Goodbye 'Clayface,' This Peacock Superhero Thriller Is Even Better

Published Oct 30, 2026, 6:15 AM EDT Mitchell Brown is a Wisconsin-based writer, film fanatic, and graduate of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who has written for various publications covering film analysis, reviews (both classic and contemporary), and movie news. He's also a screenwriter, having written multiple spec scripts. When he's not watching movies, writing movies, or writing about the films he's already seen...no, that about covers it. Clayface is doing well, with the film already making back its production budget from opening weekend, and good word-of-mouth doing its job leading into Halloween. Even with the connecting tissue of an existing IP, it's exciting to see a bona fide monster movie with flavors of body horror (that sounded gross, but it's too late to back down now) get a wide release to mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences. And since everyone enjoys following up a new movie with something similar from the past, you may want to check out a cult classic from the '90s that fused Universal monsters and the superhero genre, a film that's known mainly to fans of Sam Raimi: Darkman. The story follows Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), a good-natured scientist trying to perfect the creation of synthetic skin. But all that changes when his lawyer girlfriend, Julie (Frances McDormand), gets wrapped up with a dangerous criminal named Robert G. Durant (Larry Drake), who goes with his crew to Peyton's lab and disfigures him beyond recognition before laying waste to the building. Presumed dead, Peyton uses his remaining equipment to try and perfect the synthetic skin in order to get his life back. But with the enhanced strength and inability to feel pain that he gained at the hospital (modern comic book medicine at work), he decides to go after the men who turned him into a monster–all the while slowly becoming one beneath the surface, too. Sam Raimi's First Superhero(ish) Film Sam Raimi's follow-up to Evil Dead 2, Darkman fused the heightened world of comic books with the reclusive nature of classic Universal monsters. And for the fans who enjoy the over-the-top ludicrousness and mischievousness of the Evil Dead series, Darkman feels more in line stylistically with Evil Dead 2 than his Spider-Man trilogy. There's plenty of Dutch angles, stylized action (after all, the camera is a character unto itself in a Sam Raimi movie) and an unabashed corniness that other filmmakers might shy away from, but Raimi just rolls with in the most entertaining way. The film's never afraid to have both a dark sense of humor and a goofy one, and the pulpy but campy tone allows for both. During a tense action scene, Peyton flies through the window of a skyscraper while hanging from a helicopter (what a wonderful sentence), and without giving away why, it is the funniest thing Sam Raimi has ever filmed and could've been a gag out of Army of Darkness. Darkman has plenty of parallels to Clayface, with the protagonist's main "power" being his scientific ability to use his synthetic skin to make masks and look like anyone. It also apparently grants him the ability to change his height, weight, and head shape depending on what person he has to impersonate, and you know what . . .that's fine. Questioning logic and continuity in a Sam Raimi movie is like questioning science in Star Wars; at a certain point, you're the toxic one in that relationship. But beyond the surface-level "he can be anyone" comparison, both films share a similar thematic line of a good man becoming corrupted in his pursuit of vengeance. The Thin Line Between Anti-Hero and Villain Image via Warner Bros. Pictures The protagonists of both Clayface and Darkman start out as sympathetic, and their motives stem from a pure desire to not be ostracized from society for their appearance and get back what was taken from them. In Peyton's case, it's a future with his girlfriend, and for Matt Hagen, it's his career and credibility. Where the two characters differ, however, is the distinction between the origins of an outcast anti-hero and a monstrous villain. Matt's newfound abilities are given, rather than earned, through magic science juice used to fix his face. And when he realizes that he can be anyone and get away with anything with no consequences, going so far as to kill those who've wronged him, it begs the question of whether he was a good guy in the first place, or if he just didn't act on his impulses because he didn't think he could get away with them. It's like a less horrific version of Hollow Man, where he's able to become so detached from his actions because he doesn't have to look at himself in the mirror. It plays into the Robert Caro adage of "Power doesn't corrupt, it reveals." To paraphrase another great thinker (Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park), Matt didn't earn the power for himself, so he doesn't take any responsibility for it. Peyton, on the other hand, has to use the tools he has at his disposal, which includes working under the limitation of his synthetic skin deteriorating after 99 minutes, and has to plan and reflect on what he's doing (which he does throughout the film). The result is him slowly realizing that beyond his appearance, he's also chipping away at his soul. While both characters have an element of tragedy to them, Peyton remains sympathetic throughout because he can feel his morality slipping away, whereas Matt completely abandons his. And without spoiling the ending to either film, both end up in a similar position. For Matt, it's a comeuppance, but for Peyton, it's self-imposed. Darkman is one of the most underrated entries in Sam Raimi's filmography (sitting comfortably next to The Quick and the Dead), and will likely forever hold the honor of the greatest revenge film with some monster flare ever made. It blends Raimi's humor and unique visual style with fun action, impressive makeup prosthetics, and a great unhinged (but still sympathetic) performance by Liam Neeson in the title role. If Clayface left you wanting another off-kilter revenge film—with a protagonist who doesn't steal lines from Tombstone—Darkman is currently streaming on Peacock. Release Date August 24, 1990 Runtime 95 minutes Director Sam Raimi Cast Peyton Westlake / Darkman Writers Chuck Pfarrer, Daniel Goldin, Ivan Raimi, Joshua Goldin, Sam Raimi Producers Robert Tapert