Deathgrippers

"Save your breath. The only alpha they respond to is me!"

- Grimmel telling Toothless about the Deathgrippers' loyalty.

Deathgrippers are the secondary antagonists of DreamWorks' 36th animated feature, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. They serve as Grimmel the Grisly's personal dragon killers who obey their master on every given command as a result of being drugged by Grimmel with their own venom.

Their vocals were provided by Fred Newman.

Early life
The Deathgrippers were free dragons like the others but were once caught by Grimmel. Due to being dangerous, Grimmel used them by putting their own venom on them so they can follow him.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
The Deathgrippers first appear on Grimmel's airship to Warlord's island.After they reunited, one of the six attacks Ragnar the Rock but it was called off by Grimmel. When Hiccup refused to give Toothless, the last Night Fury, Grimmel ordered his Deathgrippers to burn down the hall by their fiery acid.

While Valka was flying, two Deathgrippers attacked her and Cloudjumper, unsuccessfully attempted to knock down Stormcutter as they end up being thrown and the Deathgrippers were called again by Grimmel. When the Dragon Riders came to stop Grimmel, he ordered the Deathgrippers to stop them which nearly killed Hiccup. The Deathgrippers were then attacked by the Rescued Crimson Goregutter who demolished the base and trapped the dragons under debris. With Ruffnut left behind, she was placed in a cage with a Scuttleclaw, of which is predisposed to be fed to the Deathgrippers (to Ruffnut's disgust). Upon supposedly annoying Grimmel into submission, she was set free and given the Scuttleclaw as a means of transportation back to New Berk.

They carried the airship and followed Ruffnut and they were revealed with toothless and the Light Fury captured. They carried the Warship back to the Warlord's armada. During the battle, Toothless blasts at two Deathgrippers from their shackles, making them unable to hold the ship. The ship then crashed, which would have drowned the two Deathgrippers if they did not break free and fly away off-screen. While Toothless chased Grimmel who is riding the drugged Light Fury, the remaining Deathgrippers come and stop the duo. As they formed a tight ring around Toothless, he summons lightning in his Alpha state, and they were all electrocuted and sent plummeting to their presumed deaths, though it's possible they survived the impact.

Appearance
Deathgrippers have black scales with red underbellies and wing webs, and large armored plates along the back. They hold protruding but retractable large tusks, distorted jagged pincers, and a venomous stinger at end of its telescopic tail that could sometimes be sheathed by four scales when not in use.

According to animator Simon Otto, Deathgrippers were inspired by scorpions, black widow spiders, and hunting dogs.

The six Deathgrippers that appeared in the third movie all wear collars equipped with vials of their own venom that Grimmel uses to control them.

Personality
After being brainwashed by Grimmel, they were hostile and vicious beasts who have no control. However, they are very obedient to Grimmel, as he drugged them.

Powers and Abilities

 * Strength and Stamina:The Deathgrippers were capable of carrying Grimmel, even at long distances.
 * Speed and Agility: They are very fast in the land and flying in their. This makes them actually catch up to Toothless.
 * Senses: The Deathgrippers have good sense of smell, smelling the Dragon Riders, even on the night.
 * Retractable Stingers: The Deathgrippers' tail have hidden stingers that can retract whenever it attacks.
 * Combustive Acid Breath: Unlike other dragons, which spit fire in some capacity, Deathgrippers spit some acid which burns and sears everything in it path.
 * Psycho-Active Venom: Deathgrippers release a form of neurotoxin from the point of their tail stingers which plays havoc both on the mind and the nervous system. The toxin can have numerous properties depending on how its prepared, features which Grimmel uses to expert effect in his dragon hunting profession.
 * The first is a neuro-cognitive deficiency where those affected are left in a state of muscle relaxation, drowsiness and disabled motor function.
 * The secondary effect is a form of mind control which Grimmel found has a powerful will numbing effect he makes practice of through a direct cranial injection harness fitted both around his prey and his own Dragons. The strength of which is so potent that his control cannot be undone even by an Alpha Dragon.

Trivia

 * While the Deathgrippers are regarded as the secondary antagonists of the film, whether they were truly evil or not is debatable, considering that Grimmel drugged them with their own venom and they were technically oblivious from their actions in that state. However, as Dragonpedia describes them to enjoy hunting like a wild pack of dogs and that they should be avoided at all costs, it can be implied that the Deathgrippers were already dangerous before Grimmel brainwashed them, which may be a reason for which Hiccup and Toothless let them to fall to their presumed deaths rather than rescuing them.