BatFleck: The Dark Knight We Need Right Now 

Just admit it, after watching this video a good chunk of you will probably watch Batman Vs Superman again 😉

That scene where BatFleck comes up through the floor and wipes out the thugs.....that's my Batman, I want more of that Batman.

That warehouse scene made me want to see more of Affleck as Batman. His version was as close to the Arkham games as we have seen.

What Snyder honestly needed was someone he could trust who could polish his ideas into better writing and someone to assist in providing proper restraint with some of his more outlandish directorial techniques. Snyder definitely deserved a better, proper shot at things without the constant production interference he had to keep fighting against.

The warehouse scene in BvS was the first time I actually felt like I was watching the comic book Batman on the big screen. Big, hulking, dangerous, brutal, and relentless.

I was stoked for Batfleck from the get go. He has the physical attributes and at least i consider him a good actor. Then when I saw the first promo shot with him standing by the car I was sold.

Bens been through a lot of stuff in his life. From AA meetings to divorce now he’s back married to JLO he’s pretty close to a real Bruce Wayne.

The Ultimate Addition is actually one of my all time favourite films, I would watch it again and again.

The scene where he saves Superman’s mom is my favorite DCEU scene and he absolutely killed it as Batman. An entire movie like that would be badass. Also, his batsuit is my favorite.

Totally agree. I would have loved to have seen Affleck in his own BatMan movie

The whole saga of Snyder and DCEU is not just disappointing it's heartbreaking. The guy clearly had a vision that was completely different than MCU. Just because of that studio intervention audiences couldn’t get it. Now they’ve got James Gunn to run things which i have very little hopes for.

dude, Ben's batman is probably my favorite batman. I hate that he didn't get his own run of it. He's got the perfect Batman chin aswell!!!

I completely agree batfleck has been my favorite live action Batman since even the theatrical release of Batman v Superman. And was solidified even more so with the ultimate edition and the release of the snyder cut. I’m hoping that the new regime at WBD brings back affleck makes him a main focus and makes the snyder cut the cannon version of justice league

Not the Batman we deserve but the one we need right now

You articulated everything I have been trying to tell people about BatFleck, he is in my mind the best Batman we have gotten.

I've defended BvS too many times to count, it's a unique ambitious movie that tried to stand out from the usual superhero formula. As mentioned it has it's problems but it also gave us the most accurate live action Batman ever. It's smarter then anyone gives it credit for and puts anything in Phase 4 MCU to shame.

That armor in BvS is the most badass batman suit in all batman movies. Perhaps many people hate Batfleck. But he is definitely my number one favorite Batman.

Affleck was a very adept BATMAN. the intensity, humor, inventiveness, detective skills, and fighting ability harnessed everything. It was like watching Keaton's and Bale's version, only Affleck was bigger and built like a Mack truck.

Ben is by far my faivorite Batman on screen! We really need a standalone with him and a Worlds Finest with him and Henry, their chemistry is soo good!!

I think it's a good thing that there are currently two different batmen, and even better three different jokers. It turns the movies away from being taken too seriously but simultaneously puts them into the comic book situation where there are still risks and development of characters can still take place.

Batfleck was still is and always will be my favourite.🦇

Zack Snyder has made some real good stuff. In fact he made 2 of my all-time favourite movies, and I've seen thousands. Man of Steel & 300.

Batman and The Punisher are MY favorite heroes. No super powers making them invulnerable. They are human, and still beat the supers. As human, anyone could have been them making them more believable, practical, and actually can be hurt. They have something to lose.

Absolutely right. And I know it was a grand tale he wanted to tell, having met and talked with him several times over the years. WB should be ashamed of themselves through and through.

Great take on this ! Ben Affleck surprised me in so many movies I grew to really love his films! The Town... The Accountant...and others are superior movies!!! The more movies I've seen him in the bigger fan I became 💪👍

I enjoyed his portrayal and think the batsuit is one of my favorites.

Yes. His story arc was leading somewhere very interesting. Would have liked to have seen it through.

Rewatched BvS recently after so long, and Ben Affleck still remains my favorite Batman!

I never understood the hate for BvS. I loved it. Hell, even the DC movie bosses gave it a standing ovation. I would like Snyder back, but with someone to reign in his really out there ideas.

The Snyder + Affleck portrayal of Bruce Wayne / Batman is my absolute favourite. To me, it's the most nuanced, layered, and most importantly soft-hearted/kind of all the live action versions.

I wish they would have made the Batman Akhram series movie with Affleck. He would have been perfect for that role

I remember seeing this in the theater with friends. After it was over and we were all heading home, one of my friends was a little bummed that "they went with an older Bruce," even though the rest of the characters were their normal age. I think he was under the impression that the choice was a bit of a long term self sabotaging creative decision. As for me, I left the theater thinking something along the lines, "this is probably as close as I'm likely to see of Sam Vimes and Carrot Ironfoundersson in a movie."

The warehouse scene is most legendary Batman fight scene in my opinion

FINALLY. I've been a fan of your channel for a while, but it's SO NICE to see you share my sentiment about BvS.

Yeah. Pretty much. WB really dropped the ball here. At least those folks are gone now. Let’s hope it’s not too late. PS. For those finding Zach’s vision dark, please consider this. In his universe, good things in life are earned.

Ok I'll give him one more chance. He has that weird magic ability to convey subtle emotions from under a rubber full face hood. And he freakin looks like Batman.

Not gonna re-watch any of those any time soon, but yes - "Batfleck" and Cavill's Superman were for DC Universe what Tony/Cap were for Marvel. A pity they were not corageuos enogh to walk this path till the end. A grim and dark DC films could have been a really good contrast to Marvel's family comedies.

Ya hit the nail on the head dude, I'm very happy to see Affleck returning for more DC projects!!!

The scenes influenced by the graphic novels ("I believe") are just excellent.

I share your sentiments on Batfleck. So many of my friends hate Batfleck. Then I ask them, “Who’s the best Batman in any medium?” They answer “Kevin Conroy.” I follow up with “Which live action version is most like Kevin Conroy’s Batman?” They stare at me in angry silence and say “Affleck. But I still think he sucks.” 🤣

BATFLECK, THE 1°BATMAN WHO WAS ABLE TO TURN HIS NECK USING COWL

I'm so happy to see a lot of people here showing love for Batfleck and BvS overall. BvS Ultimate Edition is one of my favorite superhero films ever, a masterpiece that is, to me, one of the best superhero films ever and has a lot of rewatchibility. Batfleck is by far my favorite Batman who sadly didn't get to have his own solo outing. You can disagree with me and it's all okay.

My sentiments exactly. You nailed my thought in regards to batfleck almost to a tee, it's nice to know there are like minds out there.

With regard to the point at 3:50, that Superman hasn't got a chance once his powers are negated and the playing field is leveled... I should point out that his powers aren't _completely_ negated, just reduced, and Batman _still_ monkey stomps him. At several points in the fight, Bruce inflicts damage on Clark that would simply not be survivable by an ordinary person -- when Superman comes through the skylight, and lands on the floor beneath it, with a 200+ pound Batman, and probably 100 or more pounds of powered armor suit landing on top of him; that would have crushed the chest cavity and pulped the internal organs of an ordinary person. When Batman flings Superman through a wall, including load-bearing studs, that would have surely resulted in multiple fractures at least, for an ordinary person. Breaking a bathroom sink over an ordinary person's head would have broken his skull. And finally, when Bruce drops Clark down an open stairwell, in what looks like at least a twelve story fall, that would absolutely have killed an ordinary person, but it does no real damage, even to a mostly depowered Superman. Also, at once point in the fight, Clark intercepts a kick from Bruce, and swinging him by the same leg, flings Bruce through a wall (including load-bearing studs -- good thing Batman's wearing armor), which shows his super strength hasn't been _completely_ negated; Clark's still operating a superhuman power level, even if he's been temporarily robbed of most of his power. So depowered Clark is still far tougher and stronger than an ordinary person, and Batman still thoroughly kicks his ass.

Thank you, finally someone that has seen the ultimate extended cut and sees past the superficial to see the subtext of most of the scenes and the message Snyder was trying to convey. I feel people have gotten so dumbed down by modern cinema always spoon feeding the plot to the audience that now most people can't even begin to make sense of a well written movie scene with a lot of subtext. Speaking of the Martha scene here and I don't know why people say it was cringe and pointless when it made perfect sense to me knowing the character of Batman from the comics and his mental scars and pains.

100% agree. I was quite disappointed by the theatrical version of BVS when we saw it on that first Thursday night showing. My wife liked it though and we decided to go again on Saturday evening, as we had previously purchased tickets for that showing before seeing it opening night. I liked it a bit better and could enjoy it for what it was, but still only a C rating from me. I pre-ordered the Bluray for my wife and wondered what the extra 30 min could add. I was blown away. My rating went from a C to an A instantly. The story was more fleshed out. Characters had motivation and things to do. BVS: UE is in my top 5 Films (along with Ocean's Eleven, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and Die Hard). I love that we got the Snyder Cut (aside from Cyborg stealing and redistributing money and playing his socialism and theft as virtue) and wish we could see the Snyderverse fully restored. WW84 was not good. Harely Quinn and Suicide Squad were meh. I did like Shazam but don't care enough to have seen Black Adam yet.

100% AGREE with your statement on BvS Ultimate Edition!

i recently re saw Man of Steel, BVS, and JL. Zacks versions/extended. Yeah....i would really like to see that story continue. Ben Affleck did a great job too....especially in BVS.

I agree. Batfleck had a lot of potential. His fight scene at the end when he is saving Martha was one of the best Batman fight scenes on film to date. Yet the modern problem of bad writing casts a shadow on Batfleck because this character needed to be much smarter than portrayed. That is Batman's superpower: his intellect. He outsmarts and out strategizes everyone, even Darkseid. I like the portrayal of the character, but it is flawed, however, those flaws are easily remedied. I also really like Man of Steel. It is a better movie than people gave it credit for at the time.

Thank you for the great content!

I feel the lack of bringing up Kevin Conroys batman the animated series, justice league, JL unlimited and the arkham games, all voiced by Conroy, is doing a disservice to his importance to the batman mythos. No other actor has played the same superhero as consistently as Conroy did, and given he just died is a deserves to not mention his importance. And before anyone says "he's only talking about film adaptations of Batman", Mask of the Phantasm!

Great insights Dave! Couldn't have said it better myself! KUDOS!!!

Why is everyone so down on the 60s TV show? It was mirroring the campness of the comic books at that time. The notion it somehow betrayed the character is ridiculous.

It's worth considering that Batman is in effect a double act with Alfred, and having Jeremy Irons in that role was a great addition.

100% same. I was very skeptical of Affleck's casting, to say the least, but he absolutely won me over. By far my favorite portrayal. Love the Snyderverse also. The Snyder Cut of Justice League wasn't perfect (Martian Manhunter? Why?!), but it really struck me as an absolute work of art and I got the sense this was the man's vision fulfilled.

You make some great points and observations.

Going back to man of steel and bvs is such an experience After Snyders justice league. It was as though I watched them all with fresh eyes, not often superhero movies get better per viewing.

Dave I know u probably won’t read this but been filling your channel since 2008 when I bought my first MacBook from watching your videos. I remember when u went back to study journalism and how people used to take the piss about you doing a book on how to grow your RU-vid channel when u had less than 8k subs. Just wanted to say I’m so proud of you man and youll always be LACK78 to me 🧡

Ben Affleck has the best batman suit ever.

Affleck was awesome as Batman. Getting to see the toll it takes on him after decades of crime fighting, showing how broken he becomes and the kind of damage such a Batman can do once he stops holding back, all of this is what made BvS one of my most favorite movie ever.

Thank you for this take Dave, every point you made is exactly how i feel about Zack's vision and The Batfleck. Bring back Zack! Lets get at least a solo Batfleck movie if not a trilogy, i think Warner owes him that.

The Ultimate Edition is the definitive version of BVS and should've been the version we got in theaters.

If we had this action with the level of storytelling in the Nolan films, we'd have the perfect Batman movies. No more grounded Batman. That limits Batman to an Elseworlds story.

I completely agree with everything you said in this video

Ben Affleck as Batman warmed up to me after watching the Snyder Cut, and I would have honestly preferred watching his solo movie Vs Deathstroke, rather than the absolutely trite and disgustingly safe Matt Reeves movie, it felt like discount Nolan.

Thank you! I always feel a little ashamed when I say Ben Affleck is my favourite Batman. For me he play all of the 3 versions of batmans character perfectly. He can be the billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne, the troubled and brooding Bruce Wayne away from the public eye and the dark knight as-well. I love how big and scary he is in these films, seeing a big hulking Batman just ripping through henchman is so satisfying. I really do wish we got to see more of him!

the part where batman almost loses but then wins in the end was the best

I played an old trivia game, and it asked “Who has NOT played as Batman?” The answer was Ben Affleck 😂 aged like milk

People finally starting to realise that the DCEU has been crumbling without Zack Snyder, and it's not too late to bring him back.

Absolutely agree! The rumors of him returning with Henry Cavill in the third Wonder Woman making it a trinity movie will be amazing only if they can keep some of the substance they had in BvS🤞

I really hope they bring elements from BatFleck's earlier films to really help give him the DCU BatFleck film (or films) that helped BatFleck's previous apperiences work really well.

Controversial, but I don’t hate the Snyder version and it’s pretty close to some of the comic books. But I’d like to see a different director take it forward, the problem is there just isn’t one in Hollywood now who stands out.

I've only watched the extended cut of Batman v Superman and absolutely agree it's the only version worth watching.

I enjoyed man of steel and the rest of snyders superhero films, including Watchmen, hes clearly a great action director, that warehouse fight in BvS is great so I'd love to see him do a solo Batman film, I doubt it will happen though so my next choice would be Matthew Vaughn.

Imagine you put Batbale, Battinson, and The Batfleck, what do you get............. Ohhhh, the TAS and Arkham batman!!!

I actually liked Snyder's take on the DC universe. In talking with DC fans (comics), it's been pointed out that a lot of the details are found more in the comics than in audience perception or expectations. (This is why most people didn't like Superman or Lex Luthor for instance). But the underlining principle that drove it was how would the DC world be introduced in our current time. It was perhaps too honest in that it showed a very split and divided world where one side is eager to believe in higher ideals and the other side is jaded and cynical to believe anything. Superman as "Boy Scout" wouldn't have worked today (or back in 2013/2016). The other key aspect I could pick up is that Snyder wanted to explore the moral codes that govern each JL members, especially "the trinity": Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman. For Superman, he was developing his moral code, reconciling his Kryptonian nature with his adopted humanity (and from atypical fathers too). For Batman, he was rediscovering his moral code and it made sense to start from a jaded and battle-weary Batman (Death in the Family, The Dark Knight Returns, etc.) and then go on from there. Wonder Woman affirms hers, but not without having some tests done on it. On the whole, this made it a lot more interesting than the Marvel approach where the characters seem pre-formed and very little development or true challenge. And finally, it annoyed me to no end how there was this push to make DC more like Marvel. That's like saying Burger King needs to be more like McDonald's. Or if someone jumped off a cliff, would you do it? (And speaking of cliffs =D ). Let Marvel be Marvel. Stop trying to conform everything to one thing.

Ben had a chronic drinking problem during the batman filming...hes now 2 years woke sobriety teetotal now and fair enough to him

Zack makes superhero movies for adults.

We don't need a killing Batman

It's weird how we're basically alternating between two types of Batman. You have the rugged, almost thuggish Batman dressed in a more "natural"-looking batsuit (Keaton, Affleck), and then you have the more emotionally-tumultuous, grounded, and matte black armor-wearing Batman (Bale, Pattinson). There's overlap, for sure, but there seem to be at least as many distinctions.

i like the way you interpret the character of superman here. in fact it's the same way i see it, which also goes back to the infamous killing of zod at the end of man of steel, a scene that i'm under the impression most people didn't really understand. see, snyder seems to have planned his iteration of dc films as a big superman story. he had the genesis of the character in man of steel obviously, some moral development in batman v superman and eventually, after a cycle of death and rebirth, the superman we all know and love would have appeared, one that through his life experiences, bonds, and getting to know the humans, would unite his superpowers with the usual optimism and moral compass the character is famous for. in the first film though, the whole point of clark's character is that he trusts his parents, while on the other hand, his parents don't seem to trust humanity enough to feel comfortable with clark revealing his true nature to the world. his family doesn't really give him a moral compass in the film, and that's why at a certain point clark goes all "into the wild" in search of himself. as a result of his father's advice to hide his true powers, when clark is first confronted with individuals as strong as him, he is not accustomed enough to using his full potential, because he'd basically never used it before. quite intelligently, he is pitted against equally powerful beings, except genetically programmed to be soldiers, and trained at that. at that point clark is just your average bar brawler, as clumsy and dangerous as an elephant in a crystal shop. clark has never trained in fighting, because he was afraid of showing his power or hurting others. take his powers out of the picture, and superman wouldn't be a great fighter at all. the choice to kill his opponent at the end of the movie stems from his inexperience, i think. it's as if he felt like he couldn't have done anything else to restrain zod, except the extreme act. this experience, this failure, goes into clarks psyche and becomes part of his development. this is when he starts to get a feeling of who he really is, and he starts from what he doesn't want to be, in order to finally get to what he ultimately wants to become. it might be out of character for his comic book version, but it's extremely coherent for the dceu vision. i think most people were extra harsh when it came to judging those movies. some character choices were rather bold and clever i believe

Great video as always Dave👍🏻

Batfleck was the right batman that came at the wrong time

I love your commentary so much ♥️

Dark Knight Returns was my favorite graphic novel (as well as Killing Joke). The Batman v Superman brought out much of that novel. Affleck very much surprised me and IMHO is better than Bale (even though I totally expected Matt Damon to make a cameo)

Ben was my favorite. And I went into feeling this way kicking and screaming. He was everything I always wanted to see in a cinematic adaptation of Batman. He WAS the Neil Adams Batman of my youth. Smart, understated, a detective, a bruiser, not a ninja. Pity he couldn't have played his version of Batman in the Dark Knight trilogy.

Gotta say, I don’t think Batfleck could ever reach the heights of Bale’s Dark Knight. Choosing to introduce a Batman who has broken his no kill rule effectively breaks the character. He is no longer a man fighting for justice. He is a costumed mass murderer, dolling out death left and right. You can’t bring Batfleck back from that, because he is no longer Batman, he is only the Punisher. On a side note, Battinson came close to being great, but ultimately the wokeness and modern day politics keep that film from greatness.

finally saw the batfleck movies this year, and HELL YES!

The primary problem with the Snyderverse is that the only character that Zack liked was Batman, and yet not really Batman. He as stated in several interviews how he really dislikes Superman, so he had to change him. Which makes him not Superman. Although I will say that casting wise, I have no complaints. Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot really worked for those characters. Having said that Justice League was awful. With the soul exception of Jason Momoa as Aquaman (is there really any arguing that Aquaman wasn't in desperate need of drastic changes?), the rest of the introduce cast were terrible, particularly Ezra Miller as Flash (and I don't mean that in hindsight). I hated Ezra Miller's Flash from the moment I saw him in the trailer.

What I really enjoyed about Ben's Batman arc throughout BVS: UE and ZSJL is that it reminded of the story of the Apostle Paul. The Martha moment and death of Superman was basically Batman's road to Damascus moment, and it corrected his course from vengeful destruction to hope and justice. Superman's sacrifice planted the seed of hope and faith that Ben's Batman very much needed after the death of his parents and the death of Robin at the hands of Joker. While I very much enjoyed Matt Reeves' The Batman and want it to continue, I also want Ben's Batman to keep getting films as well. Hopefully James Gunn and Peter Saffran will either restore the Snyderverse or come up with a healthy compromise that acknowledes Snyder's trilogy and allows for a new direction that will be successful.

Agreed with everything you said!

This was one of my problems with Pattisons Batman. Though awesome it sadly took some steps back to the realistic setting. It be difficult to see some of the more powered characters in the Reeves version. Those who haven't had a more comic accurate adaptation that are long over due like Clayface, Poison Ivy, Mr Freeze, Bane, Raj Al guhl.

Couldn’t agree more Dave!

Mauler and company can do a pretty thorough job explaining to you exactly why the Snyder Cut isn’t really a better film than the Whedon Cut of Justice League, scene by scene.

YEESS! I 100% agree with you in this video!

I love Batman V Superman (ultimate edition) and I will not apologize for it. There, I said it. It's a comic masterpiece. And Batfleck is the GOAT and so is Snyder.

Agreed. Thanks for saying it

instead of giving Snyder another chance, they really should've let ben do his Batman movie , the script was fire and fits the dark tone of the Batman perfectly and it also had Deathstroke as the main villain, but instead we got the "liberal" Batman which was not bad but absolutely pretentious and patronizing , cause all we needed was Cat woman lecturing Batman about social justice

MoS, BvS UE & ZSJL will always be the best superhero movies we audiences got to see!

For me Batman vs Superman suffered because it felt rushed with not Batman film for Afleck first. It just didn’t do the character development that was needed to care as much for the showdown