Justice League: 10 Biggest Questions It Leaves Unanswered
2. Was Steppenwolf Trying To Raise Darkseid Or Destroy The World?
Despite having a rather strong introduction where his backstory is revealed and his motivations are laid bare, Steppenwolf sort of bows out of the film after the first 20 minutes are over with, only showing up sporadically after that in big action scenes that leave little time for the villain to elaborate on his plans.
It's clear that he's trying to unite the motherboxes to destroy the world, or something, but it's never explained what he plans on achieving from doing this. Sometimes it seems as though he's working solo, but other times it feels as though he's working in service of a greater plan and for somebody else.
Early on he establishes that he's destroying the world "for Darkseid", but it's never made clear whether the motherboxes are an attempt to bring that villain into this reality, or simply to get Steppenwolf in his good graces.
It's clear that Warner Bros. had big plans for Darkseid in the movie at some point, and there have been rumours that Joss Whedon actually cut the villain out entirely, but whatever the reason it has resulted in a story where his absence only causes confusion.