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.
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.
