Denny Clay
- Denny Clay is an Autobot-allied human from the Robots in Disguise portion of the Aligned continuity family.
Denny Clay lives up to the saying that growing old doesn't necessarily mean "growing up". Owner and proprietor of the Vintage Salvage Depot for the Discriminating Nostalgist outside Crown City, Denny is a consummate collector of... well, junk. Junk he insists will be worth a fortune to the right people, someday, but in the meantime isn't it cool? (Doesn't sound familiar at all, does it?)
In some ways, Denny is less mature than his son Russell. He wears his heart on his sleeve, still geeks out to cheesy glam-rock, and was flabbergasted to find out that professional wrestling is scripted... and he only learned that in the months following the arrival of Bumblebee and the Autobots to his scrapya- er, salvage dept. But that childlike manner of his is also a boon to the Autobots. He's more than ready to bend the rules and harmlessly break a few laws to help keep the presence of the Cybertronians on Earth a secret, quick with a disguise and a fake name (almost always the same name but still) to keep the local authorities distracted. And sometimes he even shows his "good dad" cred in helping Bumblebee better deal with his young, inexperienced team's personal problems. Add in a real know-how for mechanical work, enabling him to work with Cybertronian technology alongside Fixit, and Denny's a major asset to the team.
Just... don't let him eat while inside an Autobot's passenger compartment. The results are not pretty.
| “ | He's the closest thing to a responsible adult! | ” |
—Bumblebee sums up Denny's status among the team, "The Champ" | ||
Fiction
2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon
- Voice actor: Ted McGinley (English), Masamichi Kitada (Japanese), Riccardo Lombardo (Italian),Hani Abdulhai (Arabic), Thomas Schmuckert (German), Juha Haukka (Finnish, episodes 1 - 14), Petri Hanttu (Finnish, since episode 15)
In his youth, Denny was an avid fan of the band Rear Axle. Bumblebee's Night Off
Denny welcomed Russell- who was visiting his dad while his mom was in Copenhagen- to the scrapyard, though Russell was less than enthusiastic. When an apparent meteorite crashed nearby, Denny was too busy closing a deal on some Billy the Breakfast Beaver figures to investigate. Pilot (Part 1) Denny succeeded in making the purchase, but while he was putting the figures away, the scrapyard was unexpectedly the scene of a giant robot fight. He aided Bumblebee's team in trying to prevent Underbite from reaching Crown City, and ended up being saved from the Decepticon by Optimus Prime himself. Pilot (Part 2)
Denny left his son under the care of the Autobots while he went to get supplies. Trust Exercises When Russell complained about the dull time he was having, Denny suggested he check out a nearby football field. As the team tried to track down Chop Shop, Denny helped out by aiding Strongarm and Fixit as they infiltrated a manufacturing park. More than Meets the Eye When a stasis pod ended up in the museum, Denny got the Autobots in by pretending to be noted archaeologist "Nevada Flieber". He assisted the Autobots in maintaining their cover by pretending Bumblebee was an ordinary animatronic, and in the capture of Terrashock. W.W.O.D.?
Bumblebee instructed Denny and Russell not to sell a generator to some weirdos who said they were working for the Kospego, as they were building a space bridge that could potentially destroy Earth. As the Kospego Commands! After an unwelcome visit to the scrapyard by Larry LaRue, Denny helped the Autobots by keeping other humans out of their hair as they tried to capture the Decepticon Filch. Unfortunately Filch mistook Denny for something valuable and carried him off to her nest at the top of a statue, and he had to be rescued by Sideswipe. Collect 'Em All Denny began clashing with Fixit over the former's participation in the repair of the Cybertronian weapons they'd found, leading to an all-out feud between pair until Russell succeeded in getting them to work together. Rumble in the Jungle
During the attempt to capture Ped, Denny used a piece of construction equipment to batter the Decepticon and to extract the Autobots from a pit Ped had dug. Can You Dig It? Denny came to the decision not to let Russell go along on any more missions. After the Decepticon Fracture set his sights on collecting the bounty on Bumblebee and kidnapped Denny, Strongarm, Sideswipe, and Grimlock, Denny decided to change his mind. Hunting Season Fixit and Denny finally succeeded in reproducing two more Decepticon hunters, presenting them to Strongarm and Sideswipe. Sideways
After going on an energon scrounging mission with Fixit and Bumblebee, Denny found himself caught up in the hunt for the Decepticon Nightstrike and was temporary trapped in a cocoon. Even Robots Have Nightmares Denny was alarmed by his son repeatedly standing up to Drift and suggested Russell not hassle the giant alien robots. One of Our Mini-Cons Is Missing
Denny was unimpressed when Fixit managed to flood the scrapyard while GroundBridging the other Autobots to an undersea location. Deep Trouble While the other Autobots were indisposed, Denny was forced to pretend to be Grimlock's driver so they could enter the giant robot fights at the Rumbledome, however they successfully managed to defeat Groundpounder. The Champ Denny was surprised when Fixit insisted he conduct a diagnostic on the Mini-Con, however he accidentally revived Fixit's guard programming. After Fixit chased everyone around the scrapyard, Denny was able to disable him and restore him to normal. The Trouble with Fixit
After purchasing a roller coaster for the scrapyard, Denny reflected on how insignificant humans seemed alongside their robot friends. When Steeljaw's Decepticon team took over the scrapyard and trapped the Autobots outside using a subsonic field, Denny and Russell managed to fight back using the scrapyard's resources. Though Denny was recaptured by the Decepticons, once the Autobots had succeeded in regaining access to the yard and Denny helped reclose the stasis pods, he felt more useful in the Autobots' ongoing fight. Lockout After his snoring kept Russell awake, Denny tried to fix up an RV for his son to sleep in, but only succeeded in destroying the RV. He and Russell later managed to fix up another vehicle and celebrated with some disco. Similarly Different The pair returned to the scrapyard soaking wet after a disastrous camping trip. Ghosts and Impostors
While the Autobots went to rescue Sideswipe and Strongarm from the Decepticons, Denny and Russell kept themselves busy organizing the scrapyard's sock of bicycles. They were almost captured by Fracture, but instead were saved by the timely arrival of Optimus Prime, whom they accompanied to the battleground near Crown City. Battlegrounds, Part 1 Posing as filmmakers, the pair attempted to persuade a police officer to evacuate the area and eventually succeeded just before the battle reached its climax. Battlegrounds, Part 2
Denny played Go Fish with Fixit. They had to deal with the fallout after the GroundBridge exploded, and when Overload invaded the scrapyard, he and Russell had to run for cover. Overloaded, Part 1 While cleaning up, Denny watched Russell throw trash at Fixit's head. Overloaded, Part 2 Denny and Russell helped deal with the security guards at the steel mill when the Autobots tracked Saberhorn there. When Russell was taken hostage by the Decepticon, Bumblebee made sure Denny was safely out of harm's way. Metal Meltdown
Despite the destruction of his collection of gnomes at her hand, Denny attempted to help the others encourage Strongarm when she became demoralized. Though an attempt to give her some confidence using the scrapyard's systems went badly, Denny and Fixit later helped her go to the aid of some bird watchers trapped by fire. Suspended Denny bought a collection of vintage toasters for Russell's college fund, but sadly Grimlock sat on them. He later helped Fixit deliver the cure after Grimlock gained super-genius from a Cybertronian data cylinder, a process which had left the Dinobot's brain in danger of degrading into mush if not reversed. Brainpower
He, Russell and Fixit were captured in a subsonic force field when Steeljaw managed to infiltrate the scrapyard, however the trio were rescued by Strongarm before the shrinking field could crush them. Misdirection When Bumblebee had to stake out a Rear Axle concert, Denny was unfortunately unable to go as he had a prior appointment with Crackpot Carl. Russel was sent to accompany Bumblebee instead, and returned from the show with a T-shirt for his dad. Denny was ecstatic that the shirt was dirty from spilled concert snacks when he received it. Bumblebee's Night Off When Bumblebee and Strongarm got themselves impounded during a chase, Denny and Russell had to go and rescue them. While his son disabled the lot's security measures and distracted its guard, Denny sawed off the boots keeping the Autobots stationary. The four of them then drove out without being noticed. Impounded When Soundwave escaped the shadowzone, Denny, Russell and Fixit donned some makeshift armor and tried to fight the Decepticon as well as they could. Their first attempt ended in failure. However, Bumblebee, then observing from the shadowzone, was inspired to formulate a plan of his own after seeing the clash. Denny was made to distract Soundwave long enough for Fixit to regain access to the GroundBridge, allowing Bumblebee to return to normal space. Afterwards Denny succeeded in whacking Soundwave back into the shadowzone using his crane. Portals
Having obtained a lead regarding the colony of Decepticons, the Autobots headed to the harbor to try and infiltrate the Decepticon base. Denny and Russell stayed on shore with Fixit. Though mostly the entire team participated in the raid, included Bumblebee's old friend Ratchet, Denny had his doubts whether a handful of Autobots had any chance of winning against an entire army of Decepticons. Decepticon Island (Part 1) While the two humans were preparing disguises in case anyone turned up, Fixit left them to try and free the Mini-Con slaves in the base. The Autobots wound up being victorious, and the Decepticon crisis finally came to an end. Though many Autobots decided to head back to Cybertron, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Strongarm, Sideswipe, Drift, Jetstorm, and Slipstream were not among them; instead this team decided to stay behind to set up a permanent base of operations on Earth. Before speeding off, Bumblebee assured his human friends that the junkyard would always be another home to them. Decepticon Island (Part 2)
When Strongarm wanted to take Fixit with her on a mission, Denny and Russell volunteered to operate the command center. It was a disaster, culminating in them accidentally bridging the team to the scrapyard instead of Mount St. Hilary. Bumblebee bounced their apologies in their faces. Strongarm's Big Score
2015 Robots in Disguise shorts
Bumblebee regretted giving Denny a ride after the human made a mess of his interior. Sticky Situation Denny counciled Grimlock on the search for his signature weapon. Perfect
IDW Robots in Disguise comic
After restricting Russell to the scrapyard, Denny joined Bumblebee in the hunt for Flamefeather. This took them to the Fun-A-Rama amusement park, where they found Russell had sneaked out with Sideswipe for some fun. Once the Decepticon was captured, Denny helped maintain the Autobots' cover with the park staff. Fire, When Ready! Denny listened to Bumblebee grouse about how badly his team did in combat situations, and Bumblebee later confided that he'd learned that other members of Team Prime were secretly on Earth. Robots in Disguise #1
Denny aided in the capture of Transit by posing as a bus company official so that the humans Transit had on board his bus mode could be unloaded. Robots in Disguise #2 Aiming to distract Ultra Magnus, whom they believed was monitoring the team, Denny, Russell and Sideswipe went on a tour of nearby storage facilities and Denny bought a ton of junk at auction, much to Sideswipe's annoyance. Robots in Disguise #3 Denny and Russell tried to help Clipshade coach the Autobots on their acting. Robots in Disguise #4
When Decepticon activity was detected at Fort Tucker, Denny again took on the identity of Major Thaddeus Q. Flieber so the Autobots could work undetected, only to discover that all the humans on the base were unconscious anyway. Following the ensuing battle with a pair of Vehicons, Denny rang for medical help for the unconscious soldiers shortly before they received a message from Steeljaw informing them that he had Fixit and Russell as hostages. Robots in Disguise #5
Returning to the scrapyard, Denny and the Autobots found trashed stasis pods and the computer system busted—Denny didn't think he could fix it without Fixit's help. Fortunately the Autobots succeeded in rescuing Fixit and Russell, reuniting Denny with his son. Robots in Disguise #6
2015 Robots in Disguise books
Denny took Russell to Doug's Den where he picked up some vintage pinball machines. When they were attacked on their way back by Scuzzard, Denny's driving saw them make it safely to the scrapyard where they told Bumblebee about the Decepticon on the loose. Denny set about repairing the surviving pinball machine. After Filch escaped, Denny was able to help recapture her by snaring her with his electromagnet. Bumblebee Versus Scuzzard When three of Russell's jerky schoolmates invaded the scrapyard, Denny offered to let them use it as a hangout so long as they paid the real estate taxes. His attempt to convince them that Grimlock was a Japanese movie plot was somewhat stymied when the dinobot reacted to a boy's cat tattoo. Sideswipe Versus Thunderhoof
Denny had his sleep interrupted when Bumblebee held a nighttime Decepticon drill. The next morning, he woke to find Drift had deserted and the Autobots were interrogating the Mini-Cons for info. After the Autobots were drawn away by a trick, Denny was captured by the Decepticon Ronin who took over the scrapyard. He was locked up until Drift managed to free everyone and the Ronin were defeated. Drift's Samurai Showdown
While the Autobots played football (or at least tried), Denny was busy cataloging some 80s barbarian toys he'd purchased online. He later disguised himself as a police officer in an attempt to clear Crown City Bridge while the Autobots fought Skinkbomb beneath it. The Trials of Optimus Prime
Denny and Russell had to deal with Bumblebee's team after they fell victim to Brakepad's lethargy-inducing power. Autobot World Tour
Signature Robots in Disguise comic
Denny Clay and Rusty helped Bumblebee and Sideswipe recapture Springload at the Crash Cragster movie set. Look Before You Leap
Transformers Legends comic
Denny was present when Rattrap and Tigatron from the Legends Universe suddenly appeared before the Autobots. Go! Adventure
Notes
Foreign names
- Japanese: Denny (デニー Denī)
