How Zack Snyders Steppenwolf Is Different From The Original Movie Villain

How Zack Snyder’s Steppenwolf Is Different From The Original Movie Villain

Contents

How Zack Snyder’s Justice League will completely change the design, motivations and backstory of Ciaran Hinds New God villain Steppenwolf.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

How Zack Snyders Steppenwolf Is Different From The Original Movie Villain

Zack Snyder’s original concept for villain Steppenwolf in Justice League was completely different from the version in Joss Whedon’s final cut of the DCEU ensemble. With Snyder’s Justice League finally coming to HBO Max, those changes will be walked back and fans will be able to see the New God of Apokolips as originally intended. The director, who left the Justice League project after the death of his daughter, released the first official image of the redesigned Steppenwolf confirming that the theatrical version of the character has been thrown out.

Steppenwolf was the main villain in Justice League’s theatrical cut, and was an ancient and powerful New God serving as the herald of Darkseid and played by Ciaran Hinds through motion caption and lots of digital work. The villain was heavily criticized in the wake of Justice League’s release as fans were left underwhelmed by his motivations, backstory, and mostly his look. But as Zack Snyder revealed, his intentions for Steppenwolf as one of Justice League’s villains were considerably different from what ended up in the final film and the release of the low-res image on Vero has primed fans to expect something scarier.

The dramatic changes to Steppenwolf from what Snyder had intended were part of Warner Bros. and incoming director Joss Whedon’s attempts to lighten up the tone of Justice League. Alongside other scary elements, like a planned scrapped Parademon transformation sequence, Steppenwolf’s look was toned down for a more human-like design that was unfortunately saddled with some of Justice League’s worst CGI. But it wasn’t just the design of the character that was meddled with: his backstory was removed, his relationship with Darkseid was downplayed and even his death was reworked from the original cut.

Steppenwolf Looks Completely Different (And Better)

How Zack Snyders Steppenwolf Is Different From The Original Movie Villain

Steppenwolf’s original design was initially revealed in the Communion scene cut from Batman v Superman (which was readded to the film for the Ultimate Cut), showing him to be a demonic, animalistic monster far removed from both his appearance in the comics and in the theatrical cut of Justice League. That hellish design was rejected even before Joss Whedon’s changes, as Snyder revealed that his interpretation of the villain was never part of the Justice League movie. The studio, it seems, was looking to make Justice League less scary in the wake of criticism of Batman v Superman’s tone and Steppenwolf’s design clashed with the agenda to bring in a more optimistic tone all round.

With Snyder reclaiming creative control of Justice League, the more sanitized version of Steppenwolf that leaned into the comics more human-looking design is out and the monstrous vision from the Communion scene is back. As revealed in the Art Of The Justice League book, Snyder’s take on Steppenwolf has more of a biomechanical feel, like the xenomorph in the Alien movie franchise. Whedon’s design is notably more human, with pinker skin and more recognizable facial features and his armor is more traditional and more family-friendly than the angular, nightmarish look of Snyder’s creation. The first look image from Vero also suggests Steppenwolf will be more like the imposing stature he was in Batman v Superman, in which he towered over Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor. Given his new, scarier look, it may be that the new cut of Justice League will show off more of Steppenwolf’s power.

See also  World War 3 Emphasizes The Importance Of Uniform Customization

Steppenwolf Isn’t Part Of The Invasion Of Earth

How Zack Snyders Steppenwolf Is Different From The Original Movie Villain

In Joss Whedon’s cut of Justice League, Steppenwolf enters the fray almost immediately in the invasion of Earth sequence showing him leading his army of Parademons against a final alliance of Olympian Old Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, Green Lantern Corps, and humans. Snyder’s version of the set-piece didn’t include Steppenwolf at all, but had a young Darkseid, then named Uxas, in his place on the battlefield.

Where Steppenwolf faces off against Ares in the theatrical cut, Snyder’s version of the history lesson shows Darkseid fighting against the Wonder Woman villain as Diana (Gal Gadot) recalls the legend of the first invasion. In terms of how Batman learns of the Parademons and Mother Boxes, which were hidden on Earth in the aftermath of the invasion, you have to turn to Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, whose connection with Steppenwolf was set up in the deleted Communion scene. Eisenberg has confirmed several Lex scenes were cut and concept art shows him at Arkham with the same journal Batman is seen consulting in the theatrical cut, in which he kept notes of everything Steppenwolf transmitted to him when the pair met on the Kryptonian ship.

Steppenwolf Will Be In The Snyder Cut Far More (Including His Backstory)

How Zack Snyders Steppenwolf Is Different From The Original Movie Villain

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is significantly longer than Joss Whedon’s 2-hour run-time as mandated by Warner Bros. and the necessary editing excised a lot of Steppenwolf’s scenes that would have added details and depth to his involvement. That includes the removal of his backstory entirely, which Ciaran Hinds hinted would have made Steppenwolf a more complex and empathetic figure. Hinds called Steppenwolf an “old, tired” villain who is “still trying to get out of his own enslavement to Darkseid,” which fits with the character’s comic book origins and completely changes how Justice League’s theatrical cut presented him. Suggesting he is a reluctant soldier in Darkseid’s army adds further dimensions over him being vaguely motivated by a desire for dominion over Earth to impress his nephew or as justice for his past humiliation during the first failed invasion.

Steppenwolf Is Not Working Alone In Zack Snyder’s Justice League

How Zack Snyders Steppenwolf Is Different From The Original Movie Villain

While there are allusions to the link between Steppenwolf and Darkseid in the theatrical cut of Justice League, the link will be more substantially explained in the Snyder Cut than the vague appearance of Darkseid’s symbol in the opening history lesson. As hinted in Batman V Superman, Steppenwolf was effectively established as an emissary of Darkseid, which again fundamentally changes the character’s motivations and adds another new character not included in the theatrical cut of Justice League.

See also  Cowboy Bebop What Happens To Ein The Dog

Steppenwolf will remain the main antagonist in Snyder’s cut of Justice League, but there will be more of a setup to Darkseid, as it was originally intended that he would step up as the main villain for Justice League 2. Scenes featuring actor Ray Porter as Darkseid have already been confirmed and the pair share at least one scene together at the very end of the movie, but the extent of Darkseid’s involvement is somewhat unknown. The question is how much of the material designed to set up other movies as part of Snyder’s plan for the future of the DCEU will make it into Justice League now that there presumably won’t be a follow-through on them. It would make sense for Darkseid’s role to be expanded to help negate the lack of future, but it comes down to whether Snyder wants to preserve his original vision so much that he accepts elements of the cut – including the Knightmare vision sequences – will ultimately not be fulfilled.

Steppenwolf’s Death Scene Was Dramatically Different

And then, of course, there’s the matter of Steppenwolf’s final moments. In Whedon’s Justice League cut, the villain is killed when Steppenwolf becomes afraid of the Justice League after Wonder Woman shatters his ax, and his Parademons turn on him smelling his fear, following through on a plot device introduced during the reshoots. He is overcome by a swarm while still shouting defiant protests, before both he and his army are teleported back to Apokolips through a Boom Tube.

Snyder’s version of the end of Justice League had a more brutal sting, perhaps more fittingly for the monstrous vision of Steppenwolf. Storyboard artist Jay Oliva revealed that Steppenwolf and Superman would have a one-on-one battle before Aquaman impales the New God on his quindent and Wonder Woman leaps through the air and decapitates him just as he’s entering a Boom Tube. His head would then roll to the feet of Darkseid, who the Justice League would see through the Boom Tube, confirming his role as the big bad for subsequent DCEU movies.

As with all of the individual characters in Justice League and the overall scope of the story, the final version of Steppenwolf may even be dramatically removed from what is known so far. There’s every chance that Zack Snyder is holding back some of the more choice revelations for when his final cut hits HBO Max in 2021.

Simon is a veteran editor who has been writing online since 2010 – long before anyone wanted to read his work. He loves Clueless. Like, a lot.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/justice-league-zack-snyder-cut-steppenwolf-villain-differences/

Movies -