After Clayface, DC fans want a sequel where Batman finally takes him on

Right, so Clayface has finally landed in cinemas, and if you follow any corner of DC fandom online, you’ll have seen the same question cropping up everywhere: when are we getting a full-blown Clayface vs Batman face-off?

Gotham Gets a New Monster

The new film centres on rising actor Matt Hagen, whose brush with the wrong end of Gotham’s bizarre science scene turns him into Batman’s notorious foe. If you’re expecting a standard cape-and-cowl affair, you’re in for something different: Clayface is more interested in Hagen’s messy slide into madness than it is in spandex vendettas. In fact, Batman doesn’t even show up this time—though from the way fans are carrying on, that could change in a sequel.

What’s especially got people buzzing is that this is the first time the DCU’s version of Gotham City gets a proper showcase. Technically, Clayface did pop up before in Creature Commandos (though with a different voice actor), but this is his first real outing as a leading menace.

Clayface is the DCU’s debut R-rated film, kicking off a darker direction under James Watkins’ direction and a script by Mike Flanagan.

The marketing was a bit coy about showing off Hagen’s proper monstrous look, but that hasn’t stopped enthusiasm. The transformation sequence’s “body horror” vibe has people rattling off comparisons to Cronenberg’s The Fly, Sam Raimi’s Darkman, and oddly enough, Demi Moore’s turn in The Substance—yes, really.

The Fans Want Batman

With all these gruesome powers on display, the next logical step for a certain breed of DC fan is to lobby for Batman to turn up, preferably in full brawl mode. In what passes for heartfelt campaigning on social media these days, one fan took to X and said the prospect of Batman and Clayface finally duking it out on the big screen would be “so PEAK?” Hard to argue—the two have never squared off in live action before, so the appetite is there.

• Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, with support from Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, and Ruby Sear.
• Directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan.
• First theatrical DC Studios film to land an R rating.
• Box office tracking points to a $25–35 million opening weekend.
• Critical reception has settled at a solid 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Sequels haven’t been officially confirmed, but DC Studios is teasing more Clayface in future projects.
• The next DCU film, Man of Tomorrow, arrives next year.

The upshot: Clayface is a crowd-pleaser for anyone who likes their comic book movies a bit weirder and a lot more grotesque. The only question now is whether DC decides to paint a bat symbol on it next round.