Batman: Clayface / Characters

open/close all folders

Clayface I (Basil Karlo)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2023_01_06_170050.png

"I won't be ignored anymore! I won't be contained! You'll all learn! All of you! You'll learn how special I am! And you'll be sorry!"

Basil Karlo, the first Clayface, has a very long and very complicated history. In his original appearances in the Golden Age, he was a disgruntled horror actor turned Serial Killer when one of his films got a remake, and he went on a murderous rampage against the cast and crew, before being stopped by Batman and Robin. Originally, he only had a handful of appearances, and had nothing to do with the shape-shifting gimmick that his successors to the Clayface mantle would adopt. That is, until he made a sudden return more than thirty years later, having broken out of prison and formed an alliance with the other Clayfaces, calling themselves “The Mud Pack,” dedicated to destroying the Batman once and for all. Ultimately, Karlo ended up betraying the rest of the Pack and stealing their powers for himself, and since then, he’d made himself known as a dangerous and immensely powerful returning foe of the Dark Knight.

However, in the New 52 and DC Rebirth, his origin was significantly revamped - now taking cues from his origin in Batman: The Animated Series and subsequently portraying him as much more sympathetic. In this new continuity, Karlo was a struggling actor like before, but this time, his powers stemmed from continued exposure to a toxic industrial solvent called Renu, which he became addicted to using to remold his face after getting scarred in a car accident. Unfortunately, Renu ended up warping his mind as well as his body, driving him to become a monstrous supervillain out of misplaced rage. In the modern day, however, Karlo has become genuinely remorseful for his past crimes, and when Batman approaches him to join his new team of Gotham Knights, he jumps at the chance to finally do something good with his life. Since then, he’s become less of a villain and more of an on-and-off ally to the Bat-Family.

Adaptational Heroism: From the New 52 onward, Karlo has been depicted as much less of a villain and more of a desperate, tragic man, looking for a purpose and without full control of what his powers do to him psychologically. Following Rebirth, the Bat-family finally gives him aid and a place to belong, and he joins the team.
Adaptational Sympathy:
- The original Basil Karlo was a narcissistic psychopath who openly enjoyed being a clay monster once he got the chance. In the original New 52 incarnation, however, Karlo is a neurotic actor who suffered a mental breakdown after ending up in debt to the Penguin and being forced to use his shapeshifting powers to kill, making him much more sympathetic than the original in spite of the horrible things he does.
- In Rebirth, Clayface is a flawed and hot-tempered man, but ultimately not evil and became what he is because of his tragic mistakes. He actively resents his condition, and just wants a sense of normalcy.
Age Lift: Pre-New 52, Karlo was a past his prime actor looking around his 60s. Rebirth!Karlo is a young man who became a clay-humanoid much earlier.
All Your Powers Combined: In the "Mud Pack" storyline, Basil joined forces with the other Clayfaces (except for the deceased Matt Hagen) to form the titular terracotta team, only to double-cross them at the end and steal all of their powers for himself, transforming him into the "Ultimate Clayface".
Asshole Victim: Shortly after becoming the Ultimate Clayface, he gets sent burrowing to the center of the earth by the combined efforts of Looker and Batman. While he eventually digs himself out, Poison Ivy later uses him as soil for her gardens in Batman: No Man's Land. In both cases he's such a vile, inhumanly cruel scumbag that it's impossible to feel bad for him (especially in Ivy's case, since as mentioned below and this is an understatement, he was freaking horrible to her).
Attention Whore: In his New 52 origin story (since subject to Retgone), Karlo was often neglected and ignored as a child, and got so horribly addicted to the attention of others when he finally achieved fame that quite a few of his worst crimes as Clayface were committed solely to remain the centre of attention. In one issue, he was so desperate for the adoration of others that he resorted to kidnapping dozens of people, paralyzing them, and forcing them to watch his movies.
The Atoner: While he was an utter bastard before New 52, Clayface's Rebirth incarnation genuinely regrets his villainous rampages and is willing to work with his old enemies to atone for the harm he caused.
Ax-Crazy: Going on a killing spree over a remake of your movie does not imply mental stability.
Body Horror: In DC Rebirth, as a child, he saw his father, a Ray Harryhausen expy, mold his face with a substance called Renu. After suffering from a grave car accident just as he was getting his big break, he began using the remainder of his father's stock of Renu to restore his mangled face. When his supply started running low, he tried to buy more, only to learn the product (which was made to mold plastic, and explicitly warned against application to skin) had been discontinued twenty years before... because it had the tendency to melt off people's hands. The fact that it also destabilized his neuron pathways didn’t help. And then he got a full-body bath of the stuff.
The Big Guy: He becomes this as part of the Bat-Family, essentially a shape-shifting Ben Grimm.
The Brute: Most of Karlo's pre-Rebirth incarnations could be described this way, with the version of him from the New 52 having the dubious distinction of being Karlo at his most dense and brutish.
Card-Carrying Villain: His original incarnation was an actor who loved playing the part of a villain, and this was taken to it's worst extremes as a super-villain.
Composite Character:
- Nearly every adaptation of Clayface combines Karlo's name and background with the appearance and powers of Matt Hagen. Averted once Karlo became a shape changing monster in the comics.
- The latest iteration of Karlo, as seen in Detective Comics Annual #1 shows a young Basil Karlo become Clayface through a series of events somewhat mirroring the events that transformed the Batman: the Animated Series version of Matt Hagen.
Continuity Snarl: Depending on how you count it, there have been no fewer than eight different Clayfaces throughout the years, many of which cannibalized bits of former version's names, powers, and backstory while ignoring other bits and adding their own twists, making pinning down Clayface even more challenging than usual for a comic book character. Even individually speaking, Basil's history is very inconsistent and full of gaps, mainly because he practically skipped the entirety of the Silver and Bronze Ages, with his sole appearance in the latter era ending in his apparent death (Detective Comics #496). That story was completely ignored when the character was revamped in the late '80s.
The Corruption: In Rebirth continuity, Karlo's abilities have become this, with him slipping more and more into a dangerous, reactive state if he doesn't apply intense concentration while maintaining form.
Deal with the Devil: The New 52 origin story has Karlo's powers as the result of a Faustian bargain with the Penguin: Cobblepot gives him a sample of magical clay that can make him the perfect actor; Karlo eventually has to Work Off the Debt as superpowered muscle in the Penguin's gang, resulting in a nervous breakdown that leads to the collapse of his career and his transformation into Clayface.
Disproportionate Retribution: His original incarnation decides to murder people because they're remaking his film without him in the starring role, even though he was brought on as a consultant.
Early-Installment Weirdness: Karlo's earliest appearances in the Golden Age of Comics can count as this for modern readers since he completely lacked any clay-related superpowers, simply being an extremely bitter and psychotic has-been actor who wore a gruesome facial disguise to commit crimes.
Elemental Shapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
Empowered Badass Normal: Even before gaining clay powers, Karlo was a ruthless and cunning foe who could hold his own against Batman and Robin. That he strung along and duped his mutant teammates into taking their powers shows just how dangerous he can be with just his cruel mind.
Evil Is Petty: Oh Lord, where do we begin? The man became a Serial Killer over a remake of his greatest film, swears revenge on Batman for stopping him from killing more people, and gruesomely devours those he suspects are making fun of his old movies. He could give the Joker himself a run for his money.
Evil Old Folks: Pre-Rebirth, Karlo looks to be in his 60s, and is unquestionably the most outright evil and monstrous character to ever take the Clayface name.
Flanderization: Karlo was previously characterized as an ego-maniacal actor, but then writers and artists began depicting him more like the Clayface from the animated series, who was more-or-less an amalgamation of the first four Clayfaces, but more predominately Matt Hagen, the second. The difficulty in this is that, the comic version of Hagen was Killed Off for Real during Crisis on Infinite Earths. Unless it's outright stated in the story featuring him, readers have a hard time telling if Clayface is Karlo or Hagen.
From Nobody to Nightmare: In sharp contrast to the classic iteration, who was quite famous before he became a murder, the original New 52 version of Karlo started out as a total nonentity who couldn't get any attention no matter how hard he tried. In fact, it wasn't until after he was told that he'd never make it as an actor that he made his fatal deal with the Penguin.
Freudian Excuse:
- Albeit one that comes off as incredibly petty: in his original character iteration, Karlo started killing people because his own reputation was sinking, nobody wanted to work with him, and he believed the remake would trounce on his life's work.
- In the original New 52 version, Karlo grew up ignored and unnoticed by everyone, and his lack of confidence made casting agents reject him for even minor acting roles. In desperation, he made a deal with the Penguin for a magical clay that could give him an edge as an actor, and while he gained confidence and critical acclaim as a result of his newfound power, the Penguin demanded that he work for him as a criminal in exchange for the clay. Stress, guilt, and hunger for attention prompted Karlo to suffer a disastrous meltdown that destroyed his reputation, trapped him in his giant Clayface form, and left him stuck in a life of crime.
Genius Bruiser: The original Karlo is both a classically trained actor and master of disguise, as well as a powerhouse who's laid a hurting on the likes of Batman, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and even Wonder-Woman. Ironically, his intellect seemed to fade overtime after he powered up as the Ultimate Clayface.
Hate Sink: Unlike his fellow clay-beings and most other rogues, there is utterly nothing sympathetic or redeemable about the original Karlo whatsoever. He was a serial killer even before becoming a true Clayface, and is usually motivated by a desire to stoke his own bloated ego, no matter how many people he has to bury alive to do it. Averted by his New 52/Rebirth counterparts, who have more in common with Preston Payne and Animated!Matt Hagen.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: Ever since the end of James Tynion IV's run on Detective Comics, every writer that's used Karlo has been unable to decide on whether he's heroic, antiheroic, or villainous. Some stories have him attempting to be good, others have him doing bad things for good reasons, and others have him act like a straight up monster.
His Own Worst Enemy:
- The original and Rebirth origin stories show that Karlo has no one but himself to blame for destroying his acting career and becoming Clayface. In the Golden Age he ruined his reputation to the point studios stopped hiring him as an actor. In the Rebirth continuity his obsession with making sure no one knew about his disfigurement got him arrested for trying to steal Renyu, before a second attempt resulted in him becoming Clayface.
- His New 52 version suffers this in a different way, for though he wasn't entirely at fault in the destruction of his career, his narcissism is far more self-sabotaging to his career as a supervillain: he cannot shake his compulsive need to be noticed, meaning that his attempts at subterfuge will all eventually break down as he does more and more attention-grabbing things, to the point that he will act contrary to the personality of whoever he's trying to impersonate.
Humanoid Abomination: Since becoming the "Ultimate Clayface".
Hypocrite:
- In "Mud Pack", he says Payne's powers are too potent to be wasted on a lunatic, when he is hardly' saner himself and is if anything even worse.
- His Rebirth counterpart initially made a big deal about wanting to use his acting skills to show the world people could love a monster, but after he gets disfigured in a car accident he becomes obsessed with regaining his former appearance out of fear no one will hire him for his ugliness. Which becomes especially ironic when Veronica St. Clair revealed she was so impressed by Karlo's acting skills she would've ensured he got the part in "Second Skin" regardless of how badly he looked.
I Hate Past Me: Following his joining Team Bat, Basil asks to train in the Batcave's Holo-room. The computer produces the most monstrous, vicious enemy there is...Clayface. Basil is understandably distraught.
I Was Quite a Looker: In the New 52 / DC Rebirth continuity at least.
"See that handsome guy right there? The one with those blue eyes that look right into your soul? That's Basil Karlo. That's me."
Implied Rape: One story during Batman: No Man's Land implied he forced himself on Poison Ivy. Evidence of this includes her use of "abused, tormented, defiled, polluted," in describing what he did to her; the fact she spent most of the story nude; Basil's use of Terms of Endangerment and touchng her face while she was immobilized and ignoring that she clearly didn't want him to touch her; and that fact that his pleas for mercy after she got out and got revenge were rebutted with Ivy stating he'd ignored her pleas.
Irony: The original super-criminal to bear the name Clayface was, in his original incarnation at least, the only one to not possess some form of clay-related superpower or shapeshifting ability (besides mundane talents for disguise). The realisation of his complete inferiority compared to his successors lead him to form a plot to steal all their powers and thereby live up to his moniker as the "Ultimate Clayface".
It's All About Me: Pre-Heel–Face Turn, Karlo's villainy was born out of a need to avenge his wounded career, and fury at not being the star of the show for once.
Karloff Kopy: His name is an homage to actors Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone. Interestingly enough, his story in Joker's Asylum hints that Basil Karlo is actually a stage name he assumed to ensure he'd stand out (which is appropriate, given that Karloff and Rathbone also used stage names, with Boris Karloff's real name being William Henry Pratt and Basil Rathbone's full name being Philip St. John Basil Rathbone). Obviously, his Younger and Hipper depiction in New 52 and Rebirth has nothing in common with his namesakes besides being an actor.
Large Ham: Comes with the acting background. After receiving the abilities of Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller, Karlo regarded himself as "THE ULTIMATE CLAYFACE!"
Legacy Character: There have so far been eight Clayfaces.
Long Bus Trip: After a few appearances in the Golden Age, the Basil Karlo Clayface was pretty much entirely absent from comics for around five decades until he eventually returned in his most famous form in the late '80s.
Lost in Character: The reason he went over the edge is that he fell too in love with his role as Clayface. He dons the mask because he's afraid of leaving his glory days behind.
Make Them Rot/Touch of Death/Poisonous Person: Gained this ability from Preston Payne.
Malevolent Masked Men: Originally he donned a gruesome clay mask to go with the look of a mysterious killer. Then he gets an upgrade into something way scarier.
Manipulative Bastard: Basil played his fellow Clayfaces along like puppets in his plot for revenge...and ultimately, true power.
Morality Pet: Cassandra Cain is one for him in the Rebirth continuity. Of all the members of the Bat-Family, she’s the one who openly accepts him the most, and Karlo in turn forms a dear friendship with the young vigilante.
My God, What Have I Done?: In Rebirth he stabilizes for the first time in years and actually has the chance to think on what he's done, leading him to feel a massive surge of guilt (particularly in his treatment of Glory, a former fan of his who he mercilessly mutilated, leading her to become the villainess Mudface).
Mythology Gag: In the Rebirth continuity, the last film Karlo worked on before turning into Clayface was "Second Skin," a period piece about a silent film actor who goes on a killing spree when one of his movies gets a remake. That was exactly the reason the original Basil Karlo became Clayface. Rebirth Karlo also worked on "Dread Castle," the very movie that was the focus of Karlo's debut in the Golden Age.
Nested Mouths: His design in the New 52 gives him another set of teeth behind his normal mouth (it disappears when he shapeshifts his face), but it's inconsistent.
Nightmare Face: Karlo's original disguise included stage make-up to simulate a disfigured appearance.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Obvious stand-in for Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney.
Odd Friendship: Post Heel–Face Turn in Rebirth continuity, he developed a friendship with, of all people, Cassandra Cain. (The Second Batgirl/ the current Orphan.) They hang out practicing Shakespeare with each other on occasion, and relate based on both of them being outcasts; Basil for his freakish appearance, and Cassandra for her trouble with speaking.
One-Winged Angel: His transformation into the "Ultimate Clayface" is given all the buildup you can expect of a grandiose villain like Basil, especially since up till now he'd just been a regular human.
Pet the Dog: Perhaps the only descent thing the original Basil did was pay respects to Matt Hagen/Clayface II after his death in Crisis by building a small clay effigy of him. He even entertained the idea of resurrecting Hagen, which obviously didn't pan out.
Poisonous Person: Inherits this power from Preston Payne, a poisonous touch that would melt people's skin. In some versions, it seems to turn people into mud much like his own body (though nonliving).
Pride: It's somewhat a recurring theme for Clayface, given most of their transformations were brought on by vanity, but original Basil stands head and shoulders above the rest, since he became a crazed killer to preserve his career and later a shape-shifting monster to be more unique.
Psycho Knife Nut: He obviously doesn't need conventional weapons anymore, but in the Golden Age his style was creeping around with a dagger to stab and slash like a classic horror killer.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Again, it's implied Karlo forced himself on Poison Ivy in Batman: No Man's Land.
Role-Ending Misdemeanor: Invoked in-universe in all of Karlo's backstories.
- The original Basil Karlo tanked his career due to several "scandals" that ruined his reputation. It's never clarified as to what he did, but it was enough to turn the viewing public against him.
- New 52 Karlo suffered a nervous breakdown after being forced to use his powers to serve as hired muscle for the Penguin, descended into self-defensive narcissism, held up production on films by refusing to leave his trailer for hours, and lost his temper with anyone trying to reason with him. Combined with his faltering grip on his Shapeshifter Default Form, this gradually destroyed his reputation and made him essentially unemployable; before long, the sequel to his star-making role had a new actor, and Karlo became Clayface full time.
- Rebirth!Karlo sabotaged his career after he was disfigured in a car crash. After he was apprehended trying to steal more Renyu, he was dropped from "Second Skin" by Veronica St. Clair. St. Clair gave him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech where she revealed she would've given him the part in "Second Skin" regardless of how he looked and would've fought the studio to make it happen, but was extremely disappointed at how low he sunk. And then Karlo turned down a chance to redeem himself by trying to steal Renyu again, leading to him being drenched in it and becoming Clayface.
Shapeshifter Weapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
Skin Walker: In the first New 52 origin story, Karlo gained his powers from a sample of clay that's said to be the source of Skin Walker powers, provided for him by Penguin.
The Sociopath: Pre-New 52, Karlo views life itself as his own grand movie, has zero regard for human life, uses and disposes of people at his leisure, and throws homicidal fits if things don't go his way.
Subterranean Sanity Failure: After gaining the shapeshifting powers of the other Clayfaces, Basil Karlo is defeated when Looker uses her psychic abilities to overwhelm him, causing him to melt into the earth. As a result, he ends up trapped in a cavern deep beneath Gotham with nothing to do but recite lines from his old films and absorb quartz from the cave walls. Eventually, the catastrophic earthquake of No-Man's Land opens a path to the surface, allowing him to climb to freedom... by which time, Karlo - already a psychopathic narcissist - is even crazier than usual, a fact that he goes on to demonstrate by brutally murdering several people who were trying to rescue him. Oh, and all that quartz has made him even stronger than before.
The Team Normal: As the leader of the Mud Pack, Karlo was also the only one with no Meta-powers. He went to great lengths to change that.
Technically Naked Shapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance after gaining the powers of the other Clayfaces.
Took a Level in Badass: The Rebirth Karlo received combat training from the Bat-family and became much more effective as a result. In addition to learning how to actually handle himself in combat and not just flail around, they also encouraged more imaginative uses of his powers, such as becoming a living armor around Batman to protect him during a fight with a powerful villain.
Took a Level in Dumbass: Before becoming a full Clayface, Karlo was relatively cunning enough to match wits with Batman and was the mastermind behind the "Mud Pack" plot. As Flanderization set in, Karlo was used more and more as dim-witted muscle or a pawn in someone else's plans. Especially disappointing considering his shape-shifting is rarely used to its full potential.
Tragic Hero: The New 52 and DC Rebirth's more sympathetic iteration of Karlo is an anti-villainous version of this. He's so vain and has such an ingrained need for attention that he'll actively and inadvertently sabotage himself, which led to his transformation.
Tragic Villain: Some adaptations of Karlo portray him as one of these, especially in his Rebirth incarnation. Usually, his origin will be tweaked in these instances so his powers were obtained in a tragic accident, and he’ll often lament about the circumstances under which he became a monster. Averted by his Post-Crisis/Pre-New 52 incarnation, who had virtually no redeeming qualities even before his transformation, and who openly enjoys terrorizing and murdering others.
Transhuman Treachery: Post-Crisis Karlo deliberately transformed himself into a shape-shifting metahuman, and unlike the others on this page, as well as his Rebirth incarnation, he suffered zero pangs of remorse for throwing away his humanity. Of course, he was a sociopath to begin with who preferred being a movie-monster to being a normal guy.
Truly Single Parent: Gotham Academy reveals a spawn of Clayface, "Katherine Karlo" lives a separate existence from him at the titular Academy of Adventure. She also has shape-shifting powers and occasionally morphs into a smaller version of him that shares her dad's more unpleasant personality. Basil has never mentioned her outside this series, but in this case it's somewhat understandable.
Villainous Friendship: In his New 52 incarnation, he once struck up a friendship with a fellow prisoner at Arkham who happened to be a big fan of his movies, eventually leading to the flashback to his origin story. Unfortunately, his friend happened to die of a heart attack, reducing Karlo to tears - eventually prompting him to snap out of his complacent spell and break out of Arkham.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: After becoming a true Clayface.
White-Dwarf Starlet: A male version. Basil Karlo was once a well-respected actor and make-up artist whose career tanked after several public scandals turned the viewing audience against him. In his later years, Karlo proclaimed he was the greatest actor of all time and was driven to murder after learning they were remaking one of his best horror films without him in the starring role.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: None of Karlo's incarnations have been particularly sane, but it wasn't until Rebirth that his Sanity Slippage started being explicitly tied to his powers. Bruce and Tim invented a bracelet that could stabilize his powers temporarily, leading to him being able to think much more clearly.

Clayface II (Matt Hagen)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface_matt_hagen_002.jpg

"I'm Matt Hagen – nobody's chump!"

Matt Hagen found a submarine mist that could turn him into a mud-like man who could change shape. He decided to use this power to steal works of art and got in conflict with Batman. Hagen eventually died during Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Composite Character: Nearly every adaptation of Clayface combines Hagen's appearance and powers with the name and background of Basil Karlo. Averted once Karlo became a shape changing monster in the comics.
Cut Lex Luthor a Check: His first idea as a treasure hunter discovering a substance of undefinable power that allows anyone to shape-shift into their heart's desire? Use it to rob banks, of course!
Elemental Shapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
Flat Character: Before his reinvention in the animated series there really wasn't a lot to say about Hagen's personality beyond being a greedy, amoral thug who uses his powers for crime. Some stories interpret him as either a ruthless opportunist or an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain, but either way he's definitely not one of the more complex or memorable rogues.
Hour of Power: For some inexplicable reason, Hagen's Clayface state only lasts a few hours before he becomes a regular man again and needs the pool to recharge. This doesn't happen with the others, likely for dramatic effect.
Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: His story in "Secret Files" paints Matt in a slightly more pitiful light, being an insecure idiot who just lucked his way into power, yet never really knows how to be anything but what he is: a crook.
Killed Off for Real: Killed by shadow demons alongside Ten-Eyed Man during Crisis on Infinite Earths.
- The End... Or Is It?: A Secret Files issue teased his possible survival, but subverted it for laughs.
Legacy Character: The second of eight Clayfaces.
Monster Progenitor: Whatever that stuff Hagen found was, it's responsible for passing on his mutant condition to create every other Clayface.
Ret-Gone: Hagen no longer seems to exist in the current continuity other than as an alias used by Basil Karlo.
Shapeshifter Weapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
Technically Naked Shapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance as part of his disguises.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: The first Clayface to have this power.

Clayface III (Preston Payne)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface_preston_payne_0001.jpg

" I had hoped to avoid this Batman — but you forced the issue! Now I'm afraid you must feel the terrible touch of — Clayface!"

Suffering from hyperpituitarism, Preston Payne sought to cure his condition. Creating an enzyme made from the DNA of the then-living Matt Hagen, Payne hoped to cure his condition. Instead, his appearance became permanently clay-like without the ability to reshape himself, and he was afflicted with unyielding pain. The only way Preston is briefly able to remove his sickness is by passing it on to other people through a "Midas Melt" touch that turns human flesh to protoplasm.

And I Must Scream: He basically exists in a permanent state of this, completely unable to physically interact with the world outside of his exoskeleton prison without dissolving it on contact. As his mental state deteriorates thanks to his condition, he's not even safe in his own mind. This is why Helena the mannequin means so much to him: she's the only woman he can touch without fear of killing (at least until he meets Sondra Fuller/Lady Clay). Suffice to say, it truly does suck to be Preston Payne.
Anti-Villain: Preston's a reluctant killer who has no desire for a life of crime, only killing people out of necessity to temporarily rid himself of the blinding pain he suffers from.
Badass Cape: He wears a blue cape, an affection unique to him among Clayfaces. It gives him a certain operatic quality.
Badass Family: Preston and Sondra are a married couple, and both are super-strong clay powerhouses. Their son Cassius inherited both their powers and is even more dangerous than his parents. Additionally, all the Clayfaces are genetically connected, and they are some of the most powerful foes Batman has ever faced.
Battle Couple: With his melting touch and her shape-shifting, Preston and Sondra are a force to be reckoned with.
Blessed with Suck: Being a Clayface is never easy, but Payne easily got it the worst, his body in a constant viscous state with a need to use his melting touch on people to ease the pain.
Body Horror: Beneath his exoskeleton, his clay-like body is in a near-permanent state of decay.
Companion Cube: After his initial killing spree, Preston takes a shine to an inanimate store window mannequin that he names Helena. Not only is he delusional enough that he sees and treats her like a real woman, but in one story he works himself up into a fit of psychotic jealousy when he begins to suspect Helena of having an affair with another mannequin.
Darker and Edgier: Compared to his predecessors, Preston Payne is a darker take on the Clayface identity. Basil Karlo was a straightforward cloak-and-dagger villain. Matt Hagen was a petty thug with clay powers. Payne is a highly Tragic Villain who melts people into protoplasm and feeds on it to survive, all while existing in permanent agony.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: After taking a Long Bus Trip through the late 90s and most of the 2000s, he comes Back for the Dead in Justice League: Cry for Justice, being mutated by Prometheus and forced to be a living Booby Trap for the League.
The Grotesque: The poor guy's felt like this his whole life. Being turned into a Clayface was just another cruel joke of the universe.
Happily Married: With Sondra Fuller, the fourth Clayface.
I'm Melting!: His touch inflicts this on anyone he comes into skin contact with. That's not even mentioning Payne himself is in a constant state of incohesion.
Legacy Character: The third Clayface.
Long Bus Trip: Preston was completely MIA from 1994 to 2009.
Make Them Rot/Touch of Death/Poisonous Person: His chief power is that he can melt people into protoplasmic goo.
Meaningful Name: Preston Payne basically describes his life.
My God, What Have I Done?: He had another breakdown in "The Mud Pack" when he got into an argument with Helena and swatted her head off in a moment of rage. The thought that he "killed" Helena sent him on a rampage out of Arkham thanks to a flair-up of the pain he normally feels from his condition.
Papa Wolf: When Abattoir has Preston's son, he's willing to kidnap and kill just to keep Cassius safe. When the killer returns his son, Preston isn't about to let him off the hook:
"You dirty rat! No one takes my kid and walks! You caused me and my wife a lot of heartache, you worm! I'm going to see that you suffer. I'm going to see you burn"!
Powered Armor: He wears an exoskeleton suit to keep himself from touching people, though he can takes off his gloves so he can. It gives him superhuman strength, enough to give Batman a serious challenge.
Tragic Villain: At the end of the day Preston was a lonely man born to a cruel world that made him feel like garbage because of his appearance. His attempts to fit in only made his isolation worse and turned him into a monster.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: For once, realistic mental illness rather than typical comic book insanity. Out of all the major Bat-Rogues, Preston is the one most in need of professional help (which he's unlikely to get in Arkham Asylum). Preston suffers from intense paranoid delusions, severe identity problems and extreme self-loathing, all reminiscent of schizophrenia, but he isn't sincerely malevolent. He kills people, but only out of a biological necessity to sustain himself, and he feels horrible for doing it. Batman would rather reason with Preston than fight him, as he understands how broken and tragic he is.

Lady Clay a.k.a. Clayface IV (Sondra Fuller)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_clay_2.jpeg

" It's over, Batman! Just relax as I squeeze the breath from your body—and let yourself die!"

Sondra Fuller was an agent of Kobra. She agreed to undergo an experiment involving shapeshifting because she hated her own face. She gained the shapechanging abilities of Matt Hagen, but at a much higher level. She can mimic the powers of anything she transforms into. However, unlike Hagen who returns to normal after some time and requires a particular protoplasm before he can become Clayface again, Sondra cannot return to normal, which she finds both a curse and a blessing.

Anti-Villain: She may have started out a willing agent of Kobra, but after meeting Preston Sondra realizes all she wants is to find peace and happiness with someone who'd accept her for who she is. She now only wants to leave her past behind and only fights the Batfamily when something disturbs her family.
Battle Couple: Along with her lover Preston, Sondra is a force to be reckoned with for any unlucky hero or villain crosses their path.
Be Careful What You Wish For: Sondra joined Kobra in exchange for the ability to alter her appearance. She gets that and more, but her true form is a clay-humanoid, meaning she can never settle down and have a normal life anywhere for very long.
Breakout Villain: Sondra debuted as one of a team of villains created by Kobra to duplicate Batman's more obscure powered foes. Thanks in large part to the Mud Pack storyline, she went on to play a much more significant role in the Clayface mythos.
The Bus Came Back: It certainly took a while, but Lady Clay eventually returns for a cameo in Doomsday Clock and later as a member of a specialized team of "Gotham Monsters" alongside Killer Croc, Orca, Frankenstein, and Andrew Bennett. Her husband remains absent, however.
Dark Action Girl: Sondra was already a trained secret agent before acquiring powers. Before Basil upgraded himself into a true Clayface she was easily the most formidable and deadly of the bunch.
Elemental Shapeshifter: Lady Clay is a walking mountain of mud, and can use her powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
Flight: She usually creates wings to fly, and is the only Clayface that constantly flies.
Heel–Face Turn: After joining the "Gotham Monsters" she became a full on hero to save humanity from supernatural evil. Her husband would be proud.
The Lad-ette: Being a female Clayface, Sondra loves roughing up heroes and is much more inclined to a fight than her husband Preston.
Legacy Character: The fourth of eight Clayfaces.
Mama Bear: After fleeing Gotham with Preston, Sondra comes out of retirement when the vile Abattoir kidnaps her son to blackmail them.
More Deadly Than the Male: One of the few female Clayfaces and easily one of the most dangerous, giving Batman, the Outsiders, and Azrael trouble. She's only eclipsed when Karlo is able to imbue himself with her and Payne's combined powers.
Outlaw Couple: Wanted by the authorities, she and her husband Clayface III go on the run.
Prefers the True Form: She has the ability to take on almost any imaginable shape, at the cost of being stuck with an oozing clay body as her Shapeshifter Default Form. As such, when she becomes a member of the Mud Pack, she's often used to keep her fellow Clayface Preston Payne under control by transforming into the superheroine Looker and seducing him into committing crimes alongside her. However, when Basil Karlo double-crosses the team in order to duplicate their powers and become Ultimate Clayface, the ruse breaks down, leaving Sondra effectively unmasked in front of Preston for the first time... only for the similarly-disfigured Preston to admit that he actually likes her default form, reducing Lady Clay to Tears of Joy. Whirlwind romance and marriage soon follows.
Shapeshifter Showoff Session: Her first appearance is in Outsiders 1985, in which she impersonates Looker's husband so that she can drug and replace her; as Looker slowly loses consciousness, Lady Clay reveals her blobby true form and gloats for a bit, before making herself into a perfect copy of Looker - right before the real Looker finally passes out.
Shapeshifter Weapon: Can morph her hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
Shapeshifting Trickster: Of all the Clayfaces, Sondra is the most inclined to use her powers for subterfuge; in her first appearance alone, she transformed into Looker's husband so she could trick the real Looker into accepting a spiked drink, all so Sondra could impersonate Looker. By contrast, the rest of the Mud Pack use their powers almost exclusively in combat, and even Basilo Karlo - an actor by profession - only became known for using his powers for deception in his New 52 and Batman: Arkham Series incarnations.
Technically Naked Shapeshifter: Can form clothing out of her own substance as part of her disguises.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Lady Clay is certainly more attractive than her husband Preston, even if they're both made of shifting mud.
Unholy Matrimony: Is married to Preston Payne a.k.a. Clayface III.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: She can not only morph into anything and anyone she imagines, but can also duplicate their abilities.

Clayface V (Cassius "Clay" Payne)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface_v.jpg

"You forget I have a minor aptitude for Telepathy, Batman. I get it from my mother."

The child of Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller, who became a new, more powerful Clayface.

Asteroids Monster: Separate samples of Cassius retain his personality and can grow into another clay-monster with the help of a human host.
Cheerful Child: At least he was this as a tyke, with even Abattoir showing a bit of fondness for him. Grown up? Not so much.
Goo-Goo-Godlike: Cassius inherited the powers of both mom and dad and was a slippery shapeshifter even as a baby.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He loves his parents even though he spent much of his childhood apart from them.
Morality Pet: Preston and Sondra are willing to give up crime altogether to raise their beloved clay-son. Tragically, it doesn't pan out.
Mutants: He's the only Clayface born with his condition, being the product of two clay mutations marrying.
Mythology Gag: His "adult" Clayface form bares a strong resemblance to the DCAU animated series incarnation.
Named After Somebody Famous: Yes, he shares a birth name with Muhammad Ali. His parents found this hilarious.
Psychopathic Manchild: As he matured he retained his childish desire for mommy and daddy, and eventually settled on being an angry, sulking teenager. Can't blame him, though, given how he grew up.
Token Super: While all of the Clayfaces have powers, this is the best way to describe Cassius as the only Clayface who was never human, as he was born with his powers where everyone else was mutated at some point.
Tortured Monster: Cassius spent much of his childhood being tormented in government labs just longing for his mom and dad. Can you really blame him for not wanting to help the man who hounded his parents and is now asking for a piece of his flesh to aid someone he doesn't even know?
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: This hulking brute was just a completely innocent boy who had the misfortune of being born to a pair of mutant supervillains, then used as a guinea pig by an amoral government agency. Poor kid.
Viral Transformation: If a living piece of him comes into contact with a human, that lucky bastard goes through a grotesque transformation as the clay spreads through his body and becomes a near mindless, lumbering "Claything" that shares Cassius' powers and goals.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite the prominence his mother's received in later years, there's been absolutely no mention of Cassius or his father in regards to Sondra. Steve Orlando claimed while working on Gotham City Monsters that Cassius didn't exist in the proper canon anymore.

Claything (Peter Malley)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/claything.jpg

"Mommy...Daddy...Clay-Thing is coming..."

Not so much a new Clayface as an example of just how potent their power can be. A piece of Cassius bonded to the scientist overlooking him, Dr. Peter Malley, and mutated him into Claything, an abomination that was instinctively drawn to the boy's parents.

Asshole Victim: Given Dr. Malley was in the middle of experimenting on a terrified child for the DEO, it's really hard to feel sympathy for his monstrous fate.
Body Horror: It's a piece of living clay that fused with an unlucky doctor to mutate and take over his body.
Death of Personality: Unlike his predecessors, Dr. Malley's transformation consumed his mind, leaving only a near-mindless childish beast with no signs of the human scientist.
Eye Beams: He can melt objects to goo just by staring, a more powerful variation of Preston Payne's melting power.
Eyepatch of Power: Dr. Malley wore one, though Claything loses it.
Fate Worse than Death: Fusing with a piece of Clayface grotesquely warps Dr. Malley into a hulking, mentally stunted monster with nothing left of the man's mind. At least we can hope.
Karmic Transformation: Dr. Malley experimented on Cassius to study the physiology of a Clayface. He gets absorbed by a piece of the child and transformed into a hideous clay-monster himself that shares the same mind as the frightened creature he tormented.
Puppeteer Parasite: Claything is a sapient portion of Cassius that took over the doctor's body by mutating him into a monstrous drone as well as replaced his mind.
Tragic Monster: Claything spent his short, tortured existence lumbering around searching for his parents before his untimely death.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Malley receives very little character before he's assimilated by the Claything, which itself dies later on in the same issue.
You No Take Candle: Claything speaks in stunted English, having the mind of a confused little kid.

Clayface VI (Todd Russell)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/todd_russell.png

Todd Russell was a U.S. Army soldier who received serious, disfiguring injuries in the line of duty, after which he was used as a guinea pig for experiments by the D.E.O. Treated with a compound similar to that used on Basil Karlo, Russell developed identical powers, but it also erased his memories. When Todd Russell escaped captivity, he became mentally unstable due to the experimental treatments that he was subjected to. He became so unhinged and self conscious about his appearance that he began killing prostitutes, especially those who looked at his face, in order to satisfy his violent tendencies.

Criminal Amnesiac: Treated with a compound similar to that used on Basil Karlo, Russell developed identical powers, but it also erased his memories.
Disposable Sex Worker: Surfacing in Gotham City, Russell began killing prostitutes from the East End, attracting the attention of Catwoman, the East End's sworn protector.
Faking the Dead: Russell aided Catwoman in defeating Hugo Strange's gang by posing as her and staging her death by getting "killed" by Angle Man.

Clayface VII (Johnny Williams)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface_vii.jpg

A Gotham firefighter, Williams was mutated after being caught in an exploding chemical plant. He was forced to assist Hush in exchange for the promise of a cure, but ultimately let himself die when he realised that Hush would never go through with that promise.

Puppeteer Parasite: His transformation allows him to control others if they are infected with a sample of his body, allowing Hush to frame Alfred Pennyworth for murder.
Redemption Equals Death: Ultimately dies after providing Batman with a sample of himself to cure Alfred of his virus, but also ensures that his final form has fingerprints that are basically an exact match for Alfred's so that he can be cleared of the murder he committed under Williams' control.
Working for a Body Upgrade: He wanted to commit suicide when he met the Riddler and Hush. They promised him a cure to his mutation if he helps them.

Characters / Batman: Clayface

Previous

Index

Next

Characters / Batman: Clayface

Edit Locked

Previous

Index

Next