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You don't get it, do you? Joker didn't just melt my skin, he melted my mind! I am a freak, inside and out! And Chief Rojas has zero-tolerance for the likes of me!
„
~ Clayface to Ellen Yin before trying to kill Rojas.
“
Look, here's the problem as I see it. Being Ethan Bennett is hard. Really hard. Being Clayface is cake. So say your goodbyes. This is the last you'll ever see of him. Now step aside, or I'll mash you both. Mash anyone who gets in my way!
„
~ Ethan deciding to throw away his old identity and embrace his Clayface persona.
Ethan Bennett, better known as Clayface, is a major antagonist in the 2004 show The Batman. Though he starts off as a supporting protagonist who is also Bruce Wayne's friend, he becomes a villain after he inhales putty made by the Joker, though he redeems himself later on.
At first, Ethan was a respected cop who viewed Batman as a hero to Gotham. He would even avoid catching Batman, despite his job as a police officer asking him too. However, Clayface held a vengeful side, as shown when he tried to kill his boss for firing him and when tried to kill the Joker to get revenge for causing his mutation, Batman would have to stop him, reminding Clayface that killing doesn't solve anything. Ethan does have better control over his abilities later on.
Biography[]
Past[]
Ethan used to be best friends with Bruce Wayne. As kids, they once got lost in the natural history museum and were also on the basketball team in high school. When they grew up ,Ethan became a cop while Bruce became CEO of Wayne Enterprises.
Ethan is first seen telling Chief Rojas that Batman beat Rupert Thorne and his thugs. the chief gives Ethan a new Partner and tells him to start hunting for Batman. They learn that a criminal known as the Joker has realized the Arkham inmates and rush to lend a hand. Ethan sees Batman but escapes before he could catch him. He later meets Bruce and Alfred Pennyworth. He and Yin track down Batman and Joker fighting on a hot air balloon and then send the clown to Arkham after his defeat.
The two cops later hear of a criminal named Bane causing damage in the city and find out that Batman has been injured. With Batman injured, Bane continued his rampage, making it harder for the police to stop him. Eventually, Ethan sees Batman well with a Bat Bot suit, and it is revealed that Yin got injured, so Ethan let Batman fight and defeat Bane.
Ethan and Yin later investigate a series of robberies committed by birds. They are then seen coming to Bruce's party to check out the matter and discover that birds stole jewelry from a woman. Its discovered that the thief was Penguin and his Kabuki Twins. Batman stops him and then plays basketball with Ethan the following day.
Ethan and Yin later chase Batman after he stopped a criminal, coming across Wayne Enterprises. They come across Wayne Enterprises where they see bats. Ethan jokes saying Bruce is Batman but Yin says they want to have a look anyway. Together, they find Dr. Langstrom working on a formula to be the ultimate Bat in Gotham. The two then leave him to his work. Later langstrom becomes Man Bat and goes on a rampage. Bennett and Yin try to stop him beliving Langstron is Batman. The Man Bat kidnaps Ethan and leaves Batman to chase him. Batman saves Ethan beating Man-Bat and putting him in Arkham.
Later, Ethan and Yin are seen investigating a crime caused by Mr. Freeze. During Batman's battle with him, the detectives arrive to see Freeze get away. Yin tries to peek behind the mask, but Batman escapes. Later as Batman fights freeze and beats him Ethan says "Batman is his type of criminal.
One night, he was lured into a trap by Joker and planed to be tossed in the river along with every other powerful authority in Gotham. Thankfully, Batman saved them and sent Joker to Arkham.
As Clayface[]
When Joker escapes Arkham a third time, Chief Rojas demands Batman be captured to give the police a good name. Ethan protested, defending Batman as an asset to the city and credited him with helping to capture Joker. In response, an infuriated Rojas threatened to suspend Ethan, and told him to figure out where his loyalties lain.
Ethan decided to prove that he's a good cop, and attempted to take down Batman. Ethan then saw Batman fighting Joker and his new henchmen Punch & Judy, where he Batman to stop, which Batman told Ethan they are allies. Joker however got away during the chaos, and Rojas told Ethan to step up his efforts or else he would be fired. Ethan later has coffee with Bruce, and tells him about the stress Gotham PT puts on him. He tells Bruce he should meet Yin, but he gets a call saying Joker is on the loose, Tracking the criminal down, Ethan tries to arrest the Joker, but Punch manages to be him into submission and allows Ethan to be kidnapped by the Joker. While kidnapped, the supervillain proceeds to torture him and tries to use his Joker putty on him, but is stopped when Batman arrives. He later gets freed by Yin as Batman and Joker fight. Rojas tells the press that Joker's arrest was all done thanks to the police force, and Ethan calls him out on this, telling him Batman saved his life. After hearing that comment, Rojas suspends Ethan as a cop, much to his sadness. After returning home, he tries to take a shower, but his skin starts to melt.
Ethan learns that his body has become formed with clay. He rushes outside for help but people mistake him for a monster. Ethan was attacked by the police, who used a fire hose to wash him down a drain. Ethan then kidnapped Rojas and attempted to kill him, but was foiled by Batman and Yin. Ethan demonstrated his ability to shape shift and mimic voices, and claimed that he could be anyone that he chose. Yin and Batman tried to reason with him, but Ethan claimed that Joker "didn't just melt my body, he melted my mind. I'm a freak inside and out!" After a fight with Batman, Clayface nearly killed him, but was stopped by Yin, who begged him not to cross the line and get blood on his hands. Clayface turned back into Ethan, and commented that he never thought he'd see Yin defend Batman, before he sadly asked: "Yin, what's become of us?" before he allowed himself to melt down a drain. During a talk between Bruce and Yin in a diner, Ethan appeared for a few seconds, and the two ran after him. However, Ethan disappeared before they could find him. They commented: "He could be anywhere. He could be anyone..."
Later on Clayface went to Arkham Asylum to kill Joker in revenge. However Joker did not know who Clayface even was, but Batman stopped him by freezing him in place, unfortunately letting Joker escape from Arkham. Clayface later went on trial for his crimes, with Professor Hugo Strange giving him a clean bill of mental health. Ethan was put on probation: if he used his powers again, he would be put back in Arkham. Clayface became Ethan Bennett again, and got a job from his best friend, Bruce Wayne. His job went rough due to people mistaking him to be a crimnal still.
When Joker broke out of Arkham to wreak chaos, Ethan became determined to save others from his fate, and became Clayface again in an attempt to stop the Clown Prince of Crime. At first, he and Batman worked together to bring the crazed super-villain down, but after Batman confronted him for his violation of court orders, Ethan felt betrayed and nearly killed Batman until Joker convinced him to become a criminal. He became Clayface permanently and was put back at Arkham. Bruce and Yin then watched him in Arkham sadly learning that Ethan was no more.
The next Halloween, Clayface resurfaced as one of Gotham's most famous urban legends: The Swamp Zombie, Solomon Grundy. According to a local legend, 150 years ago, the founders of Gotham City dumped their construction waste into the lake, polluting it and turning it into the swamp it became known as. Seeking revenge, the construction workers used black magic, combined with the rare lunar eclipse of Halloween night, to create the Swamp Zombie that would leave the founders destitute. But Grundy's rage wouldn't stop there, and the legend states that he would return to haunt the descendants of the founders and bring about their ancestor's fate. Using this as a cover, Clayface disguised himself as Grundy and attack the founders, intent on taking their money. As pointed out by Batman, no one would think to look for the look in the swamp, and with everyone looking for Grundy, Clayface would walk away with a fortune. Batman tracked his former friend to the final founding descendant, the owner of the Gotham Wax Museum. The two battled once again, ending with Batman dumping hot wax and encasing Clayface sending him back to Arkham.
The Batman Strikes[]
Ethan later was incorporated (to a limited extent) into The Batman Strikes! comic book series after his appearance in the show. In the comic book, Clayface pulled a stunt similar to turning into Solomon Grundy and turned into Catwoman to frame her for his robberies. Afterward, Clayface began a series of "copycat crimes" based on cases that he solved as a detective and fought Batman nearly killing him causing him to tell the hero that Ethan is no more. In "Hit and Run", he turned into Joker and stole the Batmobile to get Batman to find Joker's hideout so that he could get his revenge. In "Escape," Clayface was manipulated by Hugo Strange to steal a chip that would help him get rid of the "voices" in his head. However, Strange used it to control him, and turned him into a giant that was designed to wreak havoc on the city. He was eventually freed by Batman, and the two worked together and stopped Strange. Batman vocied hope that Ethan could be curred one day.
Trivia[]
Ethan Bennett remembers the character of Two-Face, as like him he was a good friend of Bruce Wayne and a supporter of Batman and later became a supervillain. In particular he closely resembles the Nolanverse version of Two-Face because, like the latter, he has been turned into an antagonist by the Joker. However, unlike Two-Face, Ethan ultimately redeems himself.
Gallery[]
Concept art/Model sheet by Tom Perkins
Ethan melts into his Clayface state.
Ethan spying from the sewers.
Ethan reshapes himself.
Ethan corners Rojas.
Ethan uses his shapeshifting powers to escape from Batman.
Ethan reveals himself as Ellen Yin in Rojas' home.
Clayface swallows Joker's money bag upon fully turning into a villain.
Ethan poorly disguised as a beefier police officer.
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