Even though rumors had been making the rounds for months that the announcement was imminent, there were still a lot of people taken by surprise when it was officially confirmed that Ben Affleck would be returning as the DCEU’s Batman in The Flash. After all, the actor had gracefully bowed out of the role after failing to drag The Batman out of development hell as well as putting his health in front of his career, not to mention the fact both Robert Pattinson and Michael Keaton had signed on to play the Dark Knight in his absence.
Unsurprisingly, the news that the 48 year-old would be suiting up again alongside Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen went down a treat with fans who always felt his take on the character was underappreciated, leading to renewed hope that The Flash and Zack Snyder’s Justice League could finally bring us the standalone Batman movie that Affleck was originally intending to direct.
Until he confirms his plans for the future, though, everything remains in the realm of rumor and speculation. However, there’s every chance that the world-weary veteran Caped Crusader we first met in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice may not even make it out of The Flash alive. Based on comments from director Andy Muschietti, Affleck’s Bruce Wayne will be acting as Barry’s mentor and father figure, and the comic book genre is hardly a stranger when it comes to killing those kinds of characters off.
Not only that, but the team behind the movie have admitted that they were surprised that the Academy Award winner even agreed to return in the first place, and maybe one of the reasons he did is so he could finally bring closure to his time as Batman after initially stepping away due to circumstances largely out of his control. Fans would love to see Affleck stick around for a lot longer, no doubt, but the The Flash could realistically mark his final time under the cape and cowl.
