Clayface's Most Shocking Death Is Its Best Body Horror Scene

Clayface's Most Shocking Death Delivers The Movie's Best Body Horror © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection Published Oct 24, 2026, 9:45 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention. Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Clayface (2026) Now three movies in, James Gunn's DC Universe has taken a dark and bold new approach with Clayface, a true body horror movie from start to finish starring one of Batman's most powerful and tragic foes. Played by Tom Rhys Harries as Gotham-born actor Matt Hagen, the new R-rated film leans into the disturbing visuals of the character's powers as Hagen gradually transforms into a monster capable of transforming his body at will. Although Clayface's various transformations provide plenty of unsettling moments, the movie's most effective body horror moments don't all come from Hagen's new abilities alone...but from what he does with them to others. As Matt Hagen gradually gains control of his dark new abilities, he starts giving in to his dark impulses, like weaponizing his power in some truly gruesome ways to get revenge on those who've wronged him. Keeping that in mind, Clayface's most shocking death very much feels like the epitome of Matt Hagen's dark descent, providing the movie's best and most grotesque body horror moment by far in the new DC Studios film. ​​​​​ Clayface's Most Brutal Death Is A Masterclass In Superhero Body Horror The most shocking death in the film comes near Clayface's ending, when Matt Hagen finally confronts Markos Szabo, the crime boss responsible for ending Hagen's acting career after he disfigures him for sleeping with his girlfriend. Infiltrating the office above Szabo's club, Hagen suffocates Markos' girlfriend before tackling and pinning Szabo to the ground. Taking a knife, Hagen cuts himself in the same places where Szabo cut him, allowing the blood to fall and cover the Gotham crime boss's face. Now infused with nanites thanks to the experimental procedure from Dr. Caitlyn Corr, the blood is recalled to Hagen's body so that it can perfectly repair the damage, though not before forcing its way out of Szabo's body, tearing apart his own face and eyes in the process. By all accounts, it's an incredibly brutal and disturbingly unique way of killing someone. At the same time, the narrative significance makes the moment that much darker. Recreating the violence that ruined his life, Matt earns his twisted vengeance with a truly nightmarish level of poetic symmetry. Clayface's Most Disturbing Kill Shows Why DC's Horror Approach Works So Well © Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection Ultimately, Markos Szabo's gruesome death demonstrates why Clayface works so well as a horror protagonist. His powers and growing abilities are fundamentally connected to his gradual corruption over time, becoming a monster in mind as much as body. While he originally just wanted to fix his face and get his life back, he ends up becoming something far darker than he ever intended as one of DC's most tragic Batman villains. Beyond the truly horrifying visuals, the violence also has this crazy thematic weight. After all, Szabo left Matt desperate to get his life back by whatever means necessary, setting him on the path to Dr. Corr's treatments and the eventual overdose filling his entire body with the experimental nanites. By cutting his face in the exact same places and killing Szabo with his own enhanced blood, Matt turns his trauma into a weapon of dark and disturbing revenge, while also showing just how far he's fallen, becoming someone just as capable of inflicting the same violence on others. After all, Szabo is far from the only person Clayface kills in the new DCU movie. Overall, the combination of all-out body horror and deep tragedy on display is what makes the sequence way more effective than a brutal kill for shock value. Across the board, the entire Clayface movie is proof that DC Studios should absolutely continue taking bold swings and risks like this to give the DC Universe all kinds of compelling variety going forward. Clayface is now playing in theaters from DC Studios. Release Date October 23, 2026 Runtime 108 Minutes Director James Watkins Writers Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini Producers James Gunn, Lynn Harris, Matt Reeves, Peter Safran Cast Tom Rhys Harries Matt Hagen / Clayface Naomi Ackie Dr. Caitlin Bates