Spoiler Alert

This article might contain minor spoilers for the Clayface movie; if you haven’t seen the film, proceed with caution.

What Is Clayface?

Clayface is a DC-created horror film just released in theaters, directed by James Watkins and based on the original Clayface comics from DC Comics. Clayface is the third movie of James Gunn’s DCU and already a fan favorite with a 94% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes and being discussed all over the internet currently.

The story follows Matt Hagen, a rising Hollywood star played by Tom Rhys Harries, whose life takes a horrifying turn after a scientific accident transforms him into a shapeshifting creature in Gotham City, known from Batman comics and movies.

While Clayface is the first Batman villain horror movie, some of the audience didn’t find it enough as a horror movie, while some of them found it disturbing and grotesque with its body horror aspects and memorable moments.

Why Fans Saw Aaron Paul in Clayface for a Second?

Some of the fans and audience reported that they thought they saw Aaron Paul, best known for Breaking Bad and its sequel El Camino.

In a fighting scene in Club Vesuvius, Matt Hagen, aka Clayface, shapeshifts into his father, Jimmy “One Nut” Hagen, played by Aaron Paul, for only about a second. Director James Watkins explained it as “He has a real brief Easter egg kind of moment” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Reports suggest that Aaron Paul’s character, Jimmy Hagen, was originally meant to have a much larger role in the film before his scenes were cut.

Why Was Aaron Paul’s Character Cut from Clayface? 

It was reported that Jimmy Hagen was supposed to be in the film as Matt’s abusive father in Matt’s younger life, growing up in the slums of Gotham City in Matt’s traumatic flashback scenes. However, Watkins explained they did not want it to be a sins-of-the-father situation.They believed the notion of revenge was more relatable to all of us and doesn’t matter if the character is carrying trauma.

James Watkin’s statement suggests that they wanted to keep the story focused on Matt’s transformation and his desire for revenge, rather than making his actions primarily the result of childhood trauma.

Why is Clayface important for DCU?

While Clayface doesn’t feature any other superheroes or villains from the DC Universe or comics, the movie offers an early look at Gotham City and the iconic DC Locations to the audience for the first time, making it an interesting step in expanding the universe beyond Batman and the darker corners and atmosphere of Gotham City.

One of the most interesting aspects of Clayface is how it could influence DC Studios for future projects. The film’s horror-focused approach already started discussions among fans about whether other DC villains could receive similar treatment and fans started to discuss whether other characters should have horror movies, such as Scarecrow from the original Batman.

To learn more about the DC timeline by now and where it’s going, read our article here: