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New Batman from Boston?

Jessica Tomcheck
Jessica Tomcheck

According to Brian Truitt of USA Today, the sequel of the newest Superman movie, Man of Steel, will be released where Superman (Henry Cavill) will be introduced to the “Caped Crusader” whose role is to be taken over by Ben Affleck.

Frank Miller’s comic, The Dark Knight Returns, holds the idea that Batman and Superman create an antagonistic relationship. Peter Sciretta, editor of slashfilm.com claims that this relationship begins as a result of Superman’s reckless behavior in Man of Steel, where Batman decides to track him down.

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Affleck was supposedly picked to portray an older, wiser superhero to show a level of leadership over Superman while at the same time keeping that Bruce Wayne charm. However, Affleck doesn’t fit the criteria of fans as to who Batman is. Although he may give Batman a very different look than that of Superman, the personality and background change would morph Batman into an unfamiliar character, rather than one that the audience can respect and enjoy.

Many online viewers posted statements saying that Affleck’s acting skills are not being good enough to pull off the action required to be a superhero. After all, his portrayal of Daredevil in 2003 was atrocious. Scott Beggs, editor of FilmSchoolRejects.com, agrees that Daredevil was “a bad movie for a lot of reasons” which had mainly been directed to the poor execution by actor Ben Affleck.

When asking students around campus, who have come to know Christian Bale to be the Batman, nearly all agree that the decision to replace him, especially with Affleck, is going to be a terrible mistake. The mere mentioning of this change drops shoulders and induces sighs from CSU students and Fort Collins residents. Ben Whittle, a freshman at CSU brings up the specific point that it would be distracting to have the new Batman originate from Boston rather than Gotham. To Whittle, as well as many other Batman fans, this is a change that won’t easily be overlooked.

Christian Bale deserves partial blame for the uproar amongst Batman fans due to his current, and hopefully temporary, resignation from the position as Batman. It is hard to fully understand his reasoning for leaving, considering that the new Batman movies, especially the sequel of Man of Steel, will be one of the top grossing movies in the country. Business Insider even goes into stating: “Bale is to Warner Bros. and the Batman franchise as Robert Downey Jr. is to Marvel’s Iron Man legacy.”

Looking around nearly every store you come across, this statement has been proven more than accurate.

You can find Batman merchandise absolutely anywhere. It is clear that Batman has been at an all time high, especially in the time frame where Christian Bale has portrayed the Bruce Wayne/Batman character. Many people don’t even recall the movie Daredevil that Ben Affleck starred in back in 2003, especially if they are looking for good reviews.

Are we sure we want to put so much faith in Affleck when we have evidence that his previous superhero endeavor was as so unsuccessful?

Kentucky state resident, John Roden, recently launched a petition about Ben Affleck taking this new role and has already reached over 50,000 signatures supporting the distaste in this decision. Roden makes a good point with his petition however that he is not trying to trash Affleck as a person or as an actor, but simply believes, as most other Batman fans, that he is not the right man to fulfill this position.

Affleck has been successful in numerous films, and is widely known for great reasons—Batman just shouldn’t be one of them, wouldn’t be one of them.

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If Bale had decided to stay around for the upcoming film, he would have been able to bank nearly $50 million as well as keep the Batman fans at ease and at an all time high. And not to mention that viewers and fans can connect better with movies, especially sequels, when they can recognize a similar face. Robert Downey Jr., for instance, is cherished around the nation as the Iron Man, not just an actor playing a role. The same concept should be upheld with Batman.

Yes, many of the Batmans before him such as George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, Adam West, etc. have been quite influential as well, but Christian Bale has become a Batman icon; he has been the key to the DC character’s skyrocket into fame. Affleck would appear to fans as just another actor filling a role—he will never be Batman.

Jessica Tomcheck is a freshman Psychology major. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com

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