Clayface is a Batman villain, so you might be wondering if the new DC horror movie introduces the DCU's version of the Caped Crusader.
The film is set largely in Gotham City, after all, so it would make a lot of sense for this to be the project that finally introduces Batman, especially since he was seen in silhouette in Creature Commandos. But does he actually appear?
Below, we break down Clayface's links to Batman and whether any reference is made to the Dark Knight. That means there are spoilers ahead, so turn back now if you haven't seen the new DC movie yet. For more, check out our spoiler-free Clayface review.
Is Batman in Clayface?
No, Batman is not in Clayface. In fact, the vigilante isn't even referenced in the film. Instead, Clayface is a completely standalone DCU movie. Still, DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has said Batman is active at the same time as the film – so he's out there, just not onscreen.
"We haven't really talked about what he's doing during the actual events of Clayface," Safran told Collider. "But Batman is there. This is the introduction to the live-action Gotham. We showed a silhouette of Batman in Creature Commandos, so you know he's around, but this is the first step into the world of Gotham for us."
Director James Watkins also didn't feel the need to reference Batman.
"I wasn't," Watkins told us of whether he was tempted to slip obvious references to Batman into his film. "Because I sort of felt, like the Joker is the story of one person in Gotham, so is this," he added, referencing Todd Phillips's 2019 film. "It's a city of a very many million people, and this is Matt Hagen's story. I didn't want to get too cute. I just wanted to be honest to the story."
Clayface is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows.
