Summary
- Ben Affleck disliked wearing the uncomfortable Batsuit.
- Affleck stands by his Batman portrayal in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
- Affleck is vocal about his negative experience playing Batman and won't return as the character.
Ben Affleck is at it again with his latest take on the side effects of playing Batman/Bruce Wayne in the DC Extended Universe. And this time, it’s about the Batsuit, which he didn't find very comfortable to wear.
Affleck's tenure as Gotham’s protector in the defunct Zack Snyder-led DC Extended Universe began in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and continued in Suicide Squad, Justice League, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and for a final time in The Flash. Dubbed “Batfleck” by the DC faithful, the actor’s flavor of Batman, inspired by Frank Miller’s 1986 comic series, The Dark Knight Returns, introduced an unprecedented version to audiences. He was a gritty, aging, and world-weary Caped Crusader who shied not from using firearms or brutal force. It goes without saying that this creative decision didn’t sit well with fans who felt it detracted from the core principles of the character.
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Ben Affleck Simply Didn't Like To Wear His Batsuit As It’s Neither Comfy Nor Practical For Him
Speaking with GQ on YouTube— his second sit-down with the British Magazine in three weeks — and discussing his filmography, Ben Affleck voiced his displeasure with the lack of comfort and practicality in the Batsuit.
"I hated the Batsuits. The Batsuits are horrendous to wear. They’re hot for one thing. They don’t breathe. They’re made to look the way they want them to look. There’s no thought put into the human being. So what happens is that you just start sweating. I’m already — I sweat, you know what I mean? So in that thing, you’d just be pouring water…Maybe Christian [Bale] or Rob [Pattinson], guys like that, were just better at dealing with it."
In the GQ interview, Affleck was also asked a question that many fans have continued to debate hitherto: Are there any regrets with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? And to that, his answer is: “No.” The 52-year-old still stands by the concept of a strong superhero with a legendary image who was grounded in the realities of age and trauma. For context, audience displeasure with his portrayal of Batman was made manifest in the underwhelming commercial performance of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Although it finished with a profitable $874.4 million, it disappointed in terms of audience reception, famously suffering a record-breaking 58% Friday-to-Sunday drop and a steep 68% decline by its second weekend, one of the worst second-weekend drops in the comic book genre.
This isn’t the first time Affleck has been vocal about his rocky relationship with the cape and cowl. In an earlier GQ cover story (three weeks ago), he opened up about his long-gone interest in the Superhero genre, citing a “misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations” and not “bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time.” Apparently, his Batman proved too old, damaged, and scary for some sect of the audience, including his son, that he “certainly wouldn’t want to replicate an experience like that.” He’s previously described the experience as “awful” and “the worst” in a 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
But more of my failings of, 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. So I wasn’t bringing a lot of positive energy to the equation.
For supporters of the #MaketheBatfleckMovie campaign, these words ache the eardrums. But it’s a reality they need to accept. Ben Affleck is never coming back to Gotham or any Superhero city, for that matter. The actor is too involved in promoting The Accountant 2 to be worried about that.
Sources: GQ, GQ/YouTube, Los Angeles Times