Summary
Ben Affleck is at it again with his latest take on the side effects of playing Batman/Bruce Wayne in theDC Extended Universe. And this time, it’s about the Batsuit, which he didn’t find very comfortable to wear.
Affleck’s tenure as Gotham’s protector in the defunct Zack Snyder-ledDCExtended Universe began inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and continued inSuicide Squad,Justice League,Zack Snyder’s Justice League,and for a final time inThe Flash. Dubbed “Batfleck” by the DC faithful, the actor’s flavor of Batman, inspired byFrank Miller’s 1986 comic series,The Dark Knight Returns,introduced an unprecedented version to audiences. He was a gritty, aging, and world-weary Caped Crusader who shied not from using firearms or brutal force. It goes without saying that this creative decision didn’t sit well with fans who felt it detracted from the core principles of the character.
Ben Affleck Simply Didn’t Like To Wear His Batsuit As It’s Neither Comfy Nor Practical For Him
Speaking withGQon YouTube— his second sit-down with the British Magazine in three weeks — and discussing his filmography,Ben Affleck voiced his displeasure with the lack of comfort and practicality in the Batsuit.
“I hated the Batsuits. The Batsuits are horrendous to wear. They’re hot for one thing. They don’t breathe. They’re made to look the way they want them to look. There’s no thought put into the human being. So what happens is that you just start sweating. I’m already — I sweat, you know what I mean? So in that thing, you’d just be pouring water…Maybe Christian [Bale] or Rob [Pattinson], guys like that, were just better at dealing with it.”
In theGQinterview, Affleck was also asked a question that many fans have continued to debate hitherto: Are there any regrets withBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? And to that, his answer is: “No.” The 52-year-old still stands by the concept of a strong superhero with a legendary image who was grounded in the realities of age and trauma. For context, audience displeasure with his portrayal of Batman was made manifest in the underwhelming commercial performance ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Although it finished with a profitable $874.4 million, it disappointed in terms of audience reception, famously suffering a record-breaking 58% Friday-to-Sunday drop and a steep 68% decline by its second weekend, one ofthe worst second-weekend drops in the comic book genre.
This isn’t the first time Affleck has been vocal about his rocky relationship with the cape and cowl. In an earlierGQ cover story(three weeks ago), he opened up about his long-gone interest in the Superhero genre, citing a “misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations” and not “bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time.” Apparently,his Batman proved too old, damaged, and scary for some sect of the audience, including his son, that he “certainly wouldn’t want to replicate an experience like that.” He’s previously described the experience as “awful” and “the worst” in a 2022 interview with theLos Angeles Times.
But more of my failings of, in terms of why I had a bad experience, part of it is that what I was bringing to work every day was a lot of unhappiness. So I wasn’t bringing a lot of positive energy to the equation.
For supporters of the #MaketheBatfleckMovie campaign, these words ache the eardrums. But it’s a reality they need to accept. Ben Affleck is never coming back to Gotham or any Superhero city, for that matter. The actor is too involved inpromotingThe Accountant 2to be worried about that.
