It is not new information that the Juggernaut is one angry dude and nearly unstoppable, but we may now know what the centerpoint for his rage is, thanks to the most-recent issue in the X-Men Black series, X-Men Black: Juggernaut #1.
You already knew that he is the half-brother of one Dr. Charles Xavier. Growing up, Cain Marko endured both psychological and physical abuse from his father, Dr. Kurt Marko, but it was not until he moved in with his stepmother and stepbrother, Charles, that he realized his boiling point, including jealousy and sadness, as his father preferred Charles to him.
Juggernaut is the avatar of Cytorrak, a demon god. Marko stumbled upon a shrine housing the Crimson Gem of Cytorrak while excavating and took it as his own. As long as he is in possession of it, he is unstoppable and filled with power and rage.
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It was announced back in July that Marvel was planning an X-Men Black Event, which would essentially give the mutant villains the spotlight, but we had no idea that it would include brand-new origin stories!
SPOILERS AHEAD – YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!!
It has now been revealed that the Crimson Gem indeed amplifies Marko’s rage, but it is not the pure source of it. In the issue, Cytorrak has become angry with Marko’s performance in yielding his power and orders the Priests of Cytorrak to hold him prisoner while forcing him to relive moments from his past, ones that test his psyche, both mentally and physically.
Cytorrak reveals himself to Juggernaut and presents him with a challenge to a fight. Marko, already hallucinating, is visited by spectres from his past, including his younger self, making him feel more inadequate, thus filling him with even more rage. He then realizes that this personality trait is within him, channels it and then defeats Cytorrak.
Marko’s victory restores Cytorrak’s faith in the Juggernaut’s abilities as his avatar and he frees him from his priest’s mental prison. The priests had mentioned, while Juggernaut was subdued, that there are, in fact, eight gems and Cytorrak is but just one of the magic beings associated with the ‘Octessence’. Each created totems, similar to that of the Crimson Gem, that if accumulated, would morph a mortal into the, ‘Examplar’.
Maybe a series will spring up from this new knowledge in that, Juggernaut, will seek out the other seven gems, in an attempt to garner Examplar status and challenge Cytorrak for his power.
Is this the best issue yet in the X-Men Black series? What do you think about this new information, is Juggernaut bound for bigger things? Let us know in the comments section below.
