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Fictional character From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them are adversaries of the superhero Batman. In 2009, Clayface was ranked as IGN's 73rd-greatest comic book villain of all time.[1]
| Clayface | |
|---|---|
The different versions of Clayface as depicted in Batman Villains Secret Files & Origins #1 (October 1998). From top to bottom: Sondra Fuller, Peter Malley (Clay-Thing), Preston Payne, Cassius Payne, Matt Hagen and Basil Karlo. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (Karlo) Detective Comics #40 (June 1940) (Hagen) Detective Comics #298 (December 1961) (Payne) Detective Comics #478 (August 1978) (Fuller) Outsiders #21 (July 1987) (Cassius) Batman: Shadow of the Bat #27 (May 1994) (Malley) Batman #550 (January 1998) (Russell) Catwoman #1 (January 2002) (Williams) Batman: Gotham Knights #60 (February 2005) |
| Created by | (Karlo) Bill Finger (writer) Bob Kane (artist) (Hagen) Bill Finger (writer) Sheldon Moldoff (artist) (Payne) Len Wein (writer) Marshall Rogers (artist) (Fuller) Mike W. Barr (writer) Jim Aparo (artist) (Cassius) Doug Moench (writer) Kelley Jones (artist) (Malley) Doug Moench (writer) Kelley Jones (artist) (Russell) Ed Brubaker (writer) Darwyn Cooke (artist) (Williams) A. J. Lieberman (writer) Javier Pina (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Basil "Baz" Karlo Matthew "Matt" Hagen Preston "Bill" Payne Sondra Fuller Cassius "Clay" Payne Peter Malley "Todd Russell" Johnny Williams Adaptations: Chris Cassius Ethan Bennett Tanner Freyr Virginia Devereaux |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | (Karlo) Secret Society of Super Villains Injustice League Batman Family (Hagen) Anti-Justice League (Fuller) Strike Force Kobra (All) Mud Pack |
| Notable aliases | (Karlo) Ultimate Clayface Clayface-Prime (Fuller) Lady Clay (Malley) Dr. Peter Malley Clay-Thing |
| Abilities | (All):
(Karlo, Hagen, & Fuller):
(Payne):
(Cassius):
(Malley):
|
A prominent enemy of Batman, Clayface has appeared in various forms of non-comics media, and has been voiced by Ron Perlman in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) and Alan Tudyk in Harley Quinn, among others, with live-action versions of the character appearing on the television series Gotham, portrayed by Brian McManamon, and Pennyworth, portrayed by Lorraine Burroughs.
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the original Clayface, Basil Karlo, appeared in Detective Comics #40 (June 1940) as a B-list actor who began a life of crime using the identity of a villain that he had portrayed in a horror film.[2] The character only appeared twice in the Golden Age, but was the inspiration for the shape-shifting Silver Age version.[3]
In the late 1950s, Batman began facing a series of science fiction-inspired foes, including Matthew Hagen, a treasure hunter given vast shapeshifting powers and resiliency by exposure to a pool of radioactive protoplasm, who became the second Clayface. He retained the title for the next several decades of comic book history.[4]
In the late 1970s, Preston Payne became the third Clayface.[5] A scientist suffering from hyperpituitarism, Preston Payne used the second Clayface's blood to create a cure for his condition, but instead became a clay-like creature that needed to pass his new condition on to others to survive.
Sondra Fuller of Strike Force Kobra used the terrorist group's technology to become the fourth Clayface, also known as Lady Clay. She formed the Mud Pack with the original and third Clayfaces. During this era, the original Clayface used the DNA of Payne and Fuller to become the Ultimate Clayface (as he now called himself).
Sometime after the Mud Pack event, Payne and Fuller had a son named Cassius "Clay" Payne, who, as the fifth Clayface, also had metahuman shapeshifting powers.
In a 1998 storyline, Dr. Peter Malley later used a sample of Cassius Payne's skin to become Clay-Thing when he was introduced in Batman #550 (January 1998).
In 2002, the "Todd Russell" version of Clayface was introduced in Catwoman vol. 3, #4 (May 2002), and in 2005, the Johnny Williams version of Clayface was introduced in Batman: Gotham Knights #60 (February 2005).
The original version of Clayface, Basil Karlo, first appeared in Detective Comics #40 (June 1940).[6] He is a B-list actor who is driven insane when he hears that a remake of the classic horror film he had starred in, Dread Castle, would be shot without him acting in the film, even though he is to be one of the advising staff. Donning the costume of Clayface, a villain he once played in a different movie, he begins killing the actors playing characters he killed in the order and way they die in the film, along with someone who knew his identity. Last, he plans to murder the actor playing the Clayface killer. He is foiled by Batman and Robin.[7]
He reappears after the prison ambulance he is riding in plunges off a cliff. He once again dons the mask of Clayface and targets Bruce Wayne's fiancée, Julie Madison. Once again, the Dynamic Duo foil his plans.[8] A movie buff, Batman co-creator Bob Kane states that the character was partially inspired by the 1925 Lon Chaney, Sr. version of The Phantom of the Opera and that the name of the character came from a combination of Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.[9]
While Earth-One's version of Clayface has a similar history, he was only seen in a flashback as Alice Chilton reminiscences about Bruce Wayne's growth from when her son Joe Chill shot Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne to his path to becoming Batman.[10]
Clayface was later killed by John Carlinger during his attack on Carlinger's yacht.[11]
In the Post-Crisis continuity, Karlo languishes in a prison hospital, when the current Clayface (Sondra Fuller) visits him out of curiosity. Karlo proposes an alliance between all living Clayfaces to kill Batman and did an attempt to resurrect Matt Hagen. He even arranges for a small piece of the remains of Matt Hagen to be gathered to make him a post-mortem member of the "Mud Pack", as the group called itself. Even though the "Mud Pack" is defeated, Karlo injects himself with blood samples from Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller, gaining the abilities to shapeshift and melt with a touch; he becomes the self-declared "Ultimate" Clayface. He is defeated by the combined efforts of Batman and Looker of the Outsiders by overloading his abilities, making him melt into the ground. He literally sinks into the Earth's crust when he loses control of his powers;[12][13] he survives, however, and now his body sports crystals similar to quartz that endow him with greater power. Karlo escapes his underground prison when Gotham City is struck by a great cataclysm. He captures Batman and is about to kill him, but he gets into a feud with Mr. Freeze about who has a right to kill Batman. Using that distraction, Batman soundly defeats both of them.[14]
In Batman: No Man's Land, Karlo holds Poison Ivy prisoner in Robinson Park. After she is freed from her prison by Batman, Poison Ivy battles and defeats Karlo, sinking him deep into the ground. It appears that the Ultimate Clayface is destroyed in this battle.[15]
In Infinite Crisis, Clayface resurfaces as a member of Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.[16]
Later, he seeks to increase his already formidable powers by absorbing Wonder Woman (a clay construct similar to him), giving him an amount of powers that border on invulnerability. While he is successful in absorbing some of the heroine's powers, causing her to regress to a teenage appearance resembling Donna Troy, he is ultimately returned to normal when Wonder Woman and Donna were able to trick Clayface into entering a train carriage with Wonder Woman while she was disguised as Donna, Donna subsequently using the Lasso of Truth to swing the carriage around and turn it into a mystical centrifuge, causing the clay Clayface had taken from Wonder Woman to split away from him and re-merge with Wonder Woman due to the differences between the two types of clay.[17]
Basil Karlo is among the members of the Injustice League and is among the villains seen in Salvation Run.
In Final Crisis, Clayface joins Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains. He triggers an explosion at the Daily Planet under Libra's orders when Lex Luthor orders Libra to do something that will draw Superman to them.[18]
Black Mask attempts to control Karlo by implanting a device in his body. He escapes Black Mask, but is captured and imprisoned by the Outsiders.[19]
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. His origin is given in the Batman: The Dark Knight storyline “Clay”. As a child, Basil Karlo came from a poor family. Still, they were able to afford the necessities. Karlo, desperate to become noticed, decided to join his school’s acting program, but was repeatedly turned down. As Karlo grew up, he joined more and more acting programs, and kept getting denied. One day, Karlo heard from a fellow actor Penguin had access to a chemical formula that would make anyone a great actor. Karlo sought out Penguin, and, finding him, used the formula excitedly. Penguin handed over the formula as he had no use for it. Karlo learned he could become malleable. Soon, he was a successful actor, appearing in horror and romance films frequently. But, soon, Penguin was losing money due to a gang war, and called upon Karlo to give it to him. Turning to crime, Karlo became a killer, and slowly lost his sanity. When he decided to become an actor again, he lashed out at a cast member and was fired. He then realized he had swapped DNA too much to hold his general form together, and became a massive clay creature, able to imitate any and all features except his own.[20] As a part of the "Death of the Family" storyline, Poison Ivy breaks Basil Karlo out of Arkham, claiming she wants to marry him.[21] This turns out to be a ruse, however; Ivy is using him as part of a larger scheme. Upon realizing this, he seeks revenge.[22] Karlo later returns with a new plan: to use his DNA-duplication abilities to impersonate Bruce Wayne and take control of Wayne Enterprises. He even guesses that Wayne is Batman's true identity. However, Batman plants false evidence to suggest that he anticipated Karlo's attempt to take his DNA and tricked him into taking a fake sample. Batman eventually stops Karlo by trapping him in a security system that can only be deactivated with Karlo's original DNA, reasoning that he has changed too much for his original DNA to be present in his system.[23]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Basil is re-imaged as a handsome young actor who was disfigured in a car accident. In a desperate bid to salvage his career, he began abusing an industrial make-up chemical known as "Re-Nu" which, when combined with clay and putty, warps flesh into new shapes and forms; a secret he discovered from his father Vincent Karlo, a former special effects artist. However, the chemical is long out of production, and Karlo resorts to theft when he can no longer purchase it legally. Batman apprehends him during one such robbery, which reveals his secret to the world. Karlo's career is ruined, and his girlfriend Glory Griffin dumps him. Batman attempts to get Karlo to testify against the creator of Re-Nu, Roland Daggett, but he refuses. Instead, he attempts to break into the warehouse where the police are holding his stolen stash of Re-Nu. He is exposed to a massive dose of the chemical in the process and is transformed into a clay-like metahuman. Driven mad, he rampages on the set of the film he was fired from. Batman attempts to evacuate the set, but Clayface flings him off into the distance and begins massacring everyone in sight. As an added bit of revenge, Clayface disfigures Glory, who is working on the film as a production assistant, before Batman apprehends him.[24] This incident leads Glory to become Mudface of the Victim Syndicate.[25]
In the 2016 Batman story arc "Night of the Monster Men", the villainous Professor Hugo Strange uses a serum to transform living and dead human beings into horrific monsters. Batman initially suspects Karlo, who has broken out of Arkham Asylum. Realizing Karlo needs treatment more than imprisonment, Batman asks him to join his team.[26] Karlo agrees, and working with Batman, Nightwing, Batwoman, Orphan, and Spoiler helps to defeat Strange's monsters.[27] At one point, Karlo used the alias of "Matt Hagen".[28] The government agency A.R.G.U.S. creates a quarantine zone encompassing the neighborhood where the creature died, nicknaming it "Monstertown".[29] A consultant for A.R.G.U.S., Dr. Victoria October, takes charge of "Monstertown", the area of Gotham City affected by Strange's serum.[29] Clayface patrols the sewers beneath Monstertown, retrieving for Dr. October monsters created by leaking serum.[30]
Dr. October offers to work on a means of returning Clayface to human form permanently.[31] She asks him to stay in his monstrous form for as long as possible so she can chart the mental degradation he undergoes the longer he remains nonhuman. She also acts as his counselor when he despairs of a cure.[30] Dr. October calls the Clayface persona a "fear response" that occurs Karlo's mind abandons empathy and embraces anger.[32] Batman has Clayface wear a high-technology forearm device (later replaced with a smaller wristband with a longer-lasting power source)[33] that enables him to regain human form without using his powers—reducing the psychotic effect being Clayface has on Karlo.[34] The device is not a cure, as the Clayface DNA consumes Basil Karlo's human DNA whenever he is locked into human form.[33] Dr. October gives him a "placebo" bracelet with messages from his close friend Cassandra Cain (Orphan), which helps him focus on retaining his sanity. After pushing past the twelve-hour mark, Clayface loses his sanity and attacks Dr. October. Orphan intervenes, saving her life by putting the real bracelet back on.[35]
Victoria cares deeply for Karlo,[32] and later calls him a "great friend".[36] Dr. October expresses a desire to test her cure on a less serious case, and Karlo tells her of Glory Griffin.[37] Karlo also tells Glory about the potential cure, although she refuses to forgive him for what he did to her.[35] Later, with the cure close to being finished, Clayface is captured by Glory when the villain First Victim takes over Arkham Asylum and releases her.[37] Glory removes Clayface's wrist controller, and he goes insane.[38][a] As Clayface rampages through Gotham to confront Batman, Batwoman obtains a weapon which can destabilize Karlo's molecular structure, killing him. During his attack on Old Wayne Tower, Karlo is accidentally doused with hundreds of gallons psychoactive mud, worsening his insanity.[32][b] Dr. October attempts to cure Karlo, but the effect is only temporary,[39] and Batwoman kills Karlo.[39] Three days later, Dr. October cures Glory Griffin, saying she did so only for the sake of Basil Karlo.[36]
Clayface did not die, however. Seven issues later, in Detective Comics #981, readers discover that Basil Karlo is still alive and retains his Clayface powers (at least to some degree). For reasons unstated, Dr. October conspired with him to fake his death. Karlo leaves a message for Cassandra Cain and then allows Dr. October to take him out of Gotham City.[40][c]
In a flashback, Clayface is among the villains who protect Ingrid Karlsson during a riot. Before Ingrid was killed by an inmate using a rogue batarang despite the villains getting her away from the riot, she gave birth to Astrid Arkham, who would later become the Arkham Knight.[42]
In Infinite Frontier, Basil Karlo, bringing Killer Croc, Firefly, Cheshire, and Knockout as potential allies seeking a second chance. Then Karlo assures Selina that her Alleytown stronghold will inevitably come to a head with the Magistrate, which can be better served with formidable allies by her side. Clayface and Killer Croc attack Valley, giving Selina a chance to escape into the water, as the Magistrate Croc Tell Basil to retreat and before that Valley destroys Clayface with a grenade.[43]
The second version of Clayface, Matthew "Matt" Hagen, first appeared in Detective Comics #298. He is a treasure hunter who gains shapeshifting abilities from a radioactive pool of protoplasm.[2][44][45]
In Crisis on Infinite Earths, Hagen is killed by the Anti-Monitor's Shadow Demons.[46][47][48]
In Infinite Crisis, Hagen resurfaces and joins Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.[49]
In Infinite Frontier, Hagen appears as an escaped inmate of Arkham Asylum.[50]
The third version of Clayface, Preston Payne, first appeared at the end of Detective Comics #477 before making his first full appearance in Detective Comics #478–479. He is a S.T.A.R. Labs employee who suffers from hyperpituitarism and transforms into Clayface after using Matt Hagen's blood to cure his condition. However, his body is unstable, forcing him to periodically kill others to survive.[2][51][52][53][54]
In the Mud Pack storyline, Payne falls in love with Sondra Fuller, the fourth Clayface. They later have a son, Cassius.[55]
A stunted, emaciated Payne appears in the graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. He is used to metaphorically represent sexually transmitted infections.[56]
In Justice League: Cry for Justice, Payne is killed by Prometheus.[57] He later resurfaces in Infinite Frontier.[58]
The fourth version of Clayface, Sondra Fuller (also known as Lady Clay), first appeared in Outsiders #21. She is a member of Strike Force Kobra who gains powers from her employer Kobra's technology.[2] She later falls in love with Preston Payne, and they have a son named Cassius.[59]
In Doomsday Clock, Sondra claims that she and other metahumans were created by the government.[60][61]
After the Mud Pack incident, Payne and Fuller escape and fall in love while on the run. They eventually have a child together named Cassius "Clay" Payne,[62] who becomes the fifth version of Clayface and debuted in Batman #550. Following his birth, Cassius is separated from his parents and held in a government laboratory.
Cassius possesses the unique ability to separate parts of his body, which can bond with others and give them his abilities.[63]
In Infinite Crisis, Cassius joins Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.[64][65]
The sixth version of Clayface, known as the Clay-Thing, also debuted in Batman #550. Clay-Thing is created when a skin sample from Cassius Payne comes to life and merges with D.E.O. scientist Peter Malley. He has the ability to melt objects simply by looking at them. Clay-Thing is destroyed when Cameron Chase turns his own powers against him, and his remains are stored at the D.E.O. Headquarters.
The seventh version of Clayface debuted in Catwoman (vol. 3) #1 (January 2002), but is not actually shown until Catwoman (vol. 3) #3 (March 2002). This character does not remember his true identity, but it is said that he resembles actor Todd Russell. Struggling with his memory loss, he used aliases such as Brian, Greg, and Todd. Having the power to change into virtually any shape and size, he preys upon prostitutes in Gotham's East End until Catwoman is able to contain his severed head inside of a freezer. There are very few background details given about this character's past. He was in the Army, suffered injuries, and was subsequently experimented on (possibly by the DEO) before losing most of his memory and discovering his new powers.[66] After his capture, he is held captive and further experimented upon for almost two years at S.T.A.R. Labs in Gotham before being freed by Catwoman.[67]
The eighth version of Clayface, Johnny Williams, debuted in Batman: Gotham Knights #60 (February 2005).[68] Williams is a former firefighter who is transformed into a clay-based creature after an explosion in a chemical plant. He first discovers his transformation after he accidentally kills a prostitute; horrified and stricken with guilt, he plans to commit suicide.
Before he can do so, he is approached by Hush and the Riddler, who tell him that the chemicals turned him into the latest Clayface. They begin to manipulate Williams, promising a cure if he does their bidding. This includes pretending to be Tommy Elliot (Hush's true identity) and Jason Todd to hurt Bruce Wayne.[69][70]
Elliot also takes some samples from Williams to try and determine how he can duplicate the shapeshifting aspects of Clayface without losing his original form, also using these samples to infect Batman's ally Alfred Pennyworth with a virus that allows Hush to exert some degree of control over Alfred, forcing him to commit murder. Eventually, Williams realizes he is being manipulated and Hush will never help him after Hush tries to steal a sample of Cassius.
Knowing that he is going to die, Williams offers Batman assistance against Hush in exchange for protecting his family. He redeems himself by providing Batman with a sample of himself so that Batman can find a cure for the virus infecting Alfred.[71]
Each of the Clayfaces have different powers, but they all share the ability to shapeshift.
John Carlinger was a renowned actor and director who held a film exhibition aboard the yacht Varania III. Basil Karlo, the original Clayface, assaulted Carlinger with murderous intent because Carlinger neglected to "invite" him to the event, but Carlinger killed Karlo instead. Feeling threatened by a few actors attending the exhibition who were rumored to be demanding an audit of his production company's finances, Carlinger used Karlo's alter ego to mask his true identity and intentions when he gunned these actors down in cold blood. Batman deduced "Clayface's" true identity by the water-solubility of his makeup, revealing it to be a type of makeup used by modern actors instead of the greasepaint Karlo was more likely to use. Batman punched Carlinger's lights out and exposed his murder scheme, putting the corrupt movie producer's brief stint as Clayface to an abrupt end.[11]
The ninth version of Clayface, the Clayface of Japan, debuted in Batman Incorporated #6 (June 2011) as part of "The New 52".[82] Batman tasks Batman Japan (Jiro Osamu) to fight the Clayface of Japan about 2+1⁄2 months into his Batman Incorporated venture.[83] Not much is known about this Clayface, except that he resembles all of the previous Clayfaces and seems to have their same set of powers. Presumably, this Clayface, as a rival to Osamu, is a native of Japan. Batman states that this Clayface is a newcomer, a samurai, and operates in or around Hokkaido.[84]
In "The New 52", a villain named Jeffrey Bode makes several short-lived clones of Clayface.[85]
The being known as Clownface began as a stray piece of Clayface's body that became unattached and gained enough sentience to morph itself into a mute old man. This man was found and taken to Arkham Manor because of his unresponsiveness.[86] Later, the Joker infected this portion of Clayface with Joker venom, morphing it into an entirely separate killing machine he called Clownface.[87]
A number of alternate universes in DC Comics publications allowed writers to introduce variations of Clayface, in which the character's origins, behavior, and morality differ from the mainstream setting.
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The Matt Hagen incarnation of Clayface, with elements of Basil Karlo, appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Ron Perlman.[98]
The Basil Karlo incarnation of Clayface appears in the Lego Batman series of video games.
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