How Clayface Expands James Gunn's Dc Universe

Warner Bros.

This article contains spoilers for "Clayface."

The DC Universe is continuing to expand with the release of "Clayface." Unlike "Superman" and "Supergirl," which were big-budget films focused on big-name heroes, "Clayface" is an R-rated body horror movie set in the DCU centered on a "Batman" villain. Even so, this street level story set in Gotham City helps us understand a little bit more about what DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have planned for the future.

Directed by James Watkins ("Speak No Evil"), the latest DCU film is all about Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) and his meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man. However, his career is derailed when a local crime boss leaves him with heavy facial damage. With nothing left to lose, Matt seeks out a cutting edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self. But it also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality, sending him down a destructive path of revenge.

Several other DCU movies are currently in the works in addition to "Clayface" and the "Superman" sequel "Man of Tomorrow," so one might expect that this film would help expand our understanding of the property at large. And while that's true, it does so without featuring a bunch of references and connections to what's coming or what's already happened. Instead, it exists on its own terms, showing us new corners of the DCU (and important ones at that).

First and foremost, "Clayface" reveals the DCU version of Gotham City, which is no small thing. So, although the franchise's take on the Caped Crusader doesn't actually show up in this movie, we now have a better idea of what his stomping grounds look like. Specifically, it's a sprawling, multifaceted version of Gotham that's divided sharply between classes.

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Naturally, setting up Gotham City is a huge deal, with or without Batman making an appearance. It's a true epicenter in the DC Comics universe. "The Flash" director Andy Muschietti is set to helm "The Brave and the Bold," the movie that's expected to introduce Batman to the DCU. Thus, the most significant thing that "Clayface" does is set up a baseline for the world that our new Batman will exist in.

The bigger thing worth examining is that this movie has virtually no connections to the DCU that's already been established. Part of that has to do with the fact that it takes place earlier on the timeline, but that's a smaller factor. It was much more of a conscious choice to have this villain origin story work in any context. Viewers can go in not needing to know a single thing about, well, anything. In many ways, it's a movie that stands on its own two feet unencumbered by continuity.

That itself is the biggest "expansion" of this new universe at play. James Gunn and Peter Safran know why the old DC Extended Universe failed. It was a too-many-cooks situation with things getting splintered and confusing. So, they're aiming to avoid similar problems this time around, and this movie is a good example of how they intend to do that.

"Creature Commandos" features Alan Tudyk as part of the voice cast playing multiple characters, including that of Clayface. That happens later in the DCU timeline and, yes, it's supposed to be Matt Hagen. However, audiences certainly wouldn't need to see that show to understand anything going on in this film. It's a "less is more" approach to continuity and expansion, to look at it another way.

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On the surface, then, "Clayface" doesn't do a whole lot to expand the DCU beyond the Gotham City of it all. But look closer, and you'll see that it greatly expands the scope of what these new DCU projects can be. They don't have to fit into any specific box. That's the key. That opens up a ton of possibilities for the future.

It's one thing to have a show like "Creature Commandos" on HBO. But it's another thing to have a high-profile DCU project like this veer so far off course from what we saw in "Superman" and "Supergirl." And with all due respect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's hard to imagine that franchise releasing a full-on, R-rated, gory body horror movie the same year it unveiled a "Thor" movie, for example.

James Gunn's DCU plans shifted after Warner Bros.' initial announcement, but from the start, he promised that the property is going to focus on filmmakers, good scripts, and allowing for different sorts of stories to be told. "Clayface" is proof positive that Gunn is putting his money where his mouth is. There is no house style, much less a constricting box that all of the DCU's films and TV series have to try to exist inside of.

So yes, from a practical in-universe perspective, this movie's biggest contribution to the DCU is introducing a new version of Gotham City. Indeed, other films in the future will have to follow in its footsteps if they use Gotham as well. But the bigger thing is that it opens the door for more offbeat comic book adaptations within the DCU in the years to come. 

"Clayface" is now playing in theaters.