Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has only been in theaters for a couple of days, but Warner Bros. has already released a deleted scene from the film.
To explain what might be happening in the scene, references to the film's story must be made. This is your official spoiler warning.
In the scene, dubbed "Communion," Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is standing chest-deep in water on the Kryptonian ship he broke into to create Doomsday. In front of him is an unidentifiable, hellish looking creature that many have speculated could be Steppenwolf, the leader of the Apokolips army and a member of Darkseid's Elite. It appears that Steppenwolf is still just a figment of Luthor's mind, but it also foreshadows what may lie ahead for Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman and the rest of the Justice League in upcoming films.
In the comics, Apokolips is a planet that's ruled over by Darkseid, one of DC's most iconic villains. There are many references made to Darkseid throughout the film, including during one of Batman's "Knightmare" sequences.
In one post-apocalyptic scene, Batman is standing on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a battered city, where Darkseid's Omega logo can be seen. Although the scene doesn't provide too much information on what the symbol means, it is the first acknowledgment of Darkseid in the cinematic universe. The winged demons that appear in this scene, Parademons, are also a part of Darkseid's army.
Toward the end of the film, Luthor also hints toward the existence of Darkseid. He flips over one of the paintings hanging in his father's den so that the demons are hurtling toward Earth instead of coming up through the depths of hell. As he says during an earlier scene, the demons and monsters that Gotham and Metropolis are aware of aren't coming from below the ground, but falling from the skies.
Warner Bros. hasn't said if the figure that appears in the clip is Steppenwolf, but based on comparisons made between the look of the creature in the video and the army leader in the comics, he seems to be the most likely candidate.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently playing in theaters. Read Polygon's official review here.
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