I'm glad James Gunn's latest comments about one big Batman villain appear to confirm a major twist is on the horizon for the 2025's Superman - hasn't released yet, there's already been plenty of exciting twists and turns along the road so far.
Despite being not much over a month into the Creature Commandos episode 6. However, one of the franchise's current biggest moments regarding a major Batman villain seems set to look very different very soon, based on DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn's most recent comments about the matter.
Clayface's Creature Commandos Story Seemingly Ended With His Death
Clayface's Fate Didn't Look Very Promising
The DC Universe's Clayface appeared in the first release in the franchise's new main timeline, with the Batman villain playing a crucial role in the story of Creature Commandos. In Creature Commandos episode 5, it's revealed that Clayface had killed Professor Aisla Maherson, who had previously been shown in the series ing that Circe's vision of Princess Ilana bringing in a dystopian future seemed credible. While this leads Rick Flag Sr. to tell Waller that Circe's vision wasn't true, it's later revealed Clayface was working with Ilana, helping to call Circe's vision into question.
Shortly after Rick Flag Sr. and Eric Frankenstein discover Clayface, the duo end up locked in combat with the villain, allowing all three characters to show off their fighting skills - particularly Clayface, who uses his unusual body composition to great and lethal threat throughout the fray. That said, it's Clayface who ends up looking the worst off of the three when all is said and done, as he's blasted into chunks via Frankenstein's clever use of some loose wires and their electric current.
Given we last saw Clayface in small bits and pieces, it seemed very possible that he was definitively dead for good in the DC Universe - particularly because Creature Commandos wasn't afraid to kill another Batman villains in the series, offing Rupert Thorne literally the episode after what appeared to be Clayface's messy execution. However, the nature of Clayface's powers meant nothing was set in stone, and James Gunn's newest comments certainly suggest the brutal ending to the fight was one the famous Batman foe can come back from.
James Gunn Has Teased Clayface's Death Being Far Less Permanent Than It Looked
Gunn's Comments All But Confirm The DC Universe's Clayface Is Still Alive
On January 23, 2025, James Gunn was asked about whether Clayface was well and truly dead in the DC Universe on Bluesky, to which he replied: "The reports of Clayface’s death have been greatly exaggerated. He is quite mushy though." This more or less confirms that Clayface's fate at the end of Creature Commandos wasn't one that killed him off for good and wrote him out of the franchise, despite us last seeing him rendered into something more closely resembling hummus than a living breathing clay person.
That said, Gunn's comments about him being "mushy" suggest the battle will have had some kind of impact on the villain, be it that he's rendered a little more vulnerable for the time being after clawing himself together, or that he may not be able to simply put himself back together quite the same to start with. In the comics, Clayface's body has split off into other beings before, and as such, there's a lot of possibilities regarding the character's DC Universe future after this fight, since building on this major defeat story-wise would only make sense.
Why Clayface's Return In The DC Universe Is For The Best For The Franchise
Clayface is one of the biggest Batman villains in the Dark Knight's roster, with many sublime comic stories focusing on his conflict with the Caped Crusader and his place in Gotham more broadly speaking. As a core part of the overall setup of many of the most iconic stories set in the DC city, getting rid of Clayface would've meant getting rid of a figure who could be used to great effect in future releases. Clayface has served as everything from a truly sinister monster to a well-intentioned ally of the Batfamily in the comics, and this places him in a good position to be useful in a wide range of different potential ways.
Similarly, setting up corners of Batman's world in the build-up to The Brave & The Bold is definitely a useful approach, and this is arguably best done with a living Clayface in tow, since we've already now been introduced to him seemingly years before we'll get to see the DCU Batman in his own film release. Allowing some Batman characters to be shown in the DCU well before this point helps to tease what the franchise's Batman might be like, but also what kind of threats he might have faced and continue to face - which would''ve been undermined somewhat if Clayface had just immediately died for good.
I'm So Glad It Looks Like Clayface's DC Universe Story Won't End With His First Appearance
Clayface Has Too Much Potential To Be Permanently Killed Off So Soon
With the DC Universe's release roster only being just over a month into being underway, I'm so glad to hear that Clayface's first ever appearance in the franchise didn't also immediately kill him off. While it would've been possible to potentially show more of the character in flashback sequences or the like, taking a major Batman character out of the equation so soon would've felt like a waste, particularly when you look at how iconic Clayface is as a villain, and that the Clayface movie could well be based in the main DCU timeline with this version of the character.
Killing Clayface off for good in his fight with Rick Flag Sr. and Eric Frankenstein would've meant the DCU had killed him in its third ever week of releases - with the Creature Commandos debut seeing episode 1 & 2 release on December 9 - and while this would've been a dramatic way to kick off things, it's also one I don't think would've ever been strictly necessary or worth the cost. Since Creature Commandos already had far bigger moments that worked to this effect, like introducing the DC Universe Batman, I'm relieved it seems Clayface will live to fight another day.
- Created by
- Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
- First Film
- Man of Steel
- First TV Show
- Peacemaker
- Cast
- Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor, Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Xolo Mariduena
- Movie(s)
- Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold
- Character(s)
- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
