So last week we had some new details on The Batman 2, surrounding the potential introduction
of a new villain.
Deadline reported the news that Clayface was a prime candidate to make his
debut in Matt Reeves sequel film, and it got us all thinking about what version of the
character we might get and what kind of film the director is putting together.
While it's not currently confirmed and while I did put up
a post saying that I personally think we should wait to hear a confirmation from the director,
I did think it would be interesting however to
discuss what approach we could get if this news does turn out to be true.
So in this video, I'm going to be discussing the Clayface news, what version of character
could appear, what it means for the appearances of other villains
and what comic inspirations could fuel this.
Before I get into it though, if you want to keep up to date on any of my future content
surrounding The Batman universe and other upcoming DC films, then don't forget to support
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But without further a do, lets dive into the Clayface theories for The Batman Part 2.
So last week the Deadline article reported that director Mike Flanagan had pitched a
Clayface movie over at DC, and the understanding was that he wasn't pitching the character
for Matt Reeves Batman universe, but a film that was
either another elseworlds project or apart of James Gunn's new DCU.
However, in the same article it was said that sources told Deadline
about Clayface being a big addition in Matt Reeves The Batman 2 and that we should wait
until the dust settles surrounding whether this news has potential.
So it's currently not confirmed nor clear whether this is the case,
but with Deadline reporting the news, it definitely holds a lot more credibility than say a lot
of other sources online.
So lets just say that this news does turn out to be true, how
might Clayface be presented and what other villains might be a consideration if Reeves
takes inspirations from previous comics and storylines.
Starting with the appearance of Clayface, one of the big talking points over the last
week has been about whether Reeves would want to adapt the mud clay monster version of
Clayface or the Golden Age version, as they are quite different.
Of course, it's known that Reeves is going for a realistic crime saga with his Batman
films, and we definitely saw that with his take on Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman
in the first movie.
And while there's a possibility that he could dive more into the supernatural come his later
films and projects, I honestly think that he'd want to continue
the tone and visual aesthetic to both the world building, storytelling and character
designs.
He said in an interview a while back that he was
interested in taking the fantastical and grounding it in his version of Gotham, and for me, if
Clayface was one of the villains in the next Batman feature, I think he's more likely to
approach the Golden Age version or put his own print on that character.
A cool idea that came to some fans minds was that Clayface might be a figure that hides
his identity using clay or some sort of makeup.
He doesn't need to be a big muddy clay monster as that could be something that say James
Gunn's DCU reversely approaches.
It would just be one example of seperating the DCU from The Batman and other
elseworlds movies, because with those we're likely to get the more artistic and realistic
approaches to characters we know.
We saw what Reeves did with The Riddler in making him
a serial Killer who hides his face, and he's a character who looks entirely different from
the other interpretations of that figure.
So while Clayface wouldn't have been my first choice
to be a villain in a Matt Reeves Batman film, I think the very idea of that character and
his changing appearance is something that Reeves
can really experiment with and turn into his grounded interpretation.
We haven't really seen the character on the big screen before so it opens up the opporunity
for a fresh take and one that's hopefully quite memorable.
But now that we've discussed the news and his potential appearance, it's time to talk
about certain story influences and other villains, which
could join Clayface, if he does turn out to be a new villain in The Batman Part 2.
So starting with the direction of the story, it's possible that the next entry in Matt
Reeves Batman crime saga, will really start to go deeper into the identity questions that
were set up before.
We've already seen Batman grow from inflicting vengeance into a figure that gives hope to
the people of Gotham, so there's no need to give us repeat of that.
But what I theorise as a next stepping stone would be
a primary focus on identity, and especially one that goes more into Bruce Wayne's addiction
with the identity of Batman.
We didn't get too much of Bruce Wayne in the first movie, and
while the few scenes we did get were really effective at conveying the mental state of
our main character, exploring both sides a little bit
more is a great way to continue fleshing out that progression.
A version of Clayface being the main antagonist might lead to a deeper questioning of that
very ideal, and it could leave Bruce in a position where he's exposed not
just phyically but visually and mentally too.
Scott Snyder had worked on a New 52 book, and it gave us some of the best Batman stories
in the modern era, including a two part feature on
Clayface.
In particular, there was the part titled 'Nowhere Man', which dealt with Basil Karlo's Clayface,
reemerging to impersonate Bruce Wayne.
But while there was all this identity theft taking place, the story also became very great
thematically in the sense that Bruce had to face his trauma and guilt head on.
And while it's likely that we wouldnt get the
clay monster version of the villain, the very ideas in that story could be the stringboard
for The Batman Part 2.
It's key to note that the Golden Age iteration of Clayface was a unkind
actor-turned-serial-killer, and as TV shows like The Animated Series and comics like One
Bad Day have shown, there’s room for a more tragic
and body horror approach in Reeves’ character-driven take.
A combination of the clay-like makeup with Basil Karlo's origin would probabaly be the
most healthy and realistic way to capture this villain.
As depicted before, you could stress on his self-obsession with performing, and connect
him to the organized crime element of the world that has already been
established.
Colin Farrell’s Penguin is of course set to have his own spinoff series within the
next year, and after the events of the first movie, he's set to bring a big shift to
Gotham City’s underworld.
He might even be the one keeping Basil tied to the cause and that would be quite the reverse
to Bruce, both through his motivation and moral ideals.
The motive would need to be different than that
of Paul Dano’s Riddler, and in turn it could pose the very question of who can be trusted.
While we'd expect there to be a focus on the identity of Clayface, the bigger threat would
be how he could be anywhere and anyone.
While Bruce uses his origin to fuel what he becomes and how he presents himself, Clayface
might use his troubled past to change his appearance
and essentially inflict vengeance.
And it would be really hard to stop him if you didn't know who he was or what he even
looked like.
So when we take this potential idea and start to think about the extension of this Batman
world, what could it mean for other villains or the overall direction of the story.
Well, I've talked a bit before about the potential for
Reeves to tackle villains like the court of Owls, and even how the corruption in the city
could go deeper then what we've already seen with
Falcone.
We've had what could be references to the court of owls in the behind the scenes of
the Penguin show and one of the cards that Riddler leaves in the first movie, and in
regards to the filmic approach that Reeves has set
out to achieve, it would definitely feel fitting if they were apart of this world at some point
in the future.
I'm gonna say that Reeves might hold on to them for say a third film and that
we are building towards a big villain reveal like that down the line.
But who knows, maybe Clayface having a connection to Gotham's
underworld, and being able fit in with no one knowing, knows more about the secret functions
of the city and what is hiding beneath the surface.
After all the sequel is called The Batman Part 2 and it suggests some sort of evolution
and expansion, not just in the character of Batman, but also in the world of Gotham that
he inhabits.
So I think that if Clayface is a villain of Part 2, he'll either be apart of
the bigger threat who is pulling the strings or someone who is complicating things for
that very structure.
For all we know, if Clayface is apart of the film, he might even be Part 2's
side villain, similar to say Penguin in Part 1, with a big role to play but not the central
villain of the story.
That could be a direction that Reeves is going in, because he does want
to show us the extended rogues gallery and really up the stakes when it comes to the
threat against Batman or the city.
Like in Shadow of the Bat edition 75, we could also get Clayface
in the mix with other villains, like say the previously rumoured Mr. Freeze.
In that story, which was a buildup to No Man's Land, the Dark
Knight follows a death trail left by Freeze, and Clayface emerges to get revenge.
The end of The Batman did suggest that new criminals would rise up in the city's flooded
state and maybe we delve into a complex landscape where
those that do, are actually trying to gain control from a hidden force such as the Court
of Owls.
Batman could be outnumbered and out of his depth when it comes to what he knows about
all of this, and his detective skills would have to be pushed even further alongside just
dealing with the criminal threat physically.
So I think a Mr Freeze and Clayface duo, with
the court of owls being the developing endgame, could be an interesting direction to go in.
Yes, two of those villains are very supernatural, but that is the point I was trying to get
at before.
Because maybe Part 2 is the film in this crime saga, where Reeves takes the over-fantastical
and supernatural, and makes it entirely possible within his world.
Another option I could see happening, is the manipulation of Clayface, through Riddler,
Joker or Hush.
In the post crisis era of DC comics, there was a
version of Clayface known as Gotham firefighter Johnny Williams, who gained his powers and
appearance after an explosion at a chemical plant, and it lead to him being manipulated
by Hush and the Riddler while he was desperate
for a cure.
We already know that Riddler and Joker are probabaly making schemes in Arkham, so what
if Clayface is next part of that plan.
Like in the commics Hush could also come into the mix through this very story point, and
the sole idea of questioning Bruce Wayne and his identity, would really link in well to
both Clayface and Hush.
So overall, there's so many directions that Reeves and co can go in and seeing villains
like Clayface, the Court of Owls, Hush, Mr Freeze or even Harvey Dent added
to an already expanding Gotham world, would make things really interesting long term.
Like with the example of Clayface though, what's more interesting, is how Matt Reeves
will go about adapting them for his iteration of Batman.
But that was my video discussing the potential addition of Clayface in The Batman Part 2.
If the Clayface news is true, then it seems like it won't be too long before we start
to get some more info on it, because a few weeks
ago it was reported that character castings would be announced leading up to filming at
the end of this year.
So whatever villains are apart of The Batman 2, we will know in the coming months.
But let me know down below in the comments section what your thoughts are towards Clayface
being a potential villain in Matt Reeves sequel, what take on the character you would
like to see and what other villains you think could make an appearance.
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