The Clayface Movie Trailer Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing

As audiences patiently wait for any news regarding "The Batman — Part II," we're getting a very different trip to Gotham later this year. The first teaser for "Clayface," centered on the shape-shifting Batman villain, is out, and fans are stoked to get a bona fide horror offering from DC Studios. Looper's video above has collected a small sampling of reactions to the trailer, but here's an additional breakdown of what folks are saying.

Despite the success of other villain-centric comic book movies, like "Joker" and "Venom," one wouldn't automatically assume Clayface could also carry his own feature-length story. But fans think this looks incredible. Under the YouTube video, @RhinoDinoSino wrote, "Was NOT expecting this level of grotesque imagery." For @leeshwan903, it's a worthy substitute for another Batman film: "I'm actually not all that mad about the fact that this is how we get introduced to Batman's corner of the DCU."

Many were caught off guard by the final image of Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) in a bathtub as he wipes his features off his face. Over on Reddit, u/Varvara-Sidorovna had a visceral reaction: "I properly jumped at it, I wasn't expecting that at all." It's safe to say "Clayface" is defying expectations and offering audiences something new in an increasingly homogenized superhero movie environment. 

DC going from the fun adventure vibes of "Superman" and "Supergirl" to pure horror in "Clayface" is definitely a shift. The screenplay for "Clayface" was co-written by horror maestro Mike Flanagan, who crafted several terrifying Netflix miniseries like "The Haunting of Hill House" and "Midnight Mass." For many, like Redditor u/MisfitAnthem, that's enough of a reason to assume it'll be great: "I still cannot f***ing believe we are getting a Mike Flanagan-penned Clayface movie." YouTuber @Megaproductions302 shared a similar sentiment: "The fact that Mike Flanagan wrote this film and adapted the Matt Hagen storyline from ['Batman: The Animated Series'] has me really excited."

To general audiences, Clayface may seem like an odd pick for a solo movie. But for many, it's a chance to relive one of the best episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" — "Feat of Clay." It's a grotesque installment, especially for a kids' show, that gets into the psyche of a villain who lost everything and now has no identity of his own. If "Feat of Clay" is the PG origin of Clayface, then the upcoming film is the R-rated version fans like @righteousrawb7225 can enjoy as adults: "Ever since the 90s animated series, I have always wanted to see Clayface in live action."

2026 has many comic book movies on the docket, like "Supergirl," "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," and "Avengers: Doomsday." But "Clayface" offers something more low-key and different, and based on online reactions, fans are hungry for something new. Just watch Looper's video for even more positive reactions to the "Clayface" trailer.