Basil Karlo, the original Clayface, was an actor who was driven mad when he heard of a re-make of the classic horror film he had starred in, Dread Castle. Adopting the persona of "Clayface", the villain of one of his old films, he became a serial killer targeting the cast and crew. He was eventually stopped by Batman and Robin. Later, Karlo would be imbued with the powers of Clayfaces Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller. The name of the character comes from Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.
History
Clayface as depicted on the cover of his debut appearance
Basil Karlo was an actor until he was driven mad by learning of a remake of the classic horror film he had originally starred in with a new actor in the lead role. Adopting the alias of the villain of one of his old movies, "Clayface," he fatally wounded several members of the cast and crew of the remake before eventually being defeated by Batman and Robin. He reappears in Detective Comics #49 (March 1941) after the prison ambulance he is riding in plunges off a cliff. He once again dons the mask of Clayface and targets Bruce Wayne's fiancee. Once again, the Dynamic Duo foil the evil Karlo. Much later, Clayface languishes in a prison hospital, where Lady Clay (Sondra Fuller) visits him out of curiosity. Clayface then forms an alliance (consisting of Lady Clay, Clayface II, and Clayface III) dubbed "the Mudpack" to defeat Batman. Though the Mud Pack is defeated, Karlo tricks his allies and manages to imbue himself with abilities similar to those of Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller. He was defeated by the combined efforts of Batman, Looker, and The Outsiders by overloading his abilities and making him melt into the ground. While literally sinking into the earth's crust when he loses control of his power, he manages to survive, and now his body sports crystals similar to quartz that endow him with greater powers. Karlo was able to escape his underground prison when Gotham City was struck by the great Cataclysm. He was able to capture Batman and was about to kill him, but he got into a feud with Mr. Freeze over who has the right to kill the Caped Crusader. With that distraction, Batman soundly defeated both of them.
Karlo's pre-transformation Clayface
During the "No Man's Land" storyline, Basil Karlo holds Poison Ivy, who is in charge of producing fresh vegetables for the remaining people in the city, prisoner in Robinson Park. Poison Ivy eventually battles and defeats Karlo, sinking him deep into the ground. It appears that the Ultimate Clayface is destroyed in this battle, but has resurfaced as a member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains II. Later, he seeks to increase his already formidable powers by absorbing Wonder Woman (a clay construct similar to him), making him near invulnerable. While he was successful in absorbing the heroine, he is ultimately forced to release her. Clayface was a member of the Injustice League and was among the villains seen in Salvation Run. He can be seen as a member of Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains. In the second issue of Final Crisis, he triggers an explosion at the Daily Planet in Metropolis, the home town of Superman.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Clayface molding his arms to form weapons.
- Malleable Clay-like Body: Being chemically altered gave him the ability to regenerate body mass, change shape, size, density and shapeshift into any form he could think of.
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Agility
- Superhuman Stamina
- Superhuman Durability
- Poisonous Touch: Kill with a poisonous touch capable of reducing flesh to protoplasm.
Abilities
- Almost Untraceable Skilled Actor
- can copy anyone by a single bit of DNA
Weaknesses
- Extreme cold temperatures
Paraphernalia
Clayface Mask: Mask used to terrify victims of his crimes. Clayface no longer uses his mask after gaining superhuman abilities
In other media
Television
Gotham
The Batman
Films
The Lego Batman Movie
A brick-built version of the Basil Karlo Clayface makes a cameo appearance in the film alongside other Batman villains. He is voiced by Kate Micucci.
Video games
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
See: Clayface (LEGO Batman: The Videogame)
Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City
See: Clayface (Batman: Arkham Asylum)