Steppenwolf Complete History [Justice League]

The main villain of the Justice League movie, Steppenwolf, is a really dumb character and original comic book version isn't much better.
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Research assistance by Natalie29201560.
Special thanks to our Patrons for helping make this possible!
Sirboardgame, Jonathon Sparks, Rob, Bonnie Davies, Hudson, Rasmus Jansell, Senita Mahoney, Jonathan & Megan Pierson, David Adler, Milton Appling, Ralph Braganzan, Ethan Dannen, Yoav Haimovitz, Skylar Lewis-Shirley, LookWhosFhtagn, Casper Qvortrup, Red Deity, Andrew Shaffer, Talentless Hack, Vydal
Tags: #SnyderCut #JusticeLeague #Steppenwolf

[@ComicDrake]

"You call yourself a huge comic fan and didn't know much about Steppenwolf before the release of Justice League?" Yes. Don't sit here and pretend like Steppenwolf has ever been anything other than a bit player in The New Gods comics. He's not Mister Miracle or Granny Goodness. Hell, he's not even Kanto. Get this nerdier than thou bullshit out of here.

[@DominicanMarine129]

Did this guy see the new justice league movie

[@lastnamefirstname9581]

Lmao Metallica reference

[@EnsignRedSquad]

I knew Stephenwolf. Bruce Timm’s Superman the Animated Series introduced him.

[@twerk_it_like_nae_nae7979]

"how bold of you to assume I'm a huge comic book fan"

[@doc8013]

Or you're just not nerdy enough to properly represent in discussions on the topic. Steppy is a legend. Sorry if you're not aware of that but your lack of awareness does not change the fact of the matter.

[@WhaleManMan]

I like how Darkseid, God of Evil, has an uncle

[@TheZooropaBaby]

that's kind of how Jack Kirby's stories work tho, they were always about demigod families bickering with each other

[@redder1078]

There is always an uncle that turns you to the Darkseid.

[@nicholasmarshall8430]

I don't get how they are related. They Don't even look alike.

[@mr.goblin6039]

@@nicholasmarshall8430 Darkseid used to look like a regular guy before he absorbed something called The Omega Effect. That’s why he looks the way he does and why most of his kids either look like crazy monsters or have grey skin and red eyes.

[@master0fthearts894]

Someone needs to make a skit-comedy of their being family drama between the two of them and they’re just casually throwing around references of “Enslaving Mortals” as they argue who should do the next Universe-Assault.

[@typemasters2871]

I do like how it seems that Darkside has a soft spot for his uncle Steppenwolf Darkside: my uncle is dead? Resurrect him Minion: why? Darkside: I’ll think of something, just revive him already

[@sarafontanini7051]

Darkseid: because he is my uncle and I lvoe him! GOD! How is that such a hard concept to grasp!?

[@_MaximumVoltage]

Darkseid: YOU DARE QUESTION DARKSEID. DARKSEID. IS.

[@horseoperamarker]

seid

[@munjee2]

"He was created by Jack kirby" Well that explains a lot

[@paulakroy2635]

you mean like half the character at Marvel

[@SakurakoLover]

Well Jack Kirby wanted to make New Gods for Marvel but Marvel didn't want it because it was pretty risky back to the day, so he went to DC and the rest is history.

[@ManiacX1999]

@@SakurakoLover What exactly was so "risky" about the new gods anyway?

[@paulakroy2635]

@@ManiacX1999 killing off Thor and the Norse gods in ragnagrok

[@SakurakoLover]

@@ManiacX1999 Back then, it seems that Having New Gods in Marvel wasn't good idea for their audiences back then as they rejected Kirby's idea so Kirby went to DC and they accepted his Ideas. So basically Marvel Comics thinks its too very weird for their Universe back then Years later though, Marvel finally got their own New Gods, The Eternals, Thanos(Thanos creator was inspired by Darkseid as well he worked in DC before) and Galactus,etc

[@LiquidSandwich]

I want “shorter than Steppenwolf’s combined lifespans” to become a phrase

[@pacosoentken303]

My pp is shorter than Steppenwolf's combined lifespans

[@OverlordGab]

It has potential

[@GenerationWest]

I learned all I needed to know about Steppenwolf in the mid 2010's and he looked like a humanoid dude with a hat, or had a cool helmet with a sweet set of armor. Then the movie introduced him as a giant grey monster man, then again as a more monstrous spiky grey man. He's been both lifted up and disrespected all at once, that's outstanding.

[@bugs2814]

What do you mean?

[@GenerationWest]

@@bugs2814 You make Steppenwolf a big deal, yet also make him the most boring thing on screen.

[@Nzosaba_Matenge]

@@GenerationWest that's rough

[@willjohnboy]

@@GenerationWest apparently the snyder fixes the problems you've stated according to early reviews.

[@lye27]

@@GenerationWest how is he boring?!?!?!

[@RbkARI]

I remembered Steppenwolf from Superman: The Animated Series and the Justice League show but that's it. And he barely got any screentime there so I knew next to nothing about him.

[@StareachValcin]

Fun fact: Steppenwolf appeared in Justice League action.

[@RbkARI]

@@StareachValcin Oh, that's right. Forgot he was in that show. Man, too bad Justice League Action got cancelled. It was great.

[@StareachValcin]

@@RbkARI true.

[@pi5927]

For some reason he appears a lot in cartoons

[@unofficialspider-man465]

I just rewatched justice league tas and completely forgot he was in it. I feel bad now.

[@the1entirecircus938]

Steppenwolf: **dies** Steppenwolf, in the higher dimensions: goddammit! Darkseid: did you die again? I told you not to waste your time on that clone Steppenwolf: SHUT UP!

[@mattlimbago]

I definitely want to hear more of power couple Steppenwolf and Wonder Woman. Like... how?

[@hopebringer2348]

Came here to say the same thing. Plus, DONNA is their daughter? THE Donna or at least a version of her?

[@unixmoon4842]

@@hopebringer2348 it happened on earth 2 in the new 52 well before she was created on Prime Earth

[@unixmoon4842]

It's literally only a thing for one issue, the Trinity literally die in issue one of that series

[@avam3740]

@@hopebringer2348 a different Donna, just search up “DC Fury”

[@victor0491]

Imagine this but DCEU version

[@SG-js2qn]

Steppenwolf is a steppingstone character. You step on him to get to the real bad guy. He has no other purpose. He's like Toad in the 1960s: Magneto's disgusting lackey. Silver Surfer was also a steppingstone character (for Galactus), but Marvel developed him, made him tragic, and on an arc of redemption. In the Justice League movie, Steppenwolf is just the Toad.

[@henrymcdowell3103]

I don't think the Silver Surfer was ever merely a stepping stone character. He betrays Galactus in Fantastic Four #49, just after his first appearance in Fantastic Four #48. He was never a one-note character, his tragedy and potential for redemption were always there.

[@101Mant]

Thing is Toad is never the main villain of a movie. Loki was working for Thanos in the Avengers but was still an interesting villain, Robnin was in GotG but was pretty unforgettable. There is no reason the stepping-stone villain can't be interesting but Steppenwolf is much more Ronin than Loki. Doesn't help he is another big grey CGI guy, the redesign makes him a little more distinct but he feels very dull and generic.

[@SG-js2qn]

I think I'm getting misunderstood. What I'm saying is Steppenwolf has no depth. He's designed that way. He's a henchman. A bad choice for a featured film villain. He's the appetizer, not the main course. Loki is a main course (esp. in the MCU) even if he's acting for Thanos. He has depth. Part of what made the Silver Surfer attractive in his intro was he was given more depth than Galactus. Galactus was essentially a big hungry guy, that's it. However, Silver Surfer had a complicated backstory with love and sacrifice. He stole the show. But he was a steppingstone leading to Galactus. Steppenwolf is like Toad. Basically just a 2D henchman. There's no depth. So usually a steppingstone is a throwaway character. But not always.

[@annedrieck7316]

@@SG-js2qn Flash:"What happened to Steppenwolf when it got struck by lightning?"

[@master0fthearts894]

3:13 -End of legendary quote: What even is this analogy? Me: No, no, you’ve got a point.

[@Artista_Frustrado]

ok just with the words "he's Darkseid's uncle" there's already enough material for a comedy spin-off for this guy to do stuff, or at least a mini-arc in any show. how do you manage to do nothing?!

[@Nzosaba_Matenge]

It should have SIMP Darkseid for extra comedy

[@warp-star1591]

"but death would not be enough to keep Steppenwolf down" ah yes makes sense to me

[@starfishsicko]

And now he is a sad eyes meme thanks to the snyder cut

[@sylens750]

Aw shut up you won't even know the character without snyder having the idea of him being the villain

[@shinkaiatsuya950]

Wonder woman and Superman got killed by Steppenwolf. Batman: Just give me some prep time.

[@pacosoentken303]

Also Batman: *dies*

[@harley_yelrah9429]

He blew himself up and superman got turned into a battery

[@melvingenao550]

Batman got his asshole turned inside out boii. Lmao batman ain't doing shit

[@mattyt3625]

@@melvingenao550 the batman fanboys worship him tho. You can't insult their god, their lord and saviour.

[@Dempsey1873]

@@mattyt3625 honestly to fight steppenwolf I don't think he'd need prep time for that by now he has his mech suit he used to fight superman and hes probably upgraded it by noe

[@zandermendoza303]

Comic Drake: C'mon Dc, get your information right, it not that hard people! Also Comic Drake: So like I also want to go to more events..... 😂😂

[@koushikraja331]

From what I have heard, steppenwolf in Snyder's movie isn't that awful generic baddie we got in josstice league; he actually seems interesting. It seems that he is tired of being under darkseid's control and is looking for a way out-and add that to the fact that darkseid is his frigging nephew.

[@reezyisback]

Where did you get all that intel ?

[@koushikraja331]

@@reezyisback interviews by the actor cast as Steppenwolf.

[@manazon6945]

Steppenwolf is darksied's uncle. On apokolips, it's not usually a blood relation. Its about who's in the hierarchy first. Steppenwolf stayed behind when new god's seperated. That's why he's darksied's uncle but junior to him as darksied's power is greater. Even though Steppenwolf serves him, he's constantly trying to dethrone and betray him and gain a place among the new gods and darksied let's him plot and try to backstab him and enjoys it. It's an open secret, much like granny goodness herself trying to betray darksied while serving him. This very fact shows how sinical and sinister darksied is, he let's his own generals plan against him, and enjoys them hustle, as he only uses their service till he wants, and then finishes the job himself.

[@yy-hj4br]

I'm a huge new gods fan, and I didn't even know who this guy was. Imagine the MCU finally makes an X-Men film, and all the X-Men are complete unknowns like Wicked and Jimmy Hudson instead of Logan or Laura as Wolverine

[@turnthepage8980]

Yuck!

[@LooferMoofer]

You were clearly not that big a fan. Everyone who knows New Gods knows Steppenwolf.

[@yy-hj4br]

@@LooferMoofer guess I'm a fraud. Here's your nerd points.

[@goncalofernandes1432]

You a comic book fan or just DC fan?

[@yy-hj4br]

@@goncalofernandes1432 I like DC more than marvel, but my access to it is limited. DCU Infinite isn't available internationally yet, and DC increased the prices of their books digitally in my country. I end up having deeper knowledge of Marvel but DC is my favorite. My point still stands though, even by New Gods standard, Steppenwolf is a deep cut

[@Tamashikiri]

I first heard of Steppenwolf from the Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon, where he wasn't even associated with Darkseid, but was the top gladiator on Mongul's Warworld.

[@Redhood813]

South Park: Omg they killed Kenny DC: omg they killed Steppenwolf

[@sarafontanini7051]

Darkseid: YOU BASTARDS!

[@tylerjones7592]

Marvel: they killed Jean grey

[@BernardHotShot22]

I honestly can’t believe how many people haven’t heard of Steppenwolf

[@nation5743]

I knew about him in The Brave and the Bold. Brave and bold really introduced less popular characters.

[@MrCisKo]

I'm so freaking early I spent more time waiting for the video to start than steppenwolf's time alive

[@lightyearpig12]

Steppenwolf, the Meg Griffin of Apokolips.

[@ThatMendezGuy]

There is so much potential with him!! He's such a bland character in the comics, that it leaves the groundwork for anyone to do ANYTHING with him really. I personally have my own DC Comics little universe in the form of lego stop motion animation and I can't wait to use him. It's so out there, but what if Steppenwolf came to Earth to UNITE the planet against Darkseid, considering he betrayed him?

[@WarmLillie]

For me I know Stepphen Wolf because of all the animated series and he was right hand man to Darkside I heard about all these crazy event and I’m happy to know who really is he.

[@MaxWelton]

0:58 finally, a realistic depiction of evil uncle/nephew bonding

[@AussieDragoon]

Ah, our old pal Stephen Wolfe.

[@ItsButterBean1020]

Deadass I’d love to see them play him up as a rival to Diana Make Darkseid the big Thanos or Galactus type but have smaller conflicts between his underlings and the Justice League The New Gods are barely used and letting some of them breathe away from Darkseid would be such a good idea

[@mullaoslo]

I guess you where happy with Zack snyders justice league 😎

[@MaxWelton]

0:14 fun fact: I found some Steppenwolf music in a store in Beijing, China. They’re apparently big enough to bypass the censors.

[@chidieberenwadike4165]

I can say that Zack snyder did him justice in the snyder cut. He's now one of my favorite comic book villains.

[@JohnDoe97637]

I'm hoping that the Snyder Cut version gets implemented into the main DC Universe. The lightning axe, and his armor that shifts and spikes depending on his emotional state, that's awesome!

[@spamton5266]

Well..... Steppenwolf got stomped

[@jayvestephenmalacalogatoc4323]

@@spamton5266 it makes senses tho because superman is a god like being

[@akaneriyun4774]

@@spamton5266 tbf, the mother boxes were literally afraid of Supes probably because he's waaay stronger than Steppenwolf. The trigger for them waking up is his death, after all.

[@shravannair4361]

youre genuinely so entertaning to watch ma man, thanks for such dope ass videos

[@foier]

Your videos are always great dude

[@aishahb8336]

appreciate this video Drake- i definitely needed it back in 2017 though lol

[@yy-hj4br]

DC Universe wasn't a thing yet, DC related videos are a lot easier to research now. I've been generally seeing more DC related videos from Comictubers since DC Universe became more Marvel Unlimited like.

[@NullNoxproduction]

Love the honesty and you are my main source for comic book knowledge, glad I keep up with your videos. 😃 your do great work drake 💯💎

[@NerdettesNewsStand]

That "Thanks" to DC cracks me up

[@MauZangetsu]

I just wanted them to design Steppenwolf the way he looks in New 52's Earth-2

[@ZeldaSnow]

But does this make Steppenwolf more relavent or less relavent to DC than Zemo was to the MCU overall? That's the real question

[@IMRamos-ul8ms]

MCU Zemo broke the Avengers of which allowed Thanos victory in Infinity War. That seems pretty relevant to me

[@stormbringer7773]

@@IMRamos-ul8ms To be fair even if the Avengers didn't break up, Thanos still would've won in the end. Zemo just made things easier.

[@_Rick___Grimes_]

what did you think of his treatment in the synder cut? he actually felt like more of a fleshed out character there, at least compared to theatrical release.

[@sourjoker962]

Great video

[@master0fthearts894]

Stephen Wolf in Comics: *Complex interesting character.* Justice League Studio Interference and Overall Messy Production: *Is this a boring grey blob of danger?*

[@ComicDrake]

Calling him a complex and interesting character in the comics is a big stretch.

[@master0fthearts894]

@@ComicDrake More interesting than the movies, and as you said in your Kite-Man video, “There’s no such thing as a bad character, just bad writing.” Writers could easily make him more interesting and complex if they tried to write him better. (Which will hopefully be the case in the Snyder Cut)

[@master0fthearts894]

@@ComicDrake It is a stretch. That’s the point, Comedy through exaggeration.

[@cliffdrums]

The same way you feel in regards to how stephenwolf can be a really great character, is how I feel about the New Gods in general. Especially the Female Furies. Them, Kanto, Kalibak, mr miracle, etc, are all underused across all of DC's mediums. They show up in mini series like King's Mr Miracle or John's Justice League, Meltzer's Identity Crisis, and they have a brief cameo in Scott Snyder's Justice League run, but that's about it. These characters just get used in support of someone else's stories and rarely get chances to shine in their own stories.

[@jacoboswald4726]

A lot of people talk about this subject, but you’ve yet again found a way to bring someone new to the discussion. Hell yeah.

[@EpitomeOfJustice]

Hmmm, yeah, I hadn't even really seen him in the comics, the majority of my seeing him was the animated series so it's nice to know a little more than offered in a few 22 minute cartoon episodes with little actual info. Great job finding what you did!

[@matthewedwards6054]

Steppenwolf is one of those characters I always forget doesn't have much story and isn't seen very often. I always think he was in more things with darkseid.

[@chrisbellef]

Great video drake glad I could help with the encyclopedia

[@ComicDrake]

Thank you so much for it! I figured that something was off so it was nice to be able to verify.

[@chrisbellef]

@@ComicDrake no problem I also the marvel version to so if you ever need anything from it or the dc one again just ask

[@Dr.Barber]

I'll say I had heard of Steppenwolf before Justice League but only in as far as he was a dude who worked for Darkseid.

[@Portly]

That's a sweet mug if I ever saw one

[@DeviDoesNothing]

Oh, this explains why you edited the Terror Titans Vol 1 1 page on the DC wiki while I was reading it a few days back lmao

[@MaxWelton]

5:02 it actually IS that hard, as your own analyses and summaries can attest.

[@christianhayward89]

Yoo. Comics drake big fan bro. Little advice, give the streets some videos on metal, death metal, leading up to future state and infinite frontier. I really think you'll get more than a decent amount of views. Either way, like I said big fan bro. I would love to see this channel get bigger.

[@kirkoli5001]

Like your new set *Comic Drake*

[@Pharo2006]

thanks to u i have started reading Invisible, it's full of drama

[@tariffictypist7372]

I got a snyder cut ad in the beginning of this video

[@WarmLillie]

Steppenwolf keep on getting push, kill around and well step on by DC... Playing the sidekick like Robin He really does a lot of cool stuff but get outshine and sometime dies a lot...

[@eributts]

Great video. Steppenwolf is such a weird character

[@ez_is_bloo]

I liked the number 2 analogy.

[@wllngtnjhnsn]

Steppenwolf (in ZSJL) as the exiled uncle and general of Darkseid, tasked with conquering worlds to regain a place at his nephews side is pretty great as far as characterization goes.

[@bookinbear5203]

I find it very strange that movie Steppenwolf looks like some sort of grey alien giant when comics Steppenwolf is just a guy

[@Space_Cowboy_Revolver]

There's a lot of grey in the movie.

[@outtabox4676]

And the fans wanted the grey giant

[@esteban5628]

Nice

[@christophercruz1084]

I only first knew about Steppenwolf in the New 52 Justice League Vol. 1, and even THEN he was in like 1-2 pages AT MOST.

[@hemanshu3698]

YESSIR!! Finally someone sees the potential

[@sonicrichardsrb]

I’d love a video on earth 2 btw

[@comixproviderftw_02]

"I thought it (ZSJL teaser trailer) was a fan mashup. You mean to tell me Megatron Stepphenwolf wasn't done by some 13 year old kid with Photoshop and it was made by a professional animator?” -The Warp Zone Batman

[@sonofaquack6987]

It’s so strange to me because I remember an animated DC movie or something with Darkseid just directly confronting the Justice League right then and there and then seeing whole armies just trying to fight back Steppenwolfs forces

[@joelcraig9803]

Steppenwolf's "Wasted Potential" that he never got his magic carpet ride.

[@rcbmmines4579]

“Izaya” is actually pronounced “Isaiah”. As in the biblical prophet. Even the Source’s Uni-Friend hand thing is based on the Old Testament.

[@thebaneking4787]

The movie was awesome. Love it

[@vicentecorrea8783]

wow havent been this early

[@erikholmysti]

More new gods Kirby stuff! Yay

[@mjolnirfan]

I hope he does a video on Fury someday.

[@weeb-ubreafs1382]

Please do a full fledged new gods video

[@TheCreepypro]

I never realized this guy was a new god they really don't give him time to shine

[@supercalifragilisticexpial2703]

Wow Steppenwolf looks cool

[@trence5]

Yeah, the Steppenwolf that appeared in Earth-2 was a BEAST! It depends on the current writer. If DC bother to establish some ground rules that might cut down on the confusion.

[@Bugtown]

The first time I ever saw the character steppenwolf was 10 years ago on this little cereal box activity comic and it involved green lantern and wonder woman

[@noaholson9047]

I would watch a whole video on just the history of the new gods

[@gigalad4205]

Can we get a video on the "legend, myth and endless" the Phantom Stranger.

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

imaginary axis covered him, so you could watch that if you really want a video on him

[@aricohen3053]

Well helo there Mr wolf

[@jonryder7269]

I love his original Kirby design, looks like Darkseids master of the hunt.

[@eneasihopoi9786]

They should've kept him alive for more movies. Darkseid and steppenwolf against the JL

[@samuelturner6076]

I’m glad I watched this, the highlight for me was the sincere please colab with me more DC bit, it was wholesome and I just like people fanboying out and good stuff. Honestly I couldn’t care less for Stepenwolf or basically any of the apocalypse stuff (sans Darkside a little bit), I’m definitely not saying it’s bad as I don’t have the information to judge on that, it’s just never been something I particularly enjoyed whenever they came up in the relatively small amount of DC stuff I consume (mainly only Batman stuff and animated stuff). Before watching this video I honestly couldn’t tell you the name of the main villain in the JL movie or even much of what happened in it. Imo the JL movie was pretty bad (hate how they did my boi Cyborg (and Bats in that universe)) so that definitely didn’t help Stepenwolfs case. However this video was quite interesting, especially since Stepenwolf seems to be a much more minor character, it’s perplexing that they went with him and made him a departure from the source, when Darkside would’ve been a seemingly better fit.

[@soulscribe_h]

I got news rom Steppenwolf by reading a lot of comics and I actually ate the whole Earth 2 continuity (it was fun overall). Also, Steppenwolf actually appeared in Darkseid War (with a kinda new design, at least his eyes and beard) and he actually fought before the Anti-Monitor "killed" Darkseid. The thing is that Steppenwolf hasn't got a prominent role as a villain, even when Darkseid has been involved. Maybe after Zack Snyder's Justice League, as per usual, writers will start to use him more and since Darkseid is back as the ultimate villain during Infinite Frontier, well, it's to be expected.

[@expendableindigo9639]

Steppenwolf had a bigger role in Lego DC Villains (the video game sequel to Lego Batman) than he did in a lot of the actual comics.

[@Shadowkiller-dq2ju]

I only knew him from the Superman the animated series

[@alnorth612]

It's ironic how a dude that looks like a Steppenwolf is describing Steppenwolf.....

[@the1entirecircus938]

Just learned he got ressurected somehow after his death

[@ogeid772]

If this character is so underground to the point that even hardcore comicbook fans dont know about him, why was he chosen to be the villain of the Justice League movie? Seriously, its like they wanted that movie to flop

[@outtabox4676]

Exactly, but now everyone is parading after the movie

[@zoekelly9949]

Steppenwolf seems relatively popular to game devs at least. Though that makes sense as the way games are structured it be incredibly strange not to use him in anything with Darkseid as the final boss. Well except in fighting games.

[@pistaalkohol]

The main thing I took away from this video: Steppenwolf leads the evil new god version of the Atomic Knights

[@Hunter_Goldenwolf]

I didn't even get a notification that this video was uploaded :(

[@ComicDrake]

That's why ringing that bell is super important. Also, you can follow my Patreon WITHOUT PLEDGING to get email notifications for new uploads.

[@Hunter_Goldenwolf]

@@ComicDrake made to sure turn the bell off and on rn and wait really?! Well time to go follow to get updates! :D

[@_h1ghl4nd3r]

The real question I what answered.... what is in the mug?! More Mug Rootbeer?

[@benwashacked3350]

Are you going to talk about Batman The Adventures Continue book? The second “season” for it is launching in may

[@Jorge-dh1hp]

Make a video on New Gods in general

[@commonviewer2488]

On another note, any thoughts on Post New 52 Earth-2? I get the feeling the series wasn't originally going to end its midpoint with the end of the world itself.

[@Silver_Spectre]

Before the film I had knew of him from his amazing New 52 design and wish they went with that design for the movie

[@zaloon148]

He looks too human like

[@DeadJack1999]

Realised i havent read justice league since rebirth

[@matthewjutzen424]

From Superman the animated series we got that he led Darkseids armies and was essentially a hunter.