Juggernaut was last seen sent to a pocket dimension by a possessed Magik, and here’s how the longtime X-Men villain made his escape.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Juggernaut #1, by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Garney, Matt Milla and VC’s Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Cain Marko is one of the most unstoppable supervillains in the Marvel Universe. Powered by the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak to become the fearsome Juggernaut, Cain has been one of the biggest threats, not just to the X-Men, but to all who cross his path, even able to physically stand toe-to-toe against the Hulk on multiple occasions.
However, one of his more recent outings with the X-Men ended poorly, when a possessed Magik stripped Cain of his connection to Cyttorak before banishing him to Limbo last year in Matthew Rosenberg and Salvador Larroca’s Uncanny X-Men #21. But as Juggernaut makes his return to Earth in Juggernaut #1, he begins to reveal how he escaped from the magical dimension.
In a flashback set months before the start of the miniseries, Cain recalls being sent to Limbo without his signature powers. Now visibly weaker, to the point of appearing as a haggard, gaunt man, Cain isn’t even able to wear his usual crimson armor without being completely weighed down. Forced to strip down to his undergarments, Cain can’t bring himself to abandon his trademark set of armor, linking it all together with a set of chains and dragging it behind him as he wearily traverses the expansive wasteland to discover a way to escape back to the Marvel Universe and mutant superheroes that had stranded him.
After 30 days on his arduous trek, Cain finally reaches a mystical crossroads, with a solitary, withered tree in the middle of the branching paths. One of the outstretched branches resembles an arm with hand pointing in the direction that visitors should follow next. Cain realizes that the tree will only show him the way out if he makes a great sacrifice to it. While admitting that there hasn’t been a whole lot in this world that he has ever truly cared for, Cain decides to give the tree his domed helmet, fixing it to one of the tree’s branches before being mysteriously whisked away through a portal opening in the tree’s trunk, leaving the rest of his armor behind as well.
Cain recounts his journey to a young girl named D-Cel that he encountered while demolishing condemned buildings wrecked in superhero fights on behalf of Damage Control. As Cain finishes his tale, she asks how he has able to gain new armor and the apparent restoration of his connection to the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak and its power. Cain quickly dismisses the question as a story for another day as D-Cel gives him his next target causing more of a rampage than him: The Immortal Hulk.
The remainder of Juggernaut’s journey through Limbo, return to the Marvel Universe and eventual restoration of his powers are likely to unfold over the miniseries’ remaining four issues. In the meantime, Juggernaut has wasted no time working for Damage Control and poised to join the Savage Avengers as they confront Asgardian monsters. While the Juggernaut may not have a place waiting for him with the X-Men on Krakoa due to his human nature, Cain’s journey to find himself has certainly not been uneventful since his escape.
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