Justice League trailer welcomes horde of enemies glimpsed in Batman v Superman

The Justice League trailer not only introduced viewers to DC and Warner Bros.’ united superhero team, but also ushered in a horde of enemies the group will have to tackle.

If the group of demonic, flying pests — otherwise known as parademons — look familiar to you, that’s not too surprising. Parademons first made their DC Cinematic Universe (DCEU) debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. When Batman is in nightmare mode, he can be seen taking on a group of soldiers in a desert-based army camp. The wasp-like creatures descend upon the hero mid-fight and it’s the first real look people are given at DC’s version of the orcs from Lord of the Rings. The scene in question can be viewed below.

In the new trailer for Justice League, the parademons return. They can be seen multiple times, but one of the most memorable moments occurs when Aquaman leaps into the air, trident in hand, and stabs it through one of the parademon’s body. Unlike the scene in Batman v Superman, however, there are far more parademons this time around, with thousands littering the screen at one point.

The question that remains is what this means for Justice League, and the answer to that is relatively simple. The emergence of parademons as one of the peskier but deadly villains the Justice League has to take on reiterates just how important Darkseid and Steppenwolf will be to both this movie and the DCEU at large.

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If we think of the parademons as orcs, then Darkseid is their Sauron. The parademons are essentially children of Apokolips, the planet Darkseid rules over, and are loyal soldiers in Darkseid’s army. While Darkseid will remain an overwhelming presence throughout the DCEU (based on what we’ve seen), he also won’t be the main villain in Justice League. That duty has been handed off to Steppenwolf, Darkseid’s uncle and elite Apokolips general. He’ll be the one in control of the parademon army and the final boss, if you will, that the Justice League will have to destroy in the movie.

Considering how much director Zack Snyder, DC and Warner Bros. want to play up Darkseid in general, however, don’t count Justice League as the last time parademons will appear in a movie. They may be the one constant, along with their great monarch Darkseid, in the entire franchise.

The first trailer for Justice League was released on Saturday, following a few days of promotional teasers, and for the most part won fans over. One of the biggest concerns fans walked away with after watching it, however, was how Cyborg would come across in the movie.

Justice League, the fourth movie in the DCEU, will be released on Nov. 17.