For the first time ever, CinemaCon 2026 attendees got their very first look at a terrifying new vision of one of Batman’s strangest villains: Clayface. DC Studios co-head Peter Safran describes Clayface as a horror thriller, leaning into disturbing imagery and physical transformations rather than a flashy superhero spectacle.

The preview centers on Matt Hagen, who looks badly disfigured, lying in a hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his face. Even before the footage fully reveals what is happening, quick cuts of terrifying imagery appear.

Hagen’s face starts to melt and warp, becoming something unstable and unnatural. The effect is messy, disturbing, and deeply personal, making the horror feel tied to identity just as much as physical pain. Various scenes push the body-horror angle in a way that feels far more intense than many might expect from a DC title.

The first look ends with him lying in a bathtub and smearing his ruined face into clay. It is the kind of shot that drives home that this film wants to make Clayface tragic and terrifying at the same time.

Based on this early look, Clayface seems ready to take one of DC’s more unusual villains and turn him into something much darker. If this footage reflects the final film, Clayface could end up being one of the studio’s boldest comic book swings in the James Gunn/Peter Safran era.