Thunderclap (Stanley George Johnson) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books 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 ...

. The character was created by

Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Di ...

a division of

Publication history

Thunderclap first appeared in ''Spider-Man Weekly'' #607 (October 1984), and was created by Mike Collins and

Barry Kitson Barry Kitson is a British comic book artist. Biography Kitson's first professional work was '' Spider-Man'' for Marvel UK. He also drew many stories for '' 2000 AD'', beginning with a " Future Shocks" tale written by Peter Milligan as well as ...

Fictional character biography

Born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, c ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Stanley George Johnson was a struggling electronics salesman until he decided to cannibalize together other people's technology to create a pair of hydraulically powered gloves that could create

sonic boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to ...

s. Soon, he left England for New York, New York and took the name Thunderclap. Thunderclap's first appearance on the superhero scene comes when Spider-Man is trying to help police officers prevent a robber from escaping. As Spider-Man is about to stop the disaster, Thunderclap intervenes, slamming his hands together to create sonic booms that cause massive property damage while stopping the burglars. Spider-Man leaves after lecturing Thunderclap, and Thunderclap apologizes to the police for the damage he has caused. When the press arrive, however, Thunderclap introduces himself and blames Spider-Man for the property damage. Thunderclap is declared a true hero by the ''

Daily Bugle The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, mos ...

Civil War

Years later, during the ''

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

'' storyline, Thunderclap is seen battling the superhero Bantam. The fight, which is witnessed by

Sally Floyd Sally Jean Floyd (May 20, 1950 – August 25, 2019) was an American computer scientist known for her work on computer networking. Formerly associated with the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, California, she retired in 2009 a ...

, is over Thunderclap's refusal to comply with the Superhuman Registration Act and Bantam's efforts to bring him in. The battle concludes when Thunderclap knocks Bantam into a gas truck, which explodes and kills him. Thunderclap tries to apologize but, feeling too ashamed, disappears into a nearby alley. Floyd, in a later issue of ''Frontline'', wonders about the convenience of the gas truck being so close to the battle.''Civil War: Frontline'' #3

Equipment

Thunderclap's piston-like metal gloves are connected to a hydraulic device in the back of his suit which uses potential and kinetic energy that allow the gloves to collide together faster than the speed of sound. The resulting sonic boom (approximately 2000 decibels) is released outwards in a destructive energy sphere which strikes any matter with which it comes into contact with tremendous impact. The sonic boom also has the tendency to temporarily deafen and disorientate anyone in the immediate area. Thunderclap's

cowl A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks. Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a clo ...

is outfitted with protective silicone cups on the sides and an electronic device which muffle the sound of his sonic booms while amplifying quieter sounds to higher decibel levels.

Notes

References

Thunderclap
at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe * {{refend Comics characters introduced in 1984 Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel UK characters