First Appearance: Cain Marko/Juggernaut; Kurt Marko, Sharon Xavier (both in flashback)

Villain: Juggernaut

Guest Appearance: Kurt Marko, Sharon Xavier (in flashback)

Origin: Cain Marko/Juggernaut, Charles Xavier

Innovations: Charles' father's name revealed as Brian

Letters Page: Page One • Page Two

He tells them that his father- atomic scientist Brian Xavier- died in a mysterious atomic blast accident in New Mexico. As a young boy, his naive widowed mother took up with his father's supposed best friend, the man who Xavier was sure had something to do with his father's death. As the man, Kurt Marko, came to take advantage of his mother Sharon and her great fortune, the resentment only grew bigger. Kurt Marko's son from a previous marriage, Cain, came home from a school expulsion and immediately began taunting his new step-brother.

Xavier halts his story as they hear the mutant threat grow nearer, causing the walls of the mansion to vibrate. As he plows through Iceman's wall, Xavier continues his story: Cain attempts to extort his father for money by going public about how he had something to do with Brian Xavier's death. Cain throws a tantrum when his father denies the charge, and he topples over a collection of serums and chemicals, which when combined, explode in a fiery blast. Kurt Marko saves the lives of the two boys by pulling them from the fire, but he is gravely wounded, and in his dying words, tells Charles that he had nothing to do directly with his father's death. He also issues a warning to beware Cain Marko.

The professor must stop his story again, as his brother has now gotten to the booby trapped trench. As he takes time to work his way through the electrified trench, Xavier continues: Cain's jealousy towards his brother grew as Charles' mutant powers allowed him to excel in all pursuits, both academically and athletically. The constant fighting and bickering led to a grievous moment when Cain drove them off a cliff in his car, nearly killing Charles! At this point in the story, the team looks out the window and sees Marko's huge form skulking in the dark, triggering the grenade trap. They pop out of the logs and explode, causing a sleep gas mist to form. It causes him to stumble for a moment, allowing Xavier to tell the last portion of his story:

While serving together in the Korean War, Cain decided to desert the army and hide out in a cave. Charles followed to talk him out of it, and while inside the cave, they found Cain stumbled onto the lost temple of Cyttorak. He found a gem that imbued him with the mystical powers of the crimson bands, and he was henceforth the Juggernaut. A cave-in caused the rocky grotto to collapse, and Xavier ran out, knowing his brother was surely dead. But obviously, he had escaped with the powers of the Juggernaut.

Xavier directs his charges to put up the steel door to the mansion, as it appears that the Juggernaut had broken through all the other defenses. The door is lifted and they wait. Finally, the Juggernaut arrives, and begins pounding, pounding, pounding on the door. Finally, it buckles and breaks open. Iceman puts up a wall, but he bashes through it. Cyclops blasts him with his optic beams, but Juggernaut pushes his way towards him regardless. Finally, he knocks them all aside and stands alone in front of Xavier, prepared for total victory.

(continued in XMEN #13.)

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu