'Batman v Superman': How Ben Affleck and Zack Snyder Created Their Own Batman
For better or worse, 5 ways this is NOT Nolan's "Dark Knight."
— -- "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" hit theaters nationwide today and the reviews have been mixed. Lots of critics feel there is too much going on and too many characters in this film, and for good reason. It's a lot to take in.
But for better or worse, director Zack Snyder and new Bruce Wayne, Ben Affleck, have created their very own Batman, unlike any you've seen thus far on the silver screen.
After seeing the film, it becomes clear that the duo forged their very own Caped Crusader, backstory and all. Now, this article does not contain spoilers, but here are some key, yet sufficiently vague, differences between this Batman and when Christian Bale or Michael Keaton wore the cape and cowl.
World Weary - This has been the phrase Snyder and Affleck have used time and again to describe the older Bruce. Boy, were they right. We won't ruin the movie for you, but "world weary" may be an understatement when it comes to the main difference about this Batman and Bale's (leaving Keaton out of this one). Once you see the film, you'll know exactly what we are referring to.
As you have seen in the trailers (see, no spoilers!), it's alluded that Robin is gone and that possibly The Joker took him out like in the comics. Bruce still has Alfred as his moral compass, but he's much more hot-headed than we've seen before. Christian Bale and Michael Keaton were cool cucumbers compared to this version.
Affleck's even admitted his Bruce has a few anger issues.
Alfred - Affleck is 43, and Jeremy Irons, who plays his faithful butler, is 67. That means that when Bruce was orphaned, Alfred was probably in his early 30's and now had to raise a young child. That's rough!
This Alfred is not only younger, but again as in the trailers and clips, he's in on the missions. One clip shows Alfred in Batman's ear, helping him out as he fights crime. This is not your average butler and it's pretty interesting to see how far this goes in the film. He's more like a partner in "crime," than Michael Caine's Alfred before him. He's almost a hybrid of Alfred and Lucius Fox.
Bruce's Origin Story - The key difference in this is notable compared to the Nolan origin story in "Batman Begins." If you recall when Ra's al Ghul, played by Liam Neeson, trained Bruce for the League of Shadows, he used the origin story of his parents' death to motivate him.
There's a few key differences in Snyder's version. And they come back to play major plot points later on.
Abilities - It's obvious this Batman is much bulkier than Bale or Keaton, and even uses cooler toys like the Power Suit. But there's something else! This is tricky to explain, but it seems Bruce is able to do something we've never seen before. Like never ... ever. This plays not only into this movie, but should again in the "Justice League" films, as well.
Collaboration - You're probably saying, "Thanks, Captain Obvious, we've seen him working alongside Superman and Wonder Woman in trailers, duh!" And you're right, but there's more. Bruce's whole demeanor is more collaborative than Bale and Keaton, and you'll see more when the film comes out. There are very few clips of Bruce alone in the Batcave and even when he's fighting solo, it feels more like he longs to lead a team. Of course, you'll get that team when "Justice League" comes out in 2017.
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