Clay Brody Clay by Len Kaminski All art copyright by DC Comics

Clay Brody is a hard man to label, despite that he wears all kinds of labels. He's a NASCAR racer. When driving, he wears all the company logos that can fit on his jacket. In civilian clothes, he still wears a racing jacket with yet more labels. And since becoming a Challenger, he's added the hourglass logo to the back. Clay often wears racing gloves, and pouches on his belt. No idea what's in them.

When racing, his number is 33. He's wrecked more than one car. (Note the clever play on words. SKOAL Bandit is a snuff. Clay can be considered a "coal bandit".) After Clay experienced the white light and jet crash, he stopped worrying about getting killed on the racing circuit. "If I were supposed to be killed, I'd be dead already."

Clay's birthday is in "the middle of January" (COTU V3 6). Clay grew up in Pocket, West Virginia. His family were miners. He had a hard childhood. His father and older brothers Roy (red beard) and Charlie (dark beard) beat on him regularly because Clay was smaller and weaker. Clay's mother did nothing to stop them, even encouraged it, wanting Clay to be strong. "It's a terrible world." Clay's father was killed in the mines. He considers his mother a "an evil old woman". Clay left home early. In a dream sequence, Clay returned to his home and killed both brothers (COTU V3 5). After the nightmare ended, he vowed, "I never want to do that again!" So he's laid some demons to rest. When Nina Justis interviewed the family to dig up dirt (COTU V3 4), the Brodys had little to say. Picture Clay speaking in a mid-South accent. Clay has "a smidge" of Shawnee blood (COTU V3 15). The Shawnee were a large and powerful tribe in Ohio, not far from the Appalachians.

Clay has two younger sisters, names unknown, that he tried to protect. In the same dream sequence, he invaded the home and told the girls to "Run and don't ever come back." (COTU V3 5) At some point Clay learned to fight. He's quick with his fists, and has landed himself and the Challengers in jail once or twice (mentioned in COTU V3 1). Clay likes beer, and he CAN smile, as demonstrated when he drank one night with Rocky Davis (COTU V3 16).