Ben Affleck: 'Oh S***, We Have a Problem' - The Moment He Knew He Was Done as Batman

Ben Affleck, the star of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, has candidly discussed his challenging journey as the Caped Crusader in the DC universe. In a recent interview with GQ, after nearly a decade of embodying Batman, Affleck described his experience as a figurehead in the so-called Snyder-verse as “a really excruciating experience.” He attributed this to a complex relationship with DC, which ultimately led to his disinterest in the superhero genre.

Affleck elaborated, "There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience, and they don’t all have to do with the simple dynamic of being in a superhero movie. I am not interested in going down that particular genre again, not because of that bad experience, but because 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 touched on this topic before, but he now sheds more light on the roots of his dissatisfaction. He attributes it to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations," while also acknowledging his own role in the ordeal. Reflecting on his time with DC, he admitted, "I wasn’t bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time, either."

He further explained his personal shortcomings, saying, "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. 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 tenure with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill, followed by numerous cameos and a canceled standalone project. Fans will recall his appearances in various team-up films such as Justice League (both the 2017 original and the 2021 Snyder Cut) and The Flash, as well as a brief role in Suicide Squad.

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Regarding the canceled Batman movie, specifics about how it would have covered 80 years of the Dark Knight remain unclear, but rumors suggest it would have delved into Arkham Asylum and potentially featured Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck has previously credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but in the GQ interview, he also mentioned his son's reaction played a part in his decision. He said, "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 now navigating new directions by splitting its grittier and more lighthearted stories into separate paths. The darker tone will persist in 2027 with The Batman 2, while the lighter side will launch with James Gunn’s DCU starting with Superman this July. As for Affleck, fans should not anticipate his return to DC to direct in Gunn’s new universe.