Concept art released by Jerad S. Marantz, the designer who worked to reinvent Steppenwolf for Zack Snyder's Justice League, offers a closer look at the mighty villain’s upgraded armor. Marantz confessed that it took him a lot of time and “experimentation” to get the armor right. However, he eventually figured it out, and it then became a fairly simple process.

The Instagram post shared by the designer shows an image of Steppenwolf wearing the armor and another with it off his shoulders. This spiky version of the protective covering is in line with what Zack Snyder envisioned Steppenwolf to be wearing originally, and it seems like even Marantz “can’t wait to see it in action.”

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While Snyder’s original plans would have shown Steppenwolf as a powerful enemy carrying out Darkseid’s orders, Joss Whedon’s version of Justice League changed that scenario entirely. Steppenwolf was seen as the main villain in 2017’s Justice League, portrayed by Ciarán Hinds through a lot of motion-capture. His armor was much smoother and his appearance more human-like, something a lot of fans criticized. However, back in August 2020, Snyder had first revealed that his version of Steppenwolf will be much scarier. 

Apart from his appearance, the Snyder Cut will also focus on Steppenwolf’s backstory, which was completely excluded from Whedon’s theatrical cut of the film. Scenes that would have brought depth to his character were removed, leaving fans to question his motivation or desire to take over the planet. While the comics highlight his enslavement to Darkseid, something that fans of the source material would be aware of, Justice League did not delve into that past. 

Darkseid appears in the comics as a long-time nemesis of Superman and the Justice League, and he was originally intended to be the primary villain in the film. Before Snyder first had to leave the Justice League project, actor Ray Porter had been cast as Darkseid. However, the actor later confirmed that his scenes were scrapped, which led him to join the campaigners asking for a Snyder Cut to be released. 

Darkseid’s appearance in the trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League left fans excited, as they finally got to see a glimpse of one of the most powerful DC villains, with his elaborate armor and glowing eyes, along with his disciples DeSaad and Granny Goodness. While it was originally intended to set up Darkseid as the main villain for Justice League 2, with plans of the movie now scrapped, it remains to be seen how much of his story will Snyder include in his upcoming movie. It is known, however, that the Snyder Cut will feature more of Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.

Zack Snyder's Justice League will be available on HBO Max on March 18th, 2021.

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Source: Jerad S.Marantz/Instagram