There’s a glimmer of hope for Ben Affleck Batman fans as he might still show up in Batgirl.
It’s a time of change for superhero movies as a whole. While the MCU moves into its transcendental Phase Four, the DCEU has begun experimenting with having multiple versions of the same character in different time periods at the same time. We’ve lost count of how many Jokers are in the DCEU at the moment – something that the film and the comics at least have in common.
At the centre of the rapidly changing DCEU sits the Justice League, and that organization has been undergoing its own bout of rebranding. From the core members of the League, only Wonder Woman has gotten two solo films, with Aquaman expected to get his sequel in late 2022.
However, the two most distinctive characters from the Justice League have been conspicuously absent from the lineup of DCEU films, that being Batman and Superman. Sure, we’re getting a brand new version of Batman in 2022 thanks to Matt Reeves’s The Batman, but some fans still wonder what happened to their beloved “Batfleck.”
Now that the ‘Snyder Cut’ is a reality, some fans are eager to see the cinematic universe that Zack Snyder created as it continues to grow. Even if not everyone was too keen on the apocalyptic future painted by the end of Snyder’s Justice League, there’s still some room for new stories set in the edgy world of Batfleck and Henry Cavill’s Superman, right?
Thanks to a bit of a slip of the tongue by actor J. K. Simmons, we might have gotten our first confirmation of the Snyderverse still being a reality – and that Ben Affleck might be playing Brue Wayne once more very soon.
Ben Affleck confirmed? Do you hear the stutter? #Batgirl https://t.co/0TuPhW0l3x
— Movies That Maher w The Viking (@MoviesThatMaher) November 24, 2021
Batgirl & Batman
Comic book fans must be more than familiar with who Simmons is by now. The veteran actor has played some of the most iconic comic characters in history, like J. Jonah Jameson, Nolan Grayson (AKA Omni Man), and even Commissioner Gordon in the Snyderverse.
When the news came in that a Batgirl film would be released in 2022, some fans speculated that it might be set in the same continuity as Matt Reeves’s Batman film. Those rumours ended when it was confirmed that Simmons would return to play Gordon in the film, setting it in the same timeline as the rest of the Zack Snyder Justice League movies.
As we know, Jim Gordon is one of Bruce Wayne’s closest allies in the comics. Seeing Simons reprise his role as the Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department surely means that there must at least be a cameo by Affleck as the Caped Crusader. Speaking of cameos, it seems like there still might be some more Batfleck for the fans.
Batfleck Returns
Even if the future of the Snyderverse remains a mystery, there’s still some glimmer of hope for fans of Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman. No, it’s not a solo movie, we know, but seeing him back in the DCEU gives us hope that at least the executives recognize the positive impression Affleck has had on the fans.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom isn’t the only high-profile DC film releasing in late 2022. The Flash is also set to debut during the season, and with it comes what could be one of the last appearances of Ben Affleck as Batman.
While that would just be a cameo at best, seeing him don the costume one last time will surely be an epic moment for fans of the DCEU, and maybe even a proper sendoff for one of the best live-action versions of the Bat we’ve ever had.
