Who Plays Steppenwolf In Zack Snyder's Justice League?
"Zack Snyder's Justice League" features one of the DC franchise's most interesting live-action villains: Steppenwolf.
Unlike Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf appears in both the theatrical and director's cut of "Justice League." First unleashed upon multiplexes in 2017, "Justice League" emerged as a misfire for the ever-expanding DC franchise. Plagued by mediocre reviews and even more mediocre box office receipts, the long-awaited superhero ensemble picture grossed a mere $655 million at the box office. Despite how disappointing the film was, hardcore fans of the franchise and director Zack Snyder rallied together to implore Warner Bros. to release the director's intended vision of the project.
After years of fan campaigns, Snyder released his four-hour cut of the epic on Max to critical acclaim. The director's cut, (or, rather, "Snyder cut") featured a number of key changes and inclusions from the theatrical cut. One major change is how Steppenwolf, the film's big bad, is presented. In both versions of the film, the infamous villain is played by Irish actor Ciarán Hinds. To help bring the Darkseid disciple to life, Hinds was required to perform extensive motion capture. Seeing as Steppenwolf towers over the Justice League, it makes sense that Hinds couldn't perform the extraterrestrial role with prosthetics and make-up.
While Steppenwolf's impeccable character design and towering demeanor mask away Hinds' complex vibe, there's an extremely strong chance that viewers have seen the actor in a number of roles. From blockbuster franchise fare to small, independent dramas, Hinds has proven himself as one of Ireland's most compelling and interesting contemporary thespians.
Where you've seen the Steppenwolf actor before
Following appearances in blockbusters like the Ben Affleck-led "The Sum of All Fears" and the Sam Mendes-directed "Road to Perdition," Ciarán Hinds found himself as one of Hollywood's go-to supporting players. While he still appeared regularly in British projects, it was his career in Hollywood that saw him pumping out blockbusters after blockbusters, such as the 2003 film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life."
Take a look at Hinds' CV and chances are that the Irish actor has appeared in your favorite projects. From Michael Mann's cult-favorite "Miami Vice" to an appearance in the acclaimed "There Will Be Blood," Hinds' filmography is nothing if not varied. While speaking with Screen Daily, Hinds candidly opened up about how strange his career as an actor has been. "It's hard to know what people make of your career," the "Harry Potter" actor admitted. "From my perspective, I just turn up, try not to mess it up, and really connect to [the story] to give people something that's worth watching," he added.
Perhaps it's that simple but effective work ethic that has made him a favorite for directors across all mediums. In addition to working with living legends like Martin Scorsese and Kenneth Branagh, Hinds has also popped up on television shows like "Game of Thrones," where he played Mance Rayder. Because of how fantastic of an actor Hinds is, it's a shame that he was wasted as Steppenwolf in the theatrical cut of "Justice League." Luckily, Zack Snyder's director's cut remedied that.
How Steppenwolf shines in Zack Snyder's Justice League
It's no secret that the theatrical version of "Justice League" was maligned upon release. Thankfully, director Zack Snyder was afforded the opportunity to realize his full vision with a four-hour-cut, which debuted on Max, formerly known as HBO Max. For Ciarán Hinds, seeing Snyder release the final product he wanted was nothing short of a win. "It was his dream to realise it, and I think it's fantastic that he's got this opportunity to realise what he wanted to do in the first space," Hinds told NME prior to the film's release.
For Hinds, who has been chewing up scenery since the '80s, it's a sentiment that makes sense considering how inconsequential and half-baked the character of Steppenwolf was in the film's theatrical cut. Thanks to the director cut's extended runtime, Hinds' Steppenwolf was allowed to shine. Not only does the villain get a much-needed redesign, which makes him look al the more menacing, but his relationship with Darkseid (Ray Porter) is effectively discussed. In "Zack Snyder's Justice League," Steppenwolf is characterized as a grunt who is forced to do Darkseid's bidding, unlike the theatrical cut which positions him as a power-hungry villain.
It's a drastic change and one that critics immediately noted. "With a more imposing costume and savagery on the battlefield the R-rating takes advantage of, Steppenwolf starts off with actual motivations this time (and his eventual fate is so much cooler)," wrote IGN critic Tom Jorgensen in a positive review of the film. Fans hoping to see Hinds truly shine as Steppenwolf should skip the theatrical version and go straight to "Zack Snyder's Justice League."