The story in X-Men #12 flips between present action and a flashback. In the current setup, we have the X-Men alerted to the approach of someone powerful by Cerebro, with everyone on the team—save Cyclops—learning of the machine here.

Professor X instructs the X-Men to set up a series of defenses for the school. They watch as the new foe—Professor X’s stepbrother, Cain Marko—manages to push through each defense in turn, making his way closer and closer to the mansion.

This is woven with flashbacks, where we see a young Charles Xavier and the death of his father in a nuclear test accident. The story continues as Cain’s father, Karl, steps into the life of Charles and his mother—first seeming to be a friend, but quickly becoming her second husband. He takes over the family wealth, which was all he ever wanted, but in the end he dies in an accident caused by Cain. In Karl’s final moments, he issues a warning to Charles about his powers, ultimately letting Cain learn of them.

This backstory continues until the Korean War, where Charles and Cain stumble onto the lost temple of Cyttorak. Cain takes a ruby and reads the inscription upon it; the gem gives him the power of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak and transforms him into the Juggernaut.

The story ends with the Juggernaut inside the walls of the school, easily pushing the X-Men aside and confronting Charles “for the last time!”

Originality & Continuity

Cyttorak

Some casual fans may not realize that Cyttorak was mentioned before this. Juggernaut may have catapulted awareness of Cyttorak, but he was referenced in existing Doctor Strange stories, tying threads of the Marvel Universe together. It was first mentioned in Strange Tales #124 when Doctor Strange invokes the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak as a spell to free a possessed woman, calling upon Cyttorak’s power for the first time. Then again in the following issue, where Baron Mordo imprisons the Ancient One within the Crimson Circle of Cyttorak. More recently, we see them used in Strange Tales #132.

Where I’m going with this: cross-story continuity—something that may seem small—builds on the narrative of another series in ways that, if you miss it, might not be a big deal; but if you realize it, it’s just all the more amazing.

Cerebro: Secret computer no more, again…

In my reading, the Professor revealed Cerebro to the X-Men (without fanfare) in X-Men #10. Then, in the following issue, we have an unnamed projector that performs Cerebro’s function. In short, the idea of a device detecting mutants—kept as a secret between him and Cyclops—has been a bit back and forth. But hopefully, with this issue and the buzzing being so clear, the secret is now obviously out among the team.

Juggernaut compared to the Destroyer

I cannot help but compare the story here with the one in Journey Into Mystery #118. In that story, we have a similar origin—a similar unstoppable creature (construct?). There are differences, but also similarities that make me wonder if the root ideas were spawned at the same point. That said, both are different too, in their own ways, and each is worthy of the long history that developed after their respective origins.

Characters & Development

It should be no surprise that an issue titled “The Origin of Professor X!” gives us exactly that origin—and shows how tied it is to that of his stepbrother. We come to understand that mutants are born with their powers (which develop as teens), but the origin here focuses much more on Charles’s upbringing, the death of his father, the death of his mother, the death of his stepfather, and the challenges of his brother. We also see how Charles’s powers help him excel as they develop. It does not yet dive into why he starts the school, or much of the rich background that will continue to build, but as an origin story it’s both useful and helpful to the ongoing narrative.

We also get the background of the Juggernaut—at least from Professor X’s perspective at this Silver Age point. He’s an evil stepbrother pushed by envy, becoming in many ways the physical opposite of Charles. Where Professor X is master of the mind, Cain Marko becomes a force of nature, the unstoppable Juggernaut.

Story & Art

The way this story is told—particularly how we don’t get a good look at the Juggernaut (other than on the cover) until the end—is great. We only see glimpses of him pushing through defenses: a limb here or there, or his whole form in silhouette and shadow, rather than in living, breathing color. This maintains the mystery while relaying the X-Men’s astonished reactions as he progresses through each trap and obstacle they set.

In this issue, the story and art weave this thread nicely, all while building the origin to the point where we understand how a normal bully of a stepbrother becomes the threat the X-Men are about to face. Then, at the end, we get a cliffhanger that makes the threat seem as unstoppable as the story built him to be—leaving us to wait until the next issue for the resolution.