Is Clayface part of the DCU or a The Batman spinoff? Everything you need to know about the DC movie

Clayface arrives later this year, and it looks like James Gunn has made good on his word that the film “is not a ‘hybrid superhero horror film,’ it is a horror film.” Our first look at the movie didn’t reveal a whole lot. We see a bloody, disfigured man (Tom Rhys Harries) wrapped in bandages, intercut with flashes of him being experimented on, him being chased, him seemingly killing someone, and his face literally melting — all set to a creepy cover of The Flaming Lips song “Do You Realize??” If not for the DC Studios logo and a few nods to Gotham City, Clayface looks more like a straight-up horror film like Together or The Substance than the latest entry in the DC Universe.

As a result, the teaser has caused some confusion about whether it’s a DC Universe movie at all, and which version of Clayface we’re looking at here — especially since a very different depiction of the Batman villain appeared in the DCU series Creature Commandos. If you’re confused, don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Is Clayface part of the DCU or is it a The Batman spinoff?

Clayface began as an idea from horror director Mike Flanagan for a horror/thriller taking heavy inspiration from the Batman: The Animated Series two-parter “Feat of Clay.” Flanagan had said this publicly, and later pitched the idea to the powers-that-be running the DCEU (the DC films that began with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel), though it was not picked up. Later, once James Gunn and Peter Safran became co-chairs of DC Studios, Flanagan pitched the idea again and they liked it. At the time, however, it was assumed the movie would be a part of Matt Reeves’ standalone universe established in The Batman, which had been reported to be expanding with spinoffs centered on Batman’s rogues gallery, like The Penguin series.

When the film was announced by Variety in Dec. 2024, the report did not make clear what DC universe it fit into, though it did mention that Reeves was producing the film, which led everyone to believe it was part of The Batman-verse. Pretty much right away, however, James Gunn has been trying to make clear that “Clayface is in the DCU,” meaning the same universe as the 2025 Superman film.

Is this the same Clayface from Creature Commandos?

Image: DC Studios

Despite Gunn’s insistence, further confusion has been caused by the fact that, around that same time of Dec. 2024, the animated series Creature Commandos debuted on HBO Max and several episodes in its first season feature Clayface. This is confusing not only because of the DCU timeline, but because DC comics has featured several different versions of Clayface over the years. Considering how different the two characters look, could it be that these are two totally unrelated characters both called Clayface?

Thanks to Gunn’s vigilant social media presence, we also got clarity on this when he confirmed that the Clayface in Creature Commandos is, indeed, the same one in Clayface. He later said that Clayface takes place before everything else in the DCU timeline, which includes Superman and Creature Commandos. So it makes sense that Rhys Harries’ character might eventually evolve from a regular guy into the mountain of mud we saw in Creature Commandos.

Still, I’m sure plenty of people will be confused about the where and when of Clayface when it debuts in October, mostly because it’s been pretty damn confusing. Hopefully, things will be clearer with future DCU releases, but with ever-increasing rumors that Gunn may leave DC once Paramount takes over, I would instead expect way more confusion.

Clayface releases in theaters Oct. 23, 2026.