Clayface is nearly upon us... and it's a straight-up body horror that tells the origin story of the beloved Batman supervillain. A standalone movie about one of the most infamous baddies in Batman's rogues' gallery is especially exciting... as this means we're just that much closer to meeting Batman in the DCU proper.
The movie, directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, follows Hollywood actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), who goes from the absolute height of his acting career to getting his face cut up by a Gotham mob boss. After failed reconstructive surgeries, he approaches Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie) in order to undergo an experimental procedure that restores his face... but ultimately turns him into something else entirely.
But who is Matt Hagen? Did we originally meet him in DC Comics? Well, yes, but the movie took most of its inspiration from an episode of Batman: The Animated Series... Don't worry, we explain below (and without any spoilers to boot).
Who is Matt Hagen?
There have been several iterations of Clayface (eight to be exact), with the character Basil Karlo, a B-list movie actor, making his first appearance as the shapeshifting villain all the way back in Detective Comics #40 circa 1940. Matt Hagen was introduced in Detective Comics #268 circa 1962 as not an actor, but a treasure hunter who becomes Clayface after stumbling into a radioactive pool of protoplasm.
Matt Hagen is reimagined in Batman: The Animated Series season 1 episodes 4 and 5, titled 'Feats of Clay.' It's important to note that it's this iteration of Clayface that the new live-action movie is based on... not the treasure-hunting Matthew Hagen we meet in the comics (which has indeed been confirmed by Mike Flanagan). In BTAS, Matt is a successful actor whose face becomes permanently disfigured in a car accident.
Desperate, he buys a 'miracle' chemical cream called Renuyu from corrupt businessman and Gotham mobster Rolan Daggett (who is an enemy of the Wayne family in the comics). The cream restores his face, but also gives him the ability to change it to that of anyone he comes into contact with. A fight with Daggett and his henchmen results in them holding Matt down and pouring an entire vat of Renuyu down his throat, which mutates his body and turns him into Clayface.
In the movie, it's an experimental cell regeneration procedure gone wrong that turns Matt into Clayface... though it does give him the same abilities: shape-shifting, regeneration, and superhuman strength. The film also takes place before Creature Commandos season 1, which sees an animated Clayface (in his full nasty, goopy, and toothy form) link up with Princess Ilana Rostovic and impersonate Professor Aisla MacPherson. At the end of the season, Clayface is taken to Arkham Asylum. Both projects are canon to the DCU, which means our friend Matt Hagen begins his true supervillain arc sometime after the events of Clayface.
It's worth noting that we do see Batman for just a second in Creature Commandos, which tells us that the Caped Crusader is likely very aware of Clayface, if he hasn't battled him already. DCU co-CEO James Gunn has already commented that we'll see Matt Hagen again in other DCU projects.
Clayface hits theaters on October 23. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows you need to know about.
