William Cecil Clayton is a recurring fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics.
William serves as contrast to Tarzan, representing what the Ape-Man would likely have become had he led a normal life rather than being raised by apes, and is his rival for the affections of Jane Porter.
When the castaways encounter Tarzan, William pales in comparison to the Ape Man, who is shown to both the reader and Jane to be physically and morally superior.
When Tarzan later reappears he learns they are engaged, and realizing that William's title, wealth, and culture make him a more appropriate spouse for Jane, accepts the fact.
When the boat finally reaches shore the starving William is abandoned by the other survivor, the villainous Nikolas Rokoff, and subsequently succumbs to fever.