James Gunn’s Chapter One of many DCU continues to broaden after Superman’s summer season blockbuster efficiency, and each new DC film mission is beneath the microscope. One of the vital talked-about titles is the upcoming Clayface film and, upon one other batch of DCU set pictures hitting the online, some are satisfied they’d discovered a touch that Robert Pattinson’s Batman might be folded into the better DCU. With that, Gunn is now talking out about it.
A just lately shared set picture reveals a pink dumpster with a bat sticker slapped to its aspect. Followers rapidly famous that the sticker resembles the symbol design of Pattinson’s model of Batman, resulting in theories about its implications for the DC Universe’s Caped Crusader. James Gunn responded on Threads after a fan prompt that the “Battinson” sign signifies a merging of continuities. He wrote:
Though the trash can is from the set I’ve a tough time believing the bat was put there by the artwork division, but when so it by no means got here throughout my desk (I haven’t got time to okay every bit of set dressing.
The precise query from the fan was, “James, persons are saying the merge is occurring after seeing the battinson emblem on the Clayface set. Nonetheless i don’t assume u guys would affirm one thing this large like this proper?”
And, truthful sufficient. Gunn gave an easy reply that does not go away a lot doubt. In addition to, the co-DC government has had a busy 2025 film launch schedule, penned Peacemaker Season 2 and is now gearing as much as start work on the formally introduced Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow. With that type of workload, it’s laborious to think about Gunn has time to supervise one thing as small as a bat sticker on a dumpster. In different phrases, the dumpster is an actual set dressing; the bat icon seemingly isn’t an intentional breadcrumb from DC Studios.
The Tremendous filmmaker’s rationalization in regards to the leaked picture seemingly gained’t cease the fan theories, after all. Proper now, the DCU is in that electrical section the place each mission seems like a possible puzzle piece.
Clayface is particularly ripe for hypothesis, not solely as a result of the character is new to this period however as a result of his film reportedly leans into physique horror and looks like it may sit beside Matt Reeves’ tackle the Darkish Knight. Possibly an overzealous set dresser added the bat emblem to the trash can as a playful nod—or it was merely the one bat image readily available. Both method, Gunn clearly doesn’t need the Web connecting these dots.
For many who don’t know, Clayface is predicated on a script that Mike Flanagan offered to DC, and the powers that be allegedly gushed over it, spurring the mission into manufacturing. Early reporting framed it as a grotesque, R-rated physique horror film set throughout the DC Universe, and the set pictures up to now have been fairly intense. Nonetheless, many followers have puzzled on which continuity this movie occupies, whether or not it sits outdoors the mainline DCU or is a DC Elseworlds story within the vein of Pattinson’s The Batman and its upcoming sequel, Joker, and Joker: Folie á Deux.
Nonetheless issues shake out, the Slither screenwriter has supplied a little bit of “bat” readability. Whereas it gained’t finish the hypothesis (as a result of nothing does) it does reset expectations. If and when the DCU decides to bridge worlds with Pattinson’s Batman or casts its personal tackle the Gotham Vigilante, it seemingly gained’t be by means of a thriller decal on a dumpster. It’ll in all probability come through an official announcement, which is much extra in James Gunn’s model.
Till then, DC followers will certainly hold the theories enjoyable. The subsequent entry within the mainline continuity is Supergirl, which hits the 2026 film schedule on June 26, adopted by Clayface on September 11.