Could Ben Affleck be the best Batman ever? That’s what Zack Snyder has said, and these words should go down well with die-hard fans of the DC Extended Universe.
Snyder took the time out to celebrate Batman day and went on to say that Ben Affleck’s take on Batman is the "best ever." He didn’t go on to say much, but it was evident where he stands.
The new Batman has come a long way to go
Ben Affleck has worn the Batman suit twice now. Once in “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” and again in “Suicide Squad.” He did a great job as Batman and Bruce Wayne, but his performance was not enough to save both films from being slammed by critics.
In his first outing, Affleck was tasked with playing a broken Batman who no longer cares about saving the lives of criminals. Anyone who comes across the caped crusader could lose their lives as shown by a number of bad guys he killed in Dawn of Justice.
Comic book fans have never seen a Batman this ruthless before, which is one of the reasons why it did not go down well with them. Fans, for the most part, wanted a traditional Batman, one they will no doubt get in “Justice League” and the upcoming solo film titled, “The Batman.”
The primary reason Batman won’t be killing or branding criminals anymore has a lot to do with the death of Superman. The man of steel gave his life to save the Earth, a sacrifice that made Bruce Wayne realize what he has become, and that he needs to change.
What about the standalone film?
Well, several rumors in the past have claimed that Ben Affleck won’t reprise his role as the caped crusader. Apparently, he’s too old, and the director; Matt Reeves is interested in a trilogy of films. Warner Bros. might choose to keep Affleck around for team-focused movies, while the standalone could take place in the past, and thus, require a younger actor to play Bruce Wayne.
Looking at what Warner Bros. is doing with The Joker, going with a new actor is entirely possible. At the moment, the company is planning a standalone Joker movie, but Jared Leto will not reprise his role. The studio is aiming to have two Joker characters, one set in the “Justice League” universe, while the other takes place in another world.
We could be witnessing the rise of the multiverse, something that is quite important in the world of DC comics. It's not clear if Warner can pull off a movie universe with two of the same characters. This might cause confusion among fans, or it could be a great idea that works extremely well.
