Matt Hagen
Matt Hagen is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Matt Hagen
In search for hidden wealth, he went skin-diving to find a sunken frigate filled with gold that would make him rich. During one such dive, he found an undiscovered grotto that contained a natural pool of strange chemicals. After being exposed to it, he was transformed into a clay-covered creature with the ability to change shape and he began to operate as the Clayface. Using this ability, Hagen embarked on a series of thefts, infiltrating restricted areas and eluding capture by molding his body into disguises or using his shape-shifting powers to overpower guards. His actions culminated in clashes with Batman, where he struck out with brute strength and used his amorphous body to evade direct attacks. This was only a temporary effect, however, requiring him to return to the pool periodically in order to maintain use of his powers. This weakness allowed Batman and Robin to capture and arrest Hagen. (Detective Comics v1 #298) Shortly after, Hagen broke out of prison and decided to investigate the protoplasmic substance that transformed him into Clayface, in order to find a way to prolong his powers. Hagen once again immersed himself in the transformative pool to recharge his powers. Empowered, he set about conducting a new wave of crimes, disguising himself as different figures to bypass defenses and conceal his identity. When confronted, Hagen reshaped his arms into massive weapons and swung at Batman, trying to crush him with his clay-formed bulk. He changed his body size to avoid capture, slipping through barriers and smashing through obstacles with his superhuman strength, demonstrating the offensive and evasive versatility of his transformations. In the meantime, Clayface impersonated wealthy men in Gotham City, which allowed him to learn information for his criminal activities. He was once again confronted by the Dynamic Duo and they managed to capture Clayface using a freezing gun combined with the protoplasmic substance, which they found on Clayface's hideout. Hagen was then returned to prison. (Detective Comics v1 #304)
Hagen continued his pattern of immersing himself in the protoplasmic pool to renew his strength before carrying out his schemes. He infiltrated secure areas by altering his appearance into an exact double of others, tricking guards and gaining access. When exposed, he used his powers offensively, swinging his clay-like arms at opponents, stretching his limbs to seize Batman, and transforming his entire mass into monstrous shapes to intimidate and overwhelm. His attacks were marked by raw physical power, sudden size changes, and constant attempts to overwhelm through sheer adaptability. (Detective Comics v1 #312)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Later on, S.T.A.R. Labs opened a portal to Limbo in Operation Zeppelin. This caused the souls of deceased villains such as the Iron Major, the Top, Clayface, El Papagayo, Electrocutioner and Icicle seeking to escape the underworld and return to Earth through the portal. When Director Jeffrey Simon, creator of Zeppelin, disappeared, a rescue party went through the portal, and the villains captured them. They bargained with their demonic jailer, a demon impersonating Etrigan, exchanging their prisoners to gain temporary mortal forms, and prepared to return to Earth. They were opposed by Hawk, Dove, and the Titans West. The battle was fierce, but the tide turned when Jeb Stuart came down from heaven and gave Hawk his Haunted Tank. The false Etrigan offered them a way out through another portal, but he was merely toying with the dead villains, and when he sent them through a portal, it turned out to be an entrance to Hell. (Hawk and Dove Annual v3 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Matt Hagen
It was shown that Matt Hagen was used as an alias by Basil Karlo. (Detective Comics v1 #936)
Hagen was later revealed to had been an escaped in-mate from Arkham Asylum. (Batman: Knightwatch - Batman Day Special Edition v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Matt Hagen as Clayface was depicted as a towering figure with a distorted clay-like body, his human features subsumed under a grotesque, shifting form. His skin took on a muddy, earthen tone, often shown dripping or sagging with a malleable texture. At times, he could compress himself into a convincing disguise of another person, while in combat he appeared as a hulking monster with massive limbs and an unnatural, mutable silhouette. After gaining his powers, his new form led to him becoming the new Clayface. (Detective Comics v1 #298)
In personality, Hagen was driven, obsessive, and reckless, focusing heavily on using his newfound powers to commit crimes. He was resourceful, repeatedly seeking out the protoplasmic pool to restore his abilities when they waned, showing determination in maintaining his edge. Hagen was also aggressive, resorting quickly to direct combat when discovered, relying on his physical superiority and transformations rather than retreat or negotiation. His fixation on exploiting his powers defined his actions, with his criminal pursuits overshadowing other aspects of his character. (Detective Comics v1 #298)
Powers and abilities
Originally, Matt Hagen was an ordinary human being until he found an pool composed of a protoplasm that filled him with a strange energy. In physiology and powers, Matt Hagen was a human who gained temporary shape-shifting abilities by immersing himself in the strange protoplasmic pool. The powers lasted only for a limited time before he had to return to the source to recharge. This caused his body to be composed of a kind of hard clay-like substance that was pliable and soft. Through concentration, he was able command his body to change shape allowing him to adopt his former human guise to more stranger creatures such as centaurs or giant eagles. While transformed, he possessed superhuman strength, the ability to stretch and reshape his body into different forms, and the capacity to assume the appearance of other people with convincing accuracy. His clay-like composition allowed him to withstand conventional attacks, break through barriers, and adapt his shape for both disguise and combat purposes. (Detective Comics v1 #298)
Notes
- Matt Hagen as the second Clayface was created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff where he made his first appearance in Detective Comics v1 #298 (December, 1961).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In the DC Animated Universe, the Matt Hagen Clayface made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Batman: The Animated Series, Matt Hagen made his first appearance in the animated series where he was voiced by actor Ron Perlman. Matt Hagen was a celebrated but aging Hollywood actor whose career was jeopardised by a disfiguring car accident that left his face scarred and his livelihood in ruins. He became a desperate pawn for the corrupt businessman Roland Daggett, who provided him with a secret, experimental formula known as Renuyu that allowed him to temporarily reshape his face and maintain his movie-star looks. This dependency turned into a tragedy when Hagen attempted to steal a large quantity of the compound, leading Daggett’s thugs to forcibly drench him in the chemical by pouring it down his throat. The massive overdose permanently altered his molecular structure, transforming him into a massive, shapeshifting creature composed of living clay. Driven by a vengeful madness and a flair for the dramatic, he adopted the name Clayface and used his newfound abilities to mimic anyone's appearance or turn his limbs into deadly weapons. He initially sought to destroy Daggett’s empire but eventually became a recurring threat to Gotham City, often struggling with the physical instability of his form and a deep-seated identity crisis as he slowly lost the ability to remember his original human self.
- In Justice League, Matt Hagen returned as an antagonist in the animated series where he was voiced by actor Ron Perlman. Matt Hagen came to be a captive of billionaire businessman Morgan Edge. Following his previous defeat in Gotham, his unstable remains had been recovered, separated, and sealed into several biohazard canisters by Edge, who kept them as a macabre addition to his private collection of rare items. He remained in this fragmented state of storage until Gorilla Grodd and the Secret Society launched a raid on Edge's mansion to liberate him. It was only after being freed from these canisters that Hagen was offered a place in the Society, with Grodd using the promise of a permanent human restoration to secure his loyalty. Throughout his time with the group, he acted as a reluctant and cynical operative, driven primarily by the hope that Grodd’s scientific resources could end his existence as a "freak." This alliance eventually led to his involvement in a high-stakes plot to publicly execute the Justice League, which resulted in his physical form being violently dispersed once more.
- In Young Justice, the Matt Hagen Clayface appeared in the animated series where he was voiced by actor Nolan North.
Video games
- In Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, the Matt Hagen Clayface appeared as a boss level antagonist in the setting of the video game where he was voiced again by actor Ron Perlman.
Appearances
- Detective Comics v1: (1961)
- Batman v1:
- Crisis of the Infinite Earths v1:
External Links
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