Long before he was Batman, Ben Affleck gained fame for his roles in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse. Affleck has had a bit of an up and down career, but for the most part, has ended up with a resume most actors would envy. He's also become an acclaimed director and screenwriter as well, although, in an odd twist of fate, he's won Oscars for writing - Good Will Hunting - and directing - Argo - but never for his acting, at least not yet.
That could certainly change, as Affleck shows no signs of slowing down and is currently gearing up to return to his Bruce Wayne/Batman role in DC's The Flash movie, coming in 2022. For a while, it looked like Affleck had left Batman behind for good, but thankfully for fans of his portrayal of The Dark Knight, that turned out not to be the case. Of course, back when Affleck was appearing in Smith comedies like Mallrats and Chasing Amy, it's doubtful most thought they were watching a future Batman.
That's not because Affleck wasn't good in those roles; he just ended up changing and evolving a lot over the years, morphing from a comedic actor and romantic lead into an action star and dramatic protagonist. Thankfully, Affleck and Smith patched their friendship up in the last few years, so it's likely he won't hesitate to add more roles to his View Asknewiverse tally as time goes on. Until then, here are all the times the two have teamed up so far, excluding Affleck's role in Jersey Girl, which was set outside the View Askewniverse.
Shannon Hamilton (Mallrats)
Ben Affleck's first role in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse series and one of his first big movie roles period came in 1995's Mallrats. Affleck played Shannon Hamilton, the manager of the titular mall's Fashionable Male clothing store and current boyfriend of co-lead Brodie Bruce's ex Rene Mosier, played by future Charmed star Shannen Doherty. To put it mildly, Shannon was an all-around jerk who beat up Brodie and slept with underage girls. Thankfully, his terrible demeanor was publicly exposed late in Mallrats' running time, leading to Rene and Brodie reconciling and Shannon being arrested for statutory rape. He was sent to prison, and it was heavily implied he suffered a dark fate while locked up. Despite being a memorable character, Shannon never appeared again in the View Askewniverse. However, he was mentioned a few times, such as when Alyssa reveals in Chasing Amy that she had slept with him in college.
Holden McNeil (Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Jay & Silent Bob Reboot)
Probably Ben Affleck's most well-known character from Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, which actually has a lost film called Drawing Flies - is Holden McNeil, not coincidentally the only Affleck character to appear in more than one of Smith's movies. Affleck's Holden first appeared in 1997's Chasing Amy, a common pick for Smith's best work. Chasing Amy's main dramatic arc concerned the unorthodox relationship between comic book artist Holden and Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), which was complicated by the fact that she was a lesbian and that it turned out Holden's best friend Banky (Jason Lee) was seemingly gay and in love with him. To say that Chasing Amy's sexual politics were complex would be an understatement. Holden would later make cameos in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, the latter of which revealed Holden eventually became a father, donating his sperm to Alyssa and her girlfriend and co-parenting the child.
Bartleby (Dogma)
Ben Affleck and his pal, and frequent collaborator, Matt Damon, played the primary villains in 1999's Dogma, easily Kevin Smith's most controversial movie thanks to its highly unconventional portrayal of religion and biblical figures. Still, many Smith fans have come to love Dogma, and it was certainly unlike anything else in his filmography. Affleck played Bartleby alongside Damon's Loki, two exiled angels looking to get back into heaven by exploiting a loophole involving entering a particular church. Unfortunately, doing so would prove God fallible, undoing all of creation in an instant. It initially appeared that Loki was the more evil of the two angels, but Bartleby emerged as the bigger villain, fully prepared to unmake the world in order to get back at God. He even stripped Loki of his wings in retribution for the latter's refusal to go forward with the plan, rendering him mortal.
Ben Affleck (Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is arguably the magnum opus of the View Askewniverse and also might be Kevin Smith's funniest movie, depending on how rapid-fire one likes their jokes to be delivered. In addition to showing up briefly in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back as Holden McNeil, Affleck also appeared elsewhere in the movie as a ridiculously exaggerated version of himself. Jay and Silent Bob journeyed to Hollywood to stop the Bluntman and Chronic movie from happening and decided to take out attached stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The duo posed as extras in Affleck and Damon's new movie Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season, which saw Will get trigger happy with a shotgun. Before long, studio security showed up, Affleck hilariously jumped to his own defense as if they were looking for him, insisting he hadn't been with a hooker that day. Jay also memorably took the time to let Affleck know he was "the bomb" in the famously unsuccessful Dean Koontz-based horror movie Phantoms.
Gawking Guy (Clerks 2)
Ben Affleck's smallest role in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse came in the 2006 sequel Clerks 2, Smith's follow-up to the independent film that put him on the map as a director. Affleck cameoed as "Gawking Guy," a customer who came in to pick up some food at Mooby's, the fast-food restaurant where Clerks protagonists Dante and Randal now work. Affleck couldn't help but stare when Dante's fiance Emma came in, jumped over the counter, and began a rather intense make-out session. That was until Randal shamed him into looking away, lest he was perverted. Affleck's character then proclaimed that such behavior wasn't very hygienic before leaving with his food. Affleck's appearance was but one of many celebrity cameos in Clerks 2.