The unstoppable Juggernaut is about to barrel his way into Marvel’s line of X-Men comics with a brand new five-issue mini-series from writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Ron Garney. The story will not only bring Cain Marko back into the fold and explain where he’s been, but show how, despite having a long history with the X-Men, he’s not welcome on the new mutant-only nation of Krakoa because, technically, he’s a human empowered by mystical forces.
“That basically instigates the entire story. Having been X and lost, what does Cain become now? After years of back and forth and madness and sadness, he had become a member in good standing of the X-Men, and then while he’s away dancing in Limbo, mutantkind gets everything they could have ever hoped for… and Cain can’t be a part of that,” Nicieza told IGN over an email interview. “How he reacts to that rejection becomes the exploration of who he is going to become without the one thing that — for good and bad — has defined him for most of his life.”
But even though Cain isn’t welcome on Krakoa, he will be getting some mutant company in the form of a new character named D-Cel. And as her name implies, she has decelerating powers. Her gift just so happens to run counter to the Juggernaut’s ability to become unstoppable once in motion.
“She’ll adamantly tell you she’s not a mutant, and her personal life is a mystery because she wants it to be,” Nicieza said of the new character. “She’s a fifteen year-old kid living with other homeless squatters in Manhattan buildings that were abandoned after the War of the Realms. After she meets Cain in issue #1, she becomes the catalyst towards helping him see a purpose to his new life, and if it gets her more views on her RoxTube channel, that’s just a bonus. I wanted a bit of an ‘Arya and the Hound’ dynamic to their relationship, and she appears at his side for the whole series. I like her, even though she’s one of those adorably annoying types with their cell phones always in your face looking for real-time validation for themselves and for you.”
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And along with his new friend comes a new look for the Juggernaut armor, designed by Nicieza and spruced up by Garney.
“I wanted a redesign that combined the Kirby power and the skewed oddity that Ditko brought to magical concepts, since Juggernaut is an offspring of both,” Nicieza explained. “I wanted some crimson to peek through the armor plating to connote the inner power that is now very much a part of Cain. I also wanted a ‘segmented’ look to the armor, so there is a bit of a visual ‘armoring up process’ that looks great and makes better toys!”
Though he started as a straight-up villain, Juggernaut has changed his moral alignment from card-carrying member of the X-Men and back again. This series will show where he now stands and how he finds his new purpose in the Marvel Universe.
“The acquisition of a new armor goes a long way towards exploring how much power means to Cain, and whether he can do something worthwhile with that power in the present day,” Nicieza said.
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There are many more questions that this new mini-series raises, like how did Cain become the Juggernaut once more when we last saw him stuck in Limbo after the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak was destroyed? But fans will just have to wait until the first issue debuts in May 2020 to start getting answers.
Check out the full solicitation information for the first issue below:
JUGGERNAUT #1 (OF 5)
FABIAN NICIEZA (W) • RON GARNEY (A) • COVER BY GEOFF SHAW
READY OR ‘NAUT, HERE HE COMES! A mystic gem. A force of overwhelming power. Nothing can stop the Juggernaut. Except himself. Another building falls. Cain Marko is done
letting others pick up the pieces of the things he’s destroyed. Renowned X-scribe Fabian Nicieza (X-FORCE, DEADPOOL) and celebrated artist
Ron Garney (CAPTAIN AMERICA, DAREDEVIL) team up to take the unstoppable in a new bold new direction!
Need a quick primer on the new status quo of the X-Men comic line? Check out this video:
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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
Source: IGN.com The Juggernaut Returns With New Armor and an Unlikely New Ally