Since the announcement by “Man of Steel” Director Zack Snyder, that Ben Affleck would fill the caped crusader’s mask in the Superman sequel, fans of the masked vigilante have been lighting up their social media accounts with candid disdain.

Warning: The following statement could cause Batman movie fans, and fans of Batman in general, to explode.

Affleck has the potential to not only play a good Batman on the big screen, but also the best Batman of all time.

Holy bold statement, Batman!

Some may find that claim to be ridiculous, based on the fact that Affleck will be following Christian Bale, who some consider to be the best Batman.

Much of the contempt stems from the discernment obtained from Affleck’s performance in 2003’s less than impressive “Daredevil.”

Think about that for one second.

What if we based our opinions of everyone off of who they were a decade ago?

The decision to cast Heath Ledger as the Joker in 2008’s “The Dark Knight” was publicly criticized as an appalling choice based on Ledger’s history with mindless films such as 1999’s “10 Thing I Hate About You.” The same critics that opposed the decision were praising Ledger after his remarkable portrayal of such a complex villain.

The same could be said about Mark Ruffalo when he was cast as the Hulk in “The Avengers.” When announced as the Hulk, critics couldn’t possibly see him in the role. After watching the film, critics turned into fans and are now demanding a stand-alone Hulk film starring the once criticized Ruffalo.

Taking a look at Affleck’s most recent movies, such as “The Town” and “Argo,” movie-goers not only see a seasoned actor who is clearly in shape for a physical role such as Batman, but also an actor who can be serious and immerse himself into a role — something he will need to do as Bruce Wayne.

It is understandable why many fans are upset at Snyder’s choice. Though Affleck was understandably not the first choice to don the cape and cowl, that fact alone shouldn’t render fans blind to the potential in the pick.

Michael Keaton, the first to play Batman in a major movie, created a great super hero film for its time.

As Bruce Wayne, Keaton managed to encompass a smart, clever and charming playboy billionaire, but as a crime-fighter, Keaton wasn’t exactly intimidating.

In comics, games and animated series, Batman is always portrayed as intimidating in size.

Overall, Keaton did a great job at portraying Wayne, but as the bulky, crime-fighting hero, Keaton was far from believable. The extremely stiff rubber suit, which hindered most movements, didn’t help his cause either.

In Val Kilmer’s forgettable

performance as Batman, Kilmer didn’t physically surpass his

predecessor. In fact, he had to wear a suit that had a variety of fake muscles and resembled a child’s Halloween costume.

Kilmer, like Keaton, was

believable as Bruce Wayne, but not as a superhero.

No. 3 on the list of Dark Knights was Bat Nipples himself, George Clooney.

Looking at Clooney, if one takes away the nippled suit, bat

credit card, dreadfully written script,

ridiculous comic book-like antics and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s one-liners and you have yourself the seemingly perfect Bruce Wayne with the

potential of a solid Batman.

Clooney isn’t a terrible actor. He has the good looks, the voice and the overall persona of an older Bruce Wayne that fans can really believe. Sure, he’s not the most physically imposing but he certainly looked like he could have been the best Batman up to that point. He just fell victim to poor directing and script writing.

Finally, there is Christian Bale. Though certainly the best Batman to date, he really didn’t have much competition.

Putting Bale up against his Batman predecessors is a no

brainer. Physically, the 6-foot, 181 pound Bale is certainly the most imposing Batman fans have seen, but by the time “The Dark Knight Rises” came to the big screen, Bale wore such an odd mix of a motorcycle suit and hockey pads that it completely took away from the raw, and quite simple physique of Batman and his suit. Throw in the most ridiculous voice, which sounds more like a dark Cookie Monster, and Bale’s Batman falls short of what fans should have expected.

By the time the third film rolled around, Bale’s Bruce Wayne had become a hermit of a man who locked himself away in his mansion.

No matter how dark of a12