Juggernaut has a long history with the X-Men. The step-brother of Charles Xavier, Cain Marko found the temple of the dark god Cyttorak and was transformed into the Juggernaut, a nigh-unstoppable force of destruction. Since then, the Juggernaut has used that power for his own gain, but all of that has changed. Juggernaut has been growing as a character; his hatred of Xavier and the X-Men have cooled, and he’s fought against the terrible power of Cyttorak. Juggenaut is currently a member of the X-Men, fighting alongside Cyclops and his team to protect mutants. Currently, Marvel’s merry mutants are caught up in “X-Manhunt”, with the various mutant teams hunting down Charles Xavier. X-Factor #8, by Mark Russell and Bob Quinn, sees the X-Men battle against X-Factor, the new government mutant team, over who gets Xavier and it’s led to one of the most interesting Juggernaut fights in years.
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Juggernaut has battled the original X-Men since the beginning of his supervillain/superhero career. Of the five original X-Men, there’s always been one character who really couldn’t do much in battle with Juggernaut: Angel, now known as Archangel. That’s what makes this newest battle between the two so surprising. Archangel has recently been through a lot of surgeries, and X-Factor #8 shows just why he did so. Archangel is able to take out Juggernaut in the fight with the enhancements he’s gotten, which could be a major problem for everyone in the days to come.
Archangel’s New Form Is More Dangerous than Ever
Archangel was easily the weakest of the original X-Men. His angel wings were beautiful and flight was a useful power, but his offensive capabilities were that of a human in good shape. Sure, he could hit enemies with his wings, but against someone like Juggernaut, his powers were useless. Archangel got his first major enhancement in the days following “Mutant Massacre.” He was captured by the Marauders, who cut his wings off. This drove Archangel to despondency, and he tried to kill himself. However, he was saved by Apocalypse and transformed into the Horseman of Death, given razor sharp wings that allowed him to fly even faster than ever. Since then, Archangel’s powers have been in flux. His original wings have returned, he’s developed a healing factor, and eventually was able to transform from Angel to Archangel form.
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However, Apocalypse didn’t just give Archangel new wings in order to make his life better. Archangel’s mind was changed forever; his Death form made him more dangerous than ever, and Apocalypse’s manipulations were revealed to be a massive problem for his teammates in “The Dark Angel Saga”. It was revealed that the Horseman of Death was the one meant to take Apocalypse’s place, using a Death Seed to become the new Apocalypse. Archangel became a villain, destroying an entire American town, and was mindwiped by his at the time girlfriend Psylocke. Archangel went through a lot in the ensuing years, losing his memory and eventually becoming a hunter/killer drone psychically controlled by Psylocke. He’s gotten better since then, but Archangel gaining new powers is a frightening thing for the X-Men; every time it’s happened, he’s went evil. Archangel going in for elective surgeries to make his Archangel form even stronger could lead to terrible places down the road.
Archangel Gaining New Power Could Be a Problem for the X-Men
Archangel’s new form seems to be the most powerful he’s been in a long time. Juggernaut had just been through a battle with the Eternity-possessed Storm, but the nature of his powers means that he was basically back at a hundred percent by the time the fight with X-Factor had begun. Archangel being able to knock out Juggernaut is a major upgrade for the winged mutant, and it’s something that should give all of the X-Men pause. Archangel’s mind has long been his biggest vulnerability, and this newest form could take him down a dark road.
Apocalypse’s creation of Archangel made him one of the X-Men’s biggest liabilities. Archangel grew up with the X-Men and was one of the team’s most trusted members, but all of that changed after his transformation. It seems like whenever Archangel gets more power, it leads to very dangerous places. Archangel deciding to make himself more powerful, able to take out the unstoppable Juggernaut, could be the beginning of the return of a much more dangerous Archangel, one that no one can trust.
X-Factor #8 is on sale where ever comics are sold.
