The 1989 BatmanThe newest sequel to a villain that has been theorized about for a long time Batman – Part II seems even more perfect for the DC film. 2022 Batman provided audiences with a new live-action Batman that exists outside of the main DCEU and DCU timeline – a concept that naturally raised intrigue about the release and its unique take on the character. This reimagining saw Batman focus more on the hero’s detective work by giving him a series of puzzles created by the Riddler to solve, highlighting his entire skill set and providing the audience with a mystery to follow.
With this precedent established – and BatmanGotham’s ending sets up the sequel for a drastically different view of Gotham – the focus during the lead-up to Batman – Part IIThe release of was naturally based on what other figures from Batman’s rogues gallery could emerge in the story and what mysteries they could create for the World’s Greatest Detective to uncover. Many solid theories have emerged in the years since Batmanrelease, with one specific concept looking even better after BatmanThe 2024 sequel and how it portrays an iconic DC villain.
Batman: Resurrection Makes Clayface Look Like the Perfect Batman 2 Mystery
Karlo Babić’s Story Shows How Good Clayface Is for a Batman Mystery
Batman: Resurrection introduces Clayface to the cinematic world of Burton Batman by having aspiring actor Karlo Babić – stage name Basil Karlo – transform into his shapeshifting form through exposure to the Joker’s Smylex in some stage makeup. After coming to terms with his circumstances – and the pros and cons of his new ability to change his appearance – Clayface goes through a series of subterfuges, replicating key figures such as the doctor who supervised him, an actor whose success he despised due to his history. , and most importantly, the Joker, leading to fears that the villain had returned.
While Resurrection shows readers Babić’s exploits in a straightforward way, rather than playing with the mystery and making things darker at the beginning, The story emphasizes the way in which Clayface’s powers can be used to great effect for the kind of mystery that Batman spun around, and that its sequence will hopefully match. Even at points where it’s clear that Batman knows Clayface is involved in the process, seeing him employ detective skills to solve this and investigate his intentions is genuinely fascinating, especially when combined with the story’s other mysteries.
The characters of Batman: Resurrection – including the Dark Knight himself at some points – are misdirected by Clayface’s disguises, but the small important differences in Clayface’s replication of these people, combined with the gaps in his knowledge about them, allow the Caped Crusader to up to his tricks more at once. However, this is balanced by the fact that Karlo becomes increasingly talented with his mimicry, ensuring that tensions remain high over whether he will be able to fool the civilians and Gotham’s hero.
Batman: Resurrection highlights how Clayface can be useful to the story of the Batman 2 sequel
Clayface fits with Batman’s story and themes
Batman: ResurrectionClayface’s version is a figure who functions in many ways as a symbol of Gotham’s oppressed. A passionate actor who is seemingly remembered by almost no one – and who is turned into a guinea pig by makeup that distorts him forever – Karlo Babić’s transformation is representative not only of the way in which those less fortunate in Gotham are considered disposable, but also of how the evil schemes of people like the Joker disproportionately affect ordinary workers.
Interestingly, this reveals striking parallels with BatmanThe Riddler’s own history, as the Riddler’s flooding of Gotham affected the wealthy elite the villain intended to go against the least. Much the same way Resurrection claims that Gotham’s rich were able to avoid the impact of the Joker’s Smylex plots by importing makeup they knew to be safe, Batman spin off The penguin reveals that the richest areas of Gotham were less affected by the floodsand received help more quickly and comprehensively.
With a main focus of Batman be in the class divisions in Gotham and the corruption of the upper echelons, the Batman: Resurrection The book underlines how Clayface works as a great figure to explore these ideas – especially since he is able to literally shapeshift to blend in with every group in the city. However, despite Clayface’s apparent alignment with the goals and history of the world of BatmanThere appear to be some obstacles in the way of him appearing in the next film in the franchise.
Clayface would need major changes to become Batman 2’s villain
Adapting Clayface to Batman has a big problem – which can still be solved
Although the specific villain appears in Batman – Part II It’s not yet clear, director Matt Reeves commented on what to expect from the next chapter in the series. Perhaps the most important of these interviews when it comes to whether Clayface will be the film’s villain is the one with SFX Magazine (through comic book movie), where Reeves stated when asked about the sequel that, “We could reach the limit of the fantastic, but we would never reach the total fantastic. The goal is to appear very grounded.“
As such, it seems that the almost sci-fi levels of body horror that Clayface’s body-changing powers entail may be something too far away for Batman – Part II take over, and in fact, this could be too much of a problem for the character to be selected for the sequel. However, It is possible that the franchise will opt for a more grounded version of the antagonistwho is simply talented at replicating other people’s appearance and mannerisms without regard to changing physical form – or someone who uses advanced technology similar to Batman’s to do so.
With the Joker already heavily teased to be Batman 2of the villain, theories that the Illuminati-like Court of Owls is the villain that seems consistently strong, and The penguin doing a good job of suggesting that Oz Cobb will be at least a background villain in the sequel, it’s unclear how likely Clayface is to find a foothold in the franchise. However, Batman: Resurrection It mercifully provides a taste of what this could be like, which is valuable whatever the case. Batman – Part II and his final choice of villain.
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve’s The Batman, released in 2022, and will pick up where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with HBO Max’s original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
- Release date
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October 2, 2026
Upcoming DC film releases