One of the most biggest powerhouse characters in Marvel Comics is Cain Marko, better known as the Juggernaut. You know the name and you know who he is. Even if you don’t read the comics and just watch the Marvel movies, you’ll know exactly who he is? You see where I’m getting at? Oh yeah, that meme-worthy quote from X-Men: The Last Stand right before he starts chasing Kitty Pryde. Call it cringey all you want, but we all laughed at the quote and we appreciate the memes it generated. Okay, so maybe Vinnie Jones wasn’t the best casting choice, but again, he made us laugh, not to mention he spent a lot of time running through everything and rag dolling Wolverine. He actually did get defeated in that fight scene through Wolverine’s claws and Storms electricity, but that was in a deleted scene. Unfortunately, we all remember how Juggernaut was defeated by the end of The Last Stand. He tried to ram into Kitty Pryde and the impenetrable wall literally knocked him out. During Jean Grey’s final meltdown, the facility was torn to shreds while Juggernaut was still inside, so it’s assumed he perished along with it. But hey, he’s also the Juggernaut, and nothing can stop him. He never did appear in any other Fox-produced X-Men sequels, so he most likely did die in The Last Stand. However, Bryan Singer did originally intend for him to appear in Days of Future Past as the mutant who was supposed to help break Magneto out of prison. Singer ultimately decided against it and put Quicksilver in his place. That was probably the better idea, since that was the first time we saw Quicksilver in action and in a live-action movie.
Twelve years after the release of The Last Stand, we finally got to see the Juggernaut in a live-action movie again. Only this time, he was far more accurately portrayed like his comic counterpart. It was quite the big surprise when we saw Juggernaut pop up in Deadpool 2. In contrast to the Vinnie Jones version, this Juggernaut was far bigger and had a more comic-accurate helmet that covered his whole face, with the exception of his eyes and mouth. The main critical difference between the Deadpool 2 version and The Last Stand version is that the former was all CGI. I mean, let’s face it, he kind of had to be. After the failed practical version from the Last Stand, it seemed Fox chose the smarter path and make him actually look like Juggernaut. Oh, and it should be noted that he was voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Did you notice? Not at all, but that was even more of a surprise. It’s no secret that the main reason the Juggernaut was in Deadpool 2 was so he could be the physical challenge for the heroes. The combined might of Deadpool, Cable, and Domino wasn’t enough to beat him, so it all came down to a big CGI battle between him and Colossus. That was a total brawler and what’s even cooler is that Colossus couldn’t defeat Juggernaut on his own. With the help of both Yukio and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, the metal-skinned Russian mutant was able to defeat Juggernaut.
I know you all caught that glimpse of Juggernaut poking his head out of the swimming pool before the end credits. As we all expected, he survived that… odd way of going out and we were sure he’d be back for a rematch. That was, until the Fox and Disney merger happened, leaving us wondering where all the X-Men characters stand. Given that the Juggernaut is one of their greatest enemies, it’s just impossible to not bring him back. Deadpool 2 did the character justice by giving him an accurate look and putting him up against the only X-Men who can go toe-to-toe with him. While we’re all assuming the X-Men are joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the near-future (hopefully), we have to assume that the Juggernaut will be included. After his positive reception in Deadpool 2, I have to wonder if Disney will opt to make him a CGI character. That decision did work for Deadpool 2, but that was because his role in the movie was to be the secondary antagonist. He was a great physical challenge for the heroes, but his character development didn’t go beyond that. Now if the MCU wants to make him a more well-rounded character, they’re going to have to dive into his backstory. The Last Stand didn’t touch on this, but Cain Marko is actually the stepbrother to Charles Xavier. This was briefly touched on in Deadpool 2 during a conversation between Juggernaut and Russell. The whole purpose of wearing that big helmet is because it blocks Charles’ telepathy.
On top of the helmet, the Juggernaut is virtually indestructible and when he builds the slightest amount of momentum, almost nothing can stop him. Where does that power come from. The Last Stand and Deadpool 2 implies that he was always a mutant, but that’s actually not the case. In the comics, Cain Marko is very much human and obtained the powers of the Juggernaut when he discovered the magical gem of Cyttorak. Speaking of Cyttorak, there is a very high chance we’ll be seeing the demonic entity in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, you’ll see a demonic-looking monster attack Doctor Strange. Fans are highly speculating this is Cyttorak. All of this fan speculation is fueled by the fact that Doctor Strange has used the Bands of Cyttorak to fight Thanos. Oh, and speaking of Charles Xavier, everyone knows by now that little speaking cameo in the trailer. With all of this in mind, I don’t think it’s too crazy to believe that Juggernaut could be making his MCU debut sooner than other X-Men characters. Hey, I could be wrong, but who doesn’t want to see this character again?
I know I do, but if Marvel wants to make him a more significant character, he can’t be all CGI. Have an actor come in to play Cain Marko and when he gets that gem, the CGI will come into play. I still think Marvel should develop his complicated relationship with his more wholesome stepbrother. That dynamic was perfectly developed in the ’90s cartoon and it should be expanded on in a movie. What are your thoughts, X-Men fans? I don’t know about you, but I am ready for the third coming of the Juggernaut.
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