The Internet Didn't Care for Heath Ledger as the Joker Either

Don't care for the Boston Batman? "The Internet Didn't Care for Heath Ledger as the Joker Either"

Even a better example: the internet wisdom said that Daniel Craig would suck as James Bond.

However, it might be noted that Heath Ledger and Daniel Craig were/are genuinely talented actors, so it is not entirely appropriate to equate their situation with Affleck's.

On the other hand, I just don't see how much harm Ben could do.

Affleck's natural personality is more or less appropriate for Bruce Wayne. He's attractive, but also aloof and kind of sinister. Furthermore, if the upcoming films are about Bruce Wayne, or feature a lot of Bruce Wayne, they're gonna suck anyway, no matter who plays the part. Even Daniel Day Fuckin' Lewis couldn't make a decent lemon-flavored beverage from those lemons.

And if they're about Batman? Well, when he's not cavorting around dark alleys and rooftops, Batman pretty much just stands around and looks menacing. The ol' Bat is the strong silent type, stone-faced behind his cowl. Christian Bale's Batman would just growl a few lines in his outrageous Bat-voice, then disappear like the wind. Any actor in decent shape, given a modicum of gravitas, can play that part.

Let's face it, the Batman movies will be good or bad based upon the storylines, the imagination of the director, and the caliber of the villains, not based upon the identity of the guy in the Bat-suit.