Zack Snyder will no doubt have people melting down over these comments.
The former DCEU director sat down for an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast on the 10th anniversary of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” This was the film that marked Ben Affleck’s debut as Bruce Wayne/Batman — a decision that’s still debated to this day.
According to Snyder, Affleck as the Dark Knight always clicked, and it’s a choice he still defends — in fact, he doesn’t think any other actor has ever been better suited for the role.
“He’s the most obvious Bruce Wayne, I think, of all the Batmans,” Snyder explained. “Of anybody who’s played Batman, Ben is the best Bruce Wayne.”
Snyder went on to describe how Affleck’s physical traits perfectly matched his own vision of Batman/Wayne.
“He’s also all the things I like in a Batman. He’s legitimately a big dude, right? He’s 6’5” with his boots on,” Snyder said. “He’s got that physicality that I always longed for in my cinematic Batman. I’ve always wanted him to be a brawler. I needed that. Even with what I did with the body and the suit and everything, I wanted him thick. I just wanted him to really be able to hurt you.”
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” Snyder’s highly divisive comic-book movie, opened to negative reviews on March 25, 2016, but went on to gross a hefty $874M worldwide. Snyder continues to defend the film, telling HSC it was an unfiltered vision—a rarity in Hollywood.
My 100% honest reaction to ‘BvS’ and how it’s received in the world is… Do you really want a movie that’s had all the edges shaved off it by the focus groups?” Snyder said in defense of the movie 10 years later. “Do you really want a movie where the decisions have been made in a boardroom, or tested ideas have been rendered for your enjoyment? Do you really want the Kmart version of your story? Is that what you really want?
So far, we’ve had six actors step into the cape and cowl on the big screen, from Michael Keaton’s gothic, faintly deranged original run, to Val Kilmer’s introspective and quietly thoughtful turn, to the glossy misfire of George Clooney, followed by Christian Bale’s era-defining reinvention, and Robert Pattinson’s emo-noir, detective-first incarnation.
Of course, there’s clear bias in Snyder’s comments, and he’s obviously wrong here — but his theory does match what we got: all style, no substance. Affleck’s grizzled, rage-filled Batman may have been the most physically imposing version we’ve ever had — a walking Frank Miller drawing brought to life — but the movies themselves never rose to meet him. On paper, Affleck might have had the right body, the right age, the right wear-and-tear; however, on screen, he was stranded in films more interested in mythology than character. Affleck looked like Batman, moved like Batman, fought like Batman — he just never got a Batman movie that was up to par.