Exclusive: Ben Affleck’s Role In The Flash Was Extended
We've exclusively learned that The Flash will have more of Ben Affleck than originally planned.
Update: Ben Affleck did appear in The Flash, but his appearance was brief and only at the beginning. Even when it appeared he would return at the end of the movie, he was replaced by George Clooney because of the shift in the DC version of the Multiverse.
Ezra Miller’s solo title, The Flash, releases on November 4, 2022. Somehow, his solo title has largely become a meetup point for Batman to meet Batman. This hardly seems like something fans are likely to complain about. Audiences can’t get enough of the character, as evinced by the many iterations of him in recent years In The Flash, Michael Keaton will appear as the hero for the first time in over three decades. When he does, he’ll be sharing scenes with Ben Affleck’s character. One of the questions audiences have about this surrounds the plans for handling these scenes. Giant Freakin Robot has previously learned that The Flash will be a launch vehicle for a Michael Keaton reboot, of sorts. The actor is lined up for many more DC projects in the coming future. But for Ben Affleck, the story is quite different.
One of our trusted and proven inside sources have informed us that The Flash originally only had a brief appearance by Ben Affleck. The studio realized that this is the last time the star would be seen in the role and that they should provide true closure for the audience. They then made the decision to extend Affleck’s scenes in The Flash to make sure his character got a send-off that would work well for audiences.
We were unable to confirm what those scenes include. We do know that Ben Affleck recently spoke with Variety. When he did, he said that Justice League had been a difficult movie for him. He enjoyed his experience filming scenes for The Flash. He said, simply, that The Flash was “a really nice way to revisit that”. Fans of the star know that he went through a difficult time in his personal life and spoke at length with the public about how he “couldn’t crack it” as Batman. Audiences who are attached to the actor and/or the character will be happy to see a concluding arc that pays some tribute to the work the actor has done for DC.
Giving Ben Affleck a fitting farewell as Batman also gives a better entrance for Michael Keaton’s upcoming roles in the DC Extended Universe. All around, it makes a better storyline for the connected movies.
While we were unable to confirm what happens in Ben Affleck’s scenes for The Flash, we know that the movie follows the Flashpoint storyline in the comics. It’s clear that the comics won’t be followed word for word, but the basic idea behind the comic stories was that Barry Allen travels through time, saves his mother’s life, and creates an entirely different universe. This sees him them trying to set things to rights.
Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen has established a relationship with Ben Affleck’s Batman in the DC Extended Universe. It makes sense for The Flash to be a fitting goodbye for Batfleck. An established character in the DCEU (Flash) will witness his final scenes, making them more real and final for the audience. The existence of the multiverse seems like the most obvious and fitting way for Ben Affleck to end up adding finality to his character. Perhaps he’ll die, perhaps he’ll now exist in a universe locked off from Ezra Miller’s, or perhaps he’ll simply decide that since Michael Keaton’s Batman has entered the stage, he is now safe to retire and live a life as Bruce Wayne, without having to carry the Batman moniker. Hopefully, the ending they give his character will be satisfying, surprising, and something that lets fans move on without him.
