Poor Ben Affleck hasn’t had much luck with playing superheroes. His tenure as Batman was bedevilled by studio interference, which ultimately meant he never got to lead a solo movie as his Dark Knight. It now appears his final time in the cape and cowl will be in The Flash, officially the biggest DC box office bomb of all time.
But longtime fans will know that Batman wasn’t Affleck’s first time under a horned cowl. In 2003 he played Matt Murdock/Daredevil, even if he considered the end result so poor it’s the one movie he truly regrets (strong words from the man who starred in Gigli).
Even so, there’s lately been some buzz about him reprising the role in Deadpool 3. In July we got the unexpected news that Jennifer Garner’s Elektra is joining Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, her first time in the role since 2005’s dreadful Elektra. Now Ben Affleck has been seen on set, so is he also climbing back into his red leather costume?
Well, according to leaker DanielRPK, it seems not:
Affleck and Garner were married until 2018 and have three children, and the pair have remained on good terms since their divorce. Apparently, Affleck was simply visiting the set with his children to see Garner at work.
Affleck not returning as Daredevil isn’t the worst thing in the world. The Flash seems to have sapped everyone’s appetite for nonsensical cameos in multiversal superhero movies, so crowbarring Matt Murdock in there along with Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner and whoever else they’ve got in store could be too much.
We’re still curious about how Garner’s Elektra will return. Here’s hoping we get some firm answers soon(ish).
Deadpool 3 is currently scheduled for release on May 3, 2024.