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Cain
Marko is a human juggernaut. Once he begins moving in a certain direction,
no power on Earth can stand in his way. Scientists would classify him as
an "irresistible force" -- and when he gets a head of steam,
there's no object he can't move. A mystically empowered human, Juggernaut
has long harbored resentment toward his stepbrother, Charles Xavier -- the
telepathic, telekinetic mentor of the masked, mutant X-Men. He has clashed
with his stepbrother's heroic charges repeatedly through the years -- but
on occasion, he's also been called upon to save the universe!
Real
name: Cain Marko
Occupation: Professional criminal
Group affiliation: Frequent partner of Black Tom Cassidy
Base of operations: Mobile
First appearance: X-Men (Vol. 1) #12 (1965)
Height:
6'10"
Weight: 900 lbs.
Eye color: Blue
Hair color: Red
Powers: The Juggernaut possesses untold power, mystical in nature,
which enhances his strength and grants him an extraordinary degree of
resistance to all forms of injury. Once he begins moving in a certain
direction, no force on Earth can stop him -- only slow his pace. Sustained
by the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, Cain Marko can survive indefinitely
without food, water or oxygen. However, Juggernaut is vulnerable to
magical forces of sufficient strength. Without his helmet, constructed of
an unknown mystical metal, he is susceptible to psionic attack.
Weapons:
None
History: Cain Marko has wasted his entire adult life attempting to
escape the shadow of his stepbrother, Professor Charles Xavier. Cain's
father -- Dr. Kurt Marko, an atomic researcher -- married the widow of his
colleague, Dr. Brian Xavier, presumably for her wealth. He took up
residence in the family's Westchester mansion with Sharon Xavier and her
young son -- Charles, a fledgling mutant telepath. Cain, who had become a
cruel and spiteful boy, came to live with them shortly thereafter.
Cain
grew to hate his new stepbrother, mostly because his father favored
Charles, and took to bullying the younger boy. As punishment, his father
secretly beat him. But Cain did not suffer the abuse alone. Inexperienced
at the use of his burgeoning abilities, Charles could not control or
terminate his contact with Cain's mind during these periods of pain. Cain
somehow sensed that Charles had invaded his thoughts and came to regard
his stepbrother as an enemy.
Drafted
into military service, Cain was attached to the same unit as Charles. When
Cain deserted under fire, Charles pursued. He hoped to convince his
stepbrother to return of his own accord. Charles followed Cain into a cave
that housed the lost temple of Cyttorak, a powerful mystical entity. Lured
by greed and delusions of grandeur, Cain unearthed a large red ruby.
Empowered by the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, he stood transformed into a
human juggernaut.
Lacking
his stepbrother's moral fiber, Juggernaut turned his newfound strength
against Charles and his masked X-Men -- a handful of troubled teenagers
learning to control their mutant powers...and fighting to preserve their
mentor's dream of peaceful coexistence between the two species of man.
Each time they clashed, the heroes managed to beat back his bull rush.
Often, Juggernaut worked with the energy-emitting mutant terrorist named
Black Tom Cassidy, whom he befriended while in prison.
The
sentient psionic being known as Onslaught -- actually an amalgamation of
the psyches of Xavier and Magneto, would-be world conqueror and mutant
Master of Magnetism -- ripped the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak from
Juggernaut's body and imprisoned him within. Inside the jewel, Cain
learned he was an avatar for Cyttorak. As such, the otherworldly entity
sought to assume control of Juggernaut's form. But Cain, through sheer
force of will, destroyed the evil god and returned to Earth -- stronger
than ever, but unable to fully control his amplified abilities.
Cyttorak
was merely one of a pantheon of eight gods, all with earthbound avatars.
These Exemplars enlisted the Juggernaut's aid in constructing a machine
that would enslave the human race. As the Exemplars tended to in their
final preparations, Cain withdrew deep into himself, where he clashed with
Cytorrak. Charles entered his stepbrother's mind to aid him in the battle,
but the Exemplar known as Bedlam sensed his presence and expelled him.
Still, Charles' short stay in Juggernaut's head had helped Cain regain
control of his psyche. After defeating Cyttorak, Juggernaut destroyed the
Exemplars' God Machine. He then turned his attention to the avatars
themselves, defeating each in turn.
Juggernaut
again was cast as a hero when the sentient spaceship Prosh escaped the
confines of a Celestial prison, returned to Earth and dispatched a group
of disparate beings on a journey through time to uncover the keys to
preserving human evolution. Besides Cain, Prosh's task force included
Phoenix and Iceman, members of the X-Men; and Mystique and Toad, mutant
terrorists. Their mission: Save the human race from a threat that might
not manifest itself for millions of years. Juggernaut was shown that for
all his physical strength, he long has lacked strength of character.
Despite all his yearning for power, he has squandered his supernaturally
enhanced abilities. When Prosh reassembled the members of his team in the
present, they fought and defeated the enigmatic alien entity known as the
Stranger, who sought to control the natural evolution of humans and
mutants. If not acquiring a newfound respect for life and human dignity,
at least Juggernaut gained a better sense of understanding for the mutant
plight.
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