Even though he was entirely cut from the theatrical cut of Justice League, Zack Snyder's original plans for Darkseid included a much fuller character arc than most fans assumed. Snyder helped create the story for Justice League and completed 100% of principal photography before he was pushed out of the project, and it's slowly becoming more and more clear how different his original version of the movie was.
Under Joss Whedon, extensive reshoots reshaped Justice League, completely removing Darkseid and leaving Steppenwolf as the only villain, but it's since become apparent that Darkseid wasn't only teased, but he may have actually had a character arc as well. While Steppenwolf still would have been the primary antagonist, the movie may have presented Darkseid in a similar light to Sauron in The Fellowship of the Ring, introducing him through a flashback and positioning him as the master of all the evil the heroes fight throughout the story.
Related: Zack Snyder's Cut Of Justice League Was More Complete Than You Realize
Significant work was completed on the "Snyder Cut" of Justice League, but Warner Bros. currently has no intention of completing it or distributing it. Given the extensive changes that took place, the true original plan for the movie has been a major focus of many fans who are slowly uncovering the puzzle pieces of the original intent for Snyder's Justice League, which is how we now know the true extent of Darkseid's original role in the movie.
- This Page: Darkseid Was Introduced In the Flashback as Uxas
- Page 2: Darkseid Would Have Been an Actual Threat in Justice League
- Page 3: Darkseid Would Be Fully Established Before Justice League 2
Darkseid Was Introduced In the Flashback as Uxas
A lot of information about Darkseid's role in Justice League has come to light recently, causing fans to look at an old piece of concept art differently. The figure in the art was always assumed to be an alternate Steppenwolf design because Steppenwolf was the one depicted at the ancient invasion flashback in the theatrical cut, but when Zack Snyder was asked about it, he simply replied "Uxas."
For anyone that doesn't know, Uxas is Darkseid before he took the name Darkseid for himself. The major implication from Snyder's reveal here isn't just confirmation that Darkseid was meant to appear, but that it was that it was a younger Darkseid who hadn't yet obtained godhood, meaning there was actually an opportunity for growth for the character and he wouldn't simply be introduced as a fully formed villain.
Related: What Was Zack Snyder's Original 5 Movie DCEU Plan?
In the comics, Uxas , the son of Yuga Khan - the ruler of Apokolips - and Heggra, wanted the throne for himself, even though his brother, Drax, was next in the line of succession. Turning on Drax, Uxas stopped him from gaining the power of the Omega Force and achieving godhood, claiming the power for himself and taking the name "Darkseid."
Darkseid claimed the throne of Apokolips and began to seek out more power for himself, particularly through the Anti-Life equation, which is a scientific formula that is literally anti-life and can be used to circumvent free will itself. He believed much of this equation could be discovered on Earth and might be even be locked inside the minds of humans.
Knowing it was supposed to originally be Darkseid (or Uxas, rather) in the history lesson flashback instead of Steppenwolf makes a lot of sense, especially since the Anti-Life equation was supposed to be in play. Snyder also confirming that Uxas was seeking power on Earth is another big link to Darkseid's overall plot in the movie.
Page 2: Darkseid Would Have Been an Actual Threat in Justice League
Darkseid Would Have Been an Actual Threat in Justice League
Darkseid wasn't supposed to be the main villain of Justice League, but the his role as villain may have borne a strong resemblance to the way Sauron is depicted in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Sauron wasn't the main villain of The Fellowship of the Ring, it makes sense to establish him as a threat. Revealing him in the flashback like LOTR did with Sauron does just that. It doesn't only make him a looming threat, it also makes Steppenwolf more menacing by extension. Steppenwolf presumably also had more character development in Snyder's cut of Justice League, but even without it, the presence of Darkseid could make up for it. The most immediate threats in The Fellowship of the Ring were the Ring Wraiths, but they had very little character development or personality either - even less than Steppenwolf. They made good villains because they were extensions of Sauron, who was established as a real terrifying threat through the intro and his presence as the "all-seeing eye."
Unfortunately, Steppenwolf had to bear the weight of villainy entirely on his own shoulders in the theatrical cut of Justice League. Again, imagine The Fellowship of the Ring if all references to Sauron had been removed. but Snyder's original plan would have gone very differently, again following the mold of Fellowship of the Ring and establishing Darkseid's true threat throughout. This full arc is evident when we look at what we know about Darkseid. Recent evidence has revealed that he wasn't merely supposed to be present at the invasion history lesson, but he was also supposed to fight Ares. He would fail in his effort to conquer Earth, but he'd still be established as a foe that could go toe-to-toe with the gods. It sounds like he was still Uxas, per Zack Snyder, meaning, if we're keeping with traditional DC canon, that he hadn't yet actually achieved godhood by claiming the Omega Force. This is supported by concept art spotted by fans in behind the scenes videos, one showing a slighter version of the character more in-line with the traditional depiction of Uxas, and the other looking like the bulkier version of Darkseid fans are familiar with, indicating that the character goes through an evolution (on or off screen) between the first invasion and the events of the movie.
Related: What Was Zack Snyder's FULL Plan For the Knightmare Scenes?
We don't know if Steppenwolf had any cut scenes where he communicates Darkseid or exactly how lingering his presence was supposed to be in general, but we do know he was being built up before Justice League even starts. Darkseid's first real tease actually came in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice during Batman's Knightmare vision where we see the Omega symbol at the bottom of a dried up Gotham Harbor, indicating Darksied had in fact acquired the Omega power. The Knightmare was supposed to be continued right before Superman's resurrection, this time with Cyborg experiencing the Knightmare, including a full reveal of Darkseid and the Mother Boxes transforming the Earth.
Bringing Darkseid into the Knightmare scene in Justice League wouldn't only show the expansion of his power since the first invasion, but it would tie it through to Batman v Superman's Knightmare scene, revealing he likely used the Anti-Life equation to control Superman. As these threads all come together, it becomes clear that the threat of Darkeid in Justice League isn't just some distant tease, but a very real and immediate danger. A danger that would become even more real by the end of the movie.
Page 3: Darkseid Would Be Fully Established Before Justice League 2
Darkseid Would Be Fully Established Before Justice League 2
When it was first revealed that Darkseid was supposed to make an appearance in Justice League, it was through a leaked storyboard suggesting it may not have been much more than a tease, something akin to the Thanos reveal in the post-credits scene of The Avengers. It was always seen as a simple set-up for Snyder's Justice League 2, and while that was definitely a component, we now have enough pieces of the puzzle to see a more clear character arc coming together. This was no Thanos tease at the end of The Avengers, or even Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy. Justice League would have given audiences everything they needed to know about Darkseid before Justice League 2 even started, giving him potential to be as well established of a villain as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
Tracking Darkseid's entire intended trajectory, we'd see him first teased with the Omega symbol in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, then again at the end when Lex Luthor, after communing with Steppenwolf through the Kryptonian ship, tells Batman "the bell's already been rung. And they've heard it. Out in the dark among the stars. Dong dong, the god is dead. The bell cannot be unwrung. He's hungry. He's found us. And he's coming!" It was clear at the time he was referring to Darkseid, but especially in retrospect with these most recent Justice League Darkseid reveals that he would have been at the invasion, fought Ares, sent Steppenwolf back to Earth, and been a part of Cyborg's Knightmare continuation. This would have all culminated in a cliffhanger ending.
Related: Everything We Know About Zack Snyder's Original Justice League 2 Plans
Back in August of 2017, rumors of intense Justice League reshoots were plentiful, but one such rumor was that there was a cliffhanger ending with Darkseid reshot to something more conclusive. The nature of this original scene may have been revealed recently when Zack Snyder answered a fan question about the end of the movie, saying that a cut scene from the final battle was of the League looking up at a Boom Tube. The theatrical cut of the movie has Steppenwolf pulled back through a Boom Tube by parademons, but has a totally different shot of each character watching him go, many of which are obvious reshoots. If the rumor is true, this moment is likely when we would have gotten the movie's final Darkseid tease after Steppenwolf is defeated, presumably revealing Darkseid to the heroes and setting him up for Justice League 2.
If a Justice League 2 ever happens now, presumably without Snyder, it could still include Darkseid, but with nearly all references removed from the theatrical cut of the movie, and a post-credits scene that teases the Legion of Doom or Injustice League, it'd be a lot more work to introduce him nearly from scratch. The most likely scenario for Darkseid to end up in a movie is through Ava DuVernay's New Gods project.
The Snyder Cut very well may be completed and released one day, like Ridley Scott's Bladerunner or Richard Donner's Superman II, but with the DCEU moving full speed ahead in a different direction, it's not clear when Warner Bros. might consider it worth the effort. Until then, the true scope of Zack Snyder's Justice League story will likely continue to leak out as more and more puzzle pieces are discovered.
MORE: Justice League: Everything Blocking The Release of Snyder's Cut
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