Ben Affleck on Realizing He Was Done as Batman: 'Oh S***, We Have a Problem'

Ben Affleck, renowned for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, has candidly discussed his challenging experience portraying the iconic Caped Crusader for DC. In a recent interview with GQ, Affleck reflected on his decade-long tenure in the superhero genre, particularly within the Snyder-verse, labeling it as “a really excruciating experience.” He attributed his disillusionment to a complex dynamic with DC, which ultimately led to his waning interest in superhero films.

“There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience,” Affleck explained. “And they don’t all have to do with the simple dynamic of, say, being in a superhero movie or whatever. I am not interested in going down that particular genre again, not because of that bad experience, but just: I’ve lost interest in what was of interest about it to me. But I certainly wouldn’t want to replicate an experience like that.”

Affleck has previously touched on this subject, but this time he delved deeper into the source of his negative experience. He cited a “misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations” as a significant factor, while also acknowledging his own contributions to the issue. “I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings, in terms of why I had a bad experience, part of it is that what I was bringing to work every day was a lot of unhappiness,” he admitted. “So I wasn’t bringing a lot of positive energy to the equation. I didn’t cause problems, but I came in and I did my job and I went home. But you’ve got to do a little bit better than that.”

Affleck's journey with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This led to multiple cameo appearances and even a canceled standalone Batman project. His involvement extended to ensemble films like Justice League (both the 2017 theatrical release and the 2021 Snyder Cut) and The Flash, as well as a brief appearance in Suicide Squad in 2016.

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While details on the scrapped Batman film remain sparse, speculation suggests it would have covered 80 years of the Dark Knight's history, possibly delving into Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck credited his longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to retire from the role, but in the GQ interview, he also mentioned his son's reaction to Batman v. Superman played a role in his departure. “But what happened was it started to skew too old for a big part of the audience. Like even my own son at the time was too scared to watch (Batman v. Superman). And so when I saw that I was like, 'Oh shit, we have a problem.' Then I think that’s when you had a filmmaker that wanted to continue down that road and a studio that wanted to recapture all the younger audience at cross purposes. Then you have two entities, two people really wanting to do something different and that is a really bad recipe.”

DC is currently navigating a new direction, separating its darker and lighter narratives into distinct paths. The darker side will continue with The Batman 2 slated for 2027, while the lighter tone will be spearheaded by James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman this July. As for Affleck, he has confirmed he will not return to direct a film in Gunn’s new universe.