The Sad Saga of Ben Affleck's Daredevil: A Tale of Missed Opportunities and a Brutal Deadpool & Wolverine Death
Hey, remember that Daredevil Movie Ben Affleck did back in the day? Yeah, it was kinda messy. And now it looks like poor Matt Murdock got the short end of the stick again with the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie.
Seriously, what's the deal? There was buzz going around about Ben making a cameo in the film, which could've given him a little redemption after his less-than-stellar Daredevil outing. But, no dice. They totally went and killed off the character, right after Deadpool & Wolverine reunited with Elektra (who you might remember is Jennifer Garner's character from the same Daredevil film, Affleck's ex-wife IRL). What a total bummer!
Death of a (Marvel) Superhero
This new Deadpool & Wolverine Movie throws a bunch of Marvel characters from different timelines together, including the late Punisher, the legendary Magneto, and, yeah, you guessed it, Daredevil. In a flashback moment, we find out those heroes had died battling an evil chick called Cassandra Nova. They even showed Affleck’s Daredevil's death – or maybe death isn't quite the right word; a lot of Marvel characters seem to come back from the dead all the time, so who knows, right?
But, it feels kinda harsh, man. It's like Affleck never gets a break. He gets this Daredevil role, makes this movie, but the world didn't really go for it, and now they kill off the guy in this random crossover movie. We know this wasn't Affleck's best time being a superhero, but at least give the character some proper send-off, right?
Affleck's "Daredevil" Ending - a Hilariously Tragic Divorce Joke?
What makes this Daredevil Death even funnier (if that's the right word), is Deadpool & Wolverine's kind of… well, Deadpool-ish way of handling it. Remember that Ben Affleck was married to Elektra star Jennifer Garner? You think a bunch of comic book movie creators wouldn't miss a chance to play on a celebrity divorce with a big movie like this? Nope, they did!
We get this scene where Deadpool kinda "sympathizes" with Elektra after finding out Daredevil’s dead, and the movie literally tries to make it funny. Like Elektra just shrugs it off, as if saying, "I've been there, done that, no big deal". Is that really how you want to treat the Daredevil legacy, dudes?
Daredevil's Legacy - a Hero's (Not-So-Lucky) Path
If we're being honest, Affleck's Daredevil run never truly shined bright. Daredevil (the movie, not the character) had some big names involved (Colin Farrell, Jon Favreau!), and a budget to match, but the finished product… well, let's just say the movie world wasn't exactly bursting with praise. After the first Daredevil Movie came out, there was this attempt to do a solo film for Elektra. But apparently, things got super messy on set, with drama between Affleck and Garner making things weird. They axed Affleck from the movie and, surprise, surprise, Elektra flopped too. And that was basically it for Daredevil.
At least for the actor playing the superhero. Because Daredevil as a character is, as of right now, pretty much dead in the movie world. But you never know. Maybe with a little time, Daredevil might pop up again and reclaim his superhero glory. We'll just have to wait and see.
Ben Affleck, Batman, and a Murky Marvel Future
As for Ben Affleck himself, it looks like superhero days might be over. With that new DC Universe reboot, he probably won’t be swinging back into that bat-suit. After all, the guy seems like he's got other priorities right now - you know, actually making films that he feels strongly about. The ending to Deadpool & Wolverine probably wasn't the send-off he'd hoped for, but it is what it is, I guess.
All this being said, even though he’s left the cape and cowl behind, it's still not too hard to imagine Affleck returning to the world of superheroes again. Perhaps he could play a different character - a Marvel character maybe? He does have the physique and charisma! And who knows, maybe if there is a future for Daredevil somewhere, he’d even come back for one last go-round in the superhero game!
