Why Ben Affleck Ultimately Decided To Play Batman

Ben Affleck as Batman

Ben Affleck has had a brief, albeit interesting time playing Batman in DC's shared cinematic universe. Despite initial fan apprehension, Affleck was a standout of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and fans were thrilled to see him star (and ideally direct) in a solo film. Now on the eve of his appearance in Justice League, the actor is already planning his exit from the strenuous superhero life. Although Ben Affleck never wanted to play a superhero again after the much-maligned Daredevil, his reasons for ultimately accepting the role of Batman were sympathetic and pure. He recently explained his son factored into him taking on the role, saying:

Literally, the reason I took this movie was imagining like wearing that costume and having my son see me. You know, everybody wants their kid to think of them as a superhero, you know, before they get too smart. My son, two weeks ago said to me, 'Dad, there's one costume I want in the whole wide world. Can you get it?' I said, ' You know, I have some connections...'

You can't really argue with that. Wanting your kid to look up to you and see you as larger than life is made a lot easier when you are playing arguably the most popular superhero of all time and you get to take the suit home with you. Plus, when your son asks for a costume, as Ben Affleck told Jimmy Kimmel, you have the connections to get him the best Batman suit Hollywood's costume designers can make. The only problem is, you might take a slight hit to your pride when it turns out the costume he wants isn't Batman's.

Ben Affleck on Jimmy Kimmel

Eh, who can blame the kid? The Flash is supposedly the breakout of the film and most of the cast would rather be him. Real powers are a powerful proposition for younger fans. Maybe Ben Affleck can look at this as his son wanting to team up with him. After all, they can't both be Batman. Check out the whole story below.

Maybe if we get a Ben Affleck-fronted solo Batman film, his son will change his tune. If not, when he gets older he'll realize that being rich and smart gets you way further than being able to run at super speed. Ben Affleck's Batman and Ezra Miller's Flash can both be seen this weekend in Warner Bros' Justice League. You can pre-order your tickets for opening weekend now.

Nick Evans

Nick grew up in Maryland has degrees in Film Studies and Communications. His life goal is to walk the earth, meet people and get into adventures. He’s also still looking for The Adventures of Pete and Pete season 3 on DVD if anyone has a lead.