8 Biggest Changes Clayface Makes To DC Comics' Batman Villain

Without a doubt, Clayface is one of Batman's most tragic and visually distinctive villains. However, he also has a pretty complex history, one that the new DCU does a solid job adapting with DC Studios' brand-new Clayface movie. After all, there have been several different characters who've used the name Clayface, and one of the best story arcs wasn't even in the comics at all.

Starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, the DCU's new Clayface movie is a true body horror experience that also holds plenty of nods and connections to the character's established past. That said, there's still a handful of liberties taken between the DCU's Clayface and the classic Batman villain as he's seen on the page (or notably in animation).

From differences between his backstory and powers to his origins on the page, here are eight of the biggest changes DC Studios' Clayface makes to the classic Batman foe.

Matt Hagen Is A Treasure Hunter In The Comics

On the page, Matt Hagen first appeared in 1961's Detective Comics #298. Rather than being a successful actor, Hagen was instead a treasure hunter who found a mysterious pool of protoplasm, granting him the power to transform his entire body at will and making him the second Clayface in the DC Universe. The comics' Hagen would then use this power to become a thief, seeking wealth and personal gain more than anything else. As such, the DCU's Matt Hagen in the new Clayface movie is based on a completely different version than the original Hagen who debuted in the comics.

The DCU's Matt Hagen Is More Like The Comics' Basil Karlo (The First Clayface)

Ultimately, the DCU's Matt Hagen has much more in common with Basil Karlo, the first and original Clayface in the original comics. Debuting in 1940's Detective Comics #40, Karlo was indeed a successful actor whose career fell apart following horrible disfigurements to his face. While he originally just used various disguises after turning to a life of crime, his more monstrous form and fantastical shapeshifting abilities would eventually become part of his origins, using a chemical called Renu to reshape his face and body, with long-term use making the powers permanent.

Matt Hagen's Clayface Powers Were Only Temporary In The Comics

In the original comics, Matt Hagen's powers came from the protoplasm he discovered in the cave, though they were incredibly temporary, lasting only a couple of days before he would have to return to the pool to maintain his new body and powers. Eventually, Hagen was forced to try and recreate the substance himself, though it only granted him powers for a few hours at a time.

Conversely, the DCU's Clayface sees Hagen's powers coming from Dr. Caitlyn Corr and her experimental nanotech treatments to restore his damaged face, though an overdose ends up changing his entire molecular structure permanently, leading to Matt giving in to his darker impulses over time.

The DCU's Matt Hagen Adapts Batman: The Animated Series More Than The Comics

Ultimately, Matt Hagen's story in the DCU is based far more on the Matt Hagen who debuted in Batman: The Animated Series, which in turn lifted the history and background as an actor from the comics' Basil Karlo. In the animated series, Hagen is similarly a disfigured actor who uses an experimental beauty product known as Renuyu to restore his appearance. However, he eventually becomes addicted, as too much of the chemical ends up permanently changing his entire molecular structure.

As such, the similarities between the DCAU's Clayface and the new DCU version are much closer, with Tom Rhys Harries' Matt Hagen also desperate to restore his looks before overdosing on Corr's experimental treatments. There's far more science and disturbing body horror, but the foundations and inspiration from Batman: The Animated Series are clearly plain to see (along with some great Easter eggs throughout Clayface that nod to the animated series).

Batman Was Part of Matt Hagen's Animated Origins

When looking at Batman: The Animated Series, Hagen's transformation into Clayface is directly connected to Batman's investigation of corrupt businessman Roland Daggett. Likewise, Hagen himself at one point impersonates Bruce Wayne, landing the billionaire playboy in some legal trouble before his name is cleared. This ultimately puts Batman and Clayface on a collision course not long after the Renuyu permanently changes Hagen's body.

In comparison, Batman is nowhere to be seen in the DCU's new Clayface movie. Hagen's story unfolds entirely without The Dark Knight's interference (though it would be nice to see the two interact once Batman himself makes his own DCU debut).

Matt Hagen's Accident Was Never Revealed In The Animated Series

In Batman: The Animated Series, Matt Hagen had already suffered a disfiguring accident before audiences met him and was already using the Renuyu chemical to maintain his appearance and keep acting. However, the show never revealed the exact circumstances of the accident itself.

Naturally, the new R-rated DCU movie makes things much more explicit and gruesome. After crossing crime boss Markos Szabo for sleeping with his girlfriend, Szabo himself brutally carves up Hagen's face. This destroys Hagen's acting career and wealth, leaving him desperate enough to approach Caitlyn Corr for experimental treatment.

The DCAU's Clayface Was Working For A Corrupt Businessman

In the animated series, Hagen was originally working for the corrupt businessman Roland Daggett, doing whatever he wanted in exchange for more of the Renuyu chemical. Rather than being the victim and agent of corporate espionage, the DCU's Clayface movie gives Matt Hagen a more personal revenge story after he gets his monstrous new powers, going after those who betrayed him as well as Markos Szabo himself, who disfigured Hagen in the first place.

The DCU's Clayface Had A Very Different Romance Compared To The Animated Series

After his two-part debut in Batman: The Animated Series' first season, the series eventually gave Hagen a tragic romance with Stella Bates, a former medical doctor who worked on one of Hagen's past films and still cared for him, and attempted to restore Hagen's body back to its original form. However, Hagen was too far gone and corrupted as Clayface, and the resulting encounter with Batman saw Hagen falling off a cliff into the ocean below (with Bates never being seen again).

In the DCU, Hagen's love interest is Dr. Caitlyn Corr, who's instead responsible for his transformation into Clayface. Likewise, the romance is doomed from the start, as Corr was engaged to a GCPD homicide detective named John Borrelli, whom she chooses over Hagen, pushing Matt even further into the darkness (he even kills and impersonates Borrelli to try and win her lasting love and affection).

As such, the DCU's romance in Clayface is considerably darker and more disturbing, including a scene where Corr observes Hagen in his sleep and Matt subconsciously turns into Corr herself, dreaming about them being together.

Clayface is now playing in theaters from DC Studios.