Roger Sterns latest interview regarding the upcoming Juggernaut/Spidey arc:
CBR News: "Nothing can stop the Juggernaut" – the two-part story where you first paired Spider-Man and the Juggernaut – is widely regarded as one of the best Spider-Man stories ever. What made you want to revisit that pairing now in "Something Can Stop the Juggernaut"?Roger Stern: That was all thanks to editor Steve Wacker. Before I had even finished the script to "Amazing Spider-Man" #580, he was asking me to write some more stories. The title was an idea that Steve tossed my way as a possible story springboard. Once he said "Something Can Stop the Juggernaut," I couldn't get that thought out of my mind. It bedeviled me until I finally figured out who might have a chance of stopping Juggernaut. And then, I had to write the story.
Why do you thinks Spider-Man and the Juggernaut are so interesting when paired together?
It's probably because they are in such different weight classes. Despite his identification with the X-Men, you'd expect the Juggernaut to go up against someone like the Hulk or Thor. The fact that Spider-Man and Juggernaut are of such different power levels automatically makes things more interesting.
Let's talk a little bit about the Juggernaut himself. He started off as a villain, several years ago he tried being a hero, and it seems like recently he's in danger of reverting to his old villainous ways. What end of the moral spectrum do you think Cain Marko falls on? Is he more of a villain? More of a hero? Or does he occupy sort of a gray area between the two?
He's definitely in that gray area. They say this cat Marko is a ba-a-ad mother…[Shut yo mouth!] But I'm talkin' 'bout Marko.
Juggernaut is a mean S.O.B., but he's also loyal to and protective of his friends. Of course, he doesn't make many friends.
What do you feel are the Juggernaut's defining character traits?
He has a hair-trigger temper, and he's very single-minded. If Juggernaut decides to go somewhere, he goes – right through anything and anyone foolhardy enough to get in his path. And he doesn’t discourage easily.
"The Gauntlet," a series of interconnected storylines, is currently running in the pages of "Amazing Spider-Man." And in the stories under that banner Peter Parker has gone through the emotional wringer. How is Peter feeling when your story starts? What is on his mind?
Pete is in great pain, but that's more an immediate function of his Spider-sense than of his emotional state. He's still unemployed, but he's managing to get by.
As per usual, Pete is trying to make sense of his world. So when the Juggernaut all but falls into his lap, he just has to figure out what happened and why. Plus, dealing with the mystery as Spider-Man helps take his mind off his personal woes.
Based on the solicits it sounds like during the course of "Something Can Stop the Juggernaut" that Spidey and the Juggernaut will be both at odds and forced to work together.
Well, it's hard not to be at odds with the Juggernaut. And since Cain has been left comatose, he's not much help to Spider-Man – at first.
How would you describe the dynamic between these characters? Are they able to get along? Or is there something about their personalities and past experiences that makes it hard for them to stand each other?
There's been a kind of uneasy truce between the two of them in recent years. Spider-Man, along with the Avengers, came to Juggernaut's aid when the Exemplars were after him. The question is – after all that he's been through – will Cain be in any condition to honor that debt? Or even to remember it?
What can you tell me about the plot and themes of this story?
I don't want to give away too much, but a lot of the story has to do with questions of power, responsibility, and unintended consequences--which, when you think about it, is the overall theme of Pete's life, isn't it?
The solicits make reference to a dangerous being of mind-bending power and this being sounds like the chief adversary of the story. What is driving this character?
Let's just say, this adversary feels personally wronged by the Juggernaut. That narrows the possible suspects down to what? A few million?
http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25316
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, it seems Stern knows what he's talking about when it comes to the Juggernaut. I'm particularly impressed with the part where he said he had to think a while on who he thought could stop the Juggernaut, suggesting he doesn't believe many can; which is true.
The stuff about not knowing whether or not he's a villian, and he's some where in the "gray area" concerns me.
All in all, I'm looking forward to this.
Originally posted by CosmicComet
^The gray area stuff doesn't really bother me. Juggernaut has never really come across as 'evil' to me.So long as Cain retains his WWH saga levels while being in the gray area, I'm fine with it.
I'm not. Juggernaut will always be a villain, he's a murderer and a terrorist for godsakes. The whole gray area thing tells me Marvel isn't ready to commit to him being a baddy again because of how popular he was with X fans during his Imposternaut days.
THUNDERBOLTS #145
Written by JEFF PARKER
Pencilled by KEV WALKER
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
THE HEROIC AGE IS HERE!
Special Post-SIEGE issue – that introduces a brand-new character! When a magical landmark like Asgard crashes to Earth, the fallout doesn’t end just by sweeping up the wreckage. This historic disaster has unleashed unprecedented threats, and one of them is pillaging the American Midwest! This sounds like the perfect mission for Luke Cage’s untested team of incarcerated superhumans—and while the newly assembled Thunderbolts boast the power of Juggernaut, Ghost, Moonstone, Crossbones and Man-Thing, are even they ready to handle the girl known only as…Troll?
--
Oh boy it begins.
Originally posted by -K-M-
THUNDERBOLTS #145
Written by JEFF PARKER
Pencilled by KEV WALKER
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVICTHE HEROIC AGE IS HERE!
Special Post-SIEGE issue – that introduces a brand-new character! When a magical landmark like Asgard crashes to Earth, the fallout doesn’t end just by sweeping up the wreckage. This historic disaster has unleashed unprecedented threats, and one of them is pillaging the American Midwest! This sounds like the perfect mission for Luke Cage’s untested team of incarcerated superhumans—and while the newly assembled Thunderbolts boast the power of Juggernaut, Ghost, Moonstone, Crossbones and Man-Thing, are even they ready to handle the girl known only as…Troll?
--Oh boy it begins.
Broken Frontier interviews Jeff Parker:
BF: Probably the best known of the criminals on the team is Juggernaut. Where is he at as a character as he comes into this series? He's been straddling the hero/villain fence for a while, right?JP: And he still will be. I don't think he'll ever be defined clearly as one or the other, just like a lot of people in real life. I like that to some people, he's a nightmare and to others he's a loyal ally. That makes him the perfect type to be in the Thunderbolts- a really powerful figure who can affect the world in a big way, and you want to point him the right way. You may never change him.
And the hits just keep on coming.
theyre not going to nicen him up, i'll say that. he's on a team with Moonstone and Crossbones. they keep that element in Thunderbolts
to keep it dangerous.
i think Cain is going to come out of ASM on top, judging by the third parts cover. looks like he's rising up their.
a friend introduced the theory that the Uni-Power bearer is Xavier.
im thinking he's right. Xavier dissapeared from Utopia shortly before Magneto started working on bringing Kitty back. Peter tries getting ahold of Xavier that issue but cant. Universe shredded Cains helmet first, they pointed that out. why did he need the helmet removed?
and he fits the other bills.
was a good issue, got me on edge. it better pay off.
Meh, I'd rather it not be Chuck X personally. Emphasizing the helmet being gone certainly suggests that the reason he keeps blinking in and out of conciousness is because of some kind of psi-tampering. The problem I have is the uni-power by itself isn't enough to give Juggernaut that much trouble physically. He's bruised up with a bloody nose. If that were Chuck with the Uni-power, it would be a normal guy who's amped 50 fold. No where near enough power to mess with Cain like that.
Originally posted by Knowsbleed33
Meh, I'd rather it not be Chuck X personally. Emphasizing the helmet being gone certainly suggests that the reason he keeps blinking in and out of conciousness is because of some kind of psi-tampering. The problem I have is the uni-power by itself isn't enough to give Juggernaut that much trouble physically. He's bruised up with a bloody nose. If that were Chuck with the Uni-power, it would be a normal guy who's amped 50 fold. No where near enough power to mess with Cain like that.
Agreed, tho there has been some times in the past where Chuck has used TK also. Not quite sure if he is supposed to have lost this permanently.