Bruce Wayne (DC Extended Universe)
Bruce Wayne, also known by his vigilante alias Batman, is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe based on the character of the same name. The character was portrayed by Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder's 2016 superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and its follow up Justice League, leading to fans nicknaming this iteration of the character "Batfleck", a portmanteau of "Batman" and "Affleck".[1] In the films' universe, Bruce had already been fighting crime as Batman for some time before the emergence of Superman, and despite initially butting heads with him, Batman comes to appreciate the former and starts the Justice League in his honor.
| Batman Bruce Wayne | |
|---|---|
| DC Extended Universe character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) |
| Created by | Bill Finger Bob Kane |
| Based on | Batman |
| Adapted by | Chris Terrio David S. Goyer Zack Snyder |
| Portrayed by | Ben Affleck (original) Brandon Spink (young) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | The Batman The Dark Knight |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Vigilante Superhero Socialite Business executive |
| Affiliation | Alfred Pennyworth James Gordon Justice League |
The DCEU marks the fifth time Batman was portrayed in film, but the first to share a film series with other DC superheroes such as Superman and Wonder Woman. Although the announcement of Affleck's casting in Batman v Superman was initially met with intense fan backlash, his performance ultimately met with a positive reception in an otherwise divisive film. Affleck was later hired to write, direct, and star in his own standalone Batman film entitled The Batman before stepping down from both roles.
Development and casting
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was Affleck's second film as a comic book superhero; he played Daredevil in the 2003 film of the same name, and was initially reluctant to accept playing Batman, citing that he "felt [he] didn't fit the traditional mold. But once Zack [Snyder] showed [him] the concept, and that it would be both different from the great movies that Chris[topher Nolan] and Christian [Bale] made, but still in keeping with tradition, [he] was excited." Affleck previously stated in 2006 that Daredevil had "inoculated [him] from ever playing another superhero".
Snyder cast an older Batman to be a layered juxtaposition against a younger Superman; while "bear[ing] the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain[ing] the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne." Nolan was involved with the casting of Affleck and he was the first actor Snyder approached for the part. The director had also discussed the part with Josh Brolin. It was initially claimed that Bale wanted to play Batman again after The Dark Knight Rises, though he stated that his Batman does not belong in any other film and he was never approached by Warner Bros. to play the role again.[2] Bale ultimately decided not to reprise the role out of respect for Christopher Nolan's creative direction and the fact that the Dark Knight trilogy provided a full arc for the character.[3]
Following Justice League, Affleck stepped away from the role and English actor Robert Pattinson was cast to replace him in The Batman, beating out other actors such as Nicholas Hoult.[4][5] Affleck left the role due to fatigue and a myriad of events in his personal life, though it was also alleged to be due to Snyder's departure from the DCEU and subsequent creative differences with other directors and writers.With Synder's return to the franchise with the announcement of Zack Snyder's Justice League, a director's cut of the prior film, rumored reports of Affleck's own return to the DCEU have surfaced, though Pattinson will continue to star in The Batman, which was confirmed as being a self-contained movie and not part of the DCEU's main timeline.[6] Any future Batman-related project in the DCEU that Affleck takes a part of would likely serve to create a multiverse within the franchise.[7]
Characterization
The DCEU version of Batman has been noted to be more brooding and jaded than previous cinematic iterations of the character, and was influenced by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, which shows Batman in his 50s. He is noticeably older than Clark Kent when first meeting him in Batman v Superman and has witnessed not only the murders of his parents at a young age, but also that of his protegé Jason Todd, who served as Robin until his capture and death at the hands of the Joker.[8] Affleck said this Batman "is a little older, he's a little more world-weary. He's been around the block once or twice so he's a little wiser but he's definitely more cynical and a little darker and more jaded", adding that Batman has gotten "more exposed to the violence and the criminal element of that world over time."[9] However, like previous iterations of the character, including that of Michael Keaton's and Christian Bale's portrayals, Affleck's Batman has also become the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and taken on protecting Gotham City from a wide variety of criminals, ranging from Floyd Lawton and Digger Harkness to the Joker and Harley Quinn. Affleck's Batman shares a similarity with Bale's in that both fell into a well and were swarmed by bats, developing a phobia of the creatures that he later incorporates into his Batman persona.
Bruce is serious, calculating, and tactical, and is known to be dedicated and determined as a crime-fighter. He possesses genius-level intellect and peak physical conditioning. He is brave, bold, and willing to risk his own life for the sake of others, as demonstrated in Justice League. Despite being described as caring and selfless, he is often ruthless and violent in his war on crime, and his inner demons sometimes overwhelm his better judgement. Unlike other interpretations of the character, this version is willing to kill his adversaries, as seen in Batman v. Superman, when he dispatches several of Lex Luthor's minions and even attempts to kill Superman.[10] However, after seeing Superman's selflessness and sacrifice, a guilt-ridden Batman swears never to take another life.
Voice and equipment
Like previous iterations of Batman, the DCEU Batman utilizes a different voice than the unmasked Bruce Wayne, but instead of manually altering his voice, he relies on a voice modulator to digitally alter it. Affleck notes that a world-famous billionaire such as Bruce Wayne would likely have his voice recognized.[9] Zack Snyder also decided to give Batman a cloth-based Batsuit with exception to his powered exoskeleton in Batman v Superman, commenting "I had a really strong idea about what I wanted to do – I really wanted to do sort of a fabric-based Batman; not what's become the more normal, armored Batman. That's how we evolved it."[11]
Themes
In Batman v Superman, Richard Brody of The New Yorker notices an allegory to American politics; Batman, according to Brody, represents the Democratic Party, whereas Superman represents the Republican Party. Brody feels this notion is supported by the fact that Batman's eyes glow blue when he is wearing the exoskeleton and Superman's glow red when he uses his heat vision. Brody notes:
The classic distinction between the right and the left is that the right represents the uninhibited force of natural power, while the left represents a check on natural power in the name of an idea. Batman embodies that check—and, because he himself isn’t up to a mano a mano with Superman, he needs allies... Superman may be able to kill Batman at will, but Batman, in order to combat Superman effectively, has to have help. He has to make an alliance, even an unwitting one, with other forces, which, in the event, turn out to be the forces of evil, at the command of Lex Luthor.[12]
However, Kofi Outlaw of ComicBook.com interpreted the allegory the other way around: that Batman represents "the right-wing hawk reaction to 9/11... an America that prefers security over civil liberties; the Bush-era mentality of stopping threats pro-actively before they can threaten close to home". He also compares the "Black Zero" event portrayed in Man of Steel - in which General Zod attacks Metropolis, killing hundreds of people - to 9/11.[13] Meanwhile, Superman, Outlaw writes, represents "the more left-wing, liberal, American ideal", while Lex Luthor represents "insidious opportunists who exploited (and still exploit) the turmoil of a post-9/11, war-torn, world for personal gain."[13] Outlaw suggests that the scene where Batman and Superman find common ground in their mothers is parallel to the notion that conflicting political ideologies still have similarities.[13]
Film appearances
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Bruce's background is quickly explored during the opening credits of the film. In 1981, the Wayne family leaves a theater after attending a viewing of The Mark of Zorro when they are held at gunpoint by a mugger, who shoots both Thomas (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Martha Wayne (Lauren Cohan) to death in front of their son Bruce before fleeing. During his parents' funeral, Bruce runs away, only to fall down a dry well, and be attacked by a swarm of bats. This would later inspire him to use that fear to battle the criminal element that took his parents' lives. After years of training, Bruce becomes the CEO of his father's company, Wayne Enterprises, while also becoming Batman, fighting crime in Gotham City. He is aided in his war on crime by his butler Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons), a former MI6 agent. Bruce takes on Jason Todd as his sidekick Robin, and they fight crime together until Jason is murdered in 2006 by The Joker and Harley Quinn. During the events of Man of Steel, Bruce happens to be in Metropolis at the same time as Superman's (Henry Cavill) battle with General Zod (Michael Shannon), which results in the destruction of several skyscrapers, including the Metropolis Wayne Tower, as the Kryptonians throw each other across the city. Enraged at Superman's apparent lack of concern for innocent bystanders, Bruce devotes himself to taking Superman down, deeming him a threat to humanity.
Batman is shown rescuing several women from sex trafficker Cesar Santos (Sebastian Sozzi) at the beginning of Batman v. Superman, brutally beating him and branding him with a Bat symbol before leaving him for the police. Bruce first encounters Clark Kent at a gala held by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) in Gotham City. Bruce is at the gala to try and steal information from Luthor, having ruled out a heist after his butler Alfred informs him of the event, and is also seeking kryptonite in an attempt to take on Superman. As he plants a device to steal and decrypt information from Luthor's servers, another attendee, museum curator Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), takes notice and steals the device before Bruce can get back to it. He later tracks down Diana at a museum, where she explains that she was after a piece of information that Luthor had taken from her. As she is unable to get past the data's military-grade encryption, she returns the device to Bruce. While decrypting the information, Bruce falls asleep and dreams of an evil Superman leading an insurgency to take over the world. Bruce fights against Superman's soldiers in a war before being captured and killed by Superman for taking "her from [him]". Waking up from the dream, he encounters the Flash (Ezra Miller), who tells him that Lois Lane (Amy Adams) "is the key" and to "find the others" before vanishing.
Looking at Luthor's files, he realizes that not only was Luthor after kryptonite, but was also researching metahumans around the world, one of which includes Diana, also known as Wonder Woman. He tells Alfred of his intent to take and weaponize kryptonite to fight Superman, having assumed that all Kryptonians are evil and being driven by his nightmare to eliminate any chance of Superman's corruption. Alfred, however, is more skeptical, believing that Superman's intentions are not malevolent. While attempting to intercept Luthor's men during a kryptonite shipment, Batman is ambushed by Superman himself, who disapproves of Batman's brand of violent vigilante justice and is determined to put him down. Superman leaves Batman a warning to "give up his crusade", while Batman promises to make the god-like alien "bleed". Bruce becomes even more determined to kill Superman following a terrorist attack on United States Capitol during a Congressional hearing on Superman, believing the Man of Steel himself to be responsible; he is unaware that Luthor masterminded the attack. Bruce then breaks into a well-guarded LexCorp facility as Batman and steals kryptonite, killing and injuring several of Luthor's men. He creates several weapons from the kryptonite, including grenades and a spear, and upgrades his Batsuit with a powered exoskeleton while physically training to better match up to Superman's strength.
Luthor finally pits Batman and Superman against each other in combat, the final phase of his plan to kill both superheroes. Although Superman has realized the situation and attempts to talk Batman out of it, the latter is ready to fight, subduing Superman with two kryptonite smoke grenades after a lengthy struggle. As Batman prepares to move in for the kill using the spear, Superman pleads with him to "save Martha", the same name as Batman's deceased mother; this causes Batman to pause in confusion. After Lois arrives and explains that Superman was referring to his own adoptive mother, whom Luthor has kidnapped, Batman comes to his senses and sets out to rescue Martha Kent (Diane Lane), killing mobster Anatoli Knyazev (Callan Mulvey) in the process, while Superman regains his strength and confronts Luthor.
Luthor executes his backup plan, unleashing a monster genetically engineered from DNA from both Zod's body and his own. Having heard of the mayhem, Wonder Woman arrives in her armor with her metahuman powers on display, joining forces with Batman and Superman against the creature. Though outmatched, Superman realizes its vulnerability to kryptonite and retrieves the spear, impaling the creature with it as Wonder Woman restrains the monster and Batman stuns it with his last kryptonite grenade - also killing Superman in the process. Following Luthor's arrest, Batman confronts him in prison, warning him that he will always be watching. Luthor gloats that Superman's death has made the world vulnerable to powerful alien threats. A memorial is held for Superman in Metropolis. Clark is also declared dead, and Bruce and Diana both attend his funeral in Smallville. Bruce tells Diana that he regrets having failed Superman, and asks for her help to form a team of metahumans to protect the world in Superman's absence. After everyone leaves, the dirt atop Clark's coffin levitates.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Batman is shown chasing down the Joker (Jared Leto) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) during a flashback in the film, resulting in Quinn's capture and incarceration. He also gets into an entanglement with Deadshot (Will Smith) during an earlier flashback. While Batman gets the best of him, Deadshot pulls out his rifle and is prepared to kill Batman, but Deadshot's daughter, Zoe (Shailyn Pierre-Dixon), gets in the way and persuades her father to surrender. Bruce Wayne later meets with Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) during a mid-credits scene, trying to persuade her to dissolve Task Force X or else "his friends" would.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Bruce does not appear onscreen, but sends a correspondence to Diana Prince, including a photographic plate from 1918 depicting Prince with four men during World War I.
Justice League (2017)
Following the events of Batman v Superman, Wayne and Diana Prince follow on their plans to locate more metahumans in the wake of Superman's death. A global threat has arisen with the emergence of the demon Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), who has sent his Parademons to plague Gotham. Bruce easily manages to persuade Barry Allen, also known as "the Flash", to join, but faces difficulty in recruiting Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), also known as "Aquaman", until Steppenwolf attacks Curry's home of Atlantis.
Wayne and Allen join up with Diana and Victor Stone (Ray Fisher), also known as "Cyborg", as they receive intel from Gotham City Police commissioner James Gordon (J. K. Simmons). The team sets out to an underwater facility between Metropolis and Gotham City in order to rescue Stone's father Silas (Joe Morton) and other employees of S.T.A.R. Labs, whom Steppenwolf and his forces had kidnapped in an attempt to locate the last Mother Box, one of three devices sought to reshape the world. After the group rescues the employees and seizes the Mother Box to analyze it following a skirmish, Bruce decides to use the device to resurrect Superman after hearing from Victor that Silas had used it to revive him after a horrific accident. Diana and Curry are hesitant about this idea, but Bruce forms a secret contingency plan in case Superman returns as hostile.
Barry and Victor exhume Clark Kent's body, which is placed into an amniotic fluid inside the Kryptonian scout ship used to create Doomsday. Flash activates the Mother Box, which successfully revives Superman. However, Superman has lost his memory, and he attacks the group after Stone accidentally launches a projectile at him. Superman remembers Batman's aggression towards him, grabbing Batman off the ground and nearly killing him, but Batman enacts his contingency plan: Lois Lane. Superman calms down and leaves with Lane to his family home in Smallville, where he reflects, and his memories slowly come back. In the turmoil, the Mother Box is left unguarded, allowing Steppenwolf to retrieve it with ease.
The team recuperates at the Batcave while Diana attends to Bruce's wounds. Without Superman, the five heroes travel to a village in Russia, where Steppenwolf aims to unite the Mother Boxes once again to remake Earth. Batman risks his own life to distract Steppenwolf while the other members separate the Mother Boxes, though the plan is unsuccessful. Superman, having regained his memories, arrives and assists Allen in evacuating the city, as well as Stone, in separating the Mother Boxes. The team defeats Steppenwolf, who, overcome with fear, is attacked by his own Parademons before they all teleport away.
After the battle, Bruce and Diana agree to set up a base of operations for the team, with room for more members, and Bruce begins rebuilding the destroyed Wayne Manor for this purpose. Bruce then makes amends with Clark, buying out the bank trying to foreclose Martha Kent's farm in Smallville and offering Superman the mantle of leadership for the newly minted Justice League.
Other appearances
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice prequel comics
Batman appears in some comics which serve as a prequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice but follow after the events of Man of Steel. In the comics, he fights and defeats Firefly and his henchmen, encounters Superman while defending middle school students from criminals armed with Kryptonian firearms, and expresses to his butler Alfred his concern that Superman will turn against humanity, whereas Alfred suggests that Bruce may have some professional jealousy towards Superman.
Reception
Upon the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Affleck received considerable praise for his performance, despite the overall mixed reception of the film itself and the initial negative reaction to his casting.[14][15] Conner Schwerdtfeger of CinemaBlend specifically notes that Affleck's portrayal is faithful to the comics, showcasing the best of Batman's intellectual and physical abilities while balancing both Bruce Wayne and Batman, whereas Michael Keaton focused too much on Batman and Christian Bale on Bruce Wayne.[16][17] However, Affleck and Zack Snyder were both criticized for the decision to have Batman kill people, a departure from other interpretations of the character.[18]
After Affleck stepped away from the role and following the announcement of Zack Snyder's Justice League, a trending social media event titled #ThanksBatfleck emerged on July 24, 2020, with fans expressing gratitude to Affleck for his contributions to the role of Batman.[6]
References
- Lovett, James (June 27, 2020). "Batman: Batfleck Trends as Fans Call For Ben Affleck's Return". ComicBook.com. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- Davis, Johnny (October 12, 2014). "Christian Bale Is Esquire's January Cover Star". Esquire.
- Young, Julius (November 18, 2019). "Why Christian Bale turned down fourth 'Batman' film". Fox News. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
- Schwerdtfeger, Conner; Sledge, Philip (July 7, 2020). "Batman Solo Movie: Everything We Know So Far About The Batman". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- Kharwal, Aman (July 11, 2020). "The Batman Will Not Be A Part Of DCEU Story Timeline". Nation Editions. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- Curran, Brad (July 24, 2020). "Ben Affleck's Batman Trends As Fans Thank Batfleck For His DCEU Role". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- Augustine, J.B. (August 8, 2020). "New Evidence Reveals When The First The Batman Teaser Will Arrive". Bounding Into Comics.
- Koch, Cameron (March 31, 2016). "Zack Snyder Confirms Joker Killed Robin Prior To Events Of 'Batman v Superman'". Tech Times. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
In my mind, it was that Robin had died about 10 years earlier in some run-in with a young Joker... So, that was an interesting thing to me. Sorta a fun backstory to play with.
- Begley, Chris (March 18, 2016). "Ben Affleck talks 'Batman v Superman' and what it was like in the "heavy" armored Batsuit (video)". Batman News. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- Staskiewicz, Keith (July 2, 2015). "Zack Snyder defends 'Man of Steel' ending: You can't have superheroes knock around with no consequences". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- Ching, Albert (October 21, 2015). "Zack Snyder 'Really Excited' About the Dark Knight of "Batman v Superman"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- Brody, Richard (March 29, 2016). ""Batman v Superman" Is Democrats vs. Republicans". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- Outlaw, Kofi (November 15, 2017). "Why Batman v Superman Is Smarter Than You Think". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- Cavassuto, Maria (March 22, 2016). "Early 'Batman v Superman' Reviews: What the Critics Are Saying". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- Chan, Louise (March 25, 2016). "Review Roundup: Critics Say 'Batman v Superman' Is An Injustice To Comic Book Fans". Tech Times. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- Schwerdtfeger, Conner (March 25, 2016). "7 Reasons Ben Affleck Is The Best Batman Of All-Time". CinemaBlend. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- Dyce, Andrew (April 8, 2016). "How Zack Snyder Finally Got Batman Right". Screen Rant.
- Wilding, Josh (March 24, 2016). "Exclusive: Zack Snyder explains in detail why The Dark Knight kills in Batman v Superman". HEYUGUYS.
| Feature films |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music |
| ||||
| Characters | |||||
| |||||
