Justice League: Zack Snyder's New Steppenwolf Design Is Way Better
Steppenwolf's look for the upcoming Justice League Snyder Cut is far better than his presentation in the movie's theatrical version. With the upcoming DC FanDome growing closer, the Snyder Cut is bound to be one of its central attractions, with a proper trailer to be unveiled for the event following on the first teaser that was released earlier this summer. In addition to that, Zack Snyder has made crystal clear that Steppenwolf is being restored to his originally intended design for the film, having recently released the first look of his villain.
Though the story of Justice League's extensive reshoots after Snyder's departure is well-known, the film also underwent notable changes prior to principal photography. On top of Lois Lane's murder by Darkseid in the Batcave being removed in a script rewrite, Steppenwolf's design, which had been glimpsed in a scene in the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, also went back to the drawing board. In the end, Steppenwolf's almost Xenomorph-esque appearance that Snyder had envisioned was replaced with a considerably more muted look for the alien villain.
As has become clear since the announcement of the Snyder Cut's HBO Max debut next year, clear signals are there that the movie is being guided back towards Snyder's original vision for it, along with the promise of new elements added by additional photography. When it comes to Steppenwolf, played by Ciaran Hinds, the restoration of his original design is both the better of the two versions along with being the overall best option for re-introducing him to viewers. Here are the reasons why Steppenwolf's Snyder Cut design is a massive improvement on his theatrical look.
Steppenwolf, as he was seen in the theatrical cut of Justice League, was a de-fanged version of what Snyder had wanted to portray him as, and this extended to his appearance. Resembling a kind of extraterrestrial gargoyle in his meeting with Lex Luthor in the Batman v Superman's Ultimate Edition, Steppenwolf was given a much more humanoid makeover for Justice League, with even his voice being decidedly too soft. With the return to the original design, Steppenwolf is being beefed back up to a far more fearsome alien adversary.
To be sure, Steppenwolf's initial redesign was among the changes Justice League went through long before Snyder's departure, with Snyder himself having released images from his cut that include the character's second look. In his newly restored design, Steppenwolf is a genuinely demonic, otherworldly force of evil, and bringing the original version back not only gives him a major upgrade but also establishes a further degree of separation between the Justice League released into theaters and the Snyder Cut. The benefits of Steppenwolf's original design being re-implemented also don't stop there.
With the Snyder Cut on the way, the movie will feature an even heavier emphasis than the theatrical version on the Fourth World and Apokolitian elements, including Darkseid and the Anti-Life Equation. Along with such aspects as Parademons and the Mother Boxes seen in the theatrical Justice League, Steppenwolf's original look feels much more fully aligned with the presentation Snyder had envisioned for these components of the film than is the case for his redesign. Aside from these, this also creates more of a connection between Steppenwolf and Cyborg.
With Victor Stone's badly damaged body cybernetically transformed by a Mother Box, this makes him the member of the League with the closest direct link to Steppenwolf and the forces of Apokolips. With that in mind, Steppenwolf's original look is clearly more visually akin to Cyborg's Mother Box-derived body than the theatrical revamp was, and bringing him back to the look Snyder intended places greater emphasis on that link. In turn, this points to one of the areas in which Cyborg's character arc in the Snyder Cut will have greater depth and more impact: drawing him closer to Steppenwolf and perhaps even adding to the mistrust that Aquaman, in particular, felt towards him in the theatrical version can only be a good thing. All of this also leads into the biggest net gain of the Snyder Cut bringing back the intended Steppenwolf design.
Aside from being Darkseid's uncle, Steppenwolf is largely known as his lieutenant - in fact, a deleted backstory would have established him as being forced into Darkseid's service - but any concept of his humanity is completely misplaced. Between his restored design and comments made by Snyder, it's clear that his aim is to present Steppenwolf as an outright monster. On paper, the Whedon Cut redo of Steppenwolf's appearance would allow for a more emotionally expressive look for him, but this ended up having the opposite effect. Without the complexity of the backstory of a villain like General Zod or Lex Luthor, Steppenwolf's toned done look ultimately made him into a more generic opponent for the League without any beneficial gain from altering his appearance.
Meanwhile, the description of Steppenwolf that Snyder has offered sounds not terribly far off from Doomsday, with Snyder emphasizing his utter lack of empathy during the recent Justice Con, stating "He literally doesn't care." The design itself is one with less range of emotion, and that ultimately works in Steppenwolf's favor, as the Snyder Cut can now present him as the emotionally barren killing machine that Snyder had always meant for him to be, and also cementing his planned role in the villainous hierarchy. With Darkseid as the ultimate threat to Earth in the film, Steppenwolf occupies a similar role as that of the Ringwraiths in The Lord of the Rings, acting as a herald in the service of a much larger impending menace, and being a truly frightening presence with all traces of humanity stripped away (among other parallels held between the Snyder Cut and The Lord of the Rings.)
Few aspects of Justice League are as emblematic of the pained process it has taken to get Zack Snyder's vision to the screen as Steppenwolf's evolution. His change from ferocious alien beast to a more basic conquering general with a horned helmet and back again is easily a journey to rival the drama of Henry Cavill's CGI mustache, but it accomplishes the goal of utilizing Steppenwolf to his fullest potential while also further widening the abyss between the two versions of the movie. With Steppenwolf now back to his old, monstrous self, the Justice League Snyder Cut is more and more unmistakably presenting itself as a whole other animal from its theatrical counterpart - a distinction that will only be further set in stone if those rumors of Ryan Reynolds returning as Green Lantern hold water.