Thunderclap

"The storm provides!"

- Thunderclap's catchphrase, also his last words.

"You know, we could use your help, friend."

- Thunderclap being friendly to Arlo.

"Do you think you can mess with me?! I have seen the eye of the storm, and I forgot what fear is!"

- Thunderclap

Thunderclap is a major antagonist in the 2015 Disney/Pixar film ''The Good Dinosaur. He is a pterosaur called a Nyctosaurus'', who is the leader of a gang of other pterosaurs.

He is voiced by Steve Zahn, who also voiced Monty and portrayed Cliff.

Official Biography
"The Pterodactyls are a search-and-"rescue" team of five. They like to sit back and let the often-treacherous storms in this part of the world do their dirty work, then reap the benefits of the devastation. But when these flying hunter-scavengers set their sights on Spot and Arlo, they’re in for a big surprise."

The Good Dinosaur
Like the other members of his flock, Thunderclap is a scavenger that follows storms to prey on trapped critters. He seems to be slightly deranged, having a sort of fascination and veneration for storms. He claims that he used to be scared and shy until he had a "relevation" when he saw "the Eye" of a storm. He believes that the storm freed him of fear. Thus, he renamed himself "Thunderclap", going by the motto that "the storm provides."

Following a violent storm, Arlo and Spot are found by the Pterosaur flock. At first, Thunderclap pretends to be friendly to Arlo; recounting to him his story. However, his true motives become apparent when he eats a small fox whole that Arlo helped to free. Thunderclap and the others then set their sights on Spot. Arlo and Spot flee and are saved when two young T-Rexes named Nash and Ramsey come to the rescue and scare the pterosaurs away.

Some time later, Arlo and Spot are stuck in yet another storm. Thunderclap and his gang find them again and they succeed in taking away Spot this time. With a newly-found courage, Arlo faces off the pterosaurs and easily defeats them. Spot then tears a hole in Thunderclap's left wing and as he tries to fly away, Arlo throws a stick at him and Thunderclap is rendered flightless as he crashes into the river.

It is unknown what happens to him after this, but it can be presumed that he either drowns, washes ashore, weakens, or is unable to fly ever again.

Personality
Thunderclap used to be frightful of the world around him. This changed when he was caught in a storm which no longer made him afraid. Following this, Thunderclap had a "revelation", realizing that the storm saved his life, therefore he must follow it. The experience made him obsessed with the storm's power, turning him into a sadistic scavenger as he relied more on the animals caught in the storm, gleefully devouring them every time. While he may come across as affable towards dinosaurs at first, Thunderclap is unforgiving towards dinosaurs who help his prey escape, with no qualms towards harming them afterwards. Despite being in a group, he does not consider the other pterodactyls as his friends but rather fellow followers. He will not hesitate to fight them for any meal found. Any meal that manages to escape, he will pursue them relentlessly until they are devoured.

Trivia

 * The other four members of Thunderclap's gang are each a different species: Caulkicephalus, Guidraco, and two Ludodactylus.
 * Real Nyctosaurus do not have teeth or wing claws like Thunderclap does.
 * Thunderclap is also similar to Charles Muntz from Up.
 * They both don't appear until mid-way in the film.
 * They both pose as heroes.
 * They both initially seem friendly to the main protagonist.
 * Thunderclap is also very similar to Soto from Ice Age.
 * They are both prehistoric animals (Soto was a Smilodon and Thunderclap was a Nyctosaurus).
 * They both share the same goal: to eat a human child (Spot and Rushan) and to kill the protectors of that child. Thunderclap, however, did not create his goal as an act of revenge against the humans.
 * While it is certain Soto dies after the final battle, Thunderclap's (and his gang's) fate is uncertain as he could've survived riding down the stream.
 * He shares his name with a monster of the week from Sailor Moon.
 * Thunderclap is also similar to Mrs. Griffin &amp; Mr. Griffin from All Creatures Big and Small.
 * Three of them are flying creatures.
 * Three of them want to eat the heroes.
 * Three of them fail to eat the heroes. Unlike Mrs. Griffin & Mr. Griffin who keep failing, Thunderclap only fails twice, but he's more sadistic while Mrs. Griffin & Mr. Griffin act like dimwits.