Ben Affleck

The couple first announced they were splitting in 2015.

How was the Joker? Is Ben Affleck’s Batman a welcome addition? What about the other surprise DC cameo? Does Amanda Waller’s plan make any sense at all? Who the heck is Slipknot? How does Harley Quinn fit into the rest of the Suicide Squad? Why did they introduce Katana so late in the movie? What the hell was going on with the Enchantress? Did they really just rip off Ghostbusters with that ending? All of those topics and more are on the table for our FULL SPOILERS discussion and review of Suicide Squad.

Matt Damon has done a lot of things: He’s played a super spy, a con-man, an informant, an astronaut, a genius, and all sorts of fun characters who could also be action figures. The one thing he hasn’t done yet is play a superhero, and according to the star of Jason Bourne, that’s something he’d be willing to do for the right director — like maybe his BFF Ben Affleck.

Despite Ben Affleck’s solid turn as the caped crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, some fans took issue with one particular aspect of this new Batman: he kills. It’s not entirely out of character for the iconic superhero (he’s killed people in the comic books before), but the movie and TV versions of the Dark Knight don’t typically murder bad guys. It’s part of that whole “hero” thing, you know? If you were one of the fans disappointed with Zack Snyder’s decision to have Batman kill some thugs, then boy do we have some news for you.

There have been so many damn Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailers and teasers I’ve lost count. But this one is supposedly the final one. At least until the next one. Man I tell you, this justice is taking its sweet time dawning.

It’s both cool and a little silly to hear the name “Alfred” come out of Ben Affleck’s mouth, but the brief moments we’ve seen between our new Batman and Jeremy Irons’ Alfred have been one of the highlights of the trailers and TV spots for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The latest spot opens with Bruce Wayne and his most trusted friend bantering about the Dark Knight’s age, though that does not stop him from taking on the Man of Steel later on in the new sneak peek.

Like last year’s Omaze charity campaign for Star Trek Beyond, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s partnership with the organization has yielded some similarly charming results. The latest video promoting the charity drive features Ben Affleck surprising fans during the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, with the actor hiding out in the new Batmobile and interacting with the crowd — and throwing some shade at Superman, obviously.

One of the stipulations when Ben Affleck signed on to star in Batman vs. Superman was that his Argo writer, Chris Terrio, would come aboard to help fix the script. Though Terrio was indeed brought in to rewrite the script (originally written by David Goyer), it seems Affleck still was not happy with it. According to a recent report, Affleck spent each day rewriting that day’s scenes until they were up to snuff. Oh, and he did it dressed as Batman.

While much of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent’s origins remain faithful to well-known iterations of the characters, at least one person’s backstory in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is getting a makeover. Zack Snyder has given Batman / Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred a bit of a promotion, upgrading him from devoted servant and caretaker to former British Special Air Service officer with expertise in weapons, vehicles and various other useful skills.

Consider this your all-around recap of the 2015 splits that tore our hearts in two.

Part of the fun comic book fans have had over the years is debating which superhero could defeat which superhero. Could Wolverine beat The Hulk? Could the X-Men beat The Avengers? There have been entire lines of books devoted to this very topic. Heck, Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War are both based on this very conceit. So, you can’t blame Matt Damon for getting into the fun when asked if his Jason Bourne, who he calls “my superhero”, could take his pal Ben Affleck’s Batman. As you might expect, Damon’s not stepping down from the challenge.

Could it be the separated Hollywood A-listers are giving things another shot?

"We go forward with love and friendship for one another," the couple said in a statement.

When Warner Bros. announced their upcoming superhero schedule last year, one title notably missing was a solo Batman movie. Sure, Batman was going to be a big part of both Batman vs. Superman and the two Justice League movies, but would Batfleck be getting his own trilogy, a la The Dark Knight? It turns out, yes, yes he will. Latino Review is reporting that Ben Affleck will both star in and direct the spinoff, titled The Batman, which is set for November 2018.

Google “Gone Girl” and “Hitchcockian” and you get 37,400 results. (37,401, once this piece goes up.) Critics and viewers hailed David Fincher’s adaptation of author (and screenwriter) Gillian Flynn’s domestic drama as a superb modern version of an old-school thriller by the Master of Suspense. Whether that was Fincher and Flynn’s goal all along, or simply an interesting byproduct of their work, it’s interesting in light of today’s news that Fincher and Flynn are looking to reteam—along with their ‘Gone Girl’ star, Ben Affleck—on a remake of one of Hitchcock’s most beloved films, 1951’s ‘Strangers on a Train.’

Every generation has their Batman. Depending on the age of the person you ask, you’ll discover Adam West fans, Michael Keaton fans, Kevin Conroy fans and, if you stare into the darkness long enough, a George Clooney fan. For a certain group of fans, Christian Bale’s take on the Dark Knight always be the definitive interpretation, with his gravelly growl and trademark intensity instantly beating out whatever Ben Affleck brings to the character in ‘Batman vs. Superman.’ Some of these people are going to resent Affleck no matter what. And, in a surprising turn of events, it looks like they can all rally around Bale himself.