Zack Snyder's Justice League: Steppenwolf Armor Redesign Revealed

A concept artist working on Zack Snyder's Justice League has shared new looks at the design process for Steppenwolf's new look, confirming his struggles in creating his armor.

By Sam Hargrave Posted:
Steppenwolf Aquaman Wonder Woman Batman

The original 2017 cut of Justice League has been heavily criticized by DC fans over the years since its release for a number of things — notably the storyline, misplaced humor, and poor CGI quality.

As most are aware, the production of the film was messy, to say the least. What was originally planned as a two-part movie was transformed into one. Zack Snyder was forced to depart as director during post-production and was replaced by The Avengers ' Joss Whedon, and multiple hours of footage was scrapped.

Naturally with a director swap during post-production, the film had some serious editing and CGI issues. Upon release, the film quickly spawned a series of viral memes for its various CGI mishaps including the famous attempt to remove Henry Cavill's mustache which he donned during the reshoots under Whedon.

However, another notable area in which the film's post-production was considered to be greatly lacking, was in the design of the main antagonist, Steppenwolf. The villain was designed almost entirely through CGI and all around the appearance was seen as bland and lackluster by many.

After a long social media campaign, Snyder has finally been given the chance to return to his film as his cut finally got the production green light last year. One of the director's first priorities upon getting back into the editing studio, was to update the look of Steppenwolf and his armor, a process which has now been showcased in a series of concept images.

MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO STEPPENWOLF

Jerad Marantz, designer on Zack Snyder's Justice League, has shared new looks at the concept art process for Steppenwolf's upgraded armor design in the re-release on his Instagram .

Steppenwolf Snyder Cut Concept
Instagram, @jsmarantz

The designer commented on the process of creating the new and improved armor design saying it "took quite a bit of time to figure out how to do the armor." Marantz went on to provide a closer look at the new armor design.

Steppenwolf Armor Snyder Cut Concept
Instagram, @jsmarantz

Steppenwolf's improved armor showcases a significant difference from the original 2017 look which was criticized by many fans for its bland aesthetic.

Steppenwolf 2017
Justice League (2017), Warner Bros.

A NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE

It's clear to say, the new look for Steppenwolf has been much better received than the original, marking a substantial upgrade in design. The new armor shown on the villain appears to sport significantly more detail than the previous, generally creating a much more intimidating look for the character.

As has previously been discussed, Steppenwolf won't be the only villain of the film as the four-hour epic is said to feature appearances from Darkseid, Jared Leto's Joker, Lex Luther, and Granny Goodness.

While the film will feature a multitude of villains, Steppenwolf will naturally still serve as the primary antagonist of the film, as the rest were mainly included as set-up from a future that is unlikely ever to be seen.

Zack Snyder's Justice League will release on March 18, exclusively on HBO Max.

- About The Author: Sam Hargrave
Sam Hargrave is the Associate Editor at The Direct. He joined the team as a gaming writer in 2020 before later expanding into writing for all areas of The Direct and taking on further responsibilities such as editorial tasks and image creation.