… And The New Gods
Steppenwolf’s role in Justice League belies a whole complex mythology that the film only touches on. You see, he’s part of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World comics. Hopefully, we’ll see more of this explored in future movies, but for now, we enjoyed picking up on all the hidden references.
Firstly, Diana tells us that when combined, the three Mother Boxes will create something called the Unity that will terraform the Earth into a copy of Steppenwolf’s homeworld. Though it isn’t named, fans will know this as the planet Apokolips. The opposite of the idyllic New Genesis, Apokolips is a hellscape ruled over by Steppenwolf’s all-powerful nephew. Speaking of whom, though fans have been expecting to see him in the movie, he doesn’t make an appearance in the finished product. However, Steppenwolf does give him a namecheck at one stage: “For the unity, for Darkseid!”
A much more subtle nod comes when Steppenwolf fights the Amazons on Themyscira. He tells the warrior women that eventually they will love him. It’s not clear what he means in the film itself, but presumably this is a reference to the Anti-Life Equation. In the comics, Darkseid’s ultimate goal is to crack this formula that will allow him to bend anyone to his will.
