Comics
DCU’s New ‘Clayface’ Was Actually First Introduced in ‘Creature Commandos’
Interconnected storytelling between tonally distinct projects has been a hallmark of the comic-book industry for nearly a century now, so it makes sense that filmmakers attempting to emulate the serialized thrills of that medium often end up using the same character in wildly different contexts.
For instance, during the wait for James Watkins’ upcoming Clayface, a standalone origin film for one of Batman’s most horrific villains, fans have put together that we’ve actually already been introduced to DCU’s incarnation of Clayface in December of 2024 – only it wasn’t in live-action.
Voiced by Alan Tudyk and appearing as a minor antagonist defeated by David Harbour’s Erik Frankenstein, the monstrous character appears to have become something of an impersonator for hire in the animated world of Creature Commandos, sometime after the events of Watkins’ movie.
That encounter was directly mentioned in season two of Peacemaker, where Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. mentions his previous back injury at the hands of the Batman villain.
Viewers were initially skeptical about the connection due to the bizarre tonal shift between projects, but Gunn has since confirmed on social media that the Clayface from the show is indeed the DCU’s version of Matt Hagen, the very same incarnation of the character that’s set to be played by Tom Rhys Harries in the film.
Gunn had already stated that the body-horror-inspired Clayface is actually the chronological first movie in his DCU, so the difference in tone between the horror flick and the more comedic antics of Creature Commandos, which was renewed for a second season, shouldn’t really be an issue when you consider that Hagen has had plenty of time to process his tragic origins and accept his freakish new self.
Either way, it remains to be seen if the movie will also incorporate the character’s classic Golem-like design like the animators did in the show!
IDW Dark and Paramount recently joined forces to launch limited comic book tales set in the worlds of Smile and A Quiet Place, and we’ve learned today that they’ll continue hanging around in those franchise universes with two brand new limited series tales.
Entertainment Weekly has exclusively revealed this afternoon that IDW Dark’s Any Given Smile debuts in September, while A Quiet Place: Rising Tides arrives in November.
First up, from writer Stephanie Williams and artist Pablo Collar, Any Given Smile puts a football-themed twist on Parker Finn’s successful Smile movie franchise.
The five-part limited series is “set in January 1995, during the American Arena League football championship game in St. Augustine, Florida. The rising superstar of the Sharks, backup quarterback Dupree, is feeling the pressure from his teammates, the fans, and also the city’s gambling underworld, to whom he owes a considerable debt. Meanwhile, a sports journalist investigates a string of suicides that may be connected to the big game. At the very least, they are connected to a sinister entity that preys on the minds of its victims.”
From writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, A Quiet Place: Rising Tides will also be a five-issue limited story. The comic book tale “brings the creatures to the Florida Keys, where a father-daughter duo attempt to survive on water in a houseboat.”
EW further details, “This tense family reunion coincides with the arrival of the vicious creatures that hunt through sound. Grace and her dad find safety on the open ocean, but she’ll have to make landfall sooner or later; the father’s oxygen tank and their supplies are running low, while a hurricane swiftly approaches.”
Learn more about both comic books over on Entertainment Weekly.
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