This article belongs to the Classic Continuity |
The Vreedle Brothers, Octagon and Rhomboid, are a duo of dimwitted and trigger-happy Vreedle clones.
History[]
Alien Force[]
Octagon was first mentioned by Argit in Kevin's Big Score.
They first appeared in Don't Fear the Repo, where they were hired by Baz-l to return Ship to him. As Julie didn't trust them and wanted to keep Ship anyway, they started turning violent, causing Ben to attack them. After Ben won the tribunal upon appealing to Judge Domstol, Baz-l tried to stop the Vreedle brothers, only to be shot by Rhomboid after he learned he was no longer going to pay them (though he regenerated a few minutes afterwards). Ben and Kevin managed to fend them off which sent them running.
In Busy Box, the Vreedle Brothers returned to claim a powerful device known only as the Naljian Destructor and try to sell it to the highest bidder. They managed to take the Naljian Destructor and adapted to their way of causing destruction. When the Naljian Destructor started acting on its own, the Vreedle Brothers returned it to Earth to cause destruction there before attempting to escape. However, the Naljian Destructor shot an energy beam at the fleeing the Vreedle Brothers' ship, which destroyed it.
Despite their confirmed destruction, the Vreedles' returned in the Con of Rath after Argit informed them Ben, Gwen, and Kevin were in possession of Prince of Lewoda. When asked how they survived the explosion, Octagon revealed they had been destroyed in previous explosions, and Rhomboid accidentally revealed that the Vreedles are all clones created by their parents, who had created multiple clones of them using an expired "cloning kit", before Octagon reminded him that that information is of a "private family matter". They then tried to kidnap the Prince of Lewoda and hold him for ransom, but upon seeing Ben as Rath, they rallied every alien in the Space Tavern on the spot to help them. They were defeated and thrown into the vacuum of space.
Ultimate Alien[]
Another set of Vreedle clones were featured in The Enemy of My Enemy, where they had apparently turned over a new leaf and were in training at the Plumbers' Academy, under the threat of "getting whacked again" by their father. However, their grades were so low that their father hired Argit to infiltrate the academy and change their test scores, so that they could graduate. When Ultimate Kevin attacked, the Vreedles tried to help by using a Nuclear Fusion Grenade against him, unaware that the device would kill everyone in the vicinity including themselves. After Kevin left, the Vreedles were ordered by Coronach to personally detain Argit for his various crimes.
Despite their attempt to turn over a new leaf, they were soon returned to their criminal ways by their mother Ma Vreedle in The Mother of All Vreedles. They helped Ma in her plot to drain the Earth's saltwater oceans to create 300 to 400 billion Pretty Boy Vreedles. Gwen eventually convinced them to return to their Plumber ways and they in turn convinced their mother to come in peacefully (albeit howling mad). They also requested that the team keep quiet about their involvement in their mother's actions.
Omniverse[]
After an incident in which the brothers accidentally destroyed the Academy's ammunitions dump and the academy itself, the pair were moved out of the Plumbers and were once again made wanted fugitives. Rook Blonko mentioned that incident and held a grudge against them since they destroyed the academy, Rook had to take his Plumber exams in a temporary trailer on an asteroid.
They first appeared in the episode So Long, and Thanks for All the Smoothies, where they were exploring a derelict ship to scavenge it for weaponry they could find but were captured by Ben and Rook. With the added help of Argit, the brothers helped Ben secure the ship against the Incurseans. While hunting the Incurseans, they ran into Argit whom they made hand over the Annihilarrgh and then escaped to Earth. Ben, Rook and the Incurseans with a hostage Argit gave chase in their respective ships. The Incurseans shot down both Ben and the Vreedles and, in the resulting dogpile for the device, accidentally set it off. Due to the nature of Alien X's reconstruction of the Universe, the brothers believed the device was a mere dud and destroyed it before leaving peacefully.
In Special Delivery, the Vreedles were first seen in the Psyphon's auction for the Dwarf Star and then joined Zombozo, Fistrick, Sunder, Tummyhead, Trombipulor, Psyphon, Vulkanus and Fistina to defeat Ben and get the star but were defeated by Humungousaur.
They returned in O Mother, Where Art Thou?, where they were first seen robbing the Bellwood Museum. They were killed by an explosion caused by a device Rhomboid intended to use on Ben and Rook. Their clones respawned in Undertown, where they joined their family for dinner.
In Vreedlemania, they joined Sandra Tennyson, Ben, and Rook for a family dinner with Ma Vreedle. At one point, a Krakken attacked and the Vreedle Brothers, along with the Pretty Boys, attacked the Krakken under their mother's orders. Eventually, Sceles appeared and calmed down the Krakken and the Vreedle Brothers were surprised to see their father again. After Pa Vreedle gave Ma Vreedle a piece of Taydenite and she accepted him back, the Vreedle Brothers were touched to have their father in their lives again. Soon, the Vreedle Family started to wreak havoc in Bellwood and the Vreedle Brothers were seen at a gas station stealing candy. The Vreedle Brothers hoped to impress their mother with the stolen candy, but they felt outshined by Parry who was stealing an entire gas truck.
Pa Vreedle soon confronted them and told they were made from a bad batch of clones, and they were basically hopeless. However, he did tell them not to give up and walked off. As the Vreedle Brothers felt touched their father gave them advice, it turns out he stole their favorite blasters. Octagon then suggested he and Rhomboid steal something more valuable and they headed to the museum. The Vreedle Brothers wheeled a cannon and fired it that hits a sign right over Sandra. Fortunately, Ma Vreedle saved Sandra before the sign could crush her. Later, Ma Vreedle told everyone to head back to her house wondering where Pa Vreedle was. It turned out that Pa Vreedle was after Ma Vreedle's supply of Taydenite all along, surprising the Vreedle Brothers. Pa Vreedle left with Sceles and Parry but when he accidentally blew up their supply of Taydenite again, the Vreedle Brothers commented on how their father blows things up well.
Powers and Abilities[]
The Vreedle Brothers are physically weaker than most of Ben's enemies and appear to be a little stronger than a normal human. However they make up for this with a large arsenal of advanced alien weapons, tech, and gear. They have a (self-admitted) tendency to blow things up (causing property damage), which results in them having numerous run-ins with the law.
The Vreedle Brothers are in fact clones created by their parents using an "expired cloning kit".[1] This gives the Vreedles a form of semi-immortality, meaning every time they are killed, another "set" of Vreedle clones will take their place. They have been killed by explosions several times in the past.[2] Each "set" of clones appear to retain most if not all the memories of the previous "set".
Due to them being "spoiled" (defective) clones, they have limited intelligence, being easily distracted by Gwen popping bubble wrap, talking and acting like alien rednecks/hillbillies, however they sometimes use advanced terms (and are able to understand their meaning). They're also somewhat knowledgeable about rare alien technology and weapons. Apparently they believe themselves smarter than Appoplexians, considering them "the only creatures stupider and meaner than [they] are." Octagon was also able to correct Rath on one of his mixed up quotes. They are shown of their lack of intelligence by even spelling their names incorrectly.[3]
They are apparently well known for their incompetence; when Baz-l sues for custody of Ship and takes Ben to court, the judge criticizes him for sending the Vreedle Brothers after Ship, declaring that they are unable to capture a target alive even when told to do so.[4]
Equipment[]
The Vreedles possess a wide arsenal of alien weapons, technology, and gear. This includes everything from blaster pistols, cannons, grenades, rocket launchers etc.
Weaknesses[]
The Vreedle Brothers can be distracted by bubblewrap.[4][5]
Appearances[]
Alien Force[]
Season 2[]
- Don't Fear the Repo (first appearance)
- Busy Box
- Con of Rath
Ultimate Alien[]
Season 2[]
- The Enemy of My Enemy (first reappearance)
Season 3[]
Omniverse[]
Season 1[]
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Smoothies (first reappearance)
Season 3[]
Season 4[]
Season 7[]
Video Games[]
Alien Force[]
- Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks (bosses)
Ultimate Alien[]
- Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction (mini-bosses and bosses)
- Punch Time Explosion (Assist Characters)
- Ben 10: Galactic Racing (commentators)
- Punch Time Explosion XL (Assist Characters)
Omniverse[]
Video Games[]
Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks[]
The Vreedle Brothers working together are a boss in Vilgax Attacks. They were hired by Vilgax to retrieve the energy core on Vulpin. Through the use of the player turning the brothers attacks against each other, the Vreedle Brothers are defeated. In DS version, they are in Encephalonus IV.
Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction[]
The Vreedle Brothers appear in the game in Paris and the Amazon Rainforest. In the former, they had broken into a museum owned by the Forever Knights to steal valuable alien technology (specifically a piece of the Potis Altiare) and were killed by Ben. They later appeared as the main boss of the Amazon level who already had the piece of the Potis Altiare there and were trying to escape from the self-destructing base where they were killed again.
Ben 10: Galactic Racing[]
The Vreedle brothers are the announcers in Galactic Racing. They deliver the story at the beginning, introductions to all of the tracks, and commentary during the races (usually just noting when somebody gets hit, gets charged up, goes Ultimate, takes shortcuts or takes first place).
Punch Time Explosion[]
The Vreedle Brothers appear as Assist Characters, and once they're summoned they will attack everyone, even the summoner.
Ben 10: Omniverse[]
They are villains in the video game.
Naming and Translations[]
Language | Name | Origin |
---|---|---|
Arabic | الأخوان فريديل | From "الأخوان", brothers and "فريديل", Vreddle |
French | Frères Vreedle | Frères, brothers and Vreedle, Vreddle |
Trivia[]
- Their names are derived from the names of polygons, octagon and rhombus specifically. Octagon even questioned why they were given such names, to which Ma replied that they were the only shapes Ma and Pa Vreedle knew.[6]
- The surname of Vreedles is the same as the name of their species.[DJW 1]
- The fact that the Vreedle Brothers are clones and that every time they are killed, another "set" of Vreedle clones will take their place, was probably not in the Plumber files, up until O Mother, Where Art Thou?, as Rook believed the Vreedles perished in an explosion, and was surprised to see them again later in the episode.
- The Vreedle Brothers were created by Charlotte Fullerton.[MW 1]
- The Vreedle Brothers pay homages to Gale and Evelle Snoats from the film Raising Arizona.[CF 1]