Why the DC Cinematic Universe needed a new Batman

The Dark Knight Trilogy is one of those series of films that has it's die-hard fans and it's very vocal critics. While I personally like the films and accept them as what they are, which to me is just a different take on Batman if he was the only Superhero in the world, I also understand that just because a character or actor is loved for the role it doesn't mean that it is the smartest option to keep them around.

This is especially true for me when it comes to Christian Bale and his take on Batman. Christopher Nolan did an amazing thing for comic book fans. He took a believed to be dead franchise in Batman (Thanks Joel Schumacher) and made it into the most successful franchise DC has ever had so far. His realistic and gritty take on Batman was unlike anything the mainstream characters were doing and it payed off. However, there was a drawback to his concept: his Batman could never be involved with anyone with powers because he would not be able to compete.

Let's look at this realistically. Nolan's Batman was not anything remotely comparable to the comic book version. He was in shape but not at the peak of human physical limitations. He was clever and had some cool gadgets to deduce clues but he was nowhere near being the world's greatest detective. He had a brutality about him when he fought but he was nowhere near the martial arts expert that comic book fans are used to. Now does this mean that he was a bad version of Batman? Absolutely not. The Dark Knight Trilogy will go down in history as the franchise that put DC back on the map when other franchise like Green Lantern and Superman Returns fell short. But could this version of Batman be involved in a shared universe with Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and others? No way!

If Christian Bale was to have returned for the shared DC Cinematic Universe, we wouldn't be getting "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" because that Batman would be nothing for Superman to stop, especially since we now finally have a Superman that shows his true abilities and will only grow more powerful as the universe progresses. We needed a new Batman. We needed a Batman that can become what a shared universe needs. Batman is the only normal human in the Justice League so he must have these great comic book style qualities to make his inclusion relevant.

So now we have Christian Bale done with the character and Ben Affleck as the new Batman. Affleck is 42 and has already previously played a Superhero in "Daredevil" for FOX, a franchise that is considered a failure, getting no sequels, barely breaking even at the box office, and getting an even worse spin-off movie in "Elektra". Because of this, and also because some people just overall think he's a dick, the outrage from his casting announcement is still felt over a year later, although much calmer now that we have seen him in the new Batsuit and seen the Batmobile in pictures and leaked video. Let's look at some stats. Like I said, he's 42 years old so that actually plays against him in many people's eyes, but he's also 3 inches taller than Henry Cavill's Superman and has been steadily working out since the day he was announced as Batman. He's also one of the biggest Batman fans in Hollywood, so if anyone is going to give this character his all, it's Affleck.

Is Affleck the answer for the DC Cinematic Universe version of Batman? That is still up in the air and will be a question that will be brought up for years, even after the his first couple of movies as Batman. But with Affleck, we have a big name star, regardless of being hated or loved, and the opportunity to have Zack Snyder create a more comic styled Batman for us to all enjoy along with giving us our first Cinematic versions of Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg, and Wonder Woman and a reboot of Green Lantern. This is a great time to be a DC fan or even just a comic fan in general.