Who is Clayface? He is a Batman villain whose body is living clay, and a name that DC says eight different characters have officially carried since 1940. On October 23, 2026, he also headlines DC Studios’ first horror film, with Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen.
So who is Clayface, exactly? It depends on the decade, because each version gained his (or her) powers differently.
Who is Clayface in the comics?
Four versions shaped the character:
| Clayface | Debut | Created by | What sets them apart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basil Karlo | Detective Comics #40 (1940) | Bill Finger and Bob Kane | An actor in a mask; powers came decades later |
| Matt Hagen | Detective Comics #298 (1961) | Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff | The first true shapeshifter, but his powers wore off |
| Preston Payne | Detective Comics (1978) | Len Wein and Marshall Rogers | A melting body held up by an exoskeleton |
| Sondra Fuller | The Outsiders #21 (1987) | Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo | Permanent powers that can copy other people’s abilities |
Basil Karlo, the original (1940)
The first Clayface had no powers. Basil Karlo was a fading horror actor who, furious that one of his old films was being remade without him, began killing in the mask of Clayface, a villain he had once played.
The powers came much later. In the Mud Pack storyline, Karlo teamed up with several of his successors, then injected himself with blood from two of them, Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller. He gained their shapeshifting and melting touch and called himself the Ultimate Clayface.
Matt Hagen, the first true shapeshifter (1961)
Matt Hagen was a treasure hunter who stumbled into a radioactive pool of protoplasm in a cave and emerged as malleable clay. He was the first Clayface who could genuinely change shape.
The catch: his powers were temporary, so he had to keep returning to the pool, a weakness Sondra Fuller would not share.
Preston Payne, the melting scientist (1978)
Preston Payne was a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist with hyperpituitarism who tried to cure himself with a sample of Hagen’s blood. Instead, his flesh began to melt, and his touch could dissolve other people.
He built an exoskeleton to hold his body together, which makes him the most tragic of the four.
Sondra Fuller, Lady Clay (1987)
Sondra Fuller, also called Lady Clay, was an agent of Kobra who gained her powers through Kobra’s experimental technology. She has Hagen’s abilities without needing the pool, and she can copy the special powers of anyone she imitates.
She and Payne later married while on the run and had a son, Cassius “Clay” Payne.
The later Clayfaces
Four lesser-known Clayfaces followed:
- Cassius “Clay” Payne, whose shed pieces could come to life.
- Peter Malley, a D.E.O. scientist who merged with one of those living pieces.
- Todd Russell, who debuted in Catwoman #1.
- Johnny Williams, a firefighter caught in a chemical plant explosion.
The modern Basil Karlo: villain turned team-mate
DC Rebirth gave Karlo his biggest twist in 2016. In James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics, Batman and Batwoman recruited young vigilantes to train as a team, and the first recruits were Red Robin, Spoiler, Orphan and Clayface.
His attempt to reform did not last. During the Fall of the Batmen arc, Karlo suffered a violent relapse and Batwoman shot him to stop him, a death Detective Comics #974 (2018) confirmed. He later turned out to be alive and left Gotham with Dr. Victoria October, the scientist who had been treating him.
In 2026, DC announced a six-issue miniseries, Clayface: Celebrity Dirt, in which Karlo escapes Arkham Towers to find an impostor has taken his name and face.
Clayface on screen before the DCU
For a generation of fans, the answer to who is Clayface is the Batman: The Animated Series version. Its 1992 two-parter Feat of Clay made Matt Hagen a movie star hiding a disfigured face with Renuyu, a chemical from Roland Daggett’s labs, until he was doused in the formula. Ron Perlman voiced him.
Other notable versions:
- Gotham: Brian McManamon played Basil Karlo in Fox’s live-action series in 2016.
- Harley Quinn: Alan Tudyk voices Clayface in the animated series.
- Batman: Arkham City: Clayface secretly poses as the Joker, and Batman fights him in the finale.
- Creature Commandos: the DCU’s 2024 animated series revealed a Clayface, again voiced by Tudyk, posing as a professor.
Who is Clayface in the new DC Studios film?
In the film, Clayface is Matt Hagen, played by Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries (The Gentlemen). James Watkins (Speak No Evil, 2024) directs from a screenplay by horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) and Hossein Amini (Drive), based on Flanagan’s story. Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris produce with DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
The official synopsis follows Hagen from the streets of Gotham to Hollywood stardom, until a local crime boss leaves him badly disfigured. A cutting-edge treatment restores his looks but loosens his grip on reality, and he spirals into revenge.
Naomi Ackie plays the scientist behind the treatment, with Max Minghella as a Gotham detective, plus David Dencik, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. Our Clayface release date, cast and story guide has more.
Like the cartoon, the film makes Hagen an actor rather than a treasure hunter, and Flanagan has cited Feat of Clay as an inspiration. The film’s answer to who is Clayface is a blend: Hagen’s name, Karlo’s acting career and the cartoon’s tragedy.
The studio’s official description calls it “DC Studios’ first-ever foray into the genre”, meaning horror. Note the wording: a first for DC Studios, the company Gunn and Safran run. Gunn told Entertainment Weekly in 2025 that it is a body horror movie that happens to be set in the DCU, and Safran has compared it to The Fly (1986), not anything campy.
The key facts, as of October 3, 2026:
- Release: in cinemas on October 23, 2026, after Warner Bros. moved it from September 11.
- Rating: R, for bloody violence, gore, language, nudity and drug use, making it the first R-rated DCU film in cinemas.
- Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes, according to an AMC listing.
- Trailers: a teaser in April, a full trailer on July 22 and a final trailer on September 24.
Where Clayface sits in the DCU
Clayface was not in DC Studios’ original plan. Gunn has said it happened because Flanagan pitched it, and it was added to the Chapter One: Gods and Monsters roadmap. Safran has admitted the character is not as widely known as the Penguin or the Joker.
It is the third DCU film in cinemas, after Superman (2025) and Supergirl (2026), but its story is set before Superman. Gunn confirmed this on Threads in April 2026: “It’s the first DCU film out of chronological order.” He added that it is very connected to the wider DCU, though the standalone story matters most.
In July 2026, Safran told Entertainment Weekly that the film’s Hagen is the Clayface from Creature Commandos: “Yes, it is the same Clayface.” The film’s events come first.
As for Batman, no appearance had been confirmed as of October 3, 2026. Watkins told Entertainment Weekly the film follows Matt Hagen’s own story. It is also separate from Robert Pattinson’s Batman films, even though Matt Reeves produces Clayface.
So in the DCU, the answer to who is Clayface is settled: Matt Hagen, a ruined movie star whose origin comes before Superman.
Quick answers
Who is Clayface in the 2026 movie? Matt Hagen, a Hollywood star from Gotham played by Tom Rhys Harries, whose experimental treatment turns his body into living clay.
Who was the first Clayface? Basil Karlo, created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane in Detective Comics #40 in 1940.
Is Batman in Clayface? Not confirmed as of October 3, 2026. Director James Watkins has described it as Matt Hagen’s story.
How long is Clayface? 1 hour 48 minutes, according to an AMC listing as of October 3, 2026.
More from Gotham: everything we know about The Batman Part II and the most iconic Batman quotes.
Who is Clayface to you: Basil Karlo, Ron Perlman’s Matt Hagen or Lady Clay? Comments are open.
Sources: Wikipedia (Clayface, Clayface film), DC (Clayface, Celebrity Dirt), CBR (every Clayface, issue #974), DCAnimated, SlashFilm, TheWrap (release date, casting), Daily Dead, iHorror, ComicBookMovie.com (runtime, Watkins), ScreenRant, Total Film via Yahoo, Collider. Clayface and all DC characters belong to DC Comics and Warner Bros. Discovery.
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