Batman 1989"s New Sequel Already Proved How Great A Clayface Movie Will Be As DC Plans Another Villain Spin-Off

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The recent sequel to 1989’s Batman proves how great Clayface can be as the star of his announced upcoming DC movie. Clayface is a classic Batman foe from the Golden Age of DC’s comics. While the character is now known for his shapeshifting abilities, his initial portrayals were more grounded, with the actor Basil Karlo – who lacked superpowers – basing his Clayface persona on a role he played in a film. A later iteration of Clayface – Matt Hagan – would be the first iteration of Clayface to have the character’s iconic shapeshifting abilities, though he lacked Karlo’s acting background.
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, however, the modern iteration of Basil Karlo would acquire shapeshifting powers like Matt Hagan, making for a fascinating combination – as Karlo became a murderous former actor with the ability to convincingly mimic anybody, thanks to both his powers and background. Clayface has made many appearances in animated productions over the years but has had relatively few live-action iterations, with all being television appearances. With a Clayface movie due to begin filming early in 2025, the classic Batman villain will finally make his live-action cinematic debut.
Clayface Is Finally Coming To Live-Action Close Arguably, the first live-action version of Clayface was known as False-Face, a 1966 Batman villain played by Malachi Throne. The Batman ’66 comics retroactively revealed him to be an amalgamation of the comic iteration of False-Face and the modern incarnation of Clayface, with his real name being Basil Karlo. Kirk Baltz plays Cassius Payne (the fifth iteration of Clayface from the comics) and Ian Reed Kesler plays Chris Cassius (an original version) in Birds of Prey, while Lorraine Burroughs plays another original take on Clayface in Pennyworth.
Retcons aside, the first live-action version of Basil Karlo was depicted by Brian McManamon in the Gotham TV series. It could also be argued that the Matt Reeves Batman universe has its own loose adaptation of Clayface in The Penguin. Eve Karlo’s name might be an homage to Basil Karlo, and she notably impersonates Francis Cobb in the show’s finale. For the time being, it is unknown which iteration of Clayface will be depicted in the forthcoming movie, and it is also unknown which continuity it will take place in. It will, nevertheless, have the first live-action Clayface on film.
Batman: Resurrection Introduced Clayface To Burton's DC Universe Close Clayface was also recently introduced to one of the Tim Burton Batman universes in John Jackson Miller’s 2024 novel Batman: Resurrection. Set in the same branching timeline as the Batman ‘89 comics, Resurrection bridges the gap between the original 1989 film and Batman Returns and includes characters from both films while also introducing new ones. While the true antagonist of Resurrection is Hugo Strange, the Basil Karlo version of Clayface is also a major villain. Resurrection depicts a new version of Clayface’s origin, with Karlo using his abilities to impersonate the deceased Joker and work for Hugo Strange.
Batman: Resurrection retroactively reveals that the previously-unnamed Axis Chemicals scientist in 1989’s Batman is Hugo Strange, who would survive the destruction of the chemical plant and assume the alias Hugh Auslander.
In Resurrection, Basil Karlo retains his background as an actor, but his transformation into the shapeshifting Clayface is directly linked to exposure to the late Joker’s lethal Smylex poison. As with many iterations of Clayface over the decades, the Burton universe’s Basil Karlo is a tragic villain, who is manipulated into a life of crime by Hugo Strange. Karlo is notably horrified by the death of Tolliver Kingston (whose death was actually orchestrated by Strange but framed as Karlo’s doing) and the prospect of having to kill his own henchmen while impersonating the Joker and leading the Last Laughs gang.
What DC's Clayface Movie Can Learn From Batman: Resurrection Close The forthcoming Clayface movie can and should look to Batman: Resurrection for inspiration when depicting its iteration of Clayface. The Burton iteration of Clayface blends horror and tragedy in his origin and subsequent manipulation by Hugo Strange, and Resurrection humanizes Basil Karlo, making him a well-rounded character in addition to being a credible threat to Batman. With the Clayface movie likely not including Batman, the horror elements of the character can be taken even further than usual, as there perhaps would not be a formidable enough opponent to counter Clayface when he uses his fantastic abilities to commit crimes.
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