Ben Affleck first donned the cowl of DC’s caped crusader in Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The iteration, an older, more weary version of Batman, was supposed to be the anchor of the DC Extended Universe. Ben Affleck was given the top spot in the ensemble list, making him the central leader of the then-planned vision of the franchise. Over the years, that abandoned future, now known as the Snyderverse, has kept Batman’s significance to the continuity a mystery.
Ben Affleck never fell short of the backlash when his casting in Zack Snyder’s DCEU was first announced. After reprising his role for additional photography on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Ben Affleck signed up for the forthcoming sequel The Flash, claiming that it would be his last appearance in the cowl. This film is to “rewrite” DCEU and will co-star Affleck’s counterpart from Tim Burton’s films, Michael Keaton’s Batman. However, Ben Affleck is again set to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming Aquaman sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
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It just raises doubts about DC’s plans for the live-action iteration of Batman in the DCEU. Despite the studio and the actor claiming to steer Batman in a different direction, Warner Bros. tends to somehow return to Affleck. Is the studio trying to reinstate him as Gotham’s Knight? And what do these cameo appearances mean for the future of the shared continuity?
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Warner Bros.
Since Zack Snyder brought him on board, Ben Affleck’s Batman became the central key to the DCEU. Justice League (2017) sealed that idea as Batfleck took the leadership role in the superhero team-up. But, the poor reception of Zack’s Batman v. Superman and the disastrous failure of Justice League led Warner Bros. to change plans for the franchise, including that of The Batman. The latter was supposed to be a part of DCEU and was to star and be directed by Ben Affleck. Affleck only returned when Zack Snyder’s Justice League was greenlit, marking his re-entrance into the DCEU. From hereon, anything about DCEU’s future has been entirely unclear.
The studio’s repurposed The Batman has done wonders both critically and commercially and has made Robert Pattinson a fan favorite. A faction of Snyderverse supporters still wants Ben Affleck’s Batman movie to be made with Joe Manganiello returning to essay Deathstroke. The film was to continue a plot set up by a scene from Zack Snyder’s Justice League and tie up to the Justice League sequel set in the ‘Knightmare’ timeline.
And when Ben Affleck’s time as Batman was supposedly at an end, he was brought on board again.
Ben Affleck’s Role in The Flash
Warner Bros. Pictures
Andy Muschietti’s The Flash made headlines when he said that the film would rewrite DCEU. Based on the Flashpoint comic book series, the story deals with the concept of the multiverse in DCEU, thus, bringing unprecedented changes to the current slate and timeline of the shared continuity. Things became slightly comprehensible when Micheal Keaton was brought back to play Batman from the original Tim Burton films – Batman and Batman Returns. Ben Affleck was also signed to appear alongside Keaton, raising several assumptions about DCEU’s future.
Given the nature of the Flashpoint storyline, it was assumed that DC and Warner Bros. are probably planning to remove the storyline that Snyder brought into the franchise. It would mean eradicating Ben Affleck’s Batman from the timeline and essentially replacing him with Keaton. That way, there would be a valid explanation for all the changes the studio made to the continuity and why the stories swayed away from Snyder’s vision. Ben Affleck agreed to it and claimed that shooting for The Flash was his “best experience as Batman on-set” and a “worthwhile exit from the role.”
Ezra Miller once said that it’s impossible to erase what Snyder did with the franchise. But, assumptions in that regard were further solidified when Michael Keaton was also signed to appear as Batman in HBO Max’s original film, Batgirl. As Keaton was the only iteration of Batman to star in the movie, alongside DCEU’s Commissioner Gordon J.K. Simmons, it was almost clear that Batfleck would officially be erased from existence, thus, establishing better consistency in the DC Extended Universe.
But, Affleck was signed on to play the role again.
Batfleck Returns in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Instagram
Last week, Jason Momoa posted a picture of him with Ben Affleck, confirming the latter’s return as Batman in the upcoming Aquaman sequel. The actor was brought on the film’s set during the reshoots and additional photography. It isn’t confirmed how substantial Ben’s role will be in the movie, but he has apparently replaced Michael Keaton in the film, which puts DC and Warner Bros.’ plans in question.
First reactions to the announcement were positive, and the idea even made sense. According to DC’s new slate, the studio switched the release dates for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash. Now, The Flash is to release after the Aquaman sequel. Hence, whatever rewrite The Flash plans on doing, will still be ineffective by the time Aquaman 2 comes to theaters. So, it still wouldn’t be trouble to move ahead with the idea of replacing Ben with Keaton after the events of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
However, not long after, things once again went haywire.
Warner Bros. and DC Cancels Batgirl
A few days after Ben Affleck was brought on board for Aquaman 2, Warner Bros. shelved Batgirl. The movie was under production and wasn’t assigned an accurate release date. Starring Leslie Grace alongside Michael Keaton’s Batman, Batgirl was supposed to be an HBO Max original, later considered for theatrical release. However, the studio canceled the film owing to poor screenings, releasing a somewhat unexplainable statement.
It could have been assumed that Keaton would become DCEU’s Batman if Warner Bros. had released Batgirl after The Flash (as it was supposed to be per the initial schedule). That would have kept everything in continuity under a proper timeline, and in-universe events would have supported the new phase. But canceling Batgirl now returns the franchise to square one as there is no confirmation whether Keaton’s role will be as significant to the franchise as considered earlier.
Is Ben Affleck Reinstated as Batman?
Warner Bros. Pictures
There still isn’t any surety about that either. The forthcoming film The Flash is in another jeopardy after numerous delays due to recent violent antics reported against the lead actor Ezra Miller. His dual arrests and alleged kidnapping allegations against him have put the film in some gray areas. Warner Bros. says they are still proceeding with the movie, but after DC FanDome 2021, there have been almost zero reports on its status. Warner Bros. even left the film out at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.
So, there’s no surety of what the studio plans on doing with Batman. On the other hand, there are no further reports on the next Superman movie. However, Ben Affleck remains DCEU’s Batman. He is reprising the role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and till it’s safe to say – in The Flash. Even the first footage of Shazam!: Fury of the Gods mentioned Ben Affleck’s iteration of Batman, making him canon to the ongoing lore. Moreover, James Gunn’s Peacemaker featured Snyder’s lineup of Justice League (without Batman), which could hint that the team’s arc is still canon to the continuity.
Nothing necessarily means that Ben Affleck is back wearing the cowl again, but nothing denies it outright. DC is currently juggling multiple strategy issues, and the executives’ decision-making at Burbank is ineffective. DC and Warner Bros. need a strong singular leadership to practically and creatively layout plans that can all unify under one DC Multiverse. Currently, after Batgirl is canceled, the only movie critical for mapping out the intended DCEU is The Flash. Hopefully, Warner Bros. will come up with some appropriate call to make that film happen. As for Batman, Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson are at it to keep the audience’s love for the character alive.
DC Extended Universe’s upcoming lineup includes Black Adam (2022), Shazam!: Fury of the Gods (2022), Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (2023), The Flash (2023), and Blue Beetle (2023).
