Ben Affleck’s version of Batman will return to the big screen once more in Ezra Miller’s cinematic iteration of Barry Allen will star in his first solo thanks to the The Flash. The film will explore Barry Allen’s time travel abilities that his powers of super speed afford him and the film is expected to delve into the DC multiverse on film and make significant changes to the main DCEU timeline by the end. Due to both the nature of the DCEU multiverse and Ben Affleck’s departure from the Batman role, killing off his iteration of Batman would be a poor choice.
Ben Affleck’s Batman debuted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, quickly establishing himself as one of the most comic-accurate versions of the Dark Knight. This version of Batman has already been fighting crime in Gotham City for over two decades by his first onscreen appearance, though the death of Robin (a.k.a. Dick Grayson, his adopted son) and his existential dread following Superman’s battle with General Zod put him on a path towards villainy. Batman brutally killed many of Lex Luthor’s henchmen and attempted to even kill Superman, believing him to be a threat to the entire world, but he redeemed himself by the end of the movie, returning to the non-lethal and hopeful superhero he’d been before.
The DCEU’s iteration of Barry Allen was first shown in a cameo in Dawn of Justice before being properly introduced in Justice League. Although he demonstrates his potent super-speed abilities (including time travel) and wears an armored version of his classic superhero costume, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen isn’t referred to as The Flash, but he finally receives his famous moniker through an unexpected cameo in another property. In The CW’s The Flash TV series, the DCEU’s Barry Allen is briefly transported to the Arrowverse, meeting its iteration of Barry Allen, played by Grant Gustin. In their short and friendly conversation, the DCEU’s Barry Allen discovers the superhero name of his alternate universe counterpart, likely using the name by the events of the DCEU solo film.
Ben Affleck Appears As Batman For The Last Time In The Flash Movie
After his roles in Dawn of Justice and Justice League, Ben Affleck’s Batman was initially set to star in a DCEU solo film where he’d clash with his longtime adversary, Deathstroke. The film would have coincided with Batman’s planned character arc in Justice League’s sequels and follow up on Deathstroke’s scene at the end of Justice League. Thanks to the DCEU's Lex Luthor, Deathstroke would know Batman’s secret identity and begin dismantling his life as Bruce Wayne, where a major character, like Alfred or Commissioner Gordon, would be killed. The film would have also set up Carrie Kelley as Dick Grayson’s Robin successor and Barbara Gordon may have also begun her Batgirl original as well. The film, unfortunately, was never finished, as Ben Affleck left both the role of Batman and his position as director after a poor experience working on the theatrical version of Justice League.
The proposed Ben Affleck Batman movie instead became the critically-acclaimed Matt Reeves film, The Batman, which starred Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight in a film set in a different universe than the DCEU. Ben Affleck, meanwhile, is set to return to the role of Batman in The Flash, but it will be his final performance as the Caped Crusader. Ben Affleck has described his role in The Flash as a “nice finish” for his iteration of Batman, leading some to suspect that his Bruce Wayne will die in the movie, perhaps in a manner befitting one of the DCEU’s greatest heroes.
The Flash Movie Will Reboot The DCEU & Introduce The Multiverse
The Flash will be a loose adaptation of 2011’s Flashpoint comic storyline, a massive crossover arc from DC’s comics that resulted in a massive continuity reboot. The Flash will have a similar premise, with Barry Allen traveling back in time to prevent the murder of his mother, wreaking havoc on his reality in the process. In addition to featuring the return of Man of Steel villains General Zod and Faora and the introduction of Supergirl (who might be from another reality or the mainstream DCEU, as teased in Man of Steel) The Flash will also see the triumphant return of Michael Keaton as the Batman of Tim Burton’s classic series of DC films.
Evidence suggests that the DCEU will have some significant changes after The Flash, especially for its Batman. While the film will see the departure of Ben Affleck’s Batman, it will see him replaced by Michael Keaton, though perhaps not the exact same Batman as the one seen in Tim Burton’s movies. The Batgirl is set to feature Keaton in the role of Batman, but set photos reveal that he has (or had) a comic-accurate iteration of Robin, rather than the original character Drake Winston from the Burton continuity. Moreover, Keaton’s Batman appears to have had a long history working alongside J.K. Simmons’ Commissioner Gordon, indicating that his history has been altered from the Burton films and comics.
It Would Be A Mistake To Kill Affleck's Batman In The Flash Movie
With Affleck’s exit and Keaton becoming the DCEU’s new Batman, Affleck’s version of Batman dying seems plausible, but this would be a poor choice for the DCEU, especially with The Flash establishing the DC multiverse on film. With new timelines being part of the DCEU franchise, a wiser way to end Affleck’s tenure as Batman would be to simply relegate him to another universe that isn’t shown in forthcoming DCEU films. Ben Affleck’s Batman story, as it was planned for his solo movie and the Zack Snyder Justice League sequels, would continue to exist in another timeline, preserving them but also allowing the stories and Ben Affleck’s Batman to return someday if he and WB change their minds. The Flash will unlock an infinite number of DCEU possibilities by introducing the multiverse, so killing off Ben Affleck’s Batman would be a reductive choice for the franchise.
