Ben Affleck: 'Oh S***!' Moment Led to Batman Exit

In a candid interview with GQ, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice star Ben Affleck shared the challenges he faced while playing the iconic Caped Crusader for DC. Reflecting on nearly a decade in the role, Affleck described his experience as a figurehead of the so-called Snyder-verse as “a really excruciating experience.” He attributed his struggles to a complicated relationship with DC, which ultimately led to his waning interest in the superhero genre.

“There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience,” Affleck explained. “And they don’t all have to do with the simple dynamic of, say, being in a superhero movie or whatever. I am not interested in going down that particular genre again, not because of that bad experience, but just: 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 previously discussed his challenges with DC, but this interview sheds more light on the origins of his difficult experience. He cited a “misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations” as a major factor, while also acknowledging his own role in the situation. “I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. 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,” he admitted. He further reflected, “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 journey with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This role led to several years of cameos and even a canceled standalone project. Fans will remember Affleck’s appearances in team-up films like Justice League (both the 2017 original and 2021’s Snyder Cut), The Flash, and a brief role in Suicide Squad.

The 10 Best DCEU Movie Heroes

11 Images

While details of the canceled Batman movie remain sparse, rumors suggest it would have covered 80 years of the Dark Knight, potentially exploring Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role. However, he also mentioned that his own son played a significant role in his decision. “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.”

As DC navigates its future, it is splitting its narratives into grittier and more lighthearted paths. The former will continue with The Batman 2 set for release in 2027, while the latter will kick off with James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman this July. However, fans should not expect to see Affleck return to direct a film in Gunn’s new universe.