‘Batman V Superman’ Theory: Ben Affleck Won’t Play Bruce Wayne?
Ben Affleck being cast as Batman in the new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie was ridiculed by fans of the comic book hero from the on-set. But a new fan theory pieces together why Ben Affleck was cast in this movie, although the theory may be as far-fetched as the Argo actor being cast as Gotham’s dark knight originally seemed.
Ben Affleck may not be playing Batman at all. Instead, the 43-year-old actor could be playing the comic book character known as Deathstroke.
Ben Affleck really playing Deathstroke?!https://t.co/3n7wzhzumt pic.twitter.com/vB9DJueOuY
— Cosmic Book News – Matt McGloin (@cosmicbooknews) October 22, 2015
The theory that Ben Affleck will be playing Deathstroke in his movie Batman v Superman comes from TotalSpoiler and offers a very long and detailed thesis. To begin with, Ben Affleck will play a character that exists within director Christopher Nolan’s universe, the same universe where Batman already exists, as played by Christian Bale. Ben Affleck himself seems to have offered support to this idea, according to comments the actor made in a recent Movie Pilot article.
“I don’t want to give away too much, but the idea for the new Batman is to redefine him in a way that doesn’t compete with the Bale and Chris Nolan Batman but still exists within the Batman canon. It will be an older and wiser version, particularly as he relates to Henry Cavill’s Superman character.”
So if Ben Affleck is actually Deathstroke, just who or what is the character of Deathstroke? Deathstroke, whose real name is Slade Wilson, has been seen as both a supervillain and an anti-hero in DC Comics. Slade Wilson can also currently be seen in the TV show Arrow, another series from the DC universe. In the Batman V Superman trailer, Ben Affleck is shown saying the line “Do you bled? You will.” This seems to echo a line said by Deathstroke in a Batman video game, “I will make you bleed.”
In the DC Universe, Deathstroke is usually accompanied by his daughter Rose Wilson. While so far no one of that name has been listed as a character on IMDb in Batman v Superman, there is speculation that actress Jena Malone could actually be playing her. While Jena Malone seems to be confirmed in the movie, details of her role have been tight-lipped.
Expanding on the theory that Ben Affleck is Deathstroke and not Batman is the idea that Robin is actually The Joker. Joseph Gordon-Levitt played John Blake in The Dark Knight Rises, and by the end of the movie, it seemed plausible that he would become Batman’s sidekick Robin. However, his journey to becoming Robin is left ambiguous. Instead, John Blake could actually be the new Joker. The first two letters of John and last two letters of Blake spell Joke. As well, there appears to be evidence of the Joker’s writing on a Robin costume that can be seen in the Batman v Superman trailer.
In addition to theories surrounding which character Ben Affleck will actually portray, Batman or Deathstroke, there is also the belief that the V in Batman v Superman refers to more than just versus. Rather, the V stands for the Roman numeral 5. This would mean that Batman v Superman is the fifth movie in the current canon that includes the first three Batman films, which were directed by Christopher Nolan, and the 2013 Superman film, Man of Steel.
The last piece of evidence that is used in the premise that Ben Affleck is actually Deathstroke is that Batman’s real name, Bruce Wayne, has so far never been used in any film promotions. While it is listed on IMDb’s website for the movie, that could be a way to throw devoted comic book fans off the trail.
Whether Ben Affleck is Batman or actually Deathstroke remains to be seen, and judging by the secrecy surrounding the film, we won’t know until March 25, 2016.
[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
