2026's Clayface movie will be the first in the DCU to canonize several comic book villains. The upcoming body horror film is directed by James Watkins, with James Gunn and Peter Safran serving as producers for DC Studios. As the DCU is yet to introduce its own Batman, Clayface will be the first Dark Knight-adjacent film to release in this cinematic universe, and has a clean slate to introduce its take on several of Batman's iconic characters.
Clayface will be the first DCU film to take place in Batman's hometown of Gotham City, which is also the home to many familiar DC heroes and villains. During production of the film in 2025, photos from the set hinted at the existence of several DC antagonists who will likely become canon in the DCU when Clayface releases on October 23.
The DCU Is About to Canonize These Batman Villains
Clayface
Naturally, the star of the show is Clayface himself. While there have been several comic characters who have taken on the Clayface mantle in DC, the DCU's version will reportedly be Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, who is a struggling actor who injects himself with an experimental substance that turns him into a walking being of clay.
This will be the first time the DC villain has made his live-action debut on the big screen, let alone in his own film, and the body-horror film will establish Clayface as his own villainous entity, priming him for use in further DCU projects, depending on the movie's success.
Joker
Arguably the most notorious DC villain is the Joker, Batman's most famous foe and a deranged antagonist who has had no shortage of big-screen appearances (including most recently in Matt Reeves' The Batman).
A mention of the Joker was spotted on the set of Clayface, where a flyer encouraging the people of Gotham to "March against the GCPD" and "Join the Joker" seemed to suggest that a radical figure known as the Joker was already active in Gotham.
Whether this means the Clown Prince of Crime will be an active character in Clayface, or this is just a vague setup for the figure to come to the DCU, remains a mystery.
Black Mask
The villainous Black Mask, who was the lead villain in the DCEU's Birds of Prey film, seems to be preparing for a comeback in the DCU, as imagery spotted on the Clayface set (posted on X) confirmed the existence of Sionis Industries.
Roman Sionis is the alias of the infamous Black Mask. The crime lord is an owner of Sionis Industries, which has been known to produce cosmetics (in the comics) or steel and metal (in the Batman: Arkham games). The Sionis Industries logo in Clayface continues to build on the notion that, when it arrives, the DCU's Gotham City will be full of Batman's iconic Rogues villains.
The Mad Bomber
A lesser-known DC villain, but a dangerous one to be sure, is The Mad Bomber, who fans may remember best from Batman: The Animated Series. The Mad Bomber, aka Ted Dymer, was a toy shop clerk who decided to copy the villainous actions of a character in the fictional 'The Gray Ghost' show.
The Mad Bomber's presence was hinted at in Clayface when graffiti was spotted on the set (and shared on Reddit), scrawling the villain's name.
King Snake / The Ghost Dragons
Graffiti also hinted at the presence of another villainous DC group, with photos from the Clayface set (via Reddit) revealing spray art for the "Ghost Dragons." The Ghost Dragons are known in DC comics as the street gang led by King Snake, aka Edmund Dorrance, a mercenary turned gang leader.
King Snake and the Ghost Dragons are known for operating in the Chinatown district of Gotham City, where they try to wrest control from other Triad gangs. It's unclear whether these characters will actually appear in Clayface, but their presence on set hints at a dangerous criminal underworld alive in Gotham.
Jimmy McCoy
A Gotham Gazette prop paper on the set of Clayface revealed the existence of Jimmy McCoy in the DCU. The headline of the paper reads "Seeing Red: Crime Syndicate boss Jimmy 'Red' McCoy to be investigated for Income Tax Evasion. Red's Lawyers prepare for case of the year."
Jimmy "Red" McCoy was an early Batman comics villain, and seems to be playing a similar gangster role in Clayface. While it's not yet clear how relevant McCoy will be to the plot, the criminal landscape in the DCU's Gotham City seems built on several of Batman's notable villains.
The Penguin
Another flyer spotted on the Clayface set hinted at one of Batman's all-time foes appearing: The Penguin. An advert for "The One, The Only: Penguin Mad" in Amusement Mile, accompanied by a cartoon drawing of a suit-wearing, small man who looks suspiciously like Oswald Cobblepot, seems like a subtle hint at the Batman villain's existence in the DCU.
Fans are quite familiar with the Penguin thanks to Matt Reeves' The Batman and its HBO spin-off, The Penguin, in which Oz Cobb is played by Colin Farrell. However, this character exists in an Elseworlds universe, meaning the DCU is free to do something new with its take on the Penguin, which could start in Clayface.
