The Apokoliptian villain Desaad will appear in Zack Snyder's Justice League, but who is he and what will his role in the movie be? Scheduled to hit HBO Max on March 18th, the Snyder Cut is an object of Hollywood history in every sense of the term, arriving after a massive push by fans in the wake of Justice League's theatrical release. The theatrical version of the movie itself is also a major relic, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

Snyder's departure from the movie was followed by Justice League being infamously reworked and reshot, with the movie bombing in theaters in November 2017 and inspiring endless mockery at the poor digital removal of Henry Cavill's mustache from Mission: Impossible - FalloutThe Snyder Cut will carry none of that baggage, while it will also restore a big collection of characters who were removed from the theatrical cut of the movie altogether.

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Among them will be Darkseid's sinister ally Desaad, who was finally first glimpsed in the Snyder Cut's trailer released during DC FanDome. The trailer only showed Desaad briefly, and his role in the movie is still somewhat of a mystery, but thanks to his comic book history and a few nuggets of information made public by Zack Snyder, a good educated guess can be made about Desaad's role in the movie. Here's Desaad's character background in DC Comics and what his role in the Snyder Cut will likely consist of.

Desaad's Origins In DC Comics

Created by Jack Kirby, Desaad is a member of Darkseid's Elite, with his name also a reference to Marquis De Sade. Desaad's origins actually began with the sinister ruler of Apokolips himself. Born on the planet New Genesis, Desaad was pulled over to the side of evil as a young child by Darkseid's influence. At that point, Desaad joined Darkseid on Apokolips as his loyal, if fearful, ally.

Darkseid would subsequently kill his own brother Drax and assume rule over Apokolips, with Desaad taking on the role of Darkseid's torturer. Desaad is known to be quite the cowardly character, maintaining his fealty to Darkseid out of fear. Despite this, Desaad is also thoroughly cruel and sadistic, and more than lives up to his role as the vicious torturer of Apokolips.

Desaad's Powers In DC Comics

Desaad DC comics

In many respects, Desaad much more of an intellectual threat than a physical one, especially as he was originally presented by Jack Kirby. His infamy as a torturer is well-earned, having created many devices and methodologies of inflicting anguish as Darkseid's right-hand man. However, despite being more brains than brawn along with his well-known cowardice, Desaad's power set was beefed up quite a bit in DC Comics' New 52 reboot.

After DC's big revamp, Desaad shares the immortality and invulnerability of the New Gods, along with their immense physical strength while also being given a much more monstrous appearance. He also gained the power to absorb energy, but his real weapon lies in his telepathic powers, which include his ability to manipulate emotions in the minds of others, a frightening ability to be wielded by Darkseid's designated torturer. It's decidedly safe to assume that the Snyder Cut's presentation of Desaad is likely to be fully equipped with all of his abilities from his New 52 upgrade along with his all-around sadism.

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Peter Guinness Plays Desaad In Justice League Snyder Cut

Cursed Peter Guinness as Sir Ector

For a long time, there wasn't much information on the presence of Desaad in the Snyder Cut. That changed in 2019 during a social media exchange between Snyder and a fan, in which Snyder revealed that the line from the film's 2017 Comic-Con trailer "No protectors here. No Lanterns. No Kryptonian. This world will fall like all the others." was spoken by Steppenwolf to Desaad. Later that year, it also came to light that Peter Guinness portrayed Desaad in the Snyder Cut.

Guinness is well-known for his role on HBO's Chernobyl, and with other notable credits including Sleepy Hollow, Tales from the Crypt, and Alien 3. His casting also suggests that Snyder had big plans for Desaad down the road, which were obviously cut short by Desaad's removal from the theatrical cut. Now that Desaad is back in his intended role in the Snyder Cut, the question is what can viewers expect to see in his appearance in the film when it arrives in March?

Desaad's Role In Justice League Snyder Cut

Compared to Steppenwolf and Darkseid, Desaad's role in the Snyder Cut is likely to be a secondary one, originally intended to set up a larger role for him in Justice League 2, and where exactly he'll be seen in the movie isn't fully clear. His brief appearance in the trailer looks to be set on Apokolips, an expected setting for Desaad to be seen. The Knightmare future also seems like an area of the film where Desaad would be a natural fit, so it's possible he could also be seen there, too.

With that being said, though Desaad will be more of tertiary villain in the Snyder Cut, he's not going to be completely in the shadows, either. The fact that Desaad was mentioned by name alongside Steppenwolf and Darkseid in the new official synopsis for the movie suggests that viewers will at least get to know the essence of who he is and his role in Darkseid's Elite, especially without mention of other allies of Darkseid's such as Granny Goodness, his son Kalibak, and his daughter Grail (though of teases of them in the four-hour Snyder Cut can't necessarily be ruled out, either).

Though Desaad is going to more a shadowy, subservient character in the Snyder Cut, fans and probably general viewers are sure to delight at his cinematic debut and the performance the very talented Peter Guinness is likely to deliver. His brief appearance in the trailer already presents him as a fearsome, demonic beast resembling Gollum in a hood, which isn't the first (or last) of many Lord of the Rings comparisons that can be made with the film. With Zack Snyder's Justice League on the way, the fans who pushed for the movie's reason can now only wait with bated breath for the long-awaited debut of Snyder and Guinness' take on Desaad.

Next: Justice League: How Zack Snyder's Cut Is So Much Longer Than Whedon's

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