CYTTORAK

Real Name: Cyttorak

Identity/Class: Mystical entity, god/demon, magic user

Occupation: Currently would-be conqueror;
  possibly a former former godhead

Group Membership: Wager of the Octessence (Farallah, Balthakk, Ikonn, Raggadorr, Watoomb, Valtorr, Krakkan)

Affiliations: Crimson, Guardians of the Temple of Cyttorak, Xorak/Outcast;
    creator and master of various elves;
    power source to the Juggernaut and Stevie;
    invoked by several mystics, including Doctor Strange

Enemies: Ancient One, Juggernaut, Thor, Professor X, X-Men, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Nova (Frankie Raye)

Known Relatives: None (see comments)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Crimson Cosmos;
    presumably earlier ancient Korea (see comments)

First Appearance: (Mentioned) Strange Tales I#124 (September 1964);
    (temple molded in his image seen) X-Men I#12 (July 1965);
    (actual appearance) Dr. Strange III#44 (August 1992)

Powers: Cytorrak exists as a deity with spectacular magical power. He has provided power to the titanic strength to the Juggernaut through an enchanted ruby, as well as provided indestructible bands (the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak) to Dr. Strange to use as a shield or to restrain enemies. As regards the ruby, it has withstood being thrown into orbit by the Juggernaut, as well as reentry when it was bumped out of orbit by Nova.
Stevie managed to use the Cyttorak Ruby to spectacular effects unimagined by Marko-starting with using it to blast Marko. He used it to make it so that he could monitor events far away with his computer (presumably he utilized the ruby to enable him to access the feed of security cameras), as well as using the ruby to relay a message to the East Coast using a non-operational computer on the West Coast. Furthermore, he could alter mirrors so that the original Human Torch’s flame was reflected-and enhanced-back against him. Even stranger, Stevie could animate inanimate objects, which could also turn intangible. These object included wax statues, some which resembled monsters, others that resembled Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Cable, etc. However, the animated statues tended only to have diluted copies of the original’s abilities, and tended to move slowly.

History:
(New Excalibur#14 (fb)) - Cyttorak existed as a being somewhere between (or inclusive of both) deity and demon (see comments) who received worship on Earth until under unknown circumstances he was banished from the Earth. He took up residence in the Crimson Cosmos, where time did not pass.

((New Excalibur#14 (fb)) - Seeking to end his exile, Cyttorak created a gem torn from his own chest (possibly his own heart), the Crimson Ruby of Cyttorak.

(Iron Man III#22 (fb))- Approximately one thousand years ago, a gathering of eight great magical beings took place. These beings-- Cyttorak, Balthak, Ikonn, Raggadorr, Watoomb, Valtorr, and Krakkan-- disagreed as to who had the greatest power. Hence, they settled on the wager of the Octessence. Each being created an artifact with a fraction of their respective power, which would transform the first human who made physcial contact with it into an Exemplar, a living personification of the power. Using outside agents, to construct temples to house the artifacts, the magical beings planned that the first mortal to find the artifact would trigger a spell that would quickly draw others to the remaining artifacts, creating eight Exemplars. Then would come the Ceremony of the Octessence, where a gathering of the Exemplars would attend the construction of a great magical engine, which would overwhelm the wills of all human beings. After the enslavement of humanity, each Exemplar would rule an eighth of humanity, with subsequently a war between all Exemplars in which only one would be left standing. Cyttorak managed to build a temple in a Southeast Asian country. He had a thrall demon named Xorak protect this temple for him.

(X-Men I#33 (fb, BTS))- At some point in the past, the great adept the Ancient One encountered and engaged in battle with Xorak near Cyttorak’s temple.

(X-Men Unlimited#12 (fb))- "Centuries ago" (possibly before or after the aforementioned battle between the Ancient One and Xorak), a group of renegade monks tried to summon Cyttorak but instead brought his "most destructive aspect" to Southeast Asia. An adept named Gomurr, who served as the apprentice to "one of the most disreputable conjurers on the continent" opposed this avatar of Cyttorak. Gomurr received the aid of Tar, his friendly rival, as well as an "Initiate of the Ebon Vein." Gomurr and Tar, collaborating, succeeded in forcing this aspect of Cyttorak within the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak. Tar later attained the title of the "Proctor of the Crimson Dawn", but Gomurr would later hold this office.

(New Excalibur#14 (fb)) - A Korean man touched the Crimson Ruby of Cyttorak and was transformed into a Juggernaut, Cyttorak's agent on Earth.

(New Excalibur#15 (fb) - BTS) - Jin Taiko became the Juggernaut, presumably by killing his predecessor, and served Cyttorak well for decades.

(New Excalibur#15 (fb) - BTS) - When Taiko's village began to worship a being other than Cyttorak, Cyttorak demanded that Taiko raze the village and slaughter everyone around, but Taiko refused. Cyttorak thus arranged Taiko's replacement.

(X-Men I#12 (fb) - BTS)- During an American police action in Korea, soldiers-- and stepbrothers-- Cain Marko and Charles Xavier met up. The loutish Marko decided to avoid an attack by the Communists by hiding in a cave. Xavier followed him in, not out of cowardice, but in order to convince him to rejoin the struggle, for Marko would face a court-martial should his actions reach the attention of the commanding officers. The learned Xavier recognized that the cave contains the Temple of Cyttorak. Marko saw a ruby, remarking that it appeared to be living. He picked it up, despite Xavier’s warning him not to, to read the now famous inscription: "Whosoever touches this gem shall posses the power of the crimson bands of Cyttorak! Henceforth, you who read these words, shall become forevermore a human juggernaut!" Cain’s transformation began as the Communists’ constant shelling of the cave (I guess it did not afford such a great hiding place after all --Per Degaton) caused it to collapse. Xavier escaped, and while Marko did not, he survived due to his newfound power.
(New Excalibur#14 (fb) - BTS) - Cyttorak had actually intended Charles Xavier to become the next Juggernaut.

BTS- Probably the destruction of the Temple of Cyttorak and the subsequent incapacitation of the Juggernaut served to throw a monkey wrench in the Wager. No other Exemplars would appear until years later, after the Juggernaut had clawed his way through the rubble, made his way to America, and battled the X-Men-- led by Xavier-- several times. Also, Marko, unlike the other Exemplars when they were created, did not initially lose his will to his power source, but retained his full individuality.

(New Excalibur#15 (fb) - BTS) - Cain Marko slew Taiko and then slaughtered his village for Cyttorak.

(Dr. Strange III#44 (fb))- After feeling an odd buzzing in his head-- odd in that while he had been drinking heavily, this buzzing came earlier than most similar inebriating occasions-- Juggernaut returned home to put on the Juggernaut armor. An odd insect-looking thing entered his room, and turned into a large pool of light that drew him into the Crimson Cosmos.

(Dr. Strange III#44)- Inside the Cosmos, Juggernaut met up with Dr. Strange freeing him from a crystal, and related how he had come to be there. Strange informed Marko that he summoned Juggernaut to aid his escape, due to Juggernaut’s tie to the Crimson Cosmos. Cain stated that he lost his mystic ability (other than his superhuman strength) at some point earlier (probably due to his having hurled the ruby of Cyttorak into orbit in Marvel Team-Up#150) but that he would try to persuade Cyttorak to allow them all to leave. The two found Cyttorak, who had imprisoned Strange's comrade Nova, forcing her to give him adulation. He intended that Nova would serve as his priestess, as Cytorrak had created ebullient elves to serve as his worshippers. He also intended to press Dr. Strange into service as a priest. Strange confronted Cyttorak, informing him of the mission that he and Nova had before they were drawn into the Crimson Cosmos, as well as the crucial nature of that mission. The Juggernaut hid in a corner, recognizing the ruby affixed to Cyttorak’s head. Strange informed Cyttorak as to how he had, by invoking Cyttorak’s name, enhanced Cyttorak’s renown. Cyttorak decided to let Strange leave as long as he continues to invoke him. However, the Juggernaut took Cyttorak by surprise and ripped the Ruby off of his head, and started attacking him, intending that no one could stop him again with Cyttorak neutralized. He continued his attack on Cyttorak until Dr. Strange attempted to stop him, and then attacked Dr. Strange. Although he started to feel a slight vertigo, Marko continued with his plan, but Nova managed to free herself and blast the ruby from Marko’s hand. Strange levitated the ruby away from Marko-- and onto Cyttorak’s forehead. Cyttorak revived, and revealed that Marko’s plain amounted to pure tomfoolery, as Cyttorak himself served as the ultimate source for the ruby’s power, and thus, Marko’s power. Despite his brief apparent victory over Cyttorak, Marko simply cut off his own power source. Cyttorak went on to say that, despite the Juggernaut’s presumptuous antics, he would allow Marko to continue to wield his power, ostensibly to continue to spread Cyttorak’s fame. Cyttorrak returned all the human beings back to their original locations.

(Doctor Strange III#49) - Cytorrak was one of the entities who confronted Strange about his invocation of him for power, seeking to conscript him into service during the War of the Seven Spheres. Strange instead invoked the Enchantment of Emancipation, refusing to serve Cyttorak  and any other being in their war. As a result, Strange lost the ability to call on any of these principalities for power.

(Doctor Strange III#89 or so - BTS) - Having participated in the War of the Seven Sphere, Strange regained the ability to invoke the various principalities for power.

(X-Men Unlimited#12)- The Juggernaut having been attacked by Onslaught earlier (X- Men#322), was placed in the Crimson Cosmos (X-Men II#54). Dr. Strange discovered this. Within the gem, a demoness called Spite showed Marko an illusion where Cain was crippled before he gained the Juggernaut powers, but Gomurr the Ancient freed Marko from this false scenario. Gomurr had Cain relive the latter’s past, as a delinquent child and his causing the accident that killed his father, Dr. Kurt Marko. Spite, however, again projected to the Juggernaut illusions to persuade him to stay in the Crimson Cosmos. Spite, however, had simply manipulated Marko. Cyttorak desired to inhabit Cain's body and leave his dimension. Cyttorak and Cain battled each other. Cyttorak brutalized Cain severly, but Cain chose not to surrender. Gomurr and his friend Tar arranged things so that Juggernaut could now utilize Cyttorak's power against him. Cain defeated Cyttorak and exited the Crimson Cosmos with more vitality than before.

(X-Men II#88 - BTS) - When certain charlatans had attempted to steal the Juggernaut’s power by using a false second gem of Cyttorak (see Uncanny X-Men#361), the Juggernaut attempted to reabsorb his power from this second gem. However, he somehow was possessed by Cyttorak in the process. A being named Ejulp, dispatched by Juggernaut's confederate Black Tom, teleported the X-Men to aid the Juggernaut. Juggernaut's power was so heightened that he began shearing through dimensional boundaries. In this dimension, when Professor X and Wolverine made physical contact with eacher other, Xavier merged into Logan’s body. Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde returned to find a larger Juggernaut tearing through a dimensional wall.

(Uncanny X-Men#369 - BTS) - When Wolverine leapt into the mouthpiece of Juggernaut's headpiece, Logan and Xavier separated from one another. They found an entity pretending to be Cain Marko, but discovered the real Cain Marko hiding under the staircase. Xavier attempted to restore Cain's self-respect. The false Juggernaut happened upon them, but, upon this duplicate making contact with the true Cain Marko, Marko had his Juggernaut power returned to him and vanquished the entity controlling his mind.

(Thor II#17 - BTS) - The Juggernaut started to feel his powers mysteriously increasing, and felt an irresistible urge to go somewhere. He easily shrugged off an attack by Thor, but Thor persisted with the struggle.

Observing this elsewhere, Loki enquired of the Flame of Truth about the Juggernaut. The flame recalled to Loki how Cyttorak empowered Marko, to which Loki responded that he had not heard the name of Cyttorak mentioned for quite some time. The Flame further informed Loki that not only did Cyttorak and his confederates have human followers, but that across the Earth humans had recently begun to receive psychic calls drawing them to artifacts of these entities to become Exemplars.

Two of these exemplars, Bedlam and Conquest, arrived to aid the Juggernaut in his battle against Thor. They teleported the Juggernaut away.

(Peter Parker, Spider-Man II#11 - BTS) - Spider-Man discovered the Exemplar Stonecutter creating a large machine underneath the Daily Bugle building. He encountered all the Exemplars, including the Cytorrak-controlled Juggernaut. Parker escaped, and recruits Iron Man, Thor, and Professor X (in astral form) to aid him against the Exemplars. The adventurers managed to destroy the Exemplars’ device, but the Exemplars went to the North Pole to construct a new one.

(Juggernaut: The Eighth Day) - The entities behind the wager of the Octessence having decided to implement the creation of the seven other Exemplars, the Juggernaut once again was caught in Cyttorak’s machinations, as Cyttorak tormented him in his mind. At the North Pole, Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Xavier were trapped, but Xavier managed to delve into Marko’s mind to aid him in opposing Cyttorak. This helped to break the mental dominance that Cyttorak had managed to reassert on Marko. Marko then decided of his own will not to serve the Octessence entities and to oppose the other Exemplars. He made sure to neutralize one called Bedlam fast so she could not fell him with her psychic attacks. Cain then broke the Exemplars’ engine, the God Machine, freeing the heroes. Cain and the others battled the Exemplars. Bedlam, now revived, took care of Marko, while Stonecutter activated the engine. Cain and Stonecutter locked in a bearhug so tight no external force could affect them, and Cain forced Stonecutter into the God Machine, which hurled the eight Exemplars off to different sections of the Earth, finishing the struggle.

(Avengers III#24,25, Generation X#60,61, X-Men Forever#1-6, Cyclops#1, X-Men Annual 2001, Amazing Spider-Man II#36, Deadpool III#61, Deadline#1 UX410-413, Chamber#4, UX416, 417-420, X-Men Unlimited#44, UX421,422, 425,426, 429, [430], 431-435 - all BTS) - As vengeance for opposing his will, Cyttorak caused the Juggernaut's powers to slowly fade.

(Uncanny X-Men#435, 436 - BTS) - Cyttorak granted the power and form of the Juggernaut to an unnamed youth. Marko had previously encountered this young boy, who had attracted the attention of the X-Men by torturing animals. This new Juggernaut attacked Cain while he and the She-Hulk were enjoying the afterglow of some sweet love. Marko--who had only half of his original power--fought back savagely against his attacker, who had twice his power. When their brouhaha caused massive property destruction, Jen (She-Hulk) convinced him to use his head instead. Cain ripped off the new Juggernaut's helmet, causing him to revert to his normal form, whom Cain recognized. The message was not lost on Cain, as he saw the Juggernaut for what he was "an angry kid in a muscle suit."

(Defenders III#5) - Dr. Strange used the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to restrain the Dr. Strange of the Dormammu-generated altered reality of "Earth-5113."

(New Excalibur#14 (fb) - BTS) - Cyttorak empowered a laborer from Seoul -- who had run into a bout of bad luck and was willing to try anything -- as a new Juggernaut.

(New Excalibur#13) - Cyttorak guided Cain Marko -- whose powers had faded significantly -- to the Temple of Cyttorak, then dispatched the Guardians of the Temple of Cyttorak to confront him.

(New Excalibur#14) - Marko entered the Temple of Cyttorak and attempted to renew his powers by contact with the Crimson Ruby of Cyttorak, but Cyttorak formed a mystic barrier around the gem. Cyttorak then summoned his new Juggernaut to challenge Cain, who would either prove his worth or die and be replaced. Cain attempted to avoid the conflict and pleaded with Cyttorak to just let him have the gem, but Cyttorak refused and told him that Charles Xavier was his intended recipient years ago.

(New Excalibur#15) - Cyttorak taunted Cain with the knowledge that Cain had been his second choice but then admitted to Cain that his anger and hatred had made him strong and a perfect agent of destruction. Cyttorak's new Juggernaut then attacked him with a sword, wounding him, but Cain then grabbed the sword in his hand, broke it off, and stabbed the new Juggernaut with it. Cyttorak goaded Cain to kill his would-be replacement and regain his lost status, but Cain paused, and then the rest of Excalibur arrived. Cyttorak shared with them how Cain had killed his predecessor and slaughtered his village under Cyttorak's direction. Excalibur left Cain in the Temple, and Cain -- one way or another -- obtained the Crimson Ruby, taking it with him as he departed.

(World War Hulk#2) - Learning that the Hulk was assault the Xavier Institute, the Juggernaut used the Crimson Ruby to contact Cyttorak, promising rampage and destruction if Cyttorak gave him the means to reach the Hulk. Cyttorak opened a magical portal that sent Marko to the Xavier Institute, but the Hulk made short work of him.

(World War Hulk#3) - Marko contacted Cyttorak again, and Cyttorak reminded him that he was an avatar of destruction and that he was restricting himself, such as by focusing on protecting Xavier. Marko told Cyttorak that he wanted to trash the Hulk and prove to the world that he was still the Juggernaut, and Cyttorak told him he must embrace his true nature completely, and that there would be no turning back.
    Garbed in his full armor, the Juggernaut again confronted the Hulk, matching him blow for blow, but Xavier distracted him, warning that their struggle was undermining the mansion's foundation, at which point the Hulk sidestepped him, and the Juggernaut's forward momentum sent him into the nearby lake.
    The Hulk was gone by the time the Juggernaut returned.

Comments: Named by Stan Lee;
    temple created Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Alex Toth;
    visualized by Roy Thomas and Geof Isherwood.

    Strange Tales I#124 had Doctor Strange mentioning, but not using the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Their employment was first depicted the following issue, when Baron Mordo used them to contain the Ancient One.

    Cyttorak’s classification remains imprecise. The Ancient One referred to him as a demon in X-Men I#33, but at various times Cyttorak has been referred to as a deity. On the off chance that Cyttorak either exists as a god or a demon who degenerated from godhood, I have listed Gaea as his "mother", due to Gaea’s serving as the eventual mother for all the gods. Also, as to where that temple he erected lies on the map, the original stories stated Korea, but as this may now be a topical reference, the location may be changed. Xorak also appeared in the present in X-Men I#33, now called the Outcast. That story marked the first appearance of the Crimson Cosmos. A probably out-of-continuity appearance of Cyttorak took place in Marvel Adventures#14 (May 1998). Spite, in a later Juggernaut one-shot, was described as the sister of D’Spayre. How Spite came to the Crimson Cosmos was revealed in the Juggernaut one-shot: D'syare had banished her there a thousand years ago. Although ostensibly indestructible, the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak were broken by the Hulk in Incredible Hulk I#450 and by Namor in Marvel Team-Up II#8.

    The Crimson Ruby of Cyttorak, as it is almost always referred to, is more properly designated the Crimson Crystal of Cyttorak, as revealed during some point in the 8^th Day storyline. However, I strongly suspect that the primary reason for this designation is alliteration--Snood.

For more information on the other Exemplars.

Profile by Per Degaton

Clarifications: Cyttorak has no known connection to:

• any other mystical entity