DCU’s R-Rated Batman Villain Movie Already Has Its Joker & Another Secret Dark Knight Enemy
No matter how you feel about the current state of the DCU, nobody could reasonably accuse it of being expected. James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios have taken a bold approach, framing things around Superman, but releasing far less conventional projects early to help establish the new DC universe. There can surely be very few people who would have guessed we’d get a Gorilla Grodd mockumentary series this early into Gods & Monsters, that’s for certain.
That off-kilter approach is also the reason why we’re getting the upcoming R-rated Clayface film, so there’s reason to be grateful. And rather than serving as another sealed-off villain origin story (like Joker), James Watkins’ movie is leaning into a world already populated by DC characters – dangerous and lived-in. It might be foolish to expect Batman himself to appear, of course, but there’ve already been hints in the marketing – and from set leaks – to suggest links to other iconic Batman villains.
That’s all very different from how we’ve been introduced to several new Batman iterations: Tim Burton’s version was relatively new to Gotham, Christopher Nolan’s was a true origin story, and Robert Pattinson’s reboot started with a Year One story. We never got to meet any of their villains before they turned up, because each was the heart of their universe. And that shift in dynamic means DC fans know to expect something different from Clayface, which has prompted a significant amount of speculation and theorizing. And two of the most prominent talking points suggest Gotham’s Rogues Gallery might already have two top-tier operators…
Why Joker Might Already Be Active In Clayface’s Gotham
Key art of Batman: Arkham City‘s Joker.
The Joker is inevitable, and at some point we’ll get another version of him in the new DCU. Even before Batman makes his own DCU live-action debut, there’s already evidence that the Clown Prince of Crime is active in Gotham when Clayface is set.
A year before Clayface’s release, set footage revealed graffiti reading “The Jokers”, teasing not only his existence, but possibly also the name of his gang. That was then followed by a shot from the Clayface trailer revealing DC Comics location Amusement Mile, the Gotham carnival, which frequently served as Joker’s hideout, and which appears both in Joker and David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. Seeing both clown iconography, his name, and a location tied so much to him can’t be accidental.
From the Caped Crusader to The Batman · Eight Questions How Well Do You Know Batman? “I’m Batman.”
🦌Bob & BillDetective Comics #27, 1939
🥘The Camp EraAdam West, 1966
🎣Burton & SchumacherKeaton to Clooney, 1989–97
💉The Dark KnightBale & Ledger, 2005–12
🕵The BatmanPattinson & Reeves, 2022–
01
Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. Cartoonist Bob Kane received sole credit for creating the character for the next 76 years — on every comic, every TV series, every film — despite being only half of the real partnership. His uncredited collaborator wrote much of the original story, designed the cowl and cape, invented the name “Bruce Wayne,” named Gotham City, and helped create the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman. DC finally added his name to all Batman credits in 2015. Who?
✓ Correct! Bill Finger (1914–1974). Kane’s original 1939 pitch was a Superman-style figure in a red leotard with a domino mask and bat-wings; Finger talked him into the cowl, scalloped cape, gauntlets and grey-and-black colour scheme that have defined the character ever since. Finger also wrote Detective Comics #27 itself, named Bruce Wayne (after Robert the Bruce and Anthony Wayne), created Gotham as a stand-in for New York, and co-created most of the rogues’ gallery — while signing a 1939 contract that gave Kane exclusive byline credit. Kane received millions in royalties; Finger died poor and uncredited. After a 2014 documentary and a 2015 family campaign, Warner Bros. and DC added “Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger” to every credit starting with Gotham (Fox), Batman v Superman (2016) and forward.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Bill Finger. Jerry Robinson (option A) really did co-create the Joker and Robin alongside Finger and Kane — he was the third member of the early studio — but the cowl, cape, “Bruce Wayne,” Gotham City and the actual script of Detective Comics #27 were Finger’s. Joe Shuster co-created Superman, not Batman. Otto Binder created Supergirl and Mary Marvel. Finger signed away his byline in 1939 and didn’t receive on-screen credit until 2015.
02
Batman: The Movie — released in July 1966 between the first and second seasons of the ABC TV series, featuring the “Holy Whatever, Batman!” tone, the four super-villain team-up (Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman), the shark-repellent Bat-spray, and the Batmobile/Batboat/Batcopter — is generally considered the first theatrical Batman feature film. Two earlier 1940s movie serials don’t qualify as standalone features. Which actor played Batman in this first theatrical feature?
✓ Correct! Adam West (1928–2017), with Burt Ward as Robin and Cesar Romero as the Joker. West played the role across 120 ABC episodes (1966–1968) and the 1966 theatrical feature, hammed up the camp tone to perfection, and then spent decades typecast before reclaiming the role in animated form (Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, 2016) and as Mayor West on Family Guy. The two traps are real: Lewis Wilson played Batman in Columbia’s 15-chapter 1943 serial Batman, and Robert Lowery played him in the 1949 sequel serial Batman and Robin — but those were Saturday-morning chapter plays, not standalone theatrical features. Michael Keaton’s Batman doesn’t arrive until Tim Burton’s 1989 film.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Adam West. The trap is real but technical: Lewis Wilson (1943) and Robert Lowery (1949) both played Batman in Columbia movie serials, but those were 15-chapter Saturday-morning serials, not theatrical features. Adam West’s 1966 Batman: The Movie — with the four-villain team-up and the shark-repellent Bat-spray — is the first standalone Batman feature film. Michael Keaton doesn’t arrive until 1989.
03
Batman: The Animated Series (Fox Kids, 1992–1995) — the Bruce Timm/Eric Radomski production with the deco-noir “Dark Deco” backgrounds painted on black paper — is consistently ranked by fans and creators as the definitive screen Batman. Its central performance is so iconic that the actor reprised it across 30 years, every DC Animated Universe series, and a dozen Arkham-series video games. He died on November 10, 2022, and DC essentially treated his passing as the death of Batman’s voice. Name him.
✓ Correct! Kevin Conroy (1955–2022). Conroy’s key innovation, on his first audition for BTAS in 1991, was to give Bruce Wayne and Batman two distinct voices — Bruce as the lighter, charming playboy and Batman as the deeper, harder-edged growl — a take that became the industry default and was openly copied by Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson on screen. He played the role for 31 years, across BTAS, Superman: TAS, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond (as the elderly Bruce), and every Rocksteady Arkham game. The trap is genuine: Mark Hamill voiced the Joker opposite Conroy on BTAS and is just as legendary in that role. Tim Daly voiced Superman; Will Friedle voiced Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond. Conroy died in November 2022 at 66.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Kevin Conroy. Mark Hamill (option C) is the giant trap — he voiced the Joker opposite Conroy on BTAS for 30 years and is widely considered the definitive screen Joker — but Batman was Conroy. Tim Daly voiced Superman in the DCAU; Will Friedle voiced Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond, with Conroy still playing the elderly Bruce. Conroy died November 10, 2022.
04
Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) earned him an estimated $60–$90 million from a film for which his actual on-screen salary was a fairly modest $6 million — making it, dollar-for-dollar, one of the most famously lucrative single roles in Hollywood history. He achieved this by negotiating an unusual deal structure that other actors immediately tried (and largely failed) to copy. What was it?
✓ Correct! Nicholson took a $6 million base, a piece of the box-office gross (so-called “first-dollar gross” rather than net profits, which Hollywood accounting has a habit of vapourising) AND a percentage of Batman merchandising — the toys, posters, t-shirts, lunch boxes, video games and ride tickets. Batman (1989) grossed $411 million theatrically and unleashed the largest superhero merchandising wave in history, and Nicholson’s royalties on it have reportedly continued accruing for decades. His agent Sue Mengers, and his attorney’s “back-end participation” structure, became the gold standard talent-deal template that A-listers like Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. would later use. Nicholson also negotiated top billing over Michael Keaton (despite Batman being the title character) and limited shoot days. It’s the most-copied bad-guy deal in Hollywood.
✗ Wrong. The answer is C — a percentage of box-office gross plus merchandising royalties. The $6 million base salary was relatively modest by 1989 star standards; the magic was the back-end participation in both ticket sales and the unprecedented Batman toy/poster/lunchbox merchandise wave, which has reportedly continued paying out for decades. Tom Cruise and RDJ later borrowed the same gross-points-plus-merch template. There was no $50M opening-weekend trigger, no equity stake in Warners, and no per-screening micro-royalty.
05
After Ben Affleck stepped down from his planned solo Batman film, Warner Bros. handed the project to a new director who reconceived it as a noir-detective serial-killer story modelled on Se7en and Zodiac, runs 2h 56min, casts Robert Pattinson as a brooding second-year Bruce Wayne, and gives Paul Dano’s Riddler a Zodiac-style cipher gimmick. The Batman (2022) grossed $772 million worldwide. Who directed it?
✓ Correct! Matt Reeves — the Cloverfield (2008), Let Me In (2010), and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) / War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) director. Reeves co-wrote The Batman with Peter Craig, leaned hard into a Fincher-noir detective tone (the Riddler is essentially Zodiac), and got Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman), Colin Farrell (an unrecognisable Penguin), Paul Dano (Riddler) and Jeffrey Wright (Gordon). The film established its own continuity separate from the DCEU/James Gunn DCU. The Penguin (HBO/Max, 2024) followed as a Reeves-produced spin-off, and The Batman: Part II is currently scheduled for 2026.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Matt Reeves — the Cloverfield, Let Me In and Planet of the Apes-reboot director. Nolan made the Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2012); Snyder made Batman v Superman (2016) and Justice League (2017/2021) with Affleck’s Batman; Burton made the 1989/1992 Keaton films. The Batman (2022) is Reeves’s, in its own continuity, with The Penguin (2024) as the spin-off and Part II in 2026.
06
Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997) — with Bat-nipples on the suit, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze spitting ice puns (“Let’s kick some ice!”), Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy, Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl, and an estimated $238 million box-office failure on a $125 million budget — is widely regarded as one of the worst superhero films ever made. It killed the live-action Batman franchise for eight years until Batman Begins (2005). Who played Batman in it?
✓ Correct! George Clooney — in his only outing as Bruce Wayne, between his ER fame and Out of Sight. Clooney has publicly apologised for the film for nearly thirty years; he told Entertainment Weekly he “destroyed the franchise” and routinely thanks fans for their hostility. The trap is Val Kilmer, who played Batman in the previous Schumacher film, Batman Forever (1995) — he was originally signed for two but exited due to scheduling and reported disputes with Schumacher. Keaton played Batman in Burton’s 1989 and 1992 films (and returned in The Flash, 2023). Bale arrived eight years later in Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005). The Bat-nipples were Schumacher’s, the ice puns Schwarzenegger’s, the apology Clooney’s.
✗ Wrong. The answer is George Clooney. Val Kilmer (option B) was Batman in the previous Schumacher film, Batman Forever (1995) — he then exited and Clooney took over for Batman & Robin. Keaton was Batman in Burton’s 1989/1992 films (and returned in The Flash, 2023). Bale arrived in Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005), eight years after Batman & Robin killed the franchise.
07
Cesar Romero’s Joker on the 1966–1968 ABC Batman series — white grease-paint, green wig, red lipstick, manic giggle — remains one of the most-cited comedic TV villains in American history. Romero, a leading-man matinée idol since the 1930s, agreed to the role on one condition: he refused to do a specific thing for the makeup. You can still see what he refused if you look closely. What did Romero refuse?
✓ Correct! Romero refused to shave his trademark moustache — reportedly a vanity rule he’d had since the 1930s — so the makeup department simply caked white grease-paint over it. If you watch the 1966 episodes or Batman: The Movie (1966) on Blu-ray, you can clearly see the moustache bristles poking through the white paint above his lip. It’s one of TV’s most-cited “visible-prosthetic” quirks — later parodied by Burt Ward and explicitly nodded to in the 2016 animated Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (Romero was already dead, having passed in 1994, but the animation reproduces the moustache underneath the makeup). Romero played the role for all three TV seasons and the 1966 feature.
✗ Wrong. The answer is shaving his moustache. Romero had had his trademark Latin-lover moustache since the 1930s, refused to lose it for any role, and the makeup department simply painted white grease-paint over it — if you look closely on Blu-ray you can see the bristles poking through under his lip. The wig, the high-pitched giggle and the purple gloves were all things he gladly did.
08
Todd Phillips’s Joker (2019) — the standalone, R-rated, $1.07-billion-grossing Joaquin Phoenix vehicle that exists outside any DC continuity — was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, the most of any comic-book-derived film at the time. It won Best Actor for Phoenix. It also won exactly one other Oscar that night. Which?
✓ Correct! Best Original Score, Hildur Guðnadóttir — the Icelandic cellist and composer who, in the same awards cycle, won the Emmy and Grammy for Chernobyl (HBO, 2019). Joker’s score (anchored by the haunting cello motif during Arthur Fleck’s bathroom dance) was her breakthrough; she became the first solo woman to win Best Original Score since Marilyn Bergman in 1984 (and the fourth ever). Phillips lost Best Director to Bong Joon-ho for Parasite, which also won Best Picture, beating Joker’s nomination. The film’s screenplay nomination was Adapted (because it’s based on existing DC IP), not Original — option C names the right category but it lost to Jojo Rabbit.
✗ Wrong. The answer is Best Original Score — Hildur Guðnadóttir (also the Chernobyl composer that year). She became the fourth solo woman ever to win the category. Phillips lost Best Director to Bong Joon-ho (Parasite); Best Picture also went to Parasite; the screenplay nomination was Adapted (not Original) and lost to Jojo Rabbit. Phoenix’s Best Actor + Guðnadóttir’s Best Original Score are Joker’s two 2020 Oscar wins.
The Bat-Signal Has Faded · Final Scorecard Your Gotham Standing
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World’s Greatest Detective — or a Gotham red herring?
There’s also a chance that the graffiti hints at a Three Jokers dynamic or another Joker-like take on a gang of clown-masked anarchists led or inspired by a legendary figure, but either way, it feels like there’s too much smoke here for there not to be a fire. The Amusement Mile being operational rather than an abandoned, creepy hub – as the brief glimpse in the trailer suggests – might also mean Joker hasn’t yet taken quite as much of a foothold.
How Black Mask Could Also Be In Clayface’s Gotham
BLACK MASK IN BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS
Joker potentially isn’t the only crime lord operating across the new DCU map. There’s already been a big nod to the underused Black Mask in Lanterns thanks to the presence of Janus Cosmetics, the disgraced company he built his criminal empire on. We’ve seen Black Mask on the big screen before, of course, in animated movies but also in Birds of Prey, where Ewan McGregor stepped into the role.
Though we know Matt Hagen’s transformation into Clayface comes courtesy of a brutal beating and him volunteering for experimental treatment to restore his face, Black Mask’s link to criminal cosmetics would be a smart kicker. Having his company be the front for an organization peddling untested chemical formulas to unwitting test subjects (not unlike the plot of the recent Batman Returns sequel novel featuring a new Clayface) sounds not only plausible but like a strong idea.
Black Mask is traditionally defined by his disdain for the masks worn by high society, and that being used as the background to his involvement in weaponizing vanity against the vain would be genius. And we also know that Sionis Industries – presumably named after Roman Sionis, Black Mask’s real name – will appear as at least a background reference in Clayface thanks to another set reveal. Could this all be pointing to the villain as the orchestrator of his origin, even if he’s not heavily involved?
Which Other Villains Could Appear In Clayface?
Zatanna magic cover
The villainous connective tissue in Clayface doesn’t end with the big bosses: the marketing also revealed the existence of Club Vesuvius, which brings a whole host of Rogues Gallery references to the table. That is, of course, the prime venue of Zatanna’s stage performances, and a haunt of the Sabatino crime family, who own it. It was also, at one point, the hideout of Firefly in Paul Dini’s Batman: Streets of Gotham.
Dini’s work is a major inspiration for Clayface, and the way he painted a Gotham populated by multiple villains would be an interesting approach here. Club Vesuvius acting as a wretched hive of villainy is a nice touch. Another big club-owning crime boss was also teased by a poster on set for an act at Amusement Mile called “the one and only Penguin Man,” showing a small figure wearing a tuxedo. That can’t be a coincidence.
There are other nods to: more graffiti spotted on set referenced small-time Batman villain The Mad Bomber, who appeared in Batman: The Animated Series. And another set leak showed “Ghost Dragons” wall art, referencing the street gang led by King Snake who operated out of Gotham’s Chinatown district. Meanwhile, early DC comics villain Jimmy McCoy was also seen mentioned in a newspaper headline. So we’re definitely getting a richly populated world of villains.
Clayface’s Gotham Is Already A Good Sign For The DCU’s Batman
For Batman fans, the decision to build up a Gotham that’s already full of supervillains and crime families is a good one. James Gunn had already promised that the worlds of his DCU would feel well-worn and lived-in, and it’s surprisingly rare to get a take on Gotham that feels so much like the comics. We’re typically given early career Batman stories when a new iteration comes along – with the exception of Ben Affleck’s version, who seemed to have already solved the city’s crime problem when he debuted.
In Clayface, the suggestion is that the weird, monstrous, and corrupt have already taken hold of Gotham, which also fits with the background world of Paul Dini’s seminal “Feat of Clay” from Batman: The Animated Series. That episode has very openly been proclaimed a major inspiration for the movie, which in itself is a reason to be excited. Crucially, the idea of figures like Black Mask and Joker already potentially existing and running things in Gotham’s underworld sets them up as more than mere episodic villains. Too often, movies necessarily bring in Rogues Gallery members for a single appearance before killing them off or retiring them to prison.
To have villains with established longevity changes the dynamic – and the potential – massively. We don’t need to see every villain get an origin, because it’s very unlikely we’ll see anything of Batman’s early career as a superhero, and dropping the Dark Knight right into a crime war with multiple factions vying for supremacy is a great way to shake things up.
Clayface will be released in theaters on October 23.
