DCEU's New Movie Plans Mean WB Can Fix Its Biggest Villain Mistake
Warner Bros. Discovery is reexamining the studio's approach to the DCEU, and this could give renewed hope for DC's greatest villain, Darkseid. The Apokolitian supervillain Darkseid, portrayed by Ray Porter, was seen in Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2021, and DC lovers have been eager for more of both. Even so, it'll likely still be some time before the business strategy of the new Warner Bros. Discovery becomes fully clear with respect to DC properties. Despite this, there are indications that the DC Comics IP is a significant priority for the merged company going forward.
It was recently reported that Warner Bros. Discovery wants a DCEU "overhaul" to its present approach. Of particular concern to the incoming Discovery is said to be the underutilization of numerous major DC characters, Superman being cited as a major example. While DC villains weren't specified as being in need of similar reinvigoration, aside from Discovery's reported interest in more one-offs like Todd Phillips' Joker, the Snyder Cut's big bad Darkseid could also be one such DC character to be up for more.
In Zack Snyder's Justice League, Darkseid primarily acted as a commanding villain upon a throne ordering the invasion led by his disgraced uncle Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds). Having been omitted completely from the retooled 2017 theatrical cut, Darkseid's role laid the foundation for Snyder's planned Justice League sequels. However, after the Snyder Cut's release, Warner Bros. stated no further SnyderVerse DC movies would proceed, while also canceling Ava Duverney's New Gods, in which Darkseid would've appeared. The lack of Darkseid from the DCEU is as much of a problem as Superman being de-emphasized, given Darkseid's place in the pantheon of DC villains.
Darkseid has long been revered as not just DC's ultimate villain, but as one of the greatest villains in comic book lore. Created by Jack Kirby, Darkseid seeks to conquer and rule over all life by way of the Anti-Life Equation, which strips sentient beings of their free will. Darkseid was even the inspiration for Thanos in Marvel Comics, with Josh Brolin portraying the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Between that and the ubiquity of Darkseid in DC merchandise and various animated movies and shows, there's no reason at all why he shouldn't be similarly put to use in the DCEU. Warner Bros. Discovery's eagerness to more fully mine the DC catalogue could give hope for his return. Through both the revival of both Snyder's Justice League sequels and Duvernay's New Gods, Darkseid as embodied by Porter could be shown as the multiverse-level threat he really is.
Of course, there would still be considerable mapping out to do with any potential return of Porter as Darkseid, especially with Snyder's present Netflix projects Rebel Moon and Planet of the Dead. At the same time, Porter has expressed optimism about the SnyderVerse, while his Darkseid presence would add greatly to New Gods. One thing's for sure - any villain whose stated goal is "All of existence shall be mine," as Darkseid declares in the Snyder Cut, should not be left out of the DCEU's cinematic plans.