History Characters / BatmanClayface

* LargeHam: Comes with the acting background. After receiving the abilities of Preston Payne and Shondra Fuller, Karlo regarded himself as "THE ULTIMATE CLAYFACE!"

* AndIMustScream: He basically exists in a permanent state of this, completely unable to physically interact with the world outside of his exoskeleton prison without dissolving it on contact. As his mental state deteriorates thanks to his condition, he's not even safe in his own mind. This is why Helena the mannequin means so much to him: she's the only woman he can touch without fear of killing (at least until he meets Shondra Fuller/Lady Clay). Suffice to say, it truly does suck to be Preston Payne.

[[Characters/BatmanAndBatFamily The Bat-Family]] (Characters/{{Batgirl}} | Characters/{{Batwoman}} | [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]] | Characters/{{Robin}}) | [[Characters/BatmanSupportingCast Extended Bat-Family & Other Supporting Cast]] (Characters/{{Azrael}} | [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]])\\

* BadassCape: He wears a blue cape, an affection unique to him among Clayfaces. It gives him a certain Literature/PhantomOfTheOpera quality.

* BadassCape: He wears a blue cape, an affection unique to him among Clayfaces.

%%* DarkerAndEdgier: Regular old Clayface wasn't cutting the mustard for the grimdark 90s, so DC came up with a new version of him with a TouchOfDeath.

* TheGrotesque: The poor guy's felt like this his ''whole life''. Being turned into a Clayface was just a cruel joke of the universe.

* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousPerson: His chief power is that he can melt people into.
* PapaWolf: When Abattoir has his son, he's willing to kidnap and kill just to keep Cassius safe. When the killer returns his son, Preston isn't about to let him off the hook:
-->''"You dirty rat! '''No one''' takes my kid and walks! You caused me and my wife a lot of heartache, you worm! I'm going to see that you '''suffer'''-I'm going to see you '''burn'''!

* KnifeNut: He obviously doesn't need conventional weapons anymore, but in the Golden Age his style was creeping around with a dagger to stab and slash like a classic horror killer.

[[Characters/BatmanCentralRoguesGallery Central Rogues Gallery]] ([[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] | Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] | Characters/HarleyQuinn ([[Characters/HarleyQuinnTheCharacter Harleen Quinzel]]) | [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] | [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]]) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]]\\

[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] ([[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] | Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | '''Clayface''' | Characters/HarleyQuinn) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] ([[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]]) [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]] ([[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] | [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]])\\

''Characters/Batgirl2000'' | ''Characters/DarkNightsMetal'' ([[Characters/DarkNightsMetalTheBatmanWhoLaughs The Batman Who Laughs]]) | ''Characters/IAmBatman'' | ''Characters/{{Nightwing}}'' ([[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]]) | ''Characters/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' | ''Characters/Robin1993'' ([[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]]) | ''Characters/Robin2021'' ([[Characters/RobinDamianWayne Damian Wayne]])-]]]]]

[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] ([[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] | Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | '''Clayface''' | Characters/{{Deadshot}} | Characters/HarleyQuinn) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] ([[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]]) [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]] ([[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] | [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]])\\

* DisproportionateRetribution: He decides to murder people because they're remaking his film without him in the starring role, even though he was brought on as a consultant.

* FreudianExcuse: Albeit one that comes off as incredibly petty: Karlo started killing people because his own reputation was sinking, nobody wanted to work with him, and he believed the remake would trounce on his life's work.

''Characters/Batgirl2000'' | ''Characters/DarkNightsMetal'' ([[Characters/DarkNightsMetalTheBatmanWhoLaughs The Batman Who Laughs]]) | ''Characters/IAmBatman'' | ''Characters/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' | ''Characters/{{Nightwing}}'' ([[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]]) | ''Characters/Robin1993'' ([[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]]) | ''Characters/Robin2021'' ([[Characters/RobinDamianWayne Damian Wayne]])-]]]]]

[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] (Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | '''Clayface''' | Characters/{{Deadshot}} | Characters/HarleyQuinn) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] ([[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]]) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]] ([[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]])\\

* AssholeVictim: Shortly after becoming the Ultimate Clayface, he gets sent burrowing to the center of the earth by the combined efforts of Looker and Batman. While he eventually digs himself out, [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] soon uses him as soil for her gardens. In both cases he's such a vile, inhumanly cruel scumbag that it's impossible to feel bad for him.

''Characters/Batgirl2000'' | ''Characters/DarkNightsMetal'' | ''Characters/IAmBatman'' | ''Characters/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' | ''Characters/{{Nightwing}}'' ([[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]]) | ''Characters/Robin1993'' ([[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]]) | ''Characters/Robin2021'' ([[Characters/RobinDamianWayne Damian Wayne]])-]]]]]

[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] (Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | '''Clayface''' | Characters/{{Deadshot}} | Characters/HarleyQuinn) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] ([[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]] ([[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]])\\

[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] (Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | '''Clayface''' | Characters/{{Deadshot}} | Characters/HarleyQuinn) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] ([[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]]) | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]] ([[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]])\\

* IHatePastMe: Following his joining Team Bat, Basil asks to train in the [=BatCave=]'s Holo-room. The computer produces the most monstrous, vicious enemy there is...Clayface. Basil is understandably distraught.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Pre-HeelFaceTurn, Karlo's villainy was born out of a need to avenge his wounded career, and fury at ''not'' being the star of the show for once.
* {{Irony}}: The original super-criminal to bear the name Clayface was, in his original incarnation at least, the only one to not possess some form of clay-related superpower or shapeshifting ability (besides mundane talents for disguise). The realisation of his complete inferiority compared to his successors lead him to form a plot to steal all their powers and thereby live up to his moniker as the "Ultimate Clayface".

* BodyHorror: It's a piece of living clay that fused with an unlucky doctor to mutate and take over his body. Somebody call the Website/SCPFoundation.

[[redirect:Sandbox/CrisisOnInfinitePages]]

[[redirect:Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1]]

!!Clayface I (Basil Karlo)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Clayface_img_7209.jpg]]

-> ''" Your power is useless. I am a force of nature unto myself."''
\\\
Basil Karlo was an actor who went mad when he heard his classic horror film "Dread Castle" was being remade. He donned the mask of "Clayface," the villain he played in another film, and went on a killing spree, murdering the members of the cast and crew. However, he was stopped by Batman, reappearing a few times before remaining unused. However, during his absence, several other criminals with the name Clayface appeared. They were all made of clay, [[VoluntaryShapeShifting could change shape]], and one even had a poisonous touch.

One of these new Clayfaces visited Karlo in prison out of curiosity, and they formed a plan where all living Clayfaces would team up against Batman. The group, called "The Mud Pack," was beaten, but Karlo obtained the powers of all the other Clayfaces, becoming a much bigger threat.
----
* AdaptationalHeroism: From the ''New 52'' onward, Karlo has been depicted as much less of a villain and more of a desperate, tragic man, looking for a purpose and without full control of what his powers do to him psychologically. Following ''Rebirth'', [[ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth the Bat-family finally gives him aid and a place to belong,]] and [[HeelFaceTurn he joins the team]].
* AgeLift: Pre-New 52, Karlo was a past his prime actor looking around his 60s. Rebirth!Karlo is a young man who became a clay-humanoid much earlier.
* AllYourPowersCombined: In the "Mud Pack" storyline, Basil joined forces with the other Clayfaces (except for the deceased Matt Hagen) to form the titular terracotta team, only to double-cross them at the end and steal all of their powers for himself, transforming him into the "Ultimate Clayface".
* AssholeVictim: Shortly after becoming the Ultimate Clayface, he gets sent burrowing to the center of the earth by the combined efforts of Looker and Batman. While he eventually digs himself out, ComicBook/PoisonIvy soon uses him as soil for her gardens. In both cases he's such a vile, inhumanly cruel scumbag that it's impossible to feel bad for him.
* TheAtoner: While he was an utter bastard before New 52, Clayface's rebirth incarnation genuinely regrets his villainous rampages and is willing to work with his old enemies to atone for the harm he caused.
* AxCrazy: Going on a killing spree over a remake of your movie does not imply mental stability.
* BodyHorror: In ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', as a child, he saw his father, a Creator/RayHarryhausen expy, mold his face with a substance called Renu. After suffering from a grave car accident just as he was getting his big break, he began using the remainder of his father's stock of Renu to restore his mangled face. When his supply started running low, he tried to buy more, only to learn the product (which was made to mold plastic, and [[NotTheIntendedUse explicitly warned against application to skin]]) had been discontinued twenty years before... because it had the tendency to melt off people's hands. The fact that it also [[PsychoSerum destabilized his neuron pathways]] didn’t help. And then he got a full-body bath of the stuff.
* TheBigGuy: He becomes this as part of the Bat-Family, essentially a shape-shifting Ben Grimm.
* TheBrute: Most of Karlo's pre-''Rebirth'' incarnations could be described this way, with the version of him from the ''New 52'' having the dubious distinction of being Karlo at his most dense and brutish.
* CompositeCharacter:
** Nearly every adaptation of Clayface combines Karlo's name and background with the appearance and powers of Matt Hagen. Averted once Karlo became a [[VoluntaryShapeShifting shape changing monster]] in the comics.
** The latest iteration of Karlo, as seen in ''Detective Comics Annual #1'' shows a young Basil Karlo become Clayface through a series of events somewhat mirroring the events that transformed the ''Batman: the Animated Series'' version of Matt Hagen.
* ContinuitySnarl: Depending on how you count it, there have been no fewer than eight different Clayfaces throughout the years, many of which cannibalized bits of former version's names, powers, and backstory while ignoring other bits and adding their own twists, making pinning down Clayface even more challenging [[DependingonTheWriter than usual]] for a comic book character. Even individually speaking, Basil's history is very inconsistent and full of gaps, mainly because he practically skipped the entirety of the Silver and Bronze Ages, with his sole appearance in the latter era ending in his apparent death (Detective Comics #496). That story was completely ignored when the character was revamped in the late '80s.
* TheCorruption: Karlo's abilities have more recently become this, with him slipping more and more into a dangerous, reactive state if he doesn't apply intense concentration while maintaining form.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He decides to murder people because they're remaking his film without him in the starring role, even though he was brought on as a consultant.
* DramaticIrony: An old horror movie actor who went insane after they announced a rebooted form of one of his old movies would decades later be rebooted himself into a younger, more tragic personality.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Karlo's earliest appearances in the Golden Age of Comics can count as this for modern readers since he completely lacked any clay-related superpowers, simply being an extremely bitter and psychotic has-been actor who wore a gruesome facial disguise to commit crimes.
* ElementalShapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Even before gaining clay powers, Karlo was a ruthless and cunning foe who could hold his own against Batman and Robin. That he strung along and duped his mutant teammates into taking their powers shows just how dangerous he can be with just his cruel mind.
* EvilIsPetty: Oh Lord, where do we begin? The man became a SerialKiller over a ''remake'' of his greatest film, swears revenge on Batman for stopping him from killing more people, and gruesomely devours those he suspects are making fun of his old movies. He could give the Joker himself a run for his money.
* EvilOldFolks: Pre-Rebirth, Karlo looks to be in his 60s, and is unquestionably the most outright evil and monstrous character to ever take the Clayface name.
* {{Flanderization}}: Karlo was previously characterized as an ego-maniacal actor, but then writers and artists began depicting him more like the Clayface from the animated series, who was more-or-less an amalgamation of the first four Clayfaces, but more predominately Matt Hagen, the second. The difficulty in this is that, the comic version of Hagen was KilledOffForReal during ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. Unless it's outright stated in the story featuring him, readers have a hard time telling if Clayface is Karlo or Hagen.
* FreudianExcuse: Albeit one that comes off as incredibly petty: Karlo started killing people because his own reputation was sinking, nobody wanted to work with him, and he believed the remake would trounce on his life's work.
* HateSink: Unlike his fellow clay-beings and most other rogues, there is utterly ''nothing'' sympathetic or redeemable about Karlo whatsoever. He was a serial killer even before becoming a true Clayface, and is usually motivated by a desire to stoke his own bloated ego, no matter how many people he has to bury alive to do it. Averted by his ''New 52''/''Rebirth'' counterpart, who shares more in common with Preston Payne and Animated!Matt Hagen.
* HumanoidAbomination: Since becoming the "Ultimate Clayface".
* {{Hypocrite}}: In "Mud Pack", he says Payne's powers are too potent to be wasted on a lunatic, when he is ''hardly''' saner himself and is if anything even worse.
* IHatePastMe: Following his joining Team Bat, Basil asks to train in the [=BatCave=]'s Holo-room. The computer produces the most monstrous, vicious enemy there is...Clayface. Basil is understandably distraught.
* IWasQuiteALooker: In the ''ComicBook/New52'' / ''Comicbook/DCRebirth'' continuity at least.
-->''"See that handsome guy right there? The one with those blue eyes that look right into your soul? That's Basil Karlo. That's '''me'''."''
* ItsAllAboutMe: Pre-HeelFaceTurn, Karlo's villainy was born out of a need to avenge his wounded career, and fury at ''not'' being the star of the show for once.
* {{Irony}}: The original super-criminal to bear the name Clayface was, in his original incarnation at least, the only one to not possess some form of clay-related superpower or shapeshifting ability (besides mundane talents for disguise). The realisation of his complete inferiority compared to his successors lead him to form a plot to steal all their powers and thereby live up to his moniker as the "Ultimate Clayface".
* KnifeNut: He obviously doesn't need conventional weapons anymore, but in the golden age his style was creeping around with a dagger to stab and slash like a classic horror killer.
* LargeHam: Comes with the acting background. After receiving the abilities of Preston Payne and Shondra Fuller, Karlo regarded himself as "THE ULTIMATE CLAYFACE!"
* LegacyCharacter: There have so far been eight Clayfaces.
* LongBusTrip: After a few appearances in the Golden Age, the Basil Karlo Clayface was pretty much entirely absent from comics for around five decades until he eventually returned in his most famous form in the late '80s.
* LostInCharacter: The reason he went over the edge is that he fell too in love with his role as Clayface. He dons the mask because he's afraid of leaving his glory days behind.
* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousPerson: Gained this ability from Preston Payne.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: Originally he donned a gruesome clay mask to go with the look of a mysterious killer. Then he gets an upgrade into something way scarier.
* ManipulativeBastard: Basil played his fellow Clayfaces along like puppets in his plot for revenge...and ultimately, true power.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In ''Rebirth'' he stabilizes for the first time in years and actually has the chance to think on what he's done, leading him to feel a massive surge of guilt (particularly in his treatment of Glory, a former fan of his who he mercilessly mutilated, leading her to become the villainess Mudface).
* MythologyGag: In the ''Rebirth'' continuity, the last film Karlo worked on before turning into Clayface was "Second Skin," a period piece about a silent film actor who goes on a killing spree when one of his movies gets a remake. That was exactly the reason the original Basil Karlo became Clayface. ''Rebirth'' Karlo also worked on "Dread Castle," the very movie that was the focus of Karlo's debut in the Golden Age.
* NameFaceName: Perhaps the only thing that is consistent with all versions.
* NestedMouths: His design in the ComicBook/New52 gives him another set of teeth behind his normal mouth (it disappears when he shapeshifts his face), [[DependingOnTheArtist but it's inconsistent]].
* NightmareFace: Karlo's original disguise included stage make-up to simulate a disfigured appearance.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Obvious stand-in for Creator/BorisKarloff and Creator/LonChaney.
* OddFriendship: Post HeelFaceTurn, he developed a friendship with, of all people, Cassandra Cain. (The Second Batgirl/ the current Orphan.) They hang out practicing Shakespeare with each other on occasion, and relate based on both of them being outcasts; Basil for his freakish appearance, and Cassandra for her trouble with speaking.
* OneWingedAngel: His transformation into the "Ultimate Clayface" is given all the buildup you can expect of a grandiose villain like Basil, especially since up till now he'd just been a regular human.
* PoisonousPerson: Inherits this power from Preston Payne, a poisonous touch that would melt people's skin. In some versions, it seems to [[BlobMonster turn people into mud much like his own body]] (though nonliving).
* {{Pride}}: It's somewhat a recurring theme for Clayface, given most of their transformations were brought on by vanity, but Basil stands ''head and shoulders'' above the rest, since he became a crazed killer to preserve his career and later a shape-shifting monster to be more unique.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
* TheSociopath: Pre-''Rebirth'' Karlo views life itself as his own grand movie, has ''zero'' regard for human life, uses and disposes of people at his leisure, and throws homicidal fits if things don't go his way.
* TheTeamNormal: As the leader of the Mud Pack, Karlo was also the only one with no Meta-powers. He went to great lengths to change that.
* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance after gaining the powers of the other Clayfaces.
* TookALevelInBadass: The ''Rebirth'' Karlo received combat training from the Bat-family and became much more effective as a result. In addition to learning how to actually handle himself in combat and not just flail around, they also encouraged more imaginative uses of his powers, such as becoming a living armor around Batman to protect him during a fight with a powerful villain.
* TookALevelInDumbass: Before becoming a full Clayface, Karlo was relatively cunning enough to match wits with Batman and was the mastermind behind the "Mud Pack" plot. As {{Flanderization}} set in, Karlo was used more and more as dim-witted muscle or a pawn in someone else's plans. Especially disappointing considering his shape-shifting is rarely used to its full potential.
* TragicVillain: Some adaptations and the other versions of Clayface are shown to be this. This is ironically averted with Pre-''Rebirth'' Karlo. His villainy isn't the result of mental illness or his monstrous condition. He is simply a malicious, entitled psychopath who kills and tortures to satisfy his sick ego.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Poison Ivy in the later post-''Crisis'' stories.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: After becoming a true Clayface.
* WhiteDwarfStarlet: A male version. Basil Karlo was once a well-respected actor and make-up artist whose career tanked after several public scandals turned the viewing audience against him. In his later years, Karlo proclaimed he was the greatest actor of all time and was driven to murder after learning they were remaking one of his best horror films ''without'' him in the starring role.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: None of Karlo's incarnations have been particularly sane, but it wasn't until ''Rebirth'' that his SanitySlippage started being explicitly tied to his powers. Bruce and Tim invented a bracelet that could stabilize his powers temporarily, leading to him being able to think much more clearly.

!!Clayface II (Matt Hagen)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface_matt_hagen_002.jpg]]

->''" I'm Matt Hagen – nobody's chump!"''

Matt Hagen found a submarine mist that could turn him into a mud-like man who could change shape. He decided to use this power to steal works of art and got in conflict with Batman. Hagen eventually died during ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''.
----
* CompositeCharacter: Nearly every adaptation of Clayface combines Hagen's appearance and powers with the name and background of Basil Karlo. Averted once Karlo became a [[VoluntaryShapeShifting shape changing monster]] in the comics.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: His first idea as a treasure hunter discovering a substance of undefinable power that allows anyone to shape-shift into their heart's desire? Use it to rob banks, of course!
* ElementalShapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* FlatCharacter: Before his reinvention in the animated series there really wasn't a lot to say about Hagen's personality beyond being a greedy, amoral thug who uses his powers for crime. Some stories interpret him as either a ruthless opportunist or an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, but either way he's definitely not one of the more complex or memorable rogues.
* HourOfPower: For some inexplicable reason, Hagen's Clayface state only lasts a few hours before he becomes a regular man again and needs the pool to recharge. This doesn't happen with the others, likely for dramatic effect.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: His story in "Secret Files" paints Matt in a slightly more pitiful light, being an insecure idiot who just lucked his way into power, yet never really knows how to be anything but what he is: a crook.
* KilledOffForReal: Killed by shadow demons alongside Ten-Eyed Man.
** TheEndOrIsIt: A Secret Files issue teased his possible survival, but subverted it for laughs.
* LegacyCharacter: The second of eight Clayfaces.
* MonsterProgenitor: Whatever that stuff Hagen found was, it's responsible for passing on his mutant condition to create every other Clayface.
* NameFaceName: Just like his predecessor and successors.
* RetGone: Hagen no longer seems to exist in the current continuity other than as an alias used by Basil Karlo.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance as part of his disguises.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: The first Clayface to have this power.

!!Clayface III (Preston Payne)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface_preston_payne_0001.jpg]]

->''" I had hoped to avoid this Batman -- but you forced the issue! Now I'm afraid you must feel the terrible touch of -- Clayface!"''

Suffering from hyperpituitarism, Preston Payne sought to cure his condition. Creating an enzyme made from the DNA of the then-living Matt Hagen, Payne hoped to cure his condition. Instead, his appearance became permanently clay-like without the ability to reshape himself, and he was afflicted with unyielding pain. The only way Preston is briefly able to remove his sickness is by passing it on to other people through a "Midas Melt" touch that turns human flesh to protoplasm.
----
* AndIMustScream: He basically exists in a permanent state of this, completely unable to physically interact with the world outside of his exoskeleton prison without dissolving it on contact. As his mental state deteriorates thanks to his condition, he's not even safe in his own mind. This is why Helena the mannequin means so much to him: she's the only woman he can touch without fear of killing (at least until he meets Shondra Fuller/Lady Clay). Suffice to say, it truly does suck to be Preston Payne.
* AntiVillain: Preston's a reluctant killer who has no desire for a life of crime, only killing people out of necessity to temporarily rid himself of the blinding pain he suffers from.
* BadassCape: He wears a blue cape, an affection unique to him among Clayfaces.
* BadassFamily: Preston and Sondra are a married couple, and both are super-strong clay powerhouses. Their son Cassius inherited both their powers and is even ''more'' dangerous than his parents. Additionally, all the Clayfaces are genetically connected, and they are some of the most powerful foes Batman has ever faced.
* BattleCouple: With his melting touch and her shape-shifting, Preston and Sondra are a force to be reckoned with.
* BlessedWithSuck: Being a Clayface is never easy, but Payne easily got it the worst, his body in a constant viscous state with a need to use his melting touch on people to ease the pain.
* BodyHorror: Beneath his exoskeleton, his clay-like body is in a near-permanent state of decay.
* CompanionCube: After his initial killing spree, Preston takes a shine to an inanimate store window mannequin that he names Helena. Not only is he delusional enough that he sees and treats her like a real woman, but in one story he works himself up into a fit of psychotic jealousy when he begins to suspect Helena of having an affair with another mannequin.
%%* DarkerAndEdgier: Regular old Clayface wasn't cutting the mustard for the grimdark 90s, so DC came up with a new version of him with a TouchOfDeath.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: After taking a LongBusTrip through the late 90s and most of the 2000s, he comes BackForTheDead in ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueCryForJustice'', being mutated by Prometheus and forced to be a living BoobyTrap for the League.
* TheGrotesque: The poor guy's felt like this his ''whole life''. Being turned into a Clayface was just a cruel joke of the universe.
* HappilyMarried: With Sondra Fuller, the fourth Clayface.
* ImMelting: His touch inflicts this on anyone he comes into skin contact with. That's not even mentioning Payne himself is in a constant state of incohesion.
* LegacyCharacter: The third Clayface.
* LongBusTrip: Preston was completely MIA from 1994 to 2009.
* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousPerson: His chief power is that he can melt people into.
* PapaWolf: When Abattoir has his son, he's willing to kidnap and kill just to keep Cassius safe. When the killer returns his son, Preston isn't about to let him off the hook:
-->''"You dirty rat! '''No one''' takes my kid and walks! You caused me and my wife a lot of heartache, you worm! I'm going to see that you '''suffer'''-I'm going to see you '''burn'''!
* PoweredArmor: He wears an exoskeleton suit to keep himself from touching people, though he can takes off his gloves so he can. It gives him superhuman strength, enough to give Batman a serious challenge.
* TragicVillain: At the end of the day Preston was a lonely man born to a cruel world that made him feel like garbage because of his appearance. His attempts to fit in only made his isolation ''worse'' and turned him into a monster.

!!Lady Clay a.k.a. Clayface IV (Sondra Fuller)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_clay_2.jpeg]]

->''" It's over, Batman! Just relax as I squeeze the breath from your body--and let yourself die!"''
\\\
Sondra Fuller was an agent of Kobra. She agreed to undergo an experiment involving shapeshifting because she hated her own face. She gained the shapechanging abilities of Matt Hagen, but at a much higher level. She can mimic the powers of anything she transforms into. However, unlike Hagen who returns to normal after some time and requires a particular protoplasm before he can become Clayface again, Sondra cannot return to normal, which she finds both a curse and a blessing.
----
* AntiVillain: She may have started out a willing agent of Kobra, but after meeting Preston Sondra realizes all she wants is to find peace and happiness with someone who'd accept her for who she is. She now only wants to leave her past behind and only fights the Batfamily when something disturbs her family.
* BattleCouple: Along with her lover Preston, Sondra is a force to be reckoned with for any unlucky hero or villain crosses their path.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Sondra joined Kobra in exchange for the ability to alter her appearance. She gets that and more, but her true form is a clay-humanoid, meaning she can never settle down and have a normal life anywhere for very long.
* BreakoutVillain: Sondra debuted as one of a team of villains created by Kobra to duplicate Batman's more obscure powered foes. Thanks in large part to the Mud Pack storyline, she went on to play a much more significant role in the Clayface mythos.
* TheBusCameBack: It certainly took a while, but Lady Clay eventually returns for a cameo in ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' and later as a member of a specialized team of "Gotham Monsters" alongside Killer Croc, Orca, Frankenstein, and Andrew Bennett. Her husband remains absent, however.
* DarkActionGirl: Sondra was already a trained secret agent before acquiring powers. Before Basil upgraded himself into a true Clayface she was easily the most formidable and deadly of the bunch.
* ElementalShapeshifter: Lady Clay is a walking mountain of mud, and can use her powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* {{Flight}}: She usually creates wings to fly, and is the only Clayface that constantly flies.
* HeelFaceTurn: After joining the "Gotham Monsters" she became a full on hero to save humanity from supernatural evil. Her husband would be proud.
* TheLadette: Being a female Clayface, Sondra loves roughing up heroes and is much more inclined to a fight than her husband Preston.
* LegacyCharacter: The fourth of eight Clayfaces.
* MamaBear: After fleeing Gotham with Preston, Sondra comes out of retirement when the vile Abattoir kidnaps her son to blackmail them.
* MoreDeadlyThanTheMale: One of the few female Clayfaces and easily one of the most dangerous, giving Batman, the Outsiders, and Azrael trouble. She's only eclipsed when Karlo takes her and Payne's combined powers.
* OutlawCouple: Wanted by the authorities, she and her husband Clayface III go on the run.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can morph her hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Can form clothing out of her own substance as part of her disguises.
* UglyGuyHotWife: Lady Clay is certainly more attractive than her husband Preston, even if they're both made of shifting mud.
* UnholyMatrimony: Is married to Preston Payne a.k.a. Clayface III.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: She can not only morph into anything and anyone she imagines, but can also duplicate their abilities.

!!Clayface V (Cassius "Clay" Payne)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayface_v.jpg]]

->''"You forget I have a minor aptitude for Telepathy, Batman. I get it from my mother."''

The child of Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller, who became a new, more powerful Clayface.
----
* AsteroidsMonster: Separate samples of Cassius retain his personality and can grow into another clay-monster [[BodyHorror with the help of a human host]].
* CheerfulChild: At least he was this as a tyke, with even [[AxCrazy Abattoir]] showing a bit of fondness for him. Grown up? Not so much.
* GooGooGodlike: Cassius inherited the powers of both mom and dad and was a slippery shapeshifter even as a baby.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: He loves his parents even though he spent much of his childhood apart from them.
* MoralityPet: Preston and Sondra are willing to give up crime altogether to raise their beloved clay-son. Tragically, it doesn't pan out.
* {{Mutants}}: He's the only Clayface born with his condition, being the product of two clay mutations marrying.
* MythologyGag: His "adult" Clayface form bares a strong resemblance to the DCAU animated series incarnation.
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Yes, he shares a birth name with UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli. His parents found this hilarious.
* PsychopathicManchild: As he matured he retained his childish desire for mommy and daddy, and eventually settled on being an angry, sulking teenager. Can't blame him, though, given how he grew up.
* TorturedMonster: Cassius spent much of his childhood being tormented in government labs just longing for his mom and dad. Can you ''really'' blame him for not wanting to help the man who hounded his parents and is now asking for a piece of his flesh to aid someone he doesn't even know?
* UsedToBeASweetKid: This hulking brute was just a completely innocent boy who had the misfortune of being born to a pair of mutant supervillains, then used as a guinea pig by an amoral government agency. Poor kid.
* ViralTransformation: If a living piece of him comes into contact with a human, that [[SarcasmMode lucky bastard]] goes through a grotesque transformation as the clay spreads through his body and becomes a near mindless, lumbering "Claything" that shares Cassius' powers and goals.

!!Claything (Peter Malley)
[[quoteright:335:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/claything.jpg]]
-> ''"Mommy...Daddy...Clay-Thing is coming..."''

Not so much a new Clayface as an example of just how potent their power can be. A piece of Cassius bonded to the scientist overlooking him, Dr. Peter Malley, and mutated him into Claything, an abomination that was instinctively drawn to the boy's parents.
----
* AssholeVictim: Given Dr. Malley was in the middle of experimenting on a terrified child for the DEO, it's really hard to feel sympathy for his monstrous fate.
* BodyHorror: It's a piece of living clay that fused with an unlucky doctor to mutate and take over his body. Somebody call the Website/SCPFoundation.
* DeathOfPersonality: Unlike his predecessors, Dr. Malley's transformation consumed his mind, leaving only a near-mindless childish beast with no signs of the human scientist.
* EyepatchOfPower: Dr. Malley wore one, though Claything loses it.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Fusing with a piece of Clayface grotesquely warps Dr. Malley into a hulking, mentally stunted monster with nothing left of the man's mind. [[AndIMustScream At least we can hope.]]
* HeatVision: He can melt objects to goo just by staring, a more powerful variation of Preston Payne's melting power.
* KarmicTransformation: Dr. Malley experimented on Cassius to study the physiology of a Clayface. He gets absorbed by a piece of the child and transformed into a hideous clay-monster himself that shares the same mind as the frightened creature he tormented.
* PuppeteerParasite: Claything is a sapient portion of Cassius that took over the doctor's body by mutating him into a monstrous drone as well as replaced his mind.
* TragicMonster: Claything spent his short, tortured existence lumbering around searching for his parents before his untimely death.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Malley receives very little character before he's assimilated by the Claything, which itself dies later on in the same issue.
* YouNoTakeCandle: Claything speaks in stunted english, having the mind of a confused little kid.
----

Basil Karlo was an actor who, when he heard his classic horror film "Dread Castle" was being remade, went mad. He donned the mask of "Clayface," the villain he played in another film, and went on a killing spree, murdering the members of the cast and crew. However, he was stopped by Batman, reappearing a few times before remaining unused. However, during his absence, several other criminals with the name Clayface appeared. They were all made of clay, [[VoluntaryShapeShifting could change shape]], and one even had a poisonous touch.

* CompositeCharacter: Nearly every adaptation of Clayface combines Karlo's name and background with the appearance and powers of Matt Hagen. Averted once Karlo became a [[VoluntaryShapeShifting shape changing monster]] in the comics. The latest iteration of Karlo, as seen in ''Detective Comics Annual #1'' shows a young Basil Karlo become Clayface through a series of events somewhat mirroring the events that transformed the ''Batman: the Animated Series'' version of Matt Hagen.

* {{Mutant}}: He's the only Clayface born with his condition, being the product of two clay mutations marrying.

* IHatePastMe: Following his joining Team Bat, Basil asks to train in the BatCave's Holo-room. The computer produces the most monstrous, vicious enemy there is...Clayface. Basil is understandably distraught.

* HappilyMarried: With Shondra Fuller, the fourth Clayface.

* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousPerson: His chief power is that he
can melt people into.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_clay_2.jpeg]]