Juggernaut has been one of the X-Men's toughest villains since almost the beginning. He made his first appearance in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's 1965 X-Men #12, where he wanted revenge against Professor X for leaving him to die years before. Since then, Juggernaut has been one of the most dangerous bad guys the mutants have ever faced.
Juggernaut has also popped up as a villain for other heroes, including Spider-Man and Hulk, and he is almost impossible to stop. Add in his appearances in X-Men: The Last Stand and Deadpool 2, and he has become popular even outside the comics. However, for people who only saw him in the movies, there is a lot more to Juggernaut than meets the eye.
Juggernaut Is Professor X's Stepbrother
Juggernaut showed up to fight the X-Men for the first time because he wanted revenge against the team's mentor and leader, Professor Charles Xavier. This is because Xavier and Cain Marko are stepbrothers, with Cain's dad marrying Xavier's mother.
Cain bullied Xavier because their father favored his stepson over him. Cain always fought with his father and inadvertently caused an accident that killed him, even though his dad saved Xavier and Cain before he died. The two tried to continue living in the same home, but Cain considered his brother to be his enemy. That lasted for years.
Juggernaut Is Not A Mutant
While Professor X is a mutant and one of the most powerful telepaths on Earth, Cain Marko had no special powers. As Xavier's stepbrother, he had no mutant powers passed on genetically, even though he was one of the most powerful members in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Instead, Juggernaut gained his powers when he served in the Korean War. Ironically, he served alongside Xavier and the two found a mysterious cave. In that cave, Cain found a ruby, and when he touched it, he gained the powers of Cyttorak and turned into the Juggernaut. The cave collapsed on him and Xavier left him there, which cemented their status as hated enemies.
Juggernaut Had To Do Cyttorak's Bidding Or Lose His Powers
When Cain Marko gained the power of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, he gained the unstoppable power of the Juggernaut. What he might not have expected was that Cyttorak was a god and Cain had to live up to that god's expectations.
Cyttorak demands that his avatar on Earth work as an unstoppable and destructive force. His demands are that the vessel that possesses his power become an unstoppable wrecking machine. Juggernaut often took the smart way out and hid when needed, which displeased Cyttorak and caused the god to choose other avatars over time.
Juggernaut Once Beat Up Colossus In A Bar Fight
Even without his armor, Juggernaut has proved he was more powerful than even the X-Men member Colossus. This moment happened in X-Men #183 by Chris Claremont and John Romita. Colossus had just told Kitty Pryde he fell in love with another woman who died protecting him and broke things off with her.
Wolverine demanded that Colossus go to a bar and have a talk. He wanted to teach Colossus a life lesson. Wolverine pushed Colossus, who spilled a beer on Juggernaut, and the two got into a fight. Despite his steel exterior, Juggernaut beat up Colossus while Wolverine and Nightcrawler stood by and watched.
Juggernaut Was A Huge Fan Of The Dazzler
Right after Dazzler joined the X-Men, she wanted more than anything to prove that she belonged in the group. To try to prove herself, she went after Juggernaut when the two crossed paths on Muir Island in In Uncanny X-Men #218 (by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri).
This was a problem because Juggernaut was a huge fan of Dazzler as a musician. Juggernaut didn't want to fight at all and mostly just defended himself as Dazzler attacked him. She exerted all her power and passed out. Juggernaut believed she died and was devastated.
Colossus Once Served As Juggernaut
While Juggernaut proved he was stronger than Colossus, there was a time that the X-Men member gained the power of Cyttorak. This happened during Fear Itself and Colossus accepted the power in Uncanny X-Men #542 (by Kieron Gillen and Greg Land).
This caused an internal battle for Colossus, who had to balance his peaceful nature with the destructive tendencies of Cyttorak. As Colossus comic book fans know, the demon told him that he was his favorite vessel, and it took Magik transporting him to Limbo to finally free him of the curse.
Juggernaut Once Ruled His Own Planet
After battling Thor at the behest of Loki, the God of Thunder chose to exile Juggernaut from Earth and left him in a prison on an asteroid in space. Cain escaped from the prison and made his way to a planet, which he overthrew and became the supreme ruler.
In Thor #429 (by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz), Thor and Excalibur show up to help the planet's former Prince Zalaski overthrow Cain and reclaim leadership of the planet.
Juggernaut Joined The X-Men Once
Over time, Juggernaut refused to continue serving Cyttorak and he finally freed himself of the gem's influence and most of his powers. He was still a giant strong man, but no longer the unstoppable Juggernaut. At this time, he reconciled with Charles Xavier and joined the X-Men, turning his back on being one of the best X-Men villains.
This all ended during World War Hulk when he made the ultimate sacrifice to protect Professor X. Cain took on the role as Cyttorak's vessel again and became Juggernaut to fight Hulk. He saved Xavier but had to leave to resume his original dark path again.
Juggernaut Served As Captain Universe
Captain Universe is part of something known as the Enigma Force. It is a force that arrives when the world needs a hero more powerful than anyone on the planet. Most recently, Captain Universe showed up to help Venom defeat Knull in the King in Black storyline. He almost always chooses a hero to bond with, but in one instance, he chose Juggernaut.
In Amazing Spider-Man #627-629, while Juggernaut was in prison, Captain Universe showed up to kill him. It turned out this was a man who wanted vengeance against Juggernaut. However, Captain Universe was there to fix the tectonic plates in the Earth. The Enigma Force left the man and went into Juggernaut, who then fixed the problem and saved the planet.
Juggernaut Escaped Cyttorak's Control With The Bands Of Cyttorak
For many years, Juggernaut had to follow the commands and orders of Cyttorak if he wanted to keep his powers. That all changed recently. Cain was back on Earth after Krakoa formed but he wasn't allowed entry as he was not a mutant. Instead, he searched for a way to regain his Juggernaut armor.
In Juggernaut Vol. 3 (by Fabian Nicieza and Ron Garney), Cain found someone who had created new Crimson Bands of Cyttorak and they ended up bonded to Juggernaut. However, since the new bands were created from crimson bands found on Earth, he was not linked to Cyttorak and no longer had to work for the god. At this moment, Juggernaut became a hero.