Warning! Spoilers ahead for X-Men #12!The X-Men's unstoppable tank, but Marvel just introduced a new substance that has done the unthinkable, and stopped the unstoppable, by making “inertia foam” the Juggernaut's new Kryptonite. As an official member of Cyclops’ X-Men, Juggernaut has gone from a classic villain to a hero, but it appears this Marvel lore change is making the Scion of Cyttorak far less formidable.

In X-Men #12 – written by Jed MacKay, with art by Netho Diaz – the Alaska X-Men face off against a horde of Skrull bounty hunters set on capturing Cyclops to use as leverage against Jean Grey. The Skrulls are able to take down Magik with vertigo, Cyclops with ruby quartz armor, and most shockingly, Juggernaut is subdued with a substance called inertia foam.

Juggernaut is widely noted as an unstoppable force of nature, gifted with godly powers by the demon Cyttorak, however, this new development completely upends Juggernaut and the Marvel Universe’s power scaling.

The X-Men’s Strongest Member Gets Nerfed With The Introduction Of An All-New Weapon

X-Men #12 – Written By Jed MacKay; Art By Netho Diaz; Ink By John Livesay & Sean Parsons; Color By Fernando Sifuentes; Lettering By Clayton Cowles

The bounty hunters have found a way to neutralize Cyclops' heaviest hitters, and while ruby quartz crystals have been a known weakness of Cyclops,' this is the first time inertia foam has been mentioned. When entrapped in the substance, the Skrull bounty hunter says inertia foam is strong enough to stop Nova at top speed, and Juggernaut is not nearly as strong as a member of the Nova Corps. Not only does this foam stop Juggernaut in his tracks, but it also confirms that the power of Cyttorak is vastly less powerful than the Nova Force.

Juggernaut is known for being an “unstoppable force” due to the magic imbued by Cyttorak, but throughout his time as the Juggernaut, all the way up to his contemporary battles, the character has been surprisingly stoppable. In The Amazing Spider-Man #67 – written by Justina Ireland, with art by Andrea Broccardo – Juggernaut was taken down by another Scion of Cyttorak by the name of Callix, who stopped the Juggernaut with a single hand. Despite Juggernaut receiving his powers from Cyttorak, it’s worth noting the armored goliath is no longer under Cyttorak’s dominion, and this has partially affected Juggernaut's invulnerability.

The Juggernaut May Not Be As Unstoppable As Marvel Claims The X-Men Hero Is

Juggernaut Has Lost To Hulk, Spider-Man, & More

Juggernaut’s power-level has taken a hit as of late, but losing is nothing new for Cain Marko, calling into question whether Juggernaut is as powerful as Marvel claims. In World War Hulk: X-Men #3, the Juggernaut gave up the power of Cyttorak, but when Hulk returned to Earth to claim vengeance on the ones who had cast him out, Juggernaut once again took up the mantle to stop the Hulk. Even at full strength, the Hulk was too powerful for the Juggernaut to handle, with the Hulk using Juggernaut’s momentum against him to propel him into a lake.

Spider-Man proved Juggernaut could be taken down with something as simple as wet concrete, making a weakness like inertia foam seem very feasible.

While the Hulk is one of the more powerful heroes on Marvel’s roster, other less-massive heroes have also been able to best the Juggernaut, such as Spider-Man, who was able to outsmart Juggernaut several times. In Amazing Spider-Man #230, Spider-Man famously beat Juggernaut when he abstracted Juggernaut’s vision and guided him into wet concrete, inevitably stopping him. Spider-Man struggled at first to defeat Juggernaut, and though Peter Parker didn’t use his super strength, Spider-Man proved Juggernaut could be taken down with something as simple as wet concrete, making a weakness like inertia foam seem feasible.

X-Men Lore Changes Forever, As Juggernaut's Adversaries Discovers An Easy Way He Can Be Stopped

Inertia Foam Is The Juggernaut’s Unprecedented Weakness

Juggernaut has gone up against and taken down some of Marvel’s finest, including the Hulk, but this new inertia foam weapon just made it so any regular person can take down the X-Men’s strongest. Inertia foam is an interesting new material to add to the Marvel arsenal, but ultimately, it is an upsetting lore change to Juggernaut fans. Moreover, Juggernaut's past defeats make it apparent that his title of “the unstoppable Juggernaut” is only a namesake and less of a fact.

Inertia foam is a problem for both Juggernaut and the X-Men, as it makes him much less of a threat...

The Juggernaut is, without a doubt, strong, with Cyclops mentioning that the Juggernaut is his ultimate weapon should the government once again turn on the X-Men, but as Marko fights, there continue to be new ways the Juggernaut can be stopped. So while he remains one of the X-Men’s most powerful, his status of being unstoppable has been inconsistent. Inertia foam is a problem for both Juggernaut and the X-Men, as it makes him much less of a threat and comes at an inconvenient time for the heroes now that he is a permanent X-Men member.

While Juggernaut remains one of the most physically powerful heroes within the Marvel Universe, this updated lore will undoubtedly change the game for the X-Men’s enemies who decide to take on the ironclad giant. This moment of defeat at the hands of a nameless Skrull also revokes Juggernaut's main title as an unstoppable force. With the new introduction of inertia foam, Juggernaut now has a significant weakness that can readily be used against him, and this problematic material for the X-Men will certainly be a lore change that many Juggernaut fans will find largely unfavorable for their favorite Marvel tank.

X-Men #12 is available now from Marvel Comics!