Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Amazing Spider-Man #68.DEATHS! Cain Marko aka the Juggernaut is famously unstoppable, and the reason why is due to the nature of his powers. The Juggernaut isn’t a mutant (at least, not in Marvel Comics’ main continuity of Earth-616). Instead, he was just a regular human who was imbued with the dark magic of an elder demon-god, Cyttorak. Because his powers are magic-based, Juggernaut’s strength and invulnerability are beyond what should be possible, which is why he’s one of Marvel’s greatest powerhouses. At least, until he goes up against the one weapon that can beat him…

In a preview for The Amazing Spider-Man #68.DEATHS by Christos Gage and Mark Buckingham, Spider-Man is dead and the X-Men have been infected/possessed by a cosmic force of chaos known as the Blight. The Blight took over the body of a Scion of Cyttorak named Callix, who wielded the Blight’s power to murder Spider-Man and corrupt the X-Men. However, given the Juggernaut’s connection to Cyttorak, he was unaffected by Callix’s attack, and was not taken over by the Blight. Unfortunately, that put a huge target on his back.

Every member of the X-Men starts attacking the Juggernaut as a team, as he’s the only one who hasn’t been corrupted by the Blight. Lucky for Marko, the magical power of Cyttorak still flows through his veins (even if Juggernaut did sever ties with Cyttorak at the start of the Krakoan Era), which means that he’s quite literally unstoppable, no matter what the X-Men throw at him. Well, that’s almost true. As the Juggernaut its in this preview, Magik’s Soulsword is the one weapon that can actually hurt him, and perhaps even kill him.

The Juggernaut Can Be Beaten By Magik’s Soulsword

How is the Soulsword Able to Stop the Unstoppable Juggernaut?

Magik’s Soulsword has the ability to disrupt magic spells, making it a weapon that’s as deadly to a magically-powered enemy as it is to a non-magic foe (indeed, it’s still a giant sword, magical or not). So, since the Juggernaut’s power is purely magic-based, he is susceptible to the Soulsword. The blade would not only slice through the Juggernaut’s enchanted armor, but it would weaken his flesh as it cut through it, reverting Cain Marko to the human he was before he became the Juggernaut - and this would happen instantaneously as Magik sliced or stabbed him.

Granted, this potential new weakness has never been tested, but based on the properties of the Soulsword, it stands to reason that it would be enough to hurt - or even kill - the Juggernaut. Aside from this being a new weakness for the formerly Unstoppable Juggernaut, this development is simply heartbreaking. Juggernaut and Magik have formed a close relationship since they became X-Men teammates, making the fact that the Juggernaut’s closest friend and ally is one of the few people in the Marvel Universe who can kill him utterly tragic, to say the least.

Not only that, but it also calls into question the very nature of their relationship. As this preview shows, the Juggernaut is the one who believes the Soulsword can hurt him, while Magik seemingly has no idea exactly how deadly it would be to the Juggernaut. Perhaps that’s the only reason Marko went out of his way to befriend Magik to begin with, believing that if they were genuine friends, she wouldn’t use her weapon - one of the few that can actually hurt him - against him. This level of manipulation would make sense, given the Juggernaut’s former villainy, though it would utterly taint their friendship.

Juggernaut’s Soulsword Weakness is Bad News for the New Ultimate Universe

Magik is a Super-Villain in Earth-6160, which is Bad for Ultimate Juggernaut

The revelation that Magik’s Soulsword has the power to hurt the Juggernaut isn’t just impactful in Marvel Comics’ main continuity of Earth-616, but also in its all-new continuity of Earth-6160 aka the new Ultimate Universe. In Earth-6160, Illyana Rasputin (along with Colossus and Omega Red) is the leader of the Eurasian Republic, and a member of the Maker’s Council along with other ‘super-villains’ who secretly rule the world. In other words, Magik is, herself, a super-villain in the Ultimate Universe. That means, when Ultimate Juggernaut is introduced, he will immediately be in mortal danger if he ever challenges Magik.

While the idea that the Ultimate Universe’s Juggernaut (when and if he’s introduced) will be in danger from the first moment of his debut is exciting, it doesn’t overshadow the fact that Earth-616’s Juggernaut is facing that danger right now. Magik - along with the X-Men - has been taken over by the Blight, and will do whatever she can to kill the Juggernaut, since he’s an enemy of the Blight. And, as the Juggernaut himself reveals, Magik has the one weapon that can actually do it - let’s just hope she (or anyone else) doesn’t figure that out.

The Amazing Spider-Man #68.DEATHS by Marvel Comics is available February 26, 2025.