Ben Affleck as Batman Casting Faces Backlash—But Should Matt Damon Play Robin?

Warner Bros. cast Oscar winner to play iconic superhero in upcoming Man of Steel sequel alongside Henry Cavill

By Rebecca Macatee Aug 23, 2013 2:12 PMTags
Ben Aflfeck, Matt Damonimgur

Not going to say holy Batman backlash, because—cliché!—but, not everyone is thrilled about Ben Affleck playing the caped crusader in the Man of Steel sequel.

Warner Bros. announced Thursday, Aug. 23, that the Oscar winner would play the iconic superhero in the Superman follow-up flick, and almost immediately thereafter, the internet was ablaze with some, um, mixed reactions to the casting.

A photoshopped-image of Ben in costume and longtime BFF Matt Damon donning Robin's trademark red and green ensemble quickly made its way to the front page of Reddit with a caption reading, "Now that Ben Affleck is Batman, this can only mean one thing." 

Then again, some had their doubts having a Batman Benny at all. True Blood's Robert Kazinsky , tweeted, "Ben Affleck is the new Batman? I absolutely didn't see it coming but I do absolutely see it working. Gotta be better than Daredevil amirite? OOOOOOOOOOOOH Matt Damon as the new joker? waddya think of them apples?"

Joshua Malina proposed a similar idea, tweeting, "Damon as Robin! Damon as Robin!" He then joked, "I bet the Dr. Who people are psyched they didn't go with Ben Affleck."

Wil Wheaton threw a little shade at Mr. Affleck by mentioning his past action film and a certain romantic comedy he costarred in with Jennifer Lopez that was, well, admittedly not Ben's best work. "Really looking forward to seeing Affleck bring the depth and gravitas to Batman that he brought to Daredevil and Gigli," he tweeted, adding,  But Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms."

Wheaton quickly felt the wrath from Ben's supporters, though, adding, "Relax, Team Affleck. I'm just making a joke. Calm yourselves with a rewarding viewing of Jersey Girl, and everything will be fine."

Wheaton, of course, wasn't the only one to question Affleck playing such an iconic character. Groups of fanboys and film snobs took great issue with the casting, and soon, a darker meme surfaced showing Heath Ledger's Joker character from The Dark Knight with words saying, "It's simple. We kill the Batman." Hey now.

There's also a Change.org petition asking Warner Bros. to "remove Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Superman/Batman movie," claiming, he "won't do the role justice." Hm. "He's not built, nor is he intimidating enough for the role of Batman," the petition goes on, concluding, "His portrayal of Daredevil was atrocious and he's not remotely close to an action star. Please find someone else."

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, yes, but the film's director Zack Synder said in a statement that "Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry [Cavill's] Superman. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can't wait to work with him."

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na!