It's been nearly two weeks since Zack Snyder's Justice League premiered to the public , and Snyder fans are still abuzz with theories about what happened along with what could have been for the DCEU. The action was darker and the story was given more depth, all while director Zack Snyder finally had the opportunity to show his true vision for what Justice League was supposed to be.
Two characters that were vastly improved upon in this four-hour extended were a couple classic villains from DC's rogues gallery: Steppenwolf and Darkseid. The big bad from the theatrical cut of Justice League was made to be scarier and more formidable on every level while Uxas/Darkseid was brought to life in live action for the first time in DC history .
As it turns out, recent concept art teases a potentially deeper dive into both of these villains' backstories...
A NEW LOOK AT TWO BIG BADS
Concept artist Jerad Marantz took to Instagram to share two images of a young Darkseid and a young Steppenwolf from Zack Snyder's Justice League .
The first photo showcases young Uxas before his transformation into Darkseid , along with the following caption:
"Here is one of my #Darkseid concepts. Technically this is #Uxas but I don’t think he was referred to that in the film. I had an amazing time working on this character with costume designer Michael Wilkinson. There were several passes done on the costume. This was a dream come true moment in my career. I never thought I’d get the chance to work on Darkseid. Growing up reading the comics and loving the animated series I always thought it would be awesome to see him on the big screen, but I never dreamed I’d have a chance to work on him myself. Helping to bring Zack Snyder‘s vision to life was one of the greatest experiences in my career. I am so happy that the film is being so well received and that Zack‘s original vision is finally out there."
Additionally, Marantz showed off an image of an early Steppenwolf , fully decked out in his armor with his seven-fingered hands ready for action:
"Here’s an early version of #Steppenwolf. I really like these horn shapes, but definitely not as iconic as the ones in the final design. The armor in this one is a bit darker and the face feels more sinister. I had so much fun working on this guy."
A YOUNG APOCALYPTIC LOOK INTO THE DCEU
While neither villain's young version was a central focus in the final cut of Zack Snyder's Justice League , these images do a great job teasing their earliest stages. The differences can largely be seen in both of their faces under the helmet and armor, and it also shows how Darkseid's chest looks like it has a face of its own, which is certainly creepy in its own right.
Even though the two were only featured in their final form in the Snyder Cut, this film did its job making them the intense threats that they were both built up to be for years within the DCEU.
Darkseid showed his power right off the bat in his opening sequence as his armies fought Amazons, Atlanteans and more with the power of the Motherboxes; Steppenwolf put up a much better showing this time around as well, giving the Justice League all they could handle throughout the movie .
It remains to be seen whether Darkseid or Steppenwolf will return in the canon DCEU, but their presence was felt in a big way through Snyder's vision . This can all be seen in Zack Snyder's Justice League , which is now streaming on HBO Max.
