It's beginning to seem pretty plausible that Clayface could make an appearance in Gotham Knights. While there is nothing to confirm that he will be in the game, there are a few things that could point towards him getting involved in the plot. With a lot of Gotham Knights still being a mystery, Clayface's presence could still be possible.
Basil Karlo is the most famous identity of the classic Batman villain Clayface. Basil has received many incarnations over the years, from a remorseless serial killer to a sad man mourning the loss of his past life. However, the main constants of Basil's identity are his previous history as an actor before gaining his powers and becoming Clayface. A shapeshifting villain who can take the form of a hulking monster in a fight, Clayface is one of the more formidable foes from Batman's long history.
With Man-Bat already hinted for Gotham Knights, there is also an opportunity for a better version of Clayface than any past Batman game has featured. While he can be played as just a simple monster, there is so much more to Basil's character that it makes using him as a simple brute rather disappointing. If Gotham Knights does feature him, then they have a great opportunity to make him interesting.
Gotham Knights Hints At Roland Daggett, The Man Who Ruined Clayface
Roland Daggett was a corrupt businessman who was the main antagonist in several episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. One of his biggest roles was in the two-part episode "Feet of Clay". In this episode, Roland manipulated an actor named Matt Hagen into committing crimes for him before injecting him with untested chemicals, causing him to turn into Clayface. Roland would bedevil Batman several times, but creating Clayface was his biggest impact. While Harley Quinn shouldn't be a Gotham Knights villain, Roland Daggett more than fits the bill.
In the footage of Gotham Knights revealed so far, Daggett is referenced a few times. During gameplay trailers for Nightwing and Red Hood, a building owned by Daggett can be glimpsed. Likewise, in Langstrom's lab in the IGN gameplay demo, there is an advertisement near his desk for Daggett's company. While the two of these could simply be shout-outs to the animated series, they could be hinting at Roland playing a proper role in the game. If Roland does play a role in Gotham Knights, then it's hard to imagine that Clayface wouldn't be there as well.
It is true that the hints at Roland Daggett could be nothing more than a nod to Batman's history. However, the fact that two different references have appeared in two very different ways, as well as the knowledge that Joker is not Gotham Knights' villain, his participation seems more likely. It should be no surprise if Daggett and Clayface end up being major players in Gotham Knights.
Clayface's Role In The Batman: Arkham Games Was Significant, But Lacked Depth
Clayface played a rather big role in the Batman: Arkham games, even being the final boss of the second game. However, despite this, he ultimately winds up falling into one of the pitfalls that was mentioned above. The Clayface present in the Arkham games does not make much use out of Clayface's more memorable traits, leading him to lack much of an impact.
While the Arkham version of Clayface does feature his dramatic showman's personality, he does not do much to make himself stand out as a villain, similar to how Arkham failed to show Batman's detective skills. Most of his role in the first game is spent in his cell, transforming into various people as he tries to trick Batman into releasing him. In the second game, he acts as a body double for the ill Joker, planning to kill Batman and take his place, considering it "the role of a lifetime". While the base personality is there, Clayface does not get any real explanation himself. He is either a recurring joke or a secretive final boss, neither of which are roles that use Basil to his full potential.
Clayface is a more interesting character than he seems at first glance, and Arkham failed to showcase that. Basil is the type of characters that needs scenes with substance in order to get the most out of his character. With Gotham Knights having gaming's biggest Gotham City yet, it should have a proper Clayface performance to match.
Gotham Knights Could Capture Clayface's More Sympathetic Side
As previously mentioned, Clayface has seen many incarnations. The worst versions of him, such as his original storyline, feature him as a murderer with extremely petty motives. However, Clayface has been portrayed as a more tragic, sympathetic figure in other stories, and quite effectively at that.
Possibly the best example of a sympathetic Clayface could be seen in the DC Rebirth run of Detective Comics. In this series, Batman finds a sad Clayface who broke out of Gotham to watch one of his old movies, mourning his past self. Batman offers him a chance at redemption by working with him and a group of his proteges, which he accepts. He fights alongside Batman and his allies, and strikes up a friendship with Cassandra Cain due to their shared interest in theater. Although Cassandra is not Gotham Knights' Batgirl, this version of Clayface is still an excellent potential source for inspiration. Not only was this the most heroic incarnation of Clayface, but it was also one of his most well-recieved due to the entertainment and emotion that he brought to the comic.
Utilizing Clayface's more sympathetic qualities tends to produce a more interesting character, and Gotham Knights should do exactly that if he is involved. Combined with Daggett's implied presence, a good way to do this would be to incorporate the animated Matt Hagen's original plan of exposing Daggett's crimes. Written well, Gotham Knights could provide the best video game incarnation of Clayface to date. With Gotham Knights' villains still a surprise, it's very possible that this take on Clayface could be waiting in the wings.
The hints towards Daggett and Clayface could be a clever way of hinting at some of Gotham Knights' plot that has yet to be revealed. If that is the case, then the developers have a major duty to do justice to one of Batman's classic villains. However, Clayface is a phenomenal character when written well, and hopefully Gotham Knights is up to the task.
Gotham Knights
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Gotham Knights
- Released:
- 2022-10-21
- Developer:
- WB Games Montreal
- Franchise:
- Batman
- Genre:
- Action, RPG, Beat 'Em Up
- Platform:
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam
- Publisher:
- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- ESRB:
- M
- Summary:
- Gotham Knights is a cooperative action-adventure beat-em-up in a self-contained Arkham universe, unrelated to the other Arkham franchise games. Shortly after the deaths of Bruce Wayne and James Gordon, the city of Gotham has fallen under siege by an onslaught of crime. To return Gotham to order, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood will join together to create the Gotham Knights - heroes to take the place of Batman and protect the city. Players will navigate an open-world Gotham City as they conduct operations from their headquarters, the Belfry. From here, players can select missions and manage characters while preparing to head out into the city. Characters will level up as they battle enemies, but also to keep the challenge heightened, the foes will level as well - but the game features a complete narrative outside of open-world crime fighting.
- Multiplayer:
- Online Co-Op
- Prequel:
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- How Long To Beat:
- 16 Hours
