Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Amazing Spider-Man #64! The Juggernaut’s personal lore in Marvel Comics is shockingly deep, especially for a character many regard as nothing more than a dim-witted brute. Cain Marko might have made his debut as a fairly two-dimensional villain-of-the-week, but that is far from who he has become, especially in of the extensive mythos that surrounds and engulfs him. And now, Juggernaut lore is getting its biggest shake-up since the ‘90s.
Marvel Comics released the official solicitation for The Amazing Spider-Man #64 by Justina Ireland and Gleb Melnikov, and while that may seem unrelated to the Juggernaut, the issue’s synopsis quickly proves otherwise. Included in the solicitation is the synopsis along with cover art by Ed McGuinness, both of which reference a character widely associated with the Juggernaut: Cyttorak.
THE 8 DEATHS OF SPIDER-MAN CONTINUES! Cytorrak's most dangerous scion, CALLIX, and his deadly CRIMSON CANINES take their turn to inflict physical pain on Spider-Man. Spidey doesn't have many deaths left to spend...
This comic will continue the story arc that will kick off in The Amazing Spider-Man #61: The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man. That story will detail how Doctor Doom - who became the Sorcerer Supreme in Marvel’s most recent universe-wide event, Blood Hunt - grants Spider-Man a new suit complete with magical abilities. Included with this suit are 8 extra lives, which apparently means Spider-Man can die 8 times and resurrect immediately as if he’s a video game character, all done through Doctor Doom’s unparalleled magic.
Why would Doctor Doom give Spider-Man a magical suit with extra lives? Well, in the synopsis for The Amazing Spider-Man #61, it’s revealed that Doom does so because he wants Spider-Man to fight “an evil god and his scions”, as is the annual task of the Sorcerer Supreme. It seems Doom would rather have someone else tackle this yearly task, and he’s chosen Spider-Man to do it. And now, that ‘evil god’ has been revealed to be Cyttorak, with the added revelation that Cyttorak has Scions capable of taking over the world.
Who Are Cyttorak’s Scions? New Spider-Man Villains & Juggernaut Brethren, Explained
At this point, little is known about Cyttorak’s Scions other than the fact that they exist (which is honestly the main takeaway from this lore-expansion). What fans do know is what was revealed in the solicitation for The Amazing Spider-Man #64, that being the name and threat-level of one of Cyttorak’s Scions, Callix, who’s apparently the most dangerous one. This Scion commands beasts called the Crimson Canines, and it seems they’ll be deadly enough to cost Spider-Man most of his 8 lives.
The title ‘Scion’ implies that these new characters are Cyttorak’s descendants, all of whom operate under the demon god’s command. That makes the Scions similar to the Juggernaut, back when Cain Marko was Cyttorak’s ‘Exemplar’ on Earth. Therefore, these Scions are like the Juggernaut’s brethren, except the Scions are desperately trying to take over the world while the Juggernaut can freely operate in it.
It’s interesting to consider that Cyttorak has a legion of descendants that he’s seemingly ordered to try to take over the Earth once a year, with only the Sorcerer Supreme capable of stopping them. Cyttorak has never been that bold before, as he seemed happy enough to siphon the chaos created by his Exemplar from Earth, feeding on it from his own dimension. Except, there was one other time when Cyttorak made a play for the mortal realm, which is why this new storyline is the biggest shake-up since 1999, when Marvel launched a Juggernaut-focused event: The Eighth Day.
The Eighth Day is the Last Time Cyttorak Got Such a Major Lore Expansion
Eighth Day Crossover Event Tie-Ins: Iron Man Vol. 3 #21, Thor Vol. 2 #17, Iron Man Vol. 3 #22, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #11, and Juggernaut Vol. 2 #1
Cyttorak’s newly-introduced Scions is a really cool expansion of the demon god’s lore, as it shows him connected to other god-like beings capable of unleashing immense destruction and chaos. But, interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time Cyttorak has belonged to a larger ‘family’ of demonic deities. In 1999’s Eighth Day crossover event, it’s revealed that Cyttorak is just one of many demon gods that collectively act as the power source behind the vast majority of magic in the Marvel Universe.
Whenever a sorcerer (including the likes of Strange and Doom) casts certain spells or incantations, they more often than not pull from Cyttorak and his ‘family’, which are interdimensional, god-level beings in the Marvel Universe that are collectively known as the Octessence. Those beings are: Farallah, Balthakk, Ikonn, Raggadorr, Watoomb, Valtorr, Krakkan, and Cyttorak.
In The Eighth Day, each member of the Octessence calls upon their respective Exemplar to combine their power on Earth and create a rift through which the demon gods can access the mortal realm and take it over themselves. While their plans were foiled (greatly thanks to Cyttorak’s Exemplar, the Juggernaut), this storyline still presented the Marvel Universe with a horrifying threat that’s always been lurking beneath the surface. And now, it seems Cyttorak has found a way to side-step the Octessence and use his own Scions to try to conquer Earth in The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man.
Marvel Has Been Steadily Growing Juggernaut’s Lore Recently (Without Cyttorak)
While The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man will be the biggest lore-expansion of Cyttorak since The Eighth Day (and, by extension, the Juggernaut), Marvel Comics has actually been steadily growing the Juggernaut’s lore recently, and it’s been doing so without Cyttorak.
During the Krakoan Era, Cain Marko actually broke free of Cyttorak’s control while retaining the power of the Juggernaut, isolating and anchoring that power on Earth far from Cyttorak’s influence. Now, the Juggernaut is a prominent member of the X-Men in the new ‘From the Ashes’ era, charting a new path for himself as a legitimate hero.
At the same time, Marvel has introduced a new Juggernaut (aka Kid Juggernaut) with Justin Jin, who is the blood descendant of the man who was the Juggernaut right before Cain Marko. While Cyttorak still has some claim over Justin, Kid Juggernaut has also decided to use his powers for good, and is currently learning how to be a hero at the Avengers Academy.
Juggernaut Unlocks the Ultimate Form of His Powers, Becoming a Living Railgun
Juggernaut is already famous foe being unstoppable, so what happens when he's literally fired out of a cannon? He achieves his ultimate form.
The Juggernaut title used to be synonymous with brutal villainy and demonic evil, but with the recent efforts of Cain Marko and Justin Jin, that title has become decidedly heroic. Without Cyttorak, the Juggernaut is expanding his own lore as a hero in Marvel Comics, all while the mythos of Cyttorak himself also continues to grow. Indeed, the 8 Deaths of Spider-Man is the biggest shake-up of Cyttorak lore since 1999’s Eighth Day, and Juggernaut fans should be very excited to see where it leads.
The Amazing Spider-Man #64 by Marvel Comics is available December 25, 2024.
