Steppenwolf was revealed to be the big baddie for the upcoming Justice League film, which will be hitting theaters in late 2017. However, that's not a character most people recognize. Who is this villain, and what makes him worthy of being the main antagonist of such a huge film?
This character first appeared back in 1972 in New Gods #7. He's a part of the weird worlds created by legendary artist and writer Jack Kirby. Without getting too heavy into what's called "Fourth World," Steppenwolf comes from the planet Apokolips, which is either at war with New Genesis or about to go to war with it. Think of Apokolips as the "bad" planet and New Genesis as the "good" planet or as Hell and Heaven. These planets contain super-powered beings called The New Gods. Most of them reside on New Genesis, under the rule of Highfather. A few who oppose Highfather live on Apokolips, under Darkseid's rule.
Steppenwolf is the uncle of Darkseid and one of his elite soldiers. He's a powerhouse character who borders on having omnipotent power. His laundry list of abilities includes superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and senses. In addition, he's invulnerable, has immunity from diseases and toxins, and he's immortal. Saying he's going to be a challenge for the Justice League is the understatement of the century. In the thousands of years of his existence, he's mastered many forms of combat, and if that's not enough, he carries an electro-axe, which is as dangerous as it sounds.
Aside from his powers, Steppenwolf isn't the friendliest of characters. During the New 52 DC Universe, Steppenwolf tried to take over Earth-2 in Darkseid's name. The superheroes of Earth-2 were no match for the overpowered soldier. The battle almost seemed unfair. Eventually, as always, the heroes prevailed, in a way. Steppenwolf may have died in battle, but he accomplished his goal for at least a short time.
We have already seen what Steppenwolf will look like in the upcoming 2017 film. Warner Brothers revealed a deleted scene from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which showed Lex Luthor looking at a hologram of someone holding three Mother Boxes. More recently, it was revealed that the hologram was in fact of Steppenwolf.
Mother Boxes are small supercomputers that allow people of Apokolips and New Genesis to teleport great distances, including to Earth. This will be how Steppenwolf will be able to travel so far. He won't be coming alone though. If you remember the vision of the future during Batman v Superman, there were flying demon-like creatures in the sky. These were Parademons, the soldiers for Darkseid's army. Steppenwolf will most likely be leading the way with his army, using the Mother Boxes as transport. Aside from this invulnerable New God, the Justice League will also have to face a horde of flying soldiers.
Steppenwolf may not be a high-profile villain from the DC Universe, but he's certainly a terrifying force for the Justice League to fight. He has an immense amount of power, along with an army of flying soldiers. How will the protectors of Earth stop this force? We'll have to wait until November 17, 2017 when Justice League hits theaters.