Although Darkseid was removed completely from the theatrical version of Justice League, the DC supervillain’s role in the Snyder Cut carried a fair amount of significance. The Justice League reshoots, which were done in Zack Snyder’s absence after the director left the film due to a family tragedy, resulted in the theatrical cut of the movie departing heavily from what Snyder had intended. Among the many alterations made to the film was the removal of a large number of DC characters - both major and minor - including Darkseid, who would only be referenced with a single line of dialogue by Steppenwolf, “For the Unity! For Darkseid!”

The Justice League Snyder Cut has seen what can only be described as an explosion of mainstream interest recently. A rapidly expanding deluge of cast and crew members have begun openly advocating for the release of the Justice League Snyder Cut, with Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck now among them. Additionally, Ray Porter, who portrayed Darkseid in the movie, has also made his support for the Snyder Cut’s release known.

Without actually seeing Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League, only so much can be said for certain about Darkseid’s role in the film. However, information that is publicly known (much of it made available by Snyder’s own social media teases) can be used to establish which scenes Darkseid can be confirmed to have appeared in. One area where Darkseid was definitely set to appear was in the Justice League history lesson, as revealed by Snyder himself on Vero. Additionally, Darkseid (known by the name “Uxas” at this point the film) was set to go head-to-head with Ares, the God of War. Ultimately, Darkseid’s presence in the history lesson was swapped out for Steppenwolf in the theatrical cut.

The history lesson may also have tied in with a mural of Darkseid seen by Wonder Woman, and he was also set to appear in another pivotal moment in the movie. Specifically, Cyborg’s interface with the Kryptonian scout ship during Superman’s resurrection would have seen another vision of the Knightmare reality glimpsed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Furthermore, Darkseid was also to be seen during the movie’s climax following the League’s defeat of Steppenwolf, with the latter having originally met a much more definitive end, as well.

It is probable that there were other scenes featuring Darkseid in Zack Snyder’s cut of the movie. Indeed, a recent image released by Snyder relating to the Man of Steel’s heroic sacrifice in Batman v Superman seemingly points to the Snyder Cut revisiting Kal-El’s death, and this could have also been an area where Darkseid held some kind of looming presence. Nevertheless, the aforementioned scenes are the only ones in which Darkseid certainly appeared in.

By now, it is as clear as it’s ever been that the particular circumstances of the Snyder Cut make it truly unique among superhero movies, with or without it actually being released. Furthermore, it is now just as evident that the growing demand for its release is here to stay.  With mainstream interest in Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League steadily rising, what is both known and unknown about Darkseid’s role in it is sure to be one of many factors to keep talk about the Snyder Cut going for a long time to come.

  • Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Suicide Squad 2 Release Date: 2021-08-06 Black Adam Release Date: 2022-10-21 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25