|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||
| Feat of Clay: Part I | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 4 | |
| |
| Air date | September 8, 1992 |
| Directed by | Dick Sebast |
| Story by | Marv Wolfman Michael Reaves |
| Teleplay by | Marv Wolfman |
| Music by | Jeff Atmajian Carl Johnson |
| Airdate Sequence | |
| Previous Heart of Ice |
Next Feat of Clay Part II |
| Production Sequence | |
| Previous Prophecy of Doom |
Next Feat of Clay Part II |
"Feat of Clay: Part I" is an episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series. This episode is notorious for introducing the classic Batman villain, Clayface to the show as well as the new villain, Roland Daggett.
"Feat of Clay: Part I" was the 20th episode produced and the fourth episode aired.
Synopsis[]
Matt Hagen, a popular actor becomes addicted to a strange chemical formula developed by Roland Daggett's labs. This chemical gives him the ability to alter his facial features without makeup, keeping his looks so that his public doesn't know he was horribly disfigured in a car accident years ago. But in return for the stuff, Daggett has him play 'roles' that aren't entirely legal. This actions cause the arrest of Bruce Wayne and after a disagreement with Daggett's men, Hagen is overdosed with the formula, transforming his body into a clay monster.
Plot[]
Phony Bruce Wayne
A strange meeting takes place in an abandoned tramway station in Gotham at three o' clock in the morning, between Lucius Fox and Bruce Wayne. Fox gives a suitcase full of evidence to Bruce, which incriminates Roland Daggett in an illegal scheme to take over Wayne Enterprises through insider trading. Bruce, with a rather sinister smile, says he plans to destroy them... and a group of armed henchmen appear from the upper levels of the tramway and try to kill Fox.
Batman springs from the ceiling and stops one of the three thugs, but is stopped short of detaining the remaining two. Wayne, obviously an impostor, escapes, leaving behind a near-fatally wounded Fox, who identifies Bruce as his attacker when he is found by the police.
Matt Hagen
It is revealed that Bruce's impostor is actually Matt Hagen, a famous movie actor. Hagen has developed a serious addiction to "Renuyu", a dangerous experimental chemical developed by Daggett's laboratories, which allows him to reform his facial features into any appearance he wants. The chemical is necessary to cover the disfigurement he suffered in a car accident years before, and which he has kept secret from the public.
After learning of the botched attempt on Fox's life due to Batman's intervention, Daggett orders his henchmen Raymond Bell and "Germs" (a severe mysophobe) to dispose of Hagen. When asked how they will find Hagen, Daggett says that Hagen can be expected to come to them as soon as his supply of Renuyu runs out.
The birth of a monster
True enough, Hagen breaks into Daggett Laboratories and immediately slathers the chemical on his face. When Bell and Germs catch him, Hagen fails to pass himself off as Bruce Wayne. Holding him down on the floor, they pour an entire vat of Renuyu down his throat before placing him inside his car and leaving him for dead.
Turning up Bell's name as one of Daggett's henchman and a likely lead, Batman pursues him in the Batwing and forces him off the road, dumping his car to the river and dangling him high up in the sky by a mechanical arm. Batman demands to know who Fox was meeting, but Bell faints before he can fully confess. Police helicopters arrive and demand that Batman hand Bell over. Batman drops Bell into a swimming pool, which awakens him, and the police arrest him.
Meanwhile, Bruce sneaks into Fox's room in the hospital through the window to clear his name, but Fox, visibly frightened, summons the police guarding his door and Bruce is arrested.
A face of clay
Teddy Lupus, Hagen's stunt double and best friend (also the only other man who knows about his condition), finds Hagen's car in an alley. Approaching, he puts his hand on Hagen's shoulder, only to realize it has a consistency like that of clay. Hagen rises and looks into the rear-view mirror. Seeing that he has become a living golem of clay, he screams in horror.
Cast[]
External Links[]
- "Feat of Clay: Part I" at IMDb
- This article uses material from the Feat of Clay Part I article at the DCAU Wiki and is licensed under the CC BY-SA License.