James Gunn marks 65 years of Matt Hagen's Clayface by praising the "astounding performance" by Tom Rhys Harries in DCU's first horror

DC Studios boss James Gunn has heaped praise on Clayface lead Tom Rhys Harries on the 65th anniversary of Matt Hagen's comic book debut.

"It’s one thing to watch someone become a monster, but another to feel everything that person is losing along the way. Tom Rhys Harries gives an astounding performance in Clayface, bringing an emotional weight to the horror in a way that feels incredibly personal," Gunn wrote on Twitter. "Happy anniversary to Matt Hagen, who debuted in DETECTIVE COMICS #298."

While the concept of Clayface precedes Matt Hagen's first appearance by decades, that iteration of the shapeshifting Batman villain has become one of the in vogue choices ever since Batman: The Animated Series' two-part 'Feat of Clay' back in 1992 helped popularize the character.

Since then, multiple versions of Clayface have graced our screens, including the hammy actor Basil Karlo (voiced by Alan Tudyk) in Harley Quinn. The character – again, Karlo's version – also popped up in Batman: Arkham City,

But the DCU is going all-in on Hagen, with the character first appearing in animated series Creature Commandos before Rhys Harries made his gloopy mark on the troubled figure in live action earlier this month.

Yet, there's been no mention of Batman, despite the Caped Crusader supposedly roaming around Gotham during the events of Clayface.

Speaking to that absence, director James Watkins told GamesRadar+, "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 has also proved to be a modest success at the box office, recouping its budget in its first weekend.

For a spoiler-filled breakdown of the finale, we have a Clayface ending guide. There's also a wider look at how Clayface fits on the DCU timeline.