The Importance of Clamp Champ

I have to be honest. I never had him as a kid, I vaguely remember a neighbor having him when we played MOTU... or perhaps it was one of those Sun Man figures that were compatible with MOTU, but not from Mattel. I'm not sure, but looking BEYOND the obvious novelty of "Hey look! It's a black guy!*" Clamp Champ IS important.

*NOTE: Clamp Champ was the first and only black man in the MOTU vintage line. I'd normally use the more Politically correct "African______" term but since there is no Africa on Eternia, it would be pointless to have.

While a lot of his perceived importance is skin deep, it's HIS ROLE in the canon what I'm more interested in. It's a shame that he showed up so late in the line, so he did not get an appearance in the Filmation Cartoon. He did show up in a Mini Comic: The search for Keldor...yes, we're talking about THAT Keldor... He wasn't blue, but he was the KEY to defeating Skeletor... Here we discover that he is King Randor's Bodyguard... And that he has Super Senses!! A strong warrior with Early warning senses who is proficient in combat with a highly impractical weapon...

BTW isn't it weird that the only black characters in Eternia and Etheria FROM THE 80s only have "capture weapons".
No swords, blasters, staffs, etc. He only has his capture claw and Netossa has her cape and a shield.

He seems to be the only character who has a weapon that is used to subdue his enemies. Sure Sy-Klone and Extendar do not own an offensive weapon, but their shields are used to defend, not subdue the enemy.

200X and MOTU Classics KINDA Corrected this when ZodaK was released on both lines. (On 200X he even has a Gun in addition to the staff) The MOTUC Black Palace Guard has a set of PG Weapons (Axes, Maces, Halberds to choose from) Then Dekker had a mace. Netossa MAY get a weapon in the next WP... (The Sword from her 80s art)... Progress?

He WAS supposed to show up on the third season of the 2002 Reboot of He-Man. Something about maybe substituting Duncan as Man-at-Arms while they found a way to cure Duncan from his Snakeman-itis. While I'm not 100% sure about this, that would have boosted his importance. We do see a little bit of this in the Neitlichverse Mini-Comics... Where he KILLS Duncan with his non-lethal weapon. In the bios he becomes the Man-at-Arms after Duncan kicks the bucket. When Mrs. Champ tells her hubby to quit, he does... Cause Family and stuff.

Now here's the thing... He seems unimportant because of his Later wave appearance and lack of Filmation Presence. Precisely because he didn't get a Filmation presence IS why he is important.

-His role as Royal Bodyguard actually lightens Teela's load a little bit.
-He's one of the few "Naturally gifted" Heroic Warriors. His powers come from within and are not thanks to magic weapons, armor, being a deity, Power Gloves or Super High tech.
-His Fighting style is suited for subduing his enemies rather than fighting to the death.

THESE is why I AM Excited about Clamp Champ! He also looks cool in his armor and the clamp looks sweet! (My Snout Spout is forbidden from using his Hydraulic spreader because it is borderline Clamp Champ Territory.) The fact that he is black is just a bonus! While Mattel's inclusion of Clamp Champ may smell of Affirmative Action; the fact is that he IS A COOL Character with tons of Potential... (Except the whole Killing Duncan thing). The biggest thing holding him back is the adherence to the 12 back. If he is used correctly and his pluses (His ability to subdue enemies and capture them, his super senses) are played correctly then we have a winner here.

It sucks that Mattel is LIMITING Clamp Champ to collectors in classics by making him another "Sub Exclusive". Hopefully we WILL SEE More of him in the next He-Man Cartoon! Seriously, Clamp Champ needs some love from the fan base... He's a lot more than a Repainted Fisto Armor on the normal buck with a new head... (I'm describing Vintage Clamp Champ).

I understand that not everyone remembers him, most of my interest in him began about 4 years ago! With that said, we musn't ignore other aspects of MOTU, just because "you didn't grew up with it!" You may find something you like on it... Even the awful DC Comics have something good (Despara)