Clayface Already Has The Perfect Final Form, But Not In The DCU

Any character that has been around in DC Comics for nearly 90 years will have inevitably received at least a handful of redesigns and new appearances. However, that’s especially valid for a character like Clayface, whose whole gimmick is typically that they’re able to mimic anyone or anything’s appearance (there are also quite a few Clayfaces who’ve been introduced to DC Comics lore, all with their own unique distinctions).

Basil Karlo is perhaps the most popular iteration of Clayface, or at least the one whose name is most ubiquitously tossed about, but Matthew Hagen is an iteration of the character who’s certainly having his day in the sun due to the DC Universe’s newest cinematic franchise, namely the animated Creature Commandos TV series and the live-action Clayface movie. However, while this Clayface’s final form is satisfactory, it was always going to pale in comparison to a Clayface redesign that was unveiled only a couple of months ago.

DCU Clayface Chose To Be Plain Jane, And That’s Fine

Image via Max

Clayface doesn’t necessarily ‘Surf Dracula’ the iconic Batman villain. Still, the character’s final form is revealed fully at the end of the movie, with the back half of Clayface being dedicated to him mastering his ability to shapeshift.

It’s tough to judge this final form too harshly, as it’s fairly faithful to the villain’s traditional design, besides having human eyes and teeth. Creature Commandos’ look for the same character is even more faithful, and with Clayface apparently being a Creature Commandos prequel, these animated and live-action incarnations are one and the same.

The DCU Clayface’s origin story is interesting in that the serum he overdoses on is actually an artificial intelligence and nanobot cocktail. The most fascinating thing the movie does with this is have the ‘clay’ shapeshift him instantaneously, almost jarringly so, as well as having these nanobots absorb back into him; say, if he digs a knife into his skin and blood pours out, it’ll vacuum itself back from any surface or crevice.

Clayface’s ending suggests that his final form is the result of the nanobots having been struck by Dr. Caitlyn Corr’s killswitch. If this is his new base form, or if it’s what he devolves into whenever he’s emotionally compromised, it’s possible that the DCU might reserve this look for moments of CG-laden spectacle. Of course, an upside of Tom Rhys Harries’ performance being so great is that we’re likely to see a lot more of his Matt Hagen, depending on how often he may appear throughout the DCU hereafter and how discreet the famous actor will need to be.

Clayface truly is a horror movie in the sense that Matt’s final form is maybe not intended to make him look like a cool villain who Batman would fight, but instead a hideous, somewhat tragic monstrosity (the asterisk being that Caitlyn did warn Matt how this might turn out, and Matt’s actions are fairly reprehensible by the end, regardless of whether or not he had all of his marbles).

Absolute Batman’s Clayface Is A Work Of Art, Literally

absolute batman 23 clayface kills robin tim drake (1)

Unless Clayface had taken inspiration from the Absolute universe explicitly, there is no way it was ever going to compete with what DC Comics achieved with Absolute Batman’s Clayface. This Clayface is incredibly haunting when it resembles Batman as a massive mud monster, and its origins as a wad of appendages and flesh in Ark M’s K.L.A.Y. biome.

This Clayface has the most unique and creative final form of any design the antagonist has ever had: it presents as a clay sculptor that is an unfinished work-in-progress itself, and can fashion molds of anyone or anything that comes into contact with it. Clayface made a big impression when it arrived to impersonate Batman and kill one of Joseph “Jack” Grimm’s Robins, Tim Drake, and it has since vanished.

It’s unknown when we’ll see either the DCU’s Clayface or Absolute Batman’s Clayface again. Either way, the Batmen in these respective universes will have their hands full.