Here ’s whyJustice Leaguevillain Steppenwolf ’s design fromBatman   v loony toons : Dawn of Justicewasn’t used in the   JLA pic .   Despite being the DCEU ’s long - awaited squad - up movie , Justice Leagueendured a harsh reception from fans and critics , and one of the big distributor point of disputation was the movie ’s villain . Steppenwolf , portray by   Ciarán Hinds , was widely accused of being a one - dimensional type and lack any literal motive other than the generic wanting to take over the world trope . The fact that Steppenwolf was a computer - generated creation also draw plentifulness of literary criticism and the effect themselves were roundly panned , adding to the general sense of disappointment .

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In   theCommunion scene fromBatman v   Superman(deleted from the theatrical tone ending but readded for the Ultimate Cut ) , Steppenwolf had   a flagitious , demonic pattern very dissimilar   to his appearance in the comic book . However , Snyder   latterly   confirmed that " sadly " this animalistic interpretation of the villain wasnever part of theJustice Leaguemovie , even before he departed the labor . But why did he change it when Snyder has   a strong affinity for the design ?

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The primary reason for this is potential the rebound   againstBatman vSuperman . Much likeJustice League ,   the long - awaited cinematic clash between the Caped Crusader and Krypton ’s favorite Word was not at all well - received and one of the most frequent shaft regarded the moving picture ’s uber - dark tone . This was excellently highlight in theDeadpool 2trailer , whenRyan Reynolds ' antihero hilariously quips , " you ’re so dark . Are you sure you ’re not from the DC existence ? "

As a result , Warner Bros. seek to makeJustice Leaguea slightly less   farinaceous affair and it was report last year that the studio apartment trash aParademon transformationscene because they deemed it too " shuddery . “Justice League ’s script was also give the rewrite treatment following theBatman v Supermandebacle because Warner Bros. want a in the main more optimistic flavour to the motion-picture show . Since the original , devil - corresponding adaptation of Steppenwolf did n’t even make it into the Snyder Cut , it ’s potential that this design was argufy as part of the post - BvSattempt to   ensureJustice Leaguehad a less grim flavour compared to its predecessors .

In hindsight , those effort proved unavailing , as the DCEU ’s fortunes go along to struggle , and since Zack Snyder was evidently partial of the originalSteppenwolflook , it could be debate that the villain might ’ve received a more positive reaction had the theatre director ’s original vision been retained - a truth that holds true for much ofJustice League .

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Before and after Steppenwolf concept art for Justice League

Cairan Hinds as Steppenwolf in Justice League

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