Bentley was 35 years old in 2013; however, like Jared Leto, he seemingly defies aging and drinks out of the Fountain of Youth on a regular basis. Six years Affleck’s junior, Bentley’s casting would’ve certainly changed the plans for Batman v Superman. Instead of the tired and seasoned Dark Knight we got, we would’ve likely seen a hero in his prime and the same age as his contemporaries — something that makes more sense if you’re building a cinematic universe for the future.

Lest we forget, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, the main inspiration for the Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman, was meant to capture the final days of Bruce Wayne as the Bat. It works as a standalone feature, or even a two-part affair like Jay Oliva’s animated film, but it was never going to be sustainable for a developing franchise. In fact, you only need to look at the subsequent Dark Knight Universe titles to see how they failed to capture the magic of the 1986 classic.

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Now, five years after casting Affleck and two years after his first appearance as Batman, we’re likely getting a younger actor in the role because Matt Reeves wants to revisit the hero in his prime. Did no one take these things into consideration back when Affleck was cast at 41 and Batman v Superman was written to lay the groundwork for numerous loose ends that need to be tied up, like why Wayne Manor manor was abandoned and how Dick Grayson wound up dead? Those are things from Batman’s past that audiences would’ve wanted to find out more about in subsequent solo films.

Had Bentley been on board, Reeves could’ve done two things. First, the opportunity to set The Batman in the current era would be fine, since Bentley is only turning 40 this year. Second, if Reeves was adamant that he wanted an earlier Dark Knight story, Bentley looks youthful enough for the part as well.

In hindsight, it’s easy to be critical of how things panned out. Maybe there was a different plan in the beginning but a series of unfortunate events led us to where we are now. What is certain, though, is that Bentley’s casting would’ve changed everything right from the start. On paper, he ticks all the boxes of being the best Batman ever. Sadly, it looks like we’ll never get to find out.