By Mario Martinez
Despite being petitioned against by nearly 10,000 people worldwide who believe “his acting skill is not even close to being believable as Bruce Wayne and he won’t do the role justice,” Ben Affleck has all the potential to play one of the best Batmen ever.
When it was announced that Affleck would be starring as Wayne in the Warner Bros. sequel to Man of Steel (2013), Internet messages boards everywhere were overwhelmed with trolls who thought that he already ruined the Daredevil franchise and that he would do the same again.
Without a doubt, Marvel Enterprises’ 2003 production of Daredevil was one of the worst super movies of all time but what actor could really pull off a convincing blind superhero? Moreover, that happened a decade ago. In the last seven years, Affleck has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance for an Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Hollywoodland (2006) and nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Argo (2012).
In the sequel to Man of Steel, Wayne is an older, more rugged and jaded character in co-writers David S. Goyer and Zack Snyder’s DC Comic universe. The film still remains untitled, but the plot will be adapted from Frank Miller’s 1986 comic miniseries “The Dark Knight Returns,” in which Batman comes out of retirement of crime fighting and works opposed by the Gotham City police and the American government.
However, in the sequel to Man of Steel, Batman will be pitted against Superman (Henry Cavill), whose egos collide in a one-on-one super battle. It is a role that Anthony Mackie, who is starring as Falcon in Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, believes Affleck can do a great job performing.
“I think [the casting is] great.” Mackie said to E! News. ”My favorite Batman was Michael Keaton because he made Batman like an everyday guy we can relate to. I feel like the last few [actors playing] Batman have been lost in trepidation that you really can’t relate to. So I feel like Ben Affleck—what makes him a star is he has that everyman quality. I feel like he is going to bring that back to Batman and make him cool again.”
Christian Bale’s performance as Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is superb as the growling billionaire superhero. However, Affleck is better built to perform as Wayne in Goyer and Snyder’s vision. In the sequel to Man of Steel, Wayne will be a much darker and resentful character, who is much different from Nolan’s Dark Knight.
Affleck-haters have also said that he is incapable of being intimidating. Well, imagine Superman (Cavill), who stands at 6 feet 1 inch tall, facing off with an older and bitter Batman (Bale), who is 6 feet tall.. Now imagine Affleck as Batman, who stands 6 feet 4 inches and is the tallest actor ever to play as Wayne, battling in hand-to-hand combat with Superman.
Who do you think would be more intimidating in a fight?
My money would be on the lanky 6-foot-4-incher who has a chin that rivals those on Mount Rushmore. Affleck has also proven that he can be intimidating while wearing a mask in The Town (2010), in the riveting bank robbery scene where he holds up and ransacks a bank at gunpoint. His rough and ruthless demeanor in that performance could translate to his role as Wayne.
Ultimately, Affleck can be great if his role is great. Writers Snyder and Goyer control his fate. Being that he plays the antagonist of the film, he will have lesser face-time, and will probably be mostly seen dressed as the Caped Crusader, so he’ll be unrecognizable.
This role will be a darker version of Wayne who has become an old bitter superhero and takes it out on Clark Kent. Affleck did a pretty job of that in his roles of portraying cynical archenemy in School Ties (1992), Dazed and Confused (1993), and Boiler Room (2000).
With all that Affleck has done in his career, it is almost disrespectful to believe that he is not skilled enough to play as Wayne in the sequel to Man of Steel. His performances speak for themselves and it is evident in his recent nominations that he is getting better. His role as Wayne could solidify him as an A-list movie star rather than a director/screenwriter and could shut-up Affleck-haters world-wide.