Every Clayface in DC Comics, Ranked

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Clayface is a well-known and formidable enemy of Batman, and is even getting his own horror movie in October 2026. While the film focuses on the character Mat Hagen, the comics have featured several different villains who’ve used the name Clayface. These characters all share a common trait: they’re made of a flexible, clay-like material they can reshape however they want. This allows Clayfaces to be excellent shapeshifters and incredibly difficult to injure. Here’s a look at every version of Clayface that has terrorized Gotham City.

Clayface’s story is usually a sad one, because becoming a monstrous creature typically leads to losing their mind and who they once were. While each Clayface is different, here’s a ranking from least to most compelling.

10) Peter Malley

Peter Malley is widely considered the most forgettable Clayface. After only appearing in one comic book issue, he was killed and hasn’t been referenced since. Dr. Malley was a scientist working for the DEO who was researching a piece of skin from Cassius Payne, the fifth Clayface. The sample bonded with Malley, transforming him into the monstrous and uncontrollable Claything. Claything had the ability to melt things with a single touch, and could also shapeshift, but these powers weren’t enough to save him. He was defeated and destroyed by DEO agent Cameron Chase, and his remains were put into storage, effectively ending his story.

9) Clownface

Clownface was different from other Clayfaces; he wasn’t originally a person at all. He began as a fragment of the original Clayface, Basil Karlo, that gained a life of its own. This piece took the form of a silent old man and was kept at Arkham Manor. Later, the Joker exposed it to Joker Venom, creating a terrifying combination of Clayface’s shapeshifting abilities and the Joker’s cruel nature. After briefly appearing and being defeated, Clownface vanished for years, only to be unexpectedly killed by Harley Quinn with acid. Ultimately, Clownface proved to be a fairly simple and forgettable villain.

8) Todd Russel

Like many Clayfaces, Todd Russel didn’t start out as a monster. A war veteran, he was badly injured during service and then subjected to dangerous experiments. These experiments transformed him into the seventh Clayface, wiping his memory and causing him to lose his sanity. He initially used his new powers to commit several murders in Gotham, but his spree was stopped by Catwoman. Surprisingly, despite his dark past, mental illness, and their first fight, Russel later helped Catwoman by impersonating her and staging her death to trick Hugo Strange.

7) Katherine Karlo

Okay, so you’ve got Katherine Karlo, who goes by Mudface, and she’s fascinating. Basically, she’s another ‘split’ from the original Clayface, Basil Karlo, but she actively rejects being a villain, which is cool. Her dad tried to use her – he disguised her as a young girl to get into Gotham Academy and get revenge on this old rival who became a teacher, Simon Trent. At first, she was totally under his control, seeing herself as his daughter, but the longer she was at the school, the more she became her own person. She actually made friends, real connections with her classmates. She’s not the most powerful Clayface out there, but she’s a really compelling character. It’s a tragic story, but ultimately she found a family at Gotham Academy and uses her powers to protect them, which I love.

6) Johnny Williams

After becoming the eighth Clayface, Johnny Williams, a former firefighter, faced a life filled with suffering and being used by others. The accident that transformed him into a living clay creature also led to a tragic death, and overwhelmed with guilt, he almost ended his own life. Instead, he was tricked by the villains Hush and the Riddler into helping them torment Batman, with the false promise of a cure. As part of their plan, Williams pretended to be Jason Todd and Thomas Elliot, aiming to wound Batman emotionally and falsely accuse Alfred of murder. Once Williams discovered Hush had been lying about a cure, he switched sides and assisted Batman in clearing Alfred’s name. Though his condition proved fatal and he died soon after, Williams played a crucial and deeply moving part in the highly praised “Hush” story arc.

5) Sondra Fuller

Sondra Fuller, also known as Lady Clay, was the original female Clayface. Driven by self-loathing, she volunteered for a dangerous process to transform into a creature made of mud while working as an agent for the terrorist group Kobra. As the fourth person to take on the Clayface identity, she joined Kobra’s Strike Force and fought the team of heroes called the Outsiders. Later, she left Kobra and became part of Mudpack, a group of different Clayfaces, where she developed a romantic relationship with Preston Payne. What set Fuller apart from other Clayfaces was her unique ability to not only change her appearance, but also copy the superpowers of anyone she imitated, making her a particularly formidable and powerful villain.

4) Cassius Payne

Cassius Payne, the son of villains Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller, was destined to follow in their footsteps. Unlike other Clayfaces, his powers came naturally, and he quickly turned to crime. He inherited shapeshifting from his mother, but also possesses a disturbing unique ability: fragments of his body can become semi-conscious and attach to people, turning them into monstrous, Clayface-like creatures called Claythings – as happened to Dr. Peter Mallay. Having never known a normal human life, Cassius Payne is considered one of the most dangerous and evil Clayfaces in the DC Universe.

3) Preston Payne

As a lifelong Batman fan, I’ve always found Preston Payne, the third Clayface, to be particularly compelling. He’s such a tragic figure. He wasn’t born a monster; he was a gifted scientist suffering from a serious illness. Desperate for a cure, he experimented with the DNA of the original Clayface, Matt Hagen. But it backfired horribly. Instead of gaining control over his form, he became a constantly melting, unstable mass, forced to wear an exosuit just to hold himself together. And it gets worse – he developed a touch that literally dissolves things, and using it is the only way to relieve the crippling migraines he gets. It’s a horrifying existence, and he’s even driven to murder just to find some relief. To add another layer to his story, he even had a son with Sondra Fuller. Everything about Payne is deeply unsettling, but you almost feel for him – he’s a villain you can’t help but feel a little sympathy for.

2) Mat Hagen

Though he wasn’t the first to be called Clayface, Mat Hagen was the original character with the clay-like powers. He started as an adventurer but transformed after falling into a strange, shapeless substance. To maintain his new form, Hagen has to regularly submerge himself in the substance. He was the first Clayface capable of completely changing his appearance, and he used this ability to become a criminal. Hagen quickly became one of Batman’s most formidable foes, appearing in many battles during the Silver Age of comics. While other Clayfaces have become more prominent, Hagen’s impact remains, inspiring many similar characters.

1) Basil Karlo

The original Clayface, Basil Karlo, evolved from a minor villain to one of Batman’s most dangerous foes. Driven mad by being replaced in a film remake, Karlo began a killing spree, disguising himself as the movie’s monster, Clayface. He started with just a mask, but eventually gained the power to fully shapeshift by absorbing abilities from other Clayface incarnations. What sets Karlo apart is his background as an actor, allowing him to convincingly and disturbingly impersonate anyone. His stories also often offer a critical look at the dark side of Hollywood. Later portrayals emphasized the tragedy of his character – able to become anyone, yet still feeling like a monster inside.

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2026-05-01 17:14