Matt Hagen

* Biography
* Threat Assessment
* Trivia and Notes
* Gallery

## Clayface

Basil Karlo, Sondra Fuller, Ethan Bennett, Multiple Others, Patient #61298-M (Aliases)

## Biography

### Matt Hagen: 1920 - 1953

There remains few records of Matthew Vincent Hagen’s childhood and his own memory does little to piece it together. Matt was a resident of Gotham City's Park Row, attending Solomon Wayne Academy. Shortly after he graduated, Matt joined the U.S. Army during World War II, Matt was chosen for a special assignment, making use of his German heritage and acting ability. Matt perfected the accent and was a vital source of intelligence during the war effort. After the war, Matt found civilian life difficult with a short-lived marriage and several arrests from drunken brawls. Seeking to remedy having to be himself, Matt left Gotham and set out for Hollywood. There, Matt used his military record to re-establish himself as an “All-American boy”, gaining critical praise for his parts in several westerns and war films. Within five years, Matt Hagen had become an A-list celebrity, leading man, and heart-throb.

During the peak of his career, Matt’s reckless behavior returned and he became bored with the life of the celebrity version of himself. Vulnerable, the League of Assassins approached him, seeking to recruit him for his Hollywood clout and his past wetwork training. It is unclear what his assignment was, but it was important enough for Ra's al Ghul to dispatch his own daughter, Talia, to oversee Matt’s assignment. After years of proving himself to the League, Matt Hagen simply disappeared, his legacy becoming one of Hollywood’s great mysteries.

But while Matt had turned his back on Hollywood to embrace the covert life of a League Assassin, in truth, Matt did have an ulterior motive; for Matt had learned that his bad-boy lifestyle had caught up to him and he was dying from liver failure. Having seduced Talia while she was his handler, Matt had learned that Talia herself was much older that she appeared, due to some sort of fountain of youth. Matt thought that he had proved himself enough to Ra’s al Ghul to be allowed use of this “enchanted spring” to save his life. Be careful what you wish for…

### Clayface: 1953 - 2016

After finishing with his League training, Matt had an opportunity to discuss the matter with Ra’s al Ghul at a feast thrown in Matt’s honor. Much to Matt’s surprise, Ra’s not only knew about Matt’s terminal condition but also that the actor had been sleeping with not only one, but both daughters of the Demon’s Head. Caught off-guard, Matt was ambushed by Talia and Nyssa who had been previously informed of Matt’s treachery. After a brief hearing, Matt was stripped of his clothing, beaten to within an inch of his life, and allowed use of the thing he had sought.

Matt was chained and weighted before he was tossed into an inert Lazarus Pit the League was prepared to abandon. Trapped below the waters of the pit, however, Matt did not die, as the League has hoped he would. Matt’s body took in what chemicals remained in the inert pit, healing him… over time. However, unable to escape the waters, Matt drowned again and again, suffering painful changes with each death and subsequent rebirth. His mind decayed as did his body. Trapped within the Pit for a decade, his remains became an ooze that fused with the clay and rock at the bottom of the Pit. It took another decade for him to crawl out of the Pit.

Once out, Matt (or what was left of him) discovered he could take on a crude mockery of human form for short durations. By doing so, Matt returned to his home in Hollywood, unaware so much time had transpired. However, the home that was once his then belonged to English actor, Basil Karlo. Finding a monster in his home, Basil attacked Matt. In the brawl, Matt accidentally absorbed Basil, consuming the man’s DNA, memories, and identity. This trend continued for three decades as Matt found the DNA of his victims stabilized his own molecular structure. In 2004, Matt returned to his hometown of Gotham City as FBI Agent Ethan Bennett, a friend of Bruce Wayne from his days in the FBI. Then during the Cataclysm of 2007, Ethan/Matt caught a glimpse of Talia al Ghul… and well, he lost it. Enter Clayface.

## Arkham Files

### Medical Profile

* Patient has no biological signs of note (he does not breathe, have a pulse, exhibit detectable brain activity, etc); but patient does still need to eat, sleep, and rehydrate from time to time to maintain his “health”.

### Metahuman Profile

* Patient's physical from has been irreversibly altered into a clay-like organic matter, enabling him to shapeshift into a variety of forms and even assume human form for shorts periods of time, allowing him to imitate others.

### Psychological Profile

* Patient shows signs of multiple personality disorder, apparently assimilating the memories and identities of some of his victims; notably Basil Karlo, Sondra Fuller, Preston Payne, Todd Russell, Detective Ethan Bennett, & Johnny Williams.

### Behavior Profile

* Patient is responsive to therapy. Keeping him locked in one form and calling him by his given name “Matt” seems to help him recall his former life. We have also great success in an experimental therapy program, surrounding him with other patients he has previously worked with in the movie industry.
	+ NOTICE: Captain Aaron Cash wishes staff would stop taking selfies with this patient. Not only are electronic devices contraband inside the facility, but cameras set the patient off and upsets his progress.
* **Threat Assignment:** Severe
* **Treatment Ranking:** 2-Responsive
* **Intake Interviewer:** Dr. Roy Westerman
* **Assigned Patient Coordinator:** Dr. Alyce Sinner

## Threat Assessment

### Resources

* Shapeshifter
* Highly Resilient
* Enhanced Strength
* Master of Disguise
* Master Infiltrator
* Several lives worth of experiences and knowledge

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* In order to put an inhibitor collar on Clayface you need Freeze-dry him first.
* Clayface is undergoing experimental therapy with Marian Dahl, Peyton Riley and Roxanne Sutton; all former celebrities turned criminals.
* His criminal activity falls under GCPD, FBI, Interpol and ARGUS jurisdiction.
* When he's in Arkham he's kept in the Basement in a Holding Cell.
* In 1997 he absorbed Sondra Fuller into himself. Her son, Chad, witnessed the event and it heavily traumatized him. When Clayface was caught in Gotham Chad flew out with his father and brother to Gotham during the restructuring to confront Clayface at Arkham Asylum. During the visit, Clayface took the form of Sondra Fuller and told Chad and his brother they were loved. Unable to deal with this, Chad walked out of the arranged meeting.

### Notes

* Clayface's Patient number (#61298-M) is a nod to his first comic book appearance (Matt Hagen's): *Detective Comics #298*, in 1961.
* E27's version of Clayface is a composite character of all the comic book versions of Clayface (Matt Hagen, Basil Karlo, Sondra Fuller, etc.). Instead of different characters that have become Clayface, each one is a victim that Matt's has absorbed into himself. As Roy explains: "*No seriously. There were just way too many Clayfaces.*"
* Matt Hagen being part of League of Assassins, dating Talia and being submerged in a Lazarus Pit as a punishment are nods to *Young Justice* tie-in comics to the animated series.

## Gallery

Clayface.jpgClayfaceMatt Hagen.jpgMatt Hagen
## Oracle & Arkham Files

Matt Hagen 1.jpgOracle Files: Matt Hagen 1Matt Hagen 2.jpgOracle Files: Matt Hagen 2Clayface AF.jpgArkham Files: Clayface

## Links and References

* Appearances of Matt Hagen

1. ↑ Oracle Files: Matt Hagen (1/2)
2. ↑ Oracle Files: Matt Hagen (2/2)
3. ↑ Arkham Files: Clayface
4. ↑ Network Files: Chad Fuller 1