Clayface

Adventurous treasure hunter Matt Hagen stumbled upon a hidden cave containing a mysterious radioactive protoplasm, and after immersing himself in the strange fluid he found he could mold his body into almost any shape or likeness. The catch: he needed to return to the pool regularly to retain his shapeshifting abilities, a compulsion that would define — and endanger — his life as Clayface.

Silver Age villainy doesn't get much more deliciously unsettling than Clayface, who first oozed onto the scene in Batman #159 back in 1963, conjured by the legendary Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff. Over six decades of DC Comics history — from the Silver Age right through to today — this shape-shifting menace has remained one of Gotham's most enduring threats, sharing pages with Bruce Wayne, Batman, Robin, and Alfred Pennyworth across titles like Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and the charming Batman: Li'l Gotham. With a key collector's issue already to their name and appearances stretching across 63 years, Clayface is proof that some villains are simply too compelling for any era to leave behind — a dark, malleable fixture in the mythology of the Dark Knight that rewards both longtime readers and curious newcomers alike.