5 DC Comics Villains Much Better Suited To Being JUSTICE LEAGUE's Big Bad Than, Ugh, Steppenwolf
Rumour has it that Steppenwolf (who?) will be Justice League's main villain, but there are many, many far more interesting possibilities, and we're not talking about Darkseid! Here are five alternatives...
While it remains unconfirmed, reports have been doing the rounds this week that the lead villain in Justice League is going to be Steppenwolf as he embarks on a mission to retrieve three Mother Boxes for his nephew, Darkseid. While I can't deny that this could be a great movie handled the right way, this isn't exactly the sort of big bad that has anyone excited for the Batman v Superman follow-up.
With such a tepid response to that movie, Warner Bros. need to generate some excitement, and the villains you'll find listed below would surely result in that being the case. All of them deserve to be brought to the big screen in Justice League and bring something far more interesting to the table for the team's first adventure than either Darkseid or Steppenwolf. While it's no doubt far too late to change who will menace the League next year, any one of these directions would have been better.
5. Despero
If Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. have truly decided on having Darkseid show up as the villain in the Justice League sequel and need another alien baddie to kill time until he shows up, Despero would be an infinitely better choice than Steppenwolf.
This guy has quite the history after appearing in the very first issue of Justice League of America way back in 1960 and a range of psychic abilities which include mind control and mind reading. He's even shown himself to be even more powerful than Martian Manhunter on some occasions, and throw in the fact that he's stronger than both Superman and Shazam, is near invulnerable, and pretty much one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, he's definitely a huge threat to the team and a nice little warm up act before Darkseid shows up.
He's also far enough removed from that character that the sequel won't feel like the same film with a (barely) different bad guy.
4. Lex Luthor
Look, I know many of you weren't exactly fans of Jesse Eisenberg's take on Lex Luthor, but the character definitely has some potential, something which was evident from that awesome final scene between him and Batman in Dawn of Justice.
As Lex is clearly the one who has opened the door to whatever cosmic threat is now on the way to strike at the unprotected Earth, him somehow being added into the mix would definitely work, regardless of whether that involves the bald headed baddie suiting up to take on the Justice League or somehow being imbued with an otherworldly power similar to what's recently been going on in the comic books as part of the "Darkseid War" event.
Lex is ultimately a much better choice to take on the team because he's a well developed character, unlike what is no doubt going to be just another massive CGI monster in the form of Steppenwolf. Plus, after killing Superman, that makes this fight personal.
3. Amazo
If the majority of Justice League is going to revolve around Batman reruiting the team, then someone like Amazo would make for a much better choice of placeholder villain until Darkseid shows his face in the sequel.
Robots almost always make good bad guys because it means the heroes don't have to hold back, and what makes this guy interesting is the fact that he has the abilities of the entire Justice League in one body. Nearly invulnerable, it almost always takes the might of the entire team to put Amazo down, and from a physical standpoint alone, he's definitely someone who could pose a very interesting and unique threat to the team.
Whether he's deployed as a creation of Lex Luthor (still plotting against the heroes behind bars and trying to further weaken them for his alien masters) or someone from off planet, it would arguably be way more satisfying seeing this guy torn apart than Steppenwolf.
2. Anti-Monitor
Could a Crisis be what's needed to save the DC Films Universe? It may be a bit too soon for that, but if you're looking for a badass baddie to really push the Justice League to their limits before Darkseid shows up, then the Anti-Monitor is your guy.
Almost infinitely powerful, it usually takes the Justice Leagues of several worlds to stop him, and even then the Anti-Monitor always seems to find a way to return. Most recently he's shown off his incredible might by killing Darkseid in the heat of battle, while it's also worth noting that he's previously been responsible for the deaths of both Supergirl and The Flash.
In fact, it's his history which could make him a recurring presence in these movies during the build up to the Justice League sequel, and throwing the Anti-Monitor into the mix when Darkseid does inevitably come calling would be a great way to up the stakes and really make it look like the League is screwed.
1. Superman
It also would very loosely follow what happened when the character was mysteriously ressurected in the comic books following his death at the hands of Doomsday, and there's definitely something appealing about a fully unleashed evil Supes squaring off with the entire Justice League before coming to his senses.
It's then that whoever's pulling the strings - hell, it could even be Steppenwolf on behalf of his nephew - would have their plan backfire on them, but Superman initially returning as a bad guy might be a little more interesting than a sudden return where he just comes back to save Lois again or something. There's definitely some potential here anyway.
Who would you guys like to see be the big bad of Justice League if not Steppenwolf? One of these guys or someone else? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.