Villainous
alien race published in the comics of
Marvel Comics. The Dire
Wraiths first appeared in
Rom #1.
The history of the Dire Wraiths is somewhat shrouded in mystery. They were
originally an off-shoot of the Skrulls, a group of reptilian aliens with the ability
to change their shape. The Dire Wraiths were transformed into their present form
by the use of sorcery.
The Dire Wraith society is divided between the two sexs. The males are
malevolent, white blob-like creatures. They look like what you would imagine
the Pillsbury Doughboy would look like if he had been created by
H. P. Lovecraft. The male Dire Wraiths prefer using technological weapons
and possess the ability to take the shape of any creature.
The female Dire Wraiths possess powers more driven by sorcery than science.
Their forms are red and squat, taking all of the least appealing aspects of slugs
and manta rays. The females also possess a tongue with a drill bit in the end, which
they use to drill into the skulls of their victims, draining the person's knowledge.
The victims usually are reduced to ash by the process and the Dire Wraith
adopts their form.
The first recorded encounter of the Dire Wraiths with any other race was when
they attacked a Galadoran ship exploring the Dark Nebula. The Galadoran
ship was destroyed and the people of Galador responded by creating a group
of heroes called the Spaceknights. The most famous of the Spaceknights, Rom the Spaceknight,
helped drive the Dire Wraiths from the Dark Nebula, scattering them across
countless worlds. Rom journeyed to Earth in search of the remaining Dire Wraiths
eventually removing them from the Earth all together.