While Professor X might be focused on the mutant nation Krakoa right now, Juggernaut just showed why the X-Men founder still has a human heart.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Juggernaut #2 by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Garney, Matt Miller, & VC’s Joe Sabino, on sale now
The Juggernaut has been one of the most destructive foes — and occasional members — of the X-Men for a very long time. Although Cain Marko is not a mutant and has powers that are largely mystical in nature, he’s maintained a semi-regular presence in the X-Men’s orbit because of his half-brother, Charles Xavier. While the relationship between these two men has provided plenty of drama over the years, it’s also been a beacon of surprising emotion with their latest meeting in Juggernaut #2.
Despite his recent actions painting him in a harsher light since Krakoa’s formation in House of X, Charles Xavier’s telepathic pep-talk to his step-brother reminds us that the founder of the X-Men still has some of the humanity that’s always defined him.
After finally escaping Limbo and ending up in a hospital, Marko was visited by a telepathic avatar of Xavier. Wearing his current costume and Cerebro atop his head, Xavier and Marko briefly chat as Xavier fills in Marko about his current medical condition. Cain asks his step-brother if this is coming with an invitation to Krakoa and to rejoin the X-Men. Although Xavier admits he wanted to check in on Marko, he reveals that since Cain is a mutant, he can’t come naturally to Krakoa — and that he’s apparently not being offered the ability to come to the island, as other humans like Corsair have. However, Xavier reveals that he does genuinely believe in Cain’s attempts at redemption, that he believes Marko is on the right path and that the former villain will continue to follow it.
To put it mildly, Xavier and Juggernaut have a complicated relationship. After becoming step-brothers as children, Marko made himself into Xavier’s worst enemy. He constantly harassed and taunted his step-brother, even after they lost their parents. Xavier was present when Marko was exposed to the strength-bestowing Cyttorak Gem and became the target of Marko’s rage when he resurfaced as the Juggernaut. But over the years, the pair have tried to bury the hatchet, with Juggernaut even attempting to move past his time as a villain and briefly joining the X-Men. But as life has continued to throw curveballs at both men, they’ve each had to harden themselves in their own ways.