The Caped Crusader Creates the Perfect Blueprint The Batman Part II and a Highly Anticipated DC Villain

Batman: Caped Crusader is bringing fans back to the beginning of Batman’s mission in Gotham. Caped Crusader is also recapturing the magic that many fans associate with Batman: The Animated Series by taking many of the core concepts of that series and evolving them with new interpretations. The villains of Caped Crusader got the biggest overhaul creating some new versions of classic characters like The Penguin, Harley Quinn, and Clayface. Seeing the iconic villains of Batman transformed and given a new spin is reinvigorating for the long-standing franchise and one villain in particular provides the perfect blueprint to follow if The Batman: Part II decided to bring him to life in live-action.

The Batman had massive fan and critical reception, with many people praising how the film walked the line between a dark and brooding Batman, but not losing sight of the hope that Batman brings to Gotham. Robert Pattinson and his fellow cast created a compelling world that fans are eager to see more of. The Penguin will be getting more screen time in his upcoming HBO series, which only leaves people more desperate for the sequel. One of the predominant rumors about the sequel is that Clayface is being considered the main villain. If this was the case, Batman: Caped Crusader has already shown a version of the character that would fit seamlessly into the world of The Batmanand the epic crime sage.

Who is Clayface in Batman: Caped Crusader?

Basil Karlo was the original Clayface in the comics, first appearing in Detective Comics #40 in June 1940. In Batman: The Animated Series, Matt Hagen was Clayface, but he didn’t appear in the comics until 1961 in Detective Comics #298. In total 8 different people are Clayface in the comics, including Sondra Fuller, the only woman to be Clayface.

In Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1, Episode 2 “…And Be A Villain,” audiences are thrown into a mystery surrounding dead filmmakers and missing movie stars. Detective Montoya and Batman are on the case, which eventually leads to the discovery of Basil Karlo and his dark secret. Karlo was a prolific actor, known for playing horrific monsters. He was always considered to be an incredibly talented actor, a once-in-a-generation talent, but he was never given the role of leading man. Karlo was talented, but he was considered to not be handsome enough to be a leading man. He had the face of a monster and that was the only role he was given. This was coupled with the fact that Karlo was in love with his frequent co-star who wanted nothing to do with him and wouldn’t even give him a moment of her time.

Being tossed aside because of his appearance caused a lot of resentment to build in Karlo. He sought strange and experimental solutions to fix his face, which led him to be injected with a serum. The serum allowed him to change his face. He presented his new face and his heart to the woman he loved, but she still rejected him and his face began to fall apart even further. This cemented his change from Basil Karlo to the villain Clayface. As Clayface, Basil went on a mission of vengeance. He could be anyone he wanted to be, making it almost impossible for anyone to stop him and his assault on all the people who had wronged him. Karlo can mold his face because of the serum and he uses his incredible acting talent to truly become the person he changes his face to be.

A More Modern Clayface Would be Out of Place in The Batman’s World

Karlo in Caped Crusader is not the typical depiction of Clayface that fans are used to. Most modern interpretations are vastly different and much more monstrous. One of the most popular modern versions is from the Arkham video game series, in which Clayface plays a significant role in Batman: Arkham City. Clayface is a massive creature whose entire body is malleable and able to generate hammers with his fists or spikes that can fly out at Batman. The same can be said for the version of Clayface in the game Gotham Knights, which has a similarly powerful Clayface. Even in modern comics, Clayface is more well-known as a huge shape-shifting creature, rather than a man who is simply able to change his features. Harley Quinn and Batman: The Animated Series have also contributed to the public perception of who Clayface is as a villain. While this form works beautifully on the page and in animation, it would be much harder to pull off in live-action.

The world that Matt Reeves’ is creating with The Batman is one rooted in noir storytelling and more grounded films. Throwing a massive CGI Clayface into that world would be jarring for not only the characters but for the audience as well. Everything about The Batman felt tangible and real, which would make bringing a modern Clayface into that world feel extremely odd. There would be nothing wrong with the modern version if the DCU wanted to bring him to life later on, but in the universe that The Batman is creating, seeing Matt Hagen or Sondar Fuller come to life and smash Batman with fists of clay or grow to the size of a building would take fans out of the story and the world.

Batman: Caped Crusader Shows How to Make Clayface Work in Live-Action

Basil Karlo in Batman: Caped Crusader is the perfect blueprint for bringing the character to life in The Batman: Part II. Matt Reeves is already an executive producer on Caped Crusader, which likely means that he is very familiar with this version of Clayface, and may even favor him over other versions. For a character that can change his face like clay, Karlo’s version is the most rooted in realism and feels like it could actually happen. If Pattinson’s Batman had to solve a series of mysteries surrounding murders and missing people, like Caped Crusader, it would make it interesting for both the audience and the Dark Knight to try to figure out who was Karlo and who was actually the person they said they were. Basil Karlo could bring Clayface to live-action, without sacrificing the noir feel of The Batmanuniverse.

Batman: Caped Crusader is on the right path to becoming as well-loved and essential to the Batman mythos as Batman: The Animated Series. The animation is beautiful, the voice acting is spectacular, and each character feels fresh while still instantly recognizable. The Batman: Part II may want to bring Clayface to life and Batman: Caped Crusader shows this is not only possible, but it shows the perfect way to create Clayface while still feeling authentic to the world of Reeves’ Batman.