It: Welcome to Derry premiered its first episode this past weekend on HBO Max, and, shockingly, it featured an Easter egg teasing a possible future DCU project. The new streaming series is a prequel to the popular Stephen King novel It, which itself was made into a made-for-TV movie in 1990 and a two-part theatrical film in 2017 and 2019. It was that miniseries and a future DCU project that tie the world of Stephen King’s story about a demon posing as a clown to a project involving a very similar villain from the DC Universe who might appear in an upcoming Batman movie.
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The Easter egg in It: Welcome to Derry shows Teddy Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler) lying in bed, reading Detective Comics #298 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff. This was the first issue to feature the Matt Hagen version of Clayface in DC Comics, as he battles Batman on the cover. This might not be a simple Easter egg either. Director Andy Muschietti directed the two It theatrical movies and is back for It: Welcome to Derry. He was also hired to direct the DCU movie The Brave and the Bold, a Batman and Robin film rumored to possibly feature Clayface.
It: Welcome To Derry Teases Possible Batman Rumors
Clayface has already appeared in the DCU, as he was part of the animated Creature Commandos series on HBO Max. However, he is returning in a feature-length movie of his own, an R-rated DCU horror film directed by James Watkins and starring Tom Rhys-Harries as Clayface. Gunn even tweeted about the upcoming film with a photo of the exact same cover seen in It: Welcome to Derry. This also can’t be a coincidence, seeing as how Gunn posted this the same day the HBO Max series dropped it as an Easter egg.
There is a bit of a similarity between Pennywise and Clayface, though, that might explain why Andy Muschietti included it as an Easter egg. Both are villains who can change shape and take on different forms to fool their victims and hide their true identities. However, that is the extent of the comparison, as Gunn mentioned his Clayface is a tragic villain, while Pennywise is a pure evil creation.
That said, this specific first appearance of the Matt Hagen version of Clayface sees him battling Batman and Robin. The fact that Andy Muschietti is directing a Batman and Robin movie and included a Clayface Easter egg in his It streaming series will surely get fans talking about the possibilities. There have already been strong rumors that Clayface could be a villain in The Brave and the Bold, but at the moment, there are only rumors. The movie hasn’t even cast its Batman yet.
There is one other interesting connection, though. The upcoming Clayface movie, set for release on September 11, 2026, is written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. Stephen King fans should recognize Flanagan’s name, as he has directed King movies Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, and just wrapped filming the upcoming Carrie miniseries for Prime Video. The scene could have just been one Stephen King director throwing out an Easter egg to another.
It: Welcome to Derry drops new episodes every Sunday on HBO Max. Clayface arrives in theaters from the DCU on September 11, 2026.
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