The latest edition of Empire Magazine includes tons of new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice details, with a particular focus on Ben Affleck's Batman. As has been the case ever since he was cast, much of that focus revolves around the fact that the Gone Girl star is playing an older Caped Crusader than we're used to seeing. "We are playing him 45 or 46," director Zack Snyder confirms. "He has been Batman for 20 years. All the history is there. Was there a Robin at one time? Possibly." This interview obviously took place before the trailer was released as producer Charles Roven also teased the fate of a certain Boy Wonder. "He has lost those near and dear to him, and not necessarily from old age of disease..." That could of course also refer to Batman's other allies, especially as Jim Gordon's fate in the DC Extended Universe isn't all that clear at this point.
"Initially I thought, 'I'm older, it doesn't seem like the right sort of fit for me,'" adds star Ben Affleck. "Then Zack pitched me his concept for this older, more broken, kind of f**ked up Batman. It was something we haven't seen. We have seen that Batman is willing to cross the line to protect people. That vigilantism has been a part of his character all along, and we are tapping into that mentality when faced by something as potentially as deadly a Superman." It's Superman's arrival which is really going to shake up the life of Batman by the sound of it, as Snyder went on to explain how the Man of Steel changes the vigilante's perceptions. "We want to assume that Batman has reached this point in his life and career as a superhero, and Superman represents a sort of philiophical change. He is a paradigm shift for Batman: 'I've been fighting criminals all my life, trying to find justice, and now I am confronted with a concept that is transcendent to me.' In the face of Superman, a man robbing a bank doesn't matter."
"He's having a crisis of conscience. 'Am I really just a vigilante who stalks the alleys of Gotham?'" asks Snyder. "It is rich stuff that he deals with. Ben does an amazing job." Early on in their feature, the director indicates that Batman is in some ways the villain of this movie, but later clarifies that by stating that who fans side with when the heroes meet in battle will ultimately come down to their own perceptions. "It's a point of view thing. That is why Dawn of Justice is the full title. What it does is allow us to start this conversation." Don't go thinking that the Dark Knight isn't a hero though. The magazine reveals that Batman does indeed have history with The Joker and Harley Quinn, and indeed all of the criminals in Belle Reve who will ultimately make up Task Force X in Suicide Squad. Batman is responsible for putting them all in there. What do you guys think?
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