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NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Steppenwolf from the DC Extended Universe. The mainstream version can be found here: Steppenwolf. For the incarnation that appears in the director's cut, see Steppenwolf.
I see, mother! I see why you waited to summon me! The Kryptonian's death plunged this timid world into such terror; Amazons, Atlanteans - each stands and falls alone! I know, mother, you waited too long for the unity... I know, but you will feed! And my exile will come to an end! I will take my place among the New Gods! Find the last one! Its power will cleanse the earth! For the unity... for Darkseid!
„
~ Steppenwolf after retrieving the two of the Mother Boxes, and his most famous quote.
“
I am the End of Worlds. Who are you to defy me? This world is my right!
„
~ Steppenwolf refusing to accept that he had been defeated.
He is an Apokoliptian military general and the uncle of Darkseid, who seeks to obtain the three Mother Boxes on Earth for his nephew, and use them to terraform the planet. Steppenwolf also serves as his nephew's second-in-command, but he secretly desires to break free from his nephew's control.
They called him Steppenwolf, the End of Worlds. He lived only to conquer. Millions fell before his blade and rose again as Parademons, nightmare creatures who feed on fear.
„
~ Diana Prince describing Steppenwolf to Bruce Wayne.
Steppenwolf was born several millennia ago on the hellish and dystopian planet of Apokolips. At some point, Steppenwolf became the herald of his nephew and master Darkseid, and would conquer planets in his name, usually prevailing in every attempt. Eventually, after countless years of conquering and serving under Darkseid, Steppenwolf desired to take his place amongst the New Gods and free himself from his eternal servitude, although he was neither powerful nor foolish enough to try and oppose his master, and continued serving him.
First Invasion of Earth
5,000 years earlier during the ancient times, Steppenwolf and his forces launched an invasion of Earth, intending to use the three Mother Boxes to terraform the planet into one similar to that of Apokolips. However, Steppenwolf was unprepared for the planet's resistance, which consisted of a coalition of of Humans, Amazons and Atlanteans, the Gods of Olympus and even beings from other planets (namely a Green Lantern sent by the Guardians). Steppenwolf and his forces managed to inflict heavy casualties on the forces of Earth with nothing but brute force.
“
You should have died, but we formed our own unity. Amazons, Atlanteans, all the tribes of men fought side-by-side: Warriors of legend, allies from other worlds, even the Gods themselves all acted as one, laying down their lives to drive Steppenwolf away. Some say it drove him mad: the disgrace of his first retreat. He swore our alliance will crumble, the darkness will cover the earth, and that he would return when it did.
„
~ Diana Prince/Wonder Woman describing Steppenwolf's first defeat and future return.
However, the united armies of Earth eventually overcame Steppenwolf's army and Zeus and his son Ares overpowered Steppenwolf themselves. The latter was forced to retreat back to Apokolips, and his disgraceful retreat drove him mad, while the Amazons, Atlanteans and Humans hid the three Mother Boxes away so that they could never be used by anyone. Despite his defeat, Steppenwolf swore that their alliance will crumble and that he'll return. After he returned to his homeworld, he was exiled for his failure by Darkseid, and the former swore to conquer the world to restore his glory.
Second Invasion of Earth
After Superman's death at the hands of Doomsday, Steppenwolf and his Parademons become aware of humanity's fear and decide to launch a second invasion in order to reclaim the Mother Boxes. The Mother Box that was being heavily guarded on the island Themyscira first becomes active and summons Steppenwolf and his Parademon forces to Earth via a boom tube, where they and the Amazons engage in a lengthy battle over the Mother Box. In the end, Steppenwolf prevailed and successfully retrieves it before escaping as the entire Amazon army converges on him. Due to Steppenwolf's return, Hippolyta, the Amazon queen, and the other Amazons proceeded alert Hippolyta's daughter Diana Prince/Wonder Woman of the invasion and this gets her to speed up Batman's plan of forming a team to confront Steppenwolf. Soon afterwards, the latter transforms a remote and scarcely populated area of Russia called Pozharnov into his base of operations before sending his Parademons to seek the remaining Boxes. Steppenwolf and his forces launched their second attack on the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, where the former takes the second Mother Box after a brief battle with Arthur Curry/Aquaman.
Facing the Justice League
In order to find the third and final Mother Box, Steppenwolf and his minions kidnap numerous S.T.A.R. Labs scientists, including Dr. Silas Stone, Victor Stone/Cyborg's father, trapping them in an abandoned facility. There, Steppenwolf attempts to force them to give him its location through torture and murder. However, the Justice League discovers Steppenwolf's location and they freed the hostages as well as engage Steppenwolf and his forces in battle. The latter primarily faces Wonder Woman, whom he taunts for wearing the symbols of the deceased Old Gods. In the end, Steppenwolf uses a missile from the Batmobile to blow open a hole and flood the facility. He then escapes and leaves the Justice League to drown, but Aquaman arrives and rescues the team.
Back at the Batcave, Cyborg retrieves the last Mother Box from S.T.A.R. Labs, and, learning about the Box's power to create life, a plan is formed to use the Mother Box to revive the late Superman to both fight off Steppenwolf and his forces as well as restore hope to humanity, creating a secret contingency plan in case things go awry. Although the plan succeeds, Superman is left with few memories and mistakenly begins fighting with the League (forcing Batman to activate his contingency plan of Lois Lane), and, with the heroes distracted, Steppenwolf teleports into the Kryptonian Genesis Chamber and steals the last Mother Box.
Final Battle and Defeat
“
NO! This cannot be! No, leave me!! GET OFF FROM ME!! I COMMAND YOU!! I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!!
„
~ Steppenwolf's last words after being defeated by the Justice League and being swarmed by his Parademon army before being teleported away.
With the three Mother Boxes at hand, Steppenwolf returns to Pozharnov and prepares to combine the Boxes while the Justice League converges on his location, although Steppenwolf arrogantly decides to let them come. When the Justice League arrives, Steppenwolf engages Wonder Woman, and later Aquaman and Cyborg in battle while Cyborg tries to separate the Mother Boxes. Even with the powers of the the Wonder Woman and Aquaman combined, Steppenwolf overpowers them with relative ease before stopping Cyborg from separating the Mother Boxes. After Steppenwolf declared to "Mother" that the Justice League failed to see the truth, Superman (having regained his memories) arrives and begins easily fighting him off before leaving to help Flash save Russian civilians, giving the Justice League the edge they needed over the Parademons.
Soon enough, Cyborg and Superman separates the Mother Boxes, deconstructing them in the process. Steppenwolf was ultimately defeated and his electro axe was destroyed though a combined might by Superman and Wonder Woman, with the former freezing it with his super-breath and the latter shatters it with her sword. Because of this, in an ironic twist of fate, Steppenwolf begins to feel fear, rousing the appetites of his own Parademons and turning them against him. Despite his fear, Steppenwolf tries to fight back, but is immediately overwhelmed. Steppenwolf is last seen being ravaged by his own forces as a boom tube sends him back to Apokolips, leaving only his helmet behind. It is unknown if he survived or was devoured by the Parademons.
Personality
Like his nephew, Steppenwolf is a murderous and malicious being who just finds humans primitive and helpless, displaying ruthless levels of violence and brutality and showing no mercy towards his enemies. He he has a tendency of referring to the Mother Boxes as "Mother", though it's unknown why. Steppenwolf is remorseless, cold, and cruel in behavior, showing signs of unspeakable depravity and no genuine loyalty to anybody but himself. In addition, he is a power-hungry being who seeks to take his place amongst the New Gods and break free of his servitude to Darkseid, though he is not foolish nor powerful enough to go against his will or even challenge him. Furthermore, he is stubborn and hot-tempered as he refused to accept defeat even after his plot to terraform Earth has been foiled.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
New God Physiology: As a New God, Steppenwolf is an extremely powerful being who is native to the extra-dimensional planet of Apokolips.
Superhuman Strength: As a New God, Steppenwolf holds extraordinary levels of superhuman strength, to the point that he is capable of overpowering and killing several Amazons, Atlanteans and a Green Lantern easily. He was also able to gain the upper hand against the combined might of Wonder Woman and Aquaman simultaneously. His incredible strength extends to his legs as well, allowing him to jump great heights without much effort.
Superhuman Durability: As a New God, Steppenwolf's body is much hardier and more resistant to conventional forms of physical injury, capable of withstanding Mera's hydrokinesis attacks, direct blasts from Cyborg's arm cannon and even powerful blows from Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
Superhuman Speed: As a New God, Steppenwolf possesses incredibly superhuman levels of speed, making him fully capable of easily fighting the swiftest of his enemies as he was able to outmanoeuvre Wonder Woman and Aquaman. On several occasions, even when underwater, despite his muscular physique, his speed is barely affected.
Superhuman Agility: Steppenwolf has considerable superhuman agility, able to deliver quick counter-attacks against opponents, though he can still be outmatched by faster and more agile enemies.
Superhuman Reflexes: Steppenwolf's speed seems to extend to his reflexes as well, as he managed to catch a missile fired at him by Batman in the Knightcrawler.
Superhuman Stamina: Steppenwolf's advanced musculature is considerably more efficient than that of humans. As a result, his muscles produce practically no fatigue toxins during physical activity. His virtually inexhaustible stamina enables him to exert himself at peak capacity for an undefined period of time without tiring at all, never needing to stop during his prolonged battles with many Amazons, Mera, several Atlantean warriors and the Justice League. Steppenwolf can also hold his breath underwater for prolonged periods of time, shown when he retrieved the second Mother Box from Atlantis.
Longevity: Like all New Gods, Steppenwolf himself was also nearly immortal and had existed for a very long time.
Abilities
Master Tactician: Steppenwolf is a skilled tactician, able to bide his time to try and conquer Earth for a second time after his first attempt to invade the planet failed. He only attacks the planet again after the Mother Boxes alert him of the deaths of all the Old Gods and Superman (though the latter would be resurrected by the Justice League later on).
Expert Leader: Being Darkseid's second-in-command on Apokolips, Steppenwolf is an extremely skilled leader, able to successfully command a massive swarm of Parademons that can do his bidding during his first attempt invasion on Earth.
Master Combatant: Steppenwolf is an extremely skilled combatant combined with his superhuman physical attributes, making him a deadly opponent in single combat. Since he is very proficient in fighting, Steppenwolf was capable of swiftly and easily overpowering adversaries such as several Amazons, Cyborg, Mera and Aquaman. He even managed to overpower Wonder Woman in each one of their encounters with little difficulty. However, despite this, Steppenwolf's combat skills are actually proven to be ultimately inferior to Superman's.
Axe Proficiency: Steppenwolf possesses skills in the use of an axe both offensively and defensively, notably using this weapon in battles against many Amazons, Mera, several Atlantean warriors and the Justice League.
Expert Swimmer: Despite his massive size, Steppenwolf is a skilled swimmer, though he cannot stay underwater for long periods of time.
Equipment
Electro Axe: An Apokoliptian battle axe used by Steppenwolf during his prolonged battles and his attempt to unite the Mother Boxes on Earth.
Reception
The theatrical/Joss Whedon version of Steppenwolf is negatively received and is widely ridiculed by film critics and audiences alike for his design, lack of motivation and character. In addition, he was described as being "generic", "forgettable" and too "family friendly" and was stated to bear too much resemblance to Thanos from the MCU universe. It was reported that Ciarán Hinds was frustrated that much of Steppenwolf's development and personality had been trimmed down in the theatrical cut of Justice League.
Trivia
In a deleted scene, Steppenwolf survives the attack from the Parademons and returns with them to Apokolips, only to soon be killed by Darkseid for his failure to beat Superman.
In Zack Snyder's original cut for the theatrical cut, Steppenwolf gets impaled from behind by Aquaman before being beheaded by Wonder Woman instead of being attacked by his Parademons and dragged to an unknown fate. This was restored in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Steppenwolf's original design was drastically different than the final film's version, like concept art and leaked pre-visualizations for the film revealed the design having a much more menacing and monstrous design. It is believed that Warner Bros executives ordered Joss Whedon (who was also ordered to reshoot and recut Snyder's original cut of the film) to change Steppenwolf's design to make it more appealing to younger audiences. The original design was briefly teased in the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, therefore creating more continuity between the films.
Steppenwolf was originally planned to appear in the 2016's Suicide Squad as The Enchantress' secret benefactor as confirmed by director David Ayer.
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