Zack Snyder cited his preference for Ben Affleck as Batman over Christian Bale because of his muscle and 6’6″ stature.
“I’m Batman” is one of the defining lines in all of superhero movies. And while a number of actors have uttered it and tried to make it their own, to director Zack Snyder, there’s only one man who is truly Batman. Except it has nothing to do with their inherent skills but rather their hulking, bulky look in the costume…which is about the most Zack Snyder take we can expect. And that Batman is Ben Affleck.
Appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience (via CBR) earlier this week, Zack Snyder said that the size of Ben Affleck was what drew him to cast the star. “I wanted Affleck, because, to me, Batman’s a big dude…Affleck’s 6’4”, you know? He’s a legit big dude. And the shoes, the boots are like two inches, so he’s literally almost 6’6” in the costume. When he comes out in the costume – I mean, we put some muscle on him, and there’s a muscle suit under the suit, and he’s, legitimately, a scary-looking thing. You know, he’s just standing there, and you’re like, ‘Holy shit’..The chin is so insane, in that cowl. I mean, look at him…that’s Batman to me.”
As for his take on Christian Bale, who played the Caped Crusader for Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, Snyder said, “He’s a great Batman, but he’s still, like, you know, 5’10”.” So, muscles upon muscles and a minimum height requirement of 6’4”…That’s a very Tinder-esque mentality if we do say so ourselves…
For most of us, Zack Snyder just may not be the man to trust when it comes to Batman viewpoints, also taking the stance that the Dark Knight is “irrelevant” if he isn’t allowed to kill. Of course, this can be debated endlessly within the fandom – Why can’t Batman kill? What would truly stop him from committing the act, if anything? Is there a place for a Batman who has no problem putting you in a Gotham grave? – but Snyder’s insistence shows just where he’s at and gives a strong idea of how the fanbases differ across variations of Bruce Wayne.
What do you make of Snyder’s take on Affleck’s Batman? Are you Team Affleck or Team Bale?