According to his creators, the latest incarnation of Marvel’s Juggernaut was designed to directly engage with the problematic aspects of the original character’s backstory. Writer Anthony Oliveira is set to tackle the complicated legacy of Juggernaut’s famous origin story, through the lens of Kid Juggernaut, the latest to wield the character’s imposing powers.

In an interview released by Marvel, Oliveira spoke about the process of creating the character of Justin Jin, and elaborated on his origin story in the Kid Juggernaut: Marvel Voices Infinity Comic one-shot.

Now, the character’s evolution will continue as he joins the roster of the upcoming Avengers Academy series. As Anthony Oliveira explained, the idea of intertwining the character’s family history and the powers of the Juggernaut was important to engaging with Marvel’s long-established lore in a way that was valuable.

KID JUGGERNAUT Confronts The Issues Inherent In Cain Marko’s Origin Story

Creator Anthony Oliveira Explains The New Incarnation

Despite his affiliation with the X-Men franchise, the most famous version of the Juggernaut, Cain Marko, is not a mutant – rather his powers derived from the mystical Gem of Cyttorak. His acquisition of the Gem, and its powers, was in retrospect, a product of its era. Initially conceived of in the 1960s, Cain stole the Gem of Cytorrak while in Korea serving in the U.S. Army. It is only with the introduction of Justin Jin, and his assumption of the mantle of Kid Juggernaut, that Marvel has finally chosen to directly confront the Western-centric, colonial aspect of the original Juggernaut story.

As Anthony Oliveira explained:

“Justin’s heritage is important, and not just something to be co-opted by foreign colonial enterprises, but his to negotiate, understand, and make his own. The concept of the Juggernaut has so often been about the crisis of masculinity, and in creating Justin, I wanted to approach him as a contrast to Cain: sure of himself, secure in his masculinity, gentle and patient and kind. He struggles, but he approaches the world as a sweet, pure-of-heart person doing his best.”

Oliveira’s description of the inherent “crisis of masculinity” baked into the Juggernaut at the conceptual level is also fascinating. It further emphasizes Marvel’s committment to elevating the character to a level of greater social relevance than ever before. With Justin Jin, Oliveira and his co-creators have set out to confront the problematic nature of the masculine idea of strength itself. In many ways, this is irrevocably tied to the history of colonial power, meaning Kid Juggernaut is poised to be one of Marvel’s most critically important characters moving forward.

The colonial nature of Juggernaut’s origin story is overt, and unavoidable, and dealing with that was a necessary step for Marvel. With Kid Juggernaut, the publisher has a great opportunity to move forward, and to produce socially impactful narratives featuring characters as they “negotiate” the complexities of the contemporary world. More than just a fantastical place for superhero battles, the Marvel Universe is a wonderful setting for stories of cultural reclamation and restoration. With that in mind, the continuation of Kid Juggernaut’s arc in Avengers Academy has become essential reading.

Creator Anthony Oliveira Describes Kid Juggernaut As A “Reclamation”

Recontextualizing Juggernaut’s Backstory

Marvel has played with the lineage of the Juggernaut before, in various stories, but those tales were always centered around Cain Marko. Kid Juggernaut: Marvel Voices Infinity Comic has offered the most definitive insight into the history of Cyttorak’s avatars, while offering a new context for Cain’s role in Marvel history. The story is still unfolding, just as Justin Jin is still growing into the role of Kid Juggernaut – and there is much more to be explored in the dynamic between the two.

Anthony Oliveira offered some further insight into Justin Jin’s creation, and his prominent storyline in Avengers Academy, stating:

“When we were designing the Avengers Academy, we wanted to create a character who would not be a legacy, but a reclamation. We wanted to think about how there was a Juggernaut before Cain Marko seized the gem for himself. We wanted to make that character’s story and legacy, as Justin’s grandfather, something our hero inherits and discovers as the Avengers Academy grows, even as he has to decide for himself what a hero is.”

More than just a character intended to subvert the problematic aspect of Cain Marko’s origin, Justin Jin is meant to directly challenge that troublesome history in a way that may very well serve to make him the definitive version of the hero in the long run. In other words, the character’s process of “reclamation” will directly contribute to his refreshing conception of strength.

By association, Cain Marko’s place in the Marvel Universe is set to change irrevocably. Along with bringing Kid Juggernaut to the forefront of the company’s slate of heroes, the creators behind the character have also taken on – at least to some degree – the responsibility of reckoning with the character’s origin from Cain’s end. His redemption as a prominent X-Men hero has made this all the more urgent. If nothing else, Kid Juggernaut’s creators have started the conversation, encouraging other writers to carry it forward through both characters.

Marvel Embraces Creators Who Acknowledge Its Complicated History

Kid Juggernaut Is A Corrective Measure

Kid Juggernaut is an exciting, novel character in more ways than one. As a Korean-American, he is set to reclaim the power of Cyttorak, while as an out queer character, he will be given the chance to revolutionize it. Marvel’s committment to wrestling with masculinity, colonialism, and the other inherent problems in the Juggernaut character is a vote of confidence for creative talents who are willing to explore the murkier aspects of the company’s long publishing history through a contemporary lens.

The character of Justin Jin is the latest, most notable extension of that project. Though readers have only just begun to get to know Kid Juggernaut, his Omega-level potential is evident, and his creators have set a high bar for him. As Anthony Oliveira put it:

“He’s a hero; he’s a hunk; and above all he’s a good nice boy—the best dude I’ve ever known and my favorite character I’ve ever created.”

With an endorsment like that, Marvel fans should follow Justin’s emerging superhero career with great interest. Given time, and properly nurtured, the story of the character’s ascent to prominence could be one of Marvel’s most rapid.

The business of writing Marvel comic books is complicated; ideas are constantly evolving, and plans are constantly changing. The great potential of some characters isn’t always recognized for what it is – but in the case of Kid Juggernaut, it seems Marvel understands what they have. The company appears set to push the character, and to continue correcting and restoring the legacy of Juggernaut, in a way giving the character concept an entirely new life in the modern era of comic storytelling.

Source: Marvel, Justin Lin interview