Ben Affleck donned the grumpy face of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice alongside Henry Cavill back in 2016. His version was inspired by Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.
Nolan’s version of The Dark Knight was based on the comic books created by veteran comic book artist Frank Miller. To top it all off, Frank Miller’s inspiration for a dark Batman was the goofy TV show Batman from 1966. Yeah… it’s like Inception. Batception, if you will.
How Frank Miller Was Inspired By Adam West For The Dark Knight Returns
Back in 1966, veteran actor Adam West starred in a show titled Batman. The show depicted a goofy Batman and Robin (played by Burt Ward) and received great ratings. However, back then, comedy was selling and fans actually liked it.
In 1986, comic book artist Frank Miller decided to change the genre and create a grimacing and terrifying Batman that criminals would be terrified of. The 1986 comic book The Dark Knight Returns was the result.
Christopher Nolan based his trilogy on Frank Miller’s inspiration for a grim Bruce Wayne. In an interview with Inverse, Frank Miller and DCEU director Zack Snyder sat down for a lengthy chat. During their talks, Miller mentioned his inspiration for the 1986 comic book.
The notorious old TV show, the one with Adam West and Burt Ward. I mean, that was a goof. It was basically a snide take on stuff that I remember that I absolutely loved.
He continued,
I loved the comic book characters and the TV show was constantly telling you how stupid the comic book was. So, without question, I was rejecting that damn show more than anything when I did Dark Knight Returns.
It’s funny how vengeance can be a source of inspiration to create something great and iconic. That’s exactly what Frank Miller did and after some time, the world came to recognize Batman as this serious detective who criminals fear.
While Miller was telling the tale, Zack Snyder was right beside him agreeing with the comic book artist. During their talks, Snyder also mentioned his side of the story and how he preferred Miller’s Batman over everything.
Zack Snyder Does Not Want To See “The Bullsh*t Batman”
Snyder directed Ben Affleck as Batman during his reign in the DCEU. Together, the duo worked in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and the world accepted him as the new Batman.
Although Ben Affleck based his Batman on Christian Bale’s role in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, Snyder had some other ideas. During his talk with Miller, Snyder also commented on the infamous 1966 TV show.
The Dark Knight Returns is often credited with revolutionizing how Batman is perceived. But also my takeaway from Dark Knight Returns is exactly the same as you just stated it. Some people would say it’s deconstruction, and I understand that you might say that, but for me it was restorative.
He continued,
I’m like: That’s my Batman. The Batman I want to see is that Batman, not the bullsh*t Batman who’s a joke.
Well, as it happens to be so, this comic version of Batman was also brought back by Tim Burton in 1989. Michael Keaton portrayed a goofy Batman and Joel Schumacher paid the price for the failure of Batman Forever and Batman and Robin.
The last iteration of the iconic character was done by Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves in his iconic 2022 film The Batman. The dark and mystery movie received a high rating of 7.8/10 on IMDB and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The iconic film is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
