Ben Affleck's casting as Batman was initially met with massive uproar from the DC fandom who were totally against the idea but thanks to his satisfying take on the caped crusader, he ultimately won them over with some even convinced that Batfleck is the definitive version of the character. However, bad creative decisions on Warner Bros. and DC Films' part and an evidently incohesive franchise ultimately led to his decision to take his ball and go home.
Affleck did change his mind for a time about playing the character and was convinced to do reshoots for Zack Snyder's Justice League and appear in The Flash but he recently confirmed that the upcoming DCEU film starring Ezra Miller will mark the end of his run as the Dark Knight.
The 49-year-old actor has never gone in-depth about his actual reason for stepping down as Batman but in a new interview with his good friend and fellow actor Matt Damon (via Entertainment Weekly), Affleck revealed that one actor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe actually influenced his decision to call it quits — and it was none other than Damon himself.
Recalling how dreadful it was working on Joss Whedon's Justice League, he explained: "I didn't like being there. I didn't think it was interesting. And then some really shitty things, awful things happened. But, that's when I was like, I'm not going to do that anymore."
"In fact, I talked to you about it and you were a principal influence on that decision. I want to do the things that would bring me joy. Then we went and did Last Duel and I had fun every day on this movie. I wasn't the star, I wasn't likable. I was a villain. I wasn't all the things I thought I was supposed to be when I started out and yet it was a wonderful experience. And it was all just stuff that came along that I wasn't chasing."
Also Read: Ben Affleck Predicts Movie Theaters will Revolve Around the MCU and Other Franchises
There's no questioning Affleck's dedication to the Batman role and it was obvious that he loved playing the character. But I guess all the creative setbacks and frustration, not to mention the personal demons he's been battling all took a toll on him. It's a real shame because he pretty much nailed the DCEU iteration of the character and I'm still bummed out that we never got to see him fulfill his solo project.
Meanwhile, Ben Affleck is set to appear one final time as Batman in The Flash.
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