Clockwork is a violet cloaked ghost with a pale face and time staff, which he uses often. He was voiced by the late Golden Globe-nominated actor David Carradine of Kill Bill.
Appearance and History
Predictably, he lives in a giant clock filled citadel. He oversees time and has time based powers, such as stopping or fast-forwarding, as well as genuine prescience. If people meddle with time, he has the ability to reset everything from just before the person meddled, and he and his section of the Ghost Zone are also immune to alternate time paths or paradoxes. He can use amulets to bring people or things into the past, present or future. Due to his time-based nature, he will constantly switch between his child form to adult form to old form (it is unclear which, if he has one, is his true form, although his voice matches most with his adult form). This also follows a specific pattern: Child, Old, Adult, etc.
The Ultimate Enemy
He first appeared in The Ultimate Enemy, serving his annoying employers, the Observants, to destroy Danny Phantom to prevent the existence of the evil Dark Danny, but Clockwork had other ideas.
Clockwork sent in Box Lunch and Skulktech 9.9 ghost from the future to battle with the present Danny Phantom, which led to Danny, Sam and Tucker to finding Clockwork's lair. There they met Clockwork, who was charged with destroying Danny Phantom and preventing Dark Danny's existence. Danny attempts to fight Clockwork, but Clockwork's power of time prove too strong, allowing him to pause, rewind and fast forward the fight. Tucker used the time medallions to give them a slight advantage, only for them to escape into Danny's evil future.
After the harsh reality of facing the future and battling with Dark Danny, trapping him in the Fenton Thermos , Clockwork intervened, saving Danny's friends and family from their deaths, revealing he knew these events would happen. He explains by saying; "The Observants look at time like they're watching a parade, one thing after another passing by in sequence right in front of them. I see the parade from above, all the twists and turns it might -or might not- take." He gave Danny a second chance at changing his life so that the horrible future the boy saw never happens, taking the Fenton Thermos holding Dark Danny with him to his timeless lair.
Afterwards, the Observants, angry with Clockwork interacting with Danny, forces on Clockwork the responsibility of Danny's life, along with Dark Danny's existence outside of time. Clockwork replies in confidence, "I know, but then... I know everything."
Masters of All Time
He makes his second appearance in Masters of All Time. Danny turned to Clockwork for help when Vlad infected Sam and Tucker with ecto-acne. He at first advises Danny not to try and change the past, but eventually agreed to let Danny try, if only to teach him a lesson, though he said, "I'm the Ghost of Time, not the Ghost of Miracle Cures." When Danny went back to him hoping to once again go back, Clockwork refused, only agreeing to reset time before Danny interfered. However, he conveniently showed Danny what was necessary to cure the Ecto-Acne he had gone back in time to prevent, and after Danny leaves, Clockwork smiles, hinting that he planned the whole thing as well.
Phantom Planet
Clockwork makes only a couple cameo appearances in the series finale, Phantom Planet. If one has a keen eye, they can spot Clockwork as one of the ghosts in the net who were caught by Danny in the Ghost Zone, and later aiding Danny and Skulker in turning the entire planet intangible so that an asteroid may pass through it.
Personality
As the manipulator of time, Clockwork is a logical ghost who speaks calmly, even under dire stress and situations surrounding him. Being the Master of Time, Clockwork takes a rather neutral role overall to the Danny Phantom world though at times, Danny sees him as more of an ally. One questions what his true motives are or what he plans to do due to his unpredictable nature; yet in the end, Clockwork merely means well in his goals and makes sure time flows in a direction that benefits all.
Powers
As the ghost of time, Clockwork is incredible powerful. He has many great powers, most to do with time
- Chronokinesis: As the ghost of time, Clockwork can manipulate time itself to his will, he can rewind it, fast forward it, stop it, travel through it etc. He can control it to the letter, and the only way to be immune to this is by wearing one of his medallions, he can also control it with his voice, as he often says "Time Out" before he pauses time.
- Creation of Time Portals: He can create portals that allow others to travel through time.
- Omniscience: Clockwork knows everything, most likely because he watches over all that has, is, could and will happen, as such he can't be surprised or caught unready. He also knows all alternatives, as such this allows him to know the outcomes of his and others actions, before they happen, allowing him to be able to pick a course of action that helps all, his knowledge is infinite.
- Manipulation of his realm: He is able to manipulate the screens in his realm and decide what they show, with thought.
- Teleportation: Clockwork can teleport anywhere in time and/or space by will, he appears to have no restrictions. His teleportation follows a interesting pattern, first a giant clocks big hand appears, which spins on its axis in a circle creating a swirling blue portal, once the hand returns to the top, it disappears and he appears in a flash of blue light (and the opposite when he disappears). He can also bring others with him or teleport them through time on their own.
- Telekinesis: He can move people with his thoughts like he did with Skulktech 9.9 and Danny's family when he saved them from the Nasty Burger explosion. This power is visible as green or white energy waves surrounding the people he moves.
- Flight: Standard ghost power.
- Intangibility: Standard ghost power.
- Invisibility: Standard ghost power.
- Duplication: He can create at least 5 duplicates and possibly more. He is able to duplicate himself from different timeline as shown in The Ultimate Enemy (including British Musketeer in 1600s, caveman in prehistoric times, Viking Axe man from the mid-11th century resembling Attila the Hun, future technological advanced Super Soldier as well as Marine Soldier in the 21st century. (Image Shown Below)
- Superhuman Strength: He is strong enough to cut a giant cog in half with one blow of his scythe.
- Immortality: Though Clockwork is constantly switching between his child, adult and old form, he is not aging, meaning that he has some immortality. It is unknown if he can be injured or wounded to dead. He must have been overlooking time since the origin of the universe, meaning he will still do it until the end of time.
Weaknesses
- Clockwork's Medallions: If he has any weakness, it's that his power has no effect on someone who wears one of his medallions Like Tucker, Sam and Danny. Although, considering he watches and manipulates time, anything and everything that has, is, and will occur is already known to him, so even getting possession of his medallions may already be anticipated. As he already stated, "I know everything." However, he also states he knows all possible timelines, but that Danny chose the present one of his own free will, implying that while he has knowledge of everything, he can't predict the exact way time may go.
- Existing "outside of time": Is not something stated, but depending on the source, Dark Phantom may or may not be affected by Clockwork's powers due to existing "outside of time". Some viewers believe that Dark Phantom simply exists outside of a particular time stream since the events that caused his existence have been circumvented, but that he would still be affected by Clockwork's powers in the off-chance he escaped. Others believe that Clockwork wouldn't even be able to predict if Dark Phantom became strong enough to escape the thermos, and that causing a glitch in time would not affect Dark Phantom's actions. however as Clockwork can see ALL outcomes he probably knew whether or not Dark Phantom could be unaffected by his powers, and seeing as he handled the thermos as it was nothing more than a trinket it could be presume that Clockwork can still control Dark Danny. This is entirely speculatory, however, and may not be a true weakness. Regardless of Dark Phantom's ability to be affected by Clockwork's power, it is rather clear that Clockwork is one of. if not, the most powerful ghosts in the series. As shown in the initial fight between the Master of Time and Danny, Clockwork can turn any fight in his favor, or even end it before it begins, with a simple command of his staff. He just plays with him and lets him escape. Also when seeing Dark Danny destroying the Amity Park he speaks about it with mere annoyance and disinterest suggesting not even Dark Danny can defeat him. Clockwork does not use his power often, though, and lets time play out according to the choices of the other characters. However, he will intervene, albeit indirectly, if things go horribly wrong and time needs to be changed back to "the way it's supposed to be".
Clockwork's Headquarters
A giant Clock tower, the home to Clockwork, first shown in "The Ultimate Enemy," it is a place unaffected by time. After that episode, the lair also contains the Fenton Thermos that is storing Dark Danny. The place is filled in with giant screens that show any moment in time at Clockwork’s will, and that can be used as a time portal as is shown in the movie when Danny use it to escape to the future. The screens can appear and disappear at Clockwork's will to see any moment he wants. In the episode Masters of All Time, his castle doesn't have the floating gears.
Quotes
- "That's the problem with you Observants... all you do, is observe."
- "And never act... which is why you bring me in to do your dirty work."
- "He turns evil because he's under pressure for some test? Fine, and perhaps it´s time, for a test of my own."
- "His future is sealed."
- "I did. I sent him back to his own time, or should I say, forward to his own time."
- "You see, for me, time goes backward and forward and... why am I bothering? You're fourteen."
- "Introductions? Fine."
- "Time out!"
- "I could do this all day, but I have a schedule to keep."
- "Then let's see if you have what it takes, to face that future."
- "Now, care to observe the door"
- "The Observants look at time like they are watching a parade; one thing after another, passing by in sequence right in front of them. I see the parade from above- all the twists and turns that might...or might not, take."
- "Everything is the way it's supposed to be."
- "And here we are with you, a fourteen year old child risking everything to save the people you care about."
- "You've given everyone else in your life a second chance. Why not you?"
- "I know, but then...I know everything."
Trivia
- Clockwork is the only mega-powerful ghost who is not an enemy with Danny.
- Clockwork is similar to a Ben 10 Ultimate Alien character, Professor Paradox, since both travel through time and help the main character, although Clockwork was created long before Professor Paradox.
- Clockwork is also similar to Chronos from the Justice League comics.
- His name, Clockwork, is also a term for the inner workings of a mechanical clock.
- His name might be a reference to the 1971 book-based movie, A Clockwork Orange.
- His design, especially in his old self, haves a big resemblance to the common figure of time, the old man in a long hood with long beard and a staff/scythe. Also, the figure of father time or the grim ripper can be seen in his headquarter as part of the clock's bell (the mechanism that hit the clock).
- Been said as "master of time", it might mean he is the oldest ghost in existence, as time is the primordial concept or law of physics.
- He is one of the few ghosts who never seems to display legs or feet of any sort, but keep hovering with the typical ghostly tail.
- Clockwork also appears in the comic Grim Tales From Down Below where he makes a deal with Dan (Dark Danny) to be set free as long as he helps with a task. In the comic it is mentioned that Grim and Clockwork had been working together since the beginning of existence.