Justice League's Desaad: DC Reveals Creepy Art for the Snyder Cut Villain

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Desaad Justice League Snyder Cut Creepy Villain Design

Zack Snyder's Justice League has come into play as a sort of revolution upon its arrival on HBO Max. Now that director Zack Snyder's full four-hour vision is officially out in the world for fans to take in, millions have already watched it and given their thoughts on what it does right and where it possibly falters.

Throughout the promotional tour, Zack Snyder has been an open book in regards to sharing inside looks at production and revealing how the story will differ from the 2017 theatrical cut. Snyder himself has spoken multiple times on stories he planned to bring to life in Justice League sequels, and members of his production team have shared their own experiences and work toward making the movie as well.

This trend continues with inside looks at two of the film's core villains.

DESAAD AND STEPPENWOLF CREEPY CONCEPT ART

DeSaad Justice League
Zack Snyder's Justice League

Concept artist Jerad Marantz has taken to Instagram to share CG models of DeSaad and Steppenwolf from Zack Snyder's Justice League. All the images can be seen in the pictures and Instagram posts below:

DeSaad
Instagram

A full-frontal image of DeSaad's CGI head. Without the hood or the rest of his body, it's certainly a terrifying look.

DeSaad
Instagram

A side view of DeSaad's head. He's clearly pulling off the no-ear/minimal-nose look pulled off by other classic movie villains, à la Voldemort in the Harry Potter saga.

DeSaad
Instagram

Another angle of DeSaad's alien skull from Zack Snyder's Justice League. Those deep-set eyes show a villain clearly in need of some sleep, and maybe a spa day.

The full Instagram post can be seen below, along with the following caption:

"DeSaad Head design for #zacksnydersjusticeleague. I always loved DeSaad from the comics and animated universe. It was an absolute honor to work on him. I had done an original concept where he was very deformed and was later on asked to do more subtle versions. They landed on this option. I loved how he came out in the film. The visual effects team did an incredible job!"

Additionally, Marantz showed off the base design for Steppenwolf, bony and all. Included was the following caption:

"Here’s a turntable of my #Steppenwolf model without the armor. I was so excited to see him in the movie so true to the original design. Often times when I do options for a creature there will be elements of the design that I am excited about but I know deep down inside won’t make it through the approval process. That did not happen on this show. It was definitely a rare experience working on this project, one I will never forget and will always be grateful for."

 

MASSIVE IMPROVEMENTS FROM THE THEATRICAL CUT

Zack Snyder teased a while back that the designs for his villains were much scarier than what they became in the 2017 theatrical movie. That's proven to be true once again by these newly released designs.

While DeSaad didn't have a great deal of screen time in the Snyder Cut, Steppenwolf saw major improvements in every aspect of his character. The design was much scarier in terms of both his body and his costume, and his persona as a whole helped him serve as someone who felt like a bigger threat to the Justice League this time around.

Zack Snyder's Justice League certainly did its part to improve the quality of almost all of its personalities, particularly on the villainous side of the fight. It seems unlikely that this story will continue any further, but the Snyder Cut alone is seeming to give fans at least some of what they've wanted for some time.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is now available to stream on HBO Max.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.