THE TOP 5 GREATEST BATTLES OF
THE JUGGERNAUT
BY
John "THE MEGO STRETCH HULK" Cimino
JUGGERNAUT
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby First Appearance: X-MEN #12 (1965)
Cain Marko is a man with extreme anger issues and a thirst for vengeance that just won't quit. Most of this was
learned from his abusive father and his jealously for his step-brother Charles Xavier. The power of the Juggernaut gave him the tools to
fully utilize these feelings. By becoming
indestructible and unstoppable, the roles are reversed. Everyone else
is a victim and he is part of that force that no one can control. This
compliments his tough demeanor that stemmed from his angry
upbringing. If nothing can stop him, everyone and everything around
him loses their intrinsic value. Human life means very little and so
does anything they hold dear. This allows him to vent his anger with
little regard of those he hurts, especially in a slugfest.
The character started reaching all new levels of popularity being
associated with Wolverine and the X-Men that really started to explode in the 1990s. He now begins to feature more prominently in Marvel titles, as well as cartoons, toys, posters, video
games and even being a major villain in the movie X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and Deadpool 2 (2018). How could you not love this guy? Juggernaut is a
big and nasty individual who gets what he wants, when he wants. He is one of the roughest and toughest men on the planet, who knew it and
enjoyed it. So, in honor of our unstoppable friend, here are his 5 best slugfests that turned him into a fan-favorite and legend.
Like the big man says, "Nothing Stops the Juggernaut!" and nothing ever will...
5.) THUNDERBOLTS #153 (2011)
Writer: Jeff Parker Art: Kev Walker and Jason Gorder
This
issue is a perfect example of who Cain Marko is at the heart and why he
has become such a beloved cult character in the Marvel Universe. Yes,
he is mostly known for his volatile and bullish ways, but he also looks out for those he cares about and will protect them in the face of
adversity. And despite being de-powered in this issue from the
full-power of Cyttorak, he is still tough as nails and someone who refuses to quit.
King
Hyperion snags Songbird's and Moonstone's comlink (that has the ability
to nullify each Thunderbolt with the press of a button) and this forces
Juggernaut to save them from drowning. When he returns, Cain is pretty
pissed off about the callousness what his supposed teammate just did.
Then Hyperion presses the "J" button on the comlink for fun and watches
Cain wither in pain. As Hyperion is about to fly off, Cain grabs his
foot and smashes him to the ground. This angers King Hyperion as he
begins to unmercifully pound on Cain to a bloody mess, breaking his
helmet and knee in the process. But Cain was playing the whole Muhammad
Ali "rope-a-dope" trick on Hyperion and when the King hit's him on top
of his head and hurts his hand, Cain attacks back. Soon Hyperion gets
really angry and uses his Nuclear Vision to burn Cain until Moonstone
recovers and helps him out, saving his life. Then Ghost grabs the
comlink collar and presses the "H" button and this causes the pain of
Hyperion's weakness to Argonite to activate and render him helpless.
Juggernaut, Ghost and Moonstone then proceed to beat the living hell out
of him (see the picture above) and now showing fear, the Man-Thing
steps in and burns him with his mystic touch... ouch.
4.) THE UNCANNY X-MEN #183 (1984)
Writer: Chris Claremont Art: John Romita Jr. and Dan Green
Back from his
ordeal on Battleworld, Colossus has come to bring the hard news to Kitty
Pryde that while he was gone, he fell in love with another.
The revelation crushes Kitty; however she hides the hurt from him until
she returns to the room she shares with Illyana. Both Illyana and
Lockheed try to comfort her when she breaks down into tears.
At a bar in Manhattan, Wolverine tries to get Colossus to realize
that his "romance" with Zsaji on Battleworld was not a relationship,
and the two come to odds over Peter's true feelings for Kitty. During
the conversation, Logan picks up the Juggernaut's scent and realizes
that their old foe is drinking at the bar in his normal get up as Cain Marko. Not wishing for a fight to
break out, Logan suggests that they leave. When Colossus decides to be
difficult, the slightly drunk mutant stumbles and spills his drink on Cain.
Spoiling for a fight after his defeat at the hands of Spider-Man, Cain picks a fight with Colossus. As the fight rages, they
trash the whole bar, but ultimately Cain wins knocking Colossus out with his "Sunday Punch". When the fight is
over, Cain asks Wolverine and Nightcrawler if they wish to
fight. Logan says no, and then he departs leaving money to pay
for the damages (which was cool as hell). When they confront Colossus, he is angry with his
friends for not helping. Logan points out that X-Men will help each
other out for honor and sacrifice everything, like when Kitty was
willing to marry Caliban so that the Morlocks would save his life. As he walks away Nightcrawler tells Wolverine he is unforgiving.
However, Logan points out that Colossus needed to be taught a hard
lesson about honor.
3.) THE INCREDIBLE HULK #172 (1974)
Writers: Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Steve Englehart Art: Herb Trimpe and Jack Abel
This
was the issue that truly established Juggernaut as a Super-Heavyweight
in the Marvel Universe. While he was always a dominant adversary against
the X-Men, Juggernaut was rarely ever tested on a physical level. Enter
the "Savage" Incredible Hulk; the standard of physical power in the
Marvel Universe. This was a slugfest that would test Juggernaut's mettle
and turn
"Hulk vs Juggernaut" into a legendary rivalry.
Dr. Peter Corbeau calls Colonel Jack Armbruster after hearing about the
Hulk's capture and tells him that he has a solution to ending the threat
of the Hulk once and for all. Corbeau arrives just as the Hulk wakes
up, and furious over his captivity goes on a rampage in his cell,
shaking the entire base. Base scientists believe that the Hulk might be
able to break out of his cell within two days, prompting Corbeau to work
quickly. Coming up with a device to banish the Hulk in a space-time
warp, he rolls in his new device and uses it on the Hulk, transporting
him away to another realm. However, in doing so, Corbeau unwittingly
releases the Juggernaut from his mystical exile and he begins trying to
break out of the cell as well. In attempting to send the Juggernaut
back, the machine malfunctions and send the Hulk back to Earth.
The Hulk is confused by the presence of the Juggernaut and he
explains his origins. Finally free from his exile, the Juggernaut and the Hulk decide to work together
to free themselves, and with their combined strength manage to bust out
of their prison. The duo make short work of all the military force that
is thrown at them by Armbruster. In the end both the Hulk and the Juggernaut manage to escape.
When the Juggernaut causes a car full of passing tourists crash,
he decides to terrorized them. The Hulk, not wishing the innocent humans
from being harmed tries to stop him, leading to a clash between the
two. The two are evenly matched as they fight across the desert until
the Hulk manages to grab the Juggernaut's helmet and spin him around so
fast that it breaks loose sending the Juggernaut slamming into the side
of a mountain. Confused by what happened the Hulk wanders off, but the
Juggernaut is back up quickly and getting ready to attack the Hulk from
behind. Before he can he is suddenly attacked by Professor X, Cyclops
and Marvel Girl of the X-Men, who easily drop him telepathically now
that his helmet is off. When Cyclops asks if they should go after the
Hulk, the Professor tells him that they have to keep searching for the
missing Angel, deciding to leave the tormented Hulk alone.
2.) THE MIGHTY THOR #429 (1991)
Writer: Tom DeFalco Art: Ron Frenz and Joe Sinnott
Juggernaut first fought Thor in the pages of The Mighty Thor #411
and 412 (1989). While that was a great battle in its own right, Thor was not
up to full-strength due to suffering from a mysterious illness so the
battle was inconclusive. Fans clamored for another confrontation between
these two Super-Heavyweights without any excuses and this issue didn't
disappoint. Was Mjolnir's magic greater than the magic of Cyttorak?
"Thor vs Juggernaut" now entered the halls of the Marvel Universe and
the debates would begin.
Thor agrees to help Prince
Zalaski overthrow the Juggernaut who has taken over his empire. Thor
eventually finds
Juggernaut inside Zalaski's castle and attacks him. After a few tremendous blows with Mjolnir, Juggernaut's force field easily shrugs them all off. But after discovering the source of Juggernaut's powers, the Thunder God looks to even up the odds. He
sends Mjolnir circling around the castle, cutting off
Juggernaut’s mystical force field that constantly protects him from
harm. Now only powered by his natural durability and Thor without the
aid of his hammer, they would duke it out to see who was truly the
superior.
Although both combatants seemed to be even in physical strength, Juggernaut
is over-matched in hand-to-hand fighting skills as the Thunder God unmercifully
batters into him. But to Cain's credit, he is as stubborn as a mule and
will not quit and stay down. Before Thor can
deliver the final blow, sixty seconds expire, and with Mjolnir’s return,
Juggernaut’s force field is back. Now with a surprise attack, Juggernaut
manages to separate Thor from his hammer as he tries to wield it to
become truly unbeatable. But being unworthy, Juggernaut cannot hope to
even budge the magical weapon. Thor then calls Mjolnir to his hand and
uses it to send
Juggernaut to an asteroid in deep space ridding Zalaski's empire of the
menace once and for all.
1.) WORLD WAR HULK: X-MEN #2 and 3 (2007)
Writer: Christos Gage Art: Andrea Di Vito
"Hulk Vs Juggernaut" is one of the heaviest of Super-Heavyweight brawls you can have in the Marvel Universe (or in
all
of comics for that matter). While even Cain Marko himself has the utmost
respect for the Green Goliath's strength and power, he is not above a
city-leveling slugfest to prove that he is the more dominant force on the
planet. But in the case of this famous brawl, Cain Marko is confronted
by one of the most powerful incarnations of the Hulk known -- the
anger-fueled "World War" Hulk! This would be Cain's greatest test and the
results would turn him into an absolute legend.
Ever
since Cain Marko refused the bidding of Cyttorak he became a de-powered
Juggernaut. And now with a raging-mad Hulk bent on revenge to those who exiled him from Earth, he was beating up every
X-Men in sight looking for Charles Xavier. Cain
knows its up to him to try and stop the brute. Marko makes a plea to
Cyttorak, to amp his powers back up, ostensibly so he can rescue his
step-brother. But as Marko makes an all out attack on the Hulk, he ends
up getting dropped into the action still at half-strength. The Hulk
will pound on Marko unmercifully and decisively.
With
the "World War" Hulk continuing to pummel the rest of the X-Men, Marko
asks Cyttorak why he let him fight the Hulk at half-power. We learn that
Cyttorak wants his avatar back to being vicious, and realizing on some
level that's what Marko wants as well. Cain agrees to go back to being
the one-true Juggernaut at full-power, armoring back up and charging at
the Hulk for a battle of the century! The two behemoths go back and
forth until they are in a deadlocked stand off pushing against the
other. Soon Professor X comes running out and yells at the two brutes to
stop their pushing match because the extreme force they are using is
breaking the foundation of the school and it will collapse. The Hulk
will take this moment of hesitation and sidestep Juggernaut who topples
forward and gets and added push in the back which sends him running
wildly into the bottom of a lake. When Juggernaut eventually returns, the Hulk is long gone and he is ashamed that he's back to his full-power knowing that it will cost him his new friendships within the ranks of the X-Men.
Agree? Disagree? Let's hear it fanboys!!
Check out other "THE TOP 5 GREATEST BATTLES OF..." here:
John Cimino
John
Cimino is a Silver and Bronze Age comic, cartoon and memorabilia expert
that runs a business called "Saturday Morning Collectibles." He buys, sells, appraises and gives seminars on everything pop culture, so if
you got something special, let him know about it. He contributes
articles to ALTER EGO, RETROFAN, BACK ISSUE and THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR from TwoMorrows Publishing, runs the Roy Thomas Appreciation Board on Facebook and has appeared on the AMC reality show Comic Book Men. He also represents some of comicdoms biggest stars and brings them to a Comic Con near you. John likes to think he's the real Captain Marvel, people just don't have
the heart to tell him he's just an obsessed fanboy that loves to play
superheroes with his daughter Bryn. Contact him at johnstretch@live.com or follow him on Instagram at megostretchhulk.
