Batman Just Gave Fans The Best Supervillain Introduction Since Galactus

Warning! This article contains major SPOILERS for Absolute Batman #23.

Bane, Joker, and Scarecrow from Absolute Batman are some of the scariest iterations of these classic characters, bar none. In fact, nearly every Absolute Batman villain redesign has been spectacular and iconic thus far, and Clayface’s Absolute universe redesign is wonderfully inspired.

Clayface has been teased for a while, and readers’ first full introduction to the villain was finally depicted in Absolute Batman #23. Clayface has already made a gargantuan splash by killing a beloved Bat-Family character, and it’s debatably the strongest villain debut in all of Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’s Absolute Batman series.

Clayface Is Only 1 Of Absolute Batman’s Ark M Horrors

Clayface technically made his debut in Absolute Batman #10 as a physically traumatized wad of flesh and appendages in Ark M’s Level 246 Transmutation and Plasticity ward, specifically the “K.L.A.Y. biome.” The best look we’ve received yet of Clayface, though, is via Dragotta’s character design sheet for the villain.

Absolute Batman’s Clayface is arguably the best design the villain has ever had. This Clayface is described as “a sculptor finding the soul in his art” and a “work in progress,” missing ¼ of his head in his base form. Hands of “trapped souls” brilliantly come out from the mud in order to sculpt Clayface, and he’s able to make a mold appearance out of anyone he comes into contact with.

Clayface had his hands all over Bruce at Ark M, which would explain why he’s already able to make a mold of him. That said, it seemingly shouldn’t be possible for Clayface’s hands to sculpt a Batman silhouette when Bruce was naked when he imprinted on him, unless his clay molds truly do hold vast memories and can mimic any appearance a character has ever had.

Clayface Kills Tim Drake’s Robin In His Villainous Debut As ‘Batman’

As an enormous and much more sinister-looking Batman made of clay, Clayface absorbs and smothers Jason Todd and Tim Drake in Absolute Batman #23 before skewering Tim on a pauldron spike. Clayface then battles Batman while mockingly parroting everything he says back to him.

There’s a high likelihood that Clayface impersonating Batman is a deliberate attempt to further ruin Batman’s reputation and publicly paint him as a murderer, though anyone who’s able to get a decent look at Clayface’s Batman should be able to immediately tell that they are not one and the same. Interestingly, Absolute Batman’s Clayface doesn’t seem as if he’s able to fully and convincingly mimic appearances since he’s still a pale beige clay color when imitating Batman.

Nonetheless, Clayface killing a Robin at all has curious implications, such as whether this was a plot of Joker’s, and why Clayface is so hellbent on tormenting Batman if not. If the rest of the Robins learn or are convinced that Joker is behind Tim’s death, Batman could be gaining a valuable batch of allies quite soon.

Clayface would have acquired sculpts of both Tim and Jason when absorbing them if even a footprint in his mud can leave a moldable imprint, meaning the villain is capable of taking shape as either of them, and it’ll be neat to see how their appearances may be wielded against Batman or the other Robins hereafter. With Absolute Batman’s Harley Quinn leaving the Bat-Family, maybe a vengeance-fueled Jason will become a part of the Red Hood gang and fulfill that chapter of his destiny without ever having died.

We’ll probably see Tim again, even if he’s some gross abomination by then. If Absolute Batman is taking inspiration from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, it’s possible we may even see Tim come back as a version of Joker himself, even if that side of him is initially subdued or hidden. Clayface being the one to kill Tim means we will probably see Clayface taunt Batman with Tim’s death by becoming him at a moment’s notice, and Joker could feed Tim’s body to any number of heinous experiments at Absolute Batman’s Ark M.

Clayface Rivals Scarecrow And Joker As The Best Absolute Batman Antagonist

On the AIPT Comics Podcast, Snyder recently gifted fans with masterclass-worthy knowledge regarding how to make a successful comics pitch, confessing that the three gravest mistakes he sees writers committing are that “they’re not new-reader-friendly,” “there’s very soft cliffhangers,” and “decompression,” with the latter meaning that the pacing of the book “isn’t moving fast enough, that issue three should be issue one.” Absolute Batman is obviously a testament to how successful its storytelling is, even if the fact that it’s a Batman book is a big help, in general.

Absolute Batman #23 is proof of how vital it is that comics released on a monthly basis are paced appropriately, as well as how powerful a dramatic turn of events or cliffhanger can be when readers must then wait another month to see what happens next. Of course, readers will usually have Absolute Batman story beats or characters spoiled for them if they indulge in solicitations that foreshadow what’ll occur months in advance.

Every issue of Absolute Batman is climactic and suspenseful, yet the debut of Clayface in issue #23 will be difficult to eclipse unless a new villain kills another Robin, much less someone in Batman’s Bat-Family, which is adding Barbara Gordon’s Bat as Harley Quinn and the Red Hood gang are subtracted. The solicitation for Absolute Batman #24 reads as follows:

WITHOUT THE BADGE… WITHOUT HER FATHER… ABSOLUTE BAT ENTERS THE SCENE. In the battle of self, of Batman versus Batman, there can be only one. Everyone Bruce has ever known, ever cared about, or ever loved will face their ultimate inner demons.

The solicit stating that “there can only be one” suggests that Clayface may only get a two-part arc like Absolute Poison Ivy did in Absolute Batman #17–18, or like Absolute Mister Freeze did in Absolute Batman #7–8, and it’s unknown when we may see Clayface again thereafter. Regardless, it’s unlikely that we’ve seen the last of any villain who was seen gestating or being tortured in an Ark in Absolute Batman, and Clayface will hopefully return later on as a recurring rogues’ gallery villain.

Absolute Batman #24 is scheduled to be released on September 23, 2026.

Created By

Bob Kane, Bill Finger

Alias

Bruce Wayne

Alliance

Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family

Race

Human

Franchise

D.C.

One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.