Considering that Ben Affleck is the fifth modern big screen Batman (eighth overall), you’d think that the pressure would be off. After all, he has to be better than Clooney, right? But thanks to the high stakes of ‘Batman V Superman,‘ the movie that is intended to carry Warner Brothers’ DC franchise to Marvel heights, the acclaimed writer/director/actor is under the magnifying glass like few others have been. (Part of that may be that Affleck is more established and has a higher profile than previous Caped Crusaders.)
As previously stated, this is an older, battle-weary Batman, who may or may not have already lost one Robin at the hands of The Joker. It’s a bit hard to make out the wear and tear on his costume, in the full color version, because this suit, like Henry Cavill’s Superman costume is more detail-heavy detailed than past versions, drawing inspiration heavily from the New 52 version, which adds a lot of texture lines to liven up the fairly spare classic look.
Well, without further ado, check out Ben Affleck in the full costume (at least waist up) in color:
Even with the inherent texture of the bodysuit, the creasing and seaming from past confrontations is evident. This is even more clear with the tarnished, scraped up utility belt. Though not the screaming yellow that has traditionally been depicted in the comics, it does have a shiny, metallic look, like copper or bronze… and scratches. There are numerous clear slashes obtained… how? Maybe we’ll find out, maybe we won’t. (Catwoman?)
One other item worth noting is along the lower neck of the cowl, which is subtly detached from the cape. Visually, this cowl looks more like the older designs for Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney. Christian Bale’s costume clearly had the cowl piece as a separate helmet-like add-on. Affleck’s is a cross between the two– streamline like the older designs, but still allowing for more head movement, like Bale’s.
It’s not the complete costume, but it’s the clearest shot we’ve gotten yet of the man in the suit. What do you think?
