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1[[WMG:[[center:[-''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'' '''[[Characters/DCEXtendedUniverse Character Index]]'''\
2'''Antagonists'''\
3[[Characters/DCEUSupermansRoguesGallery Superman's Rogues Gallery]] ([[Characters/DCEUGeneralZod General Zod]], [[Characters/DCEULexLuthor Lex Luthor]]) | [[Characters/DCEUGothamUnderworld Gotham Underworld]] | [[Characters/DCEUTaskForceXTargets Task Force X - Targets]] | [[Characters/DCEUWonderWomansRoguesGallery Wonder Woman's Rogues Gallery]] ([[Characters/DCEUAres Ares]]) | Apokolips ([[Characters/DCEUDarkseid Darkseid]], [[Characters/DCEUSteppenwolf Steppenwolf]]) | [[Characters/DCEUShazamsRoguesGallery SHAZAM's Rogues Gallery]] ([[Characters/DCEUDoctorSivana Dr. Sivana]]) | [[Characters/DCEUOtherSupervillains Other Supervillains]] ([[Characters/DCEUOceanMaster Ocean Master]], [[Characters/DCEUBlackManta Black Manta]]) | [[Characters/DCEUMinorVillainsAndCriminals Minor Villains and Criminals]]-]]]]]
4----
5The New Gods from the planet Apokolips.
6----
7[[foldercontrol]]
8
9!!'''''[[Comicbook/NewGods Apokoliptians]]'''''
10[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/apok.png]]
11[[caption-width-right:350:''"Evil does not sleep. It waits."'' - '''Hippolyta''']]
12->''"But the bell's already been rung. And they've heard it. Out in the dark among the stars..."''
13->-- '''Lex Luthor'''
14
15An alien species inhabiting the [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace aptly-named]] world of Apokolips, a DeathWorld ruled by the tyrannical Darkseid.
16----
17
18[[folder:In General]]
19* AbortedArc: The second invasion teased in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' was never followed upon, with the focus moving to the ''Shazam'' and ''Suicide Squad'' branches of the DCEU before ultimately being retconned with ''Film/{{The Flash|2023}}''.[[note]]A deleted scene from ''Film/ShazamFuryOfTheGods'' alludes to the Justice League fighting off a highly-publicized alien invasion, raising the likelihood that the war happened offscreen.[[/note]]
20* AdaptedOut: They appear to have no connection to the DCEU's Intergang, when traditionally they're the group's main benefactor.
21* AliensAreBastards: They make a habit of violently conquering planets and twist them into the likeness of their own homeworld. And they're bastards to each other, with the only exception being their respect towards Darkseid [[TheDreaded out of fear of what he would do to them]].
22* AlienBlood: In the theatrical cut of ''Justice League'' New God's blood is apparently purple, as can be seen after Superman punches Steppenwolf. In the Snyder Cut it's black.
23* AnotherDimension: The Amazons and Atlanteans identify them as being from outside their own world. Lex luthor also states they live "beyond the stars".
24* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: They can function underwater as well as any Atlantean.
25* BizarreAlienSenses: They're able to detect things and make assessments with minimal effort. Both Darkseid and Steppenwolf figured out where the Anti-Life Equation was just by touching soil, Steppenwolf could sense that Wonder Woman was an Amazonian demigoddess within moments of meeting her and Desaad noted that the Mother Boxes [[spoiler: were destroyed by Superman and Cyborg when they were still physically intact]].
26* TheChainOfCommand: Darkseid > [=DeSaad=] > Steppenwolf > Parademons. In the Knightmare timeline Superman replaces Steppenwolf.
27* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: Played straight in the theatrical cut, leaving the names "Apokolips" and "Apokoliptians" have yet to be mentioned in the DCEU regarding Steppenwolf's homeworld. At least until Diana namedropped their homeworld in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''.
28* DarkIsEvil: They [[EvilWearsBlack favor dark costumes]] and of course there is [[ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} their leader's name]]...
29* DarknessVonGothickName: "Darkseid" (Dark side), "Steppenwolf" (German name for a breed of wolf, as well as [[Literature/{{Steppenwolf}} a Herman Hesse novel) and "[=DeSaad=]" (named after Creator/MarquisDeSade).
30* DemonDevilDistinction: The New Gods are native to a realm outside of our own and the full extent of their power remains unknown. Their parademon army are mutated lifeforms sourced from various worlds whose powers are limited to flight, being stronger than the average human and relying on alien weapons.
31* DivineConflict: They fought against the Olympians during the first Apokoliptian invasion of Earth, which they lost.
32* DreadZeppelin: Their full-scale invasions of Earth involve smaller hovercrafts for transporting soldiers while a MileLongShip looms overhead.
33* EnemyCivilWar: Steppenwolf was originally part of a coup against Darkseid that lead to his exile. WordOfGod states that this kept Darkseid too occupied to return to Earth and by the time he'd reasserted his authority, Earth's location was lost. (Especially when you consider how many Earths there are across TheMultiverse).
34* EvilEvolves: In their first invasion, the forces of Apokolips relied on flying saucers and close-quarter weapons, while their leader had no powers outside of his incredible strength. In the 21st century the New Gods now use Boom Tubes for transport, their weapons are now high-tech and Darkseid has acquired the Omega Sanction.
35* EvilIsAngular: The overarching design in all Apokoliptian outfits features sharp corners and jagged edges.
36* EvilIsBurningHot: The terrain of Apokolips is ravaged by pillars of fire, Darkseid's Omega Beams can incinerate their targets and the Motherboxes scorch planets when fully synchronized.
37* EvilIsHammy: Apokoliptians have a habit of speaking in long, expository sentences like characters in a Renaissance play. Given Jack Kirby's flamboyant writing style, this is to be expected.
38* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: Apokoliptians genuinely believe that Anti-Life is a good thing, citing the lack of harmony among the peoples of Earth as an example.
39* FailedASpotCheck: While they've documented Darkseid's failed invasion of Earth, none of them were able to confirm the planet's name until Steppenwolf rediscovered Earth in the 21st Century. Such a failure on their part ultimately cost them three Motherboxes, scores of Parademons and a frontline general.
40* FireAndBrimstoneHell: Apokolips strongly resembles such a place, with its pillars of fire, clouds of smog, red haze and monstrous denizens. Its "demons" also happen to be natives of the mortal realm damned into an eternity of slavery.
41* TheGreys: Darkseid, Steppenwolf and Desaad are alien invaders who want to mine Earth for a valuable resource and they all have grey-to-ashen skin.
42* HigherTechSpecies: From what we've seen, the only other beings who can possibly rival their technological level in the known universe of the DCEU so far are Kryptonians, and the latter are extinct.
43* HornsOfVillainy: The three male Apokoliptans seen - Darkseid, Steppenwolf, and [=DeSaad=] - have small horns growing out of their chins that resemble a BeardOfEvil. Darkseid's are easy to miss as they are covered up by the guard on his jawline, while Steppenwolf's are the most prominent on top of the giant horns on the sides of his head and the smaller ones on his eyebrows.
44* IndustrializedEvil: Their modus operandi is to destroy entire ecosystems and enslave the inhabitants. The Knightmare best demonstrates the kind of hellscape that Apokoliptians create with every successful invasion.
45* MileLongShip: The flagship Uxas (''Zack Snyder's Justice League'') / Steppenwolf (2017's ''Justice League'') used during his first invasion of Earth was gigantic.
46* MonstrousHumanoid: With the exception of Granny Goodness, all Apokoliptians that have appeared look outright terrifying. Darkseid looks like a towering grey ogre, Steppenwolf looks like a metallic minotaur, Desaad looks like a ghoul and the Parademons are a legion of bug-men.
47* {{Mordor}}: Apokolips is an industrialised world where the sky is filled with clouds and orange miasma caused by the pillars of fire erupting from the bowels of the planet.
48* MultiversalConqueror: According to the Amazons, the New Gods come from another universe entirely. Steppenwolf explicity refers to Anti-Life as having the potential to control the entire multiverse.
49* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The planet itself, with its inhabitants (bar Granny Goodness) all having names meant to invoke danger.
50* ObviouslyEvil: They have a HordeOfAlienLocusts for foot soldiers called Parademons, they look positively demonic, and their supreme leader (Darkseid) is described as a mind-breaking EldritchAbomination. Then there's said leader's GlowingEyesOfDoom.
51* OrderVersusChaos: Apokoliptians see free will, individuality and the ability to exist without deferring to a higher power as inherently savage traits. Ironically, their method of turning inhabitants into Parademons stunts their evolution so that they can only ever be savages, albeit easily controlled savages.
52* OurGodsAreDifferent: The New Gods - like every other deity in the DC Multiverse - are beings that have lifespans beyond those of regular mortals and possess powers that elevate them above most other non-super species. They also use alien technology such as flying saucers and rayguns as opposed to magic.
53* OurWormholesAreDifferent: The Boom Tubes are their primary method of transportation.
54* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Apokoliptian clothing consists of metallic shards that resemble reptile scales, which when combined with their monstruous features looks extra sinister.
55* RoguesGalleryTransplant: While Apokoliptians represent a threat for the DC Universe at large in the comics, (one could argue the New Gods were themselves a RoguesGalleryTransplant in the main DCU since Creator/JackKirby's ''Fourth World'' stories in which they first appeared were self-contained), the Green Lantern Corps as a whole doesn't fight them due to a truce with the Guardians of Oa (which obviously doesn't apply to individual members such as the Justice League's Green Lanterns). Here, the Corps are enemies to Apokolips, sworn to defend any planet they try to conquer, such as the Earth when Darkseid/Steppenwolf tried to invade it thousands of years ago, as well as during the Knightmare.
56* RubberForeheadAliens: A sizable number of native Apokoliptians have combinations of oddly-textured greyish skin, bone-like growths on their heads and faces, deformed hands and are [[EvilIsBigger around eight feet tall]], but otherwise look like humans. This is notably in contrast to the source material, where (except for Darkseid) the majority were HumanAliens. Parademons gain the same skin tone (plus needle-like teeth) when they're transformed.
57* ScaryDogmaticAliens: They are unflinchingly loyal followers to Darkseid. If Desaad and Steppenwolf's first conversation is anything to go by, all Apokoliptian rebels have long since been killed off with their sole survivor now cowed into obedience.
58* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: They are an immortal, god-like alien race with highly advanced technology at their disposal, unlike the Olympian Gods. And they call themselves "the New Gods".
59* SuperSupremacist: The Apokoliptians think very little of any mortal race save for the Green Lanterns and Kryptonians.
60* TimeAbyss: They have been around at least since the time the Olympian gods walked the Earth several thousand years ago.
61* UndyingLoyalty: Any Apokoliptian who dared turn on Darkseid is either dead or suffering punishment by the time they formally appear.
62* VillainTeleportation: They use Boom Tubes to travel to other worlds. This was apparently developed sometime after failing to conquer Earth as they were shown using spacecraft back then.
63* VillainWorld: An industrialised hellscape where flames and smog belch from the surface of the planet and cloud the sky.
64[[/folder]]
65
66!! New Gods
67
68[[folder:Darkseid]]
69
70--> See his [[Characters/DCEUDarkseid character page]].
71
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Steppenwolf]]
75
76--> See his [[Characters/DCEUSteppenwolf character page]].
77
78[[/folder]]
79
80[[folder:[=DeSaad=]]]
81!![=DeSaad=]
82[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/desaad_8.jpg]]
83[[caption-width-right:300:''"My master, now that the Mother Boxes have been destroyed, how will you retrieve your great prize?"'']]
84!!! '''Species:''' New God
85!!! '''Played by:''' Creator/PeterGuinness (voice and motion capture)
86!!! '''Voiced By:''' Creator/{{Mugihito}} (Japanese)
87!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''
88
89->''"Mighty Steppenwolf, who might have sat here by the side of The Great One, but undone by his self pride."''
90
91A highly ranked servant of Darkseid.
92----
93* AccuserOfTheBrethren: [=DeSaad=] rubs Steppenwolf's previous betrayal in his face, in spite of Steppenwolf having repented as early as his punishment was meted out.
94* AdaptationalUgliness: While rarely portrayed as beautiful, most versions of [=DeSaad=] at least look human. In the DCEU he has a particularly monstrous appearance.
95* AlternateSelf: He has an avatar on [[Characters/SmallvilleApokiliptians Earth-167]].
96* BizarreAlienBiology: On a detailed image of [=DeSaad=] shared by Creator/{{WETA}}, his hands have four CreepyLongFingers and two tumor-like appendices, one of them looking like a sharp tooth.
97* BlackCloak: He wears thick dark robes adorned with silver spikes.
98* BlackSpeech: [=DeSaad=] chants an incantation to summon Darkseid upon finding out that Steppenwolf has uncovered the Anti-Life Equation.
99* CoDragons: When Darkseid walks through his court, [=DeSaad=] and Granny Goodness walk side-by-side behind him, hinting that he holds them in higher esteem than his other servants.
100* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: [[EvilSoundsDeep Unlike Darkseid and Steppenwolf]], Desaad has a voice that sounds similar to [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Starscream]].
101* DressCodedForYourConvenience: Desaad wears black robes with a hood and silver spikes arranged into a HighCollarOfDoom.
102* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's disgusted that Steppenwolf would turn on his own family, though it's possible he's just using that as an excuse to berate an underling.
103* EvilBrit: He speaks with a British accent, and he's definitely not a nice guy.
104* EvilWearsBlack: [=DeSaad=] wears black robes.
105* GratuitousLatin: When summoning Darkseid after Steppenwolf tell him that he found the Anti-Life Equation on Earth, [=DeSaad=] speaks a Latin phrase (''Dominae, qui infernum conflegrit. Aventi undati'') that roughly translates to "Lord who shattered hell, grant me an audience".
106* HateSink: Desaad's sole purpose in ''Justice League'' is to be a nasty piece of work that makes Steppenwolf look sympathetic by comparison.
107* HighCollarOfDoom: [=DeSaad's=] collar resembles a set of teeth that envelops his whole head.
108* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: [=DeSaad=] says something to this extent during one of his meetings with Steppenwolf, acknowledging the latter's prowess in the most condescending manner possible.
109* IWarnedYou: [[spoiler: When Steppenwolf dies and the Mother Boxes are destroyed, he reminds Darkseid that he said that Steppenwolf would fail. Darkseid, for his part, doesn't disagree and merely replies that he did.]]
110* InTheHood: Standard for the character, he wears a dark hood.
111* {{Jerkass}}: Most of his conversations with Steppenwolf consist of [=DeSaad=] insulting him to his face and tearing down his accomplishments.
112** New Gods seem to be in the habit of [[AsYouKnow speaking in an overly expository manner]], so [=DeSaad=] interrupting Steppenwolf when he was about to do likewise comes across as quite rude.
113** That being said, when Steppenwolf reported that the Anti-Life Equation was on Earth, [=DeSaad=] ''did'' actually allow him to talk to Darkseid in what could only be best described as a moment of pragmatism.
114* JerkassHasAPoint: [=DeSaad=] has precisely 0% respect and faith in Steppenwolf and wholly expects him to fail. When they're presented with his [[OffWithHisHead decapitated head]] and no Mother Boxes, [=DeSaad=]'s reaction basically amounts to an "[[BlackComedy I told you so.]]" to Darkseid.
115* LeanAndMean: Judging by his face and forearms, he's quite skeletal underneath those bulky robes.
116* MeanBoss: [=DeSaad=] takes every chance he can get to put down Steppenwolf. When Steppenwolf does get something right, [=DeSaad=] is noticably irritated.
117* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: In the comics, [=DeSaad=] wore varying shades of purple and magenta. Here, his robes are black with metal decorations, But has some white on his back and some of the front, which is a slight inversion.
118* MouthOfSauron: Usually speaks for his master whenever Steppenwolf contacts Apokolips.
119* NervesOfSteel: Credit where it's due, it takes some serious brass balls to give a snide "I told you so" to freaking Darkseid, a villain infamous for condemning those who serve him to horrifying fates for looking at him sideways.
120* NoSympathyBetweenMooks: He thinks very little of Steppenwolf.
121* ObstructiveBureaucrat: "You still owe the Great One 50,000 more worlds. He will hear your plea...when you've ''paid your debt!''"
122* OhCrap: He doesn't seem too excited upon hearing that Darkseid hasn't been discouraged from invading Earth, likely realising that there's no way to beat the Justice League without sustaining further losses.
123* {{Sadist}}: Expanding on his torture technician role in the comics, [=DeSaad=] also savours a bit of schadenfreude, reminding Steppenwolf of his past mistakes just to break his confidence. He's positively gleeful when Steppenwolf fails in his mission.
124* SecretaryOfEvil: [=DeSaad=] is a middle-manager between Darkseid and his offworld minions. It's implied he doesn't get that much joy out of the job unless he can lord it over his inferiors.
125* SmugSnake: He's clearly savouring his authority over Steppenwolf, using their interactions as a reminder that the latter has to earn Darkseid's good graces while [=DeSaad=] can sit at his right hand. [[spoiler: He even smirks when Steppenwolf is killed.]]
126* SpikesOfVillainy: [=DeSaad=] wears a raised collar that resembles a Venus flytrap enveloping his head. He also has several needles interwoven into his hood.
127* ThinChinOfSin: One that forks at the end like a snake tongue.
128* ThisIsGonnaSuck: He’s visibly worried by the prospect of invading Earth again.
129* TreacheryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: [=DeSaad=] uses this as an excuse to judge Steppenwolf, though given his disposition it's questionable if he actually has any values.
130* VillainousCheekbones: Befitting his God of Pain status from the comics, [=DeSaad=]'s got a hatchet-face.
131[[/folder]]
132
133[[folder:Granny Goodness]]
134!!'''''Granny Goodness'''''
135[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grannygoodness.jpg]]
136[[caption-width-right:300: [[labelnote:Click here to see her concept art]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/granny_goodnessjpg.JPG[[/labelnote]]]]
137!!! '''Species:''' New God
138%%!!! '''Played by:'''
139!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''
140
141A New Goddess and highly ranked servant of Darkseid.
142----
143* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Since the Creator/JackKirby days, Granny is typically portrayed as a fat old lady modeled after Phyllis Diller, only with a much more homely appearance. Here, she appears to be [[AgeLift a few years younger]] with well-kept hair and has a [[AdaptationalCurves much more athletic build]]. Her appearance here is [[https://insidepulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Female-Furies-1-spoilers-5.jpg actually accurate to what her comic book counterpart looked like in her past]], [[PragmaticAdaptation with said appearance likely used to make her look more intimidating]].
144* AlternateSelf: She has an avatar on [[Characters/SmallvilleApokiliptians Earth-167]].
145* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Given her benevolent-sounding name, it should come as no surprise that Granny Goodness doesn't look nearly as horrifying as her fellow Apokoliptians.
146* CoDragons: She's seen walking alongside [=DeSaad=] with Darkseid leading them, hinting that they're both Darkseid's most trusted servants.
147* DemotedToExtra: In the comics she's TheHeavy to ComicBook/MisterMiracle and one of Darkseid's most prominent enforcers. Here she's little more than a voiceless silhouette.
148* FaceFramedInShadow: She only appears in two scenes and neither one lights her face up enough to discern exactly what she looks like, though it can be guessed from her outline that she resembles an elderly woman.
149* HumanAliens: Out of all the New Gods seen on Apokolips, Granny Goodness is the only one with a human appearance. She does appear to be much larger than a real human, towering over [=DeSaad=] and being nearly as tall as Darkseid.
150* IronicName: A leading New Goddess of a hellish world participating in a crusade to subjugate the universe itself is named... Granny Goodness. Well, yeah, she looks like a grandma, but there's nothing good about her.
151* MagicStaff: What appears to be her weapon. Going by New Gods lore, it looks like a mega-rod.
152* TheVoiceless: Has no speaking role in the film.
153[[/folder]]
154
155[[folder:Mystics]]
156!!'''''Apokoliptian Mystics'''''
157[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/apokoliptianmonks.png]]
158!!! '''Species:''' New Gods
159!!! '''Played by:''' Steve West and Laura Waddell
160!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' | ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''
161
162Attendants of Darkseid / Steppenwolf during the first invasion of Earth.
163----
164* BlackCloak: They wear black robes, which are a tad less thick than [=DeSaad=]'s.
165* {{Cult}}: The fact that there are several of them wearing similar {{Black Cloak}}s and that they are seen chanting something while channeling the Mother Boxes' Unity invokes a cult.
166* InTheHood: Their robes are hooded, like [=DeSaad=]'s again.
167* SquishyWizard: Unlike Darkseid and Steppenwolf, the mystics have no combat abilities. The Amazons easily manage to kill a few of them, while the rest were vaporized when Zeus blasted the Unity.
168* SummoningRitual: They were in charge of the Unity of the Mother Boxes during the first invasion, and the pose they took invoked this.
169* TerribleTrio: Three mystics each carry a Motherbox, making for a total of nine when they perform the Unity.
170[[/folder]]
171
172!! Miscellaneous
173
174[[folder:Parademons]]
175!!'''''Parademons'''''
176[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/parademons.jpeg]]
177!!! '''Species:''' Parademons
178!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' | ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' | ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' | ''ComicBook/TheFlashTheFastestManAlive''
179
180->''"All who live become servants of Darkseid, alive but drained of life."''
181-->--'''Diana'''
182
183Six-foot-tall creatures serving as foot soldiers of the Apokoliptian forces.
184----
185* ActionBomb: In the theatrical cut of ''Justice League'', one detonates itself to avoid capture, though the detonation doesn't seem to be strong enough to do much damage to anything nearby, and no other Parademons do so from that point on.
186* AdaptationalIntelligence: The Parademons in the theatrical cut weren't much smarter than trained animals and would lose all self-control if they detected fear. In the Snyder Cut this flaw is never present and aside from not being able to speak they seem to be as intelligent as a standard biped.
187* AdaptedOut: Their origins as enslaved beings who were forcibly converted into monsters isn't shown onscreen in ''Zack Snyder’s Justice League'', due to Snyder not being able to shoot his preferred scene where this takes place and refusing to use any footage shot by Joss Whedon. It's also implied that none of the humans who fought back in the first invasion were converted.
188* AirborneMook: They can fly, and they die in droves against the Justice League.
189* AlienBlood: Green and glowing in the theatrical cut, as evidenced when Flash runs through several of them during the FinalBattle of that version.
190* BugsHeraldEvil: The parademons are typically deployed before any of the Apokoliptians appear. Bruce has visions of them before the New Gods are officially introduced to the DCEU and a troupe of parademons appears before the Amazons when Steppenwolf invades Themyscira.
191* CompositeCharacter: Their origin as aliens forcibly mutated into bipedal insectoids is similar to the bugs from Jack Kirby's ''Fourth World'' series.
192* ConservationOfNinjutsu: In the theatrical cut Batman initially has a hard time beating just one, at the end of the movie they are killed in waves.
193* DemonicInvaders: Any Earth record of a Parademon sighting depicts them as winged humanoids who come from the darkness, much like conventional portrayals of demons.
194* DemonOfHumanOrigin: At least some of them seem to be previously examples of other, conquered species.
195* EarlyBirdCameo: They are briefly seen in ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' in Batman's apocalyptic dream, but they are not related to that film's antagonists (Lex Luthor and Doomsday). They appear as {{mooks}} of the New Gods in ''Justice League''.
196* EasilyThwartedAlienInvasion: Not particularly threatening individually, to the point where one BadassNormal with an armored car manages to mow down dozens of them, seemingly lacking any form of armor or air support (besides the spaceship-walker hybrids seen in the flashback), and nowhere near numerous enough to conquer a planet with Earth's population size. In the theatrical cut, they instantly retreat when [[spoiler:Steppenwolf becomes the victim of a CurbStompBattle from Superman and starts to feel fear, while in the Snyder Cut, it is suggested that Batman had completely wiped them out off-screen]]. Out of all the large threats of the DCEU thus far, the Parademon invasion has resulted in the least damage, certainly less so than Zod's attack or Enchantress and Incubus'.
197** That being said, that one Parademon who was able to blindside Barry would have guaranteed Darkseid's victory if Batman didn't prevent it from scoring a second hit.
198* EmotionEater: In the theatrical cut of ''Justice League'' they are stated to be attracted to and even feed on the fearful. They completely lack this trait in ''Zack Snyder's Justice League''.
199* EnemyRisingBehind: In ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' a Parademon is waiting for Silas Stone at his home to kidnap him, and rises behind him.
200* EvolutionaryLevels: The majority of Parademons that operate as soldiers for Darkseid and Steppenwolf all look like alien humanoids wearing uniforms that give them an insectoid aesthetic. In Bruce's Knightmares, some of the Parademons have further mutated into creatures that look like giant alien locusts with extra limbs. At least one in the present day (the one that broke into STAR Labs) has already reached this stage.
201* FearlessFool: They don't seem to have any real fear. This comes to the detriment of their ability to stay alive.
202* {{Foreshadowing}}: The painting inside the living room of Lex Luthor's father foreshadows their arrival on Earth, as it features winged demons.
203-->'''Lex Luthor:''' Devils don't come from hell beneath us. No, they come from the sky.
204* GlassCannon: One of them was able to give Batman a proper fight, but then Batman kicked it in the torso and it fell to its death.
205* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Best seen on the Parademon that kidnaps Silas Stone.
206* HordeOfAlienLocusts: They're born from the survivors of worlds that were decimated through the Unity and they assist the Apokoliptians continue their onslaught against other worlds.
207* InsectoidAliens: Their wings and armor are reminsicent of insects. A few of them even have extra limbs and insectoid faces.
208* MeaningfulName: "Para" as in "paratroops", since they are airborne.
209* {{Mooks}}: They are an army of numerous and expendable shock troops in the service of the New Gods of Apokolips.
210* MultiArmedAndDangerous: A few Parademons have mantis-like limbs near their abdomens.
211* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Despite of be fodder, [[spoiler:In two occasions a Parademon was able to wound the Flash in spite of his super speed, showing that they can be legitimately dangerous when one's guard is down.]]
212* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Parademons are an example of DemonOfHumanOrigin that are virtually mindless, follow malevolent gods, can fly with their wings and have {{Plasma Cannon}}s.
213* ThePawnsGoFirst: They guard their commander through a combination of artillery and brute force.
214* PlasmaCannon: Their main weapons are plasma rifles firing red bolts. They don't appear to be very effective, doing little visible damage to unarmored humans and Amazons hit by them (though their insides were probably cooked since they seemed to instantly die), and actually struggling a lot to kill even lightly armored men and vehicles. The Batmobile, an armored car, more or less does a NoSell against dozens of Parademons (forcing them to ZergRush it and physically tear it apart with their SuperStrength).
215** In ''Zack Snyder's Justice League,'' Steppenwolf's fortress is lined with several plasma turrets that prove to be much more powerful than the handheld variants, with one managing to destroy the Batmobile, forcing Batman to eject, [[spoiler: and another wounding Barry with the force of its explosion, leading to Steppenwolf's NearVillainVictory before [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong Barry turns back time to save the other members of the Justice League.]]]]
216* RedEyesTakeWarning: They are hostile creatures and they have red eyes.
217* ScaryTeeth: Their teeth are visible, and it makes them all the more frightening.
218* SerkisFolk: They are created through MotionCapture with stuntmen doing their movements.
219* ShootTheMageFirst: The Parademons ensured Steppenwolf's victory the moment one of them injured the Flash. Unfortunately for them, Batman killed them all and the Flash used the Speed Force to undo their damage.
220* SuperStrength: They're pretty strong. For example, one tosses the 240-pound Batman across over twenty feet with one hand. Another rips a machine gun off the Batmobile and crushes it. They're also prone to pulling off the NeckLift.
221** In the theatrical cut, a couple dozen of them together are even able to restrain Steppenwolf, as seen in the opening flashback [[spoiler:and climax]].
222* TruerToTheText: Appearance-wise, these Parademons have the closest resemblance to Jack Kirby's original designs, being the shape and size of a regular adult human rather than looking like large grotesque beasts as seen in other adaptations. They still lack the human features and sapience that Jack Kirby intended them to have.
223* UnskilledButStrong: The Parademon that felled the Flash wasn't quick enough to score a precise hit on him, so it just repeatedly blasted his path until one of the shots clipped hte Flash.
224* WasOnceAMan: Apokoliptians have technologies or powers to turn creatures from the worlds they invade into Parademons. That includes humans. According to Wonder Woman, this happened to the forces that Darkseid and Steppenwolf conquered on other worlds.
225* WeHaveReserves: The army that Steppenwolf brought with him are eventually shown to be a mere fraction of the full armada, as Darkseid's court is teeming with Parademons.
226* WingedHumanoid: They all have pairs of insectoid wings, allowing them to fly and hover.
227* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Much like the Eyes of the Adversary, they are slain without hesitation by the heroes who unlike Task Force X are more traditionally heroic and avoid human fatalities for the most part.[[note]][[WhatCouldHaveBeen Originally, the Eyes of the adversary were supposed to BE Parademons.]][[/note]]
228* ZergRush: Their guns have little effect against Batman's heavily armored Batmobile. So what do they do? They charge right through his heavy machine gun fire, taking large casualties in the process, in an attempt to physically swarm and rip apart the Batmobile with their bare hands.
229[[/folder]]
230
231[[folder:Mother Boxes]]
232!!'''''Mother Boxes'''''
233[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/motherboxes_0.jpg]]
234[[caption-width-right:300:''"We've been waiting for you Victor. My broken boy."'']]
235!!! '''Appearances:''' ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' | ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' | ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' | ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''
236
237->''"They're change machines. The Boxes don't think in terms of healing or killing, alive or dead. They rearrange matter at the will of their masters. Regenerate, reinstate. A box has the power to reinstate anterior particle relationships."''
238->-- '''Victor Stone/Cyborg'''
239
240Mother Boxes (also called "Change Machines" by Silas and Victor Stone) are sentient perpetual energy matrices. They are the primary tools of the New Gods and take the form of metal cubes.
241
242Three Mother Boxes were brought to Earth by Steppenwolf or Darkseid (in the theatrical and Snyder cuts respectively) during their attempted invasions thousands of years ago and were subsequently left in the hands of the Atlanteans, Amazons and humans after the invasion was repelled. Millennia later, following the death of Superman, Steppenwolf comes back to Earth to find them and finally conquer the Earth to earn his place back in Darkseid's court.
243----
244* AdaptationalVillainy:
245** In the comics, Mother Boxes are a technology used by the Gods of New Genesis; the Apokoliptian equivalent is a ''Father'' Box. If we assume they were stolen and corrupted, this could explain why Darkseid never seemed to own more than three.
246** The boxes were purely a PlotDevice in the theatrical cut. In the Snyder Cut, they are revealed to be very much malevolent, as seen when they reveal to Steppenwolf where to find the Anti-Life Equation and an attempt to entice Cyborg into joining Darkseid.
247* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: The Mother Boxes are the DCEU equivalent of the Infinity Stones from the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse (important {{MacGuffin}} objects that grant the user ultimate power which can cause outright devastation of entire planets and coveted by the villains to achieve their goals). The fact that they're cubes - with one of them having a blue aura that was in possession of the Nazis at one point - is even more damning, considering that description is beat-for-beat like the Tesseract, the first Infinity Stone featured in the MCU.
248** On the other hand, [[OlderThanTheyThink the comic book source for the Mother Boxes did originate prior to that for the Infinity Gems by just over one year]]. Likewise, some DC fans are concerned that the cinematic portrayal of Darkseid in subsequent films may be perceived as deriviative of Thanos, despite predating that inspiration by over a decade.
249* ArtifactOfDoom: The combined power of three of them ("the Unity") allows New Gods to perform HostileTerraforming through giant crystalline tentacles, turning planets into new Apokoliptian worlds. In ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'', they instead achieve this by detonating a massive global energy wave that decimates the entire planet in a matter of seconds. [[spoiler:This comes to pass during the climax, forcing Barry to tap into the Speed Force and rewind time in order to undo the catastrophe.]]
250* BlackBox: They have great powers, but the true extent of them is unknown to most Earthlings. So far they've been shown to resurrect the dead, convert radiation and pollutants into solid materials, project images of future events and of course terraform entire planets when fully synchronized. Silas was able to replace Victor's destroyed body parts with cybernetics just by stirring one, with the implication being that it could possibly regenerate his bones and tissue if it was fully awake.
251* CompanionCube:
252** In the theatrical cut, Steppenwolf personifies his relationship with the Mother Boxes, addressing their combination as a religious artifact and calling it "Mother" and so on, when among New Gods, [[{{Magitek}} Mother Boxes are just massive supercomputer AIs]]. It's perhaps a sign of his insanity.
253** In the Snyder Cut Steppenwolf has an interaction with one of the Motherboxes, which shows him where the Anti-Life Equation is located.
254* CreateYourOwnHero: The human-entrusted Motherbox rebuilt Victor's destroyed bodyparts at his father's behest and later resurrected Superman. Both individuals foiled the Unity and likely fried their interior systems.
255* DeathByAdaptation: In the theatrical release after Steppenwolf's defeat, the Mother Boxes are returned to their respective guardians. In the ''Snyder Cut'', [=DeSaad=] says the Mother Boxes have been destroyed forcing Darkseid to invade Earth the old-fashioned way.
256* DismantledMacguffin: Zeus, the king of the Gods of Olympus, separated the Unity into three Mother Boxes when Steppenwolf or Darkseid were defeated. The Amazons, Atlanteans and humans were all given one to keep hidden, and Steppenwolf came back millennia later to find them all and recreate the Unity.
257* DoomsdayDevice: What they turn into when fully synchronized.
258* EarlyBirdCameo: The Mother Boxes were shown on several occasions before they became the PlotDevice of ''Justice League''.
259** In ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', one is seen in the footage showing Victor Stone's reconstruction and empowerment, with the denomination "US government object 6-19-82". Its powers rebuild Victor with cybernetics, turning him into Cyborg.
260** In ''Batman v Superman'' again, there's the (Ultimate Edition cut) scene in which Steppenwolf communicates with Lex Luthor via a Kryptonian hologram, showing him the three Mother Boxes.
261** In ''Wonder Woman'', the Box that would create Cyborg over one century later is seen on a drawing in the home video-released stinger. Etta Candy, Chief, Sameer and Charlie are secretely tasked to find it (which they apparently succeeded to do, given the fact that Cyborg mentions it was "found by the British during World War I"). Said drawing ends up in Lex Luthor's possession about one century later. In ''Justice League'', it is revealed that Batman and Alfred Pennyworth kept it after Luthor was arrested.
262* EmpathicWeapon: They must have some sort of sentience of their own since Steppenwolf talks to them on a regular basis, calling them "Mother" in the theatrical cut. ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' instead depicts their sentience by [[spoiler:showing their temptation of Cyborg as he tries to stop the Unity.]]
263* EvilCannotComprehendGood: The motherboxes tried to appeal to Victor's grief by offering to resurrect his parents and restore his body, but the offer doesn't sway him even for a moment because the surrounding simulation resembles an uninhabitable hellscape.
264* FauxAffablyEvil: When assuming the forms of Victor's dead parents, they act unnervingly cheerful. It's clearly a facade to keep him from interfering with the Unity.
265* GlamourFailure: They assume the form of an unscathed Victor Stone and his living parents in an attempt to lure Cyborg into working for Darkseid. He doesn't take their offer, at which point they transform into shrieking hags.
266* GottaCatchThemAll: Steppenwolf wants to find them to reform the Unity and terraform the Earth with it.
267* ImportedAlienPhlebotinum: They're Apokoliptian tech that was brought to Earth and one ended up being used by Silas Stone for his experiments and to "rebuild" his crippled son.
268* LostSuperweapon: Darkseid lost all three on Earth thousands of years ago and they were separated in order to avoid triggering another Unity. After Superman's death the Motherboxes all wake up in unison and call to either Darkseid or Steppenwolf. Thus the Earth is put in peril of being decimated unless the Justice League can stop them.
269* LotusEaterMachine: They trap Cyborg in one just as he's about to disrupt the Unity. Cyborg fights back.
270* MookMaker: In the Snyder Cut Diana states that the Unity turns populations into Parademons.
271* MythologyGag: "US government object 6-19-82" is a reference is to the first time Cyborg's origin was committed to the page, which was first published on June 19, 1982, in of ''Tales of the New Teen Titans'' #1.
272* NiceJobFixingItVillain: They use the excess radiation in Pozharnov to construct a fortress, making the whole area safe for humans to inhabit. This ends up working to the advantage of the Justice League who thwart Steppenwolf's plans and [[spoiler: overwhelm the Motherboxes]].
273* NightmareFace: They can appear as hags with GlowingEyesOfDoom, which Cyborg discovered when he interfaced with them.
274* OminousCube: They are alien cubes that, [[DismantledMacGuffin when united]], are capable of terraforming a planet into a DeathWorld like Apokolips.
275* PlotDevice: They drive the plot of ''Justice League'' since Steppenwolf is after them.
276* PowerGlows: They glow and start animating themselves when they're activated.
277* ShoutOut: Their glowing cubed texture is based on the Allspark artifact from Transformers.
278* SuperEmpowering: One of the Boxes empowered Victor Stone, giving him cybernetics with a wide range of powers.
279* TheWeirdSisters: Their true forms are reminiscent of the witches from ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''.
280[[/folder]]

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