Zack Snyder Prefers Ben Affleck As Batman Over Christian Bale For One Key Reason
Zack Snyder thinks Ben Affleck is a better Batman than Christian Bale for one very specific reason. Shortly after the release of 2013's "Man of Steel," Snyder and Warner Bros. went all in on the world of the DC Extended Universe, tying Affleck down as the franchise's new Caped Crusader. Many doubted Affleck's ability to usurp Bale's interpretation of Batman thanks to his iconic run on the "Dark Knight" trilogy. Fans continue to fight and debate if it was Affleck or Bale who played the better Batman.
Debuting in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Affleck's brutal, gruesome take on the masked vigilante was met with mostly positive reception. And for director Snyder, the actor was the perfect choice as Batman because of his size. "That's the reason why I wanted [Ben] Affleck, because, to me, Batman's a big dude," Snyder explained on "The Joe Rogan Experience." "Affleck's 6'4", you know? He's a legit big dude." Snyder continued and explained that the actor's boots and costume added an extra two inches to his height.
Snyder previously called Affleck the best Batman ever and we can see why. It's Affleck's stature that Snyder admires, pointing out Bale is notably shorter than his Batman successor. "[Bale's] a great Batman, but he's still, like, you know, 5'10," Snyder said, clarifying that he simply prefers taller, meaner interpretations of Batman. For what it's worth, Bale is actually six foot, though his take on the character is notably less bulky.
Zack Snyder prefers bigger Batmen
Continuing his point, director Zack Snyder clarified that his preferred interpretation of Batman is one that emphasizes his physicality and spoke at length about how impressed he was with Ben Affleck's physique, which lent itself to a more terrifying Batman.
When asked by Rogan if Batman has a towering presence in the source material, the "Watchmen" director gushed about Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns," discussing how the comic highlights just how huge and monstrous The Caped Crusader can be. "If you look at 'Dark Knight Returns,' there's a line where he's trying to hold someone's gun, and his finger can't get in the trigger guard because he's so big," Snyder said, adding, "I like things like that. He has this genetic gift of just being this big f****** dude." In the same conversation with Rogan, Snyder also discussed why he ignored Batman's no-kill rule in his DC movies.
While chatting with Men's Journal in 2021, Affleck discussed how he worked overtime to ensure that he was in shape to bring Snyder's vision to life. "I knew that a big part of the audience's expectation around the role would be how I looked physically," he said, adding that he didn't want to fail in the eyes of the audience because of laziness. For his take on Batman, Affleck gained north of 20 pounds to step into the Dark Knight's shoes.