The Claw was the leader of the Catmen, a group of green cat-costumed men who dealt heroin and used the profits to build a fascist army in the desert. He was secretly Richard Williams, uncle and boss to the vigilante Hell-Rider. He and his men clashed with Hell-Rider, Butterfly, and the Wild Bunch in their first appearances, where it was also established that Julie Storm had been a former customer while she was addicted to heroin.