The Prodigal Son Has…Reverted?

Ben Affleck’s performance as Bruce Wayne and Batman was undoubtedly the highlight of 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, something was off about this iteration of our favorite Gothamite. As it turned out it was his penchant for murdering criminals as opposed to just humiliating them. There were glimpses of the classic cape underneath the gruff exterior, but the massive turrets on the Batmobile would ensure it remained a glimpse.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly the 45-year-old actor acknowledges that, “BvS departed a little bit from the traditional Batman.” He then says, “He was holding on to a lot of anger, in a little bit of an irrational way…Whereas this is a much more traditional Batman. He’s heroic. He does things in his own way, but he wants to save people, help people.”

It’s exciting to hear we can expect the archetypal Batman by Batsy himself. Ben’s been increasingly vocal about DC’s future and his tenure there. It’s ridiculous to think he was cast over 3 years ago, and has been in two DC films. In just 2013, Ben became the 2nd major superhero to be cast in a Universe that has now existed for over 4 years.

He Was The Best Of Us…

Despite Batman’s presence in every film except Man of Steel we know very little about this version of the character. Though BvS had an innumerable amount of problems Batman stood out because of his desire for control and vengeance. These are two characteristics a Justice League Batman needs to employ to ensure he remains in control of any situation. It’ll be interesting to see the dynamic between Bruce and Clark as Batman is the League’s de facto founder.

It’s not difficult to imagine some conflict between DC’s two titular heroes because of perceived authority. This leads to DC’s greatest graphic novels in Mark Waid’s Kingdom Come and BvS inspiration The Dark Knight Returns. 

A Superman who only sees the greater good; a radical underground Batman doing his best to undermine the system. It could be interesting if they gathered different Justice League members to join their sides. The climax could be an epic battle between the groups at an airport, resembling some sort of Civil…never mind.