"Justice League" Movie's Main Villain Confirmed

CBR

By Anthony Couto

Published Jun 21, 2016

CBR News can now confirm the identity of the chief antagonist for Zack Snyder's first "Justice League" movie, hitting theaters next year.

First "Justice League" Film Plot Details, Logo Revealed | "Justice League" Movie's Main Villain Confirmed | Willem Dafoe's "Justice League" Character Revealed | First Look at "Justice League's" Upgraded Batmobile, More New Bat-Tech Revealed | "Justice League" Aims to Be 'More Inclusive,' Less Dark than "Batman v Superman" | "Batman" Movie Update: Affleck Has 'Highest of Standards' for Solo Film

Well, those rumors were right -- it appears Darkseid will not be the main villain of Zack Snyder's upcoming "Justice League" film. The honor goes to another one of Jack Kirby's New Gods characters -- Steppenwolf.

Despite speculation that the omega symbol in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's" Knightmare sequence hinted at Darkseid, CBR News can confirm that Apokolips' esteemed general, and uncle of Darkseid, will be a chief antagonist of "Justice League." The news was revealed at a visit to the film's London set attended by press including CBR.

During the visit, producer Deborah Snyder confirmed that casting is underway for the Steppenwolf role, and should be finalized soon -- though no actor's names were mentioned.

"We're not completely closed," Snyder said. "We're close."

Of course, Steppenwolf's big role doesn't necessarily count out Darkseid -- the character could be the villain of the planned "Justice League" sequel. When asked if there are other major villains planned for the film, Snyder responded, "I can't give away everything." It was confirmed, however, that Parademons -- commonly seen in the comics as Darkseid's foot soldiers, and teased heavily in "Batman v Superman" -- will play a part in "Justice League."

Steppenwolf's "Justice League" role was foreshadowed in a deleted "Batman v Superman" post-credit scene, available on the Ultimate Edition Blu-ray, which Steppenwolf appears before Lex Luthor on a Kryptonian ship. You can watch the scene here

In the comics, Steppenwolf first appeared in "New Gods" #7, by comics legend Jack Kirby. He has a solid villainous resume as the general of the army on Apokolips, plus one-ups Superman, as he actually survived a battle with Doomsday. The character recently appeared in the "Darkseid War" arc of "Justice League" by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok -- and it likely won't be too long before we see him show up in "Rebirth."

Directed by Zack Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, J. K. Simmons and Amber Heard, "Justice League" is scheduled for release on Nov. 17, 2017.