Juggernaut’s early battle with Doctor Strange and Nightmare saw the X-Men villain utilize some surprisingly powerful and unusual tactics.
The X-Men villain Juggernaut (aka Cain Marko) is one of the single most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. In terms of raw strength and durability, Marko has proven able to hold his own against powerhouse heroes like the Avengers’ Thor and the Incredible Hulk. Even when he has to adapt and utilize different powers, the nearly unstoppable villain has proven to be one of the most powerful villains in the universe.
During one of his early appearances, the Juggernaut confronted Doctor Strange and Nightmare, and discovered how to use some surprisingly varied mystical abilities due to his extended time in a dangerous realm.
How The Juggernaut Became A Doctor Strange Tier Sorcerer
During one of his earliest battles with the X-Men, the Juggernaut was trapped within the Crimson Cosmos — the realm of the demonic entity Cyttorak, who empowered him in the first place. All of his attempts to escape were thwarted, and the Juggernaut spent untold time in that dimension. His fate was revisited in Doctor Strange #182 (by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan). Separated from the Gem of Cyttorak that empowered him and trapped in the Crimson Cosmos, the Juggernaut lost his super strength and endurance. But his extended time in the mystical realm granted him the freedom to learn and adjust to a different kind of power, and he villain eventually learned how to shoot blasts of mystical energy from his hands and to manipulate the energy that originally granted him his powers.
The Juggernaut was able to use his new abilities to dampen the power of others, reducing them in scope and size until he was physically able to overcome them. These powers came in handy when the Juggernaut stumbled upon a far more consequential battle between Doctor Strange and the dark being known as Nightmare. Having captured Eternity in a bid to steal its power, the nemesis of the Sorcerer Supreme gained an upper hand over Strange. Sensing the Juggernaut in the parallel dimension and deciding that Cain Marko might make for a useful wildcard in his fight against his opponent, Doctor Strange successfully summoned Juggernaut to his side promising to return him to Earth in exchange for his help in defeating Nightmare.
Could Juggernaut Use His Magical Powers Again?
Although Juggernaut turned against Doctor Strange in the final stretch of the battle and was eventually cast back into the Crimson Cosmos, this was still an impressive showing from the character. Notably, even this inexperienced version of Juggernaut is a genuine threat, holding his own against a being as powerful as Nightmare with his brief mystical abilities, which he only displayed while connected to the Crimson Cosmos. After he eventually returned to the material world, Juggernaut went back to using his might as his primary means of causing chaos.
Given his overall history in the Marvel Universe, it is surprising to see the Juggernaut using ranged mystical abilities like he did in this classic story, but also fitting that he was still dangerous even while wielding powers he didn’t fully understand. With the recent death of Doctor Strange and the potential release of the Darkhold’s power forcing the characters of the Marvel Universe to rely more on mystical powers and strategies, it would be interesting to the Juggernaut return to using the skills he learned in the Crimson Cosmos. If nothing else, they could give him an unexpected edge over his enemies.
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