After starring in 2003’s critically panned Daredevil, Ben Affleck stayed away from comic book movies for more than a decade. Then he was cast as the new Batman in the divisive Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But fans hadn't forgotten about Daredevil, and the announcement of his new role wasn't exactly welcome.
Nonetheless, Affleck made an excellent Bruce Wayne and an even better Batman, in spite of the battering that Batman v Superman took from the critics and the divide it caused among comic book movie fans, some of whom objected to seeing a murderous Dark Knight. Even before the movie's release, it became clear that Affleck regretted his decision to join a film when the script was still a work in progress.
With Justice League's release date looming on the horizon, Affleck had the opportunity to talk with Empire about his next DC Extended Universe appearance. The interviewer asked about Batman v Superman and the impact it had on the making of Justice League.
Affleck responded that the criticism was fair in the sense that Batman was too dark for some tastes:
I can understand people saying [Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice] was too dark, or this was outside the tone of what I'm used to seeing with a Batman story, and I think that's a fair criticism (via CBR).
Obviously, rather than addressing the overall movie, he was careful to talk just about his role.
However, any changes made to the character in Justice League wouldn't necessarily be direct results of the Batman v Superman criticism. Affleck confirmed this by saying that any changes to his character would be a natural progression, rather than a consequence of the fans' outrage:
[It] was all scripted and set up before that movie came out. The approach was changed anyway for the second one. It was natural progression.
People who weren’t happy with Affleck's portrayal of Batman should know that the Caped Crusader will once again respect his one rule in Justice League, which will hit theaters on November 17, 2017.
