Highlights
- Matt Reeves' sequel to The Batman is moving forward, and rumors suggest that the character Clayface may be featured as the primary antagonist.
- Clayface is a complex character with multiple origins and abilities, but his inclusion in Reeves' grounded universe poses a challenge in terms of adaptation.
- The Batman franchise has been successful in portraying a grounded version of the character, and introducing a street-level version of Clayface as a master of disguise and escape artist could add tension and intrigue to the story.
With all the changes seen to DC's movie slate, it's good to see that Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel is moving forward with production. Reeves strayed off the beaten path by not featuring Joker as the primary antagonist, instead shining the light on the underrated Riddler. Now rumors point to a character never before seen on the silver screen taking on the Dark Knight.
Clayface is nearly as old as the Caped Crusader, first appearing in 1940 under Bill Finger's pen and Bob Kane's inks. However, it's not a character that translates easily to a cinematic world closely grounded in reality. Seeing Matt Reeves take on this task will prove rewarding to audiences if executed properly, but how will he do it? Either way, hopefully James Gunn's opinion of it is better than that of Batman '89.
Who is Clayface?
Clayface is one of Batman's more bizarre rogues with multiple origins and various abilities. From the has-been actor Basil Karlo to the former firefighter Johnny Williams, eight people have taken up the Clayface mantle to wreak havoc in Gotham City. No matter who is behind the name, the abilities remain consistent with the ability to change shape and size, duplicate themselves, and wield enhanced strength. This poses quite an obstacle for Matt Reeves, who established a significantly grounded universe for his Batman.
Luckily, the backstory won't be as difficult to adapt unless Reeves goes with the Cassius Payne iteration. Cassius Payne is the offspring of another Clayface and Lady Clay, making him a metahuman from birth and Reeves' least likely choice. Most of the people who became Clayface lived life as law-abiding citizens until circumstances changed for them, putting them at odds with the law and Batman. As nice as it would be to see a highly accurate Clayface in The Batman Part Two with his monstrous form, it's not likely in the grounded universe Matt Reeves crafted.
The Batman was Grounded in Reality
Christopher Nolan set quite the precedent when he developed Batman Begins, but he was onto something. Despite Batman dealing with gods and aliens in the comics, the character works much better as a street-level hero. There's something intriguing and relatable about a character trying to refocus his grief into something productive. That's not to say that audiences relate to a vigilante in a bat costume, but a grounded Batman tells a very human story. Matt Reeves took the grounded idea from Nolan and went deeper with it. And it worked.
Robert Pattinson's Batman wears a crudely-designed suit and drives a crudely-designed Batmobile. These look like things somebody would craft in their garage, which Bruce did. Obviously, Batman uses some technology and science to solve crimes in this universe, but it's nowhere near the scale Christian Bale or Ben Affleck's Batman used. Audiences aren't just told that Gotham is corrupt and its citizens are struggling; they see and feel it with the costumes and set designs.
Reeves further sets his universe apart from Nolan's version of grounded by telling a more grounded story. The Batman deeply intertwined the Caped Crusader with the city he protects, giving Gotham some character. Reeves said that the city is just as important as its protector. It would be interesting to see a series of movies where Gotham and Batman mirror each other. As Bruce works through his trauma and gets better, Gotham also sees improvements in its crime rate or citizens' quality of life.
How can The Batman 2 do a Grounded Version of Clayface?
Using Basil Karlo is the best course of action for Matt Reeves. Basil Karlo was the original Clayface, first appearing in Detective Comics #40. He was an actor who wanted revenge against some Hollywood producers remaking one of his films. Basil used the name Clayface after his previous role in a movie and used a mask before gaining shapeshifting powers. Reeves would need to alter this origin to be slightly less campy, but that wouldn't be the first time Karlo Basil's origin underwent some changes.
Giving Clayface metahuman powers wouldn't work for the world Reeves set forth in The Batman either, requiring further adjustments. This Batman deals with more street-level crime, so turning Clayface into a street-level villain like a con artist, master of disguise, and an escape artist would be better suited for this universe. Keeping it a deeply personal story, much like The Batman Part One, the sequel could have Clayface steal the identities of influential Gotham citizens, including Bruce Wayne. In Scott Snyder's Nowhere Man, Clayface does exactly this, giving Matt Reeves a blueprint for his next adventure in Gotham.
The amount of tension a movie about Batman solving a series of crimes committed by Bruce Wayne would elevate live-action Batman to new levels. Unless they read the comics, it would certainly give audiences something they haven't seen before. Making Clayface a master of disguise and an escape artist, all skills he learned from his acting days, allows Reeves to make the character feel supernatural without him being so, much like Batman feels to the citizens of Gotham City.