Clayface Easter Eggs That DC Fans May Have Missed

The DC Universe has already established a habit of hiding Easter eggs that point toward its broader mythology. James Gunn’s “Superman,” for example, included subtle references to Gotham City and several eras of classic DC heroes. Recent television projects have expanded that foundation: Season 2 of “Peacemaker” mentioned Bludhaven, while “Lanterns” confirmed the existence of DC staples including the Phantom Zone and Midway City. Upcoming projects such as “The People v. Gorilla Grodd” and “Man of Tomorrow” are expected to add even more layers to the franchise’s growing collection of hidden details.

As the DC Universe’s third feature film, “Clayface” stands apart from both “Superman” and “Supergirl.” Even so, it is firmly part of the shared universe and continues the franchise’s tradition of using Easter eggs to expand its world. While Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, struggles with a medical procedure that transforms his body and sets him on the road to becoming one of Batman’s most notorious enemies, “Clayface” quietly scatters references that comic book fans will recognize immediately—even if casual viewers overlook them.

So which hidden details appear in “Clayface,” and what do they reveal about the wider DC Universe and DC Comics history? Here is a closer look at the film’s most notable Easter eggs.

When Frank Fitzpatrick, played by Eddie Marsan, returns to his office, he passes the name of the building where he works. The sign includes the word “Moldoff,” a brief detail that should stand out to longtime comic book readers. It pays tribute to Sheldon Moldoff, the influential DC artist whose work helped shape the Batman mythos. Moldoff’s early illustrations of characters such as Alan Scott’s Green Lantern and Hawkman had a lasting impact on how those heroes were portrayed across DC media.

Moldoff also helped create several major Batman supporting characters, including the Matt Hagen version of Clayface alongside writer Bill Finger. Now, the first live-action film centered on the character has acknowledged that influential artist in a small but meaningful way. The tribute is particularly welcome given how often fans have pointed out that Moldoff’s contributions to DC history have gone underappreciated. Many beloved characters, costumes, and stories might never have taken shape without his work.

That fleeting background reference in “Clayface” may encourage more viewers to explore Sheldon Moldoff’s remarkable legacy. Regardless, the Easter egg serves as a touching acknowledgment of the character’s comic book origins within a thoroughly modern take on Clayface.

At the beginning of “Clayface,” Matt Hagen appears to be enjoying the glamorous life of a movie star. He is driven to the set in a limousine, rehearses his dialogue, and sits in the makeup chair as the production works to preserve his leading-man image. One wide shot of the studio lot reveals that Hagen is working for a company called Imperial Pictures. Fans of “Batman: The Animated Series” may recognize the name: it is the same fictional studio associated with Matt Hagen in that series. Decades later, Clayface is still tied to Imperial Pictures.

The Clayface episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” are widely regarded as some of the show’s finest stories. That connection is especially significant because “Clayface” writer Mike Flanagan has said the animated series’ tragic interpretation of the character inspired his desire to work on the film. The link becomes unmistakable when the Imperial Pictures logo briefly appears onscreen. Since the company has rarely featured prominently elsewhere in DC media, its inclusion feels like a deliberate tribute to the landmark animated series.

Of course, “Clayface” is an R-rated horror film and pushes the character into far more brutal territory than “Batman: The Animated Series” ever could. Still, the Imperial Pictures reference makes clear that the film’s director, James Watkins, and the rest of the creative team have not forgotten one of the most celebrated versions of Clayface.

When gangster Markos Szabo, played by David Dencik, sends his men after Dr. Caitlyn Corr and her fiancée, John Borrelli, to stop them from interfering with his criminal operation, Hagen intervenes. In one tense sequence, a Szabo henchman appears to follow Corr through a long tunnel, only to discover that the figure he has been pursuing is actually the shapeshifting Hagen. Just before the reveal, Corr enters the tunnel with a huge amusement-park billboard behind her promising visitors “fun.” The advertisement features an enormous clown—an image that would be uncomfortably familiar to the residents of Gotham.

The billboard is not necessarily setting up the next live-action version of the Joker. Instead, its meaning comes from the scene itself. Corr is secretly Hagen, and the brutal attack he is about to unleash marks another step in his moral collapse. With a Joker-like clown looming over the moment, the image suggests that Hagen is crossing the boundaries that will ultimately place him among DC’s most dangerous villains.

That ominous symbolism feels fitting. In any Gotham-set story, especially one involving a character descending into villainy, a prominent and unsettling clown is unlikely to be there by accident.

Superman famously works at the Daily Planet in Metropolis under his Clark Kent identity, a setting that returned in 2025’s “Superman” and has appeared in virtually every major Superman adaptation. But Gotham City has its own important newspaper. The Gotham Gazette, which covers the city’s crimes and scandals, appears during the closing moments of “Clayface.”

Near the end of the film, Dr. Caitlyn Corr approaches a newspaper stand and picks up a paper reporting that Matt Hagen is missing and presumed dead. The publication’s logo identifies it as the Gotham Gazette. Although the newspaper has not been as prominent in live-action Batman stories as the Daily Planet has been in Superman projects, it has enjoyed a recent resurgence. The Gotham Gazette also appeared in “The Batman” and the HBO series “The Penguin.”

Its brief return in “Clayface” further establishes the Gotham Gazette as an active news outlet within the DC Universe—one that continues to document the events unfolding across Gotham City.

A key part of Matt Hagen’s story in “Clayface” is his upbringing in Lucas Heights, a rundown Gotham City neighborhood he eventually escapes on his way to becoming a famous actor. His rise gives him the shape of an underdog success story, making his downfall even more tragic. After his face is destroyed and his appearance is lost, Hagen is forced back to the city he worked so hard to leave behind. Yet Gotham is not the only well-known DC location connected to him. At the start of the film, he is living the movie-star lifestyle in Coast City.

DC fans will immediately recognize Coast City as the home of Hal Jordan and a setting closely tied to Green Lantern’s comic book history. The city has also become increasingly important in live-action DC Universe projects. It appeared several times in “Lanterns,” including in a scene where Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart visits a Coast City mansion owned by Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan. With its bright, coastal glamour—evoking a place like Los Angeles—Coast City provides the perfect backdrop for Hagen’s Hollywood-style career in “Clayface.”

If Hagen could have remained in Coast City, his fate might have been very different. Instead, he is pulled back toward Gotham and transformed into another of the city’s infamous villains. At the very least, DC fans get another big-screen glimpse of Coast City.

The scenes featuring Frank Fitzpatrick outside his office contain more than the reference to Sheldon Moldoff. In the background, a street sign points toward a location called “Gotham Docks.” This waterfront area has appeared in countless Batman stories, including several animated projects featuring Clayface. “Batman: The Animated Series” visited the Gotham Docks multiple times, as did the 2004 series “The Batman” and “Young Justice.”

“Batman Begins” also featured the Gotham Docks, underscoring how frequently the location has been used across Batman adaptations. A shipyard is an ideal setting for stories involving Batman: it can conceal illegal shipments, introduce new criminals, or provide a dangerous arena for a confrontation. In “Clayface,” the reference also emphasizes Gotham’s sheer scale. As a dark counterpart to cities such as New York and Chicago—and a contrast to Metropolis’ brighter identity—Gotham is large enough to have its own sprawling docks. It is little wonder that someone like Matt Hagen could become lost there.

Future explicitly Batman-centric stories in the DC Universe could actually take audiences to the Gotham Docks and see what they look like (and how they compare to other non-comics appearances of this location). For now, this “Clayface” background sign will have to suffice.

Club Vesuvius is easily the most happening club in all of Gotham City, if by “happening” you mean a perfect place for supervillains to be born. Matt Hagen makes a fateful trip to this location early in “Clayface” to engage in some celebratory dancing when he unfortunately  sleeps with the girlfriend of mobster Markos Szabo. This leads to Szabo and his men destroying Hagen’s face and sending this actor down the path of becoming Clayface. In the climax of “Clayface,” a super-powered Hagen returns to Club Vesuvius to dish out his idea of justice, slaughtering those who’ve wronged him. The club’s dance floor runs red with blood on that fateful night.

In the comics, Club Vesuvius is no stranger to housing crucial moments for Batman baddies. Specifically, the Batman foe constantly went back to Club Vesuvius as his personal lair (that didn’t last long). Who is to say only nefarious Batman foes can have all the fun at Club Vesuvius, though? Another major DC Comics character, Zatanna, is also often connected to Club Vesuvius, though no reference to her (or Firefly for that matter) appears in “Clayface.” Here, the club just functions as a routine party joint that often appears in gangster movies like “Carlito’s Way.”

That briefly seen and referenced name, though, does ensure Matt Hagen’s new origin story intersects him with a place featuring a rich DC Comics history. Now if only it could be known for more than just inspiring bloodshed and supervillain origins.