Juggernaut Showcases His Full Strength with His Most Brutal Kill in Years

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fall of the House of X #3! The Juggernaut is no stranger to brutality in X-Men canon, especially when it comes to displaying his full strength in the form of a deadly attack. Yet, it seems like he hasn’t done anything that spectacular in years – at least, not compared to the stunts he used to pull. But now, at the tail-end of the X-Men’s Krakoan Era, the Juggernaut pulls out all the stops and showcases his full strength with his most brutal kill in years.

In Fall of the House of X #3 by Gerry Duggan, Lucas Werneck, and Jethro Morales, Orchis has all but obliterated the mutant island, Krakoa, with only a fraction of its physical body intact. The remaining piece of the sentient mutant homeland is now being protected by the Juggernaut, who’s dragging Krakoa across a vast desert to keep it safe from Orchis soldiers. Of course, that doesn’t stop Orchis soldiers from finding them anyway, though that should suggest that the Juggernaut isn’t more than prepared to handle them.

With a mighty throw, the Juggernaut sends a sharp piece of Krakoa flying through an Orchis soldier’s torso, ripping the man apart with an attack that was filled as much with rage as it was with raw, unadulterated power. This man was just a human while the Juggernaut is capable of trading blows with Thor, so this isn’t the most impressive feat of strength the Juggernaut’s ever exhibited, but it was perhaps one of the most violent on-panel kills the Juggernaut has ever done (and definitely the most violent kill he’s done lately).

The Juggernaut Hasn’t Been This Violent Since Breaking Away from Cyttorak

Juggernaut Vol. 3 (2021) by Fabian Nicieza and Ron Garney

In the Juggernaut’s most recent solo series, he is shown going through the classic hero’s journey, which ends with him joining the mutant nation of Krakoa (back before it fell to Orchis) and breaking away from Cyttorak permanently. Cyttorak was the source of the Juggernaut’s power throughout most of his comic book history, but after Marko learned how to isolate the power of the crystal and anchor it to Earth rather than the Crimson Cosmos, Marko was free to wield the power of the Juggernaut without Cyttorak’s influence.

While that moment eventually led to what fans are seeing in this issue of Fall of the House of X, it also meant something decidedly less exciting: the Juggernaut wasn’t villainously brutal anymore. Ever since he broke away from Cyttorak, Juggernaut has stopped brutalizing his enemies and doing exciting things like conquering entire planets after being banished off-world by Thor, or fighting Dr. Strange alongside Nightmare while wielding god-tier magic. Instead, Juggernaut became a citizen of Krakoa, and was barely given anything to do. But now, that newly established status quo has changed dramatically.

Does This Brutal Kill Mean the Juggernaut Is Breaking Bad Once Again?

Short answer? No, not at all. In fact, the Juggernaut has been featured in promotional spots advertising the next era of X-Men canon where he’s even more of an established member of the X-Men. However, what this moment does mean is that Juggernaut doesn’t need the evil influence of Cyttorak (or even the darkest corners of his own personality) to be the brutal badass fans know and love. All it means is that he can apply that level of brutality alongside the X-Men rather than opposite them, which is something that was displayed beautifully with this gruesome kill.

This issue of the Fall of the House of X may have been the first time the Juggernaut has showcased his full strength in years with an insanely brutal kill, but it certainly won’t be the last time he’ll do so. The Juggernaut proves he’s just as much a badass fighting for the forces of good in Marvel Comics as he is fighting alongside the forces of darkness, and his time on the X-Men will assuredly continue to prove that further.

Fall of the House of X #3 by Marvel Comics is available now.