| Ethan Bennett | |
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Real Name: |
Ethan Bennett |
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Gender: |
Male |
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Color: |
Gray |
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Element: |
Earth |
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Type: |
Mimicry/Brawler |
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Series: |
Batman |
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First appearance: |
The Batman Season 1 Episode 1 (human), The Batman Season 1 Episode 13 (As Clayface) |
Ethan Bennett is a recurring character in The Batman animated series
Character Overview[]
In his debut, Ethan appears as a well respected cop of the Gotham City Policy Department and childhood friend of Bruce Wayne as well as an ally of Batman.
After inhaling The Joker's 'Joker Putty' gas and becomes Clayface, he becomes a reluctant villain unable to cope with his monstrous form fearing that his days as a good citizen and law enforcer had ended for sure
Appearance[]
In human form, he appears as a bald, dark skinned adult of African American descent wearing a white shirt, black tie, pants and suspenders. As Clayface, he appears as a monstrous humanoid with malformed legs and arms, beady green eyes and a light gray texture. A strand of slime sticks to his mouth.
Personality[]
In contrast to Yin's hardened black and white view of the law, Ethan views all in shades of gray which often allows him to see that Batman, although working outside the confines of the law, is genuinely a force of good and often winds up allying with him as a result. When he becomes Clayface, he struggles to hold on to his humanity, although circumstances frustrate him and tend to convince him he is no longer the human, law-abiding cop Ethan, but a freak far removed from humanity.
Special Abilities[]
As first the first Clayface, Ethan possesses the basic slime abilities of shapeshifting, liquefying, hardening, stretching, mass shifting and weapon molding. Ethan's unique makeup allows him to not only assume full shapes but even change texture and coloring to blend in with his surroundings. His fighting style was basic for slime humanoids although he utilized a few stealth elements.
Synopsis[]
Ethan Bennett was one of Bruce Wayne's closest friends from high school, the two usually spending time after school to play rounds of basketball. After graduating, Ethan committed himself to justice by serving as part of the Gotham Police Department and found a reliable partner in Detective Ellen Yin. Ethan was a stalwart supporter of the Batman, recognizing that his vigilantism was what resulted in the capture of several high-profile criminals that the police could not handle. However, his loyalty and everything he stood for would be challenged when Gotham Police Department's Chief Angel Rojas became fed up with the supernatural crooks endangering the city, made simultaneously worse with the vigilante Batman being the only one capable of bringing them in and effectively making his workforce a laughingstock. Thus, he incorporates his "Zero Tolerance for Freaks and Vigilantes", doubling the officers' efforts in apprehending criminals and unmasking Batman. Ethan objects to this, pointing out that they would have more success in taking out repeat offenders like the Joker if they worked more closely with Batman. Rojas instead scoffs it off and threatens to fire him if he acted out of line.
At that time, the Joker was continuing his latest crime spree with a new chemical he concocted called Joker Putty, which turned anything it came into contact with into a gooey substance he could easily mold. When the Batman confronted Joker, a confused Ethan arrived at the scene to confront Batman himself in fear of losing his badge. Upon seeing this strange act, Joker becomes vexxed that Batman was recognized as a potentially worse threat to Gotham than the Clown Prince of Crime. Though Joker's scheme was thwarted, he was not done.