Negative Zone race

Classification: Semi-humanoid extraterrestrial race 

Location/Base of Operations: Unidentified planet in the Negative Zone dimension

Known Members: Possibly Tyndale  (see comments);
    otherwise none identified;
    a number of apparent priests were based in an apparent temple

Affiliations: None known

Enemies: N-Explorers (Trapster (Peter Petruski), Travers, Travis, Vasquez);
    indirectly Gideon Trust (Colonel, Janus, other), 

Aliases: "Things" (per Trapster)

First Appearance: Fantastic Four III#41 (May, 2001)

Powers/Abilities: None shown. 

    They have human level vulnerability to explosives and other forms of assault, apparently. 

    As residents of the Negative Zone, they are composed of anti-matter.

Traits: They either created or otherwise possessed (apparently) a series of powerful energy generators, each of which could light up all of New York City. 

    In addition to the generator, they had a number of energy tanks within their temple. 

Type:  Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; solid light blue color seen)
Fingers: Three (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Unrevealed
Skin color: Blue
Average height: Approximately 5'10"?
Other Distinguishing Features: These people have paired appendages on their heads that hand down and rest on their shoulders. Any function to these appendages is unrevealed.

History:
(Fantastic Four III#41) - These natives or residents of an unidentified planet in the Negative Zone possessed powerful energy generators, which drew the attenion of the N-Explorers, sent by the Gideon Trust to mine the Negative Zone's resources.

(Fantastic Four III#41) - As the N-Explorers brutally battered the planet's inhabitants, Trapster noted that "these things" seemed pretty set on protecting a temple, and he suggested they find out why. 

    Trapster then dispatched sent a number of weapons that incapacitated the alien beings, after which they approached the temple. 

    Mocking the apparent priests' terror, Trapster threw another group of weapons that apparently slew the priests. 

(Fantastic Four III#41 - BTS) - The N-Explorers then entered the temple and located the generators, and Trapster noted, "Jackpot." 

    Travis subsequently contacted the Colonel, informing him that they had found a piece of the puzzle, some sort of energy generator, one unit of which could light up all of New York City. 

     The Colonel told Travis that he knew what to do from there.

    The N-Explorers used the generators to charge some other device, and Trapster noted that he wasn't sure if he was watching the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end.

    On Pilgrims Rock, the Puritans (including Hellscout and his father, Jacob) and the their guests, the Fantastic Four (Invisible Woman/Sue Richards, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), sensed the energy released.

    Jacob uncomfortably felt a disturbance, as if some great evil had been unleashed. 

    After Reed noted his concerns that others from Earth were weakening the infrastructure of the wall/barrier between Earth and the Negative Zone, jeopardizing both universes, Hellscout voiced that the Four must join him and that he would track those others down.

(Doom: The Emperor Returns#3 (see comments) - Tyndale was present on Pilgrims Rock when Hellscout brought the Counter-Earth counterpart of his mother, Cynthia von Doom, there. Tyndale's examination was interrupted by the arrival of Doom.

Comments: Created by Carlos Pacheco, Jeph Loeb, Rafael Marin, and Jesus Marin.

    They struck me reminiscent of Boba Fett's majordomo, Bib Fortuna, as well as Ahsoka Tano, the Jedi-ish played by Rosario Dawson in the Mandalorian.
    I asked fellow Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe writer Carl Farmer, and he noted:
    As I recall, they were never named, but they do look like a hybrid of the Twi'Lek and Togruta from Star Wars. 

Another appearance?

• When I reviewed the issues for Hellscout's profile, I skipped over the Negative Zone events not including him or Pilgrims Rock, specifically. 
• When I came back and reviewed the issues more thoroughly for the Pilgrims Rock profile, I came across a few interesting races/beings I'd missed out on, and I profiled this alien race slaughtered by the N-Explorers.
• But, it wasn't until I started anticipating the profile on Tyndale the same day I published it that I realized that he was almost certainly a member of the same alien race. 
• Tyndale's appearance matches that race, with the exception of one panel that seems to show him four fingers and a thumb. 
• Tyndale is only in a few images, but most are more consistent with three fingers and a thumb.
• Looking at the image showing the four fingers, it looks more to me that that is Hellscout's hand, even though the speech balloons pointing to it seem to be coming from Tyndale. 
• If you examine the position in the images in the main portion of Tyndale's profile, you see Hellscout is standing on the right of "Cynthia von Doom."
  
• If Tyndale was intended to be a member of that race, then the question is whether he came to Pilgrims Rock before or after the N-Explorers slaughtered his people for their power generators. 
• The fact that Tyndale spoke in "olde English" might argue that he had been there for some time, but he may have been a quick learner and just assimilated the language as it was spoken/taught to him.
• The fact that no one in Pilgrims Rock noted that energy release to be from Tyndale's planet would argue against him having been there for some time, but it's also a retcon presence, as Tyndale first appeared after Fantastic Four I#41.
• I personally like the idea that Tyndale was a survivor of the N-Explorers assault on his world and that Hellscout subsequently brought him to Pilgrims Rock.
• However, there's no information to support when or how Tyndale arrived on Pilgrims Rock.
• If Tyndale was not intended to be a member of that race, it is an amazing coincidence of skin color and those Star Wars-homaging head tentacles from issues a few months apart.

    I'm really not sure what unleashing the generator did. Perhaps it was the N-Explorers' first attempt to break down the dimensional barriers between Earth''s Universe and the Negative Zone?
    The energy was likely transmitted to the Gideon Trust, as a similar structure to what the energy was being beamed into was seen in Fantastic Four I#44 in the Gideon Trust's base, where it was referred to as a portal.
    Honestly, the Gideon Trust story was intriguing and a cool use of obscure characters (plus, where else are you going to see Annihilus get his ass kicked by Paste Pot Pete (an early alias of the Trapster?), but it is pretty hard to follow. I keep finding myself wishing the Marvel Indexes covered this series.

    After this test, the N-Explorers sought out another energy source, which turned out to be Annihilus' Cosmic Control Rod.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
This unidentified Negative Zone race should be distinguished from:

• other Negative Zone races, identified or not...see the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe's Negative Zone entry. 

.       A number of energy tanks of unrevealed origin and nature were contained, along with a generator (or perhaps a number of generators), within the temple of an unidentified Negative Zone race.      The tanks were presumably filled by the energy generator  also present within the temple. (Fantastic Four III#41) - Investigating this planet and forcing their way into this temple, the N-Explorers were pleased to have found the energy source they were seeking. --Fantastic Four III#41

At least one generator was present within the temple on an unidentified Negative Zone world, protected by the residents of that world. The generator likely provided the power that filled the temple's energy tanks. (Fantastic Four III#41) - Investigating energy sources in the Negative Zone for the Gideon Trust, the N-Explorers traveled to this planet, slaughtering its inhabitants, forcing their way into the temple, and identifying the energy tanks and then the generator(s).     Travis subsequently contacted the Colonel, informing him that they had found a piece of the puzzle, some sort of energy generator, one unit of which could light up all of New York City.       The Colonel told Travis that he knew what to do from there.     The N-Explorers used the generators to charge some other device, and Trapster noted that he wasn't sure if he was watching the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end.     On Pilgrims Rock, the resident Puritans (including Hellscout and his father, Jacob) and the their guests, the Fantastic Four (Invisible Woman/Sue Richards, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), sensed the energy released.     Jacob uncomfortably felt a disturbance, as if some great evil had been unleashed.  --Fantastic Four III#41

This unidentified planet(oid) exists within the Negative Zone, in close enough proximity to Pilgrims Rock that it can be seen as a solid world, at least as large as Earth's moon appears to the residents of Earth.      An unidentified race dwells on this planet, and they had a temple holding a powerful energy generator (or generators) and a number of energy tanks. (Fantastic Four III#41) - Investigating energy sources in the Negative Zone for the Gideon Trust, the N-Explorers traveled to this planet, slaughtered its inhabitants, forced their way into the temple, and identified the energy tanks and then the generator(s).       The N-Explorers activated the (or "a") generator, apparently transmitting the energies into a portal to Earth's universe at the Gideon Trust's base. --Fantastic Four III#41 Note: The planet -- prior to the generator's use by the N-Explorers -- is pictured at the top left of the main profile.      It obviously appeared to be dark before the N-Explorers utilized the generator.

They were APPARENTLY priests as they watched over the temple containing the generators and energy tanks.      When the N-Explorers came to their planet in search of energy for the Gideon Trust, they targeted the temple.      As others rushed out to be slaughtered by them, this trio remained within the temple, and they were apparently slain by bombs launched/thrown by Trapster. --Fantastic Four III#41

It was referred to as a temple by the Trapster, it contained the generator(s) and a number of energy tanks, and it was protected by the people of this planet. (Fantastic Four III#41) - Investigating energy sources in the Negative Zone for the Gideon Trust, the N-Explorers traveled to this planet, slaughtered its inhabitants, forced their way into the temple, and identified the energy tanks and then the generator(s).       The N-Explorers activated the (or "a") generator, apparently transmitting the energies into a portal to Earth's universe at the Gideon Trust's base. --Fantastic Four III#41

images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four III#41, pg. 10, panel 4 (dark view of people piled up next to rocky structure);
            panel 5 (crowd scene of people assaulted by N-Explorers);
        pg. 11, panel 2 (N-Explorer choking and kicking);
            panel 3 (temple exterior and rushing people);
            panel 5 (Trapster weapons, stunning people);
        pg. 12, panel 1 (priests);
            panel 3 (priests slain by Trapster's weapons);
            panel 4 (temple interior);
            panel 5 (energy tanks);
        pg. 13, panel 1 (Travis with generator);
        pg. 20, panel 4 (planet surrounded by asteroids);
            panel 6-7 (generator activated);
        pg. 21, panel 1 (energy released from planet);
            panel 2 (energy released from planet felt on Pilgrims Rock)

Appearances:
Fantastic Four III#41 (May, 2001) - Carlos Pacheco (artist, co-plotter), Jeph Loeb (script), Rafael Marin (co-plotter), Jesus Merino (inker), Andrew Lis (assistant editor), Bobbie Chase (editor)

First posted: 04/07/2022
Last updated: 04/17/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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