Ben Affleck’s Batman Costume: Fan Reactions & Internet Memes

Movie fans and online commenters had a field day when director Zack Snyder revealed the very first look at Ben Affleck’s Batman costume, officially kicking off the marketing of Batman vs. Superman like only a new superhero suit can. And fans (and critics) wasted no time in making their opinions known. However, a select few took the opportunity to show their devotion in a more… creative way.

Awesome Alternate Spiderman Suits Revealed

Just as they did with the announcement of Ben Affleck’s casting, and more recently with the official cast announcement of Star Wars: Episode VII, fans took to the Internet to prove that genre film enthusiasts are more committed than most (or maybe, just maybe, have some free time on their hands for their favorite character).
In this case, while opinion on how perfect or groundbreaking the Frank Miller/Jim Lee styled costume may be varied, most seem to agree that the suit is worth closer inspection. Especially since the first photo (like the teaser image of the Batmobile before it) is delivered without color. So: first things first.

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Let’s Add Some Color

It took little time for fans to start taking artistic liberties, and showing what possible color schemes Snyder might be after, drawing on a number of different comic book and TV variations. We’ve picked out a few of the best (or most memorable) for fans to inspect:

The above image didn’t take long to begin circulating on reddit, applying a subtle color, in keeping with Zack Snyder’s muted style seen in Man of Steel. We would wager that this is likely the closest fans will get to the finished suit until it’s officially revealed in color, but it certainly isn’t the only version fans have crafted in the time since the image appeared online.

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Frank Miller

Staying true to the comic book roots of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” is Twitter user JJ Stubbs, sticking to the simple grey and black color scheme that, all things considered, is probably the safest bet of what to expect in the finished film. The ‘less is more’ style is as comic book-ish as colorized versions get, but others chose to go even farther outside the box.

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Jim Lee

No comic book artist has shown a better ability to capture the iconic look and feel of Batman better than Jim Lee – which led writer/director Kevin Smith to embrace Zack Snyder when he saw this first image of Affleck in a suit that was “very Jim Lee influenced.” With that in mind, i09 user ‘Mandara’ concocted the above image, adopting the grey and blue color scheme that has become Lee’s trademark. Needless to say, the finished result would do just fine onscreen.

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New 52

Those who believe that a Batsuit isn’t a Batsuit without a yellow utility belt will be pleased with the above design, modeled by i09 user ‘Name Classified’ after DC’s ‘New 52′ color scheme. If the suit revealed by Snyder is the official finished design, then the yellow belt seems to be a thing of the past. But hopefully this selection shows that even a shift in color palette can deliver a wide range of Batmen, so there’s always hope for the future.
And just in case these were a little too… tame for a new age of Batman, the next image should prove that black and grey may not be the worst options:

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Or the following image, which came about as a result of comic writer Gail Simone noting just how much the bulky new Batsuit resembled DC Comics villain-turned-hero and Batman rival Catman:

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Once fans got over the shock of seeing a Batman costume shaped by cloth, not plate armor or rubber, viewers noticed something else about the image: Ben Affleck is one downcast Dark Knight. Obviously, the hero has a reason to be sad – beyond the death of his parents in front of his eyes – as Zack Snyder has promised an older, more seasoned and world-weary Batman in the upcoming sequel.
But regardless of the reasons, online Photoshoppers wasted no time in turning Affleck into one truly heartbreaking meme.

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In truly record-breaking time, the Internet exploded in a variety of ‘Sad Batman’ memes, ranging from truly hilarious to less so. We’ve gathered up some of the best, and considering that this meme is clearly here to say for the foreseeable future, we’ve crafted a few of our own which we hope you appreciate.

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Those are the best examples of Batman’s sadness turned to laughter that we’ve encountered, but if you’ve got your own, be sure to mention them in the comments.
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Batman vs. Superman is scheduled for May 6, 2016.

Movies :Five Reasons To See 'The Bourne Legacy' (Can Bourne Beat Batman? Experts Weigh In)

There was never just one. Sure, Aaron Cross is no Jason Bourne, but that doesn't mean he isn't one hell of a government operative nonetheless.
An expansion on author Robert Ludlum's world of secrets and spies, "The Bourne Legacy" is set concurrently with the events of the 2007 Matt Damon-starring "Bourne Ultimatum" and features Jeremy Renner as an Outcome agent who's overstayed his welcome on Earth — at least according to his employers — so he runs for his life with the beautiful Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) on his arm.
Written and directed by Tony Gilroy (who also wrote the screenplay for the first three "Bourne" films), the actioner packs a similar punch to the original trilogy: all of the dirty bureaucrats, gritty fight sequences and splashy car chases are here, yet it's clear the franchise is operating under a whole new regime.
Here are five reasons to see "The Bourne Legacy," now in theaters:
Bourne Again If 2007's "Bourne Ultimatum" left you with any burning questions, it's likely "Bourne Legacy" will provide at least a few answers. As mentioned above, the events of "Bourne Legacy" pick up in the middle of "Bourne Ultimatum," following through its conclusion and continuing to build and expand upon the threequel's world, while firmly standing on its own merits.
"It completely does its own thing," Weisz told MTV News of "Bourne Legacy." "It introduces new characters, but it lifts the curtain on the first three films. It sort of says, 'If you think you know who was in charge, you were wrong. This is who is really in charge.' [You see] the men behind the curtain pulling the puppet strings."
Jeremy Renner's A New Sort Of Agent Damon was always all business as Jason Bourne — and we liked it. But as Alex Cross, Renner brings the slightest touch of levity and warmth to his on-the-run agent, proving he's more man than machine. And you know what? We liked that too.
Steady Eddie If there was a chief gripe about "The Bourne Ultimatum," it had to be the film's close-cropped, often shaky fight sequences, which left at least a few moviegoers feeling queasy. Expect less of that herky-jerky style under Gilroy's direction.
"I really enjoyed the hand-to-hand [fight sequences], the stuff you cannot fake, the stuff that cameras can't do any trickery to make look better or worse," Renner recalled of the shoot. "So that's where I put a lot of time spent as well, into the hand-to-hand stuff."
Hollywood's Next Big Talent? The "Bourne" movies have something of a legacy of propelling their little-known assassins into box-office staples. As my colleague Brian Phares pointed out, both Clive Owen and Karl Urban took turns as sharp-shooters before hitting it big in future films. Will "Legacy" hit man Louis Ozawa Changchien break out in a similar fashion? Only time will tell, but wouldn't it be nice to say you knew him when?
Nostalgic Nuggets If you really find yourself missing the original "Bourne" trilogy, take solace in the visual and aural callbacks to the originals, which may just inspire a complete re-watch of Bourne's battle for his identity.

Last weekend, "The Dark Knight Rises" fended off competition from "Total Recall" to remain the #1 movie in America. But will "The Bourne Legacy," which sees Jeremy Renner taking over the action franchise, be the movie that finally topples Batman? All signs point to "yes," as box-office experts have bet on Bourne.
"Even without Matt Damon, 'Bourne Legacy' will definitely knock the Batman out of the box-office belfry and probably get close to $45 to $50 million," said Jeff Bock, a box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations.
Changing leads in the middle of a franchise is often a risky move. So will the Bourne series, which is loosely based on the books by Robert Ludlum, have the success of the James Bond series, which has seen six actors wearing the tuxedo? Or is this move more akin to when Ice Cube took over "xXx" from Vin Diesel? "xXx" made more than $142 million at the domestic box office. The Diesel-less follow-up collected less than $27 million.
Hitfix.com editor Gregory Ellwood said it's probably somewhere in between. "While essentially a spin-off, Universal Studios has been using an image of Bourne himself, Matt Damon, in almost all the TV spots and trailers. That image appears in the movie, but the studio is using it to suggest to viewers Damon may actually appear in the film. It's a smart marketing strategy, but you can expect a lot of disgruntled moviegoers after they exit the theater."
While Batman will likely lose to Bourne, "The Dark Knight Rises" should still hold its own against "The Campaign." The R-rated comedy pairing Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis will have to settle for #3, according to Ellwood. " 'The Campaign' will have a solid opening, but it appears as though 'Rises' will still edge it out for #2."
Bock agreed, saying the political satire will likely settle for $22 million. That's better than most R-rated comedies this summer — we're looking at you, Adam Sandler — but a far cry from the $54 million pulled in by Seth MacFarlane's "Ted" when it debuted last month. "Ted" starred Ferrell's "The Other Guys" co-star, Mark Wahlberg.
"Political comedies, even starring these two comedy heavyweights, don't usually get elected to the top of the box office," said Bock. He predicted "The Campaign" should get to $65 million eventually; Ellwood put the number close to $90 million.
As for last weekend's big-budget hopeful? " 'Total Recall' will likely be erased from the minds of audiences with 'Bourne' and 'Campaign' hitting theaters," Bock said. "Expect a drop of 55 to 60 percent, putting it on target with summer's other misfire: 'Battleship.' "
Do you think "Dark Knight Rises" will be knocked out of #1 this weekend? Leave your comment below!

'Dark Knight Rises' Star Tom Hardy Worried He Was 'Wrong' For Bane

Of course the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" marked the return of Batman to the big screen, but it also marked the return of a respectable version of Bane, his nemesis in the film. First written as a super-strong, evil genius, Bane suffered through one tragic cinematic adaptation with "Batman and Robin," but the current take on the character brings back the smarts and loses the luchador mask.
Tom Hardy, the man behind Bane's respirator in the film, did not know of other versions of the character when he heard about the part, but he quickly did some research, and then became a bit intimidated.
"When I first heard of Bane, I think, like a lot of people who aren't Batman-centric in a way, I didn't know who he was," Hardy said. "So it had to be explained who he was, and then I looked at him and I saw his luchador mask and his way-tight wrestling pants and his huge muscles. I thought, 'He must have got the wrong man, because I can't play ... I don't play that.' "
Eventually, it was Christopher Nolan's interpretation of Bane that made Hardy see through the history and look forward to the reinvention. "Chris Nolan's take on [Bane] was intrinsically lateral because he has a way of wanting and desiring to breathe a realism and a lateral thought into that which has already come through the comic book world," Hardy said. "I think largely that's going to upset some people, and there's some people that are going to really hang on to that. And I'm one of those people that really enjoys that actually, to be quite honest — carving a new way through something that's already a set piece on the planet."
Hardy's version of Bane changes a few major details about the character's background, but he hopes defenders of the original are able to see past the differences. "There's the history of him being Latino and speaking Spanish and all the stuff like that, so I went for Romani Gypsy instead of Latin, but I went lateral myself," he said. "If that upsets people ... I hope it doesn't. There were a lot of conscious choices made around him to benefit both the fans and new people."
Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises.