5 Ways Justice League Ruins Its Best Characters

3. Batman... Or Joker?

Either Bruce Wayne is developing some form of bipolar condition in his old age, or Zack Snyder and Whedon’s vision for how the Caped Crusader should act has stepped away from pretty much every way in which we’ve come to appreciate his melancholy and mystic persona. Far, far away.

Now, without revealing too many of Bats’ awkward punchlines and uncharacteristic gags, there was one line in particular that contrasted the dark, almost hopeless theme of Batman versus Superman agains the much brighter and at-times too bubbly shenanigans of Justice League.

Audiences will recall Bruce’s gravelly “DO YOU BLEED?” question to Superman in BvS. Wasn’t that cool!? They were so serious and meant business and there was a sense someone was really going to die.

Now fast-forward to Batman being asked the same question in Justice League before getting very hurt, to which his response is “Something’s definitely bleeding,” despite the fact no-one is around to hear it. That’s the kind of thing The Flash would pump out, not the World’s Greatest Detective. Not my Bats.

And there were numerous of those lines included. The old saying goes that if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Well, in the case of Bruce Wayne, all I want to hear is intimidation, threats with maybe the occasional joke or barb, not one every second scene he’s in.

This Batman struck as the kind who might see Aquaman summon a blue whale or three before remarking: “I’ve heard of big fish in little ponds, but this is ridiculous!”

It’s just. Not. Right. A wise-cracking Batman is similar to your nan sunbathing in August—nobody wants to see it, and it should be kept in the attic where it belongs.