TRIBBITITES
Classification: Semi-humanoid reptilian extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations:
Tribbit (aka Toadworld, artificial world built from stolen Kree plans
and used as capital of the Tribbitite Empire), Quin Star System (fourth
from sun), Milky Way Galaxy;
formerly Kroke (original world);
groups have been found offworld, including Weirdworld
Planetary habitat: (on Kroke) Humid, 82% covered by water
Gravity: (On Kroke) 1.3 Earth's
Atmosphere: (On Kroke) 73% nitrogen, 23% oxygen
Known Members: Amphos, Bufo,
Froja, Gridney,
Grodnik, Helkooky, Toadius
V, Torkon II,
Torrak;
population estimated at 5.2 billion
Type of Government: Hereditary monarchy which rules a minor empire of planets
Aliases: Toad
Men, "Ugly Men" (used by the
Hulk (Banner))
Affiliations: Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Black Knight's Weirdworld coalition (Apes from Apelantis, Amazons, Giants), Defenders (Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Namor/Namor McKenzie, Silver Surfer/Norrin Rad), flerken, Yandroth
Enemies: Avengers (Deadpool, Doctor Voodoo, Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Psynapse, Quicksilver, Steve Rogers, Rogue), Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), D'Vorak and family, Ego the Living Planet, Glorian (Thomas Gideon), Groot, Kree, Ruul, Shaper of Worlds, S.H.I.E.L.D. Hulkbusters (Agent Cheesecake, Crimson, Clay Quartermain, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters), Tar-Vash; briefly Hulk (Bruce Banner)
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk I#2 (July, 1962)
Powers/Abilities: Each Tribbitite possesses a long sticky tongue which can be extended, like an Earth toad's. Unlike Earth's Terrans, male Tribbitites' gonads are located in their knees. While most Tribbitites are squat in nature, a few (possibly mutants or mutates) are much larger, such as Bufo, Torkon II and Froja (the latter two stood almost 14' tall). Some Tribbitites possess a shell attached to their backs like an Earth's turtle, although these might also be a sub-species or mutates.
Level of Technology:
Tribbitite civilization is capable of interstellar travel, utilizing
magnetic devices to power their spacecrafts. Most other Tribbitite
equipment is magnetic-based as well. including various ray emitters and
guns. Most of their advanced technology was stolen from other races
such as the Kree and Skrulls.
Traits: Tribbitites are imperialistic and
decadent. They worship/invoke the "great horned toad".
Average Height: 5' (many examples have been
seen)
Average Weight: 175 lbs.
Eyes: Two, color varies
Hair: Several Tribbitites have been seen with brown hair,
although
most remain bald.
Skin: Orange, scaled (resistant to many forms of minor injuries)
Fingers: Usually five, with opposable thumb
Toes: Two
History:
(Incredible Hulk II#191 (fb) - BTS) - Tribbitites
lived on the planet Kroke but abandoned it for unrevealed reasons. Most
of their technology was stolen from other races. Plans stolen from
the Kree enabled Tribbitites to build themselves a new planet,
calling it Tribbit (also known as Toadworld).
(Incredible Hulk II#191 (fb) ) - To keep their new mechanical world operating smoothly, the Tribbitites sought out and enslaved beings from less aggressive worlds (such as the brutish Broggs from Tarsis 12). These slaves worked deep within the bowels of Tribbit until expiring from sheer exhaustion.
(Incredible Hulk I#2) - A Tribbitite spaceship, captained by Torrak, from an invasion fleet used magnetic grapplers to identify Earth's smartest scientific mind to reveal Earth's level of progress. Bruce Banner was captured, but transformed into the Hulk. Along with American missiles, the Hulk caused the spaceship to crash. The Tribbitites escaped by burrowing underground, then signaled for the invasion to begin. The fleet commander, ruler Toadius V, demanded Earth's surrender and pulled the Moon closer as a show of force. But Banner used the unpredictable Gamma Gun on the fleet; the Gun reversed the polarity of the Tribbitite spaceships and they careened into space.
(World War Hulk: Gamma Files (fb) - BTS) - This defeat saw Toadius V deposed and the powerfully strong Tribbitite giant Torkon II installed as ruler.
(Incredible Hulk II#191 (fb) - BTS) - The Hulk's
defeat of the invasion fleet (as perceived by the Tribbitites) became
legend in their empire, entering their widely read Battle Scrolls.
(Incredible Hulk II#190) - Tribbitites patrolling for new slaves for Toadworld came across a paradise-like world, which had been crafted by the Shaper of Worlds and Glorian to provide the Hulk peace with the addition of alien imposters of Hulk's friends Jarella and "Crackajack" Jackson. The Tribbitites captured the imposters and the Hulk using magnetic weaponry, and took them into space destined for Toadworld.
(Incredible Hulk II#191) - On Toadworld, the Hulk and companions were taken before King Torkon II and his wife, Queen Froja, and the Hulk was blackmailed into becoming a slave until the Tribbitites discovered that the Shaper of World had made the Hulk's paradise planetoid. Keen to capture the Shaper of Worlds for their own purposes, the Tribbitites strapped a Skrull Nulltron bomb to the Hulk. Tribbitites took the Hulk back to the paradise planetoid and the bomb incapacitated both the Shaper and Hulk. The Shaper was taken back by Tribbitites while Glorian helped a recovered Hulk travel instantly to Toadworld. The Tribbitite injured the peaceful Glorian. With the Shaper's concentration lapsed, the Jarella and Johnson imposter's alien forms were revealed, enraging the Hulk, so he rampaged, damaging the world's mechanics. The Shaper of Worlds, Glorian and the Hulk left behind a now-dark Toadworld and a broken ruler.
(World War Hulk: Gamma Files) - Toadworld's stability was restored and the Hulk was again targeted by the Tribbitites.
(Hostess ad: Incredble Hulk and "Friends") - The
Hulk, once more captured by Torkon II, was aided in escape by a lone
Tribbitite.
(World War Hulk: Gamma Files) - Torkon II was deposed with the aid of the Hulk, who was then returned to Earth. Toadius V was freed and reinstated as leader, and the Tribbitite goal of conquest renewed.
(Captain Marvel IV#2 (fb) - BTS) - Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) stopped a Tribbitite invasion force that targeted the subjugation of Earth. One survivor, Helkooky, was imprisoned in the Vault high security prison.
(Sensational She-Hulk I#2 - BTS) - Several actors on Earth were hired by the super-villain Mysterio (Quentin Beck) to impersonate Tribbitites and capture the She-Hulk; they failed.
(Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet) - Tribbitite
representatives were among the multitude of civilized races from across
eight galaxies assembled at the Intergalactic Council on planet
Selandiar. With Lilandra of the Shi'ar presiding, they heard the
Skrulls' grievances against humans' interference in galactic affairs.
But the planet-destroying threat of Ego the Living Planet distracted
the delegates with human mutant Charles Xavier harnessing the psychic
talent of Selandiar delegates to aid his team of mutant Skrulls (Cadre K)
to halt Ego. Embarrassed at being indebted to Xavier and his team,
delegates overwhelmingly condemned Earth. The insidious Ruul came to
Lilandra with a suggested sentence.
(Maximum Security#3) - The Ruul's influence saw Earth
quarantined and made a penal planet, but an alliance of Earth-based
heroes uncovered the true threat and presented it to the Intergalactic
Council. Tribbitites were among those delegates shocked to learn the
Kree Supreme Intelligence had fooled them with the illusion of a new
Ruul race to take over Earth and harness Ego's power to advance Kree
dominance over all. Embarrassed by their gullibility, the Intergalactic
Council held quiet on human interference for the time being.
(Captain Marvel IV#2) - Genis,
the son of Mar-Vell,
met the prisoner Helkooky on a chat show.
(Over
the Edge#3 (fb) - BTS) - Toadius V established a human recruitment base
in the US small town of Blackberry, North Carolina. Toad Men
infiltrated positions of influence in the town (it's unrevealed if they
were Toad Men disguised as humans or human-Tribbitite hybrids, as they
had scaly skin, enlarged eyes, but human physique). All but one
resident agreed to be transported to Toadworld to work.
(Over the Edge#3) - Hulk (Bruce Banner) and his wife,
Betty, arrived by chance in Blackberry the day of the mass
teleportation and grew suspicious of the unusual activity until the
Tribbitite motives became clear. Not realizing the townsfolk's
complicity, Hulk forcibly teleported almost all the Toad Men back,
including the powerful Bufo, before destroying the teleportation
device. Toadius V remained on Earth, vowing to continue the human
recruitment drive.
(Defenders II#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Tribbitites readied an entire invasion fleet to assault a Kree stronghold on planet Trellnax-3.
(Defenders II#1) - While tapped into the powers of the Earth goddess Gaea, the magician Yandroth unleashed a variety of menaces to Earth. Among the entire invasion fleet of the Tribbitites, unaware they were on Earth. Other invading forces included the Negative Zone Borers, the Mindless Ones, the Stonians, Dark-Crawler, Quasimodo, Warlord Kaa and his Shadow-Warriors, the Living Erasers, Gorgilla, Vi-Locks and the Microverse native Lizard men of Tok. The Tribbitites appearance didn't go by unnoticed as their fleet blacked out the sky in Washington, D.C. and was engaged by an attack squadron from Andrews Air Force Base. One of the people below was Dr. Bruce Banner, seeing the all-too-familiar "Toad Men", the pressure of the ordeal turned him into the Hulk. But while the Hulk engaged the Tribbitites they were clearly confused as to why they had appeared on Earth. Before the Hulk could act he was teleported away to the Defenders. After the newly assembled Defenders had defeated Yandroth, the Tribbitites and all the other threats automatically were returned from whence they came.
(Defenders II#8 (fb) - BTS) - The Tribbitites once again prepared their invasion fleet to take the Kree stronghold on the planet Trellnax-3.
(Defenders II#8) - With the help from the Defenders, the Tribbitites managed to defeat Kree commander Tar-Vash.
(She-Hulk II#17) - As the Hulk was off world,
S.H.I.E.L.D. assembled a special unit of the
Hulkbusters to deal with some of the Hulk's old sparring partners. The
Hulkbusters fought a small group of Tribbitites, shipping the defeated
aliens to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Project: Achilles.
(World War Hulk: Gamma Files) - The Tribbitites
captured by the Hulkbusters were released when the aliens' unique
physiology was considered unsuitable for superpower-inhibiting Project:
Achilles. S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Tony Stark warned them not to return to
Earth again.
(Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comics#4) - A group of Tribbitites demanded protection money from a farming family, including D'Vorak, on an unspecified alien world, bullying the locals for money but not delivering safety from falling space wreckage. Having been helped by D'Vorak earlier, an injured Groot protected her family and soundly thrashed the Tribbitites. Although Rocket Raccoon left with Groot shortly after, the Tribbitites did not return.
(Black Knight IV#3 (fb) ) - Black
Knight (Dane
Whitman), briefly a fugitive due to the Ebony Blade's dark influence,
became
stranded on Weirdworld. He formed a coalition of stranded and
native forces (Tribbitites, Giants, Amazons, Apes from Apelantis) under
his new dominion, New Avalon, in anticipation of the Avengers'
arrival. Recalling the power of the Hulk, a group of stranded
Tribbitites, very likely commanded by Toadius V, were the first
to fall into Whitman's coalition.
(Black Knight IV#2) - The Avengers (Deadpool, Doctor
Voodoo, Human Torch, Psynapse, Quicksilver, Steve Rogers, Rogue)
(accompanied by Black Knight historian Rebecca
Stevens) arrived on Weirdworld to apprehend Black Knight, but he
stopped them by the sheer numbers of his coalition.
(Black Knight IV#3) - Steve Rogers gave a loud speech that threatened further Avenger arrivals. The coalition soldiers withdrew and Black Knight fell to the Avengers' assault.
(Black Knight IV#5) - Black Knight was restored as ruler of New Avalon in Weirdworld. The status of the fragile coalition is unrevealed.
(Who Is a Flerken - Infinity Comic#1) - Flerken eggs
have been teleported to different parts of the universe where the
offspring are raised by that world's inhabitants. Tribbitites have been
one such group struggling to maintain control of young cat-like flerken.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Dikto.
The Tribbitites received profiles in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#11, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#15 and World War Hulk: Gamma Files.
In Galacta: Daughter of Galactus#1, Galacta consumed some Tribbitites; she also fed on some Badoon, Kosmosians, H'ylthri, Shi'ar, Pheragots, Tektons, Herms, Aedians, Laxidazians, Centaurians, A'askvarii, Flb'dbi, Ul'lula'ns and R'malk'i (although it remains to be seen if Galacta is part of Reality-616).
Profile by MarvellousLuke & Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Tribbitites (aka Toad Men) should not be confused
with:
Bufo was the giant Tribbitite encountered by the Hulk on the Tribbitite outpost on Earth. Naked and more muscular than other Toad Men, he was still no match for the Hulk's raw strength and fighting ability. Bufo was forcefully teleported back to Toadworld.
He was named in World War Hulk: Gamma Files.
--Over the Edge#3
Helkooky was part of a Tribbitite force to subjugate
the Earth, but was stopped by Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell). In particular,
Mar-Vell kicked Helkooky in the knees, apparently unaware they were
specially sensitive for Tribbitite males. Helkooky was imprisoned in
the Vault high security prison, but temporarily released to appear on
Rick Jones' television interview with Mar-Vell's son, Genis. Despite
the defeat, Helkooky spoke positively of Mar-Vell.
--Captain Marvel IV#2
Torrak was the captain of the Toad Men's vanguard spaceship that captured Bruce Banner in an effort to determine how advanced Earth was before the Toad Men would invade. However, once onboard their spaceship, Banner transformed into the Hulk and caused it to crash with the aid of the American missiles. Torrak and his cohort escaped, sending a flare for the invasion fleet to enter Earth's atmosphere.
His fate is unrevealed, but he was likely picked up
by another Tribbitite spaceship before it was repulsed from the Earth
with the rest of the fleet.
--Incredible Hulk I#2
images: (without ads)
World War Hulk: Gamma Files, Tribbitite entry, p2
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#10, p31, pan1 (main image,
left)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#15, p59, pan2 (main image,
right)
Incredible Hulk II#191, p18, pan5 (Torkon II catching fly with tongue)
Incredible Hulk II#190, cover (headshot, hand reaching with gun)
Incredible Hulk I#2, p4, pan4 (spaceship)
Over the Edge#3, p9, pan3 (group four, magnetic staffs)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comics#4, 2 panels (group five,
glowing eyes)
Black Knight IV#3, p1, pan2 (king with soldier behind)
Over the Edge#3, p, pan (Bufo)
Captain Marvel IV#2, p17, pan7 (Helkooky)
Incredible Hulk I#2, p9, pan9 (Torrak)
World War Hulk: Gamma Files, Tribbitite entry, p1 (armored marching
body shot)
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk I#2 (July, 1962) - Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (pencils), Steve Dikto (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#190 (August, 1975) - Len Wein (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#191 (September, 1975) - Len Wein (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Joe Staton (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Hostess ad: Incredble Hulk and "Friends"
Captain Marvel IV#2 (January, 1996) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ed Benes (pencils), Mike Sellers (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Over the Edge#3 (January, 1996) - Ralph Macchio (writer), Stephen Jones (pencils), Mike Witherby (inks), James Felder (editor)
Maximum
Security: Dangerous Planet (October, 2000) - Kurt Busiek (writer),
Jerry Ordway (pencils), Will Blyberg, Paul Ryan & Mark McKenna
(inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Maximum Security#3 (January, 2001) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Jerry Ordway
(pencils), Will Blyberg & Paul Ryan (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Defenders II#1 (March, 2001) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Erik Larsen (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Defenders II#8 (October, 2001) - Kurt Busiek, Erik Larsen (writers), Ron Frenz (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
She-Hulk II#17 (May, 2007) - Dan Slott (writer), Rick Burchett (pencils), Cliff Rathburn (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
World War Hulk: Gamma Files (2007) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Gruenwald (editors)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z vol. 12 (2009) - Jeff
Christiansen (head writer), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Gruenwald
(editors)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Infinite Comics#4 (May, 2013) - Brian Michael
Bendis (writer), Michael Del Mundo (art), Sana Amanat (editor)
Black Knight IV#2 (February, 2016) - Frank Tieri (writer), Luca Pizzari & Kev Walker (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Black Knight IV#3 (March, 2016) - Frank Tieri (writer), Luca Pizzari & Kev Walker (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Who Is a Flerken - Infinity Comic#1 (2023) - Jason Loo (writer & artist), Annalise Bissa (editor)
First posted:
08/22/2020
Last updated: 08/22/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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