Thunderclap first appeared in Spider-Man Weekly #607 (October 1984), and was created by Mike Collins and Barry Kitson.

Thunderclap's first appearance on the superhero scene comes when Spider-Man is trying to help police officers prevent a robber from escaping.

The fight, which is witnessed by Sally Floyd, is over Thunderclap's refusal to comply with the Superhuman Registration Act and Bantam's efforts to bring him in.

The battle concludes when Thunderclap knocks Bantam into a gas truck, which explodes and kills him.

The resulting sonic boom (approximately 2000 decibels) is released outwards in a destructive energy sphere which strikes any matter with which it comes into contact with tremendous impact.