Ben Affleck’s duration as Batman was notably short, with him being the only actor to portray the character in live-action projects without getting his own standalone projects. In his three appearances onscreen (counting his cameo in The Suicide Squad), Affleck impressed with his dedication to the role, portraying Bruce Wayne’s confident exterior while digging into the long-running traumas that have plagued him. Many would say Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was an abject failure, but the film has gained a passionate cult audience due to its bold delivery and introspective approach (still one of my favorite superhero ventures of the 2010s). It’s hard to say the same about Justice League, which underperformed at the box office while disappointing fans who wanted to see Zach Snyder’s full vision.
In a conversation with GQ, Ben Affleck discussed the complicated process of filming Justice League and how the experience presented “one problem after another”:
“I had a better time on Batman v Superman, which I really enjoyed doing, and Justice League was, unfortunately, touched by some personal tragedy and death in Zack’s family and, like I say, sometimes things work and gel and sometimes they just seem to be having one problem after another.”
Affleck also spoke about his superior process on Batman V Superman, with Zach Snyder having more creative control on the project:
“I really loved Batman v Superman and [Argo writer] Chris [Terrio] wrote on it and I really love Zack and I loved putting on the costume, the idea of doing the digital alteration to the voice was really interesting to me, and I had a good time. I love Detroit, a really fun city, a really cool place. My kids came out and visited me and saw me in the Batsuit and they let me borrow the suit for my son’s birthday, so that was a lot of fun.”