How Clayface Sets Up The DCU's Batman Movie & What We Know About The Character's Future

Published Oct 23, 2026, 8:06 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Warning! This article includes SPOILERS for Clayface.Clayface has been released in theaters, and the latest movie in the new DC Universe does a solid job setting up the franchise's first Batman movie through its use of Gotham City in live-action and more. Clayface is the third film in James Gunn's DCU, following the director's Superman and this year's Supergirl. With a small budget, it looks like a winner already. Clayface is also an interesting movie for the DC slate of projects this early into the DCU's run. Instead of films starring Wonder Woman, Batman, or other major heroes, this is an origin story focused on a Batman villain with an R rating and a focus on body horror. That said, it works. Clayface is a solid first step for Batman's corner of the DCU in live-action. At the time of writing, Clayface sports a strong 75% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 146 reviews. The new R-rated DC movie also boasts a near-perfect 92% audience score. After Clayface, DC has set its sights on the DCU's first Batman movie, the already announced The Brave and the Bold. That film is expected to feature the Damian Wayne version of Robin. Right now, The Brave and the Bold does not have an announced release date. That said, the movie will be released after Matt Reeves' The Batman - Part II, which is currently set to arrive in theaters on February 18, 2028. A couple of years away from the DCU's first Batman movie, at the very least, Clayface comes as a fine start to the live-action Gotham, setting up The Brave and the Bold in a few ways. What Clayface's Gotham City Suggests About Batman While Batman does not appear in Clayface, nor is he directly mentioned or teased, Bruce Wayne is already active as the Dark Knight during the events of the new DCU movie. Additionally, the place where Matt Hagen is mentoring Gotham kids in the video Dr. Caitlyn watches is called the Wayne Community Center. This confirms the Wayne family's presence in Gotham, even if Bruce himself is never seen. The best tease for The Brave and the Bold comes from how Clayface depicts Gotham City in live-action. There is a clear class divide, with Matt starting in the good part and then going to The Narrows. Clayface makes Gotham feel just as grimy and dangerous as it should, filled with corrupt people, killers, and mostly devoid of any morality. This feels like a city in need of a man dressed up as a bat and stopping crime with his fists. Clayface also sets up a classic take on the GCPD. Though Jim Gordon does not show up, the police are painted as mostly crooked, save for a few good apples like Max Minghella's John Borrelli. The new DCU movie also features a few Joker teases, such as the inclusion of Amusement Mile, the "One Bad Day" movie reference, the way Hagen's mouth is forcefully cut and left scarred, and more. Clayface Could Face Batman In The DCU's Future Batman might not be in the new DCU movie, but Clayface's ending perfectly sets the stage for the Dark Knight to fight the tragic villain. After all, Clayface does turn into his full-on monster form, looking quite similar to the Batman villain's design in the HBO Max animated series Creature Commandos, at the very end of the DC movie. This is the Clayface that is meant to fight Batman, and Hagen's psyche is fractured enough that he will be ready to go down the villain path with the Dark Knight when they meet. Additionally, the events of Clayface end with Matt Hagen having dropped several bodies, killing those who wronged him — and even someone who did not — in gruesome ways. While his story is tragic, the character is no hero, and given how Caitlyn told the police everything that happened with Matt, Batman could be up to speed on Clayface's powers and more whenever the DCU Batman movie arrives. 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