Juggernaut (character)

"The Unstoppable Juggernaut" redirects here. For the X-Men episode, see The Unstoppable Juggernaut (X-Men: The Animated Series).
Juggernaut
Juggernaut, as appearing in Uncanny X-Men #410 (Oct. 2002)
Art by Ron Garney.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe X-Men #12 (July 1965)[1][2]
Created byStan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (writer/artist)
In-story information
Alter egoCain Marko
SpeciesHuman Mutate
Team affiliationsUnited States Army
Brotherhood of Mutants
All-New Exiles
New Excalibur
Lethal Legion
X-Men
Thunderbolts
PartnershipsBlack Tom Cassidy
Notable aliasesCaptain Universe
Kuurth: Breaker of Stone
Abilities

Juggernaut (Cain Marko) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.[3] Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #12 (July 1965) as an adversary of the eponymous superhero team.[4] Since then, he has come into conflict with other heroes, primarily Spider-Man and the Hulk.

Cain Marko is a regular human who was empowered by a gem belonging to the deity Cyttorak, becoming a literal human juggernaut. He possesses superhuman strength and durability, and is virtually immune to most physical attacks; his helmet also protects him from mental attacks. Although not a mutant, Juggernaut has been featured as a prominent member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. He is also the stepbrother of Professor X.

Since his debut during the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character has appeared in over five decades of Marvel publications, featuring prominently in the X-Men titles and starring in two one-shot solo publications. The character has also been associated with Marvel merchandise including clothing, toys, trading cards, animated television series, video games. Juggernaut was played by Vinnie Jones in the film X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), by Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 2 (2018), and by Aaron W. Reed in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). In some adaptations (most notably the films), Marko is a mutant who was born with his powers, while in others they simply come from his costume.

In 2008, Juggernaut was ranked 188th on Wizard's list of Top 200 Comic Book Characters.[5] In 2009, Juggernaut was ranked 19th on IGN's list of Top 100 Comic Book Villains.[6] IGN also ranked him as Spider-Man's 22nd greatest enemy.[7]

  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ Conroy, Mike (2004). 500 Comicbook Villains. Collins & Brown. ISBN 1-84340-205-X.
  3. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 172. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  4. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 201. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  5. ^ "The Top 200 Comic Book Greatest Characters of All Time, Part 2" Archived 2008-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, May 13, 2008 . Archive.org archive
  6. ^ "Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. "19. Juggernaut" (article dated 2009 on first page)
  7. ^ "Top 25 Spider-Man Villains". IGN. 16 April 2014.