ZUUL.
—Madclaw's battle cry
Madclaw was a male Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk who was exiled from his homeworld for using his claws in battle. After his exile, he pursued a successful career as a bounty hunter. Madclaw's prodigious strength and predisposition towards violence were a factor in his becoming a bodyguard and enforcer aboard the starship Grinning Liar. While on board the ship, Madclaw developed an infatuation for a member of the crew named Kee. The ship's captain, Chak, felt threatened by this, so Madclaw was abandoned. This led Madclaw to seek out the pirate Rav in order to lay a trap for the pair so he could be reunited with Kee. After his plan failed, Madclaw began scouring the galaxy for the two who abandoned him.
After finding their whereabouts from a number of their associates, including a Devaronian named Vilmarh Grahrk, Madclaw's search led him to Ossus. After using his superior strength to kill Chak, Madclaw pursued Kee, who had fled in the aftermath of the fight. Eventually boarding her ship in orbit around a star in the Outer Rim Territories, Kee tried to kill Madclaw but failed. Because of her failure, Kee killed herself. Having not paid attention to the course of the ship during his search for Kee, Madclaw failed to notice that her ship was drifting towards the nearby star. Shortly after Kee's death, the ship was drawn into the sun and Madclaw was killed.
Biography[]
Early life[]
There will always be Madclaw. Somewhere.
—Madclaw
The Wookiee known as Madclaw was born on the planet of Kashyyyk in the capital city of Rwookrrorro. In the years that followed his birth, Madclaw's mother raised him alone after his father's death. During a hunting trip, his father attempted to kill numerous members of the Katarn species indigenous to Kashyyyk and was killed. Madclaw, prodigiously large compared to other Wookiees his age, had an interest in hunting beginning when he was young. He was also predisposed towards violence, and he often fought with other Wookiees living in Rwookrrorro.
When Madclaw reached young adulthood, his anti-sociability and violent tendencies became more obvious to others around him. This manifested itself in his frequent trips to the Shadowlands, the dangerous forest floor beneath the Wookiee villages. Madclaw often traveled to the Shadowlands for many days armed only with a Ryyk blade, a traditional Wookiee weapon, to hone his skills. During one of these trips, another Wookiee insulted Madclaw's mother in his absence. After his return to Rwookrrorro, and upon hearing of this, he went to the other Wookiee's house and attacked him. Being superior in strength to the other Wookiee, he quickly overpowered and killed him, however Madclaw broke a Wookiee rule whilst doing so. Breaking Wookiee taboo by using his claws to attack the other Wookiee, Madclaw was declared a Madclaw, a dishonored member of Wookiee society, and exiled from Kashyyyk. From that point onwards, he took the name "Madclaw" as his own.
Discovering Kee[]
He's funny and all. But I trust him about as much as I trust the Supreme Chancellor.
—Chak on Madclaw
Madclaw initially traveled to the planet Devaron in order to find work as a bounty hunter. After his arrival on Devaron, he discovered the starship Grinning Liar, under the command of a Devaronian named Kee, and Chak, a fellow Wookiee. As Chak had been away for Kashyyyk from some time, he had not heard of Madclaw's exile, so he willingly accepted him onto the ship as a bodyguard and enforcer.
During his tenure on board the Grinning Liar, Madclaw developed an infatuation for Kee. When this became evident to Chak and Kee, the pair abandoned Madclaw. Filled with a desire for revenge, he sought out the pirate Rav, and used the majority of his available credits to pay Rav to steal the Grinning Liar and give it to Madclaw so that he could use it as bait to capture Kee and Chak. Rav agreed and had two members of his organization, Jariah Syn and Deliah Blue, incorporate it into their mission.
However, Madclaw's plan did not work. Kee and Chak instead gained use of another ship. Madclaw sold the ship to Rav, feeling that it was now useless to him. Once again, he began searching for Kee and Chak. After tracking down Cade Skywalker, a Human who had been working with Kee and Chack around that same time, Madclaw discovered that Chak and Kee had retrieved the Grinning Liar from Rav and went into hiding from the Galactic Empire. Angry at being forced to start his search from the beginning once again, he attacked Skywalker. Madclaw, however, was defeated and forced to leave.
The Wookiee tracked down a former accomplice of Chak's, a Devaronian named Vilmarh Grahrk. Demanding to know where Chak and Kee would prospectively flee to, Madclaw forced Grahrk into telling him. Initially starting his search in Rik's Cantina on the planet Coruscant, Madclaw's quest was hindered when he was arrested for causing a brawl in the bar.
Death[]
«It takes a sun to kill Madclaw...»
―Madclaw's last words
Madclaw, seconds before his death.
After his release from his brief stay in jail, Madclaw searched the galaxy for the Grinning Liar, eventually hearing of its whereabouts on Ossus. When he arrived on the planet, he eventually found the two who abandoned him and engaged Chak in combat when Kee was elsewhere on the planet. Chak assumed that Madclaw would follow Wookiee tradition and not use his claws in combat. However, Madclaw did not do as Chak had expected and fatally wounded Chak prior to Kee's return. When Kee returned and saw the pair fighting, she followed Chak's advice to flee. After killing Chak, Madclaw boarded his own ship and left in pursuit of Kee, attempting to disable her ship while keeping Kee alive. Madclaw's remained close behind Kee whilst pursuing, stopping her from landing her ship.
Near a star in the Outer Rim Territories, Madclaw disabled Kee's ship and boarded it. The blast from Madclaw's ship had injured Kee and, when he boarded, he found her lying on the floor in pain. Kee proceeded to shoot the Wookiee, but her aim had been affected by her injuries and she missed. After realizing that attempting to kill Madclaw was futile, she turned the gun on herself and committed suicide. Madclaw's focused attention to Kee had meant that he had not checked the path of the ship, which drifted into the sun and was destroyed, killing Madclaw, shortly after Kee's suicide.
Personality and traits[]
«Let some air out of your already inflated head.»
―Madclaw
Madclaw had a violent personality; as opposed to discussion or negotiation, Madclaw preferred to use his prodigious strength to resolve problems by force. This led to the deaths of many people who chose to go against him in one form or other. Madclaw shunned rules and loyalties, preferring to go by what he referred to as the "rule of Madclaw." This also meant that his only loyalties were to himself. Despite his predisposition towards violence, Madclaw was not interested in weapons. Madclaw's only weapons were his Ryyk blades and his bowcaster, a type of firearm common with many Wookiees.
There was a belief amongst his colleagues and fellow Wookiees that Madclaw lacked intelligent, though he did not believe this was not the case. Despite this, he never maintained an interest in galactic affairs. Madclaw was also noted by his peers for a lack of sentimentality; after his exile from Kashyyyk, he never returned to the planet and never showed any inclination to return. Madclaw was devoid of morals in the conventional sense, as referred to by his peers.
Additionally, he was often seen as merely violent and abrasive, leading many people to dislike him on principle. Madclaw, however, did not care that they felt as such. Madclaw was known to use his battle cry of "Zuul" before entering combat.
Talents and abilities[]
«I can teach you to make the biggest, baddest Wookiee walk away from a potential fight with you.»
―Madclaw
Madclaw's practice with Ryyk blades and bowcasters allowed him to become proficient in combat with both weapons. Additionally, Madclaw's natural strength meant that he was particularly strong in unarmed combat, despite this being a taboo in Wookiee society. These skills allowed him to work as a bodyguard and enforcer on the Grinning Liar, as well as a bounty hunter before that.
Madclaw's strength and size also allowed him to hone his combat skills. Despite this, Madclaw always maintained that he did not care in what way he was talented, merely that he was able to kill anyone who disagreed with him or hindered him in his search for Kee.
Behind the scenes[]
I like the Villie cameo, because most likely Villie would be dead in the Legacy era. But leave it to Villie to cheat death.
—Madclaw's feelings on the article
Madclaw was created by the user of the same name on Star Wars Fanon, the Star Wars wiki of fan invention, in January 2009. The character was expanded nearly a year later by Thomas Rattim, one of Madclaw's fellow administrators on Darthipedia, the Star Wars humor wiki. This was done after Rattim had promised to edit and expand upon the article. The two conceived the expanded storyline in their first article collaboration together, featuring him in the Legacy era of Star Wars canon. This marked the first time that Madclaw had created a character on the Star Wars Fanon wiki.
The character was based upon the real-world Madclaw in a number of ways. Many of the quotes featured in the article were paraphrased from those said by or about the real Madclaw. For example, Chak's comparison of his trust for Madclaw to his trust in the Supreme Chancellor was adapted from a quote about the real Madclaw by fellow Star Wars Fanon author Brandon Rhea. The real Madclaw's infatuation with the canon character Kee also featured into the article.