CROSSOVER NIGHTMARE

Official Answer:Onslaught was the resultant almalgamation of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. In a last ditch effort to stop the deadly master of magnetism Charles Xavier completely shut down Magneto's mind. The bizarre and unforseen effects of that attack resurfaced sometime later as Magneto's influence in Professor X's mind brought forth his dark side. Along with Magneto's powers added on to his own.

Real Answer:Onslaught was the plot device around which one of the largest and most hyped crossovers was built. It struck all those involved(which was pretty much everyone) with little rhyme or reason and spanned the entire company. Because it was so bloated the parts of the crossover were often rushed which lead to countless inconsistencies by both writer and artist alike that made the stories at times undiscernable. Involvement with it was apparently forced on writers of nearly every title whether they liked it or not which lead to some of the most glaring and widespread mischaracterizations I can recall ever reading. Essentially two universes were created. The Marvel Universe we all know,and the Onslaught Universe which took it's place temporarily for the duration of the crossover.

As was mentioned earlier numerous characters suffered to fit these badly done stories but none so much as The Juggernaut. In fact,it was The Juggernaut who was used as the most significant means of giving Onslaught his very legitimacy. The defeat of Juggernaut is the crowning achievement of Onslaught which made him a "credible" power. However,this very deed is also the onesame achievement which robs him of the same credibility it earned. Because for Onslaught to accomplish most of what he did,first those he was doing it to had to be refitted specifically for Onslaught in order for it to happen. Hence the necessary distinction between the regular Marvel Universe and the Onslaught Universe.

It all starts with Uncanny X-Men #322. The cover. The caption. This is what strategically elevates Onslaught from an annoying whisper on the edge of every comic into a suddenly unimaginable force that we now simply have to learn more about. If it were the Hulk on the cover,we may be impressed. If it were Thor,we might quirk of brow of interest. However,Hulk has been taken down numerous times before. Abomination,Juggernaut,even the Wrecker. All have laid him out. Thor too has fallen to many foes. Absorbing Man,Destroyer,Mangog,etc. The Juggernaut as well has been beaten in the past. But never...never had he been physically defeated. He had one true weakness. He could be brought down psionically if his helmet was removed. Aside from this he was as labelled:unstoppable. To see a beaten,battered, helmetted Juggernaut was unprecedented. Never had he been struck down by pure force. Nor could he be.

With this cover curiousity was peaked. Onslaught now had shock value on an incredible scale. Everyone had to know how this happened and who could have done it. Such a thing was impossible. Juggernaut has proven that since his inception. But this is The Juggernaut as we know him from the Marvel Universe. In the Onslaught Universe,however...