Does The Clayface Trailer Feature A Joker Easter Egg? An Investigation

Warner Bros. and DC Studios are truly off to the races when it comes to the new DC Universe. We had "Superman" last year. James Gunn recently revealed the first set photo from "Man of Tomorrow." This summer brings with it the arrival of "Supergirl." But the fall will see something out of the box in the form of "Clayface," which just debuted its first teaser trailer. Based on the "Batman" villain of the same name, this is unlike anything we've seen from DC on the big screen before.

We recently got our first look at Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen in "Clayface," which hails from James Watkins ("Speak No Evil"). That first look was a little unassuming, as Harries is very much a handsome movie star, which gels with the fact that Hagen is a rising Hollywood movie star before things take a turn. The trailer? Far from unassuming. It promises a full-blown body horror movie that looks like it's going to earn its hard R rating. And this movie has been confirmed as part of the main DCU. 

It also looks like there could be more than one major Batman villain hanging around this particular version of Gotham City.

Admittedly, we're going out on a limb here, but there is a shot in the trailer that brings none other than the Joker to mind. We don't see him in the flesh, nor is the Clown Prince of Crime directly hinted at by any actors in the trailer, but there's just enough to latch onto that leads us to believe that either Watkins and the filmmakers wanted people to at least think of the Joker. Hardcore DC fans at the very least.

At around the 35-second mark of the "Clayface" teaser trailer, we see a figure walking down a creepy hallway. In the background, we see a creepy clown on an ad for an amusement park of some sort, advertising "Excitement & thrills this way!"

Again, this does not explicitly tie to any existing Joker lore in the pages of DC Comics or from any other place in the franchise, to the best of my knowledge. However, it's easy to imagine this theme park as the kind of place Joker would set up shop. Case in point, "Batman: The Killing Joke," which became an R-rated animated movie in 2016, features an abandoned, derelict amusement park as the Joker's lair where he takes his victims.

This bright, creepy sign in the trailer strongly evokes the imagery from "The Killing Joke," even if it's not a direct reference to it. Another part of the trailer shows a Gotham City Police car, so we know the movie is set on Batman's turf. Wherever Batman is, the Joker isn't far behind him. It's very, very easy to imagine a version of the Joker occupying the world that this trailer is teeing up.

It's important to note that, as of right now, the new DC Universe being put together by James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-heads of DC Studios, doesn't currently have a Batman. Gunn has given a clear answer as to whether Robert Pattinson will be Batman in the DCU. That answer is no. "The Batman" and the upcoming "The Batman Part II" take place in their own universe.

So, in theory, if there is a Joker Easter egg in "Clayface," it's hinting at a new Joker we haven't met yet.

While James Gunn has brought characters from "The Suicide Squad" into the DCU, it's highly unlikely that Jared Leto's Joker is part of that package, as he's firmly connected to Ben Affleck's Batman. Instead, this would probably be the Joker, who is associated with the new DC Universe's Batman, who has yet to be cast.

The plan is to introduce the new Batman in "The Brave and the Bold," which Andy Muschietti ("The Flash") is attached to direct. Plans for the DC Universe have shifted since the initial announcement, but that particular movie is still in development, so far as we know. It's just unlikely to happen until after "The Batman Part II" hits theaters next year. And let's not forget that Barry Keoghan ("Eternals") is the Joker in Robert Pattinson's universe.

We should also point out that Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck from "Joker" and "Joker: Folie à Deux" is almost certainly off the table here. Not only did the sequel's ending close the character's arc, but "Joker: Folie a Deux" also flopped at the box office and was panned by critics and audiences alike. WB is certainly content to leave well enough alone there. 

All of this to say, it feels highly unlikely that Gunn would let director James Watkins introduce the new Joker in this particular movie. An Easter egg that suggests he exists in this universe and will show up at some point? That's another thing entirely. The synopsis for the movie reads as follows:

"Clayface" unravels one man's horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one's identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition.

"Clayface" hits theaters on October 23, 2026.