Matt Reeves’s The Batman 2 may introduce an iconic, yet underrated Batman foe.
A report from Deadline claims that Clayface is intended to be a “big addition” to the sequel of Matt Reeves’ upcoming sequel to 2022’s blockbuster hit. If the rumor is true, this would mark the first time that the shape-shifting villain would appear on the big screen.
Clayface burst onto the pages of DC comics in 1940, after being created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. The 1940 conception of the villain is that of Basil Karlo, a B-list actor who begins a life of crime using the identity of Clayface, a character he once portrayed in a horror film. From there, the character has evolved through several versions, such as Matt Hagen, an adventurer who – after falling into a radioactive pool at the bottom of a cave – receives shapeshifting abilities and becomes a second Clayface.
The Matt Hagen version of Clayface was further developed in Batman: The Animated Series, which drew largely upon both versions. This incarnation saw Matt Hagen as a washed-up movie star who pursues experimental treatment for his damaged face after an accident. However, due to the machinations of a crime lord, he ends up overdosing on the treatment, which turns him into the iconic villain.
Will Clayface be in The Batman 2?
It’s unclear yet which version of Clayface Reeves would introduce in The Batman – Part II, but it stands to reason that whichever interpretation appears would align with the dark and gritty tone of the first film.
The speculation that Clayface will appear in the sequel to The Batman ties into related buzz from the Deadline report of a potential separate outing for the villain in the DCU. The report also claims that Mike Flanagan – who is known for several Netflix horror series, including The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass – pitched the concept of a Clayface series to DC Studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.
As for Reeves’s forthcoming sequel, the report didn’t specify further on Clayface’s role in the film, which incarnation of the shape-shifting villain might appear, or whether the possible appearance would tie into any Clayface series from Flanagan.
In any case, since there has been no official word yet from DC Studios or Warner Brothers Pictures, the rumor of Clayface’s alleged involvement in the film is to be taken with a grain of salt.