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This version of Clayface is much more limited on who they could shapeshift to. It appears he can only change his face, so he can only imitate men with similar body types to him.
and yet even with that limitation he was still able to effectively hide away and pull montoya into a trap this batman series is SLIGHTLY more down to earth, there's a lot less focus on grandiose supervillains with weird gimmicks and powers. Of course likely we'll see the villains become more wild as the story will likely shift to show how the crime lords will lose sway to the more colourful supervillains.
It made me sad, because Basil's co-star was genuinely kind and supportive of him - and he couldn't see it, and just wanted to possess her because suddenly he looked handsome. It's interesting to see a villain who uses pity and hardship as a mask to cover their more negative traits.
Yes its actually common nowadays in incel culture they think if a girl is nice to them or their friend they can try the NICE GUY approach and get her but if that doesn't work they lash out its a real shame.
I love that moment he's explaining everything to Montoya just for his costar to critique him for his bad acting in that moment. A bit of feisty defiance from the women he has tied to a table.
BTAS these show version of Clayface are two sides of the spectrum: BTAS Clayface was vain actor who was manipulated and turned against his will into a monster, CC Clayface is arrogant actor whose decisions leads him to become the monster he always was.
@@ShoppingBoredThe Batman was the 2004 show. Batman The Animated Series (BTAS) is the one with the victim actor. The Batman had the clayface who was a cop and trying his best not to be villainous despite being monsterfied, and the second clayface was an actor so bad he couldn't even get into a dog food commercial, so he stole the cop clayface's DNA and drank it to become an incarnation similar to the BTAS clayface.
of course batman's not gonna bother trying to talk with this man. He murdered three people in cold blood, was about to murder two more, and not only had no remorse but REVELED in his murders, was PROUD of what he did.
@@elongatedmanforever1252Not every villain has to be redeemed. Some people are just bad, and I don't mean in that cliche "I'm greedy and I'm gonna take over the world/I am the embodiment of chaos!!" kinda way, but just in an "I'm generally angry and I don't care how many people I have to stab to make myself feel good" kinda way.
One of the horror figures that always popped to my head when I thought of Karlo was the Phantom of the Opera. The amazing talent, disgusted by his own face, constantly kidnapping lead actressed and sabotaging productions he didn't approve of in ways that looked like accidents. The Batfeed's 1920s style Clayface mockumentary also seemed to pick up on this connection and played it up immensely.
Bob Kane was apparently inspired by Lon Chaney’s version of the Phantom of the Opera for the creation of Karlo (Boris Karloff/Basil Rathbone). It always makes sense for Karlo to be associated with horror films.
I like how this show’s version of Clayface without his red bandana actually looks like the book version of the Phantom’s deformity: no nose, fucked up eyes and teeth, horrible skin, and a few stringy hairs.
Cregar is a new discovery to me, and I gotta say he makes me think of Raymond Burr. But Burr had the good fortune of a couple of star-making roles in the original Godzilla and Perry Mason, which broke him out of his typecasting as a brute thanks to his giant physique. If only Cregar had the fortune of a similar role.
I think all of his movies are on TH-cam, at least most of them are. I captured some footage from Hangover Square and forgot what I was doing because I was enjoying the film so much 😂 You can watch it here: th-cam.com/video/4ogDGA21DCI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=1DP6DFMTcDGBYtxX
It's honestly quite refreshing to see a DC Comics villain being depicted more as a twisted monster than as a typical tragic villain. It makes this version of the Batman mythos feel more alive and diverse than it would've been otherwise.
@@clown599 That depends on how that villain is written in the story. Obviously, in the wrong hands, the character would be uninteresting, but if you know how to make them tastefully unrepentant and despicable, they would stand out and be amazing antagonists.
I loved this episode as a great homage to 1940s horror and all the easter eggs from The Shadow to Jack Pierce the legendary makeup artist who made Karloff into Frankenstein's monster among other creations. And how Montoya figures it out and isn't a helpless damsel.
My favorite part is when he says "If you'll have me." Then when he doesn't get the reaction he wants he goes off the deep end immediately. Shows how his mind works really well.
It's really accurate to how a lot of nasty people work in reality; and not just for relationship situations, but it happens in parents and siblings and 'friendships' a lot too. The people that behave this way often won't even acknowledge that they do this, either, they just offer an illusion of generosity and decisions to the person they want to obtain or control ("Only if you want to", "You don't have to", "If you'll have me") because they believe these phrases are socially transactional - as in, by saying them, they have fufilled a social expectation and now the other person _has_ to fill their expectations by turning down their graciously provided out. So, when they're hit with simple rejection they get unreasonably mad. Even pointing out that they offered the option to say "no" in the first place does not stop their ferocious blame of the other person for not "following the script", so to say.
One thing that really struck me in this episode is that Batman took a really defensive tactic against Clayface at first. He just *dodged.* Then I realized he was letting Clayface tire himself out swinging that big axe around before taking the baddie's toy away and breaking it.
@@daraghokane4236I can honestly see the showrunners tease his fate at the end of season 2, but I can also see them teasing the classic, non-flying, “Able to leap over a tall building in a single bound, 1930’s Superman, first.
9:54 Not always. BTAS Batman only tried to reason with his villains if they were tragic people he could tried to talk to. If they were characters like Joker, Rupert Thorne or Rolland Dagget, Batman didn't waste time with words.
yeah he won't reason with people who clearly are too far gone. it does work as a contrast the BTAS clayface. there bruce was a fan of his work and knew he was a victim. Here bruce has seen what Karlo has done and has seen how remorseless and petty and cruel he is, so he knows not to bother with him and jsut beat the shit out him.
I feel the need to make a correction--you say that Yvonne initially used Karlo's face as "an excuse" to reject his advances, and that's not the sense I got at all. Even Karlo's descriptions of Yvonne's behavior toward him pre-transformation seem more like friendship than reciprocation of his romantic interest. Her comments about his face were really about what a good actor he was. She seemed to like working with him, but that doesn't mean she was ever attracted to him or even thought about him that way. I don't think she "excused" her lack of attraction. I don't think she thought of him as a potential romantic partner in the first place. He was an older coworker who was kind to her and (presumably, since he kept getting cast) put on good performances. She acknowledged the quality of his work. That's all, and that should be enough. I think it's important to emphasize, especially now, that women can be kind and friendly without being romantically attracted to the recipients of their kindness. Treating people with respect isn’t a promise of more later--it's just treating people with respect. Karlo reacted like Yvonne betrayed him, like she broke a promise, but she never made that promise in the first place.
you misunderstood: he did not say she was doing that. He was saying that BASIL was doing that, using his face as a reason why she wouldn't wanna date him, when really the truth was he was just expecting her to want him cause HE wanted her. BASIL was the one using his face as excuse to not have to face that he's jsut an entitled egotist.
Yeah, there seemed to be a significant age gap between them. That alone is usually a major turnoff for the younger person unless he/she has already developed feelings for the older potential partner.
This version kinda has a strange self love mini arc, where he kinda accepts how he looks and how he’s the bad guy and also plays into it and learns to enjoy it. Like he’s an actor who got lost in his role but also realized he can get away with anything if the police are gonna be looking for someone that doesn’t even exist while the real deal is putting on his “makeup” for another kill. And I really like this version is perfect for a murder mystery and the show really plays into it. Also the “man with a million faces” title is a bit ironic and kinda funny, all the faces are still the same
I like how they took the character known for becoming clay face from trying to fix is face after it has been ruined, to trying to fix his face because he finds it only good at making him look like a villain, eventually taking the role as the villain in real life because that is what he feels he was made for after rejection.
They name drop that Yvonne Frances’ dress is an Edith Head ( famed costume designer) when Montoya and the director’s secretary discussing Yvonne Frances in a photo.
I love this episode, one of the show's best. The big distinction with this Clayface and BTAS is that Hagen was a criminal against his will. He didn't want to work for Daggett, but he did it anyway so he could acquire Renuyu. Karlo's crimes are committed of his own free volition. No one is forcing him to murder. His actions are his and his alone and he loves it. One is a manipulated victim. The other is a manipulator.
🪽 One thought that always struck us about Clayface is that we always sort of categorize the character into two flavors: Basil Karlo the villainous monster movie star, and Matt Hagen the tragic normal-ish man turned massive mud monster. I think that's what The Batman show did, actually, didn't it? We do really love it being a conscious choice on his part to make his face terrifying. He's loathed being the villain in every piece and yet he's doing exactly the theatrics that would accompany such a figure irl as well. A strong design and strong character!
When i saw Batman and Clayface having a sword fight it reminded me of the sword dual between Ra's and Batman from btas. I found it pretty cool and im always a sucker for sword duals in any show, cartoon, or movie
I believe this is quite a fun take on Clayface. I'm not a very observant person a lot of the time so to have someone point out all the things I missed while also gushing about how much they love what this their talking about is nice.
it works for the characterisation of the original basil karlo, who was a selfish egotist who was motivated mostly by his own self importance and narcissism. THis is a man who expects everything should be HIS and reacts violently when reality and people refuses to bend down to him.
@@sarafontanini7051 Very much agreed. BCC Basil is quite good at playing the nice guy, but he had by all accounts a good life. He had a good career, the respect of his peers, and critical acclaim. But he wanted more - and then he got it, but it wasn’t enough. It’s never enough for people like Basil.
In terms of characterisation I thought would this was an extremely entertaining adaptation of Clayface. However I still believe that the mystery element and the reveal were painfully obvious and the attempt at a misdirect was a complete failure for me. It didn't help that they revealed months ago while promoting the show that Clayface was going to be Basil Karlo and as soon as they showed the dead Basil I went "That's clearly going to be revealed not to be real Karlo". So far the pacing for both episodes has been extremely all over the place and it feels very abrupt. For me the episode really started to get going after the second half when Basil was revealed and we got to hear Dan Donohue's AMAZINGLY theatrical voice for Basil Karlo. His voice fits the original Golden Age and in general pre-New 52 Basil Karlo perfectly.
Not to be gross, but that thumbnail is now making me hungry for Peanut Butter. Edit: it appears that SL has changed the thumbnail. Thanks for that, boss!
Maybe it wasn' the creators intention, but Karlo wanting to change his face so, in his eyes, he could be respected can be seen as meta commentary on the fans (more specifically the toxic fans) response to the show's character design, as well the way these people usually act when an actor or actress doesn't fit the look they expect for a specific character (ex: fan's complaining bc the actor is too young, or old, or too fat, or difference race, or not hot enough, and so on...), choosing to prioritize the character's image rather than the personality and his/her talent.
I think sometimes the fans are calling out not the choices but the motivation for those choices, look at assassins creed shadows an AC game set in Japan has been long awaited and when it finally arrives they made 1 of the leads a black foreigner who has a Japanese rap theme.
@@rubenduenas5881 its based on 1 history book that appears to be poorly researched and done more out of a desire to have “the 1st black samurai” on the title cover. Yasuke did exist but the highest rank most people give him is retainer which is akin to a servant he certainly wouldn’t become a samurai it’s like him visiting England and becoming a knight
Really enjoyed this episode. It was great to see the original version of Karlo in a way, this and Nocturna episodes sadly were the only episodes I liked I wish it had been more tbh
It's nice to see an adaptation of the classic Golden Age Clayface as a deformed actor turned serial killer. The design of Clayface is pretty faithful to the Golden Age, and I like the mystery aspect of this episode with Montoya which I thought was pretty well done. Even though I do prefer the more monstrous Clayface, like the one from Batman: The Animated Series, I think this take on Clayface is pretty cool because of how they used body horror. Basil Karlo in this show is certainly not as sympathetic as Matt Hagen was in BTAS, but still, I do like that they chose not to copy BTAS Clayface for this show and made him less of a tragic victim and more of an arrogant twisted murderer.
I like the idea of returning to the roots of Basil Karlo the first two face as a prideful, self-centered monster who murders people becuase he's a fucking overdramatic diva. It's jsut good to have such a vile character for batman to punch.
The Crimes of Doctor Z might also be a nod towards the character of Dr. Z from The Venture Bros who is also a reference to half a dozen other mad scientists from the 1950's and 60's pulp series
Dr. Z was a carbon copy of Dr. Zin from the Johnny Quest series. Action Johnny was straight-up supposed to be Quest and all characters related to him were supposed to be from the series, but there were legal rights issues.
The "Man Of A million Faces" is a direct nod to Lon Chaney, Sr. Known as "The Man Of A Thousand Facces". The name Basil Karlo is from Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Basil Rathbone's first major movie came out September of 1939. Just about nine moinths before the first Clayface appearance.
So in summary: Basil Karlo may have been a famous actor but also a very spoiled one and when he was finally told NO for once in his life, he became a murderous madman copying the Shadow’s look just to get back at the people he was OOHHH SOOO wronged by.
Unlike yourself (I take it), I have been less than thrilled by CC, but this is also my favorite episode. Clayface does have Shadow vibes, but also some Phantom of the Opera, and the episode as a whole feels true to the “Detective Batman” angle, with an interesting little mystery to solve with a great twist.
I was initially disapointed when I accidentally came across Clayface's look in this show since, while I didn't mind them going with the original look I do love a good shapeshifter for...flag related reasons So imagine my immense joy when I watched through the episode and came to the realization 'Oh, that IS his face!' And as I said in the previous video, on Caped Crusader, I do like how this show uses the fact that a lot of the viewers are fans who probably have knowledge of different incarnations of their particular favourite villain and so used that to make twists. I initially thought that Basil was just a red herring to catch people by surprise, completely falling for the fake body using the doctor who made the Clayface formula dosed with his own work... Although now that I type that out, a thought occurs...did the doctor manage to fix the flaw that made Basil's face match his inner ugliness in between Basil taking the dose and the kinda-good doctor being stabbed? Only the doctor's face stayed as Basil's and it took Batman's...less that professional poking to deform it. Or was the 'flaw' just the emotional response Basil had at being rejected despite finally 'looking the part' to get the love of his miserable life, that rejection being the straw to break the camels back? If the latter...then even if the formula work as intended and his face didn't melt, Clayface was going to be a killer after that point.
The way I see it is that Renee and the Gordons are the view from inside Gotham PD, whereas Alfred and Bruce are the view from inside the Batcave. It’s not omitting Batman but giving us a balanced look at the narrative from different people.
There are a lot of things I liked about this clay face. I liked how limited he was in comparison to the clayface from Batman the animated series. In the btas universe he could still play a variety of roles where practical effects would be too expensive, because he could still hold his shape after some light punches. While the new one could only do his face and it seems as if him whipping his head around too fast would cause his head to deform. Although I don’t like how a couple of Villians in this new series have a sudden epiphany at the end of the episode. Like the super strong girl who will suck you dry, goes from a cold and manipulative monster who doesn’t care about her brother when she pushed him into a wall, and leaving him for dead so a display shelf can crush him to death, to sad when she realizes that the guy she left for dead is dead.
Well, for Two-Face, it fits, Harley only went back to save her friend Barbara (stupidly hammering at a door for minutes sans even trying the controls), and I can't think of any other cases. But yes, it was silly how Nocturna got suddenly framed as a poor little kid who didn't understand what she did. That said, I could have rolled with it, if it weren't for the fact that Bruce Timm had been wanting to adapt her into animation for decades (which he was denied in the '90s presumably because on a surface examination she's like a vampire, cf. how they had to change Morbius for Spider-Man TAS), only to completely assassinate her character. In the comics, her brother is a crazy murderer, while she is a thief with powers and a love interest for Bruce. I can understand wanting to skip the last part as too repetitive, although I'd argue it just proves that Bruce has a type, but then why even include her? And what makes her stand out as a character is that she came to love Jason as a son and went into a lengthy custody battle over him with Bruce, with Jason genuinely feeling torn between them. It may be an extremely niche type of storyline for a superhero comic, but that also means that it isn't a tired old trope that we've seen dozens if not hundreds of times already. And then they went and did ... what they did with her and Jase in this series. Just why, for Bat's sake, why?!
With all the Frankenstein references, I'm surprised nobody brought up the name similarities between the actor Boris Carloff who played Frankenstein monster.
His name is basically a mashup of Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Basil Karlo. This was established all the way back in his first appearance and had nothing to do with the episode itself.
This Rendition of Clay face not only reminds me of The Shadow. But Also of "Darkman". A Plastic surgeon that became a Burn Victim tuned Vigilante. He usied Face masked of various people to emulate them . Either hiding among the people to get close to his targets or framing criminals for there own people to go against them.
this episode has the best mythstory of them in my opinion. Basil feels like he could be a red herring to begin with, then there's his murder which basically gets rid of him as a suspect then nope it's a fake. Had me really guessing for a while which i love.
Great video essay. This was also my favorite episode of the series, and this version of Clayface fits well with the overall vibe of the series. I was not familiar with Laird Cregar, so I didn't pick up on the Slade Terrace reference while watching the episode.
Once I’ve finished a couple more videos I’m going to sit down and watch Hangover Square and The Lodger properly. When I was capturing footage from those films I found myself getting engrossed in the film and forgetting I was supposed to be getting interesting shots 😂
I personally enjoy the more sympathetic take on Karlo that's been popularized in the comics, but I will admit that I do love the concept of this version of him being "The Phantom of the Opera, but Batman is here."
I am incredibly happy I atumbled across this channel, I would not have known about the new batman series otherwise and its bewn wonderful binging through it after i watched BTAS because of the previous episode and villain analysis
another slight reference that i believe is intentional is that basil karlo looks (to me) suspiciously like peter cushing, down to the pronounced cheekbones, relaxed expression and hair, but then again, i can’t be too sure if that was the intention
I knew I wasn't the only one who thought he looked like the shadow, anyone else get Christopher Lee/basil rathbone/Peter Cushing/Laurence Olivier vibes with a bit of Bela Lugosi thrown in
The Lon-Chaney-alike actor also reminded me of The Brave & Bold episode 'The Vile And The Villainous' and Tim Conway's guest role as Golden Age villain The Weeper, who, like Karlo in this, was a far darker villain in the source material. So we know Timm is using this series to explore themes he was not able to in BTAS - and I've heard the series had wanted to use The Phantom Stranger, and we already have the supernatural established in Gentleman Ghost.
Ah, yes. The Weeper. The guy who, when he found out one of his old henchmen was well off and happy, remarked that he hated happy people before shoving rolls of cash down his throat until he suffocated.
What’s weird is that, I actually think that his co-Star actually did love Basil, but he’s too blinded by his own ego a bit. But she more than likely viewed him like a brother rather than a lover.
Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen should honestly be two distinct Clayfaces in the DC Comics rather than giving Basil Karlo the DCAU Matt Hagen backstory. When I think of Basil Karlo, I think of the sadistic face-changing murderer who is envious of everything. When I think of Matt Hagen, I think of the tragic actor who became a blob monster. Also, that axe pendulum death trap Karlo used looks familiar, where have I've seen it... Oh yes. That death trap was from The Raven (1935), starring Bela Lugosi as a mad doctor who used the pendulum to kill the judge based on Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum. That film also has Boris Karloff as the anti-hero facing off the villainous Lugosi. It should also be noted that both actors were typecasted as horror villains, with Karloff getting the better end of the deal than Lugosi.
Great video, I really enjoyed this episode and this version of Karlo's Clayface, there are plenty of references and homages to the Universal Monsters world, glad you've mentioned all of them ;)
Fantastic review! You picked up on things I didn’t even notice, that’s awesome! Super excited to go back and watch this episode again with some of these added layers. For instance, it didn’t occur to me that he’s deliberately choosing to wear that disfigured face. Anyway 10 out of 10 post my friend. Thank you!
I was first introduced to the basil Karlo clayface was the Batman episodes clayfaces which that version is pretty much the same with Karlo try to get a role of a commercial but got rejected because of his ugly face and swallow bit of clayface serum to give him the powers like the first clayface (Bennett) .
Clayface may dress like the Shadow, but he reminds me of another pulp hero, the Avenger. The Avenger could mold his face like clay and would often impersonate other people to get an advantage over his enemies. Originally it was because his face was paralyzed, but later that got fixed and he used a serum to change his face.
I like that they've limited him so far to basically only being an imitator, it allows them to focus on the mystery of who clayface might be impersonating, which is fun
All of this could've been easily avoided, if Basil was more sincere. Playing exclusively villains wasn't a problem - he could run with it & still become famous, beloved actor. There're many actors known best for their roles as villains, who have huge fanbases. Meanwhile there're also many actors who struggle to get ANY movie role - not to mention speaking one, let alone main villain. Karlo had all external factors needed to achieve his dreams - the problem was in him, internally.
I think one of the most effective things about Caped Crusader is that so much of it IS seeing Batman through other people's eyes, from the ground level, and what a weird and frightening experience that could be. That's why the Clayface episode worked so well -- it IS Montoya's POV, for the most part. Thinking about it -- and I am rationing myself to one episode a week, so I am only up to this episode -- even the Batcave scenes are more from Alfred's perspective than Bruce's.
im a bit sad that clayface isnt as extreme as the old one, but i appreciate completely creating new identities. i admit you can only recycle the same character so much. so far, i like penguin so much because it feels like a genderbent done right i can respect that, from the videos ive watched, that they arent rly going the suicide squad route of like genderbent mr freeze, without even considering nora as freeze.
Other reference to classic horror is Karlo’s appearance. He looks very close to the actor that played both Frankenstein’s monster and the Mummy, as well as many others. Boris Karloff. Similar name too.
@@SerumLake hell yeah. I love classic clayface mostly for his classic horror influences and especially cuz he felt like an actual villain that The World’s Greatest Detective would fight.
This Clayface, while in his murderous mood, dresses the way that Jack the Ripper always seems to be portrayed because of the clothing styles that existed at the time of those events.
I think if Clayface does make his long awaited live action debut in Robert Pattinson's Batman Universe in The Batman Part 2 (2026) i think they'll do his first appearance design and make him a shapeshifting master of disguise Serial Killer
Yooo where can I watch the series? Cuz this episode sounds awesome! Also I like how once he realizes who he really was inside, there was no reflection on how he could improve, he realized he didn’t want to change who he was, so he embraced the ugliness inside; embraced Clayface. It’s like his Super Ego died and now his Id is out of control, there’s no inhibitions, no doubts about who he is, there’s only what he wants to do, and because he wants to do it, he will do it. Sorry if this is all rambly, I just really liked this take on the character.
This Clayface look not only reminds me of the Shadow but also the Ghost of Mr Hyde from Scooby Doo and also this wasn’t the first time as he was in the 2004 series where he was a desperate to be an actor.
I got a good laugh out of Yvonne's critique of Basil's over-the-top monologue about being a villain. I then just said, "Shakespeareans." 8:31-I thought he looked like another Batman villain, the Mad Hatter.
Probably mentioned already, but - those Basil Karlo posters are definitely references to real horror movies, neither of which Boris Karloff was even in: Mystery of the Wax Museum and Doctor X (both 1932).
Aw, i missed "TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT ME" and "You're one of myyyyy peepul..." I know it's silly, but i listen for it every video and say it along with them❤
I'll take ron pearlmans clayface any day because of the shape shifting powers and abilities. This isn't bad mind you but Ron pearlman is just chefs kiss.
Don’t know if someone already said it, Basil’s name can also be a play on Boris Karloff who’s famous for being Frankenstein’s monster, the mummy, and the original voice and narrator for the Chuck Jones How the Grinch Stole Christmas short
While Natalia Knight’s episode was my favorite, I respect what they managed to accomplish with Karlo. I avoided as much as I could and did believe that this was going to be an original villain or a reinterpretation of the Scarecrow until Harleen mentions Dr. Crane as her professor. Bringing Karlo into the roots of the Golden Age and the horror films of that time was genius and makes sense with the concept of the Clayface (Mystery of the Wax Museum especially or Phantom of the Opera.)
Another huge reference to classical cinema was the characters name Basil Karlo I'm positive that was a deliberate mashup of two famous classical movie villains Basil Rathbone and Boris Karlo(ff)
Well Clayface´s outfit, wide rim hat - red scarf - dark coat - reminds me of Ivor Novello´s The Lodger from 1927 by Alfred Hitchcock. So maybe another classic movie reference ?
not a huge fan of the "jonahs Hex" look but liked the small things here and there the episode had, Jack Pierce look in the doctor and Boris Karloff in Karlo at most
This was definitely my favourite episode of the season. Also, in fairness to Basil thinking he was Hamlet, Hamlet gets a lot of fairly innocent people killed (I believe he has an equal body count to Claudius) too.
Ah Clayface, he's probably in one of my top 5 Batman Rogues as I enjoyed the tragedy. A man who couldn't find his own sense of self. He became a literal clay and now lost who he is. Out of all the rogues in Caped Crusader, Clayface in Caped Crusader is my favorite interpretation. Not only is he despicable, but he only cared about being talented enough that it consumed him. BTAS Clayface is still the best interpretation of the character and my favorite Clayface. This interpretation of Clayface is good as it stands on its two feet, having a different spin on its character but making it different and refresh. In my eyes Karlo feels like a jab or take that towards method actors or possinly actors who take acting too far. Or actors who became more of the mask. Remember those actors like Jared Leto or Christian Bale, who usually become the actor they ruin themselves and act rude to their co stars. (Too be fair I'm not saying whoever does method acting becomes jerks) But if taken too far, the actor is not acting anymore and in some cases it ruins the acting too. For me Karlo took his acting too seriously, and because he was jealous of people in different roles he decided to change his face. Another jab on celebrities doing plastic facial surgery and didn't realize perhaps he could've appreciate his role. Now to be fair I do feel slight pity because I understand some actors want to be remembered than the mere role. Like the MCU actors wanting to star in different movies but are only remembered for the superhero genre. Though at the same time had Karlo had the courage to sinply speak up and not dwell in his negativity, maybe he could've had a perfect career. But then again Karlo is one of those nice guys who are unable to see that. All he did was to date his co star and instead of accepting her rejection he hated it and took away her agency. His downfall was his own doing and he knew it would jeopardized his career and he didn't care. All he wanted was venegance thinking he was wronged, but in reality he wronged himself. Overall I enjoyed this iteration of Clayface and I loved his design, his methods of acting, and clever ways of being an actor despite the limited shapeshifting via the face. It makes this interpretation of Clayface more clever and more conniving as he is ugly both outside and inside.
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This version of Clayface is much more limited on who they could shapeshift to. It appears he can only change his face, so he can only imitate men with similar body types to him.
Yeah, no Lobster hands for this Clayface!
@@SerumLake he couldn’t even pose as the larger woman that chastised Daggett at the Renuyu tv event
Not without props and a change of clothes!
So far, it might mutate as time goes on.
and yet even with that limitation he was still able to effectively hide away and pull montoya into a trap
this batman series is SLIGHTLY more down to earth, there's a lot less focus on grandiose supervillains with weird gimmicks and powers. Of course likely we'll see the villains become more wild as the story will likely shift to show how the crime lords will lose sway to the more colourful supervillains.
It made me sad, because Basil's co-star was genuinely kind and supportive of him - and he couldn't see it, and just wanted to possess her because suddenly he looked handsome. It's interesting to see a villain who uses pity and hardship as a mask to cover their more negative traits.
Yeah Incel Clayface.
That's literally basic villain writing. But sad backstory epidemic that is mainstream thanks to shonen manga made good villains scarce.
A mask... for Clayface....
Yes its actually common nowadays in incel culture they think if a girl is nice to them or their friend they can try the NICE GUY approach and get her but if that doesn't work they lash out its a real shame.
@@doujinloverXD
Same thing vice versa if a guy is
Nice to a girl she thinks she owns
Him.
I love that moment he's explaining everything to Montoya just for his costar to critique him for his bad acting in that moment. A bit of feisty defiance from the women he has tied to a table.
Honestly I love it. It feels like a trick that would also work on the Harley Quinn show version of Clayface.
BTAS these show version of Clayface are two sides of the spectrum: BTAS Clayface was vain actor who was manipulated and turned against his will into a monster, CC Clayface is arrogant actor whose decisions leads him to become the monster he always was.
Don’t forget that there are 2 Clayfaces in the 2004 series
yea that's what he said
Not btas. It was the batman, A different show.
@@ShoppingBoredThe Batman was the 2004 show. Batman The Animated Series (BTAS) is the one with the victim actor. The Batman had the clayface who was a cop and trying his best not to be villainous despite being monsterfied, and the second clayface was an actor so bad he couldn't even get into a dog food commercial, so he stole the cop clayface's DNA and drank it to become an incarnation similar to the BTAS clayface.
I love the voice for this Clayface he has a gentlemanly tone that’s contrasted by his horrific appearance
And his absolutely monstrous actions!
of course batman's not gonna bother trying to talk with this man. He murdered three people in cold blood, was about to murder two more, and not only had no remorse but REVELED in his murders, was PROUD of what he did.
Batman proceeds to knock out Clayface like a chef pounding a pizza dough.
Why did they make him irredemable though??
Why not?@@elongatedmanforever1252
@@elongatedmanforever1252 because he. Murdered 3 people to service his own vanity?
@@elongatedmanforever1252Not every villain has to be redeemed. Some people are just bad, and I don't mean in that cliche "I'm greedy and I'm gonna take over the world/I am the embodiment of chaos!!" kinda way, but just in an "I'm generally angry and I don't care how many people I have to stab to make myself feel good" kinda way.
Clayface’s episode felt like such a huge love letter to classic cinema and I love it
One of the horror figures that always popped to my head when I thought of Karlo was the Phantom of the Opera. The amazing talent, disgusted by his own face, constantly kidnapping lead actressed and sabotaging productions he didn't approve of in ways that looked like accidents. The Batfeed's 1920s style Clayface mockumentary also seemed to pick up on this connection and played it up immensely.
Bob Kane was apparently inspired by Lon Chaney’s version of the Phantom of the Opera for the creation of Karlo (Boris Karloff/Basil Rathbone). It always makes sense for Karlo to be associated with horror films.
I like how this show’s version of Clayface without his red bandana actually looks like the book version of the Phantom’s deformity: no nose, fucked up eyes and teeth, horrible skin, and a few stringy hairs.
ITS nice to See Batman 1919 - 1939 mentioned.
Cregar is a new discovery to me, and I gotta say he makes me think of Raymond Burr. But Burr had the good fortune of a couple of star-making roles in the original Godzilla and Perry Mason, which broke him out of his typecasting as a brute thanks to his giant physique.
If only Cregar had the fortune of a similar role.
I think all of his movies are on TH-cam, at least most of them are. I captured some footage from Hangover Square and forgot what I was doing because I was enjoying the film so much 😂
You can watch it here: th-cam.com/video/4ogDGA21DCI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=1DP6DFMTcDGBYtxX
I still prefer the unedited Godzilla 1954 though.
It's honestly quite refreshing to see a DC Comics villain being depicted more as a twisted monster than as a typical tragic villain. It makes this version of the Batman mythos feel more alive and diverse than it would've been otherwise.
other side of the coin, it makes them less interesting, in both story arc and in characterization.
@@clown599 That depends on how that villain is written in the story. Obviously, in the wrong hands, the character would be uninteresting, but if you know how to make them tastefully unrepentant and despicable, they would stand out and be amazing antagonists.
@@thebatmanofneo-gotham5667
This right here! It’s all about good writing at the end of the day.
@@clown599 not really he seems to be sympathetic to people like Firebug who suffered from Schizophrenia
I loved this episode as a great homage to 1940s horror and all the easter eggs from The Shadow to Jack Pierce the legendary makeup artist who made Karloff into Frankenstein's monster among other creations.
And how Montoya figures it out and isn't a helpless damsel.
She is a cop.
And Yvonne absolutely roasting his acting ability when hamming it up was honestly a treat.
Glad someone else noticed Jack Pierce in there
@@VaderTheWhite Literally did the Leo pointing meme
My favorite part is when he says "If you'll have me." Then when he doesn't get the reaction he wants he goes off the deep end immediately. Shows how his mind works really well.
It's really accurate to how a lot of nasty people work in reality; and not just for relationship situations, but it happens in parents and siblings and 'friendships' a lot too. The people that behave this way often won't even acknowledge that they do this, either, they just offer an illusion of generosity and decisions to the person they want to obtain or control ("Only if you want to", "You don't have to", "If you'll have me") because they believe these phrases are socially transactional - as in, by saying them, they have fufilled a social expectation and now the other person _has_ to fill their expectations by turning down their graciously provided out. So, when they're hit with simple rejection they get unreasonably mad. Even pointing out that they offered the option to say "no" in the first place does not stop their ferocious blame of the other person for not "following the script", so to say.
One thing that really struck me in this episode is that Batman took a really defensive tactic against Clayface at first. He just *dodged.* Then I realized he was letting Clayface tire himself out swinging that big axe around before taking the baddie's toy away and breaking it.
im loving that they are going in a different direction for clayface
I hope the serum comes back. It would make for an interesting way to turn Eel O'Brian into the wacky Plastic Man we all know and love.
I doubt they will adding super powered hero's to this story, b
@@daraghokane4236 They don't seem to have a problem with ghosts and vampires
@@daraghokane4236I can honestly see the showrunners tease his fate at the end of season 2, but I can also see them teasing the classic, non-flying, “Able to leap over a tall building in a single bound, 1930’s Superman, first.
@@Popcultureguy3000 Considering one of the background reporters is clearly meant to be Fleischer Cartoon Lois Lane, there is a chance...
It just makes things mushy and mailable. Plastic Man can stretch his body to the size of buildings or compress himself to pretend to be a wristwatch.
9:54 Not always. BTAS Batman only tried to reason with his villains if they were tragic people he could tried to talk to. If they were characters like Joker, Rupert Thorne or Rolland Dagget, Batman didn't waste time with words.
yeah he won't reason with people who clearly are too far gone.
it does work as a contrast the BTAS clayface. there bruce was a fan of his work and knew he was a victim. Here bruce has seen what Karlo has done and has seen how remorseless and petty and cruel he is, so he knows not to bother with him and jsut beat the shit out him.
I feel the need to make a correction--you say that Yvonne initially used Karlo's face as "an excuse" to reject his advances, and that's not the sense I got at all. Even Karlo's descriptions of Yvonne's behavior toward him pre-transformation seem more like friendship than reciprocation of his romantic interest. Her comments about his face were really about what a good actor he was. She seemed to like working with him, but that doesn't mean she was ever attracted to him or even thought about him that way.
I don't think she "excused" her lack of attraction. I don't think she thought of him as a potential romantic partner in the first place. He was an older coworker who was kind to her and (presumably, since he kept getting cast) put on good performances. She acknowledged the quality of his work. That's all, and that should be enough.
I think it's important to emphasize, especially now, that women can be kind and friendly without being romantically attracted to the recipients of their kindness. Treating people with respect isn’t a promise of more later--it's just treating people with respect. Karlo reacted like Yvonne betrayed him, like she broke a promise, but she never made that promise in the first place.
It's not her making the excuse, it's Basil.
pretty much
you misunderstood: he did not say she was doing that. He was saying that BASIL was doing that, using his face as a reason why she wouldn't wanna date him, when really the truth was he was just expecting her to want him cause HE wanted her. BASIL was the one using his face as excuse to not have to face that he's jsut an entitled egotist.
@@SerumLake Ah, my mistake. Thanks for clarifying.
Yeah, there seemed to be a significant age gap between them. That alone is usually a major turnoff for the younger person unless he/she has already developed feelings for the older potential partner.
This version kinda has a strange self love mini arc, where he kinda accepts how he looks and how he’s the bad guy and also plays into it and learns to enjoy it. Like he’s an actor who got lost in his role but also realized he can get away with anything if the police are gonna be looking for someone that doesn’t even exist while the real deal is putting on his “makeup” for another kill. And I really like this version is perfect for a murder mystery and the show really plays into it. Also the “man with a million faces” title is a bit ironic and kinda funny, all the faces are still the same
I like how they took the character known for becoming clay face from trying to fix is face after it has been ruined, to trying to fix his face because he finds it only good at making him look like a villain, eventually taking the role as the villain in real life because that is what he feels he was made for after rejection.
They name drop that Yvonne Frances’ dress is an Edith Head ( famed costume designer) when Montoya and the director’s secretary discussing Yvonne Frances in a photo.
I love this episode, one of the show's best. The big distinction with this Clayface and BTAS is that Hagen was a criminal against his will. He didn't want to work for Daggett, but he did it anyway so he could acquire Renuyu. Karlo's crimes are committed of his own free volition. No one is forcing him to murder. His actions are his and his alone and he loves it.
One is a manipulated victim. The other is a manipulator.
one is a man turned into a monster by those who hurt him. THe other is a monster who hid behind the face of a man so he could hurt others.
@@sarafontanini7051 Well said.
@@sarafontanini7051
This line goes hard ❤
me when i get a serum that makes me able to mold my face and i decide to make it horribly disfigured for the funny
As a good many soulsborne players would also do
🪽 One thought that always struck us about Clayface is that we always sort of categorize the character into two flavors: Basil Karlo the villainous monster movie star, and Matt Hagen the tragic normal-ish man turned massive mud monster. I think that's what The Batman show did, actually, didn't it?
We do really love it being a conscious choice on his part to make his face terrifying. He's loathed being the villain in every piece and yet he's doing exactly the theatrics that would accompany such a figure irl as well. A strong design and strong character!
When i saw Batman and Clayface having a sword fight it reminded me of the sword dual between Ra's and Batman from btas. I found it pretty cool and im always a sucker for sword duals in any show, cartoon, or movie
I believe this is quite a fun take on Clayface.
I'm not a very observant person a lot of the time so to have someone point out all the things I missed while also gushing about how much they love what this their talking about is nice.
The castle movie set is ripped from Clayface’s original appearance.
Incel Clayface is a surprisingly good take
it works for the characterisation of the original basil karlo, who was a selfish egotist who was motivated mostly by his own self importance and narcissism. THis is a man who expects everything should be HIS and reacts violently when reality and people refuses to bend down to him.
I think that's cringe imo.
Methinks doth protest too much
Lmao❤
@@sarafontanini7051 Very much agreed. BCC Basil is quite good at playing the nice guy, but he had by all accounts a good life. He had a good career, the respect of his peers, and critical acclaim.
But he wanted more - and then he got it, but it wasn’t enough. It’s never enough for people like Basil.
Buddy, Incel is a pretty negative term.
I wouldn't call him that.
I thought the title was a reference to Richard III. "since I cannot prove a lover, I am determined to prove a villain"
That is also a valid reading of the title!
In terms of characterisation I thought would this was an extremely entertaining adaptation of Clayface. However I still believe that the mystery element and the reveal were painfully obvious and the attempt at a misdirect was a complete failure for me. It didn't help that they revealed months ago while promoting the show that Clayface was going to be Basil Karlo and as soon as they showed the dead Basil I went "That's clearly going to be revealed not to be real Karlo". So far the pacing for both episodes has been extremely all over the place and it feels very abrupt.
For me the episode really started to get going after the second half when Basil was revealed and we got to hear Dan Donohue's AMAZINGLY theatrical voice for Basil Karlo. His voice fits the original Golden Age and in general pre-New 52 Basil Karlo perfectly.
Not to be gross, but that thumbnail is now making me hungry for Peanut Butter.
Edit: it appears that SL has changed the thumbnail. Thanks for that, boss!
Yummy 😋
Yummers
🤢
@@JustAJAG I can hear the violins
Maybe it wasn' the creators intention, but Karlo wanting to change his face so, in his eyes, he could be respected can be seen as meta commentary on the fans (more specifically the toxic fans) response to the show's character design, as well the way these people usually act when an actor or actress doesn't fit the look they expect for a specific character (ex: fan's complaining bc the actor is too young, or old, or too fat, or difference race, or not hot enough, and so on...), choosing to prioritize the character's image rather than the personality and his/her talent.
That's actually brilliant
I think sometimes the fans are calling out not the choices but the motivation for those choices, look at assassins creed shadows an AC game set in Japan has been long awaited and when it finally arrives they made 1 of the leads a black foreigner who has a Japanese rap theme.
@@burntgrahamcracker2866 I don't see the problem with the new Assassins Creed game. It's based on Yasuke, isn't it?
@@rubenduenas5881 its based on 1 history book that appears to be poorly researched and done more out of a desire to have “the 1st black samurai” on the title cover.
Yasuke did exist but the highest rank most people give him is retainer which is akin to a servant he certainly wouldn’t become a samurai it’s like him visiting England and becoming a knight
@@burntgrahamcracker2866 Retainers are still samurai though.
Really enjoyed this episode. It was great to see the original version of Karlo in a way, this and Nocturna episodes sadly were the only episodes I liked
I wish it had been more tbh
It's nice to see an adaptation of the classic Golden Age Clayface as a deformed actor turned serial killer. The design of Clayface is pretty faithful to the Golden Age, and I like the mystery aspect of this episode with Montoya which I thought was pretty well done. Even though I do prefer the more monstrous Clayface, like the one from Batman: The Animated Series, I think this take on Clayface is pretty cool because of how they used body horror. Basil Karlo in this show is certainly not as sympathetic as Matt Hagen was in BTAS, but still, I do like that they chose not to copy BTAS Clayface for this show and made him less of a tragic victim and more of an arrogant twisted murderer.
I like the idea of returning to the roots of Basil Karlo the first two face as a prideful, self-centered monster who murders people becuase he's a fucking overdramatic diva. It's jsut good to have such a vile character for batman to punch.
The Crimes of Doctor Z might also be a nod towards the character of Dr. Z from The Venture Bros who is also a reference to half a dozen other mad scientists from the 1950's and 60's pulp series
Dr. Z was a carbon copy of Dr. Zin from the Johnny Quest series. Action Johnny was straight-up supposed to be Quest and all characters related to him were supposed to be from the series, but there were legal rights issues.
The "Man Of A million Faces" is a direct nod to Lon Chaney, Sr. Known as "The Man Of A Thousand Facces". The name Basil Karlo is from Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Basil Rathbone's first major movie came out September of 1939. Just about nine moinths before the first Clayface appearance.
So in summary:
Basil Karlo may have been a famous actor but also a very spoiled one and when he was finally told NO for once in his life, he became a murderous madman copying the Shadow’s look just to get back at the people he was OOHHH SOOO wronged by.
That's a lame characterization
& awful it's copy pasting tighten
from megamind absolutely lame.
Unlike yourself (I take it), I have been less than thrilled by CC, but this is also my favorite episode. Clayface does have Shadow vibes, but also some Phantom of the Opera, and the episode as a whole feels true to the “Detective Batman” angle, with an interesting little mystery to solve with a great twist.
Hope Clayface return s2
Me too. He such a great character.
I bet he'll escape and reappear one more time. Not sure if there'll be a third.
This was the best episode of the season. Very faithful to his original appearance in the comics.
I was initially disapointed when I accidentally came across Clayface's look in this show since, while I didn't mind them going with the original look I do love a good shapeshifter for...flag related reasons
So imagine my immense joy when I watched through the episode and came to the realization 'Oh, that IS his face!'
And as I said in the previous video, on Caped Crusader, I do like how this show uses the fact that a lot of the viewers are fans who probably have knowledge of different incarnations of their particular favourite villain and so used that to make twists. I initially thought that Basil was just a red herring to catch people by surprise, completely falling for the fake body using the doctor who made the Clayface formula dosed with his own work...
Although now that I type that out, a thought occurs...did the doctor manage to fix the flaw that made Basil's face match his inner ugliness in between Basil taking the dose and the kinda-good doctor being stabbed? Only the doctor's face stayed as Basil's and it took Batman's...less that professional poking to deform it.
Or was the 'flaw' just the emotional response Basil had at being rejected despite finally 'looking the part' to get the love of his miserable life, that rejection being the straw to break the camels back?
If the latter...then even if the formula work as intended and his face didn't melt, Clayface was going to be a killer after that point.
The way I see it is that Renee and the Gordons are the view from inside Gotham PD, whereas Alfred and Bruce are the view from inside the Batcave. It’s not omitting Batman but giving us a balanced look at the narrative from different people.
This version of clayface I could really like.👍🏼
Hope to see more of him in the future!
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
It’s a real shame, because villains are often the real legends. The thing everybody remembers about Dracula is Bela Lugosi.
Or the Joker. People remember Heath Ledger, Mark Hamill, and Jack Nicholson’s performances.
Oh boy, these essays are pure gold. I can't wait to watch the Two face video, cause oh my god how good he is in this show
I love the Shadow references with this version of Clayface. They even had him do the laugh before he kills the producer.
There are a lot of things I liked about this clay face. I liked how limited he was in comparison to the clayface from Batman the animated series. In the btas universe he could still play a variety of roles where practical effects would be too expensive, because he could still hold his shape after some light punches. While the new one could only do his face and it seems as if him whipping his head around too fast would cause his head to deform. Although I don’t like how a couple of Villians in this new series have a sudden epiphany at the end of the episode. Like the super strong girl who will suck you dry, goes from a cold and manipulative monster who doesn’t care about her brother when she pushed him into a wall, and leaving him for dead so a display shelf can crush him to death, to sad when she realizes that the guy she left for dead is dead.
Well, for Two-Face, it fits, Harley only went back to save her friend Barbara (stupidly hammering at a door for minutes sans even trying the controls), and I can't think of any other cases. But yes, it was silly how Nocturna got suddenly framed as a poor little kid who didn't understand what she did. That said, I could have rolled with it, if it weren't for the fact that Bruce Timm had been wanting to adapt her into animation for decades (which he was denied in the '90s presumably because on a surface examination she's like a vampire, cf. how they had to change Morbius for Spider-Man TAS), only to completely assassinate her character. In the comics, her brother is a crazy murderer, while she is a thief with powers and a love interest for Bruce. I can understand wanting to skip the last part as too repetitive, although I'd argue it just proves that Bruce has a type, but then why even include her? And what makes her stand out as a character is that she came to love Jason as a son and went into a lengthy custody battle over him with Bruce, with Jason genuinely feeling torn between them. It may be an extremely niche type of storyline for a superhero comic, but that also means that it isn't a tired old trope that we've seen dozens if not hundreds of times already. And then they went and did ... what they did with her and Jase in this series. Just why, for Bat's sake, why?!
With all the Frankenstein references, I'm surprised nobody brought up the name similarities between the actor Boris Carloff who played Frankenstein monster.
His name is basically a mashup of Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Basil Karlo. This was established all the way back in his first appearance and had nothing to do with the episode itself.
I honestly love the way they turned the character on his head, he's the exact opposite of the one from The Animated Series and that works so well.
I love the “The Shadow” design, and classic Hollywood feel, very cool and my favorite of this series
Your videos are so astonishing. Quality analysis. Clayface and Nocturna were my favourite villains of this series!
The Clayface episode was literally the best in Cape Crusader. The only one I really like, well the Catwoman one too.
This Rendition of Clay face not only reminds me of The Shadow. But Also of "Darkman". A Plastic surgeon that became a Burn Victim tuned Vigilante. He usied Face masked of various people to emulate them . Either hiding among the people to get close to his targets or framing criminals for there own people to go against them.
this episode has the best mythstory of them in my opinion. Basil feels like he could be a red herring to begin with, then there's his murder which basically gets rid of him as a suspect then nope it's a fake. Had me really guessing for a while which i love.
Great video essay. This was also my favorite episode of the series, and this version of Clayface fits well with the overall vibe of the series. I was not familiar with Laird Cregar, so I didn't pick up on the Slade Terrace reference while watching the episode.
Once I’ve finished a couple more videos I’m going to sit down and watch Hangover Square and The Lodger properly. When I was capturing footage from those films I found myself getting engrossed in the film and forgetting I was supposed to be getting interesting shots 😂
Glad you're finally covering Caped Crusader, absolutely loved the show and can't wait to see your takes on how they've changed the rogues
I personally enjoy the more sympathetic take on Karlo that's been popularized in the comics, but I will admit that I do love the concept of this version of him being "The Phantom of the Opera, but Batman is here."
Great video 👏👏👏👏
I had no idea Clayface’s creation had so much inspiration in a real actor and that the episode had so many real life homages.
I am incredibly happy I atumbled across this channel, I would not have known about the new batman series otherwise and its bewn wonderful binging through it after i watched BTAS because of the previous episode and villain analysis
another slight reference that i believe is intentional is that basil karlo looks (to me) suspiciously like peter cushing, down to the pronounced cheekbones, relaxed expression and hair, but then again, i can’t be too sure if that was the intention
I knew I wasn't the only one who thought he looked like the shadow, anyone else get Christopher Lee/basil rathbone/Peter Cushing/Laurence Olivier vibes with a bit of Bela Lugosi thrown in
Absolutely!
The Lon-Chaney-alike actor also reminded me of The Brave & Bold episode 'The Vile And The Villainous' and Tim Conway's guest role as Golden Age villain The Weeper, who, like Karlo in this, was a far darker villain in the source material.
So we know Timm is using this series to explore themes he was not able to in BTAS - and I've heard the series had wanted to use The Phantom Stranger, and we already have the supernatural established in Gentleman Ghost.
Ah, yes. The Weeper. The guy who, when he found out one of his old henchmen was well off and happy, remarked that he hated happy people before shoving rolls of cash down his throat until he suffocated.
What’s weird is that, I actually think that his co-Star actually did love Basil, but he’s too blinded by his own ego a bit. But she more than likely viewed him like a brother rather than a lover.
7:14 loved learnig about this. Appreciate the fun facts
Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen should honestly be two distinct Clayfaces in the DC Comics rather than giving Basil Karlo the DCAU Matt Hagen backstory. When I think of Basil Karlo, I think of the sadistic face-changing murderer who is envious of everything. When I think of Matt Hagen, I think of the tragic actor who became a blob monster.
Also, that axe pendulum death trap Karlo used looks familiar, where have I've seen it... Oh yes. That death trap was from The Raven (1935), starring Bela Lugosi as a mad doctor who used the pendulum to kill the judge based on Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum. That film also has Boris Karloff as the anti-hero facing off the villainous Lugosi. It should also be noted that both actors were typecasted as horror villains, with Karloff getting the better end of the deal than Lugosi.
Great video, I really enjoyed this episode and this version of Karlo's Clayface, there are plenty of references and homages to the Universal Monsters world, glad you've mentioned all of them ;)
A truly excellent video. This was also one of my faviorites of the season and I look forward to your analysis on the rest of caped crusaders enemies
Fantastic review! You picked up on things I didn’t even notice, that’s awesome! Super excited to go back and watch this episode again with some of these added layers. For instance, it didn’t occur to me that he’s deliberately choosing to wear that disfigured face. Anyway 10 out of 10 post my friend. Thank you!
I was first introduced to the basil Karlo clayface was the Batman episodes clayfaces which that version is pretty much the same with Karlo try to get a role of a commercial but got rejected because of his ugly face and swallow bit of clayface serum to give him the powers like the first clayface (Bennett) .
Clayface may dress like the Shadow, but he reminds me of another pulp hero, the Avenger.
The Avenger could mold his face like clay and would often impersonate other people to get an advantage over his enemies. Originally it was because his face was paralyzed, but later that got fixed and he used a serum to change his face.
I like that they've limited him so far to basically only being an imitator, it allows them to focus on the mystery of who clayface might be impersonating, which is fun
All of this could've been easily avoided, if Basil was more sincere. Playing exclusively villains wasn't a problem - he could run with it & still become famous, beloved actor. There're many actors known best for their roles as villains, who have huge fanbases. Meanwhile there're also many actors who struggle to get ANY movie role - not to mention speaking one, let alone main villain. Karlo had all external factors needed to achieve his dreams - the problem was in him, internally.
I think one of the most effective things about Caped Crusader is that so much of it IS seeing Batman through other people's eyes, from the ground level, and what a weird and frightening experience that could be. That's why the Clayface episode worked so well -- it IS Montoya's POV, for the most part.
Thinking about it -- and I am rationing myself to one episode a week, so I am only up to this episode -- even the Batcave scenes are more from Alfred's perspective than Bruce's.
im a bit sad that clayface isnt as extreme as the old one, but i appreciate completely creating new identities. i admit you can only recycle the same character so much. so far, i like penguin so much because it feels like a genderbent done right
i can respect that, from the videos ive watched, that they arent rly going the suicide squad route of like genderbent mr freeze, without even considering nora as freeze.
Other reference to classic horror is Karlo’s appearance. He looks very close to the actor that played both Frankenstein’s monster and the Mummy, as well as many others. Boris Karloff. Similar name too.
Yep, Basil Karlo is named after Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone
@@SerumLake hell yeah. I love classic clayface mostly for his classic horror influences and especially cuz he felt like an actual villain that The World’s Greatest Detective would fight.
This Clayface, while in his murderous mood, dresses the way that Jack the Ripper always seems to be portrayed because of the clothing styles that existed at the time of those events.
This is less a reference in the episode itself but Basil Karlo's name is a combination of Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone.
I think if Clayface does make his long awaited live action debut in Robert Pattinson's Batman Universe in The Batman Part 2 (2026) i think they'll do his first appearance design and make him a shapeshifting master of disguise Serial Killer
Yooo where can I watch the series? Cuz this episode sounds awesome!
Also I like how once he realizes who he really was inside, there was no reflection on how he could improve, he realized he didn’t want to change who he was, so he embraced the ugliness inside; embraced Clayface.
It’s like his Super Ego died and now his Id is out of control, there’s no inhibitions, no doubts about who he is, there’s only what he wants to do, and because he wants to do it, he will do it.
Sorry if this is all rambly, I just really liked this take on the character.
It’s on Amazon Prime Video 🫡
@@SerumLake
Thanks! I’ll be sure to watch it!
This Clayface look not only reminds me of the Shadow but also the Ghost of Mr Hyde from Scooby Doo and also this wasn’t the first time as he was in the 2004 series where he was a desperate to be an actor.
I could really relate to his thinking that nobody wanted him because of his looks
I got a good laugh out of Yvonne's critique of Basil's over-the-top monologue about being a villain. I then just said, "Shakespeareans."
8:31-I thought he looked like another Batman villain, the Mad Hatter.
Probably mentioned already, but - those Basil Karlo posters are definitely references to real horror movies, neither of which Boris Karloff was even in: Mystery of the Wax Museum and Doctor X (both 1932).
Aw, i missed
"TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT ME"
and
"You're one of myyyyy peepul..."
I know it's silly, but i listen for it every video and say it along with them❤
I'll take ron pearlmans clayface any day because of the shape shifting powers and abilities. This isn't bad mind you but Ron pearlman is just chefs kiss.
Don’t know if someone already said it, Basil’s name can also be a play on Boris Karloff who’s famous for being Frankenstein’s monster, the mummy, and the original voice and narrator for the Chuck Jones How the Grinch Stole Christmas short
He actually resembles the Clayface introduced in 1940.
While Natalia Knight’s episode was my favorite, I respect what they managed to accomplish with Karlo. I avoided as much as I could and did believe that this was going to be an original villain or a reinterpretation of the Scarecrow until Harleen mentions Dr. Crane as her professor.
Bringing Karlo into the roots of the Golden Age and the horror films of that time was genius and makes sense with the concept of the Clayface (Mystery of the Wax Museum especially or Phantom of the Opera.)
The poster for the crimes of dr.x remind me of the posters for the Dr. Mabuse series, specifically the intense stare and the title.
Another huge reference to classical cinema was the characters name
Basil Karlo
I'm positive that was a deliberate mashup of two famous classical movie villains
Basil Rathbone and Boris Karlo(ff)
They film a scene of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde which is reference to classic film and the theme of the story itself.
Well Clayface´s outfit, wide rim hat - red scarf - dark coat - reminds me of Ivor Novello´s The Lodger from 1927 by Alfred Hitchcock. So maybe another classic movie reference ?
not a huge fan of the "jonahs Hex" look but liked the small things here and there the episode had, Jack Pierce look in the doctor and Boris Karloff in Karlo at most
This was definitely my favourite episode of the season. Also, in fairness to Basil thinking he was Hamlet, Hamlet gets a lot of fairly innocent people killed (I believe he has an equal body count to Claudius) too.
Ah Clayface, he's probably in one of my top 5 Batman Rogues as I enjoyed the tragedy. A man who couldn't find his own sense of self. He became a literal clay and now lost who he is. Out of all the rogues in Caped Crusader, Clayface in Caped Crusader is my favorite interpretation. Not only is he despicable, but he only cared about being talented enough that it consumed him. BTAS Clayface is still the best interpretation of the character and my favorite Clayface. This interpretation of Clayface is good as it stands on its two feet, having a different spin on its character but making it different and refresh.
In my eyes Karlo feels like a jab or take that towards method actors or possinly actors who take acting too far. Or actors who became more of the mask. Remember those actors like Jared Leto or Christian Bale, who usually become the actor they ruin themselves and act rude to their co stars. (Too be fair I'm not saying whoever does method acting becomes jerks) But if taken too far, the actor is not acting anymore and in some cases it ruins the acting too.
For me Karlo took his acting too seriously, and because he was jealous of people in different roles he decided to change his face. Another jab on celebrities doing plastic facial surgery and didn't realize perhaps he could've appreciate his role. Now to be fair I do feel slight pity because I understand some actors want to be remembered than the mere role. Like the MCU actors wanting to star in different movies but are only remembered for the superhero genre. Though at the same time had Karlo had the courage to sinply speak up and not dwell in his negativity, maybe he could've had a perfect career. But then again Karlo is one of those nice guys who are unable to see that. All he did was to date his co star and instead of accepting her rejection he hated it and took away her agency.
His downfall was his own doing and he knew it would jeopardized his career and he didn't care. All he wanted was venegance thinking he was wronged, but in reality he wronged himself. Overall I enjoyed this iteration of Clayface and I loved his design, his methods of acting, and clever ways of being an actor despite the limited shapeshifting via the face. It makes this interpretation of Clayface more clever and more conniving as he is ugly both outside and inside.
Great Batman analysis channel!
10:28 Fair enough. It’s one of my favorites. My top 3 episodes are:
3. And be a Villain
2. The stress of her Regard
1. Nocturne
irony most guys playing villians are nicest people and heros actors are just jerks.
Yep
Robert Englund and Patrick Stewart in a nutshell, perhaps.
So this is a Boris Karloff version of Clayface. That doesn’t sound bad.