Creation
Oscar Clemons was created by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto in the first issue of their 2011 Punisher series. Checchetto clearly based the character’s appearance on that of Morgan Freeman.
Origin
Clemons was a detective in the NYPD investigating the Alfred Coppersmith scandal. He and his partner went to Coppersmith’s home to arrest him as a person of interest. They found out, unfortunately, that they were not the first to arrive, because Daredevil and Punisher had already arrived. Daredevil wanted to bring Coppersmith in, while Punisher wanted to kill him. Daredevil succeeded in apprehending him and handing him over to Clemons and his partner, while Punisher managed to escape.
Clemons interrogated Coppersmith, who had by then received legal counsel from Matt Murdock. Coppersmith withdrew counsel, after he found out from the Public Defender’s Office that the prosecution had no case due to tainted evidence from The Punisher’s interference. The next morning Clemons found Coppersmith dead in his apartment, after being shot by The Punisher. This was the start of Clemons resentment for The Punisher and his violent methods.
Punisher
Clemons is assigned a new partner named Walter Bolt. The both of them are assigned to the case of a mass-murder at a wedding. The Exchange killed the entire family except for Rachel Alves, the bride. Clemons is preparing for The Punisher to get involved and go after The Exchange and hopes that he will be able to catch him before he lays waste to them.
Clemons catches up with The Punisher again after he finds the body of the assassin Red Vulture, who unsuccessfully tried to kill Frank Castle. Clemons realizes Castle is still alive, and is frustrated that he is still out there. Bolt gets into a debate with Clemons about whether or not Castle is a hero, and it is established that the two of them have very different ideologies about how to combat crime.
After 100 Days
Clemons and Bolt get a lead on The Exchange to a mansion upstate. When they arrive, they find out that Castle had already arrived and killed all of The Exchange members eating dinner. Clemons is frustrated because he thought Castle had left already and would not still be involved in the case.
Later, Clemons and Bolt were called to a hotel upstate to help process another mass murder that they believe to be connected to The Exchange. By looking at the evidence though, Clemons is able to determine that Castle is no longer working alone. He now has a partner.
Clemons believes Rachel Alves is working with Castle, because she is a marine with a vendetta against The Exchange. He goes to confront her in her apartment about a possible connection to Castle and finds a laptop that was missing from the scene in the hotel. Rachel convinces Clemons to get out of her apartment and not arrest her, but Clemons has already figured out that she is working with him.
This is not the first betrayal of someone loyal to Clemons to Castle: Bolt testifies about his involvement with The Punisher. Bolt reveals he has been an informant for Castle for several months. The department decides not to suspend Bolt, because he is a local hero.
Clemons is proud of Bolt however, because of how he put his career on the line in order to be honest about his involvement with Castle. The two of them go to interview Norah Winters, a close friend of Alves, about her possible location. This proves to be a dead end, but they continue their search
Finale
Clemons and Bolt are called to a situation in progress downtown at an office building that The Exchange is known to operate from. The police believe Castle is inside slaughtering the innocents inside, but Clemons is skeptical because it does not fit with his MO. Bolt insists they breach the perimeter and stop Castle before he can kill any more innocent people. Clemons and Bolt join the SWAT team sent in to stop Castle, Alves, and Chris Poulsen, (The one actually responsible for the massacre). During the ensuing confusion due to the fog of tear gas, Bolt is accidentally shot and killed by Alves.
After Punisher is believed to be responsible for killing a cop, the NYPD doubles down on their efforts to try and stop him. Clemons is put on administrative leave following Bolt’s death but tries to help with the investigation anyway.
He insists based on ballistics that Castle was not responsible for what happened, and that they were actually set up by Poulsen, but his captain refuses to believe him
He does end up helping the investigation was by convincing Norah Winters to act as bait to help lure out Alves so that she can be arrested. This plan is successful and Clemons has a showdown with Alves in the middle of Central Park. Alves tries to fire on Clemons so that the cops nearby will kill her and she can commit suicide, but Castle removed the firing pin from her gun. Her gun misfires and she is arrested.