An Underrated Batman Cartoon Has The Most Tragic Version Of Clayface
by Devin Meenan · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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Clayface is a Batman villain built for animation. He exists as a writhing mass of living mud that can take any shape he can think of, and animation offers motion that comics don't while also limiting artists' imagination far less than live-action. DC Studios' new horror movie "Clayface" takes after the villain's debut appearance in "Batman: The Animated Series," "Feat of Clay," because that's the gold standard for a Clayface origin story.
"Batman: The Animated Series" is the superlative version of the Dark Knight and his villains, but I'd argue another Batman cartoon did a fine job with its Clayface — while going even further in reinventing him. That would be 2004's "The Batman." It lived in the shadow of "The Animated Series," and despite being a younger show, it's not as remembered, yet "The Batman" staked out a unique identity with lots of great episodes. A lot of that verve came from art director and character designer Jeff Matsuda ("Jackie Chan Adventures"). He utilized a more anime-esque art style compared to Bruce Timm's Fleischer "Superman"-inspired classicism on "Batman: The Animated Series."
With Clayface, the reinvention was more than skin deep. This series' Clayface was originally Ethan Bennett (Steve Harris), a Gotham City police detective and one of Bruce Wayne's (Rino Romano) few close friends. In the two-part Season 1 finale of "The Batman" ("The Rubberface of Comedy" and "The Clayface of Tragedy," as written by "Gargoyles" and "Young Justice" creator Greg Weisman), Ethan is abducted by the Joker (Kevin Michael Richardson).
Joker uses Ethan as a living test subject for his "Joker Putty," a chemical that turns solid surfaces into malleable clay. One dose of the Putty and some mental torture later, and Ethan Bennett is remade into Clayface.
The Batman (2004) essentially combined Harvey Dent and Clayface
One change "The Batman" made to the usual status quo is that this Batman doesn't have a working relationship with the police — at first, until Commissioner Gordon (Mitch Pileggi) debuts in the Season 2 finale. Before that, Batman is hunted like a fugitive, with Ethan and his partner Ellen Yin (Ming-Na Wen) put on the Bat-beat. Despite the assignment, Ethan thinks Batman is helping Gotham. Between that and his friendship with Bruce, he's a natural pick for Batman to make an ally. Him becoming Clayface destroys that.
While Ethan Bennett doesn't come from the "Batman" comics, his story as a friend of Bruce Wayne turned super-villain might sound familiar. For whatever reason, "The Batman" never featured Harvey Dent/Two-Face and instead had Ethan-as-Clayface absorb his traditional role as Batman-friendly law enforcement officer gone bad. "The Batman" even pulls the same trick with Ethan as "Batman: The Animated Series" did with Harvey, introducing him episodes before he becomes a super-villain so that when he turns, it hurts. As is often the case with Harvey Dent in other stories, Batman sees Ethan as a villain to reform.
It's worth noting that Clayface's transformation is both more and less gruesome than Harvey's. On one hand, half of Harvey's face is burned off, leaving him heavily scarred and mentally fractured. That's a bum deal next to shapeshifting, right? Except, Ethan turns into something beyond normal humanity. His fragile grip on himself is physical and mental, and one exacerbates the other.
Clayface returns in the Season 2 episode "Meltdown," where Ethan is released on probation after a trial highlighting the extenuating circumstances and his past good character. But the pressure, and another run-in with the Joker, gets to him, and he seemingly becomes Clayface for good.
The Batman (2004 ) ends Clayface's tragedy with redemption
Clayface's next appearance, the Halloween episode "Grundy's Night," sees him pose as the undead urban legend Solomon Grundy to disguise a robbery spree. It's also a misstep in his character arc. The episode, and Batman, treats him like just another villain, and that's how he acts, too. If that's the point, to show how far he's fallen, the episode needed to underline that, and it doesn't. But his next appearance, Season 4's "Clayfaces," rectifies this.
Ethan captures the Joker and then turns himself in at Arkham Asylum. So, when struggling actor Basil Karlo (Wallace Langham) gains similar Clayface powers, Ethan and Batman team up. By the episode's end, Ethan is back to normal, and it's implied he'll be able to fix his life and friendship with Bruce.
To once more compare this to "Batman: The Animated Series" — note that "Rubberface of Comedy" and "Clayface of Tragedy" still use the motif of the dual drama masks, an image from the title card in "Feat of Clay."
"The Batman" uses that same image even though Bennett isn't an actor. But invoking "Feat of Clay" only highlights how different these two Clayfaces are.
In "Batman: The Animated Series," Matt Hagen was never a great guy. He treats his adoring boyfriend Teddy (Dick Gautier) pretty terribly, and his transformation only strengthens his flaws. Ethan Bennett was a genuinely good man, though. The Joker getting his hands on him wasn't a karmic comeuppance, it's a stroke of exceedingly bad luck. Lots of Batman villains have tragic beginnings but almost always fail to realize the world doesn't deserve to be punished in return. That Ethan Bennett is able to own up to his mistakes and reform is what sets him apart from other Clayfaces.