Absolute Clayface's First Look Is Faking Fans Out

2 weeks ago 21

Published May 23, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
This initially led him to pursue a career in filmmaking -- and even work briefly in the industry as an extra in the straight-to-video family film, Alice Upside Down -- before deciding that his talents would be better served discussing and showing appreciation for the various forms of entertainment he is passionate about.

The reinterpretations of classic DC rogues that Absolute Batman has introduced so far have been unimaginably bizarre, leading fans to question how Absolute Clayface may appear. However, the first official glimpse at the villain does not reveal too much after all.

An early look at the Absolute Universe debut of Clayface sees him assuming the appearance of Absolute Batman.

The image comes from the official cover art for Absolute Batman #23, designed by Nick Dragotta, who serves as the main artist for writer Scott Snyder's smash hit series. It shows Bruce Wayne's vigilante alter ego engaging in an intense physical altercation with his shapeshifting foe, but it is next to impossible to determine which is which.

The fight appears to be taking place in a pile of the viscous substance that Clayface consists of, and which each adversary is visibly covered in, making the distinction between the two especially challenging. One of the most intriguing visual details from the cover, aside from the centerpiece quarrel, is the unsettling sight of hands emerging from the puddle of clay beneath them.

Fans have been quick to comment on the cheeky nature of DC's first look at Absolute Clayface, seeing as how the image essentially shows Batman fighting with his double and not the villain in his true form. However, Dragotta has provided some deeper insight by sharing his design sheet for the character.

Based on the concept art sketches, Absolute Clayface appears more human than previous iterations (at least the ones that are amorphous blobs in their default setting), save for the clear indication that he is a part of the mud he rises from. Dragotta's notes also describe the aforementioned hands emerging from the puddles that constantly surround him as trapped souls that seem to mold him from the ground up into an unfinished sculpture.

Clayface Was Previously Teased In The Absolute Universe

Absolute Batman with Clayface and Man-Bat escaping in the background from the Ark M special

It was only in March at MegaCon 2026 when Snyder confirmed that Absolute Clayface would make his debut at some point this year. However, fans of Absolute Batman knew about him before then.

It was in the series' tenth issue, which features the all-timer Absolute Batman moment of Bruce Wayne attempting to escape the torturous labs at Ark M, when the vigilante found himself in what is called the "K.L.A.Y. biome." There, he witnesses the unsettling sight of traumatized faces and grasping hands rising from the clay filling the room.

The second hint at Absolute Clayface's imminent emergence occurred in the one-shot Absolute Batman: Ark M #1, which is getting reprinted a second time. A shot at the files belonging to Absolute Joker confirmed that this timeline's version of the foe is a variant of Basil Karlo, who was also the first person to bear the villainous moniker in the main timeline, but as a vengeful out-of-work actor, not as a shapeshifting blob.

The first variation on the character to appear in this definitive form is Matthew Hagen, a treasure hunter who gains his shapeshifting abilities from a bizarre accident in 1961's Detective Comics #298. A version of Matt Hagen that also incorporates the desperate actor's backstory would appear in Batman: The Animated Series, as voiced by Ron Perlman, before Karlo was later revived as a blob in the comics and, at one time, even temporarily made into a BatFamily member by James Tynion IV in 2016.

The DC Universe's upcoming live-action movie, Clayface, appears to take inspiration from the Batman: The Animated Series version of Matt Hagen. Tom Rhys Harries stars in director James Watkin's body horror flick, penned by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, which hits theaters on Oct. 23, 2026.

Absolute Batman #23 is set to hit the shelves on Aug. 12.