Even with all that we’ve seen of Warner Bros.’ Justice League already, and we have seen a lot, one thing that remains very much in the dark is what role the villains will play in the film. For instance, how heavily will Lex Luthor factor into things? How exactly are Steppenwolf and Darkseid related? And, will we even see the latter appear in the flesh? These are all questions that’ve been swirling around for a while but now, we finally have some answers.
Thanks to a magazine article that’s been doing the rounds – the same one which confirmed Luthor’s role in the film – we now know that the relationship between Steppenwolf and Darkseid will remain comic book accurate. You see, it was initially rumored that Warner Bros. had changed things up, making Steppenwolf the nephew of Darkseid. Turns out, however, that this isn’t the case and like in the comics, it’ll be the other way around.
Not only that, but the article also reveals a bit more about how each of them will factor into things, suggesting that we will indeed see Darkseid at some point, despite rumors of him being removed from the final cut.
“The uncle of the universe’s greatest villain, Darkseid, and a member of his elite force, Steppenwolf survived a battle with Doomsday. That should tell you just how powerful he is. Aside from his strength and near-immortality, he’s also an expert tactician and wields a vicious electro-axe that can cut through just about anything.
Steppenwolf’s primary role is as the leader of the parademons, the storm troopers who seek to destroy in the name of Darkseid. His primary mission is to serve his nephew, and his status as the main villain in Justice League suggests the scope of the threat facing Earth, as well as the inevitable appearance of Darkseid himself.
Irish star Ciaran Hinds plays the role in the movie, though he will appear through the use of motion-capture technology. According to the actor, in the film, Steppenwolf is old, tired, and trying desperately to get out from under his servitude to his nephew.”
Now, there are two things that stand out as fishy here. One is the part about Steppenwolf fighting Doomsday, which we know didn’t happen in the DCEU. It did in the comics, and that’s what this article may be pointing too, but it does raise a red flag. Furthermore, it also says the “inevitable appearance of Darkseid,” which means it could be referring to him showing up in the sequel and not in Justice League itself. In other words, we’d advise taking this with a pinch of salt for now.
One way or another though, all will be revealed on November 17th, when the studio unites DC’s finest heroes – namely Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Flash, Aquaman, Superman and Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight – to go up against the invading Steppenwolf. Story-wise, we know that marauding entity will be hoping to retrieve all three Mother Boxes and return them to his nephew Darkseid, the mega-villain that has loomed over Warner’s DCEU for years. Will the almighty deity be introduced in Justice League though? We’ll find out in due course.
