Ben Affleck’s version of the Dark Knight avoided the most consistent flaw in live-action Batman costumes inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Batman has a long history of film adaptations, with the character’s malleability making him a natural fit for different film franchises to reinterpret him and his mythos. Batman’s iconic costume is no exception to this, as the variousBatmanmovie franchiseshave all had their own unique takes on the suit. While someBatman suitsare more comic-accurate than others, nearly every costume has shared one flaw that has proven difficult to evade.
Most Batman costumes feature a thick one-piece cowl that restricts the actors playing Batman from turning their heads. While Adam West’s cloth Batman suit allowed him to turn his head, Michael Keaton’s armored suit did not. Keaton used this flaw to his advantage, however, giving Batman a unique style of body language in his films. Then 2008’sThe Dark Knightgave Christian Bale’s Batman a two-piece cowl that allowed him to turn his head, andRobert Pattinson’s suit in 2022’sThe Batmanuses a similar design.
Ben Affleck’s standard Batman suit inDawn of Justice, however, managed to do what no other Batman costume could andgave Affleck a one-piece cowl that still allowed him to turn his head. The suit was designed by Jose Fernandez and others at Ironhead Studio, with Fernandez having worked on previousBatmanmovies beforeDawn of Justice. Fernandez helped design the Batman and Catwoman costumes inBatman Returns, as well as the Batman suits in Joel Schumacher’sBatman ForeverandBatman & Robin.
Batman’s Dawn of Justice costume is based on Batman’s suit in Frank Miller’sThe Dark Knight Returns.
Not only is Affleck’s standard Batman suit one of the most comic-accurate Batman costumes in live-action (matched only by Adam West’s suit), butit finally allowed Batman to turn his headthanks to carefully placed air pockets and articulation points in the cowl. This gave Affleck a far larger range of motion in action scenes, makingDawn of Justice’sBatmobile chase and warehouse brawl even better. Sadly, Batman’s perfected one-piece cowl would only show up inBatman v Superman.
Jose Fernandez and Ironhead Studio were not credited for their work inBatman v Superman,which allegedly (and understandably) offended Fernandez enough to decline the offer to work onJustice League. A different costume-making team handled Affleck’sJustice Leaguesuit, and while it retained the comic-accurate appearance of his original suit, it did not allow him to turn his head, unfortunately.Ben Affleck’s Batmanis perhaps able to turn his head in all of his suits in-universe, but the only film costume that made this possible was his gray suit inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Cast
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice features the iconic clash between Gotham’s Dark Knight, played by Ben Affleck, and Metropolis’s Man of Steel, portrayed by Henry Cavill. As these two heroes confront each other, a looming threat endangers humanity, setting the stage for larger challenges ahead in the DC Extended Universe.
