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  It's incredibly easy to make the jokes that we all made, and even natural apparently to find ourselves angry. As I write this, it's been a few hours and the shock of the announcement has subsided, so I'm here to tell you to shut up. Yes, just shut up. As you write the joke out on Twitter, or you tell your coworker about how Batman will fight his criminals in "some place very uncomfortable": shut up.

   I'm telling you this because I had the gut reaction as well. I flooded Twitter, and I told my coworkers stupid, easy, jokes. Yet sitting here now, I remember that I did the same thing seven years ago when it was announced that the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins was to be called The Dark Knight and would star Heath Ledger. I remember the news and I remember my reaction. I was confused, and I couldn't imagine the pretty Australian that dressed up as a knight ever being able to look scary or provide a menacing laugh or even act maniacal. To be fair, how could I? I saw an actor and remembered his performances in A Knight's Tale, 10 Things I Hate About You, Lords of Dogtown, and Brokeback Mountain. Nothing within those characters represented anything that I had known about the Joker in my then seventeen years of knowledge with the character. Around a year later, when the first teaser image appeared, followed by the first trailer when we heard what Heath could do with his voice: I shut up.

   Tim Burton's Batman debuted on June 23, 1989, just short of a month before I was born. It was announced prior to filming in October 1988 that Michael Keaton was cast as Batman. In the documentary Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic History of The Dark Knight, which you can find in any box set of the Batman Anthology that collects the Burton/Schumacher Batman films, the producers of 1989's Batman discuss how after Keaton's casting announcement hit the public, over 50,000 protest letters were sent to the Warner Bros. offices. Letters, for those too young, were what we did before the internet. My parents have told me the reactions of people at the time: "Mr. Mom is playing Batman?" Batman was the first film to reach $100 million within it's first ten days of release. The film went on to reach a total of $411.35 million in it's box office lifetime, and it earned a direct sequel, Batman Returns, that was released in 1992. It was also DC Comics highest grossing film until The Dark Knight was released in 2008. In the aforementioned documentary, you can see footage of the crowds outside of movie theaters on opening day. You hear the stories of how bus stops and pay phones were broken because people would steal the Batman movie posters out of them as quickly as they were put up. Suddenly, Mr. Mom was the greatest choice to play Batman. To this day, personally, Michael Keaton might be my favorite live-action Batman (I might change my mind tomorrow...). Again, the same documentary shares stories of people paying for movies so that they could just watch the trailer for Batman. Quickly, people learned to shut up.

   Here we are, twenty-four years after the release of Batman and five years after the release of The Dark Knight, and we've just learned that Ben Affleck will be donning the cape and cowl for 2015's epic that combines two of the most iconic superheroes on screen. The untitled Superman Batman film has not yet begun principal photography. I doubt the script is finished just yet. We don't know anything other than what is in front of us, yet we have all exploded and reverted to childhood tantrums to express how "insulting" and "disgusting" it is that Warner Bros. would dare cast Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader. Again, don't forget, I'm on your side; I was right there tweeting with you, but we just do not know anything yet. Ben Affleck has had an incredible and lengthy career. Has he made a bad movie? Of course. So have Heath Ledger, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and every other actor ever. If we sit back and assume things before we see them, we only hurt ourselves. Ben Affleck might be a terrible Batman, but he could be the best Batman that ever graced the screen. We don't know yet. 

   If you still feel the rage building inside of you and you need to lash out, there are other things to gripe about. Get more specific. Personally, I have never really enjoyed a Zack Snyder film. This year's Man of Steel was serviceable as a summer blockbuster superhero film, but it was not what I expected nor what I wanted. A lot of the issues with the film were script and story based, but the shaky cam that Snyder traded in his slow-motion for really bothered me right from the start. For me, knowing that Snyder is still at the helm of bringing my favorite superhero to the screen in a new iteration that will likely lead the charge for the future of Batman on film, is a lot more worrying than Ben Affleck playing my favorite detective. 

   Do you still feel the rage? Okay. I don't think Ben Affleck is the best choice for the part, but my problem is not with his acting. My problem is with his fame. I fear that I won't be able to see Batman on the screen, but I'll see Ben Affleck as Batman on the screen. With such a big name in the role, we lose that level of immersion with the character. There are few, rare instances where we can transcend and be enveloped in the performance. Heath Ledger's Joker is one of them, at least for me. I hope that Ben Affleck can bring to Batman what Heath Ledger did for the Joker, but we'll just have to wait and see. 

   My final advice for your rage? There is nothing we can do about it. When you open the door in the morning and you walk outside to find that it is exceptionally hot out, can you change it? No. Yes, you'll tweet about it, but you cannot change it. Ben Affleck is the Batman. That's it. There are people in high positions at Warner Bros. that care about one thing: money. You can't make money, especially not Disney competition money against 2015's Avengers 2: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: Episode VII, from an unknown actor. Ben Affleck was strategically chosen by those who believe in his ability and his fame to drive people into the seats. If those same people who chose Ben Affleck really cared about more than money, Zack Snyder would have been fired from the director's chair. Yet while Man of Steel holds a 55% on Metacritic, it brought in just under $650 million worldwide, and Zack Snyder still has a job. I know it hurts. I know you feel sick, but Ben Affleck will be wearing a black, rubber suit very soon, and in less than two years you will pay $10 to watch him wear it. 

   That's what this all boils down to. Ben Affleck is the Batman, and we are all going to give Warner Bros. our money to see how he does. It's weird right now, and it's difficult to imagine how Chuckie Sullivan will portray Bruce Wayne, but he will. You can leave a comment below, or send me a tweet to tell me how wrong and stupid I am, but you really have nothing to back yourself up with. Just like those 50,000 angry comic book readers that sent letters to Warner Bros. in 1988, and just like myself in 2006: we had no idea how wrong we were. 

   Remember, that gay cowboy played won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the Joker. I'll see you on July 17, 2015 at the premiere. 

13. John Constantine

John Constantine is Hellblazer. He is a working-class magician, occult detective, and con man. Throughout the comics, he is known for his sharp wit, endless cynicism, and constant chain smoking. An anti-hero, Constantine is also a humanist driven by a desire to defend mankind from evil and currently can be seen in his self-titled comic as well as the pages of Justice League Dark.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

Constantine is able to engage in combat but he is typically known to outsmart his opponents rather than to beat them down. He uses a combination of dirty fighting and magic. He can summon demons, inflict curses, raise the dead, and use stage magic as distraction. His play style could be similar to that of Zatanna but with the ability to bring out summonings from the underground.

Supermove

A total occult ritual that brings forth Satan himself to do Constantine's bidding and pull the opponent into hell. After the screams of the foe are heard, he/she is tossed back from the portal to hell and left charred and bloodied.

14. Beast Boy

 The green skinned Garfield Logan is a member of the Teen Titans with the ability to transform into any creature of any size.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

Like a lot of these characters on my list, they stick out to me because of their huge fan base. Beast Boy and the Teen Titans as a whole have a very vocal fan base that love him to death. I was first truly introduced to him in the series Young Justice and I finally realized why he is so cool. Beast Boy can turn into any animal, any creature, any beast. It would be great to see him utilize his powers to fight enemies as an army of different animals. 

Supermove:

Similar to my suggestion for Animal Man, Beast Boy should become a stampede of animals. One by one he should charge at his opponents using the strengths of different animals. 

15. Static

  Virgil "Static" Hawkins was exposed to a mutagenic gas that swept through his city, which gave him superpowers. He is able to control electromagnetism, and is another member of the Teen Titans.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

Static can project, channel, manipulate, and absorb raw electromagnetic energy, which he uses primarily to generate electricity within his body and fire powerful lightning bolts from his hands. He can generate shields to protect himself from bullets, lasers, energy blasts, and other attacks, and he can generate repulsion fields that will repel attacks back against the opponent. He could utilize his repulsion powers against characters with projectile attacks and have a very defensive play style, one that is unique from other fighters in the game. When he needs to be on offense he can use the raw power of electricity against those who oppose him. 

Supermove:

He uses his healing factor to heal his wounds, builds up a massive charge, knocks his opponent into the air and then destroys them with a collection of lightning bolts from the sky. 

16. Darkseid

 Darkseid is the "God of Evil" and the supreme monarch of the planet Apokolips. He is one of Superman's greatest adversaries but more so is the greatest threat to the DC Universe and often finds himself up against the Justice League as they try to foil whatever scheme he has to destroy the universe.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

He is the greatest enemy against the Justice League. In a game that depicts the Justice League turning against one another, he should be there to help finish them off. Darkseid is physically powerful and would likely be a heavy brawler in the game, but he also has teleportation abilities, and size alteration. He can be as strong and beastly as Doomsday but with the ability to teleport from one side of the arena to the other like Zatanna. His Omega Effect also allows him to manipulate matter that surrounds him, which could help him use projectiles against his opponents or resist incoming attacks. 

Supermove:

One of the most, if not the most, disastrous effects of the Omega Effect is the Omega Sanction. It is Darkseid's ability to send an organism to any point in space or time and trap them there. For his supermove, Darkseid should pull his opponent into the ultimate hell and have them concede in terror as he changes his size to tower over them and crushes them beneath his feet. 

Alternate Skin 4. Blackest Night Flash, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor

    Yes I know this suggestion consists of three parts, but they all go together. During the Blackest Night storyline by Geoff Johns, the powers of light were forced to recruit new members and unite as one in order to defeat the black light of death. During this, Barry Allen, Diana Prince, and Lex Luthor were each given power rings. The Flash wore the blue ring of hope, Wonder Woman the violet ring of love, and Lex Luthor the orang ring of avarice. These costumes are what is missing from the game when there are already so many elements from the Blackest Night story available.  

9. Blue Beetle

  Jaime Reyes was an ordinary high school student from El Paso, Texas until the Scarab Ted Kord lost attached itself to his body. The Scarab gives Jaime superhuman agility, super strength, energy tracking, and the ability to fly; amongst other capabilities.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

  Blue Beetle is one of those characters that seemed like a guarantee in the roster of Injustice: Gods Among Us. His abilities granted to him through the Scarab allow him to stand up to any villain, and they separate him from most heroes in the DC Universe. On top of how he would engage in combat, his costume just looks cool. Isn't that enough sometimes?

Supermove:

  Jaime could temporarily paralyze his foe with a sonic blast or a blast of energy, and his suit can scan the foe for weak points in a simulated cutscene. When a weak point is detected, the Blue Beetle would attack it and break his opponent. 

10. Plastic Man

  Patrick O'Brian is a former criminal that became the super-elastic superhero known as Plastic Man. While involved in a heist, he was shot and exposed to a strange acid that allowed him to stretch his body into any shape that he can imagine. He often doesn't take things seriously and cracks jokes while in the midst of combat.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

  Plastic Man is an on and off staple of the Justice League. Most popular from the animated series Super Friends, Plastic Man can stretch his body and overcome his enemies. He can extend his shape to reach across a battlefield, or he can turn himself into the shapes of objects to attack others. 

Supermove:

  Plastic Man shrinks down to only a few inches tall and leaves the opponent confused and lost. As he sneaks behind them, he grows himself exponentially larger and beats down his opponent while turning his arms into various shapes, ultimately finishing them off by wrapping around and binding their bodies until the air escapes them and they collapse. 

11. Bizarro

  Bizarro is an imperfect duplicate of Superman, who is a deliberate backwards and opposite of Superman. He is the reaction to Superman's actions. He was created by the Joker when the Joker temporarily obtained the powers of Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

  Bizarro has freeze vision and heat breath. He can see through only lead walls. He can develop Bizarro Vision when exposed to a blue sun and he is able to create Bizarro-like duplicate characters. He is the inverse Superman and one of Superman's greatest foes. He is a perfect compliment to Superman and his absence from the game is unjust. As it stands, the Superman universe is barely represented, and next to the Flash and Batman, Superman has some of the coolest villains in the DCU. 

Supermove:

  Bizarro shouts something in his broken English and he looks up to reveal a Blue sun passing overhead. He is granted Bizarro Vision and he creates an army of Bizarro duplicates to attack his opponent as he blasts them with heat breath and ice vision.

12. Captain Boomerang

  George "Digger" Harkness grew up in Kurrumburra, Australia. His mother was secretly having an affair with the birth father of Harkness, but he was raised by another man. His birth father sent his son boomerangs as gifts and he learned how to throw them with complete precision. He traveled to America to meet his true father and was offered a job to promote the boomerangs he grew up learning so well. He wore a costume and appeared in commercials but was quickly laughed out of a job. Down on his luck, he became a criminal, using boomerangs to strike down anyone that stood in his way.

Why Should He Be in Injustice?

  Like every Flash villain on my list, Captain Boomerang is another extension of the Flash universe, one that should be displayed more prominently in Injustice. Captain Boomerang has created many types of boomerangs over the years, and different types could be used in the game. Have him toss an electro-boomerang or an exploso-boomerang at his enemy and create a nice mid to long range fighter. 

Supermove:

  An all out attack with every type of boomerang in his arsenal. Blow after blow, his enemy would be weakened and he'd finish off his attack with one final throw that would fly right between the opponent's legs only to swing back around from off screen and knock them in the back of the head.

Alternate Skin 3. Classic Nightwing

   Before Dick Grayson wore the Batsuit while Bruce Wayne was incapacitated, and before he had the sleek costume that we all know and love, but after he had given up his red and green Robin attire, Nightwing wore a bright blue costume with gold trim along with a gigantic, garish, Disco-style collar. Currently, Nightwing only has three costumes in Injustice, but all are variations of his current outfit. Let's get weird with it, and dress up Dick Grayson in his old Teen Titans attire.