It had been pretty heavily rumored before the release of Justice League back in 2017 that the tyrannical DC supervillain Darkseid would be making an appearance. However, after all of the behind the scenes drama and director change, the Dark God was mysteriously absent. Now, with the recent announcement that Justice League's original director Zack Snyder will be releasing his legendary Snyder Cut, Darkseid is being slotted back into the movie, and we have just been given our first official look at the character.

Zack Snyder took to social media to release the image, which depicts Darkseid standing amidst exactly the kind of fiery chaos one would expect from the extraterrestrial overlord. Along with the image, Snyder provided the simple caption, "He's coming... to HBO Max".

The distinct lack of Darkseid was just one of many differences between the Snyder Cut and the version of the Justice League that was released in theaters. Having already been teased in Snyder's earlier comic book effort, [Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice}, the powerful villain's absence in the superhero team-up was a glaring omission which Snyder will now be able to correct thanks to HBO Max. According to reports, the plan was to have Darkseid appear in the flashback battle sequence that also featured several Green Lanterns, as well as a few other scenes, with actor Ray Porter shooting everything needed during principal photography.

The addition of Darkseid will not be the only new addition to The Snyder Cut version of Justice League, with characters such as The Atom and Martian Manhunter also set to make an appearance, as well as Ray Fisher's Cyborg being given a lot more focus.

Last week, it was officially confirmed the Snyder Cut would premiere on HBO Max in 2021, marking a huge victory for one of the most passionate, vocal fanbase campaigns in recent times. Many were disappointed when Snyder stepped away from Justice League and the movie was given to The Avengers director Joss Whedon, with the final product vastly changing Snyder's plans. Since the announcement, Snyder has described the Snyder Cut as "an entirely new thing."

The theatrical version of Justice League begins with the villainous Steppenwolf and his Parademons setting out to take over the Earth. However, Batman seeks the help of Wonder Woman to assemble and recruit Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman to thwart this powerful new enemy. It is likely that The Snyder Cut will follow this general outline, with the Snyder version making some big changes along the way. Whilst there have been rumors that Snyder will be working with a $20-30 million budget to complete his movie, more recent details from WarnerMedia chairman and HBO Max boss Bob Greenblatt has stated that The Snyder Cut does not actually exist at the moment and will likely cost much more than $30 million.

Snyder will be working on his version of Justice League over the next year, though it has so far been undecided whether the movie will be released in its supposedly 4-hour long entirety, or whether it will be split into episodes. Expect a lot more news about The Snyder Cut over the coming weeks and months. This comes to us from Zack Snyder's Twitter account.