List of Cloverfield Characters - Main Characters in Cloverfield - Clover

Clover is the production name given to the giant monster that attacks New York the same night the main characters throw a going-away party for their friend Rob. Clover is the main antagonist of the film. Various members of the filmmaking crew referred to the monster as "Clover" throughout the special features of the Cloverfield DVD. Additionally, actor Michael Stahl-David reported that the monster was referred to as "Clover" prior to the movie's release.

While rescuing Beth, Hud gives various theories on where the monster may have come from — which included being from the ocean, from outer space, or created by the government. The monster killed Jason when he smashed the Brooklyn Bridge with his tail and later killed Hud by biting him in half. The parasites that drop off its body during his rampage also bite Marlena, who later dies gruesomely as a result.

Seemingly, according to the tie-in manga Cloverfield/Kishin, and hinted at slightly by the viral marketing websites, a Japanese oil-drilling company known as Tagruato (of which Slusho!, where Rob was supposed to work, is a subsidiary company) captured the monster for unknown reasons. In the manga, the monster has some kind of biological connection to Kishin Aiba, the main character, due to a result of tampering and experimentation of their cells. Kishin Aiba is able to control the monster without it harming him, thinking that the child is its kin or brethren.