Ray Porter in this exclusive interview in Dubai at the comic book store, Speedy Comics, following the 2022 Middle East Film And Comic Con (MEFCC), answered a few burning questions from the 2021 film, Zack Snyder’s Justice League (better known as the Snyder Cut). Some questions posed were: Why Darkseid forgot that the Anti-life equation was on this Earth? How he performed the voice of the character, who the actress for Granny Goodness was? and others.
Many fans pondered why Darkseid forgot something so critical like the location of the anti-life equation. Ray Porter said the following;
“Consider the fact that he’s turned a hundred thousand worlds to dust; it was so long ago that he found this equation and then it was taken from him in battle and he always wanted to ‘re-find’ it.
We are talking so many thousands of years, so many planets, universes, and possible Earths [hinting that he’s aware of a multiverse]. Uxas, the person who became Darkseid has also changed so much in that long timespan.
So, for someone whose knowledge spans so much, maybe the knowledge got lost in the vastness that it was on this Earth in particular. And then, Steppenwolf, of all people approaches him about this.”
He chuckled, since Darkseid hates Steppenwolf!
Related: Man of Steel: Why It’s Better Than You Remember
Ray Porter said that he did not watch other portrayals of Darkseid in-depth and therefore wasn’t drawing from prior characterizations but rather “doing something original”, based on “Zack and his vision”. He added:
“In a way, I am glad that I wasn’t influenced by other portrayals prior because this was ‘pure and fresh’.
For the voice, I did not use a vocal fry; you can end up hurting yourself doing that. Rather, the technique I used was all about relaxing. It was very quiet by nature, involved opening up the throat, and had a very low frequency. Somebody once told me that it sounded like “bloody gravel” and I personally like that description!”
He was not able to answer why Darkseid hates Steppenwolf:
“I am not aware of the history and intricate details about this ‘Great tragedy’.”
When questioned about the actress who played Granny Goodness, Ray Porter revealed:
“The character had a more visual and non-speaking role so it was just a ‘stand-in’ that Snyder had brought onboard.”
A fan theory held that actress Judi Dench portrayed the female villainess – this has been denied by Snyder.
Describing the chaotic experience of his character’s appearance onscreen, removal, and re-addition in the Snyder Cut,
“It was a real roller coaster for me. I was in the movie one minute and then I wasn’t. And then I was in it again. So it had a happy ending, but was a rollercoaster regardless.”
Many critics preferred the Snyder Cut over the 2017 theatrical version of Justice League, which omitted Porter’s portrayal of Darkseid, replacing his scenes with the secondary antagonist, Steppenwolf. When asked if he’d like to come back for a sequel, he intoned:
“I hope the fans get what they want.”
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