While the awful experience of working with Joss Whedon on Justice League's reshoots appeared to bring an end to Ben Affleck's tenure as Batman, he was somehow convinced to return for The Flash.
Getting to shoot a few extra scenes for Zack Snyder's Justice League may have helped matters, of course, and the actor even filmed a cameo role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (which has likely been cut now the DCEU is being rebooted as the DCU).
Based on what little we know, it appears the plan was for Affleck's Bruce Wayne to eventually take centre stage in a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie. Again, that's all gone out the window and the actor and filmmaker recently made it clear he has zero interest in working with DC Studios' James Gunn on a future project.
That's a shame, but we do have a new look at Affleck's final Batsuit thanks to an upcoming McFarlane Toys action figure.
"Under the guise of masked vigilante Batman, billionaire Bruce Wayne has not only stepped out of the shadows to become the reluctant leader of The Justice League but is also a friend and mentor to teammate Barry Allen," reads the official product description. "Having experienced loss on personal, local and global fronts, Bruce is a source of unparalleled knowledge and understanding to The Flash in his superhero journey."
As exciting as it is to think we'll get to see this Batman in action again, Affleck recently tempered expectations when he said, "I did finally figure out how to play that character [Batman], and I nailed it in The Flash...for the five minutes I’m there, it’s really great."
Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to.
That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian...albeit not the one he's looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
The Flash races into theaters on June 16.