With The Batman having just released in theaters, the famous Caped Crusader is on everyone’s mind. While Robert Pattinson may have been the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ adventure, there’s another actor known for the role who never completely left viewers' minds across the world: Ben Affleck. First seen in Batman v Superman, and most recently seen in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Affleck quickly became many fans' favorite interpretation of Gotham’s Protector.
Sadly, however, his time looks to have come to an end. The actor has spoken out time and time again about how he hasn’t had the best of times with the role, and he's made it clear he wants to leave the role as gracefully as he can.
His last appearance, at least as of now, will be in the upcoming The Flash film. However, thanks to some new rumors, it seems that Affleck may not be completely done with the cowl.
Not So Fast, Ben Affleck
A recent rumor teased that the possibility of a Crisis on Infinite Earths-type event film for the DCEU—think of it as a Multiverse crossover extravaganza—would be teased at the end of next year’s The Flash. Even more interesting is how that event may work on screen.
When directly asked how Crisis is teased, industry insider KC Walsh wouldn’t spoil all the details, but he did reveal that the tease in question “ involved [Ben Affleck’s] Batman.”
He went on to clarify that The Flash film itself is not restoring the Snyderverse nor putting that continuity in the spotlight. Instead, it simply “sets up Crisis” by including a tease showing Ben Affleck’s Batman. This means he, and likely everyone else in his timeline, isn’t completely erased from existence.
He mentioned how the references to the Synderverse are “not explicit,” and that outside of a few vague conversations, that previous timeline is no longer the focus:
“[The Synderverse] sounds like it’s referenced but not explicit, I. E. Iris remembers Barry and Batman and Barry discuss him having traveled through time before, there are no direct references, no Knightmare universe, nothing specific outside of those discussions.”
In concluding his thread, KC Walsh makes it clear that "Batfleck is still very much done with DCEU:"
"Batfleck is still very much done with DCEU, but leaving the door open for him to come back during a Crisis event if he wants makes sense, but I'll take the L"
This Might Not Be the End of Batfleck
It’s not too surprising to hear that the door for Ben Affleck remains cracked open. While the actor may not want to keep playing the Batman, showing up once or twice in the future for a specific part is probably much easier to swallow.
The real question - whose idea was it to keep that Batfleck door open? Did Affleck himself have a change of heart (at least to a minimal degree), or did Warner Bros. kindly beg him not to completely shut the door?
Either way, plenty of fans will be pleased to know that the possibility for that version of Batman to return may still be in existence.
But what will that teaser actually include? Well, the Synderverse Bruce Wayne is always on top of everything. Maybe he notices something funky happening with the Multiverse, timeline, or something similar. He could also have some new crazy visions like he did for the Knightmare future.
No matter how everything may play out, if Spider-Man: No Way Home was any indication, when toying with the Multiverse, literally anything could happen.
The Flash releases in theaters on June 23, 2023.
