DC Studios has been pushing Clayface as an R-rated body-horror experience that happens to star one of Batman's most iconic supervillains. However, ever since it was announced before a Batman had even been cast in the DCU, it has had endless comparisons to Sony Pictures' poorly conceived spin-off movies starring Spider-Man's most B-list villains.
In a press release commemorating Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which now both fall under Skydance, the company's site has been updated with a section dedicated to DC Studios. In it, the studio's past, present, and future successes are mentioned, including Clayface, which was mentioned in passing with the line: "...to the chilling Gotham anti-hero of Clayface"
It's actually not the first time Tom Rhys Harries' Matt Hagen has been referred to as an anti-hero. Director James Watkins did the same in an interview with Deadline while discussing the upcoming movie. When discussing his influences for Clayface, Watkins had mentioned "Basil Karlo, Matt Hagen and all the variations" of the character from the comics:
"Everything, the Basil Karlo, Matt Hagen and all the variations. There’s a lot of inspirations from a lot of the various comics. For fans who want to do a deep dive, there are a lot of references."
Watkins talked about how he wanted to "dig into the emotion of the character," including all "the sadness, the melancholy, the heartbreak," to give this adaptation of the character "a tragic dimension" to him:
"For me, I wanted to dig into the emotion of the character in a deeper way. What I really responded to in all the previous iterations was the sadness, the melancholy, the heartbreak, and give it a tragic dimension, trying to find that journey about Hagen being rejected and trying to find his way."
He also directly described the "duality" of Clayface, calling him an anti-hero, "but not wholly a villain." However, with even Skydance itself referring to the Batman supervillain as an anti-hero, will DC Studios be going down the same path as Sony?
Will Clayface Join the Bat Family Early?
In the comics, Clayface did more than become an anti-hero; Batman and Batwoman recruited him into their Gotham Knights initiative in 2016's Detective Comics, which would train the next generation of heroes for Gotham, which included Tim Drake's Red Robin, Stephanie Brown's Spoiler, Cassandra Cain's Orphan, and, of course, Clayface.
However, they didn't recruit Matt Hagen but Basil Karlo, the first Clayface in the comics and by far the biggest inspiration for James Watkins' interpretation of the character, given his background as an actor. But what adds a wrinkle ot he anti-hero discourse is that Karlo was far more inclined to commit murder as his form of revenge in the comics, as opposed to Hagen being a simple thief.
All fans know for sure is that Clayface takes place before Superman, with on-set props suggesting it might take place even earlier than any fans had expected, which would make the idea of him being an anti-hero even stranger, especially after fans already saw him commit murder for a genocidal princess in Creature Commandos.
Considering the events of the animated series take place after his origin movie, it's obvious that the Batman villain will start as an anti-hero in Clayface, seeking revenge on those who disfigured him before taking advantage of his powers and indulging in villainy. As for his potential future as an anti-hero like the comics, it wouldn't be out of the question, depending on how the DCU develops, but even then, his time as a good guy was only ever temporary.
For now, fans can rest assured that DC Studios isn't committing the same mistakes Sony made with its Spider-Man villains.
