There seems to be an equal and opposite enemy for each alien protagonist in the DC Extended Universe, so why are so many of these baddies aliens in the DC Extended Universe as villains? DC's heroes may have enough earthly struggle without extraterrestrial foes continuously compromising the world's future, yet aliens play an important role in the DCEU as both perpetrators and accomplices of evil.
The DCEU canon accepts the presence of aliens in its cosmos, with the majority of them being prominently depicted. Superman and his home-world enemy, the Kryptonian General Zod, are introduced in Man of Steel. Steppenwolf, the Parademons, and the invading New God Darkseid, all of whom came from the infernal realm of Apokolips, were featured in the movie Justice League. The Suicide Squad presents Starro, a massive starfish-like alien who takes a step away from the more humanoid aliens. The Peacemaker show, which is based on The Suicide Squad, introduces human-possessing Butterflies, a weird extraterrestrial race.
Even though each extraterrestrial serves as an antagonist, their goals are as diverse as their race. Some aliens put Earth in jeopardy for personal motives. Zod returns to Earth out of desperation and vengeance, hoping to restore Krypton and destroy the sole remaining Kryptonian, Superman. Darkseid sends his soldiers to Earth to prepare it for conquest after previously failing to accomplish it and potentially being driven by past suffering. Other hostile aliens aren't always wicked by nature, but they're used as instruments by evil people. For example, Starro was partially converted into a demon by the US government and went on an escape-fueled rampage as a result. Although their comic book predecessors aspired to live relatively peacefully with humans, the Butterflies of Peacemaker had unclear intentions. The DCEU story implies that the Butterflies are being used for bad purposes by an outside element.
Other DCEU works have hinted at and incorporated extraterrestrial activities. The Green Lantern Corps was part of the first battle against Darkseid, and although being primarily made up of noble aliens, it wields great power. While not an extraterrestrial per, the Superman-killing Doomsday is a creature made of alien stuff and given life by a Kryptonian origin. Clearly, non-earth planets are one of the most powerful sources of power in the DCEU, with the other source being DC's earthly gods, who if the DCEU adopts Marvel's norms, may be otherworldly as well. Surprisingly, extraterrestrial antagonists in the DCEU aren't usually motivated to seek out Earth's energy sources. Humans seem to be bringing aliens to Earth more frequently in pursuit of new power.
Many extraterrestrial villains appear in the DCEU, but it's evident that not all of them are bad guys; more often than not, their dread is induced by human participation. Because of Superman's presence on Earth, Darkseid was drawn to the hole of weakness created by the hero's disappearance. Humans forced the other key aliens in the DCEU to become villains by manipulating Starro and maybe the Butterflies to undertake terrible actions. In the DCEU, several villains have been rendered wicked by choice or by force, and some of them are aliens.
The DCEU canon accepts the presence of aliens in its cosmos, with the majority of them being prominently depicted. Superman and his home-world enemy, the Kryptonian General Zod, are introduced in Man of Steel. Steppenwolf, the Parademons, and the invading New God Darkseid, all of whom came from the infernal realm of Apokolips, were featured in the movie Justice League. The Suicide Squad presents Starro, a massive starfish-like alien who takes a step away from the more humanoid aliens. The Peacemaker show, which is based on The Suicide Squad, introduces human-possessing Butterflies, a weird extraterrestrial race.
Even though each extraterrestrial serves as an antagonist, their goals are as diverse as their race. Some aliens put Earth in jeopardy for personal motives. Zod returns to Earth out of desperation and vengeance, hoping to restore Krypton and destroy the sole remaining Kryptonian, Superman. Darkseid sends his soldiers to Earth to prepare it for conquest after previously failing to accomplish it and potentially being driven by past suffering. Other hostile aliens aren't always wicked by nature, but they're used as instruments by evil people. For example, Starro was partially converted into a demon by the US government and went on an escape-fueled rampage as a result. Although their comic book predecessors aspired to live relatively peacefully with humans, the Butterflies of Peacemaker had unclear intentions. The DCEU story implies that the Butterflies are being used for bad purposes by an outside element.Other DCEU works have hinted at and incorporated extraterrestrial activities. The Green Lantern Corps was part of the first battle against Darkseid, and although being primarily made up of noble aliens, it wields great power. While not an extraterrestrial per, the Superman-killing Doomsday is a creature made of alien stuff and given life by a Kryptonian origin. Clearly, non-earth planets are one of the most powerful sources of power in the DCEU, with the other source being DC's earthly gods, who if the DCEU adopts Marvel's norms, may be otherworldly as well. Surprisingly, extraterrestrial antagonists in the DCEU aren't usually motivated to seek out Earth's energy sources. Humans seem to be bringing aliens to Earth more frequently in pursuit of new power.Many extraterrestrial villains appear in the DCEU, but it's evident that not all of them are bad guys; more often than not, their dread is induced by human participation. Because of Superman's presence on Earth, Darkseid was drawn to the hole of weakness created by the hero's disappearance. Humans forced the other key aliens in the DCEU to become villains by manipulating Starro and maybe the Butterflies to undertake terrible actions. In the DCEU, several villains have been rendered wicked by choice or by force, and some of them are aliens.