Ben Affleck is Batman: How the Heck Did This Happen?

Ben Affleck is the new Batman. How in the hell did Daredevil get an upgrade?

Affleck will assume the role of “The Dark Knight” in the sequel to director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. The movie will see Batman and Superman, the two most iconic superhero characters in history, team-up on the big screen for the first time in what many consider to be a prelude to a Justice League movie.

Affleck who was a bust as the blind crime-fighting lawyer Matt Murdock in the 2003 big screen release of Daredevil gets a chance to try it again as a superhero.

The selection of Affleck, 41, to play Batman suggests that the sequel will concentrate more on Batman’s role as a mentor to Henry Cavil’s Superman than as a badass action hero.

Snyder, who confirmed plans for the sequel to the box office smash Man of Steel (the movie has grossed over $650 million worldwide) at last month’s Comic-Con, had this to say about Affleck: “He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne.”

Warner Bros. also confirmed that the rest of the cast of Man of Steel, including Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and Diane Lane as Martha Kent, would be returning for the sequel, lending more credence to the notion that Affleck’s role as Batman will be more subdued then what we have seen in the past.

The part of Batman became available after Christian Bale announced that he was bowing out after starring in the highly successful Christopher Nolan-directed trilogy. Affleck however was not on anyone’s list of actors that would be considered frontrunners to replace Bale.

The twitter hastag #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck and #Baffleck began trending after the announcement was made Thursday night indicating that not everyone was happy with the choice.

The initial reaction was captured in the sentiments expressed by Angie Treasure: #baffleck

NotBill Walton wondered “Ben Affleck as Batman. Does that mean Matt Damon will play Robin?”

Randy Butternubs was one of many fans that sent in their own casting suggestions: #betterbatmanthanbenaffleck

But Marcus Wong said it best:

The Batman-Superman movie is scheduled for July 17, 2015.