In the lead-up to Justice League’s two-year anniversary, original director Zack Snyder shares an image of his Batman, played by Ben Affleck. With Affleck, Snyder brought a different version of Batman to the screen than audiences had seen before. This protector of Gotham has a harsher worldview after years of fighting crime and was set to go through quite an arc over Snyder’s long-term DC plans.

While Affleck signed up to play out this specific storyline - one which would see Batman sacrifice himself to defeat Darkseid in the end - this all changed when Snyder left Justice League. Reshoots on the film dramatically altered the Batman that Snyder and Affleck had started to create, making him act like a completely different character. Affleck’s Batman became far more comedic in the theatrical cut than his previous appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While most viewers loved Affleck under the cowl at first, the character’s treatment in Justice League turned many off.

As part of the continued #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign though, Snyder wanted to remind fans what his Batman looks like. He shared the image below on Vero with the caption, “That’s my Batman.” The photo itself shows Affleck’s Batman fighting an unknown henchman and inflicting a lot of pain upon his opponent. It appears this photo is part of the Snyder Cut of Justice League based on Batman’s suit, but there is also a possibility this still comes from Batman v Superman.

As the man who cast Affleck in the role, Snyder has repeatedly sung the praises of Affleck’s portrayal of Batman. He’s called Affleck the best Batman ever on multiple occasions, including shortly after it was announced that Affleck would no longer play the caped crusader. With their shared vision for a grizzled Batman, Affleck was fully committed to the arc that Snyder had planned for the character. It’s no surprise that after the fiasco that was Justice League that Affleck walked away from The Batman and the DC Universe entirely.

If this photo is from the Snyder Cut as believed, then Snyder has done more than praise Affleck. It would appear he just pointed to another new aspect of his version of Justice League. Throughout all of the glimpses he’s shared of his movie, he’s been noticeably shy of sharing information on Batman and Superman. This image could be Snyder’s original opening scene for Batman that was later replaced by the rooftop scene in the theatrical cut. While fans will now wait to see if Affleck himself reveals any new information on his original Justice League role, this new image from Snyder will tide them over.

MORE: Justice League: A Complete Timeline Of #ReleaseTheSnyderCut

Source: Zack Snyder

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