It is no secret that the new DC Universe has been off to a very mixed start. While 2025's Superman reinvigorated audiences with hope and managed to become a commercial success along the way, this year's Supergirl has failed to meet box-office expectations by a big margin. Doubts about the franchise's longevity are now arising, and all eyes are set on the DCU's upcoming projects to determine whether the studio could meet a very early end.
Next on the roadmap is Lanterns, an HBO TV series that will expand the cosmic side of the DCU with the introduction of two Green Lanterns fans recognize in a heartbeat: John Stewart and Hal Jordan. After we watch no evil escape these heroes' sight, we'll have a date with Matt Hagen, a Hollywood star who had a bright future ahead until a horrifying accident disfigured his face.
It is a bold move for the third-ever movie in the DCU to be an R-rated, horror-body film starring a B-list Batman villain. Fortunately, it seems audiences will be in for a horrifically good time if our latest look at Clayface is anything to go by.
DC releases a new Clayface trailer, and it is unsettling (in a very good way)
The second trailer for Clayface is finally here, and it doubles down on the project's horror elements. Fans get a better look at the extent of Matt Hagen's new abilities and their unfortunate side effects. Furthermore, we got a tease that we'll see the iconic Batman villain fully transform into a giant clay monster like his comic book counterpart, despite fans' fears that this wouldn't be the case.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway of the trailer is that we now have a better idea of what to expect from the film's story. For starters, the incident that scarred Matt Hagen for life was premeditated as opposed to a genuine accident, as many had theorized. Furthermore, it seems Matt will be able to control his new abilities for the most part... unless he gets angry. Strong emotions seem to get the better of him (which isn't reassuring for someone who acts for a living).
Matt will volunteer himself for an experimental treatment that aims to give him back his looks at the expense of unknown side effects. So when things (unexpectedly) take a dark turn, it appears Clayface will use his new abilities to get revenge on those who put an end to his promising career by disfiguring his face.
It appears that Clayface will be a completely "isolated" movie that just so happens to be part of a bigger cinematic universe. The trailers released so far have no mention of other iconic DC characters like Batman, despite the fact that Matt Hagen lives in Gotham City. As such, it will be interesting to see how this villain fits into the larger plans for the DCU, or whether he will come back in a future project.
It has been reported that test screenings for Clayface have been extremely promising, with audiences drawing a lot of comparisons to other projects like Joker (2019), Vanilla Sky, and The Substance. If good word-of-mouth marketing starts to roll early for the movie, then DC could replicate some of the success that other horror projects like Obsession and Backrooms have found in recent months.
DC Studios must find success with a character other than Superman if it wants a chance to expand its cinematic universe for years to come. Fortunately, the little we've seen of Clayface has been very promising and, with a bit of luck, the full release will be able to meet expectations.
Clayface will be released on Oct. 23, 2026.
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