RAIDUS

Real Name: Raidus Dren

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Microverse)

Occupation: Warrior

Group Membership:  Leader of an unidentified group of assassins/agents (Centivros, Null-Tron, Krevius, Verus, Xerxes);

Affiliations: Marquis Radu and his soldiers;
    formerly Carnage (Cletus Kasady);

Enemies: Carnage (Cletus Kasady), Enigma Force, Enigma Force team (Bug, Flare, Marionette/Mari, Quark, Arcturus Rann), Nell Fletcher, Dr. and Ryan Ketola, Katy Kiernan, Redeemer, Scarlet Spider (Kaine); the guards at Thunderbolts mountain maximum security prison and those civilians injured, slain, and/or terrorized by Carnage following his escape

Known Relatives: None

Aliases:

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly various worlds in the Microverse, likely including Homeworld

First Appearance: Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (December, 2012)

Powers/Abilities: Raidus wears sleek body armor of unidentified composition that presumably provides some level of enhanced durability. While his head is not covered in armor, he does have a pair of raised fins/spikes on either side of his face that presumably protect him from strikes to the neck and face.

    Raidus is armed with a pair of sonic/laser pistols fitted with bayonets that can be used to stab or lacerate other beings or objects in a close-quarters fight.

    Raidus (as shown in the main image) appeared to fire a blast from his chest that incapacitated the Scarlet Spider (Kaine); however, it may be that he had fired a blast from both of his pistols, and the energy residue was from between where they had been fired.

    He was helpless in direct combat with Carnage, who contained him within his symbiote's matter and forced him to lead him to Radu, although Radu may have instructed him to do so...

Height: Unrevealed; he (and the rest of his squad) appeared to be much shorter than Carnage, who is 6'1", but can alter his size somewhat via his symbiote (I would guess he has a height equivalent to 5'10" or so)
    (on Earth) 1"
Weight: Unrevealed; based on his build, I'd estimate about 175 lbs. (Earth equivalent);
    (on Earth) .00049 lbs. (.0078 oz.; 0.223 grams)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black eyebrows and beard

History: Raidus is a member of one of the humanoid races of the Microverse, possibly Homeworld.

    Raidus served as a member of a group of assassins/agents led by Verus and employed by Marquis Radu

(Scarlet Spider II#11  (fb) - BTS / Venom II#27 (fb) - BTS) - Marquis Radu sought to both slay the Redeemer (the former Acroyear), the living embodiment of the Enigma Force, and to destroy the Enigma Force itself, after which he would rekindle the Enigma Force under his control and rule as God.

(Scarlet Spider II#11  (fb) - BTS) - With the goal of using Carnage (Cletus Kasady) to destroy the Redeemer and to replicate Carnage's symbiote via the Body Banks, Radu sent his agents -- a squad of assassins led by Verus: Centivros, Krevius, Null-Tron, Raidus, and Xerxes -- to the Earth dimension.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Radu's agents traveled to Thunderbolts Mountain maximum security prison in Colorado where they made the imprisoned Kasady a deal: If he killed someone for them, they would give him a new life and a whole new universe to kill people in (or so he subsequently paraphrased the offer).

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Kasady accepted the offer.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Verus' squad violently broke Carnage out of prison.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Footage of Carnage's escaped showed insect-sized agents killing the prison guards.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Radu's agents slew police officers who discovered Kasady driving on I-25.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Based on the footage of Carnage's escape, Venom ("Flash" Thompson) had his reporter friend Katy Kiernan investigate tiny killers, which led them to a report on the Prometheus Pit being built in Houston Texas by Dr. Ketola at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking Dr. Ketola to travel to the Microverse, Carnage and Radu's agents confronted Dr. Ketola's husband, Ryan, and slew her mother, Nell Fletcher.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Rescuing Ryan Ketola, the Scarlet Spider (Kaine) learned of and sought out Dr. Ketola as well.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1) - As Carnage confronted Ketola, the Scarlet Spider tried to fight him off but was knocked out by Radu's agents (apparently Raidus, specifically), after which Verus told Carnage there was no time for this, as they had to get to the Pit immediately. 

    Verus then instructed Raidus and Centivros to guard the exits, Xerxes to watch the skies, and Krevius and Null-Tron to force Dr. Ketola to open the Pit.

    As soon as the Pit was opened, Carnage threw Kiernan into it first.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (fb) - BTS) - Raidus and the rest of his squad passed through the Prometheus Pit and returned to the Microverse.

(Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 - BTS) - Carnage passed through the Prometheus Pit

(Scarlet Spider II#10) - Back in the Microverse, Raidus noted with disgust as Carnage began licking the captive Katy Kiernan. After Xerxes noted that he was insane, Raidus instructed Krevius to enter Carnage's mind, but Krevius declined, noting he/it did not think it would like that.

    Verus silenced the rest of her squad as she received a holoprojection-communication from Marquis Radu, who ignored his agents' concerns, telling Verus that Carnage would do his job and instructing them to do theirs.

(Scarlet Spider II#10 - BTS) - Verus' forces, with Carnage and Kiernan, headed to their ship to seek out the Redeemer.

(Scarlet Spider II#11  (fb) - BTS) - Raidus informed Radu that Katy Kiernan was a historian from the Macroverse.

(Venom II#26 - BTS) - Verus' squad brought Carnage to a Body Banks annexing station associated with Homeworld.

(Venom II#26) - After Carnage expressed disappointment in the lack of bodies at the Body Banks, Verus clarified that this was an annex station and that there were similar factories, all of them defunct or under the control of rogue skin merchants, scattered throughout the zones.

    Katy Kiernan then suggested to Carnage that the reason they had brought him there first rather than taking him to the Redeemer was that he was intended to be raw material from which the Body Banks would build an army.

(Venom II#26 (fb) - BTS) - Carnage apparently slaughtered Centivros, Krevius, and Null-Tron and bound Raidus against the wall.

(Venom II#26) - Carnage mockingly asked the bound Raidus how he was feeling about the master plan now, noting that one of him (Carnage) was plenty.

    When Carnage asked Raidus where were the rest of his new friends, Verus led Xerxes to assault Carnage anew, but Carnage swiftly slew Xerxes and slew or incapacitated Verus.

    As Carnage returned to him, the frightened Raidus stammered out, "Wh-what do...you want with me?" Carnage explained that Raidus was going to chauffeur him to his boss (whom Carnage made it clear he intended to kill). Carnage mockingly noted how he felt bad for what he had to do to Raidus and his teammates, but they were just puppets, and he needed Raidus to take him to the man pulling the strings.

(Venom II#26 (fb) - BTS) - Raidus presumably flew Radu's agents' ship, carrying himself, Carnage, and Katy Kiernan to the Obsidian Wastelands, on an unzoned planet, where Radu was present in his mobile fortress

(Venom II#26) - As the Redeemer showed Scarlet Spider Radu's fortress, Raidus and Kiernan remained on a ledge far above them as Carnage leapt down to the attack.

(Scarlet Spider II#11) - Alongside Katy Kiernan, Raidus observed the battle between Carnage and the Scarlet Spider from a distance.

    When Radu's troops arrived and confronted Carnage, Kasady mockingly asked if it was something he had said. When Raidus coldly reminded Carnage that he had slain his entire team, Carnage looked him in the eyes and told him, "Not yet." Pausing briefly, Raidus instructed the troops to take Carnage to the Marquis (see comments).

    As Radu's agents brought Carnage and Kiernan to Radu, Raidus hailed the Marquis. After Carnage charged Radu and was swiftly flattened, Raidus ordered the troops to put Rann and the Enigma Force team (captured earlier by Radu's troops) in holding cells and to take the symbiotes (Carnage and Venom, the latter of whom was captured along the Enigma Force team) to the Body Banks).

Comments: Created by Christopher Yost, Cullen Bunn, Lan Medina, Karl Kesel, Cam Smith, & Walden Wong.

    As far as I can tell, Raidus did not appear in Venom II#27, wherein Carnage took control of the Body Banks hosts/symbiote clones before being driven back to Earth.

    You want more information, you get more information!

• Information in this arc is very sparse on Radu's agents. The group doesn't even have a name...Verus calls them "SQUAD" (and all the text is in capitals, so we don't know if it is a proper name or not)
  
• Per Cullen Bunn

• RAIDUS DREN. No nonsense humanoid. Shaved head, black eyes. Maybe a pharaoh-like goatee. Wears sleek body armor, Armed with a pair of sonic/laser pistols fitted with nasty-looking bayonets.

    The Pharoah-like goatee makes me think he may be Aegytpan, like Karza.

    Raidus is an interesting name, particular with his master being Radu and his having a leading role in Radu's agents. Maybe he's some relation to Radu, or not...

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Raidus should be distinguished from:

• RAIDEN - drug designed by Dai-Kumo, made from hypothalamic extract of monkeys from Madripoor, marketed as cure for cancer. Causes increased strength + decreased pain, ultimately fatal. aka THUNDERBOLT--Wolverine II#31
• RAIDEN - Stalkers, mercenary transformed into techno-organic being by alien spacecraft--Venom: Nights of Vengeance#1
  
• RADIUS - see RALPH HUTCHINS. third form, after Brute + Seeker and before Torque + Earth Lord. Generate vibratory force waves--Savage She-Hulk I#22
  
• RADIUS (Jared Corbo) - mutant, Alpha Flight, Beta Flight, X-Corps, brother of Flex, possible relative of Unus, Arrogant until his mistakes resulted in death of animal Sasquatch. Emits constant force field which he can reshape at will, although he cannot drop it--Alpha Flight II#1
• RADIUS EIGHTEEN - Kree territory, destroyed by a Nega-Bomb--War of Kings#2
• orther Raid characters, beings, etc.
  

images: (without ads)
Minimum Carnage Alpha#1, pg. 18, panel 4 (mostly full body, with group);
Scarlet Spider II#10 (Minimum Carnage, part two), pg. 13, panel 1 (face);
          panel 3 (face/head);
Venom II#26, pg. 1, panel 3 (upper body);
       pg. 11, panel 3 (bound by Carnage);
Scarlet Spider II#11, pg. 11, panel 5-6 (Raidus drawn as Radu?; mostly full body profile and cloak/profile);
        pg. 14, panel 4 (upper body)

Appearances:
Minimum Carnage Alpha#1 (December, 2012) - Christopher Yost & Cullen Bunn (writers), Lan Medina (penciler), Karl Kesel, Cam Smith, & Walden Wong (inkers), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Wacker (senior editor)
Scarlet Spider II#10 <Minimum Carnage part 2> (December 2012) -  Christopher Yost (writer), Khoi Pham & Reilly Brown (pencilers), Tom Palmer & Chris Sotomayor (inkers), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Wacker (senior editor)
Venom II#26 <Minimum Carnage part 3> (December 2012) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Declan Shalvey (artist), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Wacker (senior editor)
Scarlet Spider II#11 <Minimum Carnage part 4> (January 2013) - Christopher Yost (writer), Khoi Pham & Reilly Brown (pencilers), Tom Palmer & Chris Sotomayor (inkers), Tom Brennan (editor), Stephen Wacker (senior editor)

First posted: 09/12/2020
Last updated: 10/19/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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