In Marvel Comics, the unstoppableJuggernauthas been giving Professor X and the rest of theX-Mena hard go of it for decades, with his brute strength and mystically-imbued power making up for his lack of smarts and critical thinking on the battlefield. When regaining his powers after losing them for a time,Juggernaut received a badass redesign along with the removal of his most exploited weakness: his susceptibility to a telepath’s abilities whenever his helmet is ripped off.
The living avatar ofthe demon Cyttorak, Cain Marko aka Juggernaut, gained his unstoppable moniker after obtaining the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, a ruby that gave him, according to its inscription, “…the power of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!"
But inAmazing X-Men #15 - #19during an arc dubbed “Once and Future Juggernaut,” Cain has been de-powered for some time, with the battle over a recently resurfaced Cyttorak gem leading to a mad race to see who can nab it first, resulting inCain regaining his Juggernaut mantle along with the ability to block telepathywithoutwearing his helmet.
Amazing X-Men: Once and Future Juggernaut- 2015 (Christopher Yost and Jorge Fornés)
MakingJuggernaut stronger and more badass-lookingthan ever before, Juggernaut regaining his ultimate power came at a time when Cain had settled for a life of peace and solitude, until, that is, he heard about a Phoenix-corrupted Cyclops murdering his brother, Professor X, in cold blood during2012’sAvengers vs. X-Menstoryline. Wanting to exact revenge on Cyclops, Cain joins in on the hunt for the Gem of Cyttorak, and after the X-Men’s Colossus fails to convince the demon to transfer his power to him, Cain is reborn as Cyttorak’s avatar complete with a new character design.
Marvel’s New Juggernaut Has the Darkest Possible Connection to the Original
Marvel Comics recently introduced an all-new Juggernaut, and he has a dark connection to the shameful origin of the original Juggernaut, Cain Marko.
Attacked by Storm, Iceman, and the rest of the X-Men on the scene, the team predictably attempts to “Take the helmet,” directly targeting the one weakness of Juggernaut’s they know they can exploit. Believing that with the telepathic Rachel Summers at their side, they should easily win,Juggernaut unexpectedly removes his helmet mid-fight, revealing a more demon than human redesign underneath, surprising Colossus and bringing Cain more visually in line with his demonic master. Unable to telepathically “read him” as Rachel usually can, Cain explains that “Every weakness I had is gone,” threatening that he can no longer be stopped.
The X-Men Could No Longer Exploit Juggernaut’s Biggest Weakness After He Regained His Ultimate Power
Juggernaut’s Helmet Usually Blocks All Telepathic Attacks
Allowing Cain to completely ignore thetelepathic prodding of Rachel Summers, Juggernaut not only gets an even more hulking appearance but a newfound sense of confidence that solidifies him as the “once and future” version of this character. Furthermore,what makes this upgrade so important is that it acts as a rude awakening for the X-Men by eradicating the go-to solution they use to take Juggernaut down, a point Iceman makes earlier when saying that “telepaths can take him out just like that. Pop his helmet off and we’re done,” something that no longer applies to Cain after this issue.
Currently rostered on the main “From the Ashes” X-Men team led by Cyclops, the man he was hell-bent on murdering in this very story,Juggernaut still needs to wear his helmetin the field since his immunity to telepathy fluctuates in comics greatly, and depending on the creators writing him at the time. It’s a generally accepted thought thatCain still uses his helmet forsomelevel of telepathic resistance, but it’s also implied that after the events of “The Once and Future Juggernaut,” he still retained some kind of psychic defense even when not wearing his signature helmet.
Finishing out this arc bylaying the beat down on Colossuswith a kind of raw strength he’s never possessed before, Juggernaut is defeated on a technicality after Colossus destroys the cliff he’s standing on, sending him into the water below and proving thatwhile Juggernaut is still one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, he still isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. GivingX-Men’s Cain Marko an extreme redesign and nixingJuggernaut’s high susceptibility to telepathy when not wearing his helmet shows that he truly can be unstoppable, especially when he has nothing to lose.
Amazing X-Men: Once and Future Juggernautis available from Marvel Comics.
