Stella Bates

Stella Bates was a doctor who fell in love with Clayface.

History
Doctor Bates served as a medical consultant on Dark Interlude, a romantic film starring Matt Hagen as Senator Eric Chandler. The film told the story of the romance between the senator and his plastic surgeon, who heals him after an accident. Upon hearing what happened to Hagen, Stella sold a motel she owned to finance medical research devoted to curing Clayface. Stella was in love with Matt Hagen or rather his screen persona. Clayface, for his part, played on Stella's feelings for him and expertly manipulated her into helping him. Stella made some initial progress, managing to keep Clayface alive; but not curing him. Stella desperately tried to work on a solution. As she continued to work on a cure, Stella discovered that the experimental isotope MP-40 might be strong enough to reverse the effects of the renuyu.

After Clayface returned from Wayne Biomedical with the isotope, Doctor Bates began the process. However, Batman arrived and interupted the treatment. Angrily, Stella lunged at him, but he moved aside and she fell over a table of chemicals. Clayface, upon seeing his love hurt, attacked Batman; slowly he pulled him into his body to smother him, despite Stella's protests.

Clayface and Batman took the fight outside, towards the cliff's edge. Stella was worried, as the rain made Clayface unstable again. She watched in horror as he lost to Batman and fell into the ocean below, where he dissolved. She was presumably handed over to the authorities for aiding Clayface in his crimes.

Clayface, in fact, survived the battle with Batman and returned to Gotham a few years later. Whether Stella found out is unknown.

Appearance

 * "Mudslide"