Ben Affleck, known for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, has recently shared insights into his challenging experience portraying the Caped Crusader for DC. In a candid interview with GQ, Affleck reflected on his decade-long journey within the so-called Snyder-verse, describing it as "a really excruciating experience." He cited a complex relationship with DC as a significant factor in his waning interest in the superhero genre.

Affleck elaborated on the reasons behind his difficult experience, stating, "There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience. 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."

This isn't the first time Affleck has discussed his struggles with the role, but he now attributes much of his negative experience to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations." He also acknowledged his own contribution to the challenges, admitting, "I wasn’t bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time, either."

Reflecting on his performance, Affleck noted, "I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings of, 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. 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 joined Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This role led to numerous cameos and even a canceled standalone Batman project. Fans will recall his appearances in various team-up films like Justice League (both the 2017 version and the 2021 Snyder Cut) and The Flash, as well as a brief role in Suicide Squad in 2016.

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As for the canceled Batman movie, details are sparse, but rumors suggest it would have delved into the lore of Arkham Asylum and potentially featured Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck credits longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but he also revealed that his own son played a role in his decision. He explained, "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 currently navigating new directions, splitting its storytelling into grittier and more lighthearted paths. The darker narrative will continue with The Batman 2 in 2027, while the lighter tone will be introduced with James Gunn’s DCU, beginning with Superman this July. As for Affleck, he has no plans to return to DC to direct a film in Gunn's new universe.