DC Redesigns Clayface Months Before Major DCU Movie Debut

With so much justifiable hype surrounding superhero films this year, such as Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a film currently projected to surpass a half-billion dollars on its opening weekend (and without IMAX), and Avengers: Doomsday, it's easy to overlook what Clayface might become for DC Studios — particularly in the wake of the criticized Supergirl reception at the box office.

To put it plainly, Clayface could challenge for not just one of the best films of the year, but also one of the best horror movies in recent memory, as it leans wholeheartedly into its R rating to horrify audiences in October 2026, in ways only Clayface (Tom Rhys Harries in the DCU) can do and that Batman knows all too well.

But before James Gunn and DC Studios unleash James Watkins' (Eden Lake) terror onto the masses, DC Comics wants to set the stage by serving up a somewhat friendly reminder of what the Batman supervillain can do by way of their all-new Clayface Celebrity Dirt series.

• Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle
• Art: Fran Galán
• Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
• Letterer: Tom Napolitano
• Length: 32 pages
• SKU: 0526DC0048
• UPC: 76194139679800111
• On sale: September 2026
• Price: $3.99 US

Clayface Makes Official Return Close to DCU Debut

Per the official release: "AHEAD OF DC STUDIOS' CLAYFACE MOVIE, WITNESS BASIL KARLO BRING THE MUD AND THE PAIN BACK TO DC COMICS! Before he was Clayface, Basil Karlo was one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. As he breaks out of Arkham once again, he's ready to stage his comeback, but there's just one problem: Someone already beat him to it, and Basil Karlo is already a massive star."

It continued: "But if that's true, what's next for the real Basil? And what does his predicament have to do with young women disappearing in Los Angeles and a new supplement causing hideous transformations in its users? Acclaimed horror writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle and rising star artist Fran Galán join forces for a bold new miniseries that's equal parts body horror and Hollywood glamour."

And then there's Absolute Clayface, by the way, making this year one hell of a long overdue coming out party for the villain.

Will Clayface Be in The Batman Part II?

At one point, early in its life cycle, Clayface was reportedly the main antagonist for Robert Pattison's Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II. It was ultimately determined that the character deserved his own feature film, but only if Gunn and DC Studios greenlit it as a full-blown horror movie — as opposed to watering it down to make it more palatable to box office audiences.

According to actor Max Minghella (Detective John), Reeves got his wish, and that's why Clayface got the go-ahead and, in the process, nearly carte blanche to scare the urine out of viewers' bladders when it arrives in theaters in a few months from now.

"I think I can safely say it's going there,” Minghella told Collider earlier this year. “It's a proper movie. It’s a really fantastic script."

It's also key to note that pulling Clayface out of The Batman Part II removes him from DC Elseworlds and instead ensures his longevity in Gunn's DCU, meaning audiences can expect to see plenty more of him following Clayface in October, but don't forget about Clayface Celebrity Dirt in September, because it should serve as a good primer for the unenlightened.