It may not be surprising that a character made of clay has been reshaped multiple times. In the world of DC Comics (and superhero comics in general), legacy characters are now pretty common, but few have passed the baton–or the moniker–as much as Clayface. Known for being one of Batman’s Rogues Gallery members, this adversary is undoubtedly not a simple villain but “multiple.”
From actor Basil Karlo to firefighter Johnny Williams, the Clayface name is rooted in horror and tragedy, with each version bringing something different and reshaping the character’s relationship with the Caped Crusader.
The Original Clayface: Basil Karlo
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the original Clayface made his first Appearance in Detective Comics #40 in 1940. He was introduced as Basil Karlo, a B-list actor who initially committed murder under the identity of Clayface, one of his old roles, and started killing his victims in the same order they happened in the movie. He only did two apparitions during the Golden Age era.
Karlo came back during the Silver Age, but, for the longest time, he was just wearing a mask. He eventually gained shapeshifting abilities during the Modern Age era, after injecting himself with Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller’s blood (see below).
Despite all the other Clayfaces, Basil Karlo is still the most well-known, as DC Comics rewrote his origins multiple times. First, with the New 52 reboot (in Detective Comics vol. 2 #14-15), it was revealed that he gained his powers through mystical clay given to him by The Penguin. This helped him find success as an actor while working as a henchman for his benefactor. But the clay made him lose his own identity and lose everything he had gained. His only way to move forward was to become a full-time criminal.
During the Rebirth era, Basil was introduced as a former actor disfigured in a car crash who turned to an experimental drug called ReNu–which contained a facial mud that allowed him to reshape his features at will. An overdose of ReNu transformed his entire body into a mud-like substance that allowed him to alter his form to mimic anyone or anything. Though he briefly joined Batwoman and Red Robin’s team of Gotham City heroes in an attempt to reform, his criminal tendencies have remained difficult to suppress.
The Treasure Hunter Clayface: Matthew “Matt” Hagen
The second Clayface is Matt Hagen, who was created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff, first appearing in Detective Comics #298 (1961). He was the first to possess shapeshifting powers.
Hagen was a treasure hunter who gained his powers when he discovered a mysterious radioactive pool that transformed his body into malleable clay. His powers were temporary, requiring him to keep replenishing from the pool. A Silver Age villain, he perished during Crisis on Infinite Earths, but was brought back to life later.
His name was the one given to the Clayface presented in Batman: The Animated Series, but his backstory was different. In fact, elements of that version of the character would later be used as part of Basil Karlo’s New 52 retcon.
The Clayface from S.T.A.R. Labs: Preston Payne
The first Clayface of the Bronze Age era, Preston Payne, was created by Len Wein and Marshall Rogers in Detective Comics #477-479 (1978). This storyline introduced us to a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who tried to cure himself of a rare disease by using a sample of Matt Hagen’s DNA. As a result, he mutated into a melting, unstable form and started killing people to survive. Eventually, he needed a containment suit to stabilize himself.
The Lady Clayface: Sondra Fuller
The fourth Clayface was the first woman to use the name. Also known as Lady Clay, Sondra Fuller was created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo in Outsiders #21 (1987). A member of Strikeforce Kobra, a team formed by the mad scientists of the terrorist organisation known as the Kobra Cult, she was given through experimental surgery permanent shapeshifting abilities similar to Hagen’s but without the need for an external source.
However, her origins were reworked during the DC Rebirth reboot. They were the result of a scientific experiment, but done by rogue government agents who wanted to create their own metahumans.
The Mud Pack
Published in Detective Comics #604-607 (1989), the Mud Pack storyline written by Alan Grant with art by Norm Breyfogle is a major Clayface-focused arc that brought together multiple versions of the villain in a team-up against Batman.
The story begins with Basil Karlo and Sondra Fuller joining forces and freeing Payne from Arkham Asylum. Karlo also tried to bring back Matt Hagen to life, but failed. He put in motion a plan against Batman while secretly planning to elevate himself as the ultimate Clayface. Still lacking superhuman abilities, Karlo sought to obtain the powers of the other Clayfaces. He eventually succeeded by injecting himself with a special serum derived from their DNA, granting him the combined abilities of shapeshifting, super-strength, and acidic touch. Now referring to himself as the “Ultimate Clayface,” he became a far greater threat than ever before.
The story portrays Karlo as the definitive Clayface, while the others end up presented more as outcasts than pure villains. It also finally solidified Clayface as a major antagonist for Batman.
The Legacy Clayface: Cassius “Clay” Payne
The Mud Pack disbanded, Lady Clay and Preston Payne fell in love and decided to build a life together. Their relationship eventually led to the birth of Cassius “Clay” Payne, introduced in Doug Moench and Kelley Jones’ Batman #550 (1998).
Born with a fully clay-based body, Cassius inherited his mother’s shapeshifting powers and his father’s instability. He could mimic appearances, absorb materials into his form, and stretch or reshape his body at will. However, his genetic structure was highly unstable, often causing involuntary transformations triggered by emotions or external stimuli.
Due to his nature, Cassius can create Claythings from small pieces of his body. They are uncontrollable, mutated entities of sentient clay that acted purely on instinct. They are capable of morphing and controlling other beings.
The Clay-Thing: Peter Malley
Also introduced in Batman #550, D.E.O. scientist Peter Malley was injected with Cassius’ genetic material, turning his body into living clay, but he lost his identity almost immediately, becoming a mindless, shape-shifting horror. This made him one of the most dangerous versions of the character, but he didn’t last long.
The Amnesiac Clayface: “Todd Russell”
A lesser-known Clayface, Todd Russell was introduced in Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke’s Catwoman (Vol. 3) #1 (2002). I may not be the actor “Todd Russell” as he doesn’t remember who he was, but he looked like him. At least, when he doesn’t adopt someone else’s appearance. Whatever happened to him, he became a lost creature on a killing spree and was stopped by Catwoman.
The Firefighter Clayface: Johnny Williams
Created by A.J. Lieberman and Javier Pina in Batman: Gotham Knights #60 (2005), Johnny Williams is another minor Clayface who was created by accident and manipulated by someone else. In his case, he was a firefighter transformed by an explosion in a chemical plant. Discovering his new form led to him accidentally killing a prostitute, an act that pushed him on the brink of suicide. But then he met Hush, who explained to him what he had become and started to use him in his fight against Batman by forcing him to impersonate other people. Johnny finally discovered the truth and had to face his imminent death.
The Clayface of Japan
The Clayface of Japan is another relatively obscure version of Clayface introduced in Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 #6 (2013), written by Grant Morrison with art by Chris Burnham. This version of the character appears as part of Batman’s international network of crime-fighters.
Multiple versions of Clayface appeared in a lot of animated DC Comics shows and video games, but he will soon headline a self-titled film (in 2026) written by Mike Flanagan, following the footsteps of other Batman Rogues like The Joker and Penguin.