Ben Affleck’s time as Batman within the DCEU has been quite the rollercoaster ride, even though he’s been part of the interconnected franchise for the past six years. Following a disastrous experience making 2017's Justice League, he returned for reshoots to complete Zack Snyder's Justice League, but his involvement with the story seems to be minimal moving forward.
Last year, Affleck was confirmed to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in next year's The Flash, which also brings back Michael Keaton's 1989 Caped Crusader, although that movie is dealing with plenty of troubles long before it releases. Other than that, it appears that Warner Bros is largely moving on from his take on the hero, as indicated by Robert Pattinson taking over a new solo franchise that started off with The Batman in March 2022.
Most recently, Affleck's Batman was used as part of the first trailer for this year's Shazam! Fury of the Gods, although it all consisted of flashback material from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with nothing indicating that he'd still be around for more action. Now, those prospects may be changing once again thanks to a picture on social media showing him with one of Warner Bros.' biggest DC stars.
Aquaman 2 Features Unexpected Justice League Hero
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Jason Momoa took to Instagram to share two images of himself with DCEU Batman star Ben Affleck.
The first picture shows Affleck sporting the same haircut he uses for Bruce Wayne along with an all-black suit that looks similar to his old costumes, indicating that he'll return to the DCEU in the Aquaman sequel.
The second picture provides another look at the pair as they laugh hard with each other, all smiles as they enjoy the moment.
Momoa also included a video with the post that showed him interacting with a fan tour, joking about the fact that "It's not a f***ing secret anymore" regarding Affleck being in the movie. He then made his way to Affleck's trailer, which was only labeled with his initials as Momoa went inside and got a quick shot of the Batman actor.
Momoa included the following caption:
"REUNITED bruce and arthur. love u and miss u Ben WB studio tours just explored the backlot alright. busted on set all great things coming AQUAMAN 2 all my aloha j"
Is Ben Affleck Really Back as Batman?
Upon first glance, this is one of the most shocking developments in recent memory for the DC Extended Universe, particularly considering how troubling things have been for the franchise lately.
It was widely expected that The Flash would be Ben Affleck's final DCEU performance before he passed the baton over to Micheal Keaton and Robert Pattinson in their respective universes. But now, it appears that Affleck is indeed back for a supporting role alongside Jason Momoa in the Aquaman sequel, especially looking at his Bruce Wayne-style haircut, adding to what's already a massive story for DC's top aquatic hero.
But why would Affleck return for this movie speficially, if at all? Well, one reason could be due to recent scheduling changes to the DCEU's release timeline.
Originally, Aquaman 2 was meant to premiere in theaters after The Flash, which has now changed at least partially due to the issues surrounding leading actor Ezra Miller. Additionally, rumors hinted to Michael Keaton appearing in a few scenes as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the Aquaman sequel, which could mean that Warner Bros. is switching out Keaton for Affleck in these scenes after the switch-up.
Whatever the case may be for Batman within the DCEU, it will be quite interesting to see what happens with Affleck both in this movie and with his future in the franchise as a whole. This could still mean that The Flash will be his final outing as the Caped Crusader, but that's already changed multiple times since that was originally believed to be the case years ago.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premieres in theaters on March 17, 2023.
