Clayface Movie’s Tom Rhys Harries Addresses DCU Fan’s Biggest Batman Question
Movies
The DCU is exploring Gotham City and its villains before bringing Batman into the franchise. Clayface star Tom Rhys Harries has recently addressed questions about Batman’s role in the upcoming film and explained why Gotham’s other characters can lead their own stories.
Harries said the creative team discussed Batman’s presence at length. However, the film will focus on Clayface rather than making the Dark Knight central to the story. “Yes, we had discussions about that at length,” Harries told ComicBook. “I think that you have the opportunity; Gotham’s so rich, and the Batman villains gallery is so rich, is so full of, you know, like real psychologically interesting characters with depth. You can have these different characters and different stories play out whilst Batman also exists in that universe.”
Why Gotham City’s other villains matter to the DCU’s future?
Clayface follows Matt Hagen, a movie star who becomes a test subject for a procedure intended to restore his appearance after a mob boss disfigures him. The experiment goes wrong, setting up the character’s transformation into the Batman villain. Harries has also said that Clayface does not give its protagonist an easy path to redemption.
DC Studios co-head James Gunn has said the film takes place before the events of Superman and connects to the wider DCU. It is separate from Matt Reeves’ The Batman crime saga, allowing the new franchise to establish its own version of Gotham. This approach allows them to explore Gotham’s criminal world without featuring Batman in every story.
The wider DCU has already introduced other Batman-related characters. Creature Commandos featured Doctor Phosphorus and Rupert Thorne, while Peacemaker Season 2 included White Rabbit and referenced Kite Man. Lanterns has also teased a potential connection to Black Mask through the appearance of Janus Cosmetics, a company associated with Roman Sionis in the comics. These introductions could help establish Gotham’s criminal landscape before the DCU’s Batman arrives in The Brave and the Bold.
Clayface opens in theaters on October 23, 2026.
Originally reported on SuperHeroHype.
