Clayface is Ready For His Close-Up
Clayface: My career, my life, IT’S GONE AND I CAN NEVER GET IT BACK! I’m not an actor anymore! I’m not even… a man!”
Batman the Animated Series “Feats of Clay” (Season 1, Episode 21)
Death stalks the streets of Gotham City! A man in the prime of life, the idol of millions reduced to a grotesque mockery by criminal conspirators! Mutated by Space Age science, he returns to take his revenge!
Clayface: “Thought you’d rubbed me out, Daggett? We’ve got unfinished business.”
Women cry! Men die! This murderous monster wreaks havoc undreamed by Mary Shelly, beyond the foulest ravings of Lovecraft! But in the dark of night, a blazing symbol of hope fills the sky!
Batman: “Revenge has made you a beast. I’ll bring you to justice!”
Bullets fly as the city is enveloped in a three-way war between the mob, The Dark Knight, and the monster! But is he monster or man? Only this mysterious woman can see the truth.
Orphan: “Your body shifts, but you cannot change who you are.”
Matt Hagan is Batman, the Caped Crusader! With Preston Payne as crime lord Roland Daggett! And introducing Sondra Fuller as the enigmatic Orphan! Horror star Basil Karlo dares you to gaze upon the visage of… CLAYFACE!
Clayface is one of Batman’s most dangerous foes. An actor became a villain worse than any he had played. So who is he? How did he get his powers? Why are there multiple Clayfaces running around? Let’s find out.
Role Reprisal: Clayface’s Backstory
Clayface: “After a lifetime of playing the heavy, the thug, the brute, the scoundrel, I have realized… it was perfect casting all along. Villain is the part I was born to play!”
Batman: Caped Crusader “…And Be A Villain” (Season 1, Episode 2)
Clayface debuted in Detective Comics #40 in 1940. He was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. They drew on The Phantom of the Opera for his appearance, then named his alter ego after Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff
Basil Karlo was a famous horror actor who learned that his magnum opus was being remade. Disguised as the film’s killer, Karlo began staging each actor’s death to match their character’s. Batman and Robin investigated, found the link between the movies, and captured Clayface, who swore revenge.
Another Clayface emerged between bouts with Basil. This one was treasure hunter Matt Hagan, who discovered a pool of magic clay that temporarily made him a shapeshifter. He used his powers to rob banks. Batman kept him away from the pool until his powers expired, but never discovered its location.
Many more Clayfaces appeared, adopting Basil’s connection to movies or Matt’s powers. They formed a team called The Mud-Pack to kill Batman, but were betrayed by Basil, who stole all of their powers and killed them to become the Ultimate Clayface.
Lights, Crime, Action!: Clayface’s History
Teddy: “That stuff makes your face like putty. It can’t be good for you, Matt.”
Batman: the Animated Series “Feats of Clay” (Season 1, Episode 20)
Matt: “It probably ain’t. But unless I only wanna do horror pictures from now on, it ain’t bad for me, either!”
Clayface was reinvented in Batman the Animated Series, which blended the first two incarnations together. Matt Hagen was an actor who used a chemical created by mobster Roland Daggett to restore his face. After trying to rob the mob, Daggett’s men tried drowning him in a vat of the chemical, but instead transformed him into Clayface.
The comics partially adopted that origin. Basil was disfigured in a car crash and used a dangerous chemical to restore his face. He was caught trying to steal more and drenched in it after a shootout with police, transforming him into Clayface. He went on a rampage and was stopped by Batman
This Clayface wasn’t evil, but the chemical damaged his psyche. He was given a second chance by Batman, who needed backup while fighting an army of villains. Clayface turned the tide in Batman’s favor and was allowed to join the Bat-Family as a probationary member.
Cassandra Cain/Orphan was the first to accept Clayface as an ally, bonding with her fellow outcast. Clayface relied on her to keep him on the straight and narrow. They fought together until Clayface was exposed to another overdose of the chemical and went berserk. Batwoman shot and seemingly killed him, but Clayface faked his death to escape from Gotham City and his life of crime.
Death in the Limelight: Clayface’s Powers and Personality
Batman: I wouldn’t be surprised if the body taken to the morgue was an empty shell. Remember that first and foremost, Matt Hagen was an actor. He said it himself, Alfred. He called it “a scene.” Perhaps the best of his career. A death scene so real… it fooled us all.”
Batman: the Animated Series “Feats of Clay” (Season 1, Episode 21)
Clayface is the most superpowered Batman villain. He’s a shapeshifter whose clay body can stretch, form weapons, or create disguises. Clayface has superhuman durability and can reconstitute if a big attack splatters him. Extreme temperature can weaken him and his body is unstable, preventing him from using his powers if he can’t concentrate.
Basil Karlo’s expert acting chops have been inherited by almost every Clayface. He combines his training with shapeshifting to masquerade as anyone he wants. Authors often use Clayface to retcon deaths, claiming he was working for the resurrected villains.
Clayface’s personality is as malleable as his body. Basil Karlo has been everything from a petty serial killer to an aspiring hero grappling with mental illness. Matt Hagen was simpler, an arrogant criminal looking out for number one. Clayface adores movies and references them often, but gives away his disguises by overacting.
The Actors Who Play Him
Kirk Baltz – Birds of Prey
Lorraine Burroughs – Pennyworth
Lou Scheimer – The New Batman Adventures
Steve Harris – The Batman
Ron Perlman – Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League
Dan Donohue – Batman: Caped Crusader
Jun Fukuyama – Suicide Squad: Isekai
Alan Tudyk – Harley Quinn, Creature Commandos, Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
Tom Rhys Harries – Clayface
Didya Get All That?
A villain in the role of a lifetime.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
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