The surprising news of
Ben Affleck being cast as the new Batman in the sequel to this summer's Man of Steel has nearly broken the Internet. While some have responded with acclaim and praise on the casting call, others have derided the decision, flooding message boards with negative comments, signing White House petitions for removal, and even going so far as to make death threats. While these contemptuous reactions can be most accurately described as hyperbole, lets all take a deep breathe and calm ourselves. It's not like there is an impending 'Armageddon' as an asteroid barrels towards Earth and we have no more than a rag-tag oil rig crew to save all of humanity. Nor are we any longer confronting the 'Sum Of All Fears' facing down a nuclear apocalypse relying only on a rogue CIA analyst to save all of humanity. We aren't even faced with the deadliest weapon of mass destruction of all anymore, as 'Bennifer' has been long defunct and their aborted love-child Gigli remains the only scant memory of their relationship as the breakup may have not only saved all of humanity, in addition to Affleck's then-stalled acting career as well. Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning resurgence in Hollywood has recast him from former big-time flop-artist to sure-fire hit-maker, turning out and starring in successes like The Town and Argo. While these fantastic turns have swayed Academy members and critics alike, online comic book fans appear to be polarized on the choice of Affleck. Love him or hate him, he is due respect and here are five reasons why casting Ben Affleck as Batman isn't the end of the world. In fact, it might be the ingredient needed to spark the "Big Bang" of the DC Cinematic Universe to truly get off the ground and flourish.