Why Zack Snyder Didn't Bring Christopher Nolan's Batman Into The Snyderverse

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Few movies are as divisive as "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Love it or hate it, it's impossible to deny that ten years later, Zack Snyder's dark take on DC's biggest heroes continues to inspire passion, good or bad. The divisive reaction to the movie arguably started when backlash to Ben Affleck's casting as Batman kicked up, long before the movie even came out. Might things have been different if Christian Bale had reprised his role as Batman from "The Dark Knight" trilogy instead? Why didn't that happen?

On an episode of the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Snyder spoke with host Josh Horowitz about "BvS" in honor of its tenth anniversary. During the conversation, the director, who kicked off the DC's messy cinematic universe with "Man of Steel," was asked if there was ever any serious talk of bringing Bale into what we once knew as the DCEU. Here's what Snyder had to say about it:

"I think if Bale had stayed, if ['The Dark Knight Rises'] had ended with Christian Bale standing on a building overlooking Gotham silhouetted by the lights of Gotham, then there's — that's a serious conversation there. If he's not in Italy, retired, drinking wine and relaxing, if he's a current crime fighter, then I think those universes could have mixed."

Director Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" gave DC an ending when it needed a beginning. Despite making $1.1 billion at the box office, it was a definitive conclusion to that story, coming at a time right when Warner Bros. and DC were looking to build a cinematic universe to compete with Marvel. Bale's Batman rode off into the sunset. Bringing him back after that wouldn't have felt right, as Snyder tells it.

Whether or not Christian Bale would have even wanted to return as Batman in "Batman v Superman" is another question entirely. Zack Snyder's universe was much more comic book-y than Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, which was relatively grounded, as far as superhero movies go. Bale has said his condition to do "The Dark Knight 4" would involve Nolan coming back. It's never seemed like he was interested in signing on to play the character indefinitely in a sprawling cinematic universe.

As for Ben Affleck, much like "BvS" itself, his take on the Caped Crusader remains divisive amongst fans. A great many fans view ending Affleck's Batman run prematurely as a missed opportunity. He never got to star in a solo movie, "Dawn of Justice" was intensely divisive, and the theatrical run of "Justice League" was a disaster, both critically and commercially. While the so-called "Snyder Cut," aka Zack Snyder's "Justice League" that was eventually released on HBO Max, was viewed as a great improvement, Affleck's Batman never got a totally fair shake. 

It's hard not to wonder what might have changed if Bale had returned, as unrealistic as it may seem. Would audiences have been more accepting? Would Snyder have changed "BvS" to suit that version of the character? We have lots of questions and precious few answers. We can only ever wonder, "What if?"

Looking ahead, Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne will return in "The Batman Part II" next year. Meanwhile, the new DC Universe is on the hunt for a new Batman who is expected to debut in "The Brave and the Bold," which doesn't yet have a release date.

You can grab "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.