Clayface’s Rise and Fall, Explained In Great Detail

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Batman often finds himself forced to team up with his enemies. But his partnership with a certain foe was unique.

It was truly inspiring to see Clayface, the shapeshifting criminal who terrorized Gotham City, use his powers to help people. However, it was deeply disappointing when he gave up being a hero and returned to his life of crime.

Clayface Comes From Tragic, Nefarious Beginnings

Several villains from Batman’s collection of enemies have recently been featured. However, not all eight of these characters strongly resemble their classic, well-known versions.

As a Clayface fan, it’s awesome how the modern version of the character combines the best parts of his original two stories! The first Clayface, Basil Karlo, showed up way back in 1940. He was an actor who used his disguises to get back at a studio for stealing his role. Then, in 1961, they introduced Matthew Hagen, a treasure hunter who became a shapeshifting monster by accident. The Clayface we know now really pulls from both of those origins, which I think makes him a much more compelling villain!

I was so excited when Karlo returned in 1989! He joined forces with three other villains who’d all used the Clayface name, forming this group called the “Mud Pack.” But things got really interesting when he took things a step further and injected himself with their blood, becoming what everyone started calling the “Ultimate Clayface.” Honestly, that’s when he really became the Clayface in most people’s minds, and even DC’s recent Rebirth stories seem to agree!

In 2016, James Tynion IV reimagined the character Clayface, giving him a new origin story. Like previous versions, this Clayface was an actor, but his story focused on a disfiguring accident that threatened his career. Desperate to continue acting, he experimented with a dangerous chemical, transforming him into a shapeshifting monster. This transformation, however, was only the start of his troubles and led him down a criminal path.

Batman Helps Clayface Mold Himself Into A Hero

In Detective Comics #934, written by James Tynion IV with art by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Adriano Lucas, a shift occurs in Basil Karlo’s story. Batman and Batwoman find Clayface—an escaped prisoner—in an abandoned Gotham theater, where he’s watching an old film and remembering his life before the accident that changed him.

Seeing that Karlo had been denied a normal life, Batman offers him a path to redemption. He and Batwoman invite Karlo to join a new group of crimefighters called the Gotham Knights, alongside Tim Drake (now known as Spoiler) and Cassandra Cain, who operates as Orphan.

You know, it’s been amazing watching Clayface really step up! He’s become a fantastic teammate, seriously helping us out with some tough stuff. Like, when the League of Shadows infiltrated Gotham pretending to be Joker toxin victims, Clayface was a lifesaver. He’s even been using the training Batman gave him to get better at controlling his powers – he can multiply himself now, which is incredible when we’re facing a lot of enemies at once! It really levels the playing field.

Clayface seeks to make amends for his past by building relationships with the Gotham Knights. For example, Luke Fox, as Batwing, supports him as Clayface struggles with the deterioration of both his clay and human forms, promising to help find a cure. Clayface also connects with Cassandra after she learns Lady Shiva is her mother, and his attempt to lift her spirits with Shakespeare surprisingly works, helping her regain her focus and determination.

Clayface Eventurally Reverts To His Villainous Ways

Even in comic books, nothing lasts forever. Sadly, that means Clayface’s time as a hero in Gotham City has come to an end.

The recent Basil Karlo story, created by writer Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly with art by Xermanico, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Tom Napolitano, is a one-shot comic released in 2023. It’s part of a larger anthology series where several of Batman’s villains have a particularly bad day. Many fans consider Clayface’s story to be the strongest in the series, despite its sad ending for the character.

This story follows Basil Karlo, who has mastered his powers and reinvented himself as “Clay.” He leaves Gotham and heads to Los Angeles, hoping to revive his acting career. But dealing with difficult casting directors and his own anger issues proves to be a dangerous combination. He begins using his abilities to impersonate – and even kill – those who stand in his way in Hollywood.

Okay, so things came to a head when Clayface ran into Batman – can you believe it? Batman actually came all the way to LA, but not to help! He was seriously bummed that Karlo was back to being a villain. Batman did manage to recapture him and drag him back to Gotham, which honestly felt like a huge step backwards after all the cool growth Karlo had been showing. It was a bit frustrating to see that progress just… undone.

Clayface will appear in a new DC Universe movie, marking the character’s first time in a live-action feature film. The movie, co-written by horror director Mike Flanagan, stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen. However, his version of the character is closer to Basil Karlo from the DC Rebirth comics—an actor whose career is tragically cut short, leading to him becoming the shapeshifting Clayface.

With the movie scheduled for release on September 11, 2026, it would be great to see it borrow some ideas from James Tynion IV’s work. A future team-up with Batman on the big screen would also be exciting.

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2026-02-02 02:11