>>Because since it’s considered a sequel to Man of Steel and
>not
>>a Batman movie, any potential underperformance issues won't
>>ultimately land on his shoulders.

If it's doesn't do well or is a lousy movie, I doubt many fans are going to say, "Well, technically, it's a Superman sequel and not Ben's movie." I think the fan reaction shows that people are looking at this as a big deal and not, "Oh, Batman's also in this movie."

What will help him, critic-wise, is that critics have respect for him not and he's not some upstart (and not being one of Harvey's boys might have fewer spears sharpened for him.)

Still, while he can always go back to directing, in terms of his acting career, it'll likely be defined by his performance and the box office performance of Gone Girl and Batman vs. Superman.