Klaw
Real name: Ulysses Klaw
First appearance: Fantastic Four 53
What's His Problem? Physicist Ulysses Klaw developed a sound transducer that converted sound waves into physical mass, but he needed the rare metal vibranium to power it. Leading a mercenary team to the vibranium-rich jungle nation of Wakanda to loot the precious metal, Klaw killed the Wakandan ruler T'Chaka but was driven off when his victim's young son, T'Challa, used Klaw's own sound blaster to blow off the scientist's right hand and rout his troops. The wounded Klaw fled, vowing vengeance, and returned years later wearing a new sonic blaster prosthetic in place of his lost hand. Defeated again by T'Challa (now the Wakandan monarch known as the Black Panther) and the superhuman Fantastic Four, Klaw jumped into his activated sound converter in a desperate attempt to become superhumanly powerful. His gamble worked, and he emerged as a being of sentient sound. Since then, he has dedicated his powers to the pursuit of illicit wealth and revenge against his enemies.
Powers: Klaw is a being of physically coherent sound energy. As such, he does not require food, sleep or air to breathe, but he can only exist in a medium that supports sound waves; he will dissipate in a vacuum. Klaw is immune to permanent physical injury since the flexibility of his sound form allows him to recover from the segmentation of his body--or even its total dispersal--so long as nothing prevents his component parts from rejoining; however, as a quasi-solid entity he can be physically struck and even rendered unconscious if a sufficiently forceful blow creates a counter-frequency disharmonious to his bodily vibrations. His prosthetic sound converter or "sonic claw" allows him to convert ambient sound energy into high-volume sound waves, concussive force or three-dimensional sound constructs. If vibranium or some other force destabilizes Klaw's form, his body breaks down--usually into non-corporeal sonic energy absorbed by his sound claw.
Favorite Quote: "I am my wildest dream! I'm made of energy, and you can't create or destroy energy! Einstein said so!" (Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars 6. Somewhat unbalanced after returning from seeming death for the zillionth time, Klaw revels in being a man of sound.)
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: Klaw is obsessed with destroying the Black Panther, which has brought him into repeated conflict with such friends and allies of the Panther as the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Klaw has also fought the Lady Liberators, the American Eagle, Wyatt Wingfoot, Giant-Man (Bill Foster), Quasar, The Aquarian and the Thunderbolts. He was a major foe of Ka-Zar through-out the jungle man's second series (Ka-Zar, for those of you playing along at home, is currently working on his fourth series). He's particularly unhappy with Songbird, a Thunderbolt who stole Klaw's sound technology for her own use; and the Dazzler, a mutant adventurer who once absorbed so much of Klaw's bodily energy that he dispersed and was presumed dead for months before finally reforming.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Klaw's a cold-blooded creep more concerned with money than his fellow man, but he has had amicable partnerships with such fellow super-crooks as the Molecule Man and Solarr. The Beyonder and Doctor Doom both used him as a pawn during the Secret Wars. An occasional team player, he has served with the Frightful Four and is a member of the Masters of Evil.
Most Despicable Act: Klaw began his criminal career by murdering T'Chaka before the eyes of his young son T'Challa, but Ulysses never tires of trying to top himself with assorted attempts on the lives of his enemies.
by Sean McQuaid
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