DRENX race

Classification: Semi-humanoid extraterrestrial race 

Location/Base of Operations:

Known Members: Sydren;
    other unidentified overfleet commander, pirate commander and soldiers

Affiliations: Formerly Unit

Enemies: Adam-X (aka X-Treme), Beta Ray Bill, Karolina Dean, Death's Head (freelance peacekeeping agent), Noh-Varr (aka Marvel Boy & Protector), Hepzibah, S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department; Beast/Hank McCoy, Abigail Brand, Henry Gyrich, Lockheed, Sydren), Unit, the Technarch Warlock, and other extraterrestrials interred on the Peak by Gyrich;
    possibly the Avengers and X-Men

First Appearance: Astonishing X-Men#10 (May, 2005);
    (identified as Drenx) SWORD I#1 (January, 2010)

Powers/Abilities: Drenx did not demonstrate superhuman abilities. Sydren has empathic and somewhat telepathic powers, which are apparently unique to him (or otherwise just very rare). 

    They wore armored uniforms for combat.

    They possess powerful blaster weapons, which they can summon/teleport into their hands at will, even with a relatively technologically secure facility, such as SWORD's the Peak.

    They possess numerous fleets of interstellar ships, which they can swiftly transport across vast distances. 

    They had a somewhat elongated face/snout, with pendulous projections hanging down on either side of their mouths. Their leg structure is similar to that of a dog, standing on their metatarsophalangeal junction, with a prominent tarsus/ankle pointing in the posterior direction.

    Sydren, at least, has various projections extending backward from the top of his head and neck, almost like a mane, but not with hair. Sydren is often, but not always, shown with a long, thick-based tail.

     Sydren speaks with a sibilant hiss, but most other Drenx apparently do not.

Traits: The Drenx are very bellicose, as well as sadistic, enjoying slaughter (even genocide) and torture, and likely other physical acts of violence. They enjoy spelling out graphically how they will destroy others and grind them into bloody debris. However, when confronted by powerful beings and/or more capable warriors, they can be cowed into surrender or abandoning an assault.

    They celebrated violence with singing -- the Drenx reaving anthem had at least 63 verses about the joys of gutting -- and with decadent orgies.

    They had concepts similar to Hell (as translators), which apparently contained beings they revered and invoked for protection.

Type:  Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; red irides color seen)
Fingers: Three (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Three
Skin color: Maroon to gray (?) and orange seen
Average height: Approximately 5'8"?

History:

(Astonishing X-Men#10) - Sydren, a Drenx with empathic powers, served in S.W.O.R.D.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#4) - The Drenx were familiar with the robot known as Unit, whose power they both respected and feared.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#1 (fb) - BTS) - A Drenx pirate pack moved into Earth's system and contacted SWORD, demanding a diplomatic meeting to arrange tribute.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#1) - Seeking to undermine and usurp SWORD commander Brand's authority, Gyrich ordered this report (and other "red" reports) to be delayed for three hours.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#1) - Sydren received the report of a Drenx pirate pack, and he rushed to seek out his commander, Abigail Brand. 

    Frustrated at the delay in "reds" being reported to her, Brand departed to deal with the Drenx. As she approached the Drenx, however, Sydren informed her that her half-brother, Loththanrianiaxus ("Lothi"), was seeking sanctuary from a bounty hunter (Death's Head). Brand then instructed Sydren to keep the Drenx entertained until she got back, "Try not to provoke a war. And if you do, make it a small one."

    In Diplomatic Conference Room 1, the Drenx told Sydren "We would have slaves to build temples of pain in their own flesh. You will deliver them to us, or the Earth-people's cries will make their planet quake." Uncertain how to respond to this, Sydren asked them if they would like some tea.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#2) - While Brand was occupied with Lothi and Death's Head, Sydren assured the Drenx he was certain Brand would be back shortly, and he offered them more tea. One of the Drenx replied, "No, you hissing buffoon," and another added, "The hot-liquid you have served me has filled by gut to bursting. I need to vent my watery-bowels into a waste disposal unit." 

(S.W.O.R.D. I#2 (fb) - BTS) - The Drenx demanded all the women of Earth.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#2) - When Brand later contacted Sydren and asked how were the Drenx, Sydren told her that they were getting terse and that he wasn't sure how long he could stall them. 

    Returning his attention to the Drenx, Sydren apologized and noted the further delay, after which he told them there was no imaginable situation where they would hand over all the women of Earth.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#3) - As Gyrich's takeover of SWORD and enforcing detainment of all extraterrestrials escalated, SWORD agents entered the room and held Sydren and the other Drenx at gunpoint. Sydren tried in vain to assure the other Drenx that they need not worry about the men with guns and that these men were there for a perfectly sensible reason.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#4) - As Sydren was taken into SWORD custody, the SWORD agent succeeding Sydren as negotiator instructed the guards to put Sydren next to the "yappy robot" (Unit). Materializing their weapons and pulling up their cloaks, the Drenx instructed the negotiator to tell them more about this "yappy robot."

(S.W.O.R.D. I#4 (fb) - BTS) - As the would-be negotiator led them to Unit's cell, the Drenx blew a hole in the guard.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#4) - Noting "subliminal dampening," one of the Drenx wondered if it could really be "him" (almost certainly referring to Unit). One of the Drenx asked if he was correct that diplomatic protocols indicated that he should thank the negotiator, who then asked if they were letting him go. The Drenx then blew off his head, noting that it was just that they had no time to torture him. 

    Unit then greeted the Drenx, and one of the Drenx noted, "May all the hosts of Hell rise up and guard us." After Unit altered his face to mimic the Drenx's and asked how he could held them, the Drenx noted that they wished to crush this station's defenses with blitzkrieg speed and to take their red tithe from this rich world and leave it seared and scoured. If Unit provided counsel that led to their "victory adorned with torn flesh," they would free him.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Considering the Drenx childish animals and not wishing to see Earth destroyed (without good reason), nor allegedly wishing to lose his role as advisor to SWORD and its inherent influence on "the most singularly crucial planet in the cosmos," Unit arranged for them to claim the Peak with the absolute minimum of casualties and then facilitated Brand and SWORD's reclaiming the Peak.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#4 - BTS / S.W.O.R.D. I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Taking the form of SWORD's Cecilia, Unit feigned alliance with Brand and arranged her docking; however, Unit left numerous clues indicating his true identity, alerting Brand and Beast of danger.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#4) - Via Unit's guidance, precision bombardment from Drenx torpedoes paralyzed the peripheral sector life-support and Peak external communications. Drenx boarding parties secured the remaining life-support center. Due to Gyrich's sending so many SWORD agents to Earth to capture extraterrestrials, there were minimal on-site personnel to oppose them. Unit further provided a human-tailored pheromone sedative that was added to air-flow, and all humans were rendered incapable of aggressive actions and therefore swiftly detained. All communications were linked through Drenx systems; warbound strike force orders were ordered, moving them to tactically disadvantageous positions, which would cause them to be decimated when the ambush was sprung. 

    Speaking to Unit, one of the Drenx expressed his gratitude, noting that the scheme "went like the steady and soothing dripping of gore from a productive torture wheel." When the Drenx proposed that the next step would be mutilation followed by execution, Unit advised that they instead choose to keep healthy hostages and instead use their time to prepare for the return of Brand, Beast, and Death's Head. When Unit noted that the simplest thing would be to turn off the subliminal dampening field and allow him back on the communicators, as he would have Brand up there singing the Drenx reaving anthem, the Drenx wisely noted that they would be long gone before they removed Unit's shackles. Accepting this, Unit then advised they allow Brand's ship to land in order to eliminate their flight mobility; use some EMP (electromagnetic pulse) cannons in the armory to non-fatally incapacitate Death's Head as he could be useful later; and pack as many guns as they could into the bay and open fire the first chance they got to deal with the dangerous Brand and Beast.

    Meanwhile, Lockheed encountered and engaged a number of the Drenx.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#5 (fb) - BTS) - The Drenx designated the Peak's Landing Bay D as "Murder-Site X"

(S.W.O.R.D. I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Lockheed incapacitated the Drenx he was fighting, suffering a broken right forelimb in the process.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#5) - As the Drenx prepared their ambush, they were instead ambushed by Death's Head, whose blaster fire covered Brand and Beast's entry (Beast maintained his space helmet to protect him from the pheromones). Death's Head continued to occupied the Drenx in the bay and the surrounding orbital fighters while Brand and Beast headed into the Peak and joined up with Lockheed.

    Noting that this "perfect plan" had gone awry, the Drenx mission commander ordered his associates to swiftly provide a situation report before he fed their innards to each other. They noted that they had concentrated warriors at the Bridge and other strong points and that Brand and Beast were pinned down while trying to storm the brig-control systems, with other reavers converging. They also reported that Death's Head was mostly pacified, although he was actually effectively holding off the orbital fighters. The commander then ordered the signaling of the overfleet and instructed that a hostage be brought to him. 

    Via distraction from Lockheed, Brand progressively took down the Drenx in the brig control room, and she had Beast liberate the aliens imprisoned there. After receiving the report that they had lost contact with their men in the prison sector and near Brand, the commander ordered them to ready weapons, noting that Drenx armadas were converging on Earth. There would be a grand consummation and violent rutting, and they just needed to hold until the armadas arrived. 

    However, they were then assaulted by Brand, Beast, and Lockheed, alongside the human-Shi'ar hybrid Adam-X, Korbinite Beta Ray Bill, the Kree Noh-Varr, the Majesdanian Karolina Dean, the Mephitisoid Hepzibah, the Technarch Warlock, and others (all imprisoned under Gyrich's orders). The Drenx commander ordered the other Drenx to retreat to the human brigs and use the hostage (Gyrich). Needing Gyrich for later, Brand blasted in the head the Drenx holding Gyrich. 

    Beast took out one of the fleeing Drenx, dodging his blaster fire and smashing his head to the ground, but the commander reached Unit and asked him to reverse this misfortune. Noting the direness of the hour and the need for extreme measures, Unit suggested the anti-subliminal fields be disengaged. After pausing, the Drenx commander noted, "May the souls of the slaughtered innocents guard us all," as he disengaged the fields. As Beast arrived, Unit commanded the Drenx commander to sleep, "Brain off, now, you hideous little sadist." Beast re-engaged the subliminal fields, and Unit explained his reasons for facilitating the Drenx's failure.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Six Drenx fleets gathered and approached the Peak.

(S.W.O.R.D. I#5) - In the Peak's Diplomatic Room XXI, the Drenx overfleet commander met with Brand and Beast, telling them of his demands of the freedom of the dozens of captured Drenx and the delivery of six-times the tribute-tithe they had originally demanded. Otherwise, the Drenx warned that they would strike and Earth's skies would "fill with bloody clouds and the Peak would be ground up with its inhabitants bones into the finest powder which they would snort in their victory orgy."

    Brand and Beast countered this threat, revealing the presence of Beta Ray Bill, noting his power, and discussing how there were at least a dozen beings of similar power on Earth. After they further detailed how the Skrull Empire had been shattered after invading Earth, this Drenx commander ordered the fleets to disperse and take retreat vectors immediately

(Uncanny X-Men II#9) - SWORD guards led one of the Drenx, manacled to a pole, throughout the Brig.

(Uncanny X-Men II#9 - BTS) - An explosion in the Peak's fuel feeds (presumably either engineered or at least predicted by Unit), separated the Brig away from the Peak; while most of the prisoners likely perished from atmospheric decompression, the more powerful and dangerous prisoners fell to Earth. 

(Uncanny X-Men II#9-10 - BTS) - Alerted by Brand, X-Men and Avengers groups recaptured the escaped prisoners, presumably including the Drenx (unless they perished in space).

(Uncanny X-Men II#10 (fb) - BTS) - With the Brig incapacitated, Brand arranged the Peak's former prisoners to be held by SHIELD, the Raft, etc.

Comments: Created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.

    This profile is intended to cover the Drenx race as a species, not every single appearance by every member. Sydren will get his own profile at some point.
    However, while full body images are lacking for the rest of the Drenx, I'm not entirely sure that Sydren is representative, as Sydren's form in other issues is somewhat different than that in the first SWORD series...Beast and others look a lot different in that series, too..
    Sydren actually looks pretty different every time a different artist covers him, and even the same artists are inconsistent with the presence of a tail, etc.

    Unit considered the Drenx to be animals and their schemes to be children's tantrums.

    Despite the clear racial appearance, it wasn't until Astonishing X-Men#57 that I saw Sydren actually identified/confirmed as a Drenx.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Drenx should be distinguished from:

• other "Dren" characters... 

After the Drenx took over the Peak, the commander of that mission summoned the overfleet to destroy humanity.      The overfleet commander arrived after SWORD and defeated and imprisoned the Drenx aboard the Peak.      With six fleets backing him up, the overfleet commander met with SWORD commander Abigail Brand and Beast, telling them of his demands of the freedom of the dozens of captured Drenx and the delivery of six-times the tribute-tithe they had originally demanded. Otherwise, the commander  warned that they would strike and Earth's skies would "fill with bloody clouds and the Peak would be ground up with its inhabitants bones into the finest powder which they would snort in their victory orgy."     Brand and Beast countered this threat, revealing the presence of Beta Ray Bill, noting his power, and discussing how there were at least a dozen beings of similar power on Earth. After they further detailed how the Skrull Empire had been shattered after invading Earth, this Drenx commander ordered the fleets to disperse and take retreat vectors immediately --S.W.O.R.D. I#5 Note: The overfleet commander wore a long cape tended to by a trio of small beings, possibly children, tethered to a (presumably) Drenx instructor who carried a whip to ensure they appropriately carried the cape.

A number of Drenx warriors wore armored uniforms, providing some degree of protection from external force, etc.      However, the armor certainly had limits, shattering when smashed against walls, etc. by Lockheed.      Maybe the armor was more like Star War's Empire's Stormtrooper "armor." (S.W.O.R.D. I#4-5) -A quarter of armor-wearing Drenx battled Lockheed (and got the #@%^@ kicked out of them, although they did apparently break his right forelimb). (S.W.O.R.D. I#4-5) - Another group prepared to ambush Beast, Brand, and Death's Head, but they were instead ambushed and overpowered. . --S.W.O.R.D. I#4 (5

The Drenx possess powerful blaster weapons, which they can summon/teleport into their hands at will, even with a relatively technologically secure facility, such as SWORD's the Peak.      At least at close range, a blast could take off a human head. --S.W.O.R.D. I#4 (5

They possess numerous fleets of interstellar ships, which they can swiftly transport across vast distances.      The ships could fire lasers and torpedoes and had advanced communication equipment. (S.W.O.R.D. I#4) - Via Unit's guidance, precision bombardment from Drenx torpedoes paralyzed the peripheral sector life-support and Peak external communications. Drenx boarding parties secured the remaining life-support center. All communications were linked through Drenx systems; warbound strike force orders were ordered, moving them to tactically disadvantageous positions, which would cause them to be decimated when the ambush was sprung.  (S.W.O.R.D. I#5) - After Death's Head, Brand, and Beast reversed the ambush on the Drenx, the Drenx warriors on the Peak called for the orbital fighters to be deployed. The ships assaulted Death's Head, who climbed outside to the peak of the Peak and fought them off.    The overfleet commander arrived with six fleets backing him up and demanded release of the captured Drenx and surrender of SWORD and Earth to the Drenx's whims. After Beast and Brand detailed Earth's defenders and history of overcoming alien threats, the overfleet commander ordered the fleets to disperse and take retreat vectors immediately --S.W.O.R.D. I#5 Note: See also the overfleet commander image for smaller images of a fleet.

images: (without ads)
S.W.O.R.D. I#2, story pg. 15, pg. 5 (diplomatic party with Sydren);
    #4, pg. 12, panel 5 (diplomats raising hoods and materializing blasters);
            panel 6 (blaster and hand close-up);
        pg. 16, panel 3 (diplomatic pirates, more shown);
        pg. 21, panel 6 (armored squad);
        pg. 22, panel 6 (armored squad in docking bay);
    #5, pg. 1, panel 2 (face shown within helmet);
        pg. 4, panel 4 (ship blasting Death's Head);
        pg. 5, panel 2 (Drenx squad crushed by Lockheed);
        pg. 6, panel 4 (ships vs, Death's Head outside Peak);
        pg. 20, panel 2 (overfleet commander);
        pg. 22, panel 1 (commander departure, cape crew)

Appearances:
Astonishing X-Men#10 (May, 2005) - Joss Whedon (writer), John Cassaday (artist), Sean Ryan (assistant editor), Nick Lowe (associate editor)
S.W.O.R.D. I#1-5 (January-May, 2010) - Kierron Gillen (writer), Steven Sanders (penciler), Craig Yeung (inker), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
Uncanny X-Men II#9 (May, 2012) - Kierron Gillen (writer), Carlos Pacheco (penciler), Cam Smith (inker), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
Uncanny X-Men II#10 (June, 2012) - Kierron Gillen (writer), Carlos Pacheco & Paco Diaz (penciler), Cam Smith (inker), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)

Sydren also appears in: Astonishing X-Men#10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22-23, Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men#1, AstXM32, SWORD#1-5, Uncanny X-Men I#536, UXM II#9, 10, AVX: Consequence#3, AstXM#57, X-Men Legacy#7, Captain Marvel VII#13-14, Infinity#2, Infinity: Against the Tide Infinite Comic#2, XML II#19, 20, 22, 23, Avengers Undercover#10

First posted: 11/12/2021
Last updated: 11/14/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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