Robert Pattinson's Clayface Comments Prove That He Needs To Be the DC Universe's Batman

The DC Universe’s third film, Clayface, recently began filming, and since it did, comic book fans have been closely scrutinizing an assortment of leaked photos from the set, looking for clues about both how Matt Hagen’s (Tom Rhys Harries) story will be adapted and advance James Gunn’s newly created franchise, as well as for any possible hints at connections to Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s Batman saga. Both Reeves and Gunn have repeatedly noted that the version of Gotham City Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne protects will remain separate from the DCU—despite Reeves also working as a producer on Clayface and other projects that may be tied to the larger franchise.

And with the DCU instead set to introduce a separate version of Batman in the developing film The Brave and the Bold, Gunn in particular has seemed less firm when asked about this plan recently, with this and other factors making it seem more likely that the portion of the fanbase that wants the franchises to be merged may have its wish granted. In addition to the expected aesthetic similarities that come from Clayface using sites in the English city of Liverpool to depict Gotham—as Reeves and Pattinson’s film, The Batman, previously did—the set photos have hinted at some more specific possible connections to their version of the mythos, and the ensuing frenzy of speculation has also led to the rediscovery of a telling quote from Pattinson himself.

Robert Pattinson Is a Fan of Batman’s Superpowered Villains

Around the time of The Batman’s release in 2022, Pattinson was asked in an interview about what other villains he would be interested in seeing his version of the Dark Knight confront in future installments, in addition to those featured in the first film. The actor responded by noting that he’s especially fond of several of the “really fantastical” supervillains from the comic book source material, naming Mr. Freeze and Clayface specifically. This in no way guarantees that Pattinson’s Batman will directly encounter Harries’ character, nor even that such an encounter has been considered by the filmmakers, especially since Clayface only existed as a script at most at the time. But it does in fact suggest that the actor would be interested in and willing to explore the idea of his version of Bruce existing in a world in which supernatural phenomena like the shape-shifting superpowers most versions of Clayface possess and the fictional medical condition and weaponized uses of ice Freeze is known for are possible. This contrasts with the interpretation a portion of the audience has made of The Batman and its television spin-off, The Penguin, through which they’ve assumed that Reeves’ Gotham exists in a world in which such supernatural concepts are completely absent, or at least rendered much more easily plausible, as in Christopher Nolan’s famed Dark Knight Trilogy. Adapting the material in this realistic manner worked spectacularly for Nolan’s films, of course, and The Batman and The Penguin have certainly featured similarly mature, serious tones. But Reeves’ Gotham is already arguably less realistic than Nolan’s.

Drops, the fictional narcotic important to the plots of both The Batman and The Penguin, seems to mainly be taken by patrons squirting droplets into their eyes, making it reminiscent of similar concepts from more overtly futuristic and fantastical science fiction films like Minority Report and Looper. Likewise, while the drug that Bruce injects himself with for a burst of additional strength and energy in The Batman’s final action sequence could certainly be a real substance like adrenaline, its effects and especially green color mean that it could also be interpreted as a version of Venom, a fictional steroid famously used by the supervillain Bane in the comics. The severity of the disfigurements and apparently altered skin and hair color of the imprisoned Joker (Barry Keoghan) shown at the end of the film also suggest that the character’s backstory involves injuries related to fictional science, as in the case of many of his comic book iterations, rather than him having created his frightening appearance through self-inflicted scarring, makeup, and hair dye, as Heath Ledger’s version from Nolan's film The Dark Knight is implied to have done. Collectively, these and other qualities suggest that more overtly supernatural phenomena, such as the abilities of Clayface or even other DCU characters like Superman (David Corenswet), could believably be included in the context of Reeves’ Gotham, and such inclusions would make the adaptation more faithful to much of the source material.

Batman Stories Have Always Mixed Fantasy and Realism

Many of the best stories focused on Bruce or the other members of “the Bat-Family” in comics and other media are darker in tone and firmly rooted in the crime genre, like Nolan’s The Batman. But the fact that they do exist in the context of the wider DC universe and the protagonists' capabilities to defeat superpowered villains and aid powered heroes, despite themselves (usually) being strictly human, is a large part of their appeal. Furthermore, while plenty of Gotham-centric storylines proceed with few to no appearances by outside heroes or villains, many of them do focus on exploring how the existence of superpowers and similar phenomena affect the dynamics of the city’s underworld. Gunn has repeatedly emphasized that DC Studios’ priority is making each individual project the strongest story it can be, with specific creative teams rarely, if ever, being required to include specific references or characters solely to continue or set up storylines focused on in other projects. Therefore, Pattinson’s Bruce appearing alongside Superman or other heroes in crossover projects wouldn’t obligate Reeves and company to include any of the latter figures in future Batman installments if the stories don't call for it. But the possibility of adapting Bruce’s status as a human who is nonetheless effectively heroic in a world of superhumans could further cement the saga as one of the most faithful adaptations of the material to date.

Having Pattinson’s Bruce cross paths with Superman and/or other characters from the DCU would also be a natural progression of some of the thematic and emotional arcs already featured in both franchises. Despite their opposite tones, The Batman and Superman have a lot in common, beyond just expected superhero genre tropes, with both films focusing on their leads learning that their biological parents are more flawed and morally ambiguous than they had previously thought and consequently reevaluating their motivations for fighting crime. Bruce realizes that he needs to focus less on taking vengeance against the most violent criminals and more on protecting innocent people as Batman, while also using the resources his wealth provides him with to assist those in need as Bruce Wayne, which could in turn prevent some desperate people from turning to crime in the first place. The first film shows him transforming from an obsessive vigilante into a genuine superhero, so having him meet others, particularly Superman, would be an exciting payoff to his existing development.

Lastly, merging the franchises also makes sense for practical reasons. This is the first time DC has had live-action film adaptations of Batman and Superman that both received overwhelmingly positive initial receptions running simultaneously, so uniting the characters is a much more intuitive path to continued success than introducing a separate Batman for the DCU that may not be as popular as Pattinson’s, especially with Superman's sort-of-sequel Man of Tomorrow now set to be released just a few months prior to The Batman Part II. Ultimately, however, all proponents of the idea can do is continue to hope and show their support for it. It’s possible that the identity of the DCU Batman won’t be revealed until he appears in full for the first time, whether that’s in Clayface, The Brave and the Bold, another project, or, if it is Pattinson, until the release of Part II. But with how closely Clayface and Part II’s productions are being followed, there’s also a good chance it will be discovered or revealed prior, or even that another project, like the currently airing second season of the DCU series Peacemaker, could provide enough insight into Gunn’s Gotham to confirm if it is indeed the same as Reeves’ or not.