Justice League Villain Is Not Who You Think
From the ridiculous to the... more ridiculous...
Get hyped, DC comic book movie fans: the villain for Justice League has possibly been revealed and it's a world-invading alien hinted heavily at in Batman v Superman.
Nope, not that one. The other guy who was originally included in a scene with Lex Luthor, before being cut entirely and preposterously released as a deleted scene when the film hit cinemas.
Yep, that strange Independence Day looking alien - now revealed by Birth Movies Death to be New Gods member Steppenwolf. You know, the guy in the comics who looked like this...
Obviously, this being Zack Snyder's DARK world, the more human-like characteristics have been removed and replaced with a gigantic Egyptian god looking monster without features and a touch of Giger to him. But BMD reliably inform us all that it's definitely the same character.
In the comics, Steppenwolf is Darkseid's uncle and the military leader of Apokolips, and rides a hover bike, which sounds way too fun for this universe, so don't expect to see it. We wouldn't want Snyder to compromise on his "challenging" manifesto.
As BMD points out, Steppenwolf has enjoyed top billing in the New 52, having once invaded Earth. Presumably that's the storyline Justice League: Part One will be based on, unless Snyder and team are planning on taking advantage of his lesser profile to do something completely new?
It's all a bit odd: Batman v Superman couldn't have set up Darkseid's impending arrival any more firmly, and the switcheroo to a lesser known bad guy will no doubt be classed by some as a disappointment. But there's a benefit for anyone who doesn't want Zack Snyder to continue leading the DC Cinematic Universe - he doesn't get his hands on Darkseid.
Presumably Steppenwolf will be presented as an alternative conqueror of Earth (or perhaps as an envoy for Apokolips), rather than an ally of Darkseid's, setting up the idea of a battle between the two over the planet. That would be a mistake without tying the Justice League tightly to the fight though, because it effectively makes the team inconsequential before they've even started.
According to BMD, Darkseid will still appear, but not much - appearing at the end of the movie - and presumably his evil plot will be uncovered in Justice League 2 as an escalated threat from the first ensemble.
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