Fans of DC Comics know that Clayface is, typically, a Batman foe and with the upcoming movie set in Gotham City, fans have had some big questions about just how much Batman looms in the story. Now, Clayface star Tom Rhys Harries says that there were lengthy discussions about just how prevalent the Dark Knight’s presence is in Clayface’s Gotham City and it sounds like even if we haven’t met Batman in the DCU just yet, everyone is aware of the opportunities Gotham provides to tell different stories without having to have the Batman present.
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“Yes, we had discussions about that at length,” Harries told ComicBook. “I think that you have the opportunity, Gotham’s so rich and the Batman villains gallery is so rich, is so full of, you know, like real psychologically interesting characters with depths. You can have these different characters and different stories play out whilst Batman also exists in that universe.”
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While Harries answer may not satisfy some fans who want to know exactly how Batman factors into Clayface, the actor makes a very good point. One of the best things about Batman is just how deep a bench of villains he has to deal with. While most people think about the Joker in terms of the threats to and in Gotham City that the hero has to take on, Harries is correct in that there are more stories that play out. We’ve seen it in other Batman-related projects, such as HBO’s The Penguin. Clayface is just another villain being added to the roster of rogues who have had their stories told in the grand history of taking various DC characters from page to screen.
And that may very well be a big part of what makes Clayface so interesting as its own movie within the DC Universe. DC Studios head James Gunn has said that the film takes place before the events of 2025’s Superman and will have ties to the larger DCU. But it’s also been stressed that the film is entirely outside of Matt Reeves’ The Batman Crime Saga. Because it is its own story, it could help to lay the groundwork for what we can expect when we do get to a DCU Batman.
It also, to an extent, takes a little pressure off letting us really get to know the types of antagonists we’ll experience as the DCU and Gotham City grows. Clayface is very much the origin story for the iconic character, following movie star Matt Hagen who becomes a test subject for a procedure that promises to restore his appearance after he’s disfigured by a mob boss. Obviously things will go awry — that’s where we get our story — but getting to see it happen will make things that much more interesting than simply giving us another Batman story because we get a human story. Harries has even said that Clayface isn’t a redemption story, noting that Matt Hagen’s “moral compass and his value system are being challenged the whole time” and that when he finally crosses the line of no return, that’s it. There is no coming back. Sounds like a great way to set up this corner of the DCU to us.
Clayface opens in theaters October 23rd. How do you think Batman will factor into the Clayface story? Let us know in the comments.
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