Justice League: Zack Snyder Explains Darkseid’s Beef With Steppenwolf

It’s been a month since the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max. However, the talk and discourse around it has still not died down, which is telling of how incredible the movie was. For once, DC Fans were satisfied after seeing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and The Flash in action together. But, one thing that set the Snyder Cut apart from Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut was the inclusion of Darkseid. He is the ultimate villain of the DC Universe, much like Thanos was for Marvel. However, a few movie watchers did not know what the beef was between Darkseid and Steppenwolf.

Related: Zack Snyder’s Synderverse plans included Parallel Multiverses!

In the theatrical release, Steppenwolf was the only all-powerful villain. However, the Snyder Cut expanded on that concept and brought in the Lord of Apokolips. Darkseid was a constant looming threat in the 2021 Justice League, but what really stood out was how Steppenwolf was continuously trying to win back Darkseid’s trust. That made fans question what exactly did he do resulted in him being so desperate to prove his allegiance to Darkseid. Well, Zack Snyder has answered that question.

Zack Snyder reveals why Steppenwolf was begging to Darkseif for forgiveness in Justice League

While speaking at Justice Con 2021, Snyder had a detailed chat with the hosts about his version of Justice League. During the conversation, they talked about everything related to the Snyder Cut. And so, fans obviously asked him about the red-eyed villain who is a very constant presence in most DC comics and cartoons. But the four-hour movie never explored the relationship he had with Steppenwolf. Now, Snyder finally answered that lingering question, saying:

I feel like there was a coup sometime — a small coup attempt. I don’t know how involved Steppenwolf was, I don’t think he was like deeply involved or the kingpin, but certainly there might have been a negotiation that he was involved with. He slaughtered those, he responded correctly eventually, but in that small hesitation. I don’t think Darkseid was down with the notion that there would even be a hesitation.

And that is the reason why Darkseid had always put Steppenwolf at arm’s length throughout Justice League. Even if Steppenwolf had gotten control of all the Mother Boxes, Darkseid was still not willing to forgive. However, the Anti-Life Equation may have tilted the balance in favor of Steppenwolf.

If Snyder was given the chance to continue with his vision after Justice League, then Darkseid would have been an active part of that. But that is something that fans may have to learn to live without.

Related: Zack Snyder addresses Darkseid confusion in ‘Justice League’