Batman v Superman: deleted scene teases upcoming Justice League villain

The clip teases a connection to one of the DC universe's most formidable villains

*Warning: spoilers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice below*

Sure, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has only been out for a week; but why not start rolling out the deleted scenes now?

With the film's epic box office debut, commentators are now wondering whether Zack Snyder's blockbuster will be able to sustain itself beyond the initial hype and with the shadow of a critical mauling; and Warner Bros.' well-timed release of extra material may be a very shrewd move to keep fans hooked.

The clip 'Communion' essentially sees the arrest of Lex Luthor, as a squad of heavily-armed soldiers descend into the villain's lair; finding him in commune with a mysterious figure, who is presumably the 'he' Luthor seems to think is bound for Earth in his final conversation with Batman.

Unpacked by iO9, the clip appears to be a major tease of how one of DC's most formidable villains, Darkseid, will be introduced as the major antagonist of the Justice League films. Luthor appears in front of a hologram figure holding the three Mother Boxes, who in the comics are essentially deeply-powerful living computers created by the New Gods, the same race Darkseid himself originates from.

So, it looks as if these Mother Boxes may be the DC universe's equivalent to the Infinity Gauntlet in some respect; a kind of McGuffin that may grant its wielder the ultimate upper-hand. And the looming figure? Definitely someone connected to Darkseid, with candidates running from his general Steppenwolf, to his father Yuga Khan.

Let's just hope Justice League: Part One explains these boxes or the figure, or how any of those two things bring Darkseid into play; unlike Batman v Superman's love of references and foreshadowing that takes an entire team of comic book experts to unpack.

The scene acts as a brief glimpse into the upcoming R-rated home release, also set to include Jena Malone's cut appearance as Barbara Gordon.