Decades after Cliff and the Master of Lightning met, they had a son, Jay. For unknown reasons, Jay was left in the care of Ed and Edna Walker, along with a key to Cliff's mansion.[3] Despite never introducing himself, Cliff kept up with Jay's ninja career from the beginning, decorating a shrine with one of Jay's ninja suits or a replica of it as well as several photos.[3][5]
Cliff died of unknown causes,[1][3] first in an alternate timeline where Jay was notified of his father's death and received his inheritance as a result of Jay's first wish to Nadakhan,[3] and again after Jay inadvertently reversed those events with his final wish.[6][7][8][9]
Jay made a wish to Nadakhan, then got a letter from the Postman that stated that his father had died. Jay believed this to mean that his adopted father, Ed, had died. He rushed over to Ed and Edna's junkyard to find that both of them were still alive.
Edna told him that he had arrived on their doorstep one day, left with a key, and a letter with Cliff's address. Jay read the letter and traveled to where Cliff Gordon lived. He found that his biological father was Cliff Gordon, who played his favorite hero, Fritz Donnegan.
When Cole questioned Jay over how the latter was able to afford an estate, Jay confided in him that he had discovered that Cliff Gordon was his biological father and that the estate was his inheritance. Jay would later use his relationship to the late actor to secure Cliff's yacht for the ninja to sail to Tiger Widow Island.
Jay referred to Cliff and proposed that his estate could serve as a place for him and Nya to hide as they attempted to evade capture by the Sky Pirates.
Jay related to Unagami, who was abandoned by his creator, by stating that he was also abandoned by his parents and never knew why, but he always hoped there was a good reason.
The character of Fritz Donnegan, as well as Cliff's name, may have been inspired by the comic book character Flash Gordon.
The comic strip was produced at a time when "cliffhanger" endings were becoming popular in media.
Flash Gordon is also a space-faring hero who started in comics and eventually featured in movies.
Apart from the wizard costume, the costumes in Cliff's room use the torso designs and/or accessories of characters from LEGO's Collectible Minifigures line: Viking, Spaceman (recolored), Cowboy, and Galaxy Patrol (recolored).
The scarf on his neck is the same as the ones Misako and Edna have, but in red. This design originates from a recurring City torso.
Trivia
Trivia[]
Cliff's death was not caused by Jay's wish in "Misfortune Rising," as one of Nadakhan's rules is that one cannot wish harm onto another. Nadakhan did not change the past, rather, he simply caused Jay to learn the information,[10][11] possibly by "unsticking" a letter that was stuck in transit.[12]
A clue hinting that his death took place after the events of "Infamous" is the fact that the wanted poster of the ninja, seen in "Public Enemy Number One," is seen in his room in "Misfortune Rising".
However, the poster's appearance is more likely an error or a detail with no in-universe significance: there are other photos on top of the poster, which implies a longer time span, and there are other photos that would not make sense for Cliff to have in the first place, such as the photo of Jay at the Temple of Light in "Codename: Arcturus."
Cliff is the second parent to have left their child while they were an infant, the first being Misako.
When asked what Cliff thought of his wife's powers, he said, "Who doesn’t appreciate a beautiful electrifying woman? Cliff Gordon does!"[13]
However, he also stated that Cliff "was a bit of a womanizer [and] a baby (and wife) would get in the way of that",[14] citing Cliff's book as evidence for this characterization and stating that Jay's mother was the one to drop Jay off with Ed and Edna.[15] He also stated that "something must have been off" in their relationship.[16]
Regardless, "Lost in Time" indicates that Cliff and the Master of Lightning went on their honeymoon shortly after the Battle for All Time, which occurred forty years before the present day, in which Jay was a teenager.[17] This means Cliff and the Master of Lightning were married around two decades before Jay was born.
One of Cliff's photos of Jay is actually of Jay, Nya, and Cole at Chan's Theater watching one of his movies.
Cliff supposedly in the Serpentine War (background left)
Tommy Andreasen implied that one of the fighters in the Serpentine War from "Spellbound" was Cliff, stating that fighting alongside an Elemental Master would have been a good way for Cliff to meet his wife.[18] However, the character he was referring simply uses the generic design of male rice farmers and does not have the same appearance as Cliff.
If this statement is true, it means Cliff and the Master of Lightning married shortly after meeting each other, as it was confirmed in "The Hatching" that the Battle for All Time took place shortly after the Serpentine War, and in "Lost in Time," the Master of Lightning stated that she and Cliff were about to go on their honeymoon.
According to Tommy Andreasen, Cliff's letter of inheritance to Jay "is most likely stuck in transit somewhere"[12] and Jay has not told the other ninja about his relation to Cliff, because he has no evidence to prove it.[19]
According to Cole in Chapter 8 of Way of the Departed, which takes place between The Hands of Time and Sons of Garmadon, Jay tried to convince Cole that he had "Lightning Foresight" that told him a letter would arrive granting him a great fortune, and he believes the Postman is intentionally keeping this from him.
He is the only adult male character to be portrayed by a woman voice actor, that being Jillian Michaels.
Glen Lakin suggested that Fritz and Spitz admire heroes, which is why they chose to name themselves after Fritz Donnegan. Spitz, on the other hand, has a drooling issue, leading to the name difference.[20]
