How DC Can Save Ben Affleck's Batman

Ever since Justice League hit the scene (and underperformed, both critically and commercially), there's been a lot of chatter about Ben Affleck's future as Batman in the DC Extended Universe. While both Affleck and DC / Warner Bros have been officially released, they have not yet been released.

Once again, you'll find that the actor in the works, it definitely seems like there's an expiration date on Batfleck. However, there is a way for the DCEU to keep Ben's Affleck around a Bruce Wayne without having him on the Batsuit again: have him mentor his longtime partner Dick Grayson, who becomes the new Batman.

Dick Grayson crosses paths with Bruce Wayne and becomes Robin, so I will not bother going on DC Comics history. What is it that we know that Dick exists in the DCEU. Sure, Zack Snyder envisioned the Robin follows from that memorial in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice belonging to Dick, but with a Nightwing movie in development, we can reasonably assume that Dick is still alive in this continuity, and that it was Jason Todd killed by The Joker, just like in the comics.

That being said, there's absolutely no mention of Dick Grayson in any of the DCEU movies yet. Even if we did not know Nightwing was Bruce Wayne was fighting crime for long before the events Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that he and Dick went their separate ways at some point. If this is because of a nasty falling-out or something, it's just a matter of time.cough Bludhaven cough) and is beating the pulp out of criminals either still or Robin or in the Nightwing guise.

Director Chris McKay, who's been attached to helm Nightwing since it has been announced that the movie is not dead, we are still in a long wait for it. And in the case of Batman, it's been rumored that Matt Reeves' standalone movie will cast a younger actor to the Dark Knight's play, pointing to Batman's earlier DCEU adventures. While both of these movies sound like they're interesting to watch, why not mix them together? Give fans a 'passing of the torch' where Bruce asks Dick to become the new Batman, but Bruce sticks around to make sure Dick is Batman-ing right.

It's not like there is no precedence for Dick Grayson becoming Batman. In the '90s, Bruce appointed Bane and leaving Gotham City to reevaluate his life's mission. More than a decade later, Dick was the Batsuit on again when Damian Wayne (as seen below). Hell, even after Bruce returned, Dick continued serving concurrently as Batman up until the New 52 reboot.

Zack Snyder's cast as an older actor as Batman was due to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Being affected by the Dark Knight Returns, but by doing this, it also cuts down on the amount of time we spend with this iteration of the character. Bruce tells Alfred in Batman v Superman that they've been waging war against bad guys for 20 years, and in Justice League, he admits to Diana that he "can barely do it now." Even if Affleck was not going to leave the role now, he could not keep going. But by selecting Dick Grayson to succeed him, Affleck's Bruce, should he be injured or just decide he can not be a vigilante anymore, can still be involved in this life, in a behind-the-scenes capacity.

Currently we have a live action Dick Grayson: Brenton Thwaites on Titans. Thwaites' Dick is still Robin, but he's much more brutal towards criminals. Executive producer Geoff Johns has confirmed that we will see Titans'Dick eventually become Nightwing, and since Nightwing is a long way away, maybe it's worth taking DCEU's Dick on a different kind of journey. He can still be Nightwing for a little bit, but then during this particular story, he can transition to be the new Batman.

Admittedly, having Bruce Wayne mentor a new Batman sounds a lot like Batman Beyond. And honestly, if next year's Joker movie is successful, I would not mind a non-DCEU Batman Beyond movie being put into development that introduces Terry McGinnis to the live action realm. (Maybe Michael Keaton could take over Bruce?) But as far as the DCEU goes, Dick is the best candidate for succession, and it's easy enough to envision Bruce sticking around, be it just for one story or longer.

With eight live action, standalone Batman movies, more Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League (not to mention various animated movies), it's becoming harder to put a fresh spin on the Caped Crusader on the big screen. While I'm playing to a new version of Bruce Wayne, he's leaving his mark on the Batman movie legacy, at least having Dick wearing the Batsuit would be all-new territory for the silver screen. Legacy is an important part of the DC universe, so why not bring this into the DCEU? Dick is certainly more than qualified for the job, and since his TV counterpart is on the path to becoming Nightwing, this way viewers get variety with him.

Stay up to date on what's going on with the DCEU? Aquaman is the next franchise installment up, and it dives into theaters on December 21.