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I\u2019m as pumped as anyone to see what the live-action Brainiac will look like<\/a> in James Gunn\u2019s Man of Tomorrow, and what kind of drunken bastiches Kara and Lobo will be in Supergirl, the upcoming DC project<\/a> I\u2019m most jazzed about is absolutely Clayface. Gunn\u2019s history with horror is the perfect set-up for the DCU to embrace the genre<\/a>, as it already has with Creature Commandos, and James Watkins gets to deliver those live-action goods to theaters later this year<\/a>. Now, we finally have our first look at the amorphous antagonist.<\/p>\n DC Studios and Warner Bros. have unveiled the debut teaser for Clayface, which was initially shown off for CinemaCon crowds, and it\u2019s a solid blend of setting up familiar elements while also hinting at more mayhem to come. And if I\u2019m not mistaken, the start of all this mayhem seems to have been pulled from the origin story of a different Batman villain. Check out the video below and see if you can spot the key clue, which we\u2019ll get into lower.<\/p>\n Credit: Warner Bros.<\/p>\n This Clayface Teaser Is Haunting Without Spoiling Much<\/p>\n One of the worst things about any movie\u2019s promotional campaign is always the 3-minute trailer that pretty much lays out the story beat for beat while also featuring footage from every single set piece, leaving no surprises unturned. I can only hope that Clayface never goes that route, and that each preview is similarly limited and unnerving as the one above.<\/p>\n Set to the slowed and echoed lyrics of The Flaming Lips \u201cDo You Realize?\u201d the footage is largely locked in on the seemingly injured and bandaged face of Matt Hagen, as portrayed by Tom Rhys Harries. Harries\u2019 uncovered face doesn\u2019t pop up for long, and we mostly see him in\u2026other ways. Gotta love the time-honored classic look where he\u2019s struggling to stretch his mouth back open. That effect will always give me tiny jolts of claustrophobia at the thought of not having a mouth to breathe through.<\/p>\n We also get our first looks at Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlin Bates, who\u2019s not only Matt\u2019s love interest, but also a provocative scientist who has been compared to Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. I can only assume that she\u2019ll have a major part to play where Matt\u2019s transformation into Clayface is concerned, and how it seemingly taps into other DC Comics lore.<\/p>\n Credit: DC Comics, Warner Bros.<\/p>\n Clayface’s Story Seems To Be Tied To The Creeper’s Comic Book Origins<\/p>\n Around the 20-second mark in the teaser, there’s this quick-flash image of a computer screen and X-ray imagery:<\/p>\n Credit: Warner Bros<\/p>\n Certainly, a number of DC Comics stories have centered on nanotechnology over the years, especially when it comes to bots and drones. But The Creeper’s revised origin story for the post-Infinite Crisis era specifically involved alter ego Jack Ryder being injected (by scientist Vincent Yatz) with an experimental stem cell treatment involving “nanocells” that allowed for “smart-skin” that could be manipulated and regenerated at will.<\/p>\n Not all of The Creeper’s origins went that way, as he’s also been depicted as a literal demon from Western culture, as well as a Japanese oni. But the nanocell-created skin gave Jack various superhuman abilities, from heightened strength to powered-up senses and other oddball powers. So not exactly the same as what we’re expecting from Clayface’s namesake, but close enough that this has to be a knowing wink to DC Comics lore.<\/p>\n What’s more, there’s even a Joker connection here that could possibly tap into the Joker-related imagery seen in behind-the-scenes photos<\/a>. It was later discovered that Joker Venom was added into the nanocell serum as a nerve agent, which is what caused The Creeper’s abnormal super-skin and other abilities. It’d be a fun way to bring that iconic character’s presence into this universe without the need to show him outright. (Although I’d welcome that just as quickly.)<\/p>\n Though Superman was about an alien who at one point in the movie fought a kaiju, James Gunn generally aims to keep the DCU fairly grounded when possible, so it makes more sense to have Matt Hagen’s transformation be tied to experimental science as opposed to anything supernatural or demonic. I’m just hoping Dr. Caitlin Bates has an assistant named Jack Ryder, and that he looks directly into the camera while tapping the side of his nose at one point.<\/p>\n Check out one of the cool social posts DC shared ahead of the teaser’s release, showing off more of the melty-face effect.<\/p>\n Will the upcoming horror movie<\/a> feature other nods to The Creeper and more Batman villains, or will this be the most contained and reference-lite DC project yet? Considering Mike Flanagan wrote the script<\/a>, I’m expecting some brilliant tie-ins.<\/p>\n Find Clayface in theaters (or becoming the theater itself) on October 23, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. 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