In Zack Snyder's Justice League, Darkseid, one of the DC Universe's most powerful villains, will be a part of the story and he's not coming alone.
Snyder recently revealed more details on the character DeSaad and how he will fit into Darkseid's plans for domination in an interview with Cinema Blend.
"DeSaad is, in the movie," Snyder said. "He acts as the go-between between Steppenwolf and Darkseid. He's the agent that Steppenwolf interacts with, in his conquest of Earth, to give him updates and they interact through this super cool hologram. I won't describe how it's done, but it's crazy."
Snyder added, "He offers us a lot of backstory about Steppenwolf and Darkseid's relationship, and then also his own ambition, to some degree. But he's scary."
In the theatrical release, this triumvirate didn't exist. Steppenwolf came to Earth to reclaim three Mother Boxes he had lost during his first battle against Earth five millennia ago. The theatrical cut removed DeSaad's scenes entirely and never referenced Darkseid. In Snyder's Justice League, Darkseid is in search of the Anti-Life equation himself. DeSaad will be the anchor between both of these mighty gods.
Created by Jack Kirby in 1972's New Gods #7, Steppenwolf is Darkseid's uncle and the great-uncle of Darkseid's sons Orion and Kalibak, and the commander of Darkseid's military force. DeSaad appeared a year earlier in 1971's Forever People #2. Darkseid discovered him when he was a child on New Genesis and tricked the innocent DeSaad into killing his pet, thus corrupting him. He left his homeworld for Apokolips with Darkseid and remained as his devoted lackey.
Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. Zack Snyder's Justice League will premiere exclusively on HBO Max in 2021.
Sources: Cinema Blend