Before Superman came.
Manhattan East River.
Alcatraz.
It was used to hold the most dangerous super-criminals in the world, and it was also the headquarters of the Thunderbolts.
Since the appearance of S.H.I.E.L.D and the establishment of The Avengers, all kinds of masked heroes had emerged one after another.
Some were born into poverty, but by accident or by chance, they embarked on this legendary path.
Some were born with a golden spoon in their mouths and became celebrated superheroes thanks to their genius and financial resources.
For whatever reason, the world was seeing an increase in the number of righteous men and women carrying out vigilantism and dealing with criminals.
Correspondingly, super-criminals were springing up like mushrooms after the rain.
Generally speaking, the Avengers was only responsible for international disputes and world crises.
They didn't have time to deal with street thugs, and urban gangsters.
Arms traffickers, international crime syndicates, human trafficking, and so on.
If there were a demand, there would be opportunities.
This was the time when vigilantism emerged.
Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Punisher ...
They were famous vigilantes.
These people once teamed up together to form 'the Defenders'.
Their main activity area was in New York's 'Hell's Kitchen' and the surrounding areas.
The target of the attack, in addition to Marvel Universe's Kingpin...
There were also gangsters and gangs in the area, such as the Hand society.
Later, the membership changed several times.
Some newcomers joined, and some old people dropped out.
Luke Cage, a black hero who was one of 'the Defenders', was recently recruited by the government to replace General Ross and became the leader of the Thunderbolts.
This was a special task force similar to the Suicide Squad from the studio next door.
Luke Cage specifically selected criminals from Alcatraz and then led them on dangerous, undisclosed, and secret missions that could never be made public.
Cain Marko, the 'Juggernaut', was part of this team.
In this universe, he was the stepbrother of Professor Charles.
As a general explanation, Juggernaut's father was interested in the Professor's mother's wealth, and the Professor's mother appreciated Juggernaut's father's manners and good skills.
The two were looking for warmth, a lonely man and lonely woman, hit it off... and stepped into a marriage.
As a result, Juggernaut and Charles became stepbrothers.
For what it's worth, he wasn't a mutant -- that's how the movie universe set it up.
Juggernaut's powers came from the dimensional demon Cyttorak.
In an archaeological dig, he discovered the 'Crimson Gem of Cyttorak that the Lord of Oblivion placed in this universe.
That gem gave Cain Marko endless strength and a large, indestructible, and hard body.
That amazing defense power could even resist Thor's Mjölnir and Wolverine's Adamantium claws.
It's just that Juggernaut's strength fluctuated, depending on Cyttorak's mood.
This led to a very uneven record. He was sometimes strong, sometimes weak.
At his peak, he could fight head-to-head with the Hulk, but when he was weak, even the Punisher could beat him.
"Juggernaut, you have a new mission."
Today was no different than usual for Cain Marko.
Like other criminals, he stayed in solitary confinement, enjoying TV, newspapers, fried chicken, and beer.
Then his leader, the dark-skinned, hard-hitting, muscular man, would give him an assignment.
Successful completion would give him the opportunity to let off steam, or some of his requirements would be met.
For example--
A sumptuous meal from a Michelin chef.
A striptease by a pole dancer in the red-light district.
And so on.
As long as it wasn't too excessive, it would basically be approved.
"I need new gym equipment, and the ergometer that was delivered last week is broken again."
Juggernaut said in a muffled voice.
He was a mountain of flesh, nestled in a custom-made sofa, watching Chaplin's 'Modern Times'.
After becoming Cyttorak's thug, Cain-Marko's body shape greatly changed.
Standing at 2.87 meters tall and weighing nearly 2,000 pounds, he was a small giant.
"No problem, I'll report your request."
The Alcatraz guard spoke with a smile.
Of all the super-criminals in prison, Juggernaut was one of the easy-to-talk-to types.
The guards opened the iron door of the cell and stepped on a stepladder to remove the restraint from his neck.
"The higher-ups are waiting in a meeting, so hurry up and get over there."
Juggernaut reluctantly looked away and turned off the TV.
The mountain-like body took steps on the hard-concrete floor, giving the impression that the ground was shaking.
He took the elevator all the way up.
At the ground floor of Alcatraz, in front of several off-road vehicles, stood Luke Cage, Brock 'Crossbones' Rumlow from Hydra, and other unknown guys.
Judging from the uniform and personal appearance, it appeared they weren't good people.
"Juggernaut, this time you're ..."
As the leader of the team, Luke Cage was about to assign a task when he heard a thunderous explosion.
When everyone looked up, they saw a bright flame falling from the night sky.
It was as if thunder had struck the Earth as if meteorites were grinding against the atmosphere.
"Start the primary defense ..."
Luke Cage's face paled. He tried to get the prison to raise its energy shield to stop the onslaught of external forces.
The dazzling fire came crashing down with unstoppable force!
Boom!
A huge explosion shook Manhattan!
The East River kicked up waves several feet high!
The entire island of Alcatraz was like a bumpy boat that almost capsized.
By the time the smoke had cleared, Luke Cage's dazed consciousness was gradually waking up, and his eardrums were buzzing, and there were faint sounds of muffled voices.
He shook his head vigorously and struggled to get up from the ground.
"Juggernaut..."
On the grounds of Alcatraz, the only remaining person that was standing was the titan-like figure.
Luke Cage waved to him, indicating that the other party should go into the center of the explosion to see what it was, which almost sank the entire island.
Juggernaut nodded, the small eyes peeking out of his helmet flashed with a hint of caution.
"A hammer ..."
Cain Marko saw an object that fell from the sky. It wasn't a thunderbolt nor a meteor.
A heavy, round, blunt hammer!
Why would a hammer fall from the sky...?
Juggernaut's brain couldn't figure this out.
Cyttorak gave him the brute strength of Hercules but also took away his already modest intellect.
What made Juggernaut slightly better than the raging Hulk was that he was able to communicate normally rather than smash anyone in his sight with fists.
"Hammer ..."
The more Cain Marko looked at the hammer, the more he felt an uncontrollable urge to keep it for himself.
"It's for me!"
For no reason at all, Juggernaut came up with this idea.
He reached out his hand, touched it, held it tight, and then raised it!
An unprecedented power-filled Juggernaut's body, creating a violent urge to smash and destroy everything.
The hammer held in his right hand, as if it were alive, spoke to him.
Constantly urging and ordering him.
"I am -- Kuurth! Breaker of Stone!"
Juggernaut's mouth uttered some strange, obscure syllables.
If Thor was here, he could definitely understand it. This was a language derived from the Runes used by Odin, the God-King of Asgard.
"I will destroy the world for the Serpent!"
Juggernaut's consciousness was chaotic, completely dominated by the pitch-black figure.
Even the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak's light retreated to the other side.
He raised his hammer and slammed it down on a figure that appeared in front of him!
Bang!
The hammer carried enough terrifying power to sink the island.
But it could only land above the man's head, but it couldn't move an inch!
It seemed that there was an invisible wall blocking it.
The mighty force that shattered all things was blasted along the man's body and into the ruins beneath his feet.
The prison suddenly shuddered and sank down.
The hard outer shell of the mixed vibranium developed cracks that expanded into a dense spider web.
Luke Cage, who had just gotten up, was struck by the impact and fell to the ground again.
"The Serpent Cul? One of the eight Worthy?"
The young man, who had appeared out of nowhere, spoke indifferently. There was a glint of surprise in his eyes.
It turned out that Strange asked for his help because Odin's brother, the Serpent -- Cul, the God of Fear, had been awakened.
"I'll smash you! I'll smash you..."
Juggernaut saw the man unharmed and acted as if he was seriously provoked.
He repeated his sentence and swung the hammer again!
Orange lightning wrapped around the hammer, forming a thunderbolt as thick as a python.
The atmosphere shook with a booming sound, and a high-temperature thunderbolt that could melt gold and iron was unleashed.
The young man who entered the area looked unperturbed as he slowly rose up with his feet in the air.
The seemingly small fist collided with the all-crushing, all-destroying hammer, sending out a terrifying aftershock!
The overflowing ripples rolled outward like a tsunami.
Above Alcatraz, it looked like a category 12 typhoon.
Luke Cage, who was invulnerable to guns and had an incredible defense, was tossed out in a matter of moments.
His strong muscles were aching as if he had been hit by a high-speed train and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Looking at the dangerous and unapproachable battlefield where the light exploded, a flash of fear rose in the black hero.
Half of the solid shell of the prison island had been melted away.
Where the Juggernaut stood, it had sunk several meters deep.
If it hadn't been thick enough, it would have been torn through.
The most unbelievable thing was that the man who confronted the hammer fought with his fists!
No damage!
No discomfort to be seen!
"Crushing everything, breaking everything... You don't deserve this hammer."
Ignoring Juggernaut's shocked look, Luke's Heat Vision swept right across his opponent's right hand.
The hard body that could even resist Adamantium, like a red-hot knife slicing through butter, was easily and smoothly sliced through.
The hammer fell steadily into Superman's hands.
Although it kept struggling, it couldn't escape Luke's palm.
He swung the hammer and smashed it into Juggernaut's head!
Bang!
Bang!
A huge bang!
Juggernaut's steel helmet instantly shattered into pieces.
Boom!
Another hammer blow!
Juggernaut's seven orifices bleed and ripped through the prison island like a cannonball, falling into the Hudson River below.
"The followers of Cyttorak have great vitality and wouldn't die so easily."
Luke looked down at the beaten Juggernaut, sinking to the bottom of the river like a lump of iron, and grimaced.
With the power of the Lord of Oblivion, he wouldn't be able to kill him with just two blows.
Superman casually threw the mind-bewildering, spirit-corrupting Hammer of Kuurth to the ground.
Looking around, he opened his mouth and asked, "Can anyone take me to the Avengers?"