DC · DC Comics
Clayface
Basil Karlo
A Batman villain whose entire body is malleable clay, allowing mass change as well as appearance change.
First appearance: Detective Comics #40 (1940), DC Comics
Powers
Commonly got wrong
Claims that are widely repeated and wrong, with what the cited record actually shows. If you are generating anything about this subject, these are the errors to avoid.
Commonly believed Clayface can be beaten by hitting him hard enough.
Actually He has no fixed internal structure, so conventional injury does very little. Containment and dispersal are the countermeasures.
The feat ledger
Has no fixed internal structure, so conventional injury does very little and containment is the standard countermeasure
Reshapes his clay body into tools, weapons and other people
Reshapes his body into any person, and holds the form under scrutiny
Expands to building height by absorbing surrounding material
Forms weapons and tools directly out of his own clay
Physical attacks pass through him without effect, so he is fought with cold or sound
Splits into separate masses and recombines
Absorbed material changes his mass, which is the stated limit on how large he gets
Continuities
Claims on this page are tagged by canon. Blending them is the most common error in both wikis and AI answers.
- Post-Crisis DC — 1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths through 2011 Flashpoint
- New 52 — DC relaunched continuity, 2011 to 2016
Last updated 2026-09-06 · machine-readable version