Villainous alien race published in the comics of Marvel Comics. The Dire Wraiths first appeared in Rom #1.

The history of the Dire Wraiths is somewhat shrouded in mystery. They were originally an off-shoot of the Skrulls, a group of reptilian aliens with the ability to change their shape. The Dire Wraiths were transformed into their present form by the use of sorcery.

The Dire Wraith society is divided between the two sexs. The males are malevolent, white blob-like creatures. They look like what you would imagine the Pillsbury Doughboy would look like if he had been created by H. P. Lovecraft. The male Dire Wraiths prefer using technological weapons and possess the ability to take the shape of any creature.

The female Dire Wraiths possess powers more driven by sorcery than science. Their forms are red and squat, taking all of the least appealing aspects of slugs and manta rays. The females also possess a tongue with a drill bit in the end, which they use to drill into the skulls of their victims, draining the person's knowledge. The victims usually are reduced to ash by the process and the Dire Wraith adopts their form.

The first recorded encounter of the Dire Wraiths with any other race was when they attacked a Galadoran ship exploring the Dark Nebula. The Galadoran ship was destroyed and the people of Galador responded by creating a group of heroes called the Spaceknights. The most famous of the Spaceknights, Rom the Spaceknight, helped drive the Dire Wraiths from the Dark Nebula, scattering them across countless worlds. Rom journeyed to Earth in search of the remaining Dire Wraiths eventually removing them from the Earth all together.