Despite being Steppenwolf’s master and ruler of the hellscape that is Apokolips, Darkseid was nowhere to be seen during the theatrical cut of Justice League, earning just a brief mention while his horn-helmeted minion invaded Earth with his Parademon army. However, Darkseid did factor into Zack Snyder’s original vision for Justice League, with Ray Porter playing the character.
While DC Extended Universe fans can look forward to seeing Ray Porter’s Darkseid in The Snyder Cut, officially known as Zack Snyder’s Justice League, let’s not forget that there’s also a New Gods movie on the way, and Darkseid is confirmed to appear there. Does this mean Porter will get to reprise Darkseid in the upcoming Ava DuVernay-directed flick? Here’s what the actor recently had to say on the matter:
So while Ray Porter is thankful so many people are wanting to see him go another round as Darkseid, he also understands that since Ava DuVernay is the one directing New Gods, she should get to decide who plays Darkseid in that movie, rather than just be beholden to who Zack Snyder brought in for Justice League. This arguably becomes even more important if New Gods ends up being a standalone story rather than share any connectivity with the DCEU.
Whether Ray Porter plays Darkseid again or not, at the very least, his respectful response caught the attention of Ava DuVernay, who replied to his tweet with the following:
A gentleman and true artist. Thank you, sir.
Hey, maybe even if Ava DuVernay decides to cast someone else as Darkseid for New Gods, maybe she can cast Ray Porter in a different role. Ultimately, I do think that DuVernay will decide to bring in a more well-known actor to bring her version of Darkseid to life, similar to how Damon Poitier cameoed as Thanos in The Avengers, but Josh Brolin portrayed The Mad Titan for the rest of his MCU appearances.
Ava DuVernay was announced as New Gods’ director back in March 2018, shortly after her last movie, A Wrinkle in Time, came out. In addition to her helming duties, DuVernay is also co-writing the New Gods script with Tom King, one of DC Comics’ most well-known current writers who has some experience with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World mythology thanks to the Mister Miracle series he worked on with artist Mitch Gerads.
Darkseid appearing in New Gods makes complete sense given that in addition to being one of the Justice League’s greatest enemies, he’s the chief antagonist in the New Gods corner of the DC universe. And once you throw in Darkseid, you also get plenty of his loyal subjects, including The Female Furies, who are confirmed to appear. Assuming Steppenwolf also shows up, his depiction will clarify whether or not New Gods is set in the same continuity as Justice League or a separate reality.
As for who New Gods’ protagonists will be, while Ava DuVernay teased that Big Barda will be part of the Female Furies, it’s unclear if she’ll be on that nefarious team for the entirety of the movie or eventually defect to become a hero. It’s worth noting that a rumor from early 2019 claimed that Big Barda would be paired with the love of her life, Mister Miracle, in New Gods, and the duo would clash with Granny Goodness. DuVernay also revealed earlier this year that New Gods’ fourth draft included All-Widow, Queen of the Bugs on New Genesis.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how New Gods is coming along. For now, Zack Snyder’s Justice League will drop on HBO Max in early to mid-2021, and be sure to look through our DC movies guide to learn what else is coming down this particular superhero pipeline.
