Six years after its initial release, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is still a highly contested and controversial movie, especially within the DC Extended Universe. The cinematic throwdown between the Caped Crusader and the Last Son of Krypton was one that featured an older, far more jaded Dark Knight. But while this version of Batman, played by Ben Affleck, was considered by some to be a disappointment, one fan theory suggested that he was something else entirely.
A theory about Dawn of Justice suggested that Ben Affleck's violent and angry character wasn't actually Batman but Deathstroke in disguise. This would have led the way for Christian Bale to return as the real Batman down the line. Though this outlandish idea had barely an iota of credence, it could have made up for a seemingly out-of-character Batman. Here's how the ridiculous fan theory could have worked.
Was Batman Actually Deathstroke in BvS?
As Dawn of Justice was ramping itself up for release, there were continuous theories about how the movie would unfold and who all would star in the movie. Easily one of the zaniest was a theory that Affleck's Batman wasn't Batman but Slade Wilson. This theory, based on tenuous at best "evidence," was mostly in response to the controversial casting of Affleck as Batman. The theory stated that Slade Wilson, the criminal anti-hero known as Deathstroke, had taken Bruce Wayne's identity after the events of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Facts "backing up" this theory included the infamous "Do you bleed?" line being vaguely similar to a line Deathstroke says in the game Injustice: Gods Among Us, while Affleck's muscular physique in the movie mirrors a time when a similarly buff Slade in the comics wore a Batman costume and masqueraded as him.
Other theories spinning out of this included the idea that Jared Leto's Joker wasn't really the original, instead being a crazed version of Robin. Likewise, the "v" in the movie's title was apparently reflecting that it was the fifth "Nolanverse" movie, after the Dark Knight Trilogy and Man of Steel. The theory also supposed that Jeremy Irons was not Alfred but instead Slade's butler Billy Wintergreen. Toward the movie's end, Christian Bale would return as the true Bruce Wayne/Batman, though what would happen afterward is unknown. Of course, none of this wackiness came to be, likely because it's all so out of left field, but perhaps this idea could have saved the DCEU Batman.
How the Batman/Deathstroke Theory Could've Saved the DCEU
Though the incarnation definitely has its fans, especially after the universally redemptive release of Zack Snyder's Justice League, Affleck's Batman garnered derision from the second that the casting was announced. This Deathstroke ruse could have set his "true character" up to be more beloved, or at least somewhat less controversial.
For one thing, it would have connected the DCEU with the still critically acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy, giving the films a bit more legitimacy in some people's eyes. It would have also explained away some of the more violent antics of Affleck's psychologically broken Batman, showing that this was actually a mercenary killer simply "playing" Dark Knight, and thematically played into the idea of decoys and legacy in the Dark Knight movies, albeit turning them completely on their heads.
If nothing else, this likely would have led to a completely different DCEU, namely one in which their resident Dark Knight is now being phased out. It seems so far that whatever events transpire in the upcoming The Flash movie erase Affleck's Batman, replacing him with Michael Keaton's Batman. This already controversial idea is the culmination of the less than great reception among the Snyderverse films and amid another cinematic Batman taking shape in his own universe. If the Snyderverse movies hadn't been nearly as divisive as they were, a more stable status quo for Gotham City's defender could have been carved out, even if it simply meant bringing in a pre-existing Batman. Of course, this theory is now just an incredibly fun fan idea, but if DC and WB are truly intent on opening up the multiverse, perhaps it could be explored further down the line.