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Post by johnreiter902 on Jun 16, 2023 12:31:55 GMT
From 1975 through 1976 (Detective Comics #298 to World's Finest #144) Matt Hagen fought Batman and Robin 6 times. Then, suddenly, after World's Finest #144 he disappeared and didn't return as Clayface for 5 years. When he did return briefly in Action Comics #443, it was because he was mind-controlled by the Queen Bee into joining her Anti-Justice League. After that, he disappeared for another 2 years.
Then, in World's Finest #264, Clayface returned. Hagen had discovered a new passageway into the cave with protoplasmic pool, though he discovered that the pool now barely affected him, due to his years of using the synthetic formula. No explanation is given in the story for why he stopped using the formula.
After this, Clayface only appeared twice more, once when Joker called him up to join a team of villains hunting down Killer Croc before Croc could kill Batman (Detective Comics #526) and then in the Villains War during the Crisis, where he died.
Here is my explanation for Clayface's mysterious retirement. We know that years of using the synthetic formula damaged his body so that the original pool barely worked for him. I think it was worse than that. Hagen discovered, shortly after World's Finest #144, that repeated use of the synthetic formula was causing him serious medical problems, and would kill him is he didn't stop. That was why he retired for 5 years. Since he didn't dare use the synthetic formula anymore, he dedicated himself totally to finding another way to get to the original pool and become Clayface again.
The Queen Bee forced him to drink the synthetic formula again. She didn't care about his health, as long as he lived to help her eliminate the Justice League. After World's Finest #264, I suspect Superman sealed the cave again more completely. This would have sent Hagen into a severe depression, knowing he would never get his full powers back. Joker probably used this to manipulate him into becoming Clayface one more time in Detective Comics #526. "After all," he said "you're already dying. Do you want to die as a nobody?"
Luthor and Brainiac may have similarly manipulated or brow-beat Hagen into taking the formula again and becoming Clayface in the Villains War. OTOH, Brainiac probably could have whipped up a perfected version of the formula with no side affects in a few seconds. We'll never know, since Hagen died shortly thereafter.
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Post by redsycorax on Jun 17, 2023 0:43:03 GMT
This does have some interesting implications. Was Hagen addicted to the Clayface formula? Was the use of this process carcinogenic, perhaps (it would be logical to suggest that as an option, given that cancers start out as abnormal cellular growths in particular areas of the body) and that every use of the formula would accelerate the pace of the cancer? The Queen Bee's forced use of the transformative formula would have set up severe cognitive dissonance for Hagen, unless the formula was also addictive. As he seemed inclined to use the formula no matter what the consequences, one would guess that this is also one consequence of its use. In the years when he wasn't Clayface, I suspect that he weaned himself off his transformative formula somehow, or was assisted to do so, but the addictive qualities of the formula were such that he relapsed into addiction to the substance once he was newly exposed. All of which makes Hagen a character of tragic stature in this context. He might be the subject of an interesting story from someone if this context is a legitimate inference...
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Post by DocQuantum on Jun 17, 2023 17:45:08 GMT
I like your reasoning, John. I could see a Crisis-crossover story starring Clayface that puts your theories into story form, with a few flashback sequences taking place over those past years. The story would end in his death at the hands of the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons, during which time he would likely have many regrets
What would Hagen have been up to during those years? Serving time in jail, or doing something else?
There's a 5-year absence of Catwoman in our compressed timeline, too. I have some theories about that.
Also, I think I posted in the Earth-2 Story Ideas thread that some of Clayface's remains could have ended up on Earth-2 after the Earths were separated again, and a character that HarveyKent created could become a new Earth-2 Clayface with Matt Hagen's powers. That character is very similar to the Matt Hagen from the Batman: The Animated Series, which is what made the connection for me.
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Post by johnreiter902 on Jun 25, 2023 23:58:22 GMT
Hagen is clearly fighting the Queen Bee's control in Action Comics #443. In the fight between the Anti-Justice League and Superman, he turns his arms into giant metal clamps and tries to grab Superman. This is a totally futile attack, which does nothing at all, and Superman easily knocks Clayface out. Hagen could have easily turned himself into kryptonite, or into a copy of Superman if he really wanted to try and defeat him. In reality, Hagen wanted Superman to win and save him from the Queen Bee, so when she ordered him to attack, he attacked in the most ineffective way possible.
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