Steppenwolf is aNew God who is the younger brother ofHeggra (Darkseid's mother) and the uncle ofUxas (Darkseid). He is also a member ofDarkseid's Elite. He leads the military forces ofApokolips and rides hounds bred for battle.
Steppenwolf is one of the earliest survivors ofDoomsday, the monster who once killedSuperman. 245,000 years ago, Steppenwolf takes an Apokoliptian shuttle with Darkseid, Master Mayhem, and a small crew to the planet of Bylan 5. The planet holds delicate natural materials Apokolips needs for weaponry, material which would be destroyed in the event of an invasion. The forcible marriage of Darkseid to the planet's princess comes to an end when Doomsday attacks. Master Mayhem is swiftly torn apart. Darkseid ignores Steppenwolf's orders to use omega beams and engages the creature in hand-to-hand combat. Steppenwolf sees that the destruction that has been wrought has doomed the planet, and all who live on it. He teleports Darkseid out of harm's way, agreeing with Darkseid not to mention this to anyone. Doomsday escapes by stowing away on the Apokoliptian shuttle.[2]
Most of Steppenwolf's appearances under the pen of Jack Kirby are inflashbacks. His debut, inNew Gods #7, is a flashback story in which he helps Darkseid murderHighfather's wife. Highfather tracks down and kills Steppenwolf in retaliation, reigniting the war between the two sides.[3] However, Steppenwolf is eventually resurrected using Apokoliptian technology.[4]
Steppenwolf appears whenMister Miracle (Scott Free) gains godlike powers over life and death. Steppenwolf torments him over his role in killing Scott's mother (or alleged mother figure as is claimed) and in return is physically tortured. Free ends up healing him, instead of killing him as he desires. He is sent away with Darkseid's legions.[5]
He is seen inNew Gods (vol. 2) #6, with a new costume (a Kirby redesign for the figure's Super Powers action figure). Though considered a "mockery", Steppenwolf is given the job of running Darkseid's military forces. He is later seen fighting the Flash (Barry Allen) and theJustice League of America.[6]
As a New God, Steppenwolf is nigh-immortal and possesses superhuman strength and durability. Furthermore, he is an experienced military leader and wields various weapons, including an electric axe and a cable-snare that can generate radion beams.
An alternate universe variant of Steppenwolf fromEarth-Two appears in theEarth-2 comic series. He invades Earth and kills its versions ofSuperman,Batman, andWonder Woman before being killed byBizarro.[9]
Steppenwolf appears inHarley Quinn, voiced byKeith Ferguson. This version is an openly gay, intergalactic businessman whose design is a composite of his original and modern comics designs and that of hisZack Snyder's Justice League incarnation (see below).[citation needed]
In the theatrical release, Steppenwolf is exiled fromApokolips for failing to conquer Earth a millennium prior, after which hisMother Boxes were stolen and hidden around the world. In the present, Steppenwolf returns to Earth in hopes of renewing his invasion and regaining Darkseid's favor. Despite reclaiming the Mother Boxes, he encounters theJustice League and is defeated and returned to Apokolips. This depiction of Steppenwolf was negatively received, with criticism directed at the character's poor computer-generated design and generic demeanor. It was later reported that Steppenwolf's appearance and personality were drastically altered duringJoss Whedon'sretooling of the film, whichScreen Rant criticized for being "too family-friendly" and "forgettable".[15] Additionally, Hinds has expressed frustration with the theatrical version for trimming much of Steppenwolf's development and personality.[16]
In the director's cut, Steppenwolf is banished from Apokolips for attempting to betray Darkseid and must conquer 150,000 worlds before he can return. Additionally, the Mother Boxes were left on Earth following Darkseid's failed invasion of Earth eons ago. After the Mother Boxes are reactivated followingSuperman's death, Steppenwolf travels to Earth to retrieve them, discovering theAnti-Life Equation in the process. Darkseid gives Steppenwolf a chance at redemption by uniting the Mother Boxes to prepare for his arrival. Steppenwolf and his Parademon forces overwhelm the Justice League until a resurrected Superman arrives and defeats him. Nonetheless, the Mother Boxes are synchronized, allowing Steppenwolf to terraform Earth. However, theFlash taps into theSpeed Force and reverses time to undo his victory, leading toAquaman, Superman, andWonder Woman killing Steppenwolf and returning his corpse to Apokolips.[citation needed] This depiction of Steppenwolf received a more positive reception from fans and critics, with praise directed at his monstrous and alien design, more menacing and sinister presence, and greater level of character depth and development in contrast to his theatrical counterpart.[17][18]
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 288.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^abcdef"Steppenwolf Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedMarch 17, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
