Marvel Team-Up (1st series) #150

Issue Date: 
February 1985
Story Title: 
'Tis Better To Give !
Staff: 

Louise Simonson (writer), Greg LaRocque (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Bob Sharen (colorist), Janice Chiang (letterer), Danny Fingeroth (editor), Jim Shooter (editor in chief)

Brief Description: 

It’s Black Tom Cassidy’s birthday and the Juggernaut has an unique idea for a present. He brings him the Ruby of Cyttorak that years ago granted him his powers. As soon as Tom touches the gem he gets transformed into a Juggernaut as well, only they now share the power and they are both only half strong and invulnerable as the Juggernaut was before. Tom however doesn’t like this bulky version of himself and the two friends start a fight, causing a lot of destruction in New York. Spider-Man takes some pictures and tries to stop them but two Juggernauts are too much and he is nearly killed. The X-Men (Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue and Rachel) arrive in time, and during the fight Rogue absorbs both Black Tom and Juggernaut’s portion of the Cyttorak power. Both Tom and Juggernaut revert to regular human size, while Rogue confused by the absorbed personalities attacks her friends. When the effects wear off, Juggernaut is the first to realize that all of the Cyttorak power went back into the Ruby. He touches it once more, and is back at full power. Juggernaut and Black Tom escape. Later Peter Parker tries to sell his pictures to the Bugle, but they were all ruined during the battle, yet, he is able to sell some other shots of his female neighbors sunbathing in their bikinis, and finally has enough money to pay the rent.

Full Summary: 

As Spider-Man enters his appartment through the skylight, he hears his landlady, Mrs. Muggins, pounding on the door. He tries to leave again through the skylight, but Bambi, Randi, and Candi are spreading their towels on the roof to sunbathe. Just as Mrs. Muggins enters his appartment, he takes off his Spider-Man shirt and wraps himself in a towel, explaining that he was taking a shower and couldn’t hear her above the water. He then tries to avoid talking about the rent, and complains about the girls sunbathing on the roof, Mrs Muggins says that Candi is her niece, and that at least Candi pays the rent, unlike Parker. Peter promises to pay her the rent on Thursday.
Above an Asian jungle, Juggernaut leaps out of a plane without a parachut. He lands in the middle of the Korean army, which is practicing battle maneuvers. After slapping around a few soldiers like rag dolls and smashing one tank into another, Juggernaut leaves and goes into the ruins of the temple of Cyttorak. He digs himself through the ruins and debris and once inside the temple, he takes the Ruby of Cyttorak, which is where he got his powers from. He plans to take it to Black Tom Cassidy’s birthday party in two days, as a gift to his friend.
Back in New York, Peter Parker runs into Bambi, Randi and Candi in the hallway. When they find out that he is a photographer, they ask if he would photograph them sunbathing. They offer him food, as well. When Candi mentions chocolate cake, Peter takes the offer.
Meanwhile, Rogue and Colossus are battling guided missles in the Danger Room. When they’re finished, they eat supper with Nightcrawler and Rachel. On television, they see the news about Juggernaut’s attack on the Korean army, and Nightcrawler notices that he is carrying the Ruby of Cyttorak. Colossus wonders why he would need the Ruby, as he already possesses the Juggernaut power, but Rachel suspects that he wants to share it. At least that is what Juggernaut did in her future timeline, and she is uncertain because the Juggernaut and Black Tom she remembers from the Days of Future Past were heroes.
Peter Parker is also watching TV and reads the newspaper at the same time. He sees an ad for a hat, and decides he’d like to buy it for his Aunt May for her birthday. But, he has no cash. Then he sees the story about Juggernaut. He changes into his classic red-and-blue costume and heads to where he encased Juggernaut in a block of cement several weeks before. He also prepares his camera, hoping that he can sell some photos of him fighting the Juggernaut to the Bugle.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive hotel at Black Tom’s birthday party, Juggernaut shows up in his costume. He gives Tom a present. Unsuspecting Tom opens the box, and is amazed by the big ruby inside. As soon as Tom touches it, he gets so huge that his shirt rips off.
At Xavier’s mansion, Nightcrawler uses Cerebro to locate Black Tom, and he registers his signal in Manhattan. The X-Men immediately depart.
Black Tom is so infuriated with Juggernaut’s surprise that he punches him out the window. Juggernaut notices that he felt the punch, although he usually is invulnerable. He climbs up the building and punches Tom out the window. Then he jumps down after him. They begin to fight, and a gas truck explodes near them. Both are unharmed, Black Tom is shocked that he survived at all, while Juggernaut complains that he can feel the flames. Also Tom recognizes that the Juggernaut seems smaller than usual.
Spider-Man, attracted by sounds of the battle, begins to photograph them fighting. Black Tom realizes that Juggernaut’s gift did not work as he thought it would. Instead of bestowing Tom with the same abilities, it shared the Juggernaut power between them, now each having half of the Juggernaut’s full might and invulnerability. Juggernaut then notices Spider-Man, and the two villians settle their arguement to team up against him. They fight for a while, and just as they are about to kill Spidey, the X-Men arrive.
They attack Juugernaut and Black Tom. During the battle, Rogue absorbs Black Tom. She is now as big as Juggernaut, while Black Tom faints and is his usual size once more. Juggernaut then attacks Rogue and the two fight for a while. Meanwhile the X-Men have cleared the area, and Colossus tells Rogue to try and remove Juggernaut’s helmet so that Rachel could attack him telepathically. However, it is too late, as Rogue’s absorbed power already wears off. Strangely Colossus and Spider-Man realize that the power doesn’t go back to Black Tom, and also it doesn’t flow into Juggernaut, who still is only half strong as usual. They wonder where the other half of the Juggernaut power might be.
Rogue is now no match for the Juggernaut, who attempts to crush her. Colossus jumps in to help and manages to rip of Juggernaut’s helmet, revealing a second helmet underneath. Rachel tries to attack his mind, but the smaller helmet shields his head as good as the big one. While he taunts Rachel, Rogue absorbs him and grows big again, while the Juggernaut reverts to the size of an ordinary person.
Rogue’s mind is overwhelmed by Juggernaut’s memories, and confused she attacks Spider-Man, but she runs into a wall when Spider-Man leaps out of the way. Then the power leaves her and goes back into the Ruby. While the heroes tend to Rogue, Juggernaut grabs the Ruby, which restores him to his usual strength and size. He hurls the Ruby into space so that never again somebody can sap away some of his strength, and grabbing Black Tom’s unconcious body, he escapes into the sewer. Spider-Man and the X-Men decide not to follow as a battle would destroy the sewers of New York. As the police arrive at the scene of the battle, Spider-Man and the X-Men go their separate ways.
Somewhat later, in the sewers, Black Tom comes around and is happy to be back to normal. However, he thought that the fight was awesome, and he thinks he now understands the Juggernaut better after having had the power for a short time. And that, he says, is the best present he could have been given.
At the Daily Bugle, Peter angrily discovers that his pictures taken of the battle with the Juggernaut were ruined. When he hears Joe Robertson complain that the Bathing Beauty Page negatives have been damaged, Peter shows Robertson the pictures he took of Bambi, Randi, and Candi, an Joe loves them. He takes all of the pictures, leaving Peter with money and a goofy smile.

Characters Involved: 

Spiderman

Mrs. Muggins

Bambi, Candi, Randi

Joe Robertson

Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Rachel Summers (all X-Men)

Juggernaut

Black Tom

Story Notes: 

This is the final issue of Marvel Team-Up. The series was replaced by the Web of Spiderman series.
The newspaper Peter Parker is reading carries an ad for “Web of Spiderman“.
Juggernaut getting his powers from the Ruby of Cyttorak was first shown in flashbacks of Uncanny X-Men #12-13.
Rachel Summers stems from an alternate future timeline called Days of Future Past.
Juggernaut was trapped in the foundation of a building after the events of Amazing Spiderman (1st series) #229.

Issue Information: 
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