JLU Scene-by-Scene: Zack Snyder's Justice League, Part 1 Episode 4

This episode of the Justice League Universe podcast focuses on Steppenwolf's arrival to Themyscira in Part 1 of Zack Snyder's Justice League.

• Themyscira
• The motherbox's timing
• Steppenwolf's design
• Battle in the temple
• Hippolyta and her warriors
• Horseback action
• Hippolyta and Menalippe discuss the ancient warning fire

 <Transcript below>

Welcome fans of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. This is the Justice League Universe podcast where we analyze DC Films scene-by-scene. I’m Carol Lomba and in this episode we are going to see how Steppenwolf acquires the first of the three Motherboxes, in Part 1 of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, available on HBO Max and on various streaming sites around the world. And soon to be available on home media in the US starting September 7th. Pre-order your copies today!

 

The first thing you notice is as the scene transitions there is that ancient lamentation to match the Amazonian setting as the shot pans over a cliff, setting the stage for what’s to come in the battle ahead. Specifically we will see the structure collapse into the waters below. Queen Hippolyta arrives at the scene with her entourage to investigate the disturbance of the Motherbox. They walk in formation through a hall we are introduced to that will be a focus in just a few minutes. The Amazons in the temple are still diligent and on guard for a potential threat from the Motherbox. Hippolyta asks for an update and is told there has been no change, questioning why nothing has happened yet. It seems they were in fact expecting some sort of threat as a result of the Motherbox awakening. We are given a bit more context as they continue to talk, mentioning that the box had been sleeping for thousands of years. Unlike us who saw firsthand during the introduction, they are unaware of why the Motherbox awoke now of all times. 

 

As they are talking, the Motherbox appears to power down, the first change of any kind since it awoke. Philippus suggests perhaps it has gone back to sleep. Hippolyta profoundly states that evil does not sleep, it waits. Though we haven’t been introduced to Darkseid yet, this does tie into his history and the origins of the Motherbox being on Earth. He has not given up on his great prize, the anti-life, and has merely been patient until it is once again found.

 

The Motherbox begins to whir again signaling activity and foreshadowing Steppenwolf’s arrival. Menalippe says “Something is coming” preparing us for the epic scene about to begin. Hippolyta calls out to prepare for battle and the Amazons let out a unified grunt as they take a fighting stance. They act in unison indicating their preparedness and teamwork. The whirring of the motherbox becomes more intense as it shakes like the sound of an accelerating engine, powering up to create a portal from which Steppenwolf and his parademons will emerge. We see a cylinder of light with a hexagonal pattern come down from above behind the motherbox. Though it's not stated, this portal is called a boomtube in the comics. Like a vacuum or singularity pulling from the opposite end, akin to the Phantom Zone singularity from Man of Steel but on a smaller scale, the boomtube’s creation seems to propel outward a wave of energy on this end which throws back the Amazons.

 

Some might consider the timing of this assault and Hippolyta’s arrival coincidental. However we learn later in the film that the Motherboxes are alive and sentient. Hippolyta is addressed as “My queen”, and we hear the whirring of the Motherbox powering down just as Hippolyta finishes mentioning the First Age. This suggests that the motherbox may be reacting to that mention, recognizing Hippolyta from that first great war which left it stranded on Earth. This opens the possibility that the time of the assault isn’t coincidental as much as a response to Hippolyta being there. 

 

On to the actual assault, we see a beautiful shot of the boomtube from a distance as reinforcements are already approaching. There is also a reaction shot from some Amazons who see it during the course of their duties. These shots preface the arrival of a whole Amazon army at the end of the scene. Back inside the chamber, the Amazons are protecting their queen with their shields when she emerges from behind them to see what is happening. Menalippe calls the Amazons to be on their marks prompting them to aim their arrows at the boomtube for the evil threat they await.

 

A swarm of flying, demonic looking creatures emerge from the boomtube. This harkens back to Lex’s comment in BvS about how devils come from the sky. They don’t immediately attack, instead assembling before Steppenwolf’s arrival as a preliminary guard giving Hippolyta and the Amazons a chance to observe them.

 

Steppenwolf slams down in all his spiky glory as his features are gradually revealed with choice framing leading to a grand reveal of his full form. We normally see this landing associated with heroes, often referred to as a heroic landing. So it is somewhat ironic to see the villain arrive in such fashion. We get a very good look at Steppenwolf’s armor. Zack Snyder has described the design as a space knight. In addition to the overall plated appearance, he has somewhat of a mail skirt armor which contributes to that imagery. The design is incredibly detailed, and the CG is god tier. You can see the spikes move, which he uses in the film to intimidate, fend off attacks, cut arrows, and even recoil as a sign of respect. So he appears to have some sort of control over it as if it's actually a part of his biology. This is interesting to consider as its metal characteristics circumvent our natural assumptions about living organisms in general and add a further sense of alien to his design. 

 

His large horns and feet evoke the imagery of a bull, which Alfred later references. Bulls symbolize strength, an important image to convey when conquering, and certainly congruent with Steppenwolf’s abilities as we will see shortly. They are also linked to a season of rebirth which relates to how conquered planets are reborn in Darkseid’s image through the Unity of the Motherboxes. Bulls were often sacrificed during ancient rituals by people hoping to secure the gods’ goodwill, so there is also some symbolism in the killing of Steppenwolf and his head being put at the feet of Darkseid who is a New God.

 

Steppenwolf also wields a monstrous axe which glows and, when used, conducts yellow bolts of electricity. It’s worth noting that photons have energies proportional to the frequency of light, so the more blue the light, the more energy the individual photons have. As electrons jump energy levels, the amount of energy they release is transmitted to the photons. Yellow lightning tends to be cooler than blue lightning. Given Zack Snyder’s conscious use of blue lightning for the Flash’s speed force, the purely fictional implication of Steppenwolf’s Axe exuding yellow bolts is that they are weak electrical charges. It’s also worth noting that given what we know about Steppenwolf and the New Gods, the axe must be imbued with or harnessing the forces of nature as opposed to having magical attributes which, in the comics, are harmful to Superman.

 

Steppenwolf looks around at the Amazons as the parademons point their guns at them. At this point he doesn’t know who they are, only that they are armed and prepared to fight. He identifies them as defenders of this world noting that defenders on one hundred thousand other worlds have all failed. We don’t know if this is the number of worlds he himself has conquered, or the number of worlds Apokalips has conquered, but Desaad’s later statement that Steppenwolf still owes the great one 50,000 worlds suggests the number refers to worlds for which he himself has overseen the conquering. What’s interesting is that he adds “they always fail” not realizing he is on the one planet that did not fail to defend itself from Darkseid’s invasion in the past.

 

Steppenwolf finally addresses the Amazons telling them he’s come to enlighten them to the great darkness. His choice of words makes for an interesting contrast of light and dark. For evil, darkness may be viewed as light is to us. Darkness would typically suggest a lack of knowledge and understanding. Of course the darkness here is a reference to Darkseid and his empire. He adds that he will bathe in their fear which would very well be a taunt to provoke fear, but it also indicates his sense of superiority and malintent. And as the central villain of the movie, it’s also the antithesis of what the central hero has historically been known to say. “Have no fear, Superman is here.”

 

Hippolyta steps up and rallies her soldiers’ morale. She identifies them as “Daughters of Themyscira” for Steppenwolf which garners no reaction from him further enforcing that he knows not who they are. She tells them to show him their fear to which they respond in unison “We have no fear”. Note that an absence of fear is not the same as courage. Courage is overcoming fear or acting in the face of fear. The absence of fear suggests the Amazons do not feel any sense of danger or alarm. This could mean a variety of things such as having lived so long that they are ready to die or they are overconfident and don’t recognize Steppenwolf as a danger. It could also just be a response to taunt Steppenwolf back and synchronize their attack, especially since they seemed to show fear in response to the Motherbox awakening. In any case, they immediately begin to attack the enemy, shooting their arrows at the parademons who begin to shoot back with the energy based rifles.

 

The battle ensues and we see a few losses on both sides as the fighting rages. It’s an interesting contrast of old, medieval weaponry versus advanced, alien guns creating a clear distinction between the Old Gods and the New Gods. The slow motion effects throughout these scenes aren’t just for artistic effect. They also help the audience to follow the action. The boomtube dissipates amid the fray. Hippolyta calls on Menalippe to gather the legions and tells another Amazon to go with her. Menalippe responds by telling Hippolyta she must seal the cage where they are fighting. This is clearly an established plan given the structure was built specifically to house the Motherbox and was designed with several sealing walls. As if to emphasize the urgency and her knowledge of what she must do as the queen, Hippolyta yells at her to go. Menalippe then calls out to Philippus before running out presumably relinquishing command to her. Another Amazon chases after Menalippe to accompany her.

 

We turn to Steppenwolf who slays a few Amazons easily with his axe as he approaches the Motherbox. One Amazon leaps off another Amazon’s shield, a move first introduced to us in 2017’s Wonder Woman film, and lands on his head but is quickly thrown off. This prompts the Amazons to dogpile him as red energy blasts from Parademons’ guns and yellow lightning from Steppenwolf’s axe surround them. Steppenwolf reaches out to try and grab the Motherbox as the Amazons do everything they can to hold him back. Even with their numbers, the Amazons appear to be outmatched against Steppenwolf. Hippolyta uses her lasso to snag the Motherbox out of Steppenwolf’s grasp which causes him to call out “No!” She looks right at him in defiance and Steppenwolf stares back with fury. We see his seven fingers as they wrap over the head of one of the Amazons.

 

We get a glimpse of Steppenwolf from Hippolyta’s vantage but she quickly turns to see a Parademon on the wall above her. So we see her make her way to the side of the entrance where she’ll be running up to attack him, but that’s quickly interrupted with Epione getting shot and screaming out in pain. We then return to Hippolyta running up the wall viewed from a different angle. Here we see the Parademon jump down off the wall because Hippolyta is coming up after him. The Parademon tries to shoot her twice, but an Amazon calls out “behind you” to warn Hippolyta and they miss, only to have her drop down on him with her sword.

 

Epione looks down at her wound and Hippolyta calls out to her before rushing to her side. Epione tells her to “honor us”, and “it’s right.” This sounds as though she is accepting that their lives are forfeit, but that it’s for a good reason. And that Hippolyta would be showing them respect by allowing them to die for the sake of this cause. Almost like saying “a good death is its own reward”, a line used by Faora, another female warrior, in Man of Steel. Epione stresses this by urging Hippolyta to “Seal it” which would leave them trapped inside with the enemy since Steppenwolf wouldn’t have the Motherbox to create a boomtube out of there. Or at the very least it would hopefully delay Steppenwolf long enough to hide the Motherbox once again.

 

Hippolyta understands and makes for the entrance without hesitation calling for the Amazons in the tunnel to ready the hammers which will be used to bring down the gates. Euboea, who appears to be Hippolyta’s mentee or the like, follows her into the hallway and is struck by a Parademon. She is thrown against the wall and falls to the ground. Before the Parademon can strike her, it is hit by an arrow giving Hippolyta time to impale it while it’s distracted. Euboea stands up and runs as Hippolyta calls out to “Seal it now!” She is about to run out only to have her ankle grabbed by the same Parademon she had stabbed, still clinging to life. The Hammers are swung, destroying the wooden pillars holding up the solid gates. This adds some suspense to the moment. They also highlight the fact that they don’t have advanced technology, They are still using the “old ways”. The imagery and their classical methods emphasize the muscular physique of the hammer wielding Amazons to establish the great amount of effort required to smash the pillars. Perhaps these Amazons specifically trained and built up their bodies for this particular task. Some have criticized Zack Snyder for their appearance suggesting he was objectifying women by having them wear revealing clothing. However at least one of the actresses, Samantha Jo, has come out publicly stating a sense of empowerment on the set of Justice League and a feeling of comfort and confidence in what she wore and how she was being represented. And that is one thing Zack Snyder really focuses on across a lot of his films: female empowerment.

 

Moving on, Hippolyta slashes the parademon between the shots of the hammer strikes to stress the urgency and timing of her escape from the cage. She sprints for the exit, but seeing that Hippolyta won’t make it in time, the last two Amazons hold up the falling wall so that she can make it out with the Motherbox. The weight of the wall is too much for them to bear as it brings them to their knees. Hippolyta slides underneath at the last second in epic slow-motion fashion. Once outside she props herself up and looks back at the rumbling structure, emotional over the Amazons left behind. All these women made huge sacrifices, giving their lives for the sake of protecting the Motherbox. They willingly trapped themselves, some likely expecting to starve to death. 

 

With regal determination, Hippolyta sprints toward the horses, just in time to avoid the collapsing ground behind her. The structure falls into the ocean below which was established at the start of the scene. Hippolyta, not yet seeing the state of the structure that has fallen, is quick to react and pass the Motherbox along, ordering Venelia to guard it with her life and keep it moving. She no doubt suspects the threat isn’t over, and certainly wouldn’t want her people to have died in vain. The group of Amazons ride off with the Motherbox while Hippolyta stays behind for a moment to mourn accompanied by the ancient lamentation music which suits the mood. She takes off her helmet, likely as both a sign of respect and to cool down from a heated battle. Euboea runs over with the horses but pauses to give Hippolyta a moment to herself.

 

There is a grand show that pans over Hippolyta to reveal the waters below as rocks and boulders continue to fall down the cliff. With her eyes solemnly closed, Hippolyta senses something amiss and opens her eyes with suspicion. In the moment that she opens her eyes, there is a deep sound that perhaps causes her to suspect something is amiss. You can see her stare into the water and then her eyes search a bit. Then suddenly a swarm of parademons and Steppenwolf emerge from the water high into the air, surprising Hippolyta and Euboea. Hippolyta is quick to react before we are shown Steppenwolf falling from the sky and landing with a swing of his axe which hurls a group of Amazons on horseback. This giant leap from out of the water to where the Amazons had ridden their fast horses is our first glimpse at Steppenwolf’s godly power. The imagery also evokes Lex Luthor’s painting from Batman v Superman which he turned upside down to reflect his ideology that devil’s come from the sky. Steppenwolf feels an arrow hit him from behind causing him to turn and slice down an Amazon on horseback attacking with her sword. He then blocks an incoming arrow with his axe and tackles another Amazon on horseback with his shoulder, similar to what Superman does to Flash later in the film.

 

Steppenwolf looks in the direction of the Motherbox and takes another small leap toward it, sliding on the ground to stop his momentum. One Amazon attempts to stab him with a spear, but his armor stops it. He breaks the spear and lunges the horse with one arm, showing little effort highlighting his sheer strength. Meanwhile, Hippolyta and Euboea mount their horses and rush to catch up to Steppenwolf and his flying parademons.

 

Steppenwolf finally reaches the head of the squadron that is defending the Motherbox. He swings his axe at the Amazon carrying the device, who dodges his attack. The two Amazons at her sides turn to shoot arrows at Steppenwolf after passing him. They are practically standing on the horses ready to maneuver or jump off while steadying themselves. The arrows impale him and stick out of his body without him so much as flinching. There is an interesting effect that occurs at the points of contact. It’s subtle, but it resembles a distorted wave emanating outward akin to Superman’s death scream. This could be a visual effect to accentuate and bring attention to the arrows striking him, or it could potentially be his armor reacting to getting hit, suggesting something of a forcefield.

 

Steppenwolf is surrounded by Amazons. They lasso his leg to hinder his movement, and with all the arrows sticking out of him he looks like he may finally be overwhelmed. His leg is pulled to prevent him from standing up and regaining his balance while his left arm is lassoed and pulled by the other Amazons in an attempt to subdue him. However he easily regains his footing, kills a nearby Amazon, and cuts the ropes from his leg with his axe. We once again see a display of his strength as he grabs the ropes and throws three horses into the other cavalry, turning the tide of overwhelming odds in mere seconds. He then grabs his axe once again and we see him use his body armor to cut the arrows sticking out of him which looks really cool. The way he does it kind of comes off as someone dusting off their shoulder to reflect they are unbothered. He growls angrily, probably not expecting this level of resistance when he first arrived.

 

The parademons race for the Motherbox and one actually manages to grab it. However, Venelia, guarding the Motherbox with her life, does not let go. The two rise into the air, Venelia struggling to hang on, as Parademons are taken down with spears around them. This helps to give us an idea of how vulnerable they actually are that they can be taken down with basic weapons. Some nearby Amazons manage to throw their spears at the Parademon trying to grab the Motherbox causing it to fall, tumbling to the ground, and its outer casing to break apart, finally revealing its digital-like alien characteristics. 

 

Seeing the Motherbox on the ground, one Amazon throws her bow ahead of her, past the Motherbox, and tumbles to the ground. She quickly turns and lassos the Motherbox just before Steppenwolf lands and attempts to grab it. It gets tossed ahead and she ties the other end of the lasso to an arrow taken from her back. Then she grabs the bow she had earlier thrown off the ground while another Amazon in the background attempts to delay Steppenwolf and gets slaughtered. The first Amazon leaps and slides while shooting the arrow in order to slingshot the Motherbox to one of the Amazons further ahead. Just as she releases the string, the yellow electric bolts generated by Steppenwolf’s axe travel through her. Before we can see Steppenwolf strike her with his axe, the image changes to the arrow’s perspective flying toward Queen Hippolyta and Euboea who catches the arrow jumping from her horse to Hippolyta’s. The main Justice League theme plays during this heroic attempt to keep the Motherbox away from Steppenwolf as Euboea pulls it toward her with the rope. Once she has it in her grasp the music transitions to a dissonant chord at the same time as Steppenwolf lands beside them and knocks them off the horse causing them to lose their hold of the Motherbox which tumbles away from them on the ground. 

 

Hippolyta is on the ground, injured, as she struggles to look up at Steppenwolf who plants his axe into the ground. She hears Euboea groaning and turns to see her trapped under the horse. Hippolyta quickly gets to her feet and limps toward her with an injured leg. Once she reaches Euboea’s side, Steppenwolf nonchalantly picks up the Motherbox, no more Amazons to interfere, and addresses Hippolyta. He calls her noble Queen and asks her why they fight. As we mentioned earlier in this episode, the Motherbox heard Hippolyta being called Queen. Hippolyta is also dressed differently and has been barking orders throughout the scene. It is therefore understandable for Steppenwolf to know or assume that Hippolyta is their queen. 

 

Hippolyta, fighting to the bitter end as Steppenwolf questions her reasoning for doing so, grabs Euboea’s bow and aims an arrow at him as he tells her she can’t save her or any of “them”. Them could refer to just the Amazons, but in the context of their being this world’s defenders, the implication is that it applies to the rest of the people of this world as well. With that Hippolyta releases the arrow only to be caught by Steppenwolf inches from his face. Hippolyta quickly reaches for another arrow as Steppenwolf continues to lecture her. He tells her the great darkness begins as he snaps the arrow in half with his hand to indicate resistance, especially with such archaic weapons, is futile. The great darkness is a reference to Darkseid and his rule over this world. This was also teased when the terrorist made reference to going back to the Dark Ages. Essentially, Darkseid’s rule would be an end of prosperity and independent thought bringing us into an age lacking both spiritual and intellectual enlightenment, void of independent thought. 

 

Menalippe shouts “Amazons!” drawing the attention of both Steppenwolf and Hippolyta. They turn to see the legions of Amazon fighters approaching on horseback. With this, Steppenwolf now knows that Hippolyta is their queen, they are daughters of Themyscira, and that they call themselves Amazons. Having acquired what he had come for, he has no reason to fight them. The Motherbox opens a boomtube for Steppenwolf to escape through and communicates with him using a language he understands. Steppenwolf responds to the Motherbox saying, “Yes, we will find the others,” indicating this communication with the Motherbox and giving us context as to what it said to him. It wants Steppenwolf to find the other two Motherboxes in order to form the unity seemingly so that it doesn’t need to be broken and alone as it has been for thousands of years. As we’ll see in the final act with Victor, it doesn’t understand the qualities of friendship and fortitude. As an inanimate object, it only knows being at the whim of others.

 

Menalippe commands the legions to draw their bows and loose their arrows on Steppenwolf. They unleash a barrage of arrows at Steppenwolf, shooting one after the other. The arrows descend on Steppenwolf in an awesome flying POV shot just as he disappears through the boomtube which closes behind him. It unleashes a shockwave as it did when it formed in the cage at the beginning of the scene throwing dust at the legions. Hippolyta, still aiming an arrow at Steppenwolf, lowers her bow and turns her attention to the dying Euboea who wheezes weakly and finally succumbs. Hippolyta is saddened by her death, seemingly more so than any of the other Amazons who died. Euboea appears to be younger, so that, in addition to what appears to be that mentor relationship we mentioned earlier, would explain her emotional reaction. The lingering, overhead shot adds to the emphasis placed on Euboea’s death.

 

The legions gather around Hippolyta with Menalippe dismounting and approaching her as she takes off her helmet. She says Steppenwolf has gone back to his universe. This sentence gives us a bit more insight into Steppenwolf’s origins by indicating he is not from this universe while also introducing the notion that other universes exist. It is the first time the existence of a multiverse is mentioned, implied or otherwise. Although when Steppenwolf first appears and mentions defenders on 50,000 worlds, those worlds most likely span across multiple universes. 

Hippolyta corrects Menalippe though, saying he has gone to the lands of men to find the other two boxes, making clear Steppenwolf’s earlier comment to the Motherbox about finding the others.

 

Hippolyta states they must light the ancient warning fire. This is an interesting turn for Queen Hippolyta who didn’t seem to care much about the world of man in Wonder Woman 2017. Here, however, the threat is so great that it warrants a warning. Menalippe points out that the warning fire hasn’t burned in 5,000 years and therefore men will have forgotten what it means during that time. Fortunately, Diana is currently in the world of man and would have learned the meaning of the warning fire during her time growing up on Themyscira. Hence Hippolyta says that men won’t, but she will.

 

End of Episode

That wraps up Part 1 of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. In our next episode we’ll be starting Part 2 and learning more about Steppenwolf, his motivations, and how toxic is good. Coming up on August 5th there is a mega trend event for David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. We encourage everyone to use the hashtag Release the Ayer Cut and voice your interest in the film. 

 

For more content check out our patreon at Patreon.com/JLUPodcast. Until next time, thanks for listening.