The beauty of some comic book characters is how easily they can be summed up in one simple tagline. This is especially the case with many of Marvel Comics’ most popular heroes and villains. Take Spider-Man, who is defined by the phrase “With great power comes great responsibility.” Or Hulk, who is quick to remind people that he’s “the strongest there is” – which makes it immediately clear that the Jade Giant is all about brute force. Even Wolverine’s frequent boast that he’s “the best there is at what [he] does…but what [he] does isn’t very nice” speaks volumes about who the guy is and what kind of skills he brings to the table.
And then there’s the Juggernaut, recently seen in Deadpool 2, whose virtually unstoppable momentum has given rise to the expression “Nothing can stop the Juggernaut!”
But while Spider-Man has repeatedly proven that he’s willing to use his fantastic abilities for the common good, and no one would dispute the incredible strength or deadly talents of either the Hulk or Wolverine, the buzz around Juggernaut doesn’t quite ring true.
Of course you expect the Juggernaut to be impossible to slow down, much less defeat – it’s right there in the name. Yet the reality is that this X-Men villain – otherwise known as Cain Marko – has proven himself decidedly less unbeatable than his reputation (and moniker) would suggest.
With this in mind, here are 15 Characters Who Have Stopped The "Unstoppable" Juggernaut.
Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Yukio
It’s fair to say that many of Juggernaut’s losses on this list are humiliating – especially for a villain whose street cred relies heavily on being seen as an unstoppable force of nature. From receiving a (psychic) thrashing from his wheelchair-bound step-brother to blundering into a pit of wet cement, this supposedly tough-as-nails baddie has suffered some crushing defeats.
However, the way in which Juggernaut is bested in Deadpool 2 really does take the cake in terms of just how embarrassing it is. Things start out well enough: this living engine of destruction tosses around Deadpool, Cable, and Domino, and gradually gains the upper hand in a brutal slugfest with Colossus.
The tide turns when Colossus’ X-Men teammate Negasonic Teenage Warhead and her girlfriend Yukio arrive on the scene. First, Yukio tangles up Juggernaut’s ankles with a chain-link whip super-charged by her mutant powers, catching him off balance. Next – and this is where things really start to look bad – Colossus takes advantage of Juggy’s disorientation, shoving a nearby live wire up his rear end!
Then, for the coup de grace, Negasonic Teenage Warhead blasts him into a handily-located fountain, where – due to the voltage coursing through his legs and butt – he’s subsequently fried until he passes out.
Thor
Thor is one of the heaviest hitters in the Marvel Universe, so fans had long wondered exactly how he would fare against Juggernaut, who could theoretically absorb whatever the Odinson throws his way. When this “irresistible force vs immovable object” clash finally did take place (in The Mighty Thor #112), the end result could best be described as a draw.
This wouldn’t be the last time the pair would throw down, though – and the next time they squared-off, an undisputed victor was crowned - and it wasn’t Juggernaut.
Cain Marko hung in there far longer than almost any adversary the God of Thunder has gone up against over the years.
Nevertheless, the fight that readers witnessed in The Mighty Thor #429 was a largely lopsided affair, serving mostly as a showcase for just how much abuse Juggernaut’s force field can withstand. Even when Thor is deprived of his hammer – as part of a cunning manoeuvre to likewise strip Juggernaut of his force field – he’s able to clobber the villain’s durable hide with superhuman blows from his fists.
The hostilities reach their apex (literally) when Thor launches Juggernaut deep into space, tethering his enemy’s wrist to his magic hammer and flinging it off-world!
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is arguably comics’ greatest underdog – as highlighted when he pulled off an upset victory over Juggernaut in Amazing Spider-Man #229-230. In this two-part epic – fittingly titled “Nothing Can Stop The Juggernaut!” – the webslinger goes toe-to-toe with the Marvel Universe’s most durable bad guy in defence of frail psychic Madame Webb.
Hopelessly outclassed in terms of strength and endurance, Spidey nevertheless throws everything he can at his opponent – including an exploding oil tanker. None of it works, as the mystical resilience bestowed upon Juggernaut by the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak renders him impervious to nearly any attack.
Yet despite sustaining a severe pummelling courtesy of Juggernaut’s mighty fists, the wall-crawler refuses to yield. The battle rages on – laying waste to multiple city blocks along the way – with our hero desperately trying to formulate a winning strategy before it’s too late.
Just when things start to look truly hopeless, an exhausted Spider-Man experiences a game-changing “Eureka” moment.
He realizes that Juggernaut’s helmet doesn’t shield his eyes. Sure, the big lug’s peepers are far from unprotected – in addition to being nigh-invulnerable, Juggernaut is able to erect a crazy-powerful force field around himself – but it is a weakness all the same.
Exploiting this vulnerability, Spidey webs over the eyeholes in Juggernaut’s headgear, and steers the baddie in the direction of a construction site. From here, he was able to lure Marko toward a slab of wet cement, into which he promptly sank – a prison he wouldn’t escape for over a month!
Professor Xavier
As comics fans (and Deadpool 2 fans) will already know, X-Men founder Professor Charles Xavier and Cain Marko are stepbrothers – and to say that the pair have never really bonded is putting it mildly. Professor X and Juggernaut have a long history of feuding that dates back to when they were teenagers, and tensions finally boiled over in X-Men #12-13, Juggernaut's debut.
Here, Juggernaut shows up at the X-Mansion and wastes no time trashing the place, easily brushing aside the high-tech defences installed by his estranged step-sibling. Next up, Marko was confronted by Xavier’s students, but not even the considerable offensive talents of the entire X-Men roster were enough to dent Juggernaut’s stride.
Finally, Xavier himself entered the fray, and ironically, it was he who was able to turn the tables on Juggernaut. Deducing that his stepbrother’s immunity to telepathic assault was derived from his helmet, Charles cooked up a plan to take Juggernaut’s hard hat out of the equation.
It took help from Beast and Angel – not to mention the Human Torch – but the lumbering villain ultimately found himself separated from his headwear, and completely at Xavier’s mercy. As you might expect in a relationship this spiteful, the Professor wasn’t exactly gentle, hammering his brother from another mother with wave after wave of violent physic energy!
Jean Grey
The X-Men animated series from the mid-90s is fondly remembered by fans of a certain age thanks to how faithfully it translated the characters and themes from the comics books onto the small screen. This extended to the show’s creators loosely re-working story arcs from the comics into episodes of the show – including the team’s first showdown with Juggernaut.
In “The Unstoppable Juggernaut”, the cartoon equivalent of Marvel’s Merry Mutants go up against Cain Marko in a battle that will feel more than a little familiar to anyone who’s read X-Men #12-13. Things broadly shake down the same way in the episode as they do in the comics, although in the remixed version, it’s not Professor Xavier who saves the day!
That honor goes to Jean Grey, who employs a similar tactic to that used by her mentor. Namely, she has a teammate – in this case, Wolverine – loosen Juggernaut’s helmet, leaving him susceptible to telepathic attack.
With the previously invincible Juggernaut now exposed, Jean steps up to the plate, dishing up a psychic beatdown that quickly takes him out of commission.
Sure, it’s hardly an innovative play – but it does deserve kudos for being a solid plan that’s well-executed.
Kitty Pryde (and Leech)
The incarnation of Juggernaut portrayed by Vinnie Jones in X-Men: The Last Stand is without doubt the least formidable version of the character. Unlike his comic book counterpart, this take on Cain Marko doesn’t derive his powers from a mystical rock – he’s simply another one of the franchise’s many mutants.
Admittedly, Juggernaut’s magic-infused origin story would have clashed with the relatively more “realistic” tone of the X-Men movies. All the same, the decision by director Brett Ratner and screenwriters Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn to present a more grounded, less over-the-top version of the character seriously sapped his power levels.
Need proof? Well, look no further than the duo responsible for defeating Juggernaut: Kitty Pryde and Leech. True, Kitty has been known for using her phasing talents in impressively creative ways over the years, and the aptly named Leech can rob any mutant of their natural gifts – but we’re hardly talking about a powerhouse team, here.
What’s more, their method of bringing Juggernaut down would never have worked on any of his alternate selves. Leech surreptitiously robbing the big guy of his ability to maintain momentum once he builds steam – and Kitty then fooling him into attempting to charge through a concrete wall – only works in a world where Juggernaut is a mere mutant.
The Hulk
Juggernaut has tangled with the Hulk several times over the years, and he’s almost always come off second best to the Green Goliath. A mystically-empowered Cain Marko may well be one of the most resilient players in the Marvel Universe – and no slouch in the strength department either – but compared to an irate Bruce Banner? It’s really no contest, so far as brawn is concerned.
Of Juggernaut's numerous defeats at the hands of the Hulk, two were particularly memorable.
The first of these occurred in Incredible Hulk #457, when the Jade Giant’s already earth-shattering power was amped up by supervillain Apocalypse.
True to form, Juggernaut tries to steamroll over his opponent, which proves an ill-advised gambit – as quickly becomes apparent when Hulk is actually able to stop him mid-stride. Now wrong-footed, Juggernaut next finds himself being slung across the desert, before Hulk rips off his helmet and very nearly lops of his head!
The second demoralizing kerb-stomping Juggernaut received from the Hulk is depicted in the World War Hulk storyline. Here, a never-angrier (and therefore never-stronger) Hulk initially pummels Juggernaut, then later – after the big guy gets his second wind – outwits him as well, which only pours salt in the wound.
Wonder Woman
We know what you’re thinking: wait a minute, Wonder Woman is a DC character – what’s she doing fighting a villain from the Marvel Universe? However, longtime comics readers will remember a series of inter-company crossovers published by the “Big Two” of the industry back in the mid-90s.
One of these mini-series was Unlimited Access (which focused on the character Access, developed by both publishers), and it was here that the Amazonian princess and Juggernaut encountered each other.
It’s actually a far less epic, drawn-out confrontation than you might expect – although it starts out looking like the usual, Juggernaut-related titanic struggle is on the cards. Spider-Man – who is teamed up with Wonder Woman – initially struggles in vain to contain the big guy, and one of Juggernaut's trademark rampages seems inevitable.
Enter: Wonder Woman, who tags in for Spidey, much to Juggernaut’s initial amusement. Revealing himself to be a sexist as well as a brute, Juggernaut brags that his female opponent is no match for him.
This is a claim that is almost immediately proven false, when Wonder Woman proceeds to make short work of Juggernaut. Seriously: it’s all over after two uppercuts – one to remove Juggernaut’s helmet, and another delivered to his now vulnerable head, and that's all she wrote!
Rogue
Although the X-Men animated series that premiered in the '90s is a big deal to fans who grew up in that era, follow-up cartoon X-Men: Evolution is equally important to a younger demographic. Interestingly, in contrast to its predecessor, the series featured a roster of superheroes who were predominantly teenagers still learning to control their hormones as well as their powers.
This allowed X-Men: Evolution’s creators to emphasize the at-times dysfunctional relationship between the team members, as they learned to work together for the common good. A fine example of this was the episode “The Stuff of Heroes”, where the rookie X-Men unite to thwart a plan by Juggernaut to demolish a dam.
While this was undoubtedly a team effort, Rogue was clearly the MVP on this occasion.
Using her gift (or curse) to absorb the abilities and life force of anyone she makes physical contact with, Rogue hijacks Juggernaut’s physical strength and quickly puts it to good use.
True, the most angst-ridden of the X-Men still wasn’t up to the challenge of defeating her adversary alone. Nonetheless, Rogue delivers a solid beatdown on Juggernaut unlike anything her peers could manage, softening him up enough for the final, decisive blow to be dealt.
Wolverine
Wolverine is indisputably the best there is at what he does (and what he does is really isn’t very nice). All the same, under typical circumstances, the mutant known as Logan is destined to come off second best in a tussle with the Juggernaut.
We love Logan as much everybody else, but the evidence for Juggernaut’s general superiority really does stack up. Consider their first encounter in Uncanny X-Men #102 – where Wolverine, along with the rest of the team, gets thoroughly rumbled – or more recently in X-Men: The Last Stand – where Juggernaut tosses him around with ease.
In each of these situations, poor Wolverine really doesn’t fare well. Fret not: Wolverine has knocked Juggernaut off his lofty perch at least once. During the Fear Itself event, the Wolverine given a dramatic boost in power by Odin.
This enables him to go up against Cain Marko, who at this point was possessed by Asgardian God Kuurth (rather than the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak). In the ensuring fight, Wolverine at last defeats the Juggernaut – though it's not the most iconic version of the character, it must be said.
Also, for what it’s worth: in the Marvel Zombies series, Zombie Wolverine absolutely decimates Zombie Juggernaut with one punch – again, fueled by otherworldly energies!
Spider-Woman & Storm
Ask any comics fan to draw up a shortlist of contenders who might be able to take on the Juggernaut and win, and chances are Spider-Woman’s name won’t enter the mix. That’s not meant as a slight on Jessica Drew’s skills as a costumed adventurer, mind you. It’s simply an acknowledgement that (like most superheroes) she’s not packing the kind of firepower you need to stop Juggernaut in his tracks.
The X-Men’s resident weather-manipulating mutant Storm presents a slightly more reasonable proposition – yet even this mistress of the elements wouldn’t make the cut, either. After all, Ororo Munroe has failed to contain Juggernaut before, even with the backing of her teammates.
It came as something of a shock when Spider-Woman and Storm joined forces to roll Cain Marko – and managed to pull it off!
Yes, in a somewhat dubious instance of comic book logic, this unlikely duo were able to score one of history’s truly great upset victories in Spider-Woman #38.
Their game plan involved Storm bombarding Juggernaut with bolts of lightning, while for her part, Spider-Woman hurled blasts of bio-energy his way. Somehow, this barrage generated sufficient force to not only knock this overgrown bully off-balance, but rocket him out into the ocean, taking him out of play - temporarily, at least.
Onslaught
Mid-90s Marvel Universe big bad Onslaught is what happens when the darkest recesses of the minds of Professor Xavier and Magneto have a psionic baby. As you’d expect, this entity was not only unspeakably twisted, but also insanely powerful – which makes sense, given this monster evolved from Xavier’s immense telepathic gifts.
As the new kid on the “evil mastermind” block, Onslaught needed to establish himself as a threat not to be ignored – which he did in style by laying the hurt on Juggernaut right out of the gate.
This went down in X-Men #322, after Juggernaut rejects Onslaught’s offer to join him in his deranged quest to “unify” humanity and mutantkind. Slighted, Onslaught doesn’t simply punish Cain Marko for his defiance – he completely humbles him.
Calling upon his seemingly limitless psionic capabilities, Onslaught flings Juggernaut across the country, which left him in pretty bad shape. Juggernaut’s wounds weren’t merely physical, however. Unused to being unceremoniously rag-dolled like this, Marko remained genuinely intimidated by Onslaught even after he recovered from his unplanned cross-country trip.
For this reason alone, Onslaught deserves extra kudos – other characters on this list may have overcome the Juggernaut, but none besides Onslaught have left him too scared to contemplate a re-match!
Skaar
Otherworldly bruiser Skaar is the son of the Hulk and alien warrior Caiera, and he’s proven time and again that he’s a chip off the old block in many regards. Take his brawl with Juggernaut in Incredible Hulk #602, where, in a “like father, like son” scenario, Skaar walked away with the bragging rights.
Unlike his pops, Skaar relied less on raw brute force in order to best his opponent.
In addition to calling on the cosmic energies known as the “Old Power”, Hulk’s baby boy also employed some sneaky (and arguably underhanded) tactics to topple the Juggernaut.
Of these ploys, easily the most manipulative, questionable and, frankly, downright cheap saw Skaar transform himself into a defenceless child in the heat of battle. It turns out even a morally-dubious figure like Juggernaut has reservations about laying out a kid – which left him open to being sucker punched once Skaar resumed his proper, grown-up form.
The Skaar versus Juggernaut bout wasn’t defined entirely by deceptive conduct, however. Despite being outmatched physically by his enemy, Skaar still slugged it out with Juggernaut in the traditional sense – he just needed to use his smarts to level the playing field a bit.
Miranda
When it comes to attempting to tackle the Juggernaut, it’s important for those taking part to re-define their idea of what “winning” actually means. Because in nearly every single case, you aren’t really going to win in the traditional sense. Juggernaut’s entire deal is that he can instantly recover from pretty much anything you subject him to.
While he’s practically impossible to stop forever, this baddie isn’t quite so hard to redirect. This can mean hitting him hard enough to dump him miles away from your present location, or – if you want to be especially clever – you could try using his own momentum against him.
This is exactly what happened in X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever #4, which saw Miranda (a relatively obscure character in the X-Men canon) deal with the Juggernaut without exerting an ounce of force. Aided by fellow Xavier's School for Gifted Children student Bailey Hoskins – who courageously puts his life at risk to distract the heavy-footed thug – Miranda uses her mutant powers to wish a well into existence right in front of Juggernaut’s feet.
Unable to slow down in time to avoid the gaping maw that materializes ahead of him, Juggernaut falls head over heels into it – and hurtling towards the center of the Earth itself!
Gladiator
Let’s jump back to looking at the X-Men cartoon series from the mid-90s, where the Juggernaut made his second appearance in the episode “Phoenix Saga Part 3: Cry of the Banshee”. As with Juggernaut’s debut on the show, this animated outing was followed the basic template provided by Uncanny X-Men #102.
Events in the TV adaptation unfold in much the same way as the do in the original comic, although Juggernaut’s fate is markedly different. In the original story, this lumbering menace remains undefeated. Indeed, the X-Men are only let off the hook when Juggernaut’s ally and close friend Black Tom Cassidy falls into the sea, leading Juggernaut to dive into the tempestuous waters after him.
That’s not the case in the small screen recounting of this tale, where Gladiator – leader of the Imperial Guard of the Shi’ar alien race – is present. Much like his comic book counterpart, Gladiator is one of the toughest customers in the Marvel Universe, and he reminds us of this mere moments after he’s introduced.
In keeping with his obnoxious nature, Juggernaut throws a piledriver punch at Gladiator after growing bored with the earlier fisticuffs giving way to conversation. The Praetor of the Imperial Guard shrugs off the blow like it was nothing – then effortlessly hurls his insolent attacker into the watery depths that surround them.
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Did we miss out any other characters who have stopped the Juggernaut? Let us know in the comments!