TOP 100 COMIC BOOK BATTLES: # 8

#8. Spider-Man vs. Juggernaut

Spider-Man lives by the credo "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility," but often, Spider-Man's sense of responsibility will conflict with his common sense, getting him into trouble when he tackles problems that are seemingly beyond his grasp. In few occasions is this more evident than when Spider-Man took on the unstoppable Juggernaut in “Amazing Spider-Man” #229 and 230 in a story (written by Roger Stern and drawn by John Romita, Jr.) appropriately titled "Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut."

During this time period, Spider-Man was friends with a psychic known as Madame Web, a blind woman stuck in a chair that worked as a life support for the frail woman. In “Amazing Spider-Man” #229, Juggernaut and his partner in crime, Black Tom Cassidy, have traveled to New York City to capture Madame Web, figuring that with a psychic on their side, they could not be beaten. Before their ship docks, Juggernaut gets bored so he leaps from the ship and just walks to the city. Juggernaut is a walking behemoth who is covered in a powerful suit of armor. Due to a magical ruby that gave him his powers, the Juggernaut is super strong and nigh invulnerable.

Meanwhile, Madame Web has had a vision of someone coming to harm her and she enlists the aid of Spider-Man. He sees the Juggernaut coming, but although he gives it his best, he cannot slow him down. At Madame Web's apartment, Spidey uses the building's backup generator to shock Juggernaut with thousands of volts of electricity. It does nothing. Juggernaut proceeds to Web's apartment where he takes her from her chair, not knowing it serves as a life support for her. When he realizes his mistake, he drops her and then turns to rejoin Cassidy on the boat.

Spider-Man is distraught that he let Web down. As she is taken to the hospital, he vows that he will make Juggernaut pay for what he did! The next issue is filled with Spider-Man's attempts at holding to his promise.

Spidey uses an I-beam and a wrecking ball from a local construction site against the Juggernaut. They achieve nothing.

Spider-Man's next plan is to drive a gasoline truck into the Juggernaut, with Spidey leaping from the truck before it hits, causing a giant inferno. Spider-Man's first instinct is horror – he feels that he just murdered the Juggernaut! However, his fears are allayed as the Juggernaut calmly walks out of the inferno, but now he has a new fear – he's finally made the Juggernaut mad!

With his webbing depleted, Spidey's only hope is to cling to Juggernaut's back and try to slow him down, which does no good, especially as the Juggernaut uses this time to continually pummel Spider-Man.

Suddenly, Juggernaut realizes something – he's sinking! During the melee, they walked into a patch of quick drying cement! In the muddy concrete, the Juggernaut cannot get any traction to pull himself out, and only sinks deeper! Spider-Man leaps away as the Juggernaut sinks fully into the concrete – the unstoppable Juggernaut was finally stopped!

For now, of course.