VRELLNEXIAN race

Classification: Insectoid extraterrestrial race  Location/Base of Operations: Planet Vrellnex, fifth from the sun in the Cetsin star system, Milky Way galaxy;        Habitat: Semi-temperate, 69% covered with water        Gravity: 120% of Earth's gravity        Atmosphere: 77% nitrogen, 20% oxygen     a number of Vrellnexians were at least formerly based on the Golden Star planet (see comments); Known Members: None identified;     Population 6.4 billion Affiliations: Oona and his/her/its mate and other auction attendees; unidentified mercenary forces;     Tarnth was apparently a revered figure, if not a worshipped god;     at least formerly the Sssth serving Sssthgar; Enemies: Asgardians (notably Fandral, Hildegarde, Hogun, Karnilla, Odin, Sif, Thor), Silas Grant, Tana Nile, Sssth serving Sssthgar other races enslaved and sold on Golden Star; Resistance (Gregor and many unidentified, including an unidentified elder), First Appearance: Thor I#212 (June, 1973)

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Powers/Abilities: Vrellnexians vary widely in appearance, although most seemed to follow the insectoid pattern of being divided into three body sections: Head, thorax, abdomen. However, some appeared to have a less clearly divided torso.     Some stand as bipeds with two pairs of arms on their thorax, some standing on two pairs of legs with a single pair of arms on their thorax.     Some have wings and can fly.     They appear to have hair on their torso Physical characteristics (see comments): Type:  Bilaterally symmetric insectoids; varying forms Eyes: Most appeared to have two (on head; solid red color and red compound seen; however, some Vrellnexians have many more eyes Fingers: Two (plus opposing thumb); may have varied with different forms Toes: Three (two anterior and one posterior); likely varied with different forms Skin color: Usually purple (or gray); likely varied with different forms Average height: Approximately 5'5"; likely varied with different forms

Level of technology: Moderately advanced, with warp-drive starships and hand-held blaster weapons.     Their weaponry was powerful enough to overcome an entire army of the superhumanly powerful Asgardian gods (see comments).     Although the ship did not appear to be that large, you can see the dozens if not hundreds of Asgardians fighting the Vrellnexians on Bifrost, and it specifically notes that the Vrellnexians outnumbered the Asgardians (even after a number of Vrellnexians had fallen in battle). Further, those Asgardians were then apparently transported aboard the Vrellnexian ship in addition to the Vrellnexian crew.     The ship have conveyor beams to transport captives aboard, and into a large hold. Those present in the hold were kept contained by energy beams of some sort.     The Vrellnexians of Golden Star used drugged food to render their captives docile. Traits: Hivemind mentalities, with lower drones totally committed to their race/queen's goals, with virtually no concept of individuality.     An unspecified population of Vrellnexians participated in inter-planetary slave-gathering and auctioning. Type of government: Hivelike, dominated by "queens"

History:

(Thor I#212 (fb)) <According to Sssthgar; see comments> - A Vrellnexian ship (or ships, possibly, although only one was seen/described) landed in a town on the planet Sszardil, their approach startling the native Sssth.     A leader instructed the warrior drones to capture the natives alive, as they would fetch a fine price on the block at Golden Star.     A group led by the large and powerful Sssthgar were also captured and considered to make fine gladiatorial slaves.     Although the Sssth fought valiantly, their medieval Earth-level weaponry was no match for the Vrellnexians' energy blasters, and the Sssth were captured by the hundreds and transported via conveyor beams into the Vrellnexian ship.      Within the ship, the Sssth were kept imprisoned in a dank hold.

(Thor I#213 (fb)) - The Sssth were partnered with the insectoid Vrellnexians as slave-traders.

(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) <According to Gregor of the Resistance> - The fleet of Sssth and Vrellnexians traveled to the planet Golden Star where the ship flew through its atmosphere raining carnage and devastation across its surface.

(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) - After the planet was in flaming ruins, the ships landed, and the Sssth and Vrellnexian crews emerged and gathered the residents and placed them in their slave pens.

(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) - Those not taken were left to scrounge in the gutters for food.

(Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS) - When the Vrellnexians passed near Asgard's Bifrost (aka the Rainbow Bridge), they observed Heimdall and at least one other Asgardian (see comments).      Considering the Asgardians to be good stock, the Vrellnexian ship attacked Asgard.      The Asgardian forces, led by Odin, rode out on horseback to face the Vrellnexians but were taken down by the Vrellnexians' energy blasters.      In a lengthy battle, many of the Vrellnexians fell, but they overwhelmed the Asgardians with their superior numbers and their powerful weaponry <According to Sssthgar> - The Sssth escaped the Vrellnexian ship and hid out in Asgard while the Vrellnexians loaded the Asgardians into their ship. <Also according to Sssthgar; see comments> - The Vrellnexians left Sssthgar and the Sssth marooned on Asgard. (Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) - The captured Asgardians were rendered docile and submissive by drugs in their food.

(Thor I#213 (fb) - BTS) - The Asgardian Sif and her sorceress companion Karnilla were sold to the Miners of the Dark Nebula

(Thor I#212 (fb) - BTS) - Hours later, Odin was placed on the auction block.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, John Buscema & Don Perlin, and Vince Colletta.

    When Thor and his allies rushed to Odin's rescues, a Vrellnexian exclaimed "Tarnth's eyes!"
    Presumably Tarnth is some deity or some revered figure from Vrellnexian history.

    What is the true history of the Vrellnexians?

    So, Sssthgar obviously concealed the fact that the Sssth were allied with the Vrellnexians in being slave-traders on Golden Star.

    How does that reflect on the other information Sssthgar provided? Only the fact that the Sssth were brought to the Golden Star as slaves to be auctioned (from Thor I#212) is directly contradictory to the Sssth fighting alongside the Vrellnexians to conquer the Golden Star (from Thor I#213).

    However, in Thor I#212, as the Asgardians fought the Vrellnexians and their agents, Sssthgar noted that without the Asgardians, they could "never find revenge." (presumably referring to their humiliating conquering/capture by the Vrellnexians in the past.

    The numbers and continuity were a little crazy in these stories.

• Asgard is in its own dimension, not just within Earth's galaxy, so the Vrellnexians had to have some magical powers or something to reach Asgard.
  I suppose they could have somehow senses Bifrost and then followed it to Asgard.
  
• There are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of Asgardians in Asgard city, and the idea that a group of energy blaster-wielding extraterrestrials could just summarily take them out and capture them, leaving none behind, is a little crazy....even if you blame lack of Odinsleep for Odin's weakness.
• Not only that, but while they could take out all of the Asgardians (including Odin, even weakened), they couldn't remotely challenge Thor, Fandral, Hogun, and Hildegarde (and Tana Nile and Silas Grant) back on Golden Star, where they should have had all of their forces...plus their mercenaries?
• We see perhaps hundreds of Asgardians fighting the Vrellnexians, and it is noted that the Vrellnexians outnumbered the Asgardians. And then on Golden Star, I think we saw TWO Vrellnexians.
  
• Perhaps the Asgardians fought so hard that the Vrellnexians virtually exhausted their weaponry.
  
• Perhaps it was the Vrellnexians' ship's weaponry that allowed them to overwhelm the Asgardians.
  
• Perhaps their ships were off world in search of more slaves/captives when Thor and his group arrived.
  
• 
  

    The home star system of the Vrellnexians, Cetsin, is an anagram of "insect." I can't say that I'm impressed with the amount of thought that whoever wrote those profiles put into creating these names.
--Donald Campbell
    In their defense, there were  just a few people  chronicling the history, abilities....everything(!) of biggest characters of the Marvel Universe. There's only so much you can do when trying to cover so much in such a limited time.

(Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet#1) - Near Vrellnex, the interstellar freebooters known as the Starjammers raided the slave markets of Golden Star.
    I did not see Vrellnexians nor Sssth pictured or referenced, so it is unrevealed whether they maintained any presence on that world.
    Vrellnex is noted to be near to the Golden Star...but how close?

As insectoids, the Vrellnexians may have some interest in the Cockroach Conspiracy.

    This profile was completed 11/1/2020, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Vrellnexians should be distinguished from:

• VRAKANIN race (Charasulla, hunter/warrior) – extraterrestrial, semi-humanoid, green skin, long ears, sharp teeth + claws, long hair from antebrachium and crus--New Mutants Annual#1
• VRAY race (Chahr, Taros, "King of the Vray") - extradimensional, co-habitate a world with the Swarm, with whom they long warred; peace finally brought about via visiting Rogue (Anna Marie)--X-Men Legacy I#271
• other "Vr" beings
  

Vrellnexian/Golden Star mercenaries

	Numerous warriors of various unidentified races served as a mercenary force on Golden Star.       After Sssthgar led the Asgardians Fandral, Hildegarde, Hogun, and Thor, as well as their allies Tana Nile and Silas Grant to Golden Star, these visitors rushed to rescue Odin from the auction block.      Considering these humanoids to be a fine lot to be auctioned as well, the Vrellnexian offered the mercenaries a bonus to capture them whole.      The mercenaries rushed forward, confident of an easy victory, but Thor smashed back the first wave with a swing of his hammer, Mjolnir.
	As he smashed his attackers with his mace, Hogun told the "filth" that for seeking to defame "the finest of the fine" (Odin) they did not deserve warriors' deaths...but they would receive warriors deaths nonetheless.      As the mercenaries reeled from Fandral's spinning blade, Fandral advised them how much better it would be when the blade sank home.      Hildegarde advised Fandral that there was enough talk and that their clear duty was to take down these monsters, which he punctuated by picking one of the mercenaries up and hurling him into his allies, knocking them over. Note: You can't see him clearly, but the guy Hildegarde picks up looks like one of the Sssth. Things that make you go hmmmm...      Back to back, each guarding each other's flank, Silas took down mercenaries with a stick while Tana Nile incapacitated others with her blaster.
	When her energy blaster exhausted its charge, Tana Nile turned to physical combat, using her Rigellian training.      As the others continued to take down the other mercenaries, Thor smashed his way through a group of mercs, reached Odin, and shattered his bonds.     However, with the Vrellnexian forces defeated, Sssthgar then led the Sssth to surround the Thor and the others and demand their surrender. --Thor I#212

images: (without ads)
Thor I#212, pg. 9, panel 1 (ship approaching Sszardil);
          panel 2 (disembarking on Sszardil);
          panel 3 (vs. Sssth);
          panel 4 (loading Sssth aboard ship);
       pg. 10, panel 2 (multiple-eyed Vrellnexian);
          panel 5 (approaching Bifrost);
       pg. 11, panel 1 (vs. Asgardians);
       pg. 14 (auctioning Odin);
       pg. 15, panel 2-3 (mercenaries charging and getting smashed back);
       pg. 16, panel 3 (mercenaries vs. Hildegarde);
       pg. 17, panel 1 (mercenaries vs. Silas Grant);
          panel 3 (mercenaries vs. Tana Nile);
          panel 4 (mercenaries vs. Thor);
additional mercenary images - scanned, but not cropped
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#11: Appendix to Alien Races: Vrellnexians (main image)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#15: Appendix to Alien Races: Vrellnexians (comments level image))

Appearances:
Thor I#212 (June, 1973) - Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema & Don Perlin (pencilers), Vince Colletta (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#213 (July, 1973) - Gerry Conway (story), Len Wein (scripter), John Buscema & Don Perlin (pencilers), Vince Colletta (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#11: Appendix to Alien Races: Vrellnexians (November, 1983) - Mark Gruenwald (Head writer/designer/editor), Peter Sanderson & Mark Lerer (writers), Paty Cockrum (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Michael Carlin (associate editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#15: Appendix to Alien Races: Vrellnexians (March, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer/producer), Peter Sanderson (writer/researcher), Kyle Baker (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Gregory Wright (assistant editor), Marc McLaurin (editorial assistant)
Quasar#49 (August, 1993) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Grant Miehm (penciler), Ralph Cabrera (inker), Mike Rockwitz (editor), Ralph Macchio (group editor)

First posted: 09/03/2021
Last updated: 08/30/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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