Juggernaut’s Secret Origin Is Redefined by Black Knight’s Darkest Moment

Marvel Comics secretly retconned the origin of Juggernaut, using the Black Knight‘s battle with the God of Symbiotes to subtly redefine the antihero’s demonic patron. Decades ago, Cain Marko – the hostile stepbrother of Professor Charles Xavier – stumbled into the Temple of Cyttorak. He touched the legendary Crystal of Cyttorak, and was forevermore transformed into a human Juggernaut – a force of destruction whose role on Earth was to bring honor to Cyttorak’s name.

But Cain Marko was not the first Juggernaut. Cyttorak has had countless other avatars across the ages, who were granted his power to act on his behalf on Earth. Marko’s predecessor was Jin Taiko, who served Cyttorak well for decades. But when Taiko’s village began to worship another god, and Taiko refused to punish them for this affront, Cyttorak chose Marko to take his place. Like every Juggernaut before him, Cain’s first task was to find his predecessor and kill him in battle. He accomplished this, proving himself worthy of the mantle of the Juggernaut, and as commanded his second mission was to destroy all trace of Taiko by burning his village to the ground and slaying every man, woman and child who lived there. This dark practice means that the history of Cyttorak’s past Juggernauts is sparse and – as Black Knight later proved – woefully incomplete.

The disturbing truth is revealed in the King in Black: Black Knight one-shot by Si Spurrier and Jesus Saiz, in which the monstrous being named Knull reflects on the Elder Gods who ruled Earth in primeval times. Knull’s narrative is concerned with revealing the dark truth behind Black Knight’s powers – that the Ebony Blade actually draws power from the flaws of its wielder, and is given to the unworthy – the artwork confirms the identity of several Elder Gods: Shuma-Gorath, Moon Knight’s Moon God Khonshu, and – perhaps most surprising of all – Cyttorak. This binds Cyttorak into an established narrative, confirming he was one of the beings cast out of this dimension long before humanity evolved on Earth. He must have left the Crystal of Cyttorak behind him as a way to continue influencing the Earth, just as Chthon left the book of dark magic called the Darkhold.

Like the other Elder Gods, it’s reasonable to assume Cyttorak has been an object of worship for as long as humans have walked the Earth – and there have probably been Juggernauts for just as long as well. It’s easy to imagine a Juggernaut as one of the enemies fought by the Avengers of 1,000,000 BC, and heroes will have been protecting innocents against Cyttorak’s avatars throughout history.

Happily, in Marvel’s current status quo, the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak has been shattered and Cyttorak ousted from the Crimson Cosmos, meaning he is now cut off from any links to a human avatar, even as his daughter the Survivor escaped to ally with the Avengers. Cain Marko still claims the mantle of the Juggernaut, but his armor is now made of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak instead, meaning he is no longer thrall to Cyttorak’s influence – and the Elder God cannot choose a replacement. Of course, it’s likely Cyttorak will one day return to torment the Juggernaut again, and Black Knight‘s discovery means that rather than doing so as a random demon, the Elder God is now tied to a much darker lineage of cosmic power and destruction.

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4916 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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