Fans of the Batman films are divided over news that Ben Affleck will play Batman in an upcoming Superman film, while a majority of Americans say Superman would beat Batman in a fight.
Ben Affleck has recently been cast to appear as Batman in the new Superman film, causing uproar among internet communities of batman fans. Many hardcore Batman fans have objected to the decision, with much of the criticism focusing on past roles for which Affleck was widely panned, such as Daredevil and Gigli. Over 70,000 people have already signed a change.org petition calling on the makes of the film to change their minds and stop Ben Affleck playing Batman.
The latest YouGov research shows, however, that opinions among most Batman fans are less hostile, though still divided. 36% of Batman fans disapprove of the decision to cast Ben Affleck as Batman, while 30% approve of the decision. 31% of fans have no opinion on the move.
Ben Affleck is set to appear as Batman in the sequel to the latest Superman film, 'Man of Steel', where Batman and Superman will fight each other before uniting against a common foe. When asked who would win in a fight between the two, the American public (54%) is convinced that Superman would come out on top, with only 10% saying Batman would win. Interestingly, younger Americans are more likely to back Batman in the fight, with 23% of under-30s saying he would win, though 41% still think that Superman would win. Even these results could be regarded as surprising however, as Superman is the only one of the two to enjoy any super powers.
Christian Bale is the American public's favorite Batman, followed at some distance by Michael Keaton. George Clooney (6%) manages to be the least popular, even less popular than Val Kilmer, who just beat Clooney with 8% of Americans saying he is their favorite Batman.
