The saga of Ben Affleck's tenure as the DC Extended Universe's version of Batman is a long and complicated one. It started with an announcement that, frankly, shocked DC fandom, resulting in the near-immediate release of an incredible amount of vitriol towards the actor from people who didn't want to see him anywhere near the nascent DCEU. But when Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was finally released, Affleck's performance seemed to quiet most of his haters. The actor quickly proved he was a great Bruce Wayne and an even better Batman for this dark and brooding universe.

Affleck nailed this take on an older, more brutal Batman, and he eventually became the leading face of Warner Bros.' shared universe with subsequent appearances in Suicide Squad and Justice League.

The only problem is, while Affleck's Batman was appreciated by most, the DCEU's movies failed to please audiences or critics, with Wonder Woman being the notable exception. The rocky reception of Batman v. Superman led to a troubled production of Justice League, which was forced to course-correct midway through production with a new writer/director. Once again, the finished product wasn't well received, and this in turn cast a large shadow of doubt over the future of the DCEU, including (though not limited to) Ben Affleck's time under the Batman cowl.

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For the past few years, we've heard many contradicting rumors regarding his status as the Dark Knight. Some state firmly that the actor will stick around for Matt Reeves' solo Batman film, while others proclaim outright he's done with role, effective immediately.

Now, a new report has surfaced, claiming Reeves is going to reboot Batman with his film, and recast the role. While there is no official confirmation of this, the fact that fans seem to be reacting positively to this indicate a truth that can't be denied: It's time for the DCEU to move away from Ben Affleck's Dark Knight, as envisioned by Zack Snyder.

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Zack Snyder had a very particular vision for the DCEU. His was a darker world, a cynical place where there was no place for superheroes. Superman struggled to find his place as a man, and even his god-like influence was enough to send the world in turmoil.

As for Batman, we would come to learn that he had been active for 20 years, that he had fought many battles against his greatest enemies, and that he had lost almost everything he held dear. This was partly due to the fact that Snyder's universe was largely inspired by Frank Miller's seminal graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which took place at the end of Batman's career.

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However, the DCEU is, generally speaking, a new universe, a place where the world's superheroes are just now coming into their own. Sure, Wonder Woman has been active for a very long time, but she is only now stepping out of the shadows in a major way. With the arrival of The Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman and soon Shazam, the world of these heroes will continue to get bigger. The Justice League has only just formed, and already we have a Batman at his rope's end, looking for replacements to carry his mission.

Sadly, the fact of the matter is that, while the idea to feature an older Batman was fine for one film where he fights Superman, it was in fact detrimental to the whole of the DCEU. For the League to have further adventures, they need a Batman in his prime, not one who is looking at his legacy, and those that will carry the torch for him.

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Batman is undoubtedly Warner Bros. and DC's biggest and most popular character, and we don't want him as a grizzled old man stuck on the sidelines. We need him as an expert fighter and detective who broods in the shadows, someone who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with god-like beings for the duration of this iteration of the DCEU. Affleck's Batman was great for Dawn of Justice and Justice League, but the DCEU's future would fare much better with a different take on the Dark Knight, one that divorces itself from Snyder's films.

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Ben Affleck's casting as Batman always seemed as one that would come with a caveat. With a prolific career as both an actor and a director, Affleck has many projects developing at any given time, meaning that his tenure as Batman always seemed to have an end date that looked to be sooner rather than later.

For the DCEU to prosper, it would be best to have a younger actor in the role, someone who can devote most of his time to bringing Batman to life for a good long while. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven that a connected tapestry of films can take up to a decade to reach its fullest potential, and the DCEU would do well to have an actor who can get excited at the prospect of being Batman for up to ten years.

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What's more, since the current Batman's career is all but done, this means that we didn't get to see most his sidekicks in action, like the deceased Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and even the Birds of Prey. It all starts with Batman -- but it's been made clear in the films that he's almost done in this universe. With a reboot of the character giving us a Caped Crusader who is in the prime of his vigilante crime-fighting career, the DCEU would be given the chance to carefully construct the Bat-family over various movies. Over the next ten years, a younger Batman would have the time to find and train his sidekicks, and give fans the extended cast they always dreamed of seeing on the big screen.

Aquaman and Batman in Justice League

Ben Affleck was a fantastic Batman... for Zack Snyder's vision of the DC Universe. However, with the DCEU poised to make a hard change in direction from Snyder's map, one involving movies that are designed to step away from the darkness and more towards the light, this Batman now feels out of sorts with the rest of the world that is being constructed around him. For him to have a long future on the screen, it's simply time to let Affleck step away from the role, and let else someone put on the cape and cowl.

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Matt Reeves' Batman solo film does not have a production start date, nor does it have an official cast or release date. The film is expected to arrive sometime in 2020 at the earliest. Next up on the DCEU docket is James Wan's Aquaman, which is slated for release Dec. 21, and David F. Sandberg's Shazam, which hits theaters April 5, 2019.