A Standout Villain Spinoff That Could Save an Already Troubled Universe: Early Thoughts on 'Clayface' (Plus, Is There a Post-Credits Scene?)

It's all relative, but DC Studios certainly has more freedom than Marvel Studios. Compared with its neighbor, which established a single universe and has been charging ahead ever since, DC Studios has been through an awful lot—much of it arguably self-inflicted. Now, as it finally starts drawing up a bigger picture again, it has found ways to use its intellectual property in different directions. 2019's 〈Joker〉 and 2022's 〈The Batman〉 became emblematic of that freedom.

In 2026, 〈Clayface〉 looks set to join them. Released on October 21, 〈Clayface〉 brings Clayface, a villain from Gotham City, where Batman operates, to the big screen in live action. 〈Joker〉 may come to mind, but unlike that film, which occupied an entirely separate world, 〈Clayface〉 was made as part of the DC Universe. It contributes to that universe by showing its darker side, in contrast to its predecessors, which had perhaps been a little too exuberant. Does the DC Universe's first villain spinoff pull it off? Here are my thoughts after an advance screening.

Tragedy, Revenge and a Villain

The story opens at the height of actor Matt Hagen's (Tom Rhys Harries) career. Having overcome a difficult past, Matt is finally earning recognition as an actor, enough to have his name called for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Perhaps briefly carried away by his success, he gives in to the advances of a well-known mobster's lover at a party and lands himself in trouble. For a man whose face is his livelihood, the consequences are devastating: the mobster slashes his face, and Matt not only fails to win his case in court but is falsely accused. He hits rock bottom. In his despair, he comes across an article about Caitlyn Corr, who has developed 'nanocells' that heal the body when injected, and begs her to try them on him.

〈Clayface〉 has much in common with 〈Joker〉, not least that both are villain spinoffs. Even when a villain is the protagonist, audiences cannot easily get behind someone who is simply bad, so the film gives Matt reasons to inspire empathy or sympathy, up to a point. Like Arthur Fleck, who struggled with an impoverished background and mental illness, Matt is presented as a self-made man whose future is snatched away by a momentary mistake. 〈Clayface〉 elicits so much sympathy that, for a while, it hardly feels like a villain origin story. But it puts a check on our identification with Matt by hinting at his growing obsession. At first, getting his face back seems to be all he wants. Then he starts conspicuously showing himself off, even deliberately visiting the production that fired him. The trouble is that his treatment is imperfect—and linked to his mind.

The nanocells are depicted as healing the body by entering it and replicating other cells. In other words, the treatment does more than restore Matt's face: at an invisible, microscopic level, the nanocells become part of him. Whenever his emotions shift, they stir, and his appearance changes completely. That only deepens his obsession. Eventually, despite Caitlyn's objections, he goes so far as to use too much of the treatment.

〈Clayface〉 makes active use of Matt Hagen's changing body to build dramatic tension. It emphasizes a horror sensibility rarely seen in superhero movies, a genre now firmly in the mainstream. The film puts its most destructive images front and center, whether it is the mobster's knife slicing into Matt's face, facial reconstruction surgery or the sight of his skin sagging just as he thinks he has been cured. In this way, 〈Clayface〉 arrives as a thriller with a measure of body horror.

Part of a Universe, Yet Independent Like a Spinoff

What is particularly impressive is that, despite belonging to an ongoing shared universe, the film is perfectly easy to watch on its own. 〈Clayface〉 is said to connect to the animated series 〈Creature Commandos〉, in which Clayface appeared, but it takes place earlier, so not knowing that series poses no problem. Everything viewers need to know, along with the story itself, is in the film. Most of all, it would have been tempting to reach too far in pursuit of another success like 〈Joker〉. Instead, the film wisely focuses on the genre pleasures it set out to deliver: body horror and a villain spinoff. There are elements that could spark social debate, but rather than forcing them into an overt argument, the film folds them into the story and lets viewers find their own questions and answers.

The film also shows considerable thought about how Clayface can generate fear and tension. It does not rely solely on the premise that his face changes. The stages of his transformation into Clayface evoke a range of fears about bodily change, which the film also brings to bear on his psychology and his interactions with others. The result goes beyond striking visuals, leaving a chilling aftertaste by the end.

The performances are essential, too. Tom Rhys Harries carries virtually all of the film's narrative and emotional weight. He draws audiences in and unsettles them without losing sight of the villain's flashes of malice. Naomi Ackie, familiar to us as Nasha in 〈Mickey 17〉, is equally convincing as Caitlyn Corr, a scientist increasingly drawn to Matt as she wrestles with professional ethics and curiosity. The character work from the supporting cast adds strength to the film as well, including David Dencik and Ruby Sear as the mobster couple who bring Matt's life crashing down, along with Eddie Marsan and Max Minghella.

With the previous film, 〈Supergirl〉, leaving a bitter result, talk of a crisis for the DC Universe had already begun. 〈Clayface〉 puts that talk on hold, at least for now. There is a villain's birth that follows naturally from one man's tragedy, strong performances that make it shine, and direction that makes full use of the genre to keep audiences' eyes on the screen. I'll go so far as to say that 〈Clayface〉 will stand alongside 〈Joker〉 as a defining villain spinoff. 〈Clayface〉 is in theaters starting October 21.

※ There is no post-credits scene.