Character bios
Clayton: After joining an expedition to Africa, William Cecil Clayton served as a guide and bodyguard to professor Porter and his daughter Jane. As a result, Clayton appeared to be a chivalrous gentleman, using his experience as a hunter to protect the Porters on their journey. Once the trio began their search for Gorillas in the African jungle, Jane wanders off and is pursued by a group of baboons. Despite this encounter, Jane manages to survive after being liberated by a Wildman. With the introduction of Tarzan, Clayton made several attempts to gain the location of his gorilla family; However, Tarzan was unable to cooperate since Jane's teachings were a distraction. A few days later, a cargo ship arrives to pick up the explorers.
As the captain's crew began to pack their luggage, Jane tries to reason with the Captain, requesting more time to explore. However, the commander denies her requests due to his fear of falling behind Schedule. As a result, Clayton blames the young maiden for wasting their resources to educate a Wildman. Once his plans appear to be thwarted, Clayton prepares for his journey back to England until he subsequently discovers Tarzan's affection for Jane. As a result, the poacher manipulates Tarzan's emotions, causing him to release his family's location. Not long after the trio meet the gorillas in his troop, Tarzan's adopted father, Kerchak attempts to kill Clayton. Because of this, Tarzan wrestles Kerchak to the ground and places his father in a chokehold. Eventually Clayton reveals his true nature once he betrays the Wildman's trust and captures all the gorillas in his troop.
Gaston: Once regarded as the local hero, Gaston was a an arrogant, hunter who owned a large tavern; located in a small French, village. As a hunter, Gaston gained popularity after killing several animals, collecting their heads as trophies. After returning from a hunting trip, Gaston pursued an intelligent young woman named Belle. Despite his status amongst the women in his village, Belle, often rejected his advances, showing no signs of romantic interest. As a result, Gaston became smitten with her beauty and attempted to gain her affection with an organized wedding; However, Belle managed to escape his proposal. In order to lift his spirits, villagers in the tavern begin to sing about the hunters greatness. Not long after the festivities, Belle's eccentric father; Maurice, arrives at the tavern and warns the villagers that his daughter was being held captive by a monster. Despite his best efforts, the villagers find his claims to be absurd and throw him out of the tavern.
As a result, Gaston Seizes the moment at hand, striking a deal with Monsieur D'Arque; owner of the local asylum, to blackmail the young maiden with allusions pertaining to her father's captivity. After Maurice returns to the cottage with his daughter, Gaston assembles the villagers and alerts the asylum owner. Once the villagers have gathered outside, D'Arque orders his men to drag Maurice towards their carriage. As the men prepared to carry her father away, the arrogant, hunter pressures the young woman into marriage with threats alluding to him serving time in a mental institution. Appalled by his actions, Belle refused to marry Gaston and managed to prove her father's claims by using the magic mirror that the monster gave her. Once his plans begin to unravel, Gaston descends into madness and grabs the mirror from Belle. Consumed by anger, Gaston manipulates the villagers to storm the monster's castle. In order to spare the prince's life, Belle tries to reason with the hunter, but ultimately fails once he discovers her affections for the beast.
As Gaston reached the castle of the cursed prince, the hunter and his troops manage to infiltrate the monster's fortress. After the villagers began to raid his castle, Adam's servants launch an attack on the intruders, forcing them to retreat. Amidst the chaos of their battle, Gaston sneaks into the prince's room and fires an arrow at the monster. As the creature writhed in pain, Gaston knocks him through a glass window and kicks the monster off the balcony. Near the climax of their confrontation, the cursed prince begins to fight back, using his strength to knock the hunter off balance. As the fight continues, the monstrous beast grabs his enemy by the throat and holds him over the roof. Once Belle appears in the courtyard, Adam tells the hunter to leave; However, Gaston stabs him instead. In the end, Gaston loses his balance and ultimately falls to his death.
Combat skills/ weaponry
Clayton: As a hunter, Clayton is a skilled gunmen, brandishing a 12 gauge double barrel shotgun and a machete. Although it wasn't made clear as to which model he used, based on his preference for high quality craftsmanship, the best comparison for his weapon, is In combat Clayton appears to be a brawler and hasn't displayed any significant skill in hand to hand combat, relying on his shotgun to devastate his opponents. However; judging by his build in addition to the high interest in boxing during his era, it can be implied that Clayton was exposed to the sport and might have been trained in the art of boxing. In terms of melee weapons, Clayton
Gaston: As a prominent figure in his village, Gaston was a very skilled marksman, displaying a high level of proficiency with a bow and arrow, in addition to his mastery of the Blunderbuss, a single shot, muzzle loading firearm with a short, 54 caliber barrel, which is made from solid steel and is flared at the muzzle, taking the shape of a trumpet. The Blunderbuss is a short range weapon and typically uses a set of 100, 54 caliber round, lead balls. In terms of melee weapons; Gaston brandished a hunting knife in order to perform a short range offensive/defensive strategy. Despite his initial lack of intelligence, Gaston proved he can be very manipulative and cunning, black mailing Belle to take his hand in marriage in addition to persuading the villagers to attack the beast's castle. In combat Gaston appears to be a brawler who is capable of beating multiple men, using his strength and size to pummel his opponents into submission.
Edge: As a villain, Gaston displayed a cunning and manipulative nature, exploiting the ignorance of the villagers in addition to bribing the owner of the local asylum in order to blackmail a woman to marry him; however, Clayton is much more methodical and deceptive. In his first appearance, Clayton was several steps ahead of his adversary, examining his every move, patiently waiting to set his plan in motion, before luring him into a trap. In terms of combat, both hunters appear to be brawlers without any known training in hand to hand, making it hard to determine which villain is the superior fighter. Based on Clayton's muscular build in addition to the popularity of boxing during his era, one could argue that the hunter might have trained in the sport, which would give him a slight advantage. However, this claim is mostly speculative and hasn't officially been proven. When it comes to their weapons; both hunters are exceptionally skilled gunmen. Gaston's Blunderbuss is a well crafted fire arm that is powerful enough to cause a significant amount of damage at close range, but Clayton's shotgun provides him with a longer range, quicker re-load, and is much more efficient. Clayton gets the edge in combat skills/ weaponry.
Powers/ abilities
Clayton
Strength- Clayton is strong enough to support the bulk of Tarzan's weight while standing on one foot, as the jungle king himself remained standing on the poacher's leg. In his final battle with Tarzan, Clayton managed to cut through thick vines and held his own against the wounded jungle king in a brief skirmish.
Speed- Clayton is extremely fast, moving at speeds far beyond the average capacity of a normal human, placing him among the ranks of athletes in peak physical condition.
Agility- Despite his high level of speed, Clayton is not particularly agile. In his battle with Tarzan, Clayton may have held the upper hand against a weakened Tarzan, but he was unable to outmaneuver the Wildman and hasn't shown any skill to suggest he was capable of performing a high level of evasive action.
Durability- Clayton possessed a high level of durability and was capable of wrestling a weakened Tarzan. The hunter managed to survive a 20 foot drop after tanking several hits from thick tree branches without any apparent effort.
Gaston
Strength- Gaston possesses an incredible measure of physical strength, lifting three fully grown women with one hand. In his battle with prince Adam, Gaston managed to hold his own against the beast's superhuman level of strength. The hunter was strong enough to knock the beast through a glass window and was capable of kicking him off the roof with one foot.
Speed- Gaston is incredibly fast and is capable of reaching speeds above the average capacity of a normal human, which places him among the ranks of Olympic level athletes in peak physical condition.
Agility- Despite his athletic build and speed, Gaston hasn't displayed any notable feats of agility. In his fight with the Beast, Gaston managed to dominate the fight, but hasn't shown anything to suggest he is capable of outmaneuvering opponents in combat.
Durability- Gaston displayed a high level of durability, taking hits from several men in a brawl. The hunter managed to survive a fight with the beast after being tackled and slammed hard onto the roof of the castle. .
Edge: In strength, Gaston is capable of lifting 300 lbs. with one hand and managed to grapple with a monster who possessed superhuman strength, while Clayton could barely handle wrestling against a weakened Tarzan. When it comes to their speed and agility, both opponents appear to be equal. However; due to his age, Gaston is slightly more agile. Despite Clayton's ability to catch up with Tarzan after a long drop, his speed in this instant is a product of circumstance rather than natural skill, since the advantage was not consistent. In terms of durability, Clayton managed to survive a drop that would have broken his spine and killed him, but Gaston was able to survive after being slammed against a castle roof by a monster with superhuman strength. As a result, Gaston gets the edge for power/ abilities.
Verdict: In a battle between hunter versus poacher, this fight would be a contest between Clayton's combat experience vs Gaston's physical abilities. This fight will take place in the forest and end in the Beast's castle. There will be no prep time. The fight begins when Clayton reaches for his gun and opens fire on Gaston. The hunter manages to find cover behind a tree. As the poacher began to reload, Gaston fires a series of bullets. Clayton dodges his assault and takes cover behind a group of rocks. The poacher counters his attack by firing multiple shots, causing the tree branches to fall on his adversary. Once the smoke has cleared, Gaston manages to escape.
After fleeing from the forest, Gaston lures Clayton into a castle. Once the veteran hunter enters the building, Gaston leaps from the darkness, knocking Clayton's gun out of his hand, striking the poacher with a left hook. Once Clayton hits the ground, the poacher trips Gaston. As the two begin to wrestle, Gaston manages to toss Clayton into a wall. Near the climax of their confrontation, the hunter throws a right jab, but Clayton dodges and retaliates with an uppercut. Continuing his assault, the poacher strikes his opponent's midsection. However; the hunter catches his fist. Using his strength, Gaston knocks Clayton through a window. As the hunter begins to lift Clayton's body, the poacher pulls out his machete and slices the hunter's chest. Before the final blow is struck, Gaston dodges his attack, breaking the poacher's arm in the process. As Clayton began to draw his last breath, Gaston delivers the final blow, by cracking his skull against the pavement and tosses his body off the roof. I declare Gaston the victor.
At first glance, a battle between Clayton and Gaston seems like a mismatch once you take all of their weapons out of the equation, however; this fight is actually much closer than some might believe. The poacher is far more intelligent than Gaston. Although the hunter held an obvious advantage in strength, the rest of Gaston's physical advantages were only a few notches above Clayton's physical abilities. Despite his having more experience and superior weapons, Clayton lost due to Gaston's overwhelming strength, superior fighting skills, as well as his own ability to improvise his tactics in combat, using his environment to his advantage.
