Before the DCU introduces its Batman, his longtime villain Clayface will be the main character in a film of the same name. Clayface is directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and written by modern horror master Mike Flanagan (Carrie). A Batman villain named Clayface first appeared in 1940, portrayed as movie star Basil Karlo, an actor with incredible makeup skills. Later, adventurer Matt Hagen became Clayface, a mud-like shapeshifer, and the live-action movie centers on him. Here’s your primer on the character of Clayface, from his DC Comics origins, to his feature film debut.
Who Is Clayface in the DCU Movie?
Clayface in the DCU is Hollywood actor Matt Hagen, who volunteers for experimental skin treatment after mobsters horribly disfigure him. The treatment makes his skin mud-like and malleable, allowing him to look like anyone, and eventually, anything. This version of Clayface draws heavy inspiration from the version of the character in Batman: The Animated Series, which used the name Matt Hagen, but made him a Hollywood actor like Basil Karlo.
When Did Clayface First Appear in the DCU?
Clayface first appeared in the DCU in James Gunn’s animated Creature Commandos series, depicted as a cold-blooded murderer. Princess Ilana Rostovic hires him to kill a college professor and impersonate her, in an effort to deceive Rick Flag. Clayface fought Flag and Eric Frankenstein, breaking Flag’s back in the process. But Eric Frankenstein got the upper hand and (seemingly) killed Clayface. In the series, Alan Tudyk voices Clayface. DC Studios’ Peter Safran has confirmed this is the same Clayface as the upcoming film, Matt Hagen. The live-action movie serves as a prequel to the animated show.
Who Is Clayface in the DCU Movie?
In the upcoming film, Clayface is a movie star who has an affair with a well-known mobster’s girlfriend. As revenge, the good-looking actor is horribly disfigured. So he agrees to an experimental treatment to get his handsome looks back. But it transforms him into the monstrous villain known as Clayface, eventual foe of the Batman.
Who Plays Clayface in the DCU?
Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, the titular Clayface.
When Does the Film Clayface Come Out?
Clayface hits theaters on October 23
What Is Clayface’s Origin in the Comics?
There have been many villains who fought Batman over the past eight decades named Clayface. The first, Basil Karlo, was merely an actor who could change his appearance with makeup. But from Clayface II onward, all the Clayfaces have been the result of scienctific mishaps which transformed ordinary people into mud-like monsters with the power to transform.
Is Clayface a Batman Villain?
Every version of Clayface going back to the ‘40s has primarily been a Batman villain . However, on occasion, the character fights other superheroes as well. Most of the other heroes that Clayface has faced off with are other members of the Bat-family, like Nightwing and Batgirl.
How Many Different Versions of Clayface Are There?
To date, a whopping eight different villains are going by the name Clayface in DC Comics lore. The most famous are Matt Hagen and Basil Karlo. But the other six have featured in several stories as well over the course of 85 years. Sometimes, these distinct versions of Clayface have teamed up and used the name “the Mud Pack.”
Basil Karlo, the Original Clayface
Actor Basil Karlo, a name paying homage to horror actors Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff, was a disgruntled actor who used his makeup skills to disguise his appearance. Creator Bill Finger designed him to evoke Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera. He first appeared in Detective Comics #40 in 1940. He appeared only a year into Batman’s career. Karlo only appeared twice in the Golden Age. Recently, Basil Karlo returned in the animated retro-noir Batman: Caped Crusader series.
Matt Hagen, the Shape-Shifting Clayface
Matt Hagen is the second villain to use the name Clayface, but the most well-known. He first appeared in 1961’s Detective Comics #298. Hagen was an adventurer and treasure hunter who discovers a strange protoplasmic pool in a cave while treasure hunting. The substance in the pool turned him into a shapeshifting creature made of clay, allowing him to assume any shape. Now able to look like anyone, Hagen becomes a career criminal.
This Clayface fought the Batman for years, before dying in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Because of Batman: The Animated Series, however, Matt Hagen is the most famous version of Clayface. As said above, that incarnation gave him the persona of an actor, not a treasure hunter, as a nod to Basil Karlo.
The Other Characters Who Became Clayface
Several other characters assumed the name Clayface after Hagen. Preston Payne was Clayface III, a scientist who used Hagen’s blood sample to give himself powers. He had to touch others to stay alive, but in the process, it would melt his victims. Clayface IV was the first woman Clayface, Sondra Fuller, who worked for the terrorist organization Kobra. Eventually, she and Preston Payne had a son, a natural-born shapeshifter named Cassius Payne, and this Clayface V was born with his powers.
Clayface VI was yet another scientist, Peter Malley, who used a tissue sample of Cassius Payne’s to give himself powers. Clayface VII was Todd Russell, whose past was somewhat of a mystery. He fought Catwoman, and it seems he was a military officer who gained powers like Hagen’s via a government experiment. Clayface VIII was a firefighter who gained his powers in a chemical explosion. The Riddler then manipulates him into a life of crime. He eventually found redemption and became Batman’s ally.
What Are Clayface’s Powers?
The Clayfaces, at least from Matt Hagen forward, can transform their clay bodies into all kinds of shapes, and into a variety of sizes. They have the power to extend limbs, and transform them into blunt weapons or blades. They can alter their height and weight, which gives them all a degree of super strength. Most of the Clayfaces are extraordinarily hard to kill, as their body tends to regenerate even after seeming inert.
Can Clayface Transform Into Anyone?
The Matt Hagen version of Clayface can mimic anyone’s appearance, and even the appearance of animals. He can also perfectly duplicate anyone’s voice patterns. However, if he’s copying a metahuman, he can’t duplicate their powers and abilities. His copying ability extends only to external appearances. The longer he stays in a form that’s not his own, the more he loses his own human identity, and even his own memories.
Can Clayface become another Batman villain who finds solo movie success like the Joker? We’ll find out when Clayface hits theaters on October 23.
The post Who Is Clayface? DCU Movie Character, Comics History, Powers Explained appeared first on Nerdist.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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