Justice League: Zack Snyder Explains Darkseid’s Beef With Steppenwolf

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It's been a month since Zack Snyder's Justice League was released, but that hasn't slowed down the discourse surrounding the four-hour streaming event. The titular filmmaker's original vision for the project was finally revealed, including the addition of various characters like the villainous Darkseid. Throughout the movie Lord of Apokolips showed his follower Steppenwolf disdain, and now Snyder has explained a bit on that backstory.

While Steppenwolf was the only villain of Justice League's theatrical release, the Snyder Cut expanded the story, and revealed he was actually serving DC New God Darkseid all along. Throughout the movie's runtime, Steppenwolf desperately tries to win back his master's favor, to no avail. Zack Snyder was recently asked about the origin of their beef, revealing:

I feel like there was a coup sometime -- a small coup attempt. I don't know how involved Steppenwolf was. I don’t think he was like deeply involved or the kingpin, but certainly there might have been a negotiation that he was involved with. He slaughtered those, he responded correctly eventually, but in that small hesitation. I don't think Darkseid was down with the notion that there would even be a hesitation.

Well, there you have it. It looks like Steppenwolf's loyalty is up for debate, which is why Darkseid keeps the horned villain at an arm's distance. Or in this case, leaves him alone to find the Mother Boxes on Earth.

Zack Snyder shared this tidbit about Justice League while appearing digitally at Justice Con. During a long interview about all things Snyder Cut, eventually the conversation turned to the dynamic shared between Darkseid and Steppenwolf. Fans were thrilled to see the red-eyed villain finally make his debut in live-action, but the nitty gritty of his relationship with Steppenwolf weren't really fleshed out throughout the four-hour project.

DC fans can watch Zack Snyder's Justice League exclusively on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Throughout his time in the DCEU, Zack Snyder has continually expressed that he had a five-film story in mind. Justice League marked the third installment, and Darkseid would have played a major role in the movies to come. The massively powerful villain made a big impact during his limited screen time, as Snyder planted narrative seeds that might never actually get the chance to take root. But Darkseid's story with Steppenwolf wrapped up with a bang, as the latter character was decapitated by Wonder Woman right before his master's red eyes.

In the last month Zack Snyder has done a ton of press surrounding his version of Justice League. And while the studio has shut down reports of any future sequels, Snyder has buoyed excitement by revealing more tidbits about his vision. This information about Steppenwolf is a prime example, and will likely help keep the tweets #RestoreTheSnyderVerse trending for the foreseeable future.

The next installment in the DCEU is The Suicide Squad on August 6th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.