Of the many foes the X-Men have faced over the years, few have proven to be as dangerous and powerful as Cain Marko, aka the Juggernaut. Possessing a wide variety of magically imbued abilities, Marko has proven time and time again that he truly lives up to the name he has chosen. His iconic suit of armor is as powerful as the man himself, protecting him from both physical and psychic attacks. But what makes Juggernaut’s suit so immensely powerful and how does it contend with other suits of armor such as Iron Man’s or Doctor Doom’s?
Juggernaut has worn a variety of suits over the years, some being subtle variations of his original armor while others were radical stylistic departures. Despite his original orange suit being the gold standard for him, Marko’s other suits of armor are worth examining as each represents a different incarnation of the nearly unstoppable powerhouse.
Crimson Cosmos Armor
Cain Marko was a regular human when he fought in the Korean War alongside his half-brother, Charles Xavier. Fleeing a firefight, Cain discovered the Temple of Cyttorak hidden deep within the jungle. When he touched a glowing red ruby within he was mystically transformed into a “human juggernaut.” Clad in vibrant orange armor that shields his body and head, Juggernaut requires no food or air to live and is virtually invulnerable to all physical attacks. While susceptible to psychic attacks, his helmet helps protect him from such assaults. His first armor is made of a mystical alloy found within the Crimson Cosmos, the dimension of Cyttorak.
It was in this armor that Juggernaut fought the mightiest Asgardian in the classic Thor #429 (by Ron Frenz, Tom Defalco, and Joe Sinnott), a battle that Juggernaut nearly won. The combined force of his magical powers and suit put Thor on the back foot, but the mighty Asgardian claimed victory by first dispelling Juggernaut’s magical aura and then looping Mjolnir around the villain’s wrist and literally throwing him into space.
X-Men Armor
In Uncanny X-Men #429 (by Chuck Austen, Philip Tan, and Avalon Studios), Juggernaut donned a new suit of armor more suiting his new team affiliation.
The traditional orange suit was replaced with a black suit with gold bands of unknown origin lining his arms alongside gold boots and trunks. It was in this armor that Marko heroically fought beside the X-Men and tragically witnessed the death of Squidboy, a young mutant that Juggernaut had befriended.
Thunderbolts Armor
In Thunderbolts #145 (by Jeff Parker, Kev Walker, and Frank Martin), Juggernaut wore a variation of his original suit. While still orange, Juggernaut’s new armor was much thicker in places, with the Thunderbolts emblem on his armbands. Most noticeably, his helmet granted him better peripheral vision and even allowed him to turn his head.
While this iteration of his armor is sturdier, it didn’t offer Juggernaut very much defense against the villain Hyperion; Juggernaut was defeated by his fellow teammate but was saved when the rest of the Thunderbolts came to his aid.
Fear Itself Armor
During the “Fear Itself” event (by Matt Fraction, Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin) Juggernaut received a entirely new suit of armor, granted to him by the god-like being known as the Serpent. This armor was magical in nature, just like his original suit, albeit powered by a different force.
Wielding a massive hammer as a weapon, Juggernaut became Kuurth, Breaker of Stone. This possession of Juggernaut did not last long as members of the X-Men were able to speak with Cyttorak himself in an effort to free Juggernaut from the Serpent God’s control. Colossus became imbued with the power of Juggernaut and was able to defeat Kuurth, thus freeing Cain Marko from its power.
New Excalibur Armor
In 2006’s New Excalibur series (by Chris Claremont and Michael Ryan), Juggernaut joined up with the British superhero team, turning a new leaf by fighting crime rather than committing it. His armor was very similar to his original suit, bearing the same color scheme and style while also maintaining his classic power set.
This was likely the same armor that Juggernaut wore during 2007’s “World War Hulk” event (by Greg Pak, John Romita Jr, Klaus Janson, and Christina Strain). While Juggernaut didn’t win in this particular fight against Hulk, the power of his suit kept him from sustaining serious injury; it was Hulk redirecting Juggernaut’s unstoppable momentum that ended the fight.
Crimson Bands of Cyttorak Armor
In 2020’s Juggernaut series (by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Garney, and Matt Milla) Marko gained a new armor that was once again imbued with the power of Cyttorak. Having lost his powers and previous suit, Juggernaut traveled to the Forge of Cyttorak in North Korea where he was able to regain his powers and armor.
His new suit was similar to his original armor but featured glowing red highlights running through his torso and legs. This new armor is a magical construct that he can summon and dismiss at will.
X-Men: The Animated Series
The 1993 X-Men animated series depicted Juggernaut’s classic orange armor.
Marko was a terrifying foe as nothing was able to stop him physically, but his major weakness was his removable helmet which the X-Men took advantage of, defeating him after he robbed a bank.
X-Men: The Last Stand
Juggernaut’s suit was most different in his first live action role in the film X-Men: The Last Stand. Rather than being magically enhanced, Juggernaut was simply a superpowered mutant.
His orange armor was replaced by simple brown trousers and a leather harness. His helmet was freely removable and looked similar in design to Magneto’s.
Deadpool 2
Juggernaut, a captured criminal in the film, does not wear a single suit of armor; instead, he sported a yellow prisoner’s outfit. He did keep his helmet on, though, granting him a piece of his signature look.
There are countless characters in the Marvel universe that wear power suits to either gain their powers or to have them augmented. Doctor Doom, Iron Man, and Kang are among the more famous characters to wear armor with a seemingly endless number of lesser known characters such as Titanium Man, Crimson Dynamo, and Speedfreak also donning suits of armor.
The primary difference between all of those suits of armor and Marko’s is that the Juggernaut’s armor is a magical construct. For all of Doctor Doom’s and Iron Man’s immense power sets, their suits are still man-made. As Juggernaut has acquired new suits over the years, or changed the look of his core armor, it has always been an extension of the god Cyttorak, and the mystical power has enabled him to face the likes of the Hulk and Thor, two of the most powerful forces in the entire Marvel universe.
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