Summary
TheJuggernauthas recently gone through a major metamorphosis in Marvel Comics canon, as Cain Marko is no longer the super-villain he was introduced as, but is instead a legitimate member of the X-Men, and a genuine hero. However, just because he’s changed doesn’t mean the sins of his past are magically scrubbed away, andone of the Juggernaut’s most evil actsmay soon be coming back to haunt him in the form of Marvel’s all-new Juggernaut.
InKid Juggernaut: Marvel’s Infinity Voices#1 by Emily Kim and Minkyu Jung, readers are shownthe origin of Justin Jin aka Kid Juggernaut. Justin is basically an average teenager. He works at his mom’s bakery, he’s stressed about school, and he’s more focused on a potential relationship with a guy he likes than anything else. However, there is something decidedly unique about Justin: he has insane muscle mass. Justin writes it off as a puberty-induced growth spurt, but the truth is thathe inherited the power of the Juggernaut.
Justin Jin’s grandfather, Jin Taiko, once wielded the power of the Juggernaut. Before Cain Marko, Jin Taiko was Cyttorak’s avatar on Earth, spreading chaos in the demon-god’s name. This makes Justin’s claim on the Juggernaut title incredibly unique, as he didn’t become the Juggernaut by holding the Crimson Gem and pledging his eternal loyalty to Cyttorak, he inherited the Juggernaut’s otherworldly power from his grandfather. So, why is his connection to Cain Marko so dark, then? That answer lies in Marko’s shameful origin as the Juggernaut.
The Avengers Are Officially Recruiting Marvel’s New Juggernaut
Marvel Comics just introduced an all-new Juggernaut: Kid Juggernaut - and he was recruited by Captain Marvel herself to officially join the Avengers.
Cain Marko Murdered Justin Jin’s Grandfather to Become the Juggernaut
New Excalibur#15 by Frank Tieri and Jim Calafiore
As shown inNew Excalibur#15, the process Cain Marko went through to become the Juggernaut wasn’t as simple as holding a mystical gem and agreeing to be a demon-god’s avatar on Earth. Marko had to first defeat the previous Juggernaut in battle in order to earn the title and the power for himself. And that previous Juggernaut was Jin Taiko, Justin Jin’s grandfather.
Cain Marko fought Jin Tiako and murdered him, thereby claiming his role as the world’s next Juggernaut - but it didn’t stop there. The reason Cyttorak was in the market for a new Juggernaut is that Taiko refused to slaughter a village full of innocent men, women, and children after being ordered to do so by Cyttorak. Once Taiko was dead, Cain Marko had no such reservations, proving his newfound loyalty to Cyttorak by wiping out the whole village.
Kid Juggernaut Could Make Cain Marko Pay for His Past Sins
Not only did Cain Marko kill Justin’s grandfather just for the sake of power, but he also murdered an entire village filled with people that Justin’s grandfather was trying to protect. Like his grandfather, it’s likely that Justin will use his Juggernaut powers in an effort to defend the innocent, but before he commits himself to being a hero, it’s also possible that Justin will seek vengeance against Marko. The two are connected through a truly dark past, and Justin may become Cain Marko’s ultimate reckoning.
Of course, now that Marko is a hero, it’s also likely that the inherently good Justin Jin will forgive him for what he did to his grandfather, thus allowing Marko to finally find true redemption for his despicable past. But, whether their paths cross through forgiveness or vengeance, nothing will change the fact that Marvel’s newJuggernauthas the darkest possible connection to the original.
