Zack Snyder's Justice League: New Steppenwolf Image Reveals Spiky Design For Villain

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Updated:
Steppenwolf, Justice League team up, Wonder Woman

Zack Snyder's Justice League has been making headlines lately, thanks in part to the re-shoots and the third-year anniversary of the theatrical release of the film. In past years, Snyder consistently provided fans with a stockpile of interesting tidbits about his version of the film, but it was further amplified due to the imminent release of his cut of Justice League next year on HBO Max. 

Snyder previously described his cut as an Elseworlds Justice League, seemingly alluding to the fact that it is shying away from the larger DCEU. Not only that, the director also mentioned expanded roles for Henry Cavill's Superman as well as Ray Fisher's Cyborg, with the latter being teased as the "heart of the film."

After releasing a black and white version of the Snyder Cut trailer earlier, the visionary director has shared another notable piece of promotional material for his cut of Justice League, showcasing the chief villain of the superhero team-up this time around. 

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In a post from Vero, Zack Snyder shared a brand new image of Steppenwolf from his version of Justice League. The image doesn't reveal much, but this marks the first time that the director shared a high definition image of the Justice League villain. 

Steppenwolf Image
From Zack Snyder's Vero

The new design is a stark contrast from the original design seen in 2017's theatrical cut of Justice League:

Steppenwolf comparison Justice League
Steppenwolf comparison

 

It is expected that Steppenwolf will be entirely different by the time the Snyder Cut arrives, and this new still certainly drives the point home. In addition, the biggest takeaway from the image is the large presence of spikes in the villain's new design. 

The spikes were not present from the original design of the villain from 2017's Justice League, and the addition of this element is one of the notable changes in Snyder's version of the film. Interestingly, Snyder previously shared that some scenes from his version were left on the cutting room floor for being "too scary." Given Steppenwolf's new design, it's safe to say that the villain will go back to its scarier (and more appropriate) design when the Snyder Cut releases on HBO Max next year. 

The original design of Steppenwolf in the theatrical cut of the film received negative feedback from fans and critics. Some critics said that the villain was a one-dimensional character while others pointed out the CGI-heavy aspect of the character.

Fortunately, those criticisms will be addressed by Snyder in his version of Justice League, ultimately giving redemption to the film's chief villain. 

- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.