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).
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.
' It's important to note that it's this iteration of Clayface that the new live-action movie is based on...
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