Where Is Ben Affleck's Batman At The Beginning Of The Flash? - Screen Rant

Michael Keaton’s return as the Caped Crusader may be capturing most of the hype concerning The Flash, but a pressing question remains: where is Ben Affleck’s Batman at in his journey when Barry Allen comes back into the picture? Scheduled for release on July 1, 2022, the production of The Flash is currently underway and director Andy Muschietti continues to delight fans with photos teasing his upcoming film. Most notably, Muschietti has teased Michael Keaton’s suit and the new Flash suit. While anticipation for Keaton’s return as Batman should be expected, Ben Affleck’s return has largely been overlooked, despite the likelihood of it being the conclusion to his time as Bruce.

Regarding Affleck’s return to the role, it will be important to keep in mind, The Flash is set after the events of Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut of Justice League, not HBO Max’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League. While audiences and critics alike consider the Snyder Cut the superior film, Whedon’s theatrical version remains the DCEU’s canonical film. This understanding will be imperative for audiences going into The Flash as it affects where all the characters are at the beginning of the film. Even Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen can be looked at differently depending on which version of Justice League one has in mind.

However, there is a possibility that The Flash could carry over elements of the Snyder Cut's version of the character, similar to how Aquaman picks up exactly where Zack Snyder's Justice League leaves the character. Assuming the theatrical cut does take precedence, as will most likely be the case, this will have a great impact on Affleck's Bruce Wayne, with whom Barry Allen will eventually catch up. The fact is, the two versions of Justice League end with different versions of Bruce Wayne because their arcs are remarkably divergent. Consequently, audiences will want to reacquaint themselves with Whedon’s portrayal of the Dark Knight.

Though both versions of the film end with Bruce Wayne having established the Justice League, his character ended up in two different places mentally and emotionally. While Snyder ended Batman’s story with a new dawn and the arrival of Martian Manhunter in preparation for a coming fight, Whedon ended with a Batman whose mission was seemingly accomplished. Whedon’s Batman isn’t preparing for the Knightmare which Flash warned him about. In fact, the knowledge of this event is seemingly retconned in the theatrical cut, weakening Bruce’s connection to Flash to begin with. After all, Bruce’s Knightmare dream in Batman v Superman is a significant tie he shares with Barry.

Furthermore, Whedon’s Justice League went out of its way to portray Bruce as a man ready to hang up the cape and cowl. From the one-liners indicating Batman’s pain to his conversation with Diana about being human, the film made a point to set up Batman’s retirement. In a sense, this drove Bruce to create the Justice League and bring back Superman as much as the arrival of the Parademons and Steppenwolf did. This is quite different from the Batman audiences will have fresh in their memories after watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League, who was ready to face the greater threat he knew was coming.

Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to expect, based on the theatrical cut, Affleck’s Batman to be semi or fully retired, opting for the more capable heroes to take his place. This would be in line with the reports that have indicated that Affleck’s Bruce Wayne will appear in The Flash, though he may not necessarily be wearing the cowl. Though this is pure speculation at this point, the fact that Whedon’s Batman is canon means audiences can, at the very least, expect Affleck’s Batman to be tonally lighter with no mention of the impending crisis of which the Flash had previously warned him.

Next: How Flash's Story Ended In Snyder's Original Justice League 2 & 3 Plan

Key Release Dates

The Suicide Squad (2021)Release date: Aug 06, 2021
The Batman (2022)Release date: Mar 04, 2022
DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: May 20, 2022
Black Adam (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
The Flash (2022)Release date: Nov 04, 2022
Aquaman 2 (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)Release date: Jun 02, 2023

Forrest Gump's Son Isn't Actually His Child - Theory Explained

Related Topics

About The Author

Anthony Borrelli (29 Articles Published)

Anthony Borrelli is a TV/Movie News writer for ScreenRant and a recent graduate with a BFA in Screenwriting. Anthony has been immersed in the world of pop culture for years and is an annual WonderCon attendee. He has previously written for FandomWire and Moviepilot.

Search

Where Is Ben Affleck's Batman At The Beginning Of The Flash? - Screen Rant

0 Response to "Where Is Ben Affleck's Batman At The Beginning Of The Flash? - Screen Rant"

Post a Comment