There has been tremendous curiosity among superhero geeks over who the primary villain of "The Justice League" will be. Sure, Darkseid was teased quite prominently in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and chances are that he might end up being the main threat to the DC heroes. But that's not confirmed yet, and the fact that the film will be released in two parts gives it enough room to incorporate more than one big intergalactic villain.
Birth. Movies. Death speculates that DC villain Steppenwolf — a relative of Darkseid who has a very contentious relationship with the supreme being — might play a major role in "The Justice League Part One." Steppenwolf is also rumoured to be the same alien being that Lex Luthor is seen talking to in the "Batman v Superman" deleted scene (below).
According to the website's rumour-based report, Darkseid is a presence in "The Justice League Part One" and fully appears only at the end of the film. Steppenwolf is like the opening act for Darkseid who will then unleash havoc in "Part Two."
Assuming that these rumours turn out to be true, it may not be the best plan to have a comparatively lesser-known DC villain like Steppenwolf go up against the Justice League team. But then again, we are yet to get an update on whether Lex Luthor and (presumably) The Joker will also feature in DC's epic team-up movie.
"The Justice League Part One" is slated to be released on Nov. 17, 2017.