Spikedriver

( b. 1964 ; Active 1990 - 2006)

History / Background

Howard Clayton, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, the youngest child of Charity Clayton and Rev. Howard Clayton. In addition to being a Baptist minister, the elder Clayton was a long-standing member of the Board of Directors of General Motors. Rev. Clayton was best known, however, as a civil rights leader who developed successful national programs aimed at creating job training opportunities for African Americans and supporting African American entrepreneurs.

Clayton's mother died when he was very young and his father’s devotion to his church, work, and activism, meant that the young Clayton was essentially raised by his three older sisters. At an early age, Clayton showed a remarkable interest and insight into the workings of mechanical devices. He studied business and engineering at MIT and, before graduating, had already patented and sold a design for a zero-emissions automobile engine to GM. He then completed an MBA at the Harvard Business School, where he followed in his father’s footsteps by studying ways to link progressive social transformation with entrepreneurship. During this time, he also worked as a manager for the elder Clayton’s Bootstrap Project, by which Rev. Clayton and his associates developed properties in urban areas in Eastern United States to lease at below-market rates to black-owned businesses, nonprofit organizations, and some governmental entities. This was an especially critical time, as large numbers of African Americans were migrating from Detroit after its disintegration in 1986 by a runaway anti-matter reaction.

Clayton found himself deeply moved by the courage, commitment, and self-sacrifice of AltEarth’s heroes during the Detroit crisis, especially that of Guardian and the Invincibles. Talking with survivors of the tragedy, it become clear to him the symbolic power of costumed heroes, their ability to inspire and uplift ordinary people. He thought back to his childhood, and his own father’s admiration for the service to the African American community performed by the hero Black Fist. Clayton wondered if it was time for a new hero to take on Black Fist’s role as a symbol of integrity, strength, and hope for African Americans.

Drawing on his own funds from the sale of patents to his inventions along with funds from private investors recruited from his personal and family business connections, Clayton established Clayton Industries in 1989. Clayton found an opportunity to realize his super-heroic ambitions when PRIMUS awarded Clayton Industries a contract to develop a prototype for a new generation of powered armor. When the armor was completed, a year later, it failed to meet the standards set by the contract and was rejected by the government.

Clayton was baffled by the armor’s failure, but later discovered that the armor’s design was not flawed; before the demonstration, the prototype had been sabotaged by agents of a VIPER front company based in a nest in New York. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Redesigning the look of the armor and outfitting himself with a rocket-propelled hammer, he adopted the super-heroic identity of Spikedriver. Next, he sought the help of the Invincibles to locate and assault the VIPER nest in their city. The collaboration proved very successful—the team was able to take the agents by surprise, shut down the nest, and captured its leader. After a team vote, Spikedriver was inducted into the Invincibles. He has since participated in their most illustrious exploits, including the sinking of Doctor Destroyer’s island headquarters in 1992.

Spikedriver’s true identity is known to the public and although his commitment to his superheroic role is genuine, he is also a canny businessman. He is well aware that the positive press and public goodwill received by Spikedriver and the Invincibles bears handsome dividends to Clayton Industries. The link between the team and Clayton Industries was firmly cemented when Spikedriver constructed a new corporate headquarters in New York, Invincibles Tower, that also serves as the Invincibles’ base.

Personality

Many of his friends and associates have noted that Clayton's mood has darkened of late. In 2001, his father passed away. He also seems to have taken the loss of his superheroic comrades during the events of World in Flames particularly hard. There are rumors int he superheroic community that he was involved in an affair for a time with Doctor Vox, member of the Minute Men and wife of Black Mask and that his grief may be less generalized than it seems. The value of Clayton Industries stock has also dropped drastically following the investigation . . .

Powers / Abilities