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DCU Stars From ‘Superman’ Turn Up at the ‘Clayface’ Premiere, and Fans Are Already Connecting the Dots

ByHrvoje Milakovic Published on
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Superhero red carpets are never just about the outfits. Every familiar face in the crowd sets off fan theories, and the ‘Clayface’ premiere in Los Angeles was no exception.

The timing makes it more interesting. James Gunn has confirmed that ‘Clayface‘ is the first film in DCU chronological order, which makes it a prequel to everything seen so far, including ‘Superman’, ‘Supergirl’, ‘Peacemaker’ and ‘Creature Commandos’. That means any crossover moment, even a red carpet one, carries extra weight for a fanbase that loves to hunt for connections.

This time, 2 DCU actresses were spotted at the event. The performers behind The Engineer and Eve Teschmacher in ‘Superman’, María Gabriela de Faría and Sara Sampaio, turned up at the premiere, and photos of both made the rounds online on Wednesday.

Sampaio plays Eve Teschmacher, Lex Luthor’s assistant, who has often been written as his love interest in the comics. The Portuguese actress and model is best known for her Victoria’s Secret work and the rom-com ‘At Midnight’. The character was created by Richard Donner and Mario Puzo for the 1978 film ‘Superman’, where Valerie Perrine originated the role.

De Faría, a Venezuelan actress known for ‘The Moodys’ and ‘Animal Control’, plays The Engineer, also known as Angela Spica. The character has a liquid metal body thanks to nanites in her bloodstream, and she was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch for The Authority in 1999. De Faría has said the part was very physical, and not just because of the character’s look in the comics.

Both are part of a film that opened to $125 million domestically and went on to become the highest-grossing superhero movie of 2025 with $618.7 million worldwide. That success is a big reason fans pay close attention whenever its cast shows up at a DCU event.

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Probably not much, at least on paper. Neither actress appears in the official cast list for ‘Clayface’, which is led by Tom Rhys Harries alongside Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. Showing up at a premiere is not evidence of a role in the film.

Still, the DCU has trained its audience to look for hidden links. Set photos from the production reportedly showed references to The Joker, Black Canary, Zatanna and Sionis Industries, which is exactly the kind of detail that keeps shared-universe theories alive.

The premiere and a series of screenings also produced the first wave of social media reactions. The early consensus is that genre fans will be very happy, with viewers calling the R-rated body horror brutal, gruesome and unsettling. Harries drew heavy praise, while at least 1 viewer felt the story and some odd choices make it a strange fit for a DCU still finding its identity.

Those reactions came largely from fan-oriented outlets, and the official review embargo does not lift until October 21. The film opens in theaters on October 23, ahead of the rest of the ‘Superman’ crowd’s next big outing.

Box office expectations are modest but healthy. Boxoffice Pro’s early tracking projects a domestic opening of $23 million to $33 million against a reported budget of $40 million, compared with the $37.1 million domestic opening of ‘Supergirl’. As the final 2026 release of the DCU’s Gods and Monsters chapter, and the last DC movie until ‘Man of Tomorrow’ next July, ‘Clayface’ has a lot of eyes on it.

Do you think their appearance hints at a bigger DCU connection?

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