It’s slow-going, but the latest Batman villain to get his own movie is making real progress. As hard as it is to believe, the Dark Knight’s monstrous foe Clayface is set to be the star of one of the DCU’s first big feature films and fans are buzzing about what it might include.

Fans everywhere were stunned at the announcement when a report detailed how horror icon Mike Flanagan was writing a film based on Clayface. But James Gunn confirmed the news and months later, the film found a director in Speak No Evil’s James Watkins. Fans have been waiting to hear anything more about the film, but the closest they’ve gotten was a report via The Wrap that Hossein Amini was hired to rewrite the film. There are little details known about the film, but there are some things that the film absolutely has to get right to satisfy fans.

Clayface Must Dive Deep Into the Villain’s Tragic Origins

How A Promising Talent Went Down a Dark Path

Clayface might not be as well-known as some of Batman’s other foes like Joker, Riddler, or Two-Face, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a compelling story to tell. To be fair, there have been a lot of different Clayfaces over the years, but the most commonly-used one these days is the very first Clayface, Basil Karlo. He might not look like a monster these days, but once upon a time, he was a rising talent in the acting field and could have been one of the greats.

Unfortunately, Karlo’s career went down the tubes when he was in a car crash, which ruined the good looks he relied on as an actor. Karlo was determined to keep his career by any means necessary, so to restore his visage, Karlo began abusing a putty known as Renu, a toxic product that could allow people to completely change their appearance. Karlo was driven to try and rob a warehouse of its Renu, only to be completely covered in the substance, transforming him into his more powerful alter ego, Clayface.

It’s a bit of a gambit to make a movie starring a villain, but the truth is, tragic stories are often some of the most compelling. Clayface’s origins are tragic, as he never wanted anything other than to be an actor, which he actually found success at. Unfortunately, fate had other things in mind for him. If the Clayface movie really wants a solid, emotional core, it needs to embrace the most harrowing parts of his origins to remind audiences that Clayface is indeed human.

Clayface’s Powers Must Be Creative and Well-Executed

Don’t Just Have Him Be a Spectacle, Have Him Perform

While Clayface was placed in the role of the villain, he doesn’t generally operate in the same way most of Batman’s villains do. Sure, he’s not the only bad guy with powers. But what really separates him from the Banes, Poison Ivies, and Ra’s al Ghuls of the world is that Clayface has an incredibly unique power set. Thanks to his radically changed physiology, Karlo can transform his body in any way he wants, often turning his arms into swords or hammers and even growing in size.

But it’s not just enough that Clayface appear as a giant mobile blob of goop that can turn his body into a weapon. A significant part of his lore is that Clayface can copy someone exactly, right down to the most fundamental part of their DNA. This allows him to easily ᴀssume someone’s idenтιтy and, thanks to his remarkable acting talent, he usually gets away with it. As cool as it is to see him transform himself into different weapons, the film can’t ignore Clayface’s ability to mimic people.

Thankfully, fans already know that the DCU’s Clayface possesses this ability as he was already shown pretending to be professor Aisla MacPherson in the animated DCU series Creature Commandos. While it was great seeing him have that power, it’d be even more satisfying to see how Clayface prepares for such an endeavor. After all, actors generally study and work hard to disappear into a roll. The Clayface film has to not only show him using his powers to take on other idenтιтies, but how he does so successfully.

Redemption Shouldn’t Be Off the Table for Clayface

He Was At His Best Working With Batman and the Bat-Family

While it seems odd that Clayface was given a movie before more notable DC heroes, it’s not that odd when one considers he actually redeemed himself for a considerable period of time. During DC Comics’ Rebirth era, Batman sought out Karlo, believing that he could make a positive change in his life. To everyone’s surprise, Clayface rose to the occasion, helping defend the city from greater threats such as Hugo Strange. It was a short period, but one that showed the Batman foe was capable of change.

There’s not much known about the Clayface movie just yet, but thanks to Creature Commandos, fans know that Batman is active in this universe. If there’s a good place for Batman to make his first big appearance, it’s a movie starring Clayface. But rather than just have Clayface and Batman fight, why not show the Dark Knight trying a different method or rehabilitating his foes and offer Clayface a chance to do good for the world? It was great to see in the comics, and it’d be great to see it in the film as well.

Of course, in the end, the Clayface film is going to be different from the comics. That’s just the nature of adaptations. That being said, Clayface is an interesting multifaceted character, and it’d be a shame to lose too much of him in the translation. Whatever comes of the rewrite, Clayface shouldn’t lose sight of what makes Basil Karlo work. He’s a tragic villain with an incredible powerset who, despite everything, has it in him to do good. Whatever comes from the movie, it should reflect the best aspects of the infamous Batman foe.

Source: The Wrap

Batman

Created By

Bob Kane, Bill Finger

First Appearance

Detective Comics

Alias

Bruce Wayne

Alliance

Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family

Race

Human

Franchise

D.C.

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