Ben Affleck first joined the DC Extended Universe as Bruce Wayne in 2016's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. His take on the character was different than what fans expected at the time; this Batman had already been active for 20 years, and he was nearing the end of his rope. This was a Batman who had lost nearly everything and everyone. He was angry, and he brutally took it out on Gotham City's criminals.
The last we saw of Affleck's Batman was in 2017's Justice League, a film that was re-shot and re-tooled by Joss Whedon following Zack Snyder's exit. And while there were plans for the actor to return as the Dark Knight in his own solo film, those plans eventually fell through and Affleck stepped away from the role shortly after.
But that no longer appears to be case. A report by Variety has confirmed Affleck's Batman will return to the DCEU, appearing one last time in the upcoming The Flash movie. This is undoubtedly great news for this version of the Caped Crusader because Ben Affleck's take on the character was great -- and he deserves a proper sendoff.
When Affleck was first cast in the role of Bruce Wayne in the DCEU, the news was met with plenty of vocal fan backlash. Despite the vitriol however, the actor proved the naysayers wrong by truly soaring as the Dark Knight in Dawn of Justice. The actor perfectly captured the brooding and haunted aspects of the character, not to mention his physicality and his handling of the goofier Bruce Wayne persona. Affleck is one of the rare Batman actors who nailed both sides of the coin; he pulled off a great Bruce Wayne, and he was a pitch-perfect Batman, from the costume to the way he fought.
Batman v. Superman may not have been the financial and critical success Warner Bros. wanted, but the general consensus was that Affleck truly shined in the role of Batman. The character then went on to appear in a cameo capacity in Suicide Squad, before having an unseen but pivotal role in Wonder Woman, both of which were meant to build up to the 2017 ensemble film, Justice League. In this stage of the DCEU, it was clear Batman was the glue holding it all together, the connective tissue in this shared universe.
Then, Batman returned as the leader of the world's finest superheroes in Justice League. Here however, Warner Bros. changed the initial outline of the DCEU, and Affleck's Batman became a casualty of it. The character's darkness was toned down to make him funnier and more relatable. It was a different take on the character, but Affleck still pulled off the tonal shift. As with Batman v. Superman, Justice League may not have been the hit fans and the studio hoped for, but still Affleck was one of the best parts of the film.
And this is why it was such a shame that the actor's planned solo Batman film was eventually canceled. The character was clearly one of the bright spots of the DCEU, and we all wanted to see more of him.
But now, that's all set to change. Zack Snyder's Justice League will arrive next year on HBO Max to reveal plenty of new Batman footage. And after that, The Flash will bring Affleck back for one final adventure as the Caped Crusader.
Before Ben Affleck, the last actor who played Bruce Wayne/Batman was Christian Bale. Bale appeared as Batman in three Christopher Nolan-directed films, the last of which, The Dark Knight Returns, served as an official ending.
Just as Bale's Batman got a proper conclusion in 2012, it's time that Affleck, another actor who shined in the role of the Caped Crusader, gets a sendoff of his own. He's more than earned it.
Directed by Andy Muschietti with a script by Christina Hodson, The Flash stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen. It is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 3, 2022.