Juggernaut has had many foes in his decades as a major comic book character, often facing off against the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk – and, less commonly, the Avengers. While Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might not be considered Juggernaut’s standard enemies, they’ve done an impressive job of beating him in the past. Even obscure members who haven’t been with the team long have managed to score surprising victories.
While Juggernaut was first seen as an antagonist to the X-Men, Juggernaut is not actually a mutant. Juggernaut received his powers through the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, which granted him the abilities of superstrength and durability, mystical armor, and ‘magic momentum’ which makes him unstoppable once he picks up enough speed. These powers make him an almost unstoppable force, and he’s used to tangling with powerhouses like Thor and Hulk – which makes it all the more surprising that these less powerful Avengers managed to beat him.
11 Red Hulk
During the time that Colossus (aka Piotr Rasputin) was transformed into Juggernaut, he went toe to toe with Red Hulk in Kieron Gillen and Greg Land’s Uncanny X-Men #11. At first, it seems like Juggernaut will defeat Red Hulk, throwing himself into the fight with relish. Colossus channels more and more of Cyttorak’s power, increasing his size and taking on a monstrous form to win. However, Juggernaut realizes that the additional power is warping his mind, and tempting him to destroy the X-Men’s island home in the ensuing fight. Gaining some clarity, he surrenders to Red Hulk, allowing Thunderbolt Ross to strike a winning blow. As a result, Red Hulk is victorious.
While the fight was not completely matched since Juggernaut basically let him win, Red Hulk is the kind of fighter who is happy to call a victory a victory. The story made it clear how Juggernaut’s powers come with a toll on his mind, and that the host of the power might be better off accepting a loss than sacrificing others to win.
10 Doctor Voodoo
In Jim Zub, Sean Izaakse, and Juanan RamÃrez’s Uncanny Avengers #29, Doctor Voodoo opens a can of worms when he accidentally summons Juggernaut to the ailing Avengers Mansion while invoking Cyttorak’s magic. Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Wasp, Synapse, and Dr. Voodoo work together to try to beat him. However, efforts from Rogue, Quicksilver, and Synapse are unsuccessful, and Juggernaut almost kills the latter hero. When all other methods prove to be futile, Doctor Voodoo uses his magic to increase Juggernaut’s armor to the point where he can’t move. Doctor Voodoo then teleports the villain away, ignoring his pleas to be returned to prison. It was one of the smartest wins over the Juggernaut ever, as Doctor Voodoo realizes that he can’t overpower his foe, but he can turn his gifts against him.
9 Spider-Woman
In Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha’s Spider-Woman #38, published in 1981, the titular character fought not just Juggernaut but two of his malevolent compatriots as well. Juggernaut along with Black Tom Cassidy and Siryn framed Spider-Woman for Vibranium theft and attempted to escape justice on a derelict ship. However, Colossus, Storm, and Angel of the X-Men help Spider-Woman thwart the villain’s escape. While Black Tom Cassidy and Siryn are easily accosted, Juggernaut is more difficult. With the X-Men’s help, Spider-Woman blasts him into the water, taking away his traditional advantages and leading to him drifting out to sea. Spider-Woman’s win shows that heroes don’t need to beat Juggernaut in a fist fight – removing his footing is an easy way to turn the tables.
8 Wolverine
In Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #3‘s ‘Burn,’ John Ridley and Jorge Fornes present a story of Juggernaut crashing into a bar where Wolverine and Cosmic Ghost Rider are drinking. While neither has the raw might to beat Juggernaut, Wolverine realizes that – hailing from an alternate future where Thanos eradicated all life – Cosmic Ghost Rider’s chains are made from Cyttorak’s bones. This makes them immune to Juggernaut’s powers, and Wolverine trusses him up to be arrested.
This is not the only time Wolverine has defeated Juggernaut, also beating him in Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen’s Fear Itself #7 when both were enhanced by Asgardian magic. Wolverine’s claws may be useless against Juggernaut’s armor, but he reliably finds the right weapon to come out ahead.
7 Hyperion
In Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness’ Heroes Reborn Vol 2 #1, Hyperion takes on ‘Doctor Juggernaut’ – a version of Doctor Doom who has become the latest Juggernaut. Despite Doom also knowing magic, Hyperion makes short work of the fight. However, fans already knew that Hyperion could pulverize Juggernaut – in Jeff Parker and Kev Walker’s Thunderbolts #153, Hyperion takes on the entire team, shattering the original Juggernaut’s knee so that he can’t gain any momentum. Hyperion would have killed Juggernaut with his heat vision if the rest of the team hadn’t stepped in, ganging up on Marvel’s Superman in the way only villains can.
6 Venom
In Ann Nocenti and Kelley Jones’ Venom: The Madness #3, the Lethal Protector takes on the Unstoppable Force. Taking place in the early ’90s when Venom’s fame was at its peak, not only does the symbiote manage to throw Juggernaut around, but to totally scare him off. Juggernaut loses by fleeing in terror, despite being the far more powerful figure by most metrics. Of course, Venom was so iconic at the time that Marvel even had him fighting Superman, so the future Secret Avengers member was wearing some pretty heavy plot armor of his own.
5 Doctor Strange
In Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #44, by Roy Thomas and Geof Isherwood, the titular hero is captured by Cyttorak himself. Thinking quickly, Strange summons Juggernaut to help him, and the supervillain actually attacks his mystic patron and steals the source of his power. Of course, Juggernaut instantly turns on the hero, beating him badly. Strange turns the tables by hurling Cyttorak’s power source back into his possession, unleashing the Juggernaut’s enraged ‘boss’ to take him down. As the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange is used to invoking magical beings like Cyttorak to fight for him, but this is the most literal way he’s ever done so.
Strange also allies with – and is betrayed by – Juggernaut in Roy Thomas and Gene Colan’s Doctor Strange #18, essentially repeating his trick by invoking Eternity to deal with the combined threat of Juggernaut and Nightmare.
4 Captain Universe
Under the human host of William Nguyen, Captain Universe swears revenge on Juggernaut in Roger Stern and Lee Weeks’ The Amazing Spider-Man #627. After Juggernaut was responsible for basically destroying his life, Nguyen – now the latest version of Captain Universe – is determined to kill him, knocking Juggernaut out cold. Thankfully, Spider-Man steps in to help before the killing blow. Contending with two superpowered beings, Captain Universe still manages to take them both. Thankfully for the Juggernaut, the Enigma Force abandons Nguyen once he chooses seeking revenge over stopping a nearby disaster, preventing the killing blow. In this case, Captain Universe was simply out of Juggernaut’s league, being one of Marvel’s strongest beings.
3 Skaar
Hulk has defeated Juggernaut many times, and in training his son Skaar, he sought the villain out for a battle. In Greg Pak and Ariel Olivetti’s The Incredible Hulk #602, the Hulk bombs Juggernaut’s house to draw him out. Initially losing, Skaar is almost overcome by Juggernaut. That is until the Dark Avenger resorts to some underhanded tactics. Skaar appeals to Juggernaut’s sympathy by transforming out of his gamma form, regaining his child form and begging the villain not to hurt him. This lowers Juggernaut’s defenses, allowing Skaar a window to knock him out. However, when the blow is not enough to beat him, he and Juggernaut make a truce… which Skaar breaks immediately. Blindsided, Juggernaut is hurled into open space and defeated. While he’s among Marvel’s strongest villains, Juggernaut will never be the smartest, and dirty tricks are a good way to take him down – as the final two entries on this list prove.
2 Deadpool
In Gerry Duggan and Mike Hawthorne’s Despicable Deadpool #298, a huge price on Wade Wilson’s head tempts Juggernaut – who’s long had beef with the Regeneratin’ Degenerate – to try his luck. However, Deadpool is more than ready for Juggernaut, first hitting him with a truck out of nowhere, then dousing him in concrete. It’s a humiliating loss for Juggernaut, and shows just how much preparation can change the course of a battle – and how much he relies on his magic momentum to win the day.
1 Spider-Man
Spider-Man may be strong, but he has nowhere near the level of muscular power as Juggernaut. This makes Spidey’s victory over the Juggernaut an unexpected surprise. In fact, he reliably beats Juggernaut. This is evident as far back as their first meeting. Starting in Roger Stern and John Romita Jr.’s The Amazing Spider-Man #229, Spider-Man gets off to a rocky start after all his attacks are unsuccessful – his webs slip off Juggernaut’s armor, and even after a gasoline truck crashes into him, the villain is unharmed. However, Spider-Man is smart enough to lure Juggernaut into a building site, causing him to ‘drown’ in wet cement. Juggernaut has noted it as his most humiliating and traumatizing loss, as he was trapped for over a month, and he retains a fear of being trapped from the experience (something that made all the other losses here sting even worse)
Juggernaut’s power can seem unbeatable, but his mystic abilities mean there are many ways to defeat him. Whether by tricking him, bringing the right weapon, or using his power against him, each of these Avengers scored a victory against the Juggernaut, even if the times he was punched out by Hulk tend to stick in fans’ minds a little better.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
