There was a huge amount of excitement for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ahead of its release in March 2016. After all, comic book fans had spent decades waiting to see the two DC Comics icons share the screen.
That would explain its record-breaking opening weekend, but negative reviews from fans and critics alike led to a massive drop the following week. With 28% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 63% Audience Score, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice certainly wasn't a critical hit.
However, even after grossing $874.4 million worldwide, the movie, which was the DCEU's first attempt at telling a story in an MCU-like shared world, was deemed something of a box office disappointment. The response led to Warner Bros. changing course with the DCEU (which is why Suicide Squad went through such huge edits in the months leading up to its release).
Many fans look back at Snyder's time in the DCEU fondly, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a movie with its fair share of positives. Among them was Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader, a version of the character still considered the best big-screen version of the hero by some.
Outmatched by the Man of Steel, Batman donned an armoured suit inspired by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and proved himself more than a match for Supes. The vigilante intended to end the fight by killing the alien with a Kryptonite spear, but hearing the Kryptonian plead for his mother—also named Martha—proved a game-changer.
It was also a moment that remains divisive, to say the least.
Regardless, as this latest photo shared by Snyder proves, Affleck donned the armoured suit for real on the set of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, it wasn't all fun and games for the actor.
"I hated the Batsuits. The Batsuits are horrendous to wear," Affleck previously said. "They’re hot for one thing. They don’t breathe. They’re made to look the way they want them to look. There’s no thought put into the human being. So what happens is that you just start sweating. I’m already — I sweat, you know what I mean? So in that thing, you’d just be pouring water."
"It just made it difficult to make the movie, because you’re so hot. It also does not make you feel very heroic, because you’re instantly exhausted and really sweaty," he added with a laugh. "Maybe Christian [Bale] or Rob [Pattinson], guys like that, were just better at dealing with it."
You can check out the latest Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice BTS photo in the Instagram post below.