First Look: Ben Affleck’s ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Batsuit

ben-affleck-batsuit-batman-vs-superman
Ben Affleck as Batman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel sequel. Click to embiggen.

Yesterday, director Zack Snyder tweeted an image of what appeared to be a shrouded Batmobile, teasing that the reveal of the new Batmobile could come today. That expected reveal has come, but what was completely unexpected was seeing Ben Affleck in the Batsuit for the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, Batman vs. Superman.

The above photo was shared via Snyder’s Twitter account, and is our very first look at the infamous “Batfleck.” Affleck’s casting as The Dark Knight was one of the most divisive casting decisions in years, and the reaction to this first image of him in the Batsuit will likely be no different.

What stands out about this new Batsuit design almost immediately is how much it looks like the current Batman from the comics. The cowl in particular looks like nothing what Christian Bale wore in The Dark Knight Trilogy, and if anything, this cowls looks similar to Michael Keaton’s from the first two Tim Burton Batman films. For instance, the cowl and the neck appear to be one, sold piece. That kind of design was problematic for both Keaton and Bale, Bale’s suit even had a redesign between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight to fix that exact problem. Hopefully, allowing Affleck to easily turn his head has been taken into consideration when designing this suit.

Also notable is how beefy Affleck looks in the suit. Has he really been working out that much or has there been a little padding added? Funnily enough, what this isn’t really made all that clear is the Batmobile. All that can really be gleaned from this image and the earlier tease is that the design falls somewhere between the Burton Batmobile and Christopher Nolan’s Tumbler. What do you think?

Overall, this initial impression of Batfleck is a strong one and definitely gives off the older, grittier Dark Knight Returns-vibe the production was striving for. The internet’s reaction will undoubtedly be a cacophony of insanity, but for my part, I’m less worried about Batman vs. Superman having seen this. How about you? Are you more at ease with Batfleck after getting this first look?

Batman vs. Superman releases May 6th, 2016.

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