IT Prequel Welcome to Derry Sneaks In Gritty R-Rated Batman Movie Easter Egg Ahead of 2026 Premiere

Well, that was fast. The very first episode of IT: Welcome to Derry drops a blink-and-you-miss-it comic book deep cut, and DC fans are already connecting dots to Andy Muschietti's Batman movie and that Clayface project slated for 2026. And honestly, the clue is too specific to be random.

The comic on the table

In the premiere, the kid, Teddy, is seen reading Detective Comics #298. That issue, published in 1961, is the first appearance of the shape-shifting Clayface most people know from later Batman stories — the Matt Hagen version. (If you want to get picky, the original Clayface, Basil Karlo, showed up way earlier in Detective Comics #40, but Hagen is the gooey morphing villain everyone pictures.)

Welcome to Derry is set in 1962, so the comic lines up with the timeline. And thematically, it clicks too: Clayface changes faces; Pennywise changes faces. That parallel is a little on-the-nose in a fun way.

Is Muschietti teeing up his Batman villain?

Here is where this gets interesting. Andy Muschietti is one of the developers behind Welcome to Derry and is also set to direct The Brave and the Bold for the DCU. So a Clayface nod turning up in his horror prequel feels... pointed. Add in the corporate ecosystem — the show and DC Studios both live under Warner Bros. — and you can see why people think this is purposeful table-setting, not just a neat prop choice.

It also arrives right as the standalone Clayface movie is reportedly aiming for 2026. Then James Gunn hopped online and did this, which only poured gasoline on the theories:

'Happy Anniversary to the perennially misunderstood villain, Clayface. Can’t wait for you to see @TomRhysHarries bring him to life on the big screen!'

— James Gunn, October 26, 2025

Between Muschietti planting a Clayface-heavy Batman issue and Gunn publicly cheerleading the character (and name-dropping Tom Rhys Harries), it really does feel like coordinated hype — or at least a very happy coincidence that looks like one.

More DC breadcrumbs in the pilot

• The Flash #123: Teddy flips through 'The Flash of Two Worlds' at the dinner table. That 1961 comic is the one that introduced the DC multiverse, which later became the backbone of a lot of DC storytelling. Conveniently, Muschietti directed The Flash movie, so that choice reads like a wink.
• A Superman ad: There is a subtle Supes advertisement tucked in, reinforcing the 60s comics boom vibe and the broader DC connective tissue.
• Detective Comics #298 again: Beyond the thematic shapeshifting rhyme with Pennywise, it grounds the show in its 1962 setting and quietly keeps Batman lore in the conversation.

The read

Could this all be clever set dressing with no larger plan? Sure. But the timing, the issue choice, and the people involved make it feel deliberate. If Clayface ends up headlining Muschietti's The Brave and the Bold, we will all point back to Teddy's comic as the first breadcrumb.

IT: Welcome to Derry is now streaming in the US on Max. Did you catch the Clayface issue on your first watch, or did it sneak by you like a red balloon in the background?