The Viltrumites are a fictional alien race in the Invincible comic book universe. The Viltrumites are native to the planet Viltrum and have constructed, over millennia, a galactic empire known as the Viltrumite Empire. They have superpowers such as flight, enhanced durability, and super-strength. These powers have helped them to subjugate worlds and expand the Viltrumite Empire with ease. They also make use of armed forces from conquered worlds.
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Characteristics
The average Viltrumite is about the size of an average human, although they may weigh much more. Viltrumites possess superpowers such as flight, super-strength, super-speed, and remarkable durability and recovering capabilities (a severely injured adult Viltrumite can recover in a matter of weeks or months like even a severed spine without special medical aid). Though all Viltrumites share the same superpowers, they are far from being equally powerful and durable. The strength and durability of the Viltrumites is facilitated by ultra-dense tissue. An adolescent Viltrumite can lift at air planes, ships, trains and cruise liners while adult viltrumites can lift buildings. Viltrumite strength along with their speed is able to increase through training. This has been demonstrated numerous time by the series protagonist Mark Grayson (Invincible) first by training with Cecil Stedman using Global Defense developed technology and then later independently and with his Father. Viltrumites live thousands of years, with their aging slowing as they reach maturity (though their appearance changes much like the way of humans, old Viltrumites having completely white hair). Their strength does not appear to significantly decrease with age since old Viltrumites such as Conquest are also among the strongest ones. Perhaps the most obvious characteristic of the Viltrumites is their flight ability. To allow flight, the Viltrumite ear contains a complex balancing system that can be easily disrupted. This has been used to various heroes' advantage in the past to defeat Viltrumites in hand-to-hand combat. Another trait worth noting is that all male Viltrumites are shown to have mustaches (this is clearly a cultural trait since male Viltrumites also have naturally growing beards similar to those of humans). Viltrumite DNA is compatible with many species, including Humans. For example, Invincible (Mark Grayson) is a Human-Viltrumite hybrid and his brother (Oliver Grayson) is a Viltrumite-Mantis race hybrid. Viltrumite traits are usually dominant in such hybrids. Like humans, Viltrumites do need to breathe air but can hold their breath for two weeks and can survive unprotected in space as well as survive the pressure of a vacuum, which enables them to travel interstellar distances significantly faster than light on their own without special equipment (but they need special devices to telepathically communicate in space, since they are not natural telepaths). with their speed coupled with their strength they can destroy planets and even withstand a planetary detonation.
All Viltrumites possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, reflexes, invulnerability, flight, decelerated aging, and dominant genetics.
Technology and society
The Viltrumites possess a totalitarian system of government, with an empire spanning thousands of worlds. The Viltrumites are warlike and violent as a race, and will often kill weaker members of their society to enforce "purity". Viltrumites enforce their order so strictly that members rarely rebel, and those who do are vilified as traitors. The Viltrumites are a technologically advanced race, and possess such technology as starships capable of faster than light speed travel, and wormhole creation. The Viltrumites were the dominant presence in much of the Milky Way galaxy for thousands of years until the Scourge Virus was created and used against them. The Scourge Virus cut the Viltrumite population down to only about 50 members. Invincible was infected by the Scourge Virus when his brother Oliver accidentally shot him with a gaseous form of the disease. Invincible recovered, although he was left without superpowers for a period. After the Viltrumite War, the Viltrumites were reduced by even more, with less than 35 members currently alive in the wake of their war against the Coalition of Planets. Many of the survivors became refugees hiding on Earth.