With 4 hours to fill, it's perhaps not surprising that the Justice League Snyder cut has way more villains than the 2017 version. Zack Snyder walked into the DCEU with a vision, and Justice League represented a major phase in that cinematic journey. A frosty reception to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice forced a change of plans, and after Joss Whedon was hired to oversee post-production and reshoots, Justice League became unrecognizable from its original incarnation. Dubbed "the Snyder cut," the authentic DCEU Justice League is now set for a HBO Max release in March 2021, having been completed and fleshed out by Snyder.
The 2017 Justice League made many creative alterations, but one of the biggest was streamlining the plot into a snappier, more accessible action movie. To this end, Steppenwolf became the sole villain, with all other major antagonists stripped out. Fans and critics were disappointed by the CGI blob that faced down the Justice League, and even more upset when villains who had been teased and established in previous movies failed to appear.
Fortunately, the Snyder cut has restored those missing baddies, while also throwing another returning DCEU villain into the mix for good measure. Even in the Snyder cut, Steppenwolf will remain the foremost threat, but a total of 5 others will also be troubling Bruce Wayne's merry band of vigilantes across the 4-hour runtime.
Darkseid
The most glaring character omission from 2017's Justice League theatrical cut was Darkseid, a villain that was clearly being teased during Batman V Superman. Initially, Steppenwolf would come to Earth as an emissary of Darkseid in Justice League, and when Earth's collected heroes proved too tough for Ciarán Hinds' toned-down troublemaker, the big man himself was to appear, setting up a sequel. The Knightmare timeline of Batman V Superman was then a glimpse towards Darkseid's future arrival on Earth, where Superman has been corrupted and the anti-life equation has been cracked. All of these elements were cut for Justice League's theatrical release in 2017, with Steppenwolf effectively replacing his master as the DCEU's big bad. Mercifully, Darkseid is back in the Snyder cut, and will be voiced by Ray Porter, who recorded parts for Snyder's first Justice League shoot before being axed after the change of director.
Predictably, Darkseid has formed a major part of the Snyder cut's marketing. Trailers show the villain in his younger years, while he was still known as Uxas, wielding a massive blade and activating the Mother Boxes while surrounded by hooded disciples. This scene was used in 2017's Justice League, but with Steppenwolf standing in Darkseid's place. The Snyder cut will greatly expand on the ancient "history lesson" battle in which Men, Gods, Atlanteans, Amazonians, and more fought against the forces of Uxas. Furthermore, the overarching goal of the Knightmare's time travel will be to prevent Darkseid bringing about Earth's dark future with his Omega power.
Desaad
As mentioned above, 2017's Justice League sees Steppenwolf flanked by disciples who accompany him to Earth in search of the Mother Boxes, and in the Snyder cut, this role falls to Darkseid instead. However, the revamped version of Justice League also changes the disciples themselves. As with Darkseid, Desaad was originally part of Zack Snyder's DCEU plans, but became a casualty of Whedon and Warner Bros. when the winds of change started to wreak havoc. Also like Darkseid, Desaad is restored to his former glory thanks to the Snyder cut, where he'll be portrayed by Peter Guinness. Known as Darkseid's personal torture expert, Desaad was created as part of Jack Kirby's New Gods comic series, appearing as a wrinkly, pale-faced figure in a hooded cloak. As a master of torture, Desaad is capable of manipulating the emotions of others in order to corrupt their souls, turning usually wholesome heroes into wretched villains.
Desaad can be glimpsed in the official Zack Snyder's Justice League trailer, and his design is a close live-action approximation of the comic books, retaining the general idea of a cloaked, monstrous alien from Apokalips who may not be physically imposing, but has a few tricks up his sleeve to make opponents suffer. Desaad's role in the Snyder cut remains a mystery, but since his comic book allegiance is to Darkseid (not Steppenwolf), he could act as a cunning intermediary between the two. Either way, Desaad should bring color and depth to the mundane goons Steppenwolf ordered around in 2017.
Deathstroke
Casting Joe Manganiello as the DCEU's Deathstroke sounds like a very good idea indeed, so it's frustrating that the actor's debut as Slade Wilson was restricted to a single post-credits sequence in the Justice League theatrical cut. To make matters worse, the teased partnership between Slade and Lex Luthor has since been ignored completely by DCEU continuity due to shifting plans for The Batman. According to the actor himself, up to 7 different Deathstroke projects were then cancelled. Riding to the rescue, the Snyder cut will pull Deathstroke from post-credit purgatory and make the mercenary a featured attraction of the main movie.
The upcoming Snyder cut looks set to finally bring Deathstroke in(justice). The original post-credits scene will reportedly be included, alongside unused footage and fresh scenes filmed after the Snyder cut was confirmed. Since Slade Wilson's role has evidently been enhanced for the 4-hour epic, his placement isn't entirely clear. There'll be some interconnection with Lex Luthor's arc, and Deathstroke is naturally more inclined to compete with Batman than other members of the Justice League. Perhaps Snyder will also incorporate ideas intended for Ben Affleck's dropped solo movie. Deathstroke will be included in the Snyder cut's Knightmare scenes sporting a fetching mohawk.
Lex Luthor
Along with Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, Lex Luthor will also have a hand in the Justice League's fate thanks to the Snyder cut. Played by Jesse Eisenberg, Superman's arch nemesis enjoyed a pivotal role in Batman V Superman, manipulating the titular duo into fighting each other (although we still don't completely understand why) and then playing Frankenstein to create Doomsday ahead of the final battle. Luthor is also the one who foresees the coming of a great threat from beyond the stars, setting up the arrival of Darkseid. Eisenberg claims that Zack Snyder's original plans gave Lex Luthor more screen time in the original version of Justice League, but this was subsequently reduced in favor of keeping the focus firmly on Steppenwolf. Luthor was instead relegated to a post-credits scene after half the audience had walked out of the theater.
Rumors suggest Luthor's presence was intended to connect the dots between Batman & Superman and Justice League, with the villain spending most of the film in his cell, then setting up The Batman in the post-credits. By restoring these scenes, the Snyder cut can hopefully create a more cohesive DCEU narrative, filling the gaps left by the numerous alterations in Justice League's theatrical cut. However, it's worth remembering that even before the Snyder cut debacle, Jesse Eisenberg was widely panned as DC's most iconic anti-Kryptonian businessman. With many believing the actor was miscast completely, the Snyder cut faces an uphill battle to make Eisenberg's Luthor a success.
Joker
All 4 villains above were somehow involved with Justice League before Zack Snyder left the project, but the 2021 edition has a pale new face in the lineup - Jared Leto's Joker. Although the 30 Seconds To Mars frontman ticked all the usual boxes for a Joker actor, a controversial design and ill-judged role meant his single DCEU appearance in Suicide Squad was poorly received. Joaquin Phoenix would later take over for a standalone movie and steer the Clown Prince of Crime all the way to Academy Awards glory, leaving Leto's Joker a forgotten man. During reshoots for his Justice League, however, Zack Snyder decided to give this controversial iteration of Joker another shot, and Batman's reborn nemesis has already enjoyed a strong start thanks to a welcome redesign.
Now sporting long hair, no facial tattoos and the customary makeup that could've been applied with a blindfold, Leto's Joker will feature in Justice League's additional Knightmare footage, with the actor filming new scenes in the wake of the Snyder cut's official announcement for HBO Max. Images show the character dressed in a stained hospital gown, but Snyder confirms Leto will suit up in a bulletproof vest covered in the badges of policemen he's killed. Based on these clues, it seems Joker will escape from Arkham Asylum when Darkseid comes to Earth, and immediately resume his usual antics by taking his anger out on the local law enforcement. But would a man of Joker's taste really enjoy a post-apocalyptic alien invasion, or is he more at home chasing the Dark Knight across a city landscape?