Spoiler alert! The following post discusses important plot points and the ending of “Clayface” (in theaters now) so beware if you haven’t seen it yet.
One of the main reasons why Batman is so cool is because of his iconic rogues gallery, and the DC body horror movie “Clayface” proves the Dark Knight’s supervillains need him, too.
Directed by James Watkins, the creep show is the origin story of the classic Bat-baddie Clayface. Movie star Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is one of Gotham City’s favorite sons, though a recent return to his hometown turns tragic: Matt has a one-night stand with a mobster’s girlfriend, and then gets severely disfigured by the gangster.
Matt reaches out to Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), a scientist working on state-of-the-art
but untested AI-powered nanocells that prove to be his miracle cure. Bad news: When they’re not working right, his face melts in disturbing fashion. Good news: They make his body like moldable clay, so Matt can turn himself into anybody.
Anybody who’s ever read a Batman comic book knows that Clayface doesn’t turn out to be a nice guy. Let’s dig into the ending, if there’s any post-credits scenes, and whether or not a certain Caped Crusader shows up.
What happens in the ending of ‘Clayface’?
Matt uses his transformative abilities to take revenge on the criminals who took a switchblade to his face as well as the friends who betrayed him. He also falls in love with Caitlyn, and shows up at her place disguised as her cop boyfriend (Max Minghella). When she discovers her beau is actually dead, Caitlyn figures out that Matt is definitely not a good guy and uses the kill switch on the nanocells, causing Matt to turn into a malformed brown creature as his bones disintegrate and turn him into a liquidy substance oozing into the sewers.
We see Caitlyn walking around Gotham wondering if Matt’s around her and watching, and she gives a homeless man some money. He heads to an underground lair and it’s revealed that it’s Matt. Caitlyn shows up, too, seemingly following him home. She reads glowing reviews of his “performance” to him and she says, “You’re stuck with me.” The camera pans out as they kiss, and it’s revealed that “Caitlyn” is just a transformed part of his body. Matt envelops her into him and turns into the gigantic, horrifying monster Clayface well known from the comics and “Batman: The Animated Series.”
Does Batman appear in DC’s new movie ‘Clayface’?
Nope! This could be because James Gunn and the DC Studios crew hasn’t cast a Batman yet (at least not officially) or they’re just not ready to debut him yet in the rebooted DC universe. Actually, “Clayface” is the first time audiences have seen this version of Gotham after a road sign easter egg in “Superman” and it being mentioned as the hometown of Nebraska sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) in “Lanterns.”
In a Collider interview, DC co-CEO Peter Safran confirmed that “Batman is there” in Gotham during the events of “Clayface. And for those wondering why Robert Pattinson didn’t show up in a cape and cowl, his Dark Knight from “The Batman” is considered to be from a different Elseworlds universe, not the mainstream DCU.
Does ‘Clayface’ have a post-credits scene?
Again, no! While last year’s “Superman” had one, this summer’s “Supergirl” and “Clayface” didn’t have any extra a la the Marvel superhero movies.
New fans of Rhys Harries’ Clayface probably won’t see him in the next DCU flick. The “Superman” sequel “Man of Tomorrow” (in theaters July 9, 2027) is already pretty stacked, with David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult reprising their roles as the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor, plus Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart from “Lanterns” and Milly Alcock’s title heroine from “Supergirl.” Clayface could pop up in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” an upcoming movie that will center on Batman and his son Damian Wayne.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Clayface' spoilers! Does Batman appear in the DC horror movie?
