Justice League: Why Wonder Woman is Scared of Darkseid Despite Beating Ares

There’s a good reason Wonder Woman is so afraid of Darkseid in Justice League, despite having a victory over Ares on her superhero resume. The changes implemented by Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon upon the Justice League movie have been well documented over the past 3 years, but a groundswell of support for original director, Zack Snyder, culminated in the long-awaited announcement of the Snyder cut’s release. One of the biggest differences between the theatrical and Snyder edits is the role of Darkseid. This major comic villain had been teased previously in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and was widely expected to become a major force in the DCEU’s future.

References to Darkseid are few and far between in the 2017 theatrical release of Justice League; Steppenwolf acknowledges that Darkseid is his master, and that’s about it. In the Snyder cut, Darkseid’s presence would’ve been much more significant. Steppenwolf was still lined up as Justice League‘s main villain, but the Darkseid threat would continue to grow, with the villain himself finally making his live-action debut in the film’s closing moments. Voiced by Ray Porter, Darkseid’s arrival in the DCEU was intended to set up future movies and the dystopian apocalypse shown in Batman V Superman‘s Knightmare sequence.

Fans got their first proper glimpse at the Snyder cut thanks to a short Wonder Woman-centric teaser that dropped last month. The clip shows Diana inspecting a shrine by firelight and spotting a clear image of Darkseid carved into the stone. While the trailer is short – a scant 30 seconds or so – the most important element is the fear in Diana’s face when she sees the depiction of Darkseid and realizes this mythical alien megalomaniac could be on his way to Earth. Some might consider this reaction a little unusual for Wonder Woman. The superhero is perhaps the coolest, most fearless member of DC’s Trinity and managed to kill Ares himself in her debut solo movie. If Diana can destroy a god, why should she be scared of Darkseid?

Although Wonder Woman has never come face to face with Darkseid herself in the DCEU’s continuity, the mural she’s perusing in the new Justice League trailer tells the full story of Darkseid’s previous attempt to seize control of the universe. Here, Diana would learn that the combined might of Ares and Zeus was only able to temporarily repel Darkseid. Ares, whom Diana barely managed to kill during World War I, and Zeus, who bestowed Diana’s powers upon her, weren’t enough to finish off Darkseid. Upon learning this, fear is the only sensible reaction Diana could have.

Furthermore, this scene likely takes place shortly after Steppenwolf lands on Earth and defeats the Amazons. Both Hippolyta and Antiope took part in the original battle depicted within the shrine, and both women surely passed on stories about Darkseid and his untold strength to a young Diana. Perhaps she only ever took these tales as the exaggerated yarns adults spin to youngsters and never fully believed Darkseid existed, or that he would live up to his storied reputation. Seeing the Amazonians defeated, however, Diana is forced to face reality. Making the situation even darker, Diana now has to fight without the aid of her Amazonian kin. Wonder Woman must do what the combined power of Ares, Zeus and Themyscira could not.

In this respect, the Snyder cut trailer is a very effective first tease for Darkseid’s arrival. Wonder Woman is arguably the character fans least expect to show fear after living so long and witnessing so much, but Gal Gadot plays the sense of dread and foreboding perfectly, hyping up Darkseid as an impossibly formidable force ahead of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3631 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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