Ben Affleck: 'Oh S***!' Moment He Quit Batman Revealed

Ben Affleck, known for his role as Batman in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," has candidly shared his "excruciating" experience portraying the iconic Caped Crusader for DC. In a recent interview with GQ, Affleck reflected on his decade-long journey with the character, particularly his time as a key figure in the so-called Snyder-verse. He described the experience as challenging, citing a complex relationship with DC that has since diminished his interest in the superhero genre.

"There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience," Affleck explained. "And they don't all have to do with the simple dynamic of, say, being in a superhero movie or whatever. I am not interested in going down that particular genre again, not because of that bad experience, but just: I've lost interest in what was of interest about it to me. But I certainly wouldn't want to replicate an experience like that."

Affleck has previously touched on this topic, but now he sheds more light on the reasons behind his negative experience. He attributed it largely to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations," yet acknowledged his own role in the situation. "I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings, in terms of why I had a bad experience, part of it is that what I was bringing to work every day was a lot of unhappiness," he confessed. "So I wasn't bringing a lot of positive energy to the equation. I didn't cause problems, but I came in and I did my job and I went home. But you've got to do a little bit better than that."

Affleck's journey with DC began when he co-starred with Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman. This led to numerous cameos and the eventual cancellation of a standalone Batman project. Fans will recall his appearances in various team-up films such as Justice League (both the 2017 original and the 2021 Snyder Cut) and The Flash, along with a brief role in Suicide Squad in 2016.

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Details about the canceled Batman movie remain elusive, but rumors suggest it would have delved into 80 years of the Dark Knight's history, possibly exploring Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke.

Affleck has mentioned that his longtime collaborator, Matt Damon, played a significant role in his decision to retire from the role. However, in the recent GQ interview, he also credited his son for influencing his departure. "But what happened was it started to skew too old for a big part of the audience. Like even my own son at the time was too scared to watch (Batman v. Superman). And so when I saw that I was like, 'Oh shit, we have a problem.' Then I think that's when you had a filmmaker that wanted to continue down that road and a studio that wanted to recapture all the younger audience at cross purposes. Then you have two entities, two people really wanting to do something different and that is a really bad recipe."

DC is now navigating new directions, separating its grittier and more lighthearted narratives. The darker side will continue with The Batman 2 slated for 2027, while the lighter tone will be introduced in James Gunn's DCU, starting with Superman this July. As for Affleck, he has made it clear that he will not return to direct a film in Gunn's new universe.