Both The Secret World of Alex Mack (1990s Nickelodeon series) and Clayface (2026 DCU body-horror film) center on a chemical-induced transformation that turns an ordinary person into something malleable and extraordinary. They diverge sharply in tone, age of the protagonist, stakes, and genre.
On Nickelodeon, Larisa Oleynik played Alex, a junior-high student accidentally exposed to the experimental chemical GC-161 after a truck spill. She could melt into a moving puddle, move objects with her mind and send electricity through her fingertips. Stress could also make her glow.
Those powers complicated school, crushes and family life. They also put her at risk of discovery by chemical-company CEO Danielle Atron, who wanted to study her.
Alex trusted her older sister Annie, played by Meredith Bishop, and her best friend Ray, played by Darris Love, with her secret while keeping her parents in the dark. The series ran from October 8, 1994, through January 15, 1998, with 78 episodes across 4 seasons, and its corporate threat grew more serious as the story continued.
Clayface adapts a DC villain’s origin story. It builds its transformation around a desperate attempt to repair a disfigured face. Tom Rhys Harries plays Gotham actor Matt Hagen, whose career collapses after a crime boss attacks him.
Dr. Caitlyn Corr, played by Naomi Ackie, offers an experimental treatment. His face recovers, but his body becomes living clay, and the worsening effects threaten his sense of identity as he pursues revenge.
The film draws from Clayface’s comic-book history, combining elements of Matt Hagen’s origins with the actor background associated with Basil Karlo. Batman: The Animated Series’ “Feat of Clay” episodes are another inspiration.
Alex Mack treats the chemical transformation as a secret superpower that complicates (but ultimately enriches) a normal teenager’s life, complete with comic mishaps, loyal confidants, and the classic “don’t let the bad guys find out” tension. Clayface weaponizes a similar premise into body horror: the “cure” is the curse, the body itself becomes the site of terror and loss, and the story tracks a descent into revenge and monstrosity rather than youthful adventure.
One is a nostalgic 1990s Nickelodeon coming-of-age fantasy; the other is a modern R-rated DCU origin story that leans into identity erosion and graphic transformation. They share a liquid/malleable-body chemical-origin hook, but one is playful and secretive while the other is visceral, tragic, and horrific.
Clayface is in theaters October 23.