4 Juggernaut (Vol. 3) #3
- ↑ 63.0 63.1 63.2 Juggernaut (Vol. 3) #4
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 Juggernaut (Vol. 3) #5
- ↑ Legion of X #1
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 #1
- ↑ 67.0 67.1 X-Men (Vol. 6) #27
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 6) #28
- ↑ Fall of the House of X #3–4
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 7) #1
- ↑ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #20
- ↑ Fall of the House of X #3
- ↑ 73.0 73.1 X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #19
- ↑ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #13
- ↑ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #18
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #541
- ↑ X-Men Forever #1
- ↑ 78.0 78.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #1
- ↑ 79.0 79.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #1
- ↑ 80.0 80.1 80.2 80.3 World War Hulk: X-Men #3
- ↑ New Excalibur #13–15
- ↑ Secret Wars II #7
- ↑ Incredible Hulk #402
- ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 Mighty Thor #411
- ↑ All New Exiles #4
- ↑ Generation X #61
- ↑ Thunderbolts #153
- ↑ Thunderbolts #150
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #88
- ↑ X-Men #102
- ↑ 91.0 91.1 Juggernaut #1
- ↑ Spider-Man #16
- ↑ 93.0 93.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #5
- ↑ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #17
- ↑ X-Men #13
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #70
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 6