|
Batman has defeated them many times - but the Clayface villains
have spread like the mud they're composed of. The very first Clayface was horror
actor Basil Karlo, who wore grotesque make-up as a disguise while he murdered
his victims. Then Matt Hagen discovered a cave containing a pool of radioactive
mud; when Hagen fell into it, the mud took over his body, giving him the power
to transform into almost anything at will. Hagen died in
the "Crisis On Infinite Earths", but his place was soon taken by Clayface 3 -
Preston Payne, whose mere touch is so lethal he has to wear a special
containment suit at all times. Finally, Sondra Fuller was changed into Clayface
4 - a.k.a. Lady Clay - by the villainous gang-leader Kobra. She acquires the
power of anything she changes into.
Basil Karlo mixed blood samples from Clayface 3 and Lady Clay,
and injected the resulting serum into his own veins. He turned into a monstrous,
shape-changing lunatic who calls himself the Ultimate Clayface. Brought together
by Karlo, Preston Payne and Lady Clay tried to give up crime; they fell in love
and had a son they christened Cassius. All the Clayfaces are currently
incarcerated under high security - but baby Cassius seems to have inherited the
powers of both his parents...and may yet turn out to be the most dangerous
Clayface of them all.
Clayface I - Basil Karlo: was a horror film actor who used his
Clayface role he played in a movie when he turned to a life of crime. He only
used his theatrical makeup which had no extranormal powers or properties. Karlos
later injected himself with blood extracts from all three of the ensuing
Clayfaces, therefore acquiring their aggregate and truly extranormal abilities
when he was transformed into the Ultimate Clayface.
Clayface II - Matt Hagen: discovered a strange oily substance
on the wreck of the Spanish galleon Belina Hermosa. This substance of unknown
origin transformed his body into a clay-like consistency whose shape could be
altered at will. He is now deceased but his remains led to the creation of
Clayface III.
Clayface III - Preston Payne: was born with the tragic
condition known as acromegaly. He found himself shunned by society, the object
of ceaseless cruelty. Perhaps in desperation, he injected himself with an
isolated agent from the late Matt Hagen's blood, whereupon Preston's flesh also
became malleable. But he suffered severe pain in the form of headaches and fever
temporarily relieved only by "transferring his curse" by using his very touch to
dissolve the flesh of another into a puddle of protoplasm. But even though this
"midas-melt" process alleviated physical pain, it led to even greater
psychological distress, ultimately driving Preston Payne mad. He became even
more dangerous when he created a flesh-supporting exo-skeleton, thereby
attaining extranormal strength. As evidence of his increasing madness, he fell
in love with a wax mannequin he named Helena, the only "woman immune" to his
melt-touch until he met the fourth Clayface.
Clayface IV - Sondra Fuller: hated her appearance so much that
she would have done anything to change it and allowed the entity known as Kobra
to transform her into Ladyclay, an extranormal being similar to Matt Hagen's
Clayface II, able to change her appearance at will, shaping her malleable form
into anything she wished.
Clayface V - Cassius: son of Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller.
When Preston and Sondra fell in love, they decided to leave society forever and
took refuge in a cave outside of Gotham and together they bore Cassius. Cassius
appeared not to have either parents extranormal abilities. But when the
Department of Extranormal Operations had him in custody, they harvested a sample
of Cassius' flesh to be studied. The sample came to life and attached itself to
Dr. Peter Malley, the scientist from the D.E.O. studying Cassius, and changed
him into a new Clayface. This new Clayface had the ability to melt anything he
looked at. In an attempt to break out Preston Payne, this new Clayface was
seemingly destroyed by Chase, a special agent from the D.E.O. |
