Infamous Marvel villainRhino, a perennialSpider-Manrogue, has just received a major upgrade, one that makes him a powerhouse on the level of theJuggernaut. In their previous brief encounters in Marvel canon, Rhino always comes out on the losing side, but now one surprising story might just show the design that could finally give Rhino the win.
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider#4 – by Stephanie Phillips and Paolo Villanelli – revealed the surprising secret weapon that might even the playing field between Rhino and Juggernaut. In this story, the Chameleon’s powers are going out of control, and he is continually shapeshifting intodifferent Spider-Man villains, their powers included.
At one point, Chameleon shapeshifts into the Rhino, showcasing a never-before-seen design, whichboasts a very Juggernaut-esque helmet and significantly tougher armor all over his body, and this new armor might just be the key to Rhino finally overcoming his rivalry with the Juggernaut.
Marvel’s Latest Rhino Redesign Makes Him A Juggernaut-Level Powerhouse
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider#4 – Written By Stephanie Phillips, Paolo Villanelli, Matt Milla, & Ariana Maher
The Rhino redesign depicted inSpider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider#4 is a hypothetical version of the character, but it offers fans some insight into how Marvel could level-up the character, who has long been a prominentfigure inSpider-Manlore, but in many ways has plateaued in terms of what writers have found to do with the character beyond recklessly rampaging through the streets of New York City. Both in-universe, and as a character, alot of people don’t take the Rhino seriously because he’s not the brightest villain around.
When Juggernaut has his full power at his command, there’s simply nothing that Rhino can do against him, but this new armor would just be the key to changing that.
Amittedly, i’s well known that Aleksei is a bit dumb, but he’s always made up for it with his absurd strength. Aleksei’s physical power has allowed him to do major feats, such as tearing through steel beams like they were paper, and he’s even knocked around major heavy hitters like the Hulk, The Thing, and Nova. With his enhanced strength,Aleksi once tossed Nova into outer space, his blows have knocked The Thing across town, and he even knocked Gray Hulk off his feet.
These are no minor feats of strength, but when it comes to fighting the Juggernaut, Rhino has never been able to match his power. Juggernaut’s full strength allowed him to go up against the likes of a Celestial-enhanced Hulk, andeven with Juggernaut’s powersbeing drained by Cyttorak, Juggernaut was still able to toss Rhino around and defeat him easily. When Juggernaut has his full power at his command, there’s simply nothing that Rhino can do against him, but this new armor would just be the key to changing that.
History Has Proven That Juggernaut Is The Stronger Of The Two Massive Marvel Characters
Uncanny X-Men#435 – Written By Chuck Austen; Art By Ron Garney, Mark Morales, Pete Pantazis, & Rus Wooton
Despite his best attempts, Rhino’s feats of strength just can not stand up against Juggernaut. Even without his powers, Juggernaut’s power was enough to quickly defeat Rhino, but that doesn’t mean Rhino has no hope of winning a future encounter, especially if he gets a crucial upgrade. Notably, Rhino is he didn’t get his powers from magic or even mutation; he got them from gamma radiation and gene therapy. He’s undergone this experimental process twice, and increased his strength exponentially each time.
Rhino’s Power-Enhancing Armor Just Turned Him into Marvel’s New Hulk (Against His Will)
Marvel’s Rhino has often been a destructive force, but his new armor in Uncanny Spider-Man gives him a power boost that negates his own self-control.
His original strength level capped out at lifting twenty tons, but thanks to continued gamma ray treatments, he can now lift up to seventy-five tons. Further, Aleksei’s Rhino armor is specifically made to enhance his already incredible strength. This means that if Rhino continued his gamma therapy treatments andgot a better, more high-tech version of his armor like the design Chameleon shows off, his strength could increase further, making him a physical match for Juggernaut. In any case, it’s already been shown that while Rhino can’t match Juggernaut’s strength, he does have weapons that can harm Juggernaut.
Rhino’s Horn Is Capable Of Piercing Juggernaut’s Skin Under The Right Conditions
A Rematch Is Highly Anticipated
During their scuffle inUncanny X-Men#435,Rhino demonstrates that his horns absolutely can pierce Juggernaut’s skin. It’s the only attack Rhino has shown that seems capable of hurting Juggernaut. While Juggernaut was able to pull the horns out and ultimately overpower Rhino, this shows that Rhino could truly hurt Juggernaut if he just had the strength to match him. This match up isn’t nearly as one-sided as fans might think. The only thing holding Rhino back is his inferior strength, but he’s increased it in the past with his gamma radiation treatment.
If Rhino continues to evolve, then someday soon, Rhino might finally be able to match the Juggernaut.
As it stands right now, Rhino has absolutelyno hope of defeating Juggernaut. The Juggernaut’s strength and durability is simply entirely on a different level from Rhino, and this has been proven over and over. However, the major thing that Rhino has over Juggernaut is his surprising ability to evolve. While Rhino is often portrayed as an idiot, he has increased his intelligence, as seen inSpider-Man’s Tangled Web#5. His strength has also increased several times. If Rhino continues to evolve, then someday soon,Spider-ManvillainRhinomight finally be able to match theJuggernaut.
