The Juggernaut is one of the deadliest, most powerful fighters in the entire Marvel Universe, as he’s powered by the mystical forces of the Crimson Cosmos through the will of the god-king of that dimension, Cyttorak. Cyttorak made Cain Marko the Juggernaut, though Marko wasn’t the first or last of the demon-god’s avatars on Earth, and given the magical nature of this energy source, each avatar was just as powerful as the last.
The clearest examples of the Juggernaut’s power (no matter who’s channeling it) are present in the many fights he’s been in throughout Marvel Comics history. While every fight only further confirms his strength, some battles do so better than others. Sometimes, a ‘Juggernaut fight’ will be little more than the Juggernaut trading blows with a formidable opponent, while other times a certain battle will display the Juggernaut as a being of immense power surpassing that of even cosmic gods. With that in mind, here are the 10 best Juggernaut fights in Marvel history (ranked by power level).
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10 Juggernaut’s First Fight Against X-Men Was Iconic, But Not That Impressive
X-Men #12-13 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
The Juggernaut made his explosive debut in the pages of X-Men #12, and engaged in epic combat against the X-Men the issue after. While this storyline was a master class in suspense with an action-packed payoff, the reality of the situation was that the Juggernaut was fighting a bunch of kids, and then he got beaten by them.
The Juggernaut’s first fight against the X-Men was truly iconic, just not that impressive, especially when considering the many other battles he engaged in.
9 Juggernaut’s Bar Fight With Colossus Was A Grittier Display Of His Raw Strength
Uncanny X-Men #183 by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr.
Another relatively low-stakes brawl against the X-Men, the Juggernaut finds himself in a bar fight against Colossus in this issue of Uncanny X-Men. Seemingly innocuous, if not entirely forgettable, this fight actually was an impressive display of the Juggernaut’s strength in a way that wasn’t adequately shown during his debut battle. The Juggernaut nearly killed Colossus, even when the mutant was covered in his nearly unbreakable organic metal.
This fight wasn’t a ‘villain-of-the-week vs the young superheroes’-matchup in which the villain was always destined to lose, it was a real, gritty brawl with drunken aggression and dangerous levels of strength involved, making it a standout fight even amid the Juggernaut’s many battles.
8 Juggernaut Fights D’Spayre Even When Burned Down To The Bone
Juggernaut #1 by Joe Kelly and Duncan Rouleau
While the fight itself wasn’t too spectacular, as the Juggernaut quickly proved to be far stronger than D’Spayre, this battle is memorable because of another aspect of the Juggernaut’s power that had never been displayed quite like this before: his magical healing factor. D’Spayre used his abilities to burn the Juggernaut’s body down to the bone, reducing the Juggernaut to a mere skeleton (albeit one that was still wearing the Juggernaut’s iconic helmet). Even in that state – one that would have meant death for anyone else, including Wolverine (proven true in Days of Future Past) – the Juggernaut survived, and even managed to defeat D’Spayre with little effort afterward.
This fight showed that the Juggernaut isn’t just someone with super strength, but a magical being who is truly unstoppable in every sense of the word.
7 Juggernaut Battles A Previous Host Of Cyttorak (Exposing An Interesting New Power)
New Excalibur #15 by Frank Tieri and Jim Calafiore
When the Juggernaut is having a crisis of conscience and identity, he is contacted once more by Cyttorak, who reminds the Juggernaut who he really is: Cyttorak’s avatar on Earth. The demon-king does this by summoning a previous Juggernaut host to fight Cain Marko before reminding the Juggernaut of the atrocities he committed in Cyttorak’s name just to gain this power to begin with.
The battle itself is epic, and the cosmic scale of it cannot be ignored, but this fight really stands out because it introduced the idea that the Juggernaut could channel his power into weapons. The past-Juggernaut Cain Marko is fighting channeled the unstoppable momentum into a sword, implying that Marko could do this as well, and with any weapon he chooses – introducing a whole new level of power to the Juggernaut’s arsenal.
6 Marvel Comics Confirms Juggernaut Has Hulk-Level Strength
The Incredible Hulk #402 by Peter David and Jan Duursema
Shortly after the birth of Professor Hulk (the merged personalities of Bruce Banner, Grey Hulk, and Savage Hulk), the new iteration of the character found himself in a brutal battle against the Juggernaut. Cain Marko wasn’t in his iconic armor at the time, which meant the Hulk didn’t recognize him. But, that tidbit also meant something else: it was much more impressive when the Juggernaut won.
The Juggernaut won this fight against the Hulk, managing to render him unconscious with the raw strength of a chokehold, thereby proving that he has Hulk-level strength, even without the protection of his armor.
5 Juggernaut Proved He Could Even Go Toe-To-Toe With World Breaker Hulk
World War Hulk: X-Men #2 by Chris Gage and Andrea Di Vito
A few years after their previous fight, the Juggernaut went toe-to-toe with the Hulk yet again, only this time, the result wasn’t quite the same. The Juggernaut lost this bout, as he wasn’t fighting Professor Hulk, but instead World Breaker Hulk, who is perhaps the strongest version of the Hulk in Marvel Comics history. However, the mere fact that the Juggernaut was able to trade blows with a version of the Hulk who could literally destroy the planet with his strength alone is incredibly impressive.
Not only that, but this fight also showed that the Juggernaut has access to the power of teleportation in a manner similar to Magik, as he can travel anywhere near instantaneously, but he has to pass through another dimension (in Juggernaut’s case, the Crimson Cosmos) to do it – confirming the Juggernaut’s power level in more ways than just his strength alone.
4 Juggernaut Has A Serious Rematch With Colossus During Marvel’s Fear Itself Event
Uncanny X-Men #543 by Kieron Gillen and Greg Land
If fans thought their bar fight was intense, then this fight between Juggernaut and Colossus will blow them away. During Fear Itself, the Juggernaut abandons the power granted him by Cyttorak, as he accepts the Hammer of Kuurth. This means that another host was needed, and that role was filled by Colossus. Channeling his newfound power of the Juggernaut, Colossus charges at the Asgardian-powered Cain Marko with the full force of his unstoppable momentum, and the fight that ensues is absolutely glorious.
This is a battle between two Juggernauts, each surging with cosmic power the likes of which neither of them had experienced before, and readers can feel that level of energy surging through the very pages of Fear Itself as well.
3 Colossus-Juggernaut Proves His Mettle Against Red Hulk (Debuting A New Power, Too)
Uncanny X-Men #11 by Kieron Gillen and Greg Land
Just when fans thought Colossus had reached his peak as the Juggernaut when he challenged the original Juggernaut during Fear Itself, Colossus-Juggernaut picks a fight with the Red Hulk, and begins to ‘Hulk-out’ a bit himself. During this battle, Colossus channels more and more of Cyttorak’s power on a level Cain Marko never had, resulting in Colossus undergoing grotesque mutations while also growing exponentially more powerful.
This issue not only showed what was easily one of the strongest versions of the Juggernaut in Marvel Comics, but it also introduced the idea that the Juggernaut could shapeshift depending on the level of power he’s channeling, thereby showcasing an all-new ability fans didn’t even know the character had.
2 Juggernaut Can Shrug Off An Attack Strong Enough To Take Down A Celestial
Thor #412 by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz
In this issue, Thor has decided that the Juggernaut is simply too dangerous to remain on Midgard, so he made it his personal mission to end him once and for all. In that effort, Thor launches an attack at the Juggernaut that the God of Thunder explicitly states is strong enough to take down a Celestial. However, it has little to no effect on the Juggernaut whatsoever, proving that the Juggernaut can withstand an attack capable of beating actual cosmic gods.
Plus, after Thor realized he couldn’t kill the Juggernaut, the God of Thunder sent him across the universe, at which point the Juggernaut traveled to a distant planet and proceeded to conquer the entire world, which is yet another way this fight proved Juggernaut’s strength on a cosmic scale.
1 Juggernaut Proves He Has The Power Of A God When Fighting Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange #182 by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan
While taking god-killing shots from Thor, then conquering an entire planet is impressive, nothing can match the level of power the Juggernaut exhibits during his fight against Nightmare and then Doctor Strange. This issue shows that the Juggernaut isn’t just someone who can heal from any wound or punch through any enemy, but someone who can wield magic well enough to take over an entire reality – something Nightmare tells the Juggernaut himself during their battle. The Juggernaut then proves it further after he’s shown to be a legitimate magical contender to the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.
The Juggernaut wielding magic puts the character on a whole other level of power, making his fight against Nightmare and then Doctor Strange easily the most impressive of the 10 best Juggernaut fights in Marvel history.
