DC Confirms Clayface’s Place in Franchise Timeline, And It Answers a Major Fan Question
DC Studios is reeling from the disappointment that was Supergirl, which received mixed reviews and has only grossed $120.8 million worldwide. Fortunately, they’ll get their shot at a rebound in just a few months when Clayface arrives in theaters. Directed by James Watkins, Clayface has generated a fair amount of buzz due to it being an R-rated body horror film, making it a rather unique entry in the comic book adaptation landscape. DC fans are looking forward to Clayface on its own, but they also can’t help but wonder how the project fits into the larger tapestry of the DC Universe franchise. Peter Safran is here to clear things up, including the answer to one of the most prominent fan questions.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Safran confirmed some key details regarding Clayface. For starters, he revealed that the film takes place before Creature Commandos in the DCU timeline. He also confirmed that the Matt Hagen in the movie is “the same Clayface” viewers saw on Creature Commandos.
What Peter Safran’s Comments Tell Us About Clayface
Previously, James Gunn confirmed that Clayface is set prior to the events of Superman, making it the first DCU movie to be out of chronological order. At that time, however, he did not reveal how or if Clayface connected to Creature Commandos, making this one of the more pressing questions surrounding the film. It’s nice to have some clarity on that front — particularly the bit about how this is the same Clayface from Creature Commandos — because it gives people an idea of how the pieces of the larger DCU fit together. Clayface operates as its own standalone horror movie, but it’s also doubling as the twisted origin tale of a character some viewers are already familiar with.
In DC Comics lore, multiple people have had the moniker of Clayface. Matt Hagen was actually the second in line, following Basil Karlo. Theoretically, the DCU could have ran with this idea, making movie Clayface and Creature Commandos Clayface two different entities. Of course, that runs the risk of confusing general audiences. At this point, still early in the DCU’s run, it’s better to keep things streamlined and have just one Clayface running around. Depending on how things play out, the franchise could always integrate other Clayfaces in future projects once the character has had more time to develop.
Knowing that Clayface and Creature Commandos share connective tissue could cause some to become leery. Tying new features to streaming shows hasn’t gone particularly well for other franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. That said, this is a little different than The Marvels operating as a follow-up to storylines and character arcs from two Marvel TV shows. Audiences shouldn’t need to watch Creature Commandos to understand Clayface; the latter is a prequel, so there won’t be any narrative connections. Additionally, one of the goals of the DCU is to have each project stand on its own, minimizing the amount of “homework” one has to do to follow along. Regardless of your knowledge of DC lore and Creature Commandos, Clayface should work as a compelling horror movie.
Hopefully, Clayface is effective and gives the DCU a much-needed win. If it’s successful, not only will it open the door for DC Studios to take more swings like this, it’ll also mean Gunn and Safran can plot out a future for their version of Matt Hagen. Ideally, he will one day cross paths with the DCU’s Batman, which would make for a fascinating encounter. By being the main character of his own solo film, Matt Hagen is likely set to become a somewhat sympathetic figure due to his tragic backstory. Watching him go toe to toe against the Caped Crusader would be interesting.
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