I still remember how a lot of people, including yours truly, were sceptical about Ben Affleck stepping into the formidable shoes of Christian Bale as the caped crusader of Gotham. 

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It made no sense to watch the role be handed over to someone, who in no way, showed any traits of being able to pull off such an iconic role, which was revered by both the DC and Marvel fandoms with scary devotion.

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However, when Affleck showed up in 'Batman v Superman' as the brooding Bruce Wayne, with a hint of dark humour thrown in, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure he did not bring the same magic as Bale, not that anyone expected him to, but he brought in something else altogether new, and the people were liking what they were seeing.

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Of course, there was the usual parade of complainants, ranting on about what a colossal disappointment Affleck was and how he was a disgrace to the legacy of Bale, but that did not deter the next string of his movies as Batman from making a big splash.

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And now, in a recent development signalling tectonic changes in the DC franchise, Affleck has officially hung his cape as Batman, giving way to a new Dark Knight to take his spot.

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The next Batman movie, which is slated for release on June 25th 2021, will now star a new actor in the lead role, as Warner Brothers want a younger looking Bruce Wayne, according to Deadline.

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Affleck took to Twitter to confirm the development.

Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. https://t.co/GNgyJroMIO

— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) January 31, 2019

Obviously, fans have begun flooding Twitter with their tributes to Affleck's significant contribution in the franchise:

Writing has been on the wall for a while with Ben Affleck and Batman. But even still, finally getting the confirmation still feels like a gut punch

His role in Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad was the closest to comic book Batman we've seen. Kinda missed out on something special

— Sheraz Farooqi (@SherazFarooqi_) January 31, 2019

Thank you @BenAffleck for bringing Bruce Wayne/Batman to life. Wishing you all the best. pic.twitter.com/PT8kse9mgX

— ~Oracle (@4eyedRaven) January 31, 2019

friendly reminder that ben affleck gave us the best performance of bruce wayne and batman ð¢ pic.twitter.com/WCafPoqKQ2

— bri loves batfleck :( (@jxsticeleagues) January 31, 2019

*Ben Affleck steps down as Batman* pic.twitter.com/jqK6tPnQes

— TARS' (@RedDead2Arthurr) January 31, 2019

Ben Affleck is no longer Batman:( pic.twitter.com/VHBH95Tvih

— Cutting Room Floor (@WTP_cuttingroom) January 31, 2019

Ben Affleck isn't Batman anymore pic.twitter.com/ga2gNLH24C

— Ash (@Ashpilicueta) January 31, 2019

they could have had Ben Affleck looked younger. And why, why the **** are the rebooting Suicide squad! This ruins everything The flash movie, wonderwoman, Aquaman everything. Ben Affleck was the best Batman EVER!! pic.twitter.com/Sxzc8QiE0h

— Kunal Munj (@KunalMunj1) January 31, 2019

remember when that lil boy met ben affleck at comic con and he could barely contain his emotions bc he couldn't believe he met batman? :') pic.twitter.com/el4agx7o4D

— jade. ð¦ (@sydneybaretts) January 31, 2019

“Men are still good, we fight, we kill, we betray one another, but we can rebuild we can do better, we will. We have to.”

You will always be my Batman, @BenAffleck.
Thank you. pic.twitter.com/8Q8GSUybwi

— Sergio-EL (@SergioEES) January 31, 2019

Affleck will most definitely be missed and we hope his successor fills out his large shoes in the next instalment.

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