Reporting by Josh Horowitz

Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" forever changed the character of Batman, and that impact has been felt in nearly every film featuring the Caped Crusader. "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" just happens to pull more directly from the iconic run than others.

When we spoke with the newest Bruce Wayne, Ben Affleck, during the press day for "Gone Girl," he explained the simple reason that director Zack Snyder is pulling some of his film's imagery directly from Miller.

"I think if you're smart, you steal from the best," he said.

Back at San Diego Comic-Con, where the first footage from "Dawn of Justice" premiered, we all found out just how close the superhero meet-up would come to "The Dark Knight Rises," and Affleck isn't shy about admitting the source of inspiration.

"I do think Zack was heavily influenced by ['Dark Knight Returns']," he said. "Everyone's influenced by that. It's the seminal work. I don't think there's any [Batman movies] that have been made without drawing from that book because it's so good."

"Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" opens in theaters on March 25, 2016.