The Task Force X featured in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League may be comprised of familiar faces for fans of the two Suicide Squad movies that have released in the last seven years, but it is far more interesting considering these characters belong to the Arkhamverse. Knowing that, fans are total unfamiliar with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s new Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, or King Shark. However, other characters are more interesting considering the game will continue their canon lore established by the Batman: Arkham series.
Task Force X’s superhero targets carry a lot of what selling power on paper, but the potential for beloved and iconic villains to return from previous Arkham games may be equally spectacular. It would be great if Poison Ivy returned a foil for Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, for example, or if the Floyd Lawton fans know from previous Arkham games suddenly returned to reclaim his moniker. However, the game could throw a lot of surprises at players by reprising Clayface after his defeat in Batman: Arkham City.
Clayface’s Whereabouts Are Unknown in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
The last time fans saw the Arkhamverse franchise’s Clayface, he was a pile of mud that Batman carved his way out of in front of Ra’s al Ghul’s Lazarus Pit. It was teased throughout the entirety of Batman: Arkham City that Joker was not himself, fluctuating between looking completely healthy and sickly diseased at a moment's notice. It turns out that the "healthy" Joker was Clayface, revealing himself at the Monarch Theatre in a climactic boss fight. Clayface is typically popular for his appearance, akin to a horrific iteration of Marvel’s Sandman, but his shapeshifting abilities have also been used well in the Arkhamverse thus far.
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Clayface is seen locked in a cell that has smeared handprints on the glass, with fun Easter eggs as Clayface shapeshifts into a different character when players turns away and look back. Characters he can become include Quincy Sharp, Aaron Cash, and Jim Gordon, demonstrating that Basil Karlo is capable of imitating anyone.
Clayface Would Make for an Engaging Boss in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Because Clayface lacks closure of his own in the Arkhamverse, Rocksteady has an opportunity to rehash one of its most successful narrative devices by letting Karlo impersonating someone important in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The most prominent character that Clayface could impersonate is ARGUS’ Amanda Waller, especially if Rocksteady uses a mixture of the real Waller and the Clayface Waller when she assigns targets to Task Force X.
Otherwise, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s Lex Luthor could be a Clayface impersonation the whole time, explaining how he could seemingly sustain no injuries after being thrown in a shipping container. The possibilities for Clayface impersonations are endless, but perhaps a little too on-the-nose after his appearances in previous Arkham games.
Clayface would also be a satisfying boss fight if he could amass himself into colossal size and take up a chunk of Metropolis. This would make for creative traversal opportunities while dodging his attacks in a huge set piece, and Clayface could even have minions separate from his mass that substitute Brainiac enemies for the time being, giving Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League some much-needed enemy diversity.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League releases on February 2, 2024, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
