Was Clayface the original villain of The Batman sequel? DC Studios co-head James Gunn has revealed how much influence he had on Matt Reeves’ script for the upcoming film.
One of the biggest rumors surrounding The Batman sequel this past year was that Clayface was going to be the villain. Reportedly, Matt Reeves wanted to use a realistic version of the iconic villain in the original drafts of the script. However, as it came out that Clayface was getting his own movie and the character made his debut in Creature Commandos, the rumor mill quickly fell silent about his involvement in the film.
This led to something strange, but not unheard of, happening in the fandom. With seemingly no major leaker stating it, the narrative became that Matt Reeves did, originally, plan to use Clayface in his script for The Batman sequel. However, after using him in Creature Commandos, James Gunn allegedly told Reeves to remove him, which led to the many delays the movie has experienced.
Was Clayface Cut From The Batman?
James Gunn recently took to social media to talk about his dynamic with Matt Reeves when it comes to The Batman films (spoiler: he’s essentially just a producer on the project). A commenter responded, asking if it was true that Gunn had made Reeves cut Clayface from the sequel’s script, to which Gunn clarified that it was entirely untrue.
James Gunn debunks rumors that Clayface was removed, pushing back on claims he altered Matt Reeves’ original script for ‘THE BATMAN 2.’
“What? 😂 Where does this stuff come from? No it’s the same exact script it has been from the beginning.” pic.twitter.com/J5aT9PrHda
— DC Film News (@DCFilmNews) December 22, 2025
Given how much James Gunn has emphasized letting scripts and creators speak for themselves, it’s not shocking that he didn’t have much input on the villain of The Batman sequel. Most likely, all this Clayface chaos stemmed from one scooper being wrong about what they heard and, instead of taking the time to reassess the sources they get their news from, the internet decided that the unnamed scooper must be right first and foremost, and went from there.
The Batman sequel is currently set to hit theaters on October 1, 2027. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe.
