A tragically violent DCEU fan theory suggests Ben Affleck's Batman was even more cruel than the Joker off-screen, prior to the events of Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The DCEU is the first live-action DC franchise to establish a universe filled with heroes and villains in their prime. Batman is a special case within the DCEU, as Ben Affleck's Dark Knight made his on-screen debut long after taking up the cape and cowl.