Yvonne Frances, a popular actress around New York, especially in the Gotham District, was heading back home after another day of shooting for the latest movie she was starring in. She honestly preferred being at home over the movie studio, finding more comfort and sanctuary there.
However, as she was about to open the front door and head inside, a shadowy figure loomed behind her, causing her to turn around and gasp when she saw who it was.
"Y-You!"
Before she could react, the figure struck her over the head hard enough to knock her unconscious before gently picking her up and carrying her away to parts unknown...
MIRACULOUS
"WHAT?! Yvonne Frances has been kidnapped?!" Rose gasped as Marinette and her friends were sitting down for lunch at school.
"The police are doing everything they can to find out where she is. Apparently, the last person who saw her was her co-worker, Basil Karlo." Adrien noted.
"Basil Karlo...the famous villain actor?" Nino asked excitedly. "I love that guy! He was awesome in Scourge of the Sea!"
"Don't forget the Mold-Murder series!" Mary jane added in, ever the theatre lover.
"Didn't Karlo get into that accident that messed up his face?" Sabrina asked, as he and Chloe had been slowly integrating themselves into Marinette's friend group. It was a slow process, especially for Chole, but it was a coming along, mostly thanks to Bruce sharing embarrassing stories of lil Chole and Adrian.
"Yeah, but from what I've heard, he's been doing pretty okay," Juleka said. "I mean, he made the look work in 'It Came From Below'."
"Kind of cheesy, if you ask me." Chole added in. "Daddy and I prefer his theatre works."
"hey! Cheesy can be good!" Peter cut in, getting nods of approval and thanks from Adrian and Nino before his mood dampened. "…But he was kind of a jerk off set, from what I've heard. May and Ben saw him live once and…"
He shuddered at the memory of them coming hom after that night; Ben being annoyed to the point of near anger and May looking disappointed her favorite actor was, apparently, so full of himself.
…If only he'd recalled that on that fateful night.
"Tiger?" Mary Jane asked. "You okay?"
Startled, Peter recomposed himself.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry guys just…memories."
No one needed to ask what brought their resident jokester down and moved the subject along to the upcoming quiz.
Bruce had been listening in. He had heard about the news earlier this morning and, being the inquisitive sort he was, couldn't help but find something suspicious. Perhaps he'd have to visit Karlo in person to get to the bottom of this...
"take your seats and pull out a clean sheet of paper, the quiz starts now."
…right after Math class.
MIRACULOUS
At Big Shot Cinemas, shooting for the final battle of the upcoming new movie were underway but mysteriously, Yvonne, who was playing the love interest of the hero, was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, where could she even be?!" The Director bemoaned as the shoot was put on hold. "It's not like her to be late!"
"Didn't you hear, sir? She was kidnapped last night, right out of her home." The production assistant said as she handed the director a newspaper he looked at in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?! Why wasn't I informed of this?!"
"You were too busy getting ready for the shoot, sir..."
The director let out a groan of frustration as he went to the coffee room to get a drink. As he was busy doing that, a shadowy figure loomed behind him as he turned and his eyes widened in shock.
"What are you doing here?"
The figure said nothing and reached into his jacket pocket before taking out a pistol. The director tensed before relaxing, figuring it was a prop gun from the set.
"Very funny, I know how much you get immersed in your roles. Just put that away before someone gets the wrong-"
A gunshot was heard as the director's eyes widened in shock, looking down to see a bloody hole beginning to form in his chest before he coughed, feeling the life drain from him rapidly as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed. The figure then took out a flask of gasoline and poured it over the body before taking out a match and lighting it...
MIRACULOUS
"So where do you think Basil Karlo could even be?" Spider-Man asked as he swung on his webs while Batman glided across the rooftops.
"The way I see it, he might be at Big Shot Cinemas."
"You sure we couldn't get Ladybug and Chat Noir in on this?"
"This is a little above their usual expertise. Besides, they still need time after what happened with Dillon."
Spider-Man winced at that before his Spider-Sense suddenly blared to life and smoke entered his nostrils. Batman discovered the same thing as him just a second later; Big Shot Cinemas was burning to the ground. Firefighters and police were on the scene but the two heroes didn't want to take any chances.
Rushing inside, they looked around for anybody who could possibly still be trapped inside. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anybody in the building or they at least had been safely evacuated.
After double-checking the building before it collapsed, the two heroes made it outside to see Commissioner Gordon getting a report from the production assistant. The paramedics were also there, carrying a body on a gurney.
"I don't know what happened. I heard a gunshot and then before I could investigate, there was fire and it was spreading so fast..."
"Only one fatality, Commissioner," Bullock said as he came over. "The director. Poor guy was burned to a crisp but it looked like he was dead before the fire started."
"That must have been the gunshot..." Gordon noted before noticing Batman making his way over. "Batman, glad to see you here. Did you find anything before the place went up?"
"No. Fortunately, nobody else was left in the building." The Dark Knight said. "I heard what happened and I have a feeling that this, plus Yvonne's kidnapping, are connected."
"Coincidence?" Gordon hummed. "But how could those two be part of the same crime?"
"I don't know. Spider-Man and I were going to speak with Basil Karlo, the last person to see Yvonne before she was taken."
"'Fraid you might be too late for that, Bats," Bullock said gruffly. "Basil Karlo was found dead early this morning."
Batman and Spider-Man's eyes widened in disbelief. It seemed that there was more to this mystery than meets the eye...
MIRACULOUS
The shadowy figure that had kidnapped Yvonne and killed the director before burning down Big Shot Cinemas was busy looking at himself in a mirror, humming a small tune as he massaged his face like he was molding clay.
"W-Where am I?"
Turning, the shadowy figure looked to see Yvonne in bed with a handcuff keeping her chained. They were currently in a warehouse full of props and set pieces for the new movie that was supposed to be shooting.
"Glad to see you awake, my dear. The show is about to begin very soon..."
Yvonne's eyes widened as she saw the figure's face, recognizing who he was.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Would you believe a good old-fashioned revenge story?" The figure chuckled. "Forgive me, my dear...but we still need one more actor for this play...THE HERO."
MIRACULOUS
Batman and Spider-Man were visiting the morgue to check on Basil Karlo's body. Fortunately, they were allowed permission by Gordon, despite the hesitance of some of the folks at GCPD.
"He looks so peaceful. What could have killed him?" Spider-Man wondered.
"No idea...wait."
Batman took some tweezers from his utility belt and then pinched a bit of Karlo's face, watching in amazement as it seemed to stretch and sag like silly putty. Using Detective Vision, he looked over the body and his eyes widened in shock.
"…Okay, that right there?" Spidey noted. "That is just creepy."
"I don't think Mr. Karlo is as dead as we think he is..." Batman noted in return.
MIRACULOUS
"So, what did you bring us out here for?" Ladybug asked as Batman and Spider-Man had called for her and Chat Noir.
"Basil Karlo might still be alive...and if my hunch is correct, he's the one who kidnapped Yvonne Frances and killed the director," Batman explained.
"What?! But why would he do that?!" Chat Noir asked.
"I don't know. But we need to figure it out soon." Spider-Man said. "Something tells me that we're in the third act of this crazy play."
Suddenly, a scream was heard as the four heroes moved to investigate, seeing a shadowy figure dragging a man into a car before hurriedly getting in and driving away.
"Quickly! After him!"
The four quickly raced after the car, keeping a close eye on it. Whoever was driving seemed to be aware he was being followed, as he took many sharp turns to try and confuse the heroes and lose the trail.
Seeing what was going on, Batman signaled for his allies to hold back, making the driver think that they had stopped chasing them while still following from a safe distance. Soon, they came across Warehouse 40, one of the storage places for Big Shot Cinemas' many props and stage effects.
"Be ready, everyone. Something tells me we're in for a surprise twist." Batman silently quipped.
MIRACULOUS
Theodore 'Teddy' Lupus, an old friend of Basil Karlo and the one who was signed on to play the Hero for the new movie woke up to find himself strapped to a chair. Struggling, he soon heard footsteps and saw a shadowy figure approaching him.
"Glad to see you awake, Lupus..."
"That voice...Karlo?" Teddy asked in surprise. "Karlo! You're alive! W-What are you doing?"
"Simple, Teddy...to reverse the roles." Basil Karlo explained, his face shrouded in shadows. "You know as well as I do that I was always the perfect villain for every movie that we made. And I admit...they were the best parts I ever had."
"And what? You're trying to be the villain for real?" Teddy asked worriedly. "This seems to be going too far."
"You didn't let me finish, Lupus," Karlo said coldly. "Despite all the hit roles I had, I just wanted to be the Hero for once...just ONCE. And you agreed with me, you were always my guy. You managed to convince that stupid director to let us change roles for this one movie..."
"And then you had your accident..." Teddy said sadly.
Karlo nodded. "Yes, I figured I was lucky to be alive. Just as lucky as I thought I was when the director got that surgeon to see if they could maybe fix up the damage in time for the role.
Teddy remembered as well as Karlo did. The director had called in a professional surgeon and chemist known as Jack Elman who had invented a new formula that could do in minutes what plastic surgery would normally take years to accomplish.
"And it worked, didn't it? After that, you had some of the best hits you ever had!" Teddy smiled.
"Yes...all VILLAIN roles." Karlo said bitterly. "Despite the miracle I had been given, the director didn't think I was ready for the role of Hero. Said I was...UNSTABLE."
"B-Basil, he was just looking out for ya!" Teddy tried to retort in a friendly manner. "You and I both knew that the formula still had a few issues that needed time to fix!"
But Basil wasn't listening
"He robbed me of the chance to ever get the chance to use my gift for anything meaningful!" Karlo snarled. "I was given a miracle: I could change my face to play a thousand parts with but a moment and a thought! But all he ever saw me as was the perfect villain idol!"
"Come on, Karlo. I had nothing to do with the casting!" Teddy argued. And this seemed to have some affect, as Basil's anger vanished, replaced with…exhaustion and acceptance?
"It doesn't matter, Lupus. What's done is done...I killed Elman and made him look like me to cover my tracks...then I killed that bastard director and burned the place down."
"T-That was you?!"
"Yes...and I also brought in our dear Yvonne...to play the role she was always great at."
Teddy turned to see Yvonne strapped to a slab, a pendulum axe swinging back and forth, lowering slightly with each swing.
"Karlo, you don't have to do this!"
"Maybe you're right...but I just want this one thing..."
Karlo then stepped fully into the light, revealing his face to a horrified Teddy; it was melted, like clay exposed to heat, his mouth in a perpetual snarl and one of his eyes was sagging.
"I want to be the Hero...disfigurement or not. And YOU are going to help me play that part...by being the VILLAIN!"
"Sorry, but this is a pretty bad casting choice!"
Karlo turned around to see Batman, Spider-Man, Ladybug, and Chat Noir crashing down from the glass ceiling and landing together in a pose.
"How did you find me?!"
"It wasn't hard, you left us a trail to follow," Batman said. "Give it up, Karlo. It's time you cut the act and turn yourself in."
"No! This act is still not finished!" Karlo snarled. "It's time for the grand finale!"
Karlo then pulled a tarp to reveal a large vat full of the very same chemical that Elman had used to give him his face-changing ability.
"I was planning on giving Lupus the very same disfigurements as me so he could better look the part of the role I wanted for him," Karlo said. "But I see no reason in letting you share in my suffering!"
"Sheesh, talk about bad acting!" Spider-Man noted. "You're just throwing a tantrum because you didn't get the role you wanted!"
'I'd honestly be grateful if one of my gigs fell through, honestly.' Chat Noir thought to himself; he didn't dare speak his mind here, what with this being his and Ladybug's first fight with a genuine psycho/sociopath.
Karlo hooked up a hose to the vat and prepared to fire it at the heroes but Batman threw a Batarang to hurt his hands and make him drop the hose. Ladybug rushed over to Yvonne and saw the pendulum trap coming lower and lower.
"Not to be a prima donna, but could you maybe hurry up and get me out of here?" The actress begged, trying to not sound ungrateful but understandably scared.
"Working on it!" Ladybug said. "LUCKY CHARM!"
Creating a ladybug-printed filer, Ladybug got to work in cutting through the bonds while Chat Noir moved to untie Teddy from his chair.
"Come on, let's get you out of here!"
Spider-Man and Batman were confronting Karlo, who picked up a prop axe to use as a makeshift weapon against them. However, the two heroes were too nimble for him to hit.
"Man! If your fighting is as bad as your acting, no wonder the director couldn't have you play the Hero!" Spider-Man taunted.
"SHUT UP!" Karlo shouted as he raised his axe high for a heavy strike.
The two heroes dodged out of the way and Karlo's axe ended up hitting the vat of chemicals instead, causing them to explode and spray all over him as he screamed in pain and agony.
"KARLO!" Teddy called out in concern for his old co-worker.
"Come on, we need to go!"
Ladybug had managed to completely cut Yvonne free and pull her to safety just as the pendulum trap closed in. The two then joined Teddy and Chat Noir in escaping the warehouse as Batman and Spider-Man moved to check on Karlo...only for their eyes to widen when they saw nothing but his clothes and a melted puddle of brown slime.
"Geez...remind me never to get that stuff at the local pharmacy..."
Batman shook his head as he and Spider-Man left the warehouse to make sure Yvonne and Teddy were safe, not knowing that the brown slime was moving and oozing around before slithering into a nearby grate and sinking away...
MIRACULOUS
"Man, hard to believe Basil Karlo would do that..." Nino sadly said as he read the news. "But at least Yvonne and Lupus are okay."
"Yeah, thanks to Ladybug, Chat Noir, Batman, and Spider-Man!" Alya beamed. "Good to know we can always count on them to be the heroes we need."
Bruce, Peter, Marinette, and Adrien were listening to their friends talk about the recent events and smiled, glad to see their hero identities had, for better or for worse, done a good job keeping the city safe.
MIRACULOUS
The brown sludge slithered through the sewers weakly and feebly before stopping. Soon, it began growing in size before taking on a humanoid shape, black eyes forming on the face followed by a jagged skeletal mouth with clawed fingers. Gasping for breath, the clay creature looked at himself and gasped before turning to see his reflection in the water...
...and was unable to hold back the scream of utter anguish at what he had become.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
I tried to combine Clayface's portrayals from both Batman: TAS and the new Caped Crusader show. I don't think I did a good job though...
Mrotrax A/N:
You did a great job, buddy! Mixing the OG Clayface from the oldest comics and the new TV show with Matt Hagen from the animated series in a way even better than I could've dreamed of.
A darker, more noire esque chapter after the tragedy of Electro is a nice choice, and I do like how Bats and Spidey initially kept Ladybug and Chat out of this case, since…as noted, Karlo is probably the first true Pyscho/sociopath the heroes have faced. But of course, he will not be the last.
Of course, you readers all realize this means….Clayface WILL Return.
Stay safe until next time!