Justice League concept art reveals an alternate - and much more terrifying - version of the film's main villain, Steppenwolf. Many were dissatisfied with the final look of the character, specifically criticizing how CGI heavy the interpretation was, and how it bore so little resemblance to Steppenwolf from the comics. What we got in the movie was not the first draft of the character, and he actually looked quite a bit different in earlier concept art for the movie.
Of course, the look of Steppenwolf was only one of many problems that fans and critics alike had with Justice League. Had it just been for some questionable CGI on that one character, the movie would have undoubtedly been fine. Unfortunately, the criticisms did not end there and ultimately contributed to the DC crossover doing not so hot at the box office. Given that Justice League’s buzz is winding down - in combination with competition from films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi - it probably won’t be bringing in much more revenue in theaters from here.
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Justice League costume concept artist Jerad S.Marantz posted the following Steppenwolf concept art to his Instagram account. The artwork had been previously unveiled in the official Justice League: The Art of the Film book.
Fans who disliked Steppenwolf because of his scant resemblance to his comic counterpart might not have liked this interpretation of the character either, since he seems even less human here. However, he (arguably) does look more intimidating than the version in the actual movie. By making the character even less human, this version of Steppenwolf seems downright monstrous, like something out of one of the Alien films.
Steppenwolf having a different look might not have prevented Justice League’s financial woes, but it is interesting to see how different things were in the planning stages. As mentioned in Marantz’s post, more of Steppenwolf can be seen in Justice League: The Art of the Film. The book offers a better idea of what the movie could have been like, especially had director Zack Snyder not stepped away from the project and Joss Whedon taken over during the film's reshoots.
As for the future - the ending of Justice League made it clear the next big villain on the horizon will be the popular Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello. Fingers crossed, Slade Wilson will get the treatment he deserves on the big screen.
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Source: Jerad S.Marantz
