Many fans and critics have praised the episode for its dark tone. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini were reportedly so pleased with the episode that they preferred to have it stand alone, and so did not bring Clayface back as a character for a very long time. Similarly, Heart of Ice (1992) stood alone as the only episode featuring Mr. Freeze for a full season, until Deep Freeze (1994).
The Clayface of the show is combination of the first two Clayfaces in that he (like the original Clayface) was an out-of-work actor looking for revenge, and (like the second) he was named Matt Hagen.
The look of The Imperial Pictures lot was designed after the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California.
Ron Perlman provides the voice of the shape changing villain Matt Hagen/Clayface. Perlman is known for his ability to change his appearance.