The Sidri, also known as Sidrian Hunters, are a fictional race of
extraterrestrial beings appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. They are depicted as adversaries of the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
. Created by writer
Chris Claremont
Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Claremont, Chris. ''Marvel ...
and artist
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Mystique, as well as the antiheroine Black Cat. Cockrum was ...
, they first appeared in ''
Uncanny X-Men
''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X ...
'' #154 (February 1982).
Physical characteristics and abilities
The Sidri look roughly like giant beetles, crabs or sting rays. The
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
* Dorsal co ...
portion of their bodies resembles a shell and is dark purple. The underbelly is yellow. Sidri have six apparently digit-less limbs. Four limbs are large, purple, and located on the sides. Two are small, yellow and located near the front of the underbelly. Each Sidri has a single, large, red eye.
Sidrian's live in
colonies
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
and are so closely linked that they can combine into a "ship matrix." The matrix is a giant collective Sidri being roughly resembling a
manta ray
Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular Pectoral fin#AnchPect ...
. The ship matrix also has a tail and two limbs with digits on the underbelly. This
bioship
A bioship is a type of spacecraft or starship described in science fiction as either predominantly or totally composed of biological components, rather than being constructed from manufactured materials. Because of this, they nearly always have ...
form is capable of
faster than light
Faster-than-light (also FTL, superluminal or supercausal) travel and communication are the conjectural propagation of matter or information faster than the speed of light (). The special theory of relativity implies that only particles with zero ...
flight and survival in space.
Sidri are said to be a techno-organic race with adaptive capability, they can project an energy beam of unknown nature from a visor like aperture to stun their opponents but are particularly vulnerable to heat. They reproduce by laying eggs.
Encounters with the X-Men
The Sidri first encounter the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
when a group of Sidri bounty hunters followed
Corsair
A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially:
* Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa
* French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown
Corsair may also refer to:
Arts and ...
to the
X-Mansion
The X-Mansion or Xavier Institute is the common name for a mansion and research institute appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The mansion is depicted as the private estate of Charles Francis Xavier, a character in X-Me ...
. The Sidri attacked Corsair,
Cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
, and
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
and destroyed the mansion. The Sidri ship matrix then pursued the trio who had escaped in the
Blackbird jet. Corsair killed the Sidri by igniting a petroleum storage facility.
Later,
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character First appearance, first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980) and was ...
was attacked by a group of Sidri in a maintenance tunnel of the reconstructed X-Mansion's sub-basement. The sub-basement had survived the attack, and several Sidri had hid there to lay eggs.
Colossus
Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to:
Statues
* Any exceptionally large statue
** List of tallest statues
** :Colossal statues
* ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor
* ''Col ...
and
Lockheed came to Kitty's aid, and the three defeated the Sidri. Lockheed destroyed thousands of Sidri eggs by burning them with his fire-breath and eating them.
An all female team of X-Men consisting of
Jubilation Lee
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri, the character first appear ...
,
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers (also known as Rachel Grey) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-plotter John Byrne (comics), John Byrne.
In h ...
,
Monet St. Croix
Penance (Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix) is a fictional Female superheroes, superheroine and Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutant appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appears in the ''X-Men'' seri ...
,
Ororo Munroe and
Elizabeth Braddock ended up in a confrontation with an enclave of Sidrian Hunters while caring for the formerly comatose Shi'Ar imperial
Deathbird
Deathbird (Cal'syee Neramani-Summers) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Dave Cockrum, she is usually depicted as a supervillain, an adversary of th ...
. All while she was pursuing their employers; the Providian Order across star systems and towards Earth.
Another batch of Sidri hatchlings secretly takes over the now abandoned X-Mansion, where they surprise and capture
Lady Mastermind
Lady Mastermind is a fictional character and supervillain, appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Salvador Larroca, the character first appeared as Regan Wyngarde in ''X-Treme X-M ...
when she comes looking for a portal to the X-Men's new domicile on
Krakoa
Krakoa is a fictional living island appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 and was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Initially depicted as an antagonist, Krakoa has since gro ...
. However, when a team of X-Men is sent to investigate the presence of a mutant in the mansion, one of its members -
Cypher
Cypher is an alternative spelling for cipher.
Cypher may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Cypher (French Group), a Goa trance music group
* Cypher (band), an Australian instrumental band
* Cypher (film), ''Cypher'' (film), a 2002 film
* C ...
- manages to establish a rapport with the Sidri, enabling the X-Men to free Lady Mastermind peacefully and permitting the Sidri to guard the portal.
[''Giant-Size X-Men: Nightcrawler'' (March 2020)]
Powers and abilities
The Sidri are an adaptive biomechanical species with the ability to survive in the vacuum of deep space. Possessing high resistance to extreme cold yet are vulnerable to intense heat, they can project force blasts or other forms of energy from their visor like eye, can grow additional natural body armor, and merge with other Sidri to double their size. They are of a collective consciousness with FTL-flight capacity.
References
{{reflist
Characters created by Chris Claremont
Characters created by Dave Cockrum