Steppenwolf will make his live-action debut in Justice League, a month from today on November, 17. (Yes, we know he appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the Ultimate Edition.) DC has been pretty mum on what we can expect from Justice League especially the new threat the League will face in Steppenwolf. We wanted to get an idea of just who Steppenwolf is and how he might play a role in Justice League.
In order to get an expert opinion we visited Flashback Comics in Woodbridge, Virginia to pick store manager Troy David’s brain about Steppenwolf.
Troy breaks down who Steppenwolf is, what his role is in the comics and how it evolved over time, and how Steppenwolf was used in other DC media especially their animated series.
Watch:
Troy explains Steppenwolf is the uncle of Darkseid, one of the Justice League’s biggest foes. Once Darkseid takes over Apokolips, Steppenwolf becomes one of Darkseid’s elite lieutenants leading the Dog Cavalry into battle. He is a vicious warrior who is known to wield his electro-axe with ruthless efficiency. He is one of Darkseid’s most trusted generals and has clashed with the Justice League on a number of occasions.
As Troy mentioned towards the end of the video, Steppenwolf gained prominence in the recent run of Earth-2 in DC’s New 52 line of comics. In the New 52, DC explains there are 52 different universes. Earth-2 is the second of those 52 universes. Each universe usually has their own Justice League or something similar. On Earth-2, they are called the Wonders of America.
In Earth-2, Steppenwolf leads Darkseid’s Elite against the combined forces of the Wonders of America and an entity known as the World Army, an organization created to defend against Apokolips. Steppenwolf fights against Earth’s Kal-L, Wonder Woman, and Batman in order to conquer the planet in Darkseid’s name. He uses mind-control to manipulate the countries of Earth. However, his plans are thwarted when Earth-2’s Terry McGinnis bombs the countries he has taken control over.
Steppenwolf resorts to more blunt tactics. He kills Earth-2’s Wonder Woman, viciously stabbing her in the back as she was distracted by Parademons. Despite, defeating one of Earth’s mightiest heroes, his forces are thwarted by Batman. Batman disables Steppenwolf’s Parademon army by uploading a virus.
After his defeat, Steppenwolf retreats to the country of Dherain on Earth-2. He deposes the former King Marov by throwing his axe straight through his chest and then decapitating him. He then begins to solidify his power and prepare for the Wonders of America and the World Army to attack. When the Wonders of America and World Army show up, Steppenwolf and his elite warriors, the Hunger Dogs, easily kill many of the Wonders and the World Army. In fact, they lay a brutal beat down on Earth-2’s Alan Scott and killed the World Army’s leader Jason Storm Foster.
Steppenwolf is only defeated when one of his own soldiers, Brutaal, reveals himself as Earth-2’s Superman, Kal-L. Brutaal cuts Steppenwolf in half, but discloses he is a loyal servant of Darkseid.
Actor Ciarán Hinds will portray Steppenwolf in Justice League which hits theaters on November 17, 2017.