With Justice League set to premiere later this month, the highly-anticipated team-up movie will mark Ben Affleck's third appearance in the DCEU as The Dark Knight. His Batman has evolved considerably since his debut in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the transition from an angry and murderous Caped Crusader to something more recognizable seems to have been enjoyable for the 45-year-old actor. In fact, during a recent Justice League press conference that CinemaBlend attended in London, Affleck explained how this traditional Batman allowed him to show new emotional dimensions of the dark hero. Affleck said:
[The movie] also does take us to a more traditional version of Batman in the Justice League comics, and his role with the Justice League versus the less traditional version in Batman v Superman where he was blinded by rage and wanted to take on Superman. So, it was a lot of fun for me; I also got to have a kind of a dry wit, I got to play off Ezra [Miller], which was a lot of fun because he's so funny and Bruce is always on the verge of exasperation. It was fun to show some other colors, for sure.
So it doesn't necessarily sound like Batman is on the verge of becoming a chattier superhero in the vein of Tony Stark or Oliver Queen. However, Justice League used a more accurate depiction from the comics and Ben Affleck's Batman will be capable of working within a team environment. He's still a loner and is generally a dark superhero, but interacting with the more flamboyant and eccentric heroes allows Ben Affleck to dive into the wittier and more lighthearted areas of Bruce's (and by extension, Batman's) personality.
That idea feels further accentuated by the fact that Justice League thrusts Batman into the somewhat unfamiliar position of playing the leader. Elsewhere during the press conference, Affleck explained that one of the more interesting nuances of this performance revolved around being able to 'gel with Wonder Woman' in their quest to assemble a mismatched team of superheroes. After all, he has led The Bat Family before, but Justice League will force him into a leadership position that's not exactly within his comfort zone -- just like the comic book Batman.
In addition to feeling more accurate to the source material, Ben Affleck's Justice League Batman shows how these movies have started to stack on top of one another. Beginning with his angry Batman V Superman persona (itself a result of Man of Steel), Batman realized the folly of his ways and worked to become less violent during Suicide Squad by taking Deadshot to the Gotham Police. Further inspired by his work with Wonder Woman and Superman's sacrifice, it should all come together to turn Batfleck into the Batman we all know and love by the time Justice League debuts.
Check out a trailer for Justice League below to see how Ben Affleck's new take on Batman compares to his more brooding, Dark Knight Returns-esque performance in Batman V Superman!
Audiences will get to see Ben Affleck's traditional take on Bruce Wayne and Batman when Justice League premieres in theaters on November 17, 2017. Tickets for the long-awaited DC superhero blockbuster are now available, so make sure to get yours now and start gearing up for the League's first adventure!
