Dire Wraith
Encyclopedia
The Dire Wraiths are a fictional extraterrestrial
species
published by Marvel Comics
. The Dire Wraiths first appeared in Rom #1 (1979), and were created by Bill Mantlo
and Al Milgrom
. The Dire Wraiths are the main opponents of Rom the Spaceknight.
of the Skrull
s from the Andromeda Galaxy
. Like the Skrulls, the Wraiths are shape-shifters, able to take the forms of other creatures. The Wraiths were originally depicted as amorphous, cloudy, vaguely humanoid-shaped beings. However, it was eventually revealed that was a transitional form used for shape-shifting and that their true form is entirely different. The Dire Wraiths are Skrullian Deviants engineered by the starfaring Celestials. The Wraiths have both reptilian and mammalian like traits. The females lay eggs and lactate.
Most non-Wraiths believe that the Wraiths' true form is highly sexually dimorphic but that belief is inaccurate. All Wraiths actually have the same form but the males are so ashamed of their true form that they use their shape-shifting abilities to constantly appear in their transitory forms. The basic transitory form is stocky and troll-like in appearance, with red or brown skin, but otherwise roughly human-like in size and shape. Also, there are frequently many variations, both minor and major, between the transitory forms used by different groups of Wraiths (though this is likely to be just different artists' rendition of the 'transitional' form). The true form has an obese, reddish body with large, pupil-less eyes, small beaks, 'hands' that resemble small pincers and tentacles; clawed feet, and thick tails. They also have long, drill
like tongues similar to that of the Alphabet Cone Shell mollusk
, that they use to suck out the brains of their victims, which allows them to gain their memories. (It also causes the victim's body to dissolve into fluid; this may have been a way for the wraiths to eliminate the persons whom they replaced.) All Wraiths can copy the appearance of other beings without consuming their brains or killing them but female witches prefer to kill their victims and absorb their memories during the kill. Males allegedly can use superscience to access their victims' memories as effectively as the females did with their drill tongues.
Wraiths turned into dust when killed (or banished to Limbo
; see below.) Among the wraiths, the majority of the males preferred to practice science, and the majority of the females preferred to practice evil magic
. However, when a Wraith practiced the skills favored by the other gender they were generally quite accomplished at it. Thus, there was a female wraith scientist in charge of their efforts for a time, and a male wraith "high priest" who was able to summon a deathwing to fight Rom on Earth.
s powered by a combination of magic and technology, the Wraiths entered a region of space called the "Dark Nebula" where they found a planet that orbited a black sun. Finding that this planet allowed them to tap that sun's energies to use in their magical spells, the Wraiths settled there and named it "Wraithworld". They soon found creatures that they could domesticate to their service: the "deathwings", birdlike creatures of black energy that spawned from the black sun itself, and wolflike animals that they eventually mutated into blind, telepathic 'hellhounds' that could track their victims via telepathy
as well as transform into humanoid, ghost-like forms to attack them.
. After this military success against the expedition, the Dire Wraiths launched an offensive on the Golden Galaxy which contained Galador. Their motivation seemed to be elimination of a culture they felt to be their antithesis
. A huge fleet of Dire Wraith starship
s attacked the inhabited planets in that galaxy, and were heading towards the Galadorian home world, which was inhabited by human-like beings. However, upon arriving at Galador they found out that hundreds of young Galadorians had been transformed into cyborg warriors called Spaceknights. Although fewer in number, the Spaceknights proved powerful enough to repel the attack. The Dire Wraiths returned to Wraithworld, only to have Rom, the greatest of the Spaceknights, follow them there, intent on wiping their evil from the universe, mainly by means of his weapon, the Neutralizer, which could banish Wraiths into Limbo. (Note: Those wraiths that Rom banished eventually became minions for that dimension's ruler, Immortus
.) Realizing that other Spaceknights would soon follow, the Wraiths decided to abandon Wraithworld, and scattered across the universe.
, USA. The Wraiths infiltrated the town in human form, and later, began to infiltrate governments and other important organizations across the world. Because Dire Wraith magic was fueled by the black sun of Wraithworld in the Dark Nebula, their ability to perform magic on Earth was severely crippled. Consequently, the male-dominated technology faction of the Wraiths was in control. Possibly because they were aware that Skrulls had contacted Earth, they as a rule used their transitional form instead of their true appearance when they were not in human form.
Later, Rom landed near Clairton, having detected a Wraith infestation, and with the help of some of the locals, eventually succeeded in banishing all the Wraiths there. Then he proceeded to travel around the world, looking for the rest, eventually leaving the protection of Clairton to the human superhero, the Torpedo.
Eventually, the female-dominated faction of magically-oriented Wraiths got tired of hiding, or possibly found a way to revitalize their magical abilities (Concurrent events in the Marvel Universe were heavily magical at the time). Blaming the technology faction for failing to defeat Rom, a coup ensued and they then proceeded to attack the Earth openly. Their first act was to kill the entire population of Clairton while Rom was away. Later, they then openly attacked SHIELD
at their headquarters, the Helicarrier
. This proved a major blunder in that the personnel were able to barely repel the attack and all doubt by the authorities as to the existence and threat of the alien species was removed.
Around this time, several Wraiths attack Storm of the X-Men
and Forge
. Though without her mutant powers, Storm manages to hold her own as the aliens invade Forge's building. They are eventually defeated. Meanwhile, the various Earth governments throw their support to defeating the Dire Wraiths with Rom employed as both an expert on the species and commander of field operations hunting down the menace. Since SHIELD's psychic personnel are essential in this effort, the Dire Wraiths cast deadly magic that target those personnel in particular to make their participation in the field effectively suicide. However, the psychics were determined to continue their part and Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange
intervened on his own accord to cast a spell on them to improve their resistance to the attacks.
Soon afterwards, the Wraiths launched a plan to help them conquer Earth once and for all; they cast a spell on Earth's sun, allowing them to use its energies to draw Wraithworld into Earth
's solar system
. This greatly increased their magical powers. Emboldened, the Wraiths made a mass attack on New York City, where they clashed with dozens of the city's superhero
es. However, thanks to Rom, who used a special satellite to boost the power of his Neutralizer, Wraithworld in its entirety was banished into Limbo
, causing all Wraiths in this galaxy
to lose their powers, including, apparently, their shape-shifting abilities. Subsequently, Rom banishes all the defeated Wraiths into Limbo.
The Wraith Queen, Volx, later made appearances in issues of New Warriors
Volume One, and Nova
Volume Two. It was later confirmed that this is the same Wraith queen introduced in Rom #48.
Many Avengers, including Hercules
, Black Knight
and the Wasp
, make a trip to Limbo. In this realm, time does not actually pass as it does on Earth; one Avenger perceives hours having passed while on reconnaissance
, the others believe only moments have gone by. Immortus
, under the guise of Kang
, forces the Wraiths to attack the group. Despondent under their current situations, many of the Wraiths trick the Avengers into killing them.
indicates Dire Wraiths are causing trouble yet again.
A salvaged Dire Wraith ship is used as Moscow headquarters for the Russian superheroes of the Winter Guard
. A group of former members of said team serves Immortus in Limbo. In return for returning deceased member Darkstar to life, the team protects his castle against the Dire Wraiths. Several members are lost in battle and long-standing team member Fantasma
is revealed to have been a Dire Wraith queen all along. She flees back to Earth, where she opens a hidden passage inside the Winter Guard's headquarter, containing dozens of Dire Wraith eggs. She subsequently fights her former teammates, but is eventually banished back to Limbo.
In the 2011 Annihilators miniseries, a team of Skrulls try to bring back Wraithworld and its population, intending to empower them and use them as a weapon to reform the Skrull Empire. The Wraith's Queen Volx and the Galadorians both are manipulated into setting this up, and the Annihilators find that Wraithworld has to be brought back to reality to balance out the unleashed Dark Sun. The Silver Surfer discovers that Volx has actually been driven insane by an empathic link to Wraithworld in Limbo - and when the Annihilators arrive there, the team is horrified to find out that after generations in Limbo, the surviving Dire Wraiths are a disease-ridden, half-starved people in constant anguish: "even our souls are worn thin", and anyone strong is abducted into servitude by Immortus
. The Wraiths blame Volx for their condition and, at the sight of the hero Quasar, and beg him to kill them and end their suffering. The Annihilators not only brought back Wraithworld but had to merge the Dark Sun with Galador's sun, tying both races together; the Wraiths and Galadorians began to make peace with each other.
The Dire Wraiths later appear as a member of the Universal Inhumans
alongside the Badoon
, Centaurians, and the Kymellian
s. They even did the operation that would enable the Dire Wraiths to survive the Terrigen Mist
. They were present on the moon when Black Bolt
returned.
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The Dire Wraiths first appeared in Rom #1 (1979), and were created by Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. An attorney, he also worked as a public defender...
and Al Milgrom
Al Milgrom
Allen "Al" Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West...
. The Dire Wraiths are the main opponents of Rom the Spaceknight.
History
The Dire Wraiths are an evolutionary offshootEvolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of the Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
s from the Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the...
. Like the Skrulls, the Wraiths are shape-shifters, able to take the forms of other creatures. The Wraiths were originally depicted as amorphous, cloudy, vaguely humanoid-shaped beings. However, it was eventually revealed that was a transitional form used for shape-shifting and that their true form is entirely different. The Dire Wraiths are Skrullian Deviants engineered by the starfaring Celestials. The Wraiths have both reptilian and mammalian like traits. The females lay eggs and lactate.
Most non-Wraiths believe that the Wraiths' true form is highly sexually dimorphic but that belief is inaccurate. All Wraiths actually have the same form but the males are so ashamed of their true form that they use their shape-shifting abilities to constantly appear in their transitory forms. The basic transitory form is stocky and troll-like in appearance, with red or brown skin, but otherwise roughly human-like in size and shape. Also, there are frequently many variations, both minor and major, between the transitory forms used by different groups of Wraiths (though this is likely to be just different artists' rendition of the 'transitional' form). The true form has an obese, reddish body with large, pupil-less eyes, small beaks, 'hands' that resemble small pincers and tentacles; clawed feet, and thick tails. They also have long, drill
Drill
A drill or drill motor is a tool fitted with a cutting tool attachment or driving tool attachment, usually a drill bit or driver bit, used for drilling holes in various materials or fastening various materials together with the use of fasteners. The attachment is gripped by a chuck at one end of...
like tongues similar to that of the Alphabet Cone Shell mollusk
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
, that they use to suck out the brains of their victims, which allows them to gain their memories. (It also causes the victim's body to dissolve into fluid; this may have been a way for the wraiths to eliminate the persons whom they replaced.) All Wraiths can copy the appearance of other beings without consuming their brains or killing them but female witches prefer to kill their victims and absorb their memories during the kill. Males allegedly can use superscience to access their victims' memories as effectively as the females did with their drill tongues.
Wraiths turned into dust when killed (or banished to Limbo
Limbo (Marvel Comics)
Limbo, may refer to several fictional locations in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in The Avengers #2, , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-History:...
; see below.) Among the wraiths, the majority of the males preferred to practice science, and the majority of the females preferred to practice evil magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
. However, when a Wraith practiced the skills favored by the other gender they were generally quite accomplished at it. Thus, there was a female wraith scientist in charge of their efforts for a time, and a male wraith "high priest" who was able to summon a deathwing to fight Rom on Earth.
Outcasts
At some point in their history, female Dire Wraiths began to study evil magic. This caused a rift with their parent race, the Skrulls, and they were driven out of the Andromeda Galaxy by the Skrulls (hatred still persists between the two races to this day.) Using starshipStarship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
s powered by a combination of magic and technology, the Wraiths entered a region of space called the "Dark Nebula" where they found a planet that orbited a black sun. Finding that this planet allowed them to tap that sun's energies to use in their magical spells, the Wraiths settled there and named it "Wraithworld". They soon found creatures that they could domesticate to their service: the "deathwings", birdlike creatures of black energy that spawned from the black sun itself, and wolflike animals that they eventually mutated into blind, telepathic 'hellhounds' that could track their victims via telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
as well as transform into humanoid, ghost-like forms to attack them.
Dark Nebula
Two hundred years ago, an emissary fleet from the planet Galador entered the Dark Nebula, only to be attacked by the Dire Wraiths. The Galadorians were extremely accomplished in science and culture and were attempting to spread benevolent enlightenment throughout their galaxy. In particular, Galadorian science had allowed them to access energy sources such as the Living Light, an energy force similar to, but the opposite polarity of, the darkforceDarkforce
-Description:It is a powerful, extra-dimensional energy that can be manipulated in slightly different ways by a handful of beings that are attuned to it. There are slight yet inconclusive hints that it may be a corruptive influence of some kind and perhaps even sentient...
. After this military success against the expedition, the Dire Wraiths launched an offensive on the Golden Galaxy which contained Galador. Their motivation seemed to be elimination of a culture they felt to be their antithesis
Antithesis
Antithesis is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition...
. A huge fleet of Dire Wraith starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
s attacked the inhabited planets in that galaxy, and were heading towards the Galadorian home world, which was inhabited by human-like beings. However, upon arriving at Galador they found out that hundreds of young Galadorians had been transformed into cyborg warriors called Spaceknights. Although fewer in number, the Spaceknights proved powerful enough to repel the attack. The Dire Wraiths returned to Wraithworld, only to have Rom, the greatest of the Spaceknights, follow them there, intent on wiping their evil from the universe, mainly by means of his weapon, the Neutralizer, which could banish Wraiths into Limbo. (Note: Those wraiths that Rom banished eventually became minions for that dimension's ruler, Immortus
Immortus
Immortus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is the future self of Kang the Conqueror, and first appeared in Avengers #10, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
.) Realizing that other Spaceknights would soon follow, the Wraiths decided to abandon Wraithworld, and scattered across the universe.
Wraiths on Earth
Several decades prior to Rom's arrival on Earth, a large group of Wraiths landed near a small town called Clairton, in West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, USA. The Wraiths infiltrated the town in human form, and later, began to infiltrate governments and other important organizations across the world. Because Dire Wraith magic was fueled by the black sun of Wraithworld in the Dark Nebula, their ability to perform magic on Earth was severely crippled. Consequently, the male-dominated technology faction of the Wraiths was in control. Possibly because they were aware that Skrulls had contacted Earth, they as a rule used their transitional form instead of their true appearance when they were not in human form.
Later, Rom landed near Clairton, having detected a Wraith infestation, and with the help of some of the locals, eventually succeeded in banishing all the Wraiths there. Then he proceeded to travel around the world, looking for the rest, eventually leaving the protection of Clairton to the human superhero, the Torpedo.
Eventually, the female-dominated faction of magically-oriented Wraiths got tired of hiding, or possibly found a way to revitalize their magical abilities (Concurrent events in the Marvel Universe were heavily magical at the time). Blaming the technology faction for failing to defeat Rom, a coup ensued and they then proceeded to attack the Earth openly. Their first act was to kill the entire population of Clairton while Rom was away. Later, they then openly attacked SHIELD
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
at their headquarters, the Helicarrier
Helicarrier
The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier specifically designed to be capable of independent powered flight in addition to the conventional functions of aircraft carriers...
. This proved a major blunder in that the personnel were able to barely repel the attack and all doubt by the authorities as to the existence and threat of the alien species was removed.
Around this time, several Wraiths attack Storm of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
and Forge
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
. Though without her mutant powers, Storm manages to hold her own as the aliens invade Forge's building. They are eventually defeated. Meanwhile, the various Earth governments throw their support to defeating the Dire Wraiths with Rom employed as both an expert on the species and commander of field operations hunting down the menace. Since SHIELD's psychic personnel are essential in this effort, the Dire Wraiths cast deadly magic that target those personnel in particular to make their participation in the field effectively suicide. However, the psychics were determined to continue their part and Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
intervened on his own accord to cast a spell on them to improve their resistance to the attacks.
Soon afterwards, the Wraiths launched a plan to help them conquer Earth once and for all; they cast a spell on Earth's sun, allowing them to use its energies to draw Wraithworld into Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. This greatly increased their magical powers. Emboldened, the Wraiths made a mass attack on New York City, where they clashed with dozens of the city's superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es. However, thanks to Rom, who used a special satellite to boost the power of his Neutralizer, Wraithworld in its entirety was banished into Limbo
Limbo (Marvel Comics)
Limbo, may refer to several fictional locations in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in The Avengers #2, , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-History:...
, causing all Wraiths in this galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
to lose their powers, including, apparently, their shape-shifting abilities. Subsequently, Rom banishes all the defeated Wraiths into Limbo.
The Wraith Queen, Volx, later made appearances in issues of New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
Volume One, and Nova
Nova (comics)
Nova is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Upon becoming a member of the galaxy's Nova Corps , the youth gained enhanced strength, flight, injury resistance, and a specialized uniform with life support.In May 2011, Nova placed 98th on IGN's Top 100 Comic...
Volume Two. It was later confirmed that this is the same Wraith queen introduced in Rom #48.
Many Avengers, including Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
, Black Knight
Black Knight (comics)
The Black Knight is the alias of several fictional comic-book characters that appear in the Marvel Comics universe.The first is a medieval knight created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Joe Maneely. The second is a supervillain descendant of the original, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and...
and the Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
, make a trip to Limbo. In this realm, time does not actually pass as it does on Earth; one Avenger perceives hours having passed while on reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
, the others believe only moments have gone by. Immortus
Immortus
Immortus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is the future self of Kang the Conqueror, and first appeared in Avengers #10, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
, under the guise of Kang
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
, forces the Wraiths to attack the group. Despondent under their current situations, many of the Wraiths trick the Avengers into killing them.
Return of the Wraiths
Although reduced in numbers, there are still many Dire Wraiths in the universe. They were recently mentioned in Dark Reign Files #1 as still being a potential threat even without their magical powers due to their highly advanced weaponry. Agent Brand, head of the intergalactic agency S.W.O.R.D.S.W.O.R.D.
S.W.O.R.D. may refer to:*S.W.O.R.D. , a fictional counterterrorism and intelligence agency in the Marvel Universe*S.W.O.R.D. , a fictional criminal organization in the novel The Saint and the Fiction Makers*S.W.O.R.D...
indicates Dire Wraiths are causing trouble yet again.
A salvaged Dire Wraith ship is used as Moscow headquarters for the Russian superheroes of the Winter Guard
Winter Guard
The Winter Guard is a fictional team of Russian superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe.The Winter Guard are noted for being "Russia's answer to the Avengers",.. Several members of the group formerly belonged to the Soviet Super-Soldiers, the People's Protectorate and the Supreme Soviets...
. A group of former members of said team serves Immortus in Limbo. In return for returning deceased member Darkstar to life, the team protects his castle against the Dire Wraiths. Several members are lost in battle and long-standing team member Fantasma
Fantasia (comics)
Fantasia is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She is a Russian soldier with super-powers.-Publication history:Fantasia first appeared in Captain America #352-353 , and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Kieron Dwyer....
is revealed to have been a Dire Wraith queen all along. She flees back to Earth, where she opens a hidden passage inside the Winter Guard's headquarter, containing dozens of Dire Wraith eggs. She subsequently fights her former teammates, but is eventually banished back to Limbo.
In the 2011 Annihilators miniseries, a team of Skrulls try to bring back Wraithworld and its population, intending to empower them and use them as a weapon to reform the Skrull Empire. The Wraith's Queen Volx and the Galadorians both are manipulated into setting this up, and the Annihilators find that Wraithworld has to be brought back to reality to balance out the unleashed Dark Sun. The Silver Surfer discovers that Volx has actually been driven insane by an empathic link to Wraithworld in Limbo - and when the Annihilators arrive there, the team is horrified to find out that after generations in Limbo, the surviving Dire Wraiths are a disease-ridden, half-starved people in constant anguish: "even our souls are worn thin", and anyone strong is abducted into servitude by Immortus
Immortus
Immortus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is the future self of Kang the Conqueror, and first appeared in Avengers #10, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
. The Wraiths blame Volx for their condition and, at the sight of the hero Quasar, and beg him to kill them and end their suffering. The Annihilators not only brought back Wraithworld but had to merge the Dark Sun with Galador's sun, tying both races together; the Wraiths and Galadorians began to make peace with each other.
The Dire Wraiths later appear as a member of the Universal Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
alongside the Badoon
Badoon
The Badoon are a reptilian alien species in the fictional Marvel Comics universe. They are notable for having a gender schism, resulting in two separate societies; the Brotherhood of Badoon and the Sisterhood of Badoon .The Brotherhood live on the planet Moord, while the Sisterhood reside on the...
, Centaurians, and the Kymellian
Kymellian
The Kymellians are a fictional extraterrestrial race that have appeared in many Marvel Comics. They were introduced in Power Pack #1 .-Fictional biography:...
s. They even did the operation that would enable the Dire Wraiths to survive the Terrigen Mist
Terrigen Mist
The Terrigen Mist is a fictional substance from the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the stories of the Inhumans, a fictional race of super-humans...
. They were present on the moon when Black Bolt
Black Bolt
Black Bolt is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #45 Black Bolt (Blackagar Boltagon) is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #45 Black...
returned.
Powers and Abilities
The Dire Wraiths have super-strength. They can also shapeshift and are good at sorcery.Known Dire Wraiths
- Avoe - Current Queen of the Dire Wraiths and member of the Universal Inhumans.
- Volx - Queen of the Dire Wraiths.
- Fantasma - Former member of the Winter Guard