Why Is Clayface So Different in Batman: Caped Crusader?

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1.

Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 presents a version of classic Bat-foe Clayface who has little in common with the mud monster fans are familiar with. So, why is Clayface so different in Batman: Caped Crusader?

Related: Is Batman: Caped Crusader Getting a Season 2?

Batman: Caped Crusader’s Clayface, Explained

DC’s Batman comics have featured eight characters called Clayface over the years (plus several more alternate universe incarnations). While each Clayface boasts a wildly different backstory – and in some cases, abilities – they all have one thing in common: they’re shapeshifters whose default humanoid form resembles (you guessed it) clay. Of these Clayfaces, arguably the most well-known are the first two, Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen. Karlo is revenge-driven actor who initially has no superpowers; he just dresses up like a deformed creature. Hagen is a treasure hunter who turns to a life of crime after gaining the form-altering talents Karlo also acquires later on.

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Both Karlo and Hagen have appeared in multiple Bat-adaptations; Batman: The Animated Series even fused them into a single, composite character. This Clayface had Hagen’s name and design, but was also an actor, like Karlo. As Batman: Caped Crusader co-developer and showrunner Bruce Timm played a key role in creating The Animated Series‘ Clayface, he wanted to try something different – and better suited to Caped Crusader‘s 1940s setting – this time around. “Going back to the Golden Age again, the very first Clayface was a guy named Basil Karlo who’s based on the old horror movie actors,” Timm told Animation Magazine. “So that’s playing our song, we loved that.”

Why Are Batman: Caped Crusader’s Villains So Different?

The result of Timm and Batman: Caped Crusader character designer James Tucker’s Clayface re-think is a baddie with Karlo’s original backstory and faux-Phantom of the Opera look, backed by more modest superpowers. In this universe, Clayface has to adjust his mug manually, almost like a sculptor. Caped Crusader‘s Karlo can’t reconfigure his limbs into deadly weapons, either; he relies on an off-the-shelf dagger, instead.

Related: Is Batman: Caped Crusader Set in the DCAU?

It’s part of Timm’s wider approach to Gotham City’s heroes and villains in Caped Crusader, many of whom differ from their portrayal in other media. Why all the shake-ups? As noted above, Timm was eager to break new ground with the show, rather than just revisit what he’d done on Batman: The Animated Series. “I didn’t want to have to compete with everybody’s memory of that show,” Timm explained in an interview with Emmys.com. “Because a lot of people grew up with it, and that’s their favorite version of Batman, which is awesome. Another thing is, I didn’t really feel like there was much more we could do with that version of the characters.”

Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video.