When a new character is being introduced in a comic book movie, there is always a key design period where artists and filmmakers figure out the perfect look. Sure, the source material is always a starting place, but not everything works in live action, so it's typical that a wide variety of interpretations are put together. Steppenwolf, the villain of Zack Snyder's Justice League, is no exception to this, as you can see from the concept art below:
Since the release of Justice League, artist Jerad Marantz has been posting his personal concept art for the movie on his personal Instagram page, and he recently revealed one of the designs he was working on for the villainous Steppenwolf. As you can see, this look is definitely a lot more monstrous and alien than the character that wound up appearing in the film, not only featuring a much freakier face, but also looking considerably more bulky. Also, while the film-version is made to look like he's wearing a helmet, this design seems to suggest that the "horns" are actually a part of his head.
For comparison, here is what Steppenwolf actually wound up looking like in the finished cut of Justice League:
Had the movie gone with a version of Steppenwolf closer to Jerad Marantz's concept art, one wonders if it might have ultimately had an effect on the characterization of the villain. After all, while he probably would have been a CGI creation, he looks like a bit more beast-like and feral in the early design, and that look could have influenced Zack Snyder to provide him with a different kind of personality than the one that was chosen. Considering Steppenwolf was really the weak link of the film, perhaps it could have been an improvement - but that's just speaking in hypotheticals.
We'll obviously never get to see this early take on Steppenwolf , but Justice League fans can still see the final design on the big screen, as the movie is still in theaters. And for those of you who can't wait to invite the leader of the parademon army into their homes, the Blu-ray/DVD of the DC Extended Universe film is expected to arrive in February of next year. Hopefully that home video release will come packed with a whole ton of special features that show us even more early designs for Steppenwolf and the key heroes of the blockbuster.
