Seeing Isn’t Believing: DC’s Five Feistiest Shapeshifters
No two shapeshifters look alike in the DC Universe. I mean that literally, because the shapeshifters of the DCU come from all walks of life and gained their powers through all kinds of means. And over the course of almost a century of storytelling, DC’s shapeshifters have earned a devoted fanbase. Maybe it’s because they illustrate the malleability of identity. Or maybe they just look really darn cool on the page. What I can say for sure is that one of DC’s most infamous shapeshifters is about to make his live-action debut, so in celebration of the Clayfacemovie, let’s look at five of DC’s most high-profile shapeshifters.
Let’s start with the big guy himself. Obviously, no list of DC shapeshifters would be complete without Clayface on it. The only thing is there are a ton of different characters who have gone by the name Clayface in DC comic books. So many, in fact, that together, they’re informally called “The Mud Pack.” Maybe I’m just a weirdo, but I find it sweet that the Clayfaces can find community with each other because as we can see in the Clayface trailers thus far, it ain’t easy being goopy. I would imagine it would be a little bit easier, though, to be goopy with a group of people who can all relate.
You can catch the Mud Pack in action in an arc that begins with Detective Comics #604 by Alan Grant (not the Jurassic Park character), Norm Breyfogle and Steve Mitchell. The arc features a particularly disturbing use of Clayface’s powers in Detective Comics #606. In that issue, Lady Clay (also known as Clayface Four), transforms herself into Batman’s then-recently deceased Robin, Jason Todd, and goads him into fighting her.
Arguably, the only DC shapeshifter better known than Clayface, if for no other reason than the Justice Leaguecartoon. Martian Manhunter is one of the most capable members of the Justice League because of his telepathy, telekinesis, shapeshifting, flight, heat vision, intangibility and invisibility. Yes, Martian Manhunter is who you call when you need a guy in the proverbial sense, because he’s like a Swiss Army knife of superpowers. MM can tackle just about anything so long as open flames and fire aren’t involved.
But as powerful as he is, J’onn J’onzz is the last surviving member of his species, the Green Martians, and he was brought to Earth against his own will. Therefore, Martian Manhunter’s shapeshifting abilities are a powerful survival tool because he experienced the destruction of his own people on his home planet. By blending in as a regular human on Earth named “John Jones,” Martian Manhunter is a metaphor for the particular stresses of being a survivor.
In Martian Manhunter #3 by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake, we see that J’onn had been doing some undercover work on a local supervillain group as an “inept” fellow by the name of “Big Doof.” He admits that this persona may be his favorite, and that it allows him to “blend with the bad guys” and “find out how they think.”
Who doesn’t love a green gorilla? As his name suggests, Beast Boy can transform into any animal, extinct or non-extinct, regardless of whether or not they’re even from Earth. Along with the aforementioned gorilla and other favorites like bears, tigers and birds, Garfield Logan has shifted into dinosaurs as well as alien creatures like Starro, which we saw in the riotously fun Titans: Beast World event by Tom Taylor and Ivan Reis.
While Beast Boy is only limited to shapeshifting into animals from Earth and space, the diversity of the animal kingdom gives him more than enough options when it comes to protecting Earth and everyone he loves (and occasionally annoying Robin).
While Miss Martian presents herself as a Green Martian like Martian Manhunter, she is actually a White Martian, the species that wiped out nearly all the Green Martians in the brutal civil war that devastated J’onn J’onzz. Miss Martian, whose real name is M’gann M’orzz, was not responsible for any of the crimes committed against the Green Martians during the war, as she was in a separate part of space as it was happening.
Even though she is a White Martian, M’gann has the same powers as Martian Manhunter, and she also shares J’onn’s weakness to fire. Despite her lack of involvement, the destruction of the Green Martians is something that Miss Martian feels tremendous guilt for, and it’s understandable that she would not want to remain in her White Martian form if she can help it.
In Titans #30 by Dan Abnett, Minkyu Jung, John Dell, Scott Hanna, Adriano Lucas and Dave Sharpe, M’Gann unleashes the full power of her White Martian form in order to subdue a rampaging Beast Boy. This surprised the other Titans, because they all believed that she was a Green Martian like Martian Manhunter. Nevertheless, revealing her true nature as a White Martian was a brave act by Miss Martian that earned the trust and support of her fellow heroes.
Metamorpho’s name says it all: he is the Element Man. You may have first encountered Metamorpho in the 2025 Superman movie, where his ability to transform his body into elemental compounds was on full display, earning him the title of “squiggle man” by Mister Terrific. But in DC comics, Metamorpho’s lore runs deep, all the way back to The Brave and the Bold #57 from 1965.
Metamorpho was originally an archaeologist named Rex Mason who was transformed after he had a run-in with a radioactive meteorite in Egypt. As a result, Rex gained the ability to shift his body into various compounds from the periodic table of elements, making him a winner for all the chemistry nerds out there. His reliance on the periodic table is front and center (literally) in Al Ewing and Steve Lieber’s series, Metamorpho: The Element Man.
Clayface, directed by James Watkins and starring Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie, is in theaters Friday.
Jules Chin Greene writes about comics, movies and superheroes for DC.com, and his work can also be found at Popverse, Nerdist and Multiverse of Color. Follow him on Instagram at @infinitevibes and Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene and do not necessarily reflect those of DC, Warner Bros. or Skydance, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
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