Clay Quartermain
Alias: None
Status: Active
Rank: Special Field Officer (L-8)
Specialties: Field Operative, Administration, Agent Training

Personal Bio Data

Place of Birth-New York City
Marital Status: Single

Appearances

Alias: 5,16, 26-27
Cable: 58, 61-62
Captain America Annual: 2000
The Defenders (1): 54
Fantastic Four World's Greatest Comics Magazine: 7
The Incredible Hulk (2): 187-188, 192-197, 199-200, 206-207, 209-210, 212-216, 219, 224, 226-228, 231, 233-234, 237-240, 315, 321-327, 329-332, 336-346
Incredible Hulk Annual: 15
Hulk (3): 2
Marvel Holiday Special 1994
Marvel Team-Up: 83
Nick Fury: Agent Of SHIELD (1): 2
Nick Fury: Agent Of SHIELD (2): 43, 44-47
Nick Fury's Howling Commandos: 1-2
Nick Fury Vs SHIELD: 1, 2-6
The Pulse: 8
Secret War: 1
She-Hulk (3): 14-19
Silver Sable: 25
Strange Tales (1): 163, 167

Life Model Decoy

A self-proclaimed seeker of danger, Quartermain's pre-SHIELD career included jobs such as bodyguard and big-game hunter. Joining the agency in the same recruitment drive as the Countessa and the Gaffer, Quartermain served loyally beside Fury with a unique single mindedness and superior skill for a number of decades, fast becoming a part of Fury's inner circle of trusted agents.

On several occasions Quartermain has crossed paths with the Hulk, first encountering him on a mission to free Major Talbot from a Soviet gulag in Siberia. This mission served as Quartermain's introduction into the world of the Hulk, meeting for the first time General 'Thunderbolt' Ross, Talbot, and of course Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk.

The bulk of Quatermain's career for the next decade became closely involved with efforts by the U.S. government at Gamma Base to apprehend the Hulk. Among the more dangerous assignment resulted in a takeover by the Bi-Beast of the SHIELD helicarrier. Years later Quartermain played a pivotal part in uncovering a government stockpiling of gamma bombs and a plot by The Leader to explode them in the United States. Quartermain went rouge and teamed up with the Hulk and Rick Jones. Despite his efforts though, Quartermain was unable to prevent the destruction of Middletown, Arizona. Despite many in the government wanting Clay's head, the media attention made Quartermain a hero and he was informed by Fury that no charges would posed against him. His misgivings with receiving orders from the secretive SHIELD board of directors may have planted a seed of doubt about his superiors that would have far reaching consequences later. 

Clay's being a little too brash for his own good coupled with his recent experiences with the SHIELD board served to sabotage the objectives of the Deltite LMD and crushed its plans to infinitely replicate human life. The Deltite LMD of Clay never shed the original's loyalty to his friends in its Morpheus stage (meant to alleviate any psychological trauma from 'death') and questioned the strange goings-on about him. Quartermain's Delta LMD was meant to be the first in a new generation of perfect LMDs, chosen to be fused with Nick Fury's Infinity Formula. His actions however helped to lead to the destruction of the SHIELD satellite and the Deltite plans.

Striking a hard personal blow to Nick Fury, the SHIELD director eventually discovered Quartermain was still alive; brainwashed and placed into suspended animation underneath the remains of SHIELD Central. When revived in 1993, he thought he was a HYDRA agent until the ESPer Squad were able to deprogram him allowing him to help lead the fight against the HYDRA Iceland base. 

In time Quartermain became affiliated with EXTECHOP, a subdivision within SHIELD and unwittingly unleashed the Nemesis Program aboard the helicarrier in 1998. Nearly costing him his career, Quartermain later rebounded leading a defense against A.I.M.'s latest weapon; Protocide.

Its unclear when, but at some point Quartermain dated Jessica Jones, aka the Avenger known as Jewel, following her recuperation aboard the SHIELD helicarrier. The opportunity for the couple to work together arose when Nick Fury offered Jones the opportunity to serve as SHIELD liaison to the Avengers but Jones declined and Clay's relationship with Jones soon ended. Starting in 2001, Clay began keeping tabs on Jones' cases as a PI and helped with her an investigation involving the Purple Man.

In 2005 Quartermain was assigned by Nick Fury to head up a new elite team of SHIELD agents, "monsters" housed at Area 13, known as the Howling Commandos. Unhappy with the new assignment, Quartermain faced a tough first challenge with the return of Merlin to conquer the world with an army of the undead.

Quartermain served as an interview observer to an interrogation of the parents of the new Diamondback that lead to evidence of a black market hi-tech weapons trade being funneled through Latveria. Fury's unsanctioned actions to resolve this situation, events quickly labeled Nick Fury's "Secret War", led to Quartermain rescuing Jessica Jones from a HYDRA safe house when the organization attempted to recruit her.

Most recently, as part of SHIELD's enforcement of the Superhuman Registration Act, Quartermain was placed in charge of drafting the She-Hulk into SHIELD. They operated together for a short time, eventually capturing the Leader and other villains of the Hulk. Quatermain was aboard the helicarrier when a new red Hulk broke through and attacked She-Hulk and Iron Man.

Thanks to Stacy Rico for portions of this bio.

Other Appearances

Adrian Hughes as Clay Quartermain
Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (tv movie)

Check out Hulk Visionaries: Peter David vol.2 or Hulk: Ground Zero, both trade paperbacks reprinting Incredible Hulk #340 - #348

Clay Quatermain featured as one of the figures in the Heroclix game, Clobberin Time. (thanks to John Humphlett)