Ben Affleck retires as Batman on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Ben Affleck was given a special retirement ceremony to mark the end of his Batman career.

Only the greats get their names and uniform raised into the rafters. It means that you stood out above all the others that played the same game as you. So did Jimmy Kimmel Live! solidify Ben Affleck as the best Batman of all time?

If you look online or ask fans, it’s hard to tell exactly what the consensus is regarding Affleck’s turn as the Caped Crusader. The initial reaction to his casting certainly was negative but he won over a lot of people for his portrayal of brutal and beaten-down Batman, earning the affectionate moniker “Batfleck.”

However, the movie Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice didn’t land too well with general audiences. Justice League was even worse when it came to critic and audience scores which may have soured Affleck on returning to the role. Then news broke that director Matt Reeves wanted a younger actor to take over for the next Batman film, meaning Affleck was out as the character.

Things were confirmed by Affleck via Twitter following an announced release date for the tentatively titled The Batman directed by Reeves. But Affleck had yet to make a public appearance or be asked directly about the entire situation.

Last Night On told you to tune into Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday for Affleck’s appearance. We knew that not only would the Jimmy Kimmel/Matt Damon feud be brought up again but Kimmel would certainly ask about the Batman story. The host did much more than that by treating Affleck like a star athlete:

That should put an official end to the “Batfleck” era. It also means that Kimmel probably will never get another shot at a cameo in a Batman movie after his last one ended up on the cutting room floor.

Maybe it is because I loved Ben Affleck as Batman but it seems like Affleck is still a little sad about hanging up the cape and cowl. He clearly appreciated the version created by director Zack Snyder. The problem is that too many people didn’t want to see that kind of Batman on the big screen and then Justice League became an absolute disaster.

Affleck is a fan of the character and went through a lot to prepare for the role the first time around. Unfortunately, the projects never matched up to his standards and he chose to distance himself from Warner Bros’  shared DC Comics cinematic universe. The only satisfaction fans have now is knowing that director Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League coming to HBO Max will restore some dignity to Affleck’s Batman.

But who knows? Perhaps the success of Aquaman and another hit with Shazam and/or Wonder Woman 1984 could help right the ship for DC. Let Matt Reeves make a prequel with a younger Batman and then when it’s time for another Justice League, bring in Affleck. It’s a pipe dream at this point but if Jordan can take his number down from the rafters, why can’t Ben Affleck?