When it comes to DC Comics, Batman is probably the top favorite superhero for a large portion of the fanbase, depending on how you measure it. But the DC Extended Universe fumbled the character in ways that made it hard not to think about how well Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan had done with The Dark Knight trilogy a short time before.

The biggest issue is not really Ben Affleck himself, but the complete lack of a coherent plan around the character. Everyone was tired of origin stories at that point, which is understandable, but the problem was that the DCEU never seemed to have a clear vision for giving Batman a proper standalone film, and he never got one. What we ended up with were pieces and glimpses of his Batman scattered across other movies, never with the full spotlight on him. That is a shame, because there was genuine potential for a dark and gritty solo film that could have worked extremely well.

In fairness, they did a reasonable job with his Bruce Wayne side. However, the emotional weight of losing his parents, the grind of fighting crime, the implied loss of Jason Todd, and the presence of the Joker hovering in the background as a suggestion rather than a direct confrontation just diluted everything.

But then came Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which managed to mishandle two different comic storylines at the same time with one poorly conceived film. The Batman material draws from The Dark Knight Returns, a story in which Bruce Wayne is older, has long since retired, and is living in a world where the government has effectively banned superheroes except for Superman. The conflict between them develops out of that context in a way that makes sense within the source material. In the DCEU version, none of that foundation exists, and the rivalry feels forced because of it. It was also difficult to accept Batman immediately producing the exact tools needed to fight Superman, especially since in The Dark Knight Returns, Superman had been significantly weakened by a nuclear weapon before their confrontation.

From that point forward in the DCEU, Batman was either referenced in passing, appeared briefly in cameo roles, or showed up to fight Steppenwolf’s forces in Justice League, where he was never the most impressive presence among the newly assembled group.

There is also a certain irony in the fact that Ben Affleck previously played Matt Murdock in the first major Daredevil film and was widely considered the worst part of it. His time as Batman did not redeem that reputation. At some point it seems reasonable to suggest that superhero roles might simply not be his arena, in the same way that certain other chapters of his life (Jennifer Lopez) have not worked out despite being attempted more than once.