From DC Database

Contents 1 History 2 Powers and Abilities 2.1 Powers 3 See Also 4 Links and References 4.1 Footnotes

History

A former actor, John Clay has been suffering a failing in his acting career until his powers begins to manifest with the ability to infecting members of the public with a highly contagious psychic virus which causes utter devotion to himself, and channels a portion of the infected's energies into him, turning him into a physical metahuman of the highest order.

Utilizing this advantage, Clay establish his own religion, the Church of Transcendence, which he promotes the belief that everyone is capable of becoming superhuman. Immediately Clay's religion garnered 13 million followers across the globe including "politicians, A-list celebrities and even [actual] superhumans". After this, Clay has his metahuman followers to attack and destroy other religion organizations in an attempt to boost his own congregation.

This attracts the attention of the Authority, especially when he created a unflattering, false doctored footage of the said superhero team practicing a sexual orgy. However, Clay was too powerful for the Authority to defeat and that the Doctor (Jeroen Thornedike) was also succumb to Clay's influence. Midnighter and Jack Hawksmoor were capture and under Clay's "transcendence": the Midnighter was force to reprogram himself from his sexuality by self-flagellation, and Hawksmoor act as Clay's pawn in constructing a giant replica of Clay in what use to be Los Angeles, Transcendence City.

Clay was later attacked a more energized Apollo and then fighting the Authority through Transcendence City. Clay prove again too powerful for the Authority until the Doctor, who broke free thanks to his connections to the Garden of Ancestral Memory, psychically hijack Clay's psionic control network and invert it, thus weakening Clay. The Doctor, grown to enormous size, plucks the beaten Clay up, and swallows him.

After Clay's death, some millions of disillusioned Transcendence followers were provided a alternative religion from the Doctor's new following, the Church of the Shaman.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Induced Devotion: a neural virus that manipulates minds and is spread through physical contact. The power hijacks the nucleus accumbens region of the brain a crossroads between the dopamine system, which mediates the pleasure response to factors such as drugs or food, and the limbic system, which helps form motivation and memory. All Clay needs to do is touch someone and they're immediately converted to his way of thinking. If the someone is under his control and they touch friends, family, anyone, and it acts as a domino effect.

• Mass Consciousness: The minds of his disciples act like a gigantic personal electricity grid for him. Drawing on their collective psychic energies gives him the power to do any varying number of supernatural abilities.

See Also

• Discuss John Clay (Earth-50) on the forums
• Appearances of John Clay (Earth-50)
• Character Gallery: John Clay (Earth-50)
• Images featuring John Clay (Earth-50)

Links and References

• None.
  

Footnotes

Wildstorm Character This character exists under the Wildstorm Imprint, and their continuity takes place within the Wildstorm Titles. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Wildstorm Characters."