Ben Affleck Reveals What Happens To Batman In The Flash And It Sounds Ridiculous
Ben Affleck spoiled what happens to Batman in The Flash, referencing how he's on screen for five minutes and gets saved by Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman using the Lasso of Truth.
Ben Affleck revealed details about Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman cameo in The Flash, giving insight into his own part in the film. Ben Affleck told the Smartless podcast that he filmed a scene with Gadot in which the Lasso of Truth wraps Batman up, forcing out his true feelings about being the Dark Knight.
“I don’t want to give away any spoilers,” Affleck said, “but there was a scene where I get saved by Wonder Woman during a conflagration with some bad guys. She saves me with the Lasso of Truth, so what happens is that Batman divulges some of his real feelings about his life and his work. I was like, ‘Wait a minute; I got it!’”
The emotional breakthrough for Batman was a moment of clarity for Affleck. “I finally figured out how to play the guy!” he said. “I know I quit but I got it now!” Ben Affleck referenced that epiphany in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter a couple of weeks ago, but his latest interview divulged the details of his lightbulb moment as Batman.
He called his brief time in The Flash his best work in the role yet. Unfortunately, his time in the cape and cowl is coming to a close. Ben Affleck is putting his Batman role to rest and turning his attention to his new production company, Artists Equity, for which he serves as CEO.
The Flash’s scene between Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman sounds like it has the potential to be a defining moment for the DCU — good or bad. Either way, it could be the final performance either actor gets to give as a DC superhero – unless DC hangs on to Affleck’s Batman cameo in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Gal Gadot’s role in The Flash was previously reported to have been scrapped as the film was shifted to set up James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reset of the DC film canon. Wonder Woman was then featured in a toy line promoting The Flash, suggesting that her appearance in the film may happen after all. Gadot’s role in The Flash and DC moving forward continues to be a subject of speculation.
Though Ben Affleck is moving on from Batman, there is still plenty of the World’s Greatest Detective on the way. Michael Keaton will reprise his role as Batman for The Flash, and director and producer Matt Reeves is busy expanding his gritty vision of Gotham City. The filmmaker is at work on The Batman Part II and The Penguin; an HBO Max spin-off series following Colin Farrell’s character from The Batman.
Reeves is also producing an animated series, Batman: The Caped Crusader, alongside J.J. Abrams and creator Bruce Timm. James Gunn also announced a new live-action iteration of Batman and the entire Bat Family in Batman: The Brave and the Bold; no cast or creators have been announced for the project. Ben Affleck had once been in line to direct a Batman film, but he told The Hollywood Reporter that he has cut ties with DC entirely to prioritize his family and new company.
As he moves away from tentpole franchise films, Affleck’s first effort under the newly minted Artists Equity will be next month’s Air, the story of Nike’s effort to sign a shoe deal with Michael Jordan in the mid-80s. Early reviews have heralded the film as one of the best sports movies ever made.
Ben Affleck had a complicated tenure as Batman. As time goes on, it will be interesting to see how his time in the role compares to other actors who have taken on the character. Like many modern DC actors, his time in his superhero role was not optimized. But Affleck has a little more brooding left in the tank, and fans can catch his latest and greatest performance as the Caped Crusader when The Flash hits theaters on June 16, 2023.
