The Giant Claw

"It's as big as a battleship!"

- Almost everyone who sees it.

The Giant Claw is a giant, monstrous, vulture-like alien with appearances dotted all over popular culture, appearing as the main antagonist of the 1957 horror film of the same name. This feathered monster from another dimension came to Earth to lay off its eggs and wreak havoc while it is at it.

History
When humanity spots an unidentified flying object, jets pursue it only to discover that it is a hostile avian creature "as big as a battleship". Like pretty such every movie monster, our heavy weaponry can barely put a dent into it thanks to its antimatter shields. The main character MacAfee and his girlfriend Sally look for ways of destroying the bird, finding the creature had been flying in circles. They find the bird's nest and destroy its eggs, which prompts the bird to start rampaging through Manhattan. They pursue the bird on a plane and after using an isotope to destroy said shielding, the military brings the bird down with barrages of missiles. The bird falls into the ocean, with the final shot of the film showing its claw sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures
When the Angry Video Game Nerd gets his own indie game, he sits down and reviews it, playing through the entire game. On the level Dungeon and Dickholes, the claw appears as a boss that violently battles the player to the death. The Nerd was utterly shocked at this inside joke, seeing how the Giant Claw is widely regarded as awful and unpopular. He then draws out a map of its appearances and ponders where the monstrous bird will strike again before continuing on with the review.

MANOS: The Hands of Fate
In the Indie game MANOS: The Hands of Fate (based on the B-movie of same name), the Giant Claw appears a the boss in stages 3 and 5. He is identified in the game's credits as "Bird Battleship".

Abilities
The Giant Claw is protected by a antimatter shield, which deflects all artillery, including rockets and cannon-fire shot at it. The only time it drops the shield is when it is eating. It also flies fast enough to keep up with fighter jets.

Trivia

 * While during the movie the creature is stated to have come from another dimension, the movie's trailer and the poster claims the bird comes from prehistoric times.
 * The Giant Claw is inspired by La Carcagne, a bird-like banshee from French-Canadian folklore. One minor character in the movie even identifies the Giant Claw as said creature.
 * Cinemassacre ranked the Giant Claw #1 on their "Top 10 Giant Movie Monsters".
 * The Giant Claw was listed #1 on WatchMojo's "Top 10 Lesser-Known Movie Monsters" list.
 * When the film was being made, the actors had no idea what the Giant Claw would look like, so they had to use their imagination during filming.
 * Supposedly, Jeff Morrow, the lead actor, went to see the film at his local town, and as soon as the Claw showed up on screen the audience exploded with laughter. After that, it's rumored that he went home embarrassed and got drunk.