Thomas Roach with a theory on Jeremy Irons’ role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice…
I have a theory about the upcoming Batman v Superman movie that I imagine not many people will like or agree with. I will tell you anyway, as I feel there are some valid points that back it up.
Jeremy Irons, who we have been told is playing Alfred in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is actually playing Bruce Wayne, and Ben Affleck is therefore likely playing a version of Robin who will wear the iconic suit.
The first reason that led me to conclusion is that there are rumours about many characters already being dead by the time the film takes place, such as Commissioner Gordon. If we believe this to be true, we all assume he has been killed by the Joker or someone else. But we could be wrong. Maybe he was just old? If Jeremy Irons is playing Bruce Wayne then the character or Gordon, if he were still alive, could easily be in his 80s or 90s.
The scene where Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed has been shot. If you look at leaked photos you will see that the cinema is showing the film The Mark of Zorro which was released in 1940. Whilst I know classic films were shown in cinemas decades after their release, I believe this scene to be set in the 1940s, rather than the 70s or 80s, which is presumably when the event would have happened if Ben Affleck is playing Bruce Wayne. In the world of Man of Steel it is surely the modern day, so this is a 75 year gap between the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents and the events of Batman v Superman.
When Affleck was cast as Batman the producers of the films said they wanted an older and more mature Batman, and even referred to Bruce Wayne as being tired and weary. Could it be that Jeremy Irons’ Bruce Wayne is tired and weary from his old age? Jeremy Irons is only 66 years old but it is not inconceivable for him to play a character pushing 80.
Warner Bros. also considered doing a Batman film in the 1990s with Clint Eastwood playing Bruce Wayne. If executives liked that idea at the time but didn’t want to go through with it, they could have left that ideaon the backburner and come back to it at a later date, which is what they could be doing now.
Also with the recent success of the Christopher Nolan trilogy, perhaps they are looking to make a distinction between the series by having Bruce Wayne play the mentor role. In The Dark Knight Rises the point was made that Batman could be anybody and eventually Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character John Blake inherited the role. Whilst that trilogy is not within the same canon as the current films, that idea could easily be carried over.
Jeremy Irons has also mentioned that his version of Alfred will be very different from Michael Caine’s. Irons said “I would just say he’s more hands-on perhaps than just a butler.” Whilst he refers to himself as the butler, which defeats this theory, the fact that he has a more hands on approach could mean he trained the current Batman. In this version it would be his Bruce Wayne teaching Affleck to take up the mantle.
This would make an interesting twist to the story but I imagine fans would not like it at all. But it is important to remember that these are films and not comics. They are adaptations and should not be carbon copies. Fans moan when stories are adapted and they’re not faithful, but if they wanted that story they can always read the comic. Film and comic books are two different mediums, and adaptations should be able to push the boat out a bit more.
Now I am sure you can poke many holes in the theory, but I hope some of you can see where I am coming from. Let me know in the comments what you think…
Thomas Roach
You can listen to the Flickering Myth Podcast review of the teaser trailer below:
Originally published April 21, 2015. Updated July 2, 2023.
