Simon Stagg

Simon Stagg
Simon Stagg as depicted in Metamorpho: Year One #1 (December 2007). Art by Dan Jurgens (penciler), Jesse Delperdang (inker), Guy Major (colorist), and Rob Leigh (letterer).
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	The Brave and the Bold #57 (January 1965)
Created by	Bob Haney (writer) Ramona Fradon (artist)
In-story information
Species	Human
Team affiliations	Stagg Enterprises
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Business management

Simon Stagg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, serving primarily as an antagonist to the superhero Metamorpho in most comic book stories and their adaptations. He is responsible for turning Rex Mason into Metamorpho out of spite after catching him in a relationship with his daughter Sapphire Stagg. Given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern and other heroes in the DC Universe.

The character has made several appearances in media outside of comics, such as the television series The Flash in which he was portrayed by William Sadler, and the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman 1984, in which he was portrayed by Oliver Cotton.

Publication history

Simon Stagg first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #57 and was created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon.

Mark Waid, writer of the Metamorpho limited series, commented that "writing Simon Stagg was always a tightrope walk. On the one hand, you don't want him to be so comically evil that he's a cartoon. On the other hand, you have to remember that he's an absolute creep. The key to Stagg is not losing sight of the fact that he does most everything he does for the sake of his daughter, regardless of how insane those actions may look to us".

Fictional character biography

Simon Stagg is the unscrupulous owner and CEO of Stagg Enterprises and the father of Sapphire Stagg. He sent adventurer Rex Mason to Egypt to retrieve a meteor referred as the Orb of Ra, during which he was exposed to its energy and transformed into Metamorpho.

Sometime later, Stagg tricked the Metal Men into attacking the Justice League and had Java detain Rocket Red and Animal Man. It turned out that Rex had a baby who harmed whatever it touched. Metamorpho handed the baby over to Stagg, who became convinced he would now die, harmed like Java had been moments earlier. Stagg came through unharmed since something in his genetic structure protected him just as it did with the baby's mother. Stagg's stance softened, and everyone was allowed to go. Doc Magnus of the Metal Men offered his services to Stagg in creating new arms for Java. On the way home, Metamorpho's friends were puzzled as to how he knew Stagg would be unaffected by the child. Metamorpho indicates that he had hoped the baby would kill Stagg.

Java came upon Black Canary while searching for help for Sapphire. His story was that Sapphire and Joey, Metamorpho's son, had been caught in a lab explosion and merged into a single energy being who was taking revenge on Stagg's former colleagues. It is revealed that not only were Sapphire and Joey merged, but so was Stagg, who was directing the revenge. Black Canary realized that Java was actually Metamorpho, somehow affected to believe he was Java (the actual Java's murder was still a secret known only to the Staggs). The three were separated once more with Stagg claiming to have been overcome by the energy itself and unable to control his actions. As the comic ends, he steps away from the reunion to check on a clone of Java.

In the one-shot "Countdown to Infinite Crisis", Maxwell Lord is seen talking with Stagg on the phone.

In the "Blackest Night" tie-in Weird Western Tales #71 (Mar 2010), Stagg appeals to Joshua Turnbull (great-great-grandson of Quentin Turnbull) for help in analyzing a Black Lantern ring that was found on Don Hall's grave.

During the "Brightest Day" storyline, Stagg shelters Metamorpho and the Outsiders after the events of War of the Supermen. Stagg later placed Java's mind into the body of a Shaggy Man which was defeated by Freight Train.

In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". In The Terrifics series, Stagg opens a portal to the Dark Multiverse which Metamorpho, Mister Terrific, and Plastic Man travel through, and is present when they return.

During the "Endless Winter" storyline, Stagg is revealed to have a son named Sebastian.

In other media

Television

• Simon Stagg appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Metamorphosis", voiced by Earl Boen. This version transformed Rex Mason into Metamorpho using mutagens that were originally intended to help workers survive harsh conditions. He additionally tricks him into fighting Green Lantern and the Justice League and later falls into a coma during an accident after Mason attempts to kill him, which also creates a chemical monster controlled by his subconscious mind that Mason and the League work together to defeat.
• Simon Stagg appears in Beware the Batman, voiced by Jeff Bennett. Following a minor appearance in the episode "Hunted", he returns in "Toxic", disapproving of his daughter Sapphire's relationship with Rex Mason and turning him into Metamorpho in an attempt to separate them. Upon Batman's arrival, Stagg flees and deletes the security footage, but Batman discovers the truth and tells Mason so he can be cured. Though Stagg grants Batman access, the antidote does not work. After Metamorpho vanishes, Stagg attempts to frame Batman, but the latter shows Sapphire footage depicting her father's role in turning Mason into Metamorpho. In "Monsters", Batman suspects Stagg of hiring and providing thugs with armor and weapons to drive people out of Old Gotham and buy the territory. He visits him in his cell at Blackgate Penitentiary, but Stagg denies being involved. The culprit is later revealed to be Sapphire, seeking to impress her father.
• Simon Stagg and Stagg Industries appear in series set in the Arrowverse:
  • A Stagg Industries chemical plant appears in the Arrow episode "Burned", in which it is attacked by Firefly.
  • Stagg himself appears in The Flash, portrayed by William Sadler. This version is a philanthropist, inventor, and acquaintance of Harrison Wells with sinister underlying motivations. In the episode "Fastest Man Alive", Danton Black targets Stagg for stealing his research and taking credit for it, which led to the death of Black's wife, though the Flash saves the businessman and defeats Black. Stagg becomes fascinated by the Flash and begins planning to capture and experiment on him, but Eobard Thawne kills him to prevent him from interfering with his plans. As of the episodes "Out of Time" and "Rogue Time", Stagg's murder remains undiscovered and he is reported missing, with rumors circulating that he became a recluse.
• Simon Stagg makes a non-speaking appearance in the Young Justice: Outsiders episode "Triptych". This version orchestrates a metahuman trafficking ring until he is eventually exposed and arrested.

Film

Simon Stagg appears in Wonder Woman 1984, portrayed by Oliver Cotton. This version is an investor of Maxwell Lord who demands to pull out after learning that the latter's oil business is fake and demeans him in front of his son, Alistair. Later, Lord absorbs the power of the Dreamstone and visits Stagg to seemingly apologize for deceiving him while secretly tricking him into wishing that Lord's business will boom. After Lord leaves, the FBI arrive to arrest Stagg for supposed tax fraud as a side effect of the Dreamstone.

Video games

• Stagg Industries' Gotham City HQ appears in DC Universe Online.
• Simon Stagg appears in Batman: Arkham Knight, voiced by Phil Proctor. This version is a philanthropist and entrepreneur from Central City who is researching airborne inoculation technology and has been accused of human rights violations. He also worked with the Scarecrow, who required Stagg's help on a project called "Cloudburst". Stagg develops Nimbus Generators, a clean power cell technology, for Scarecrow who later betrays Stagg. While working to uncover the Scarecrow's plot, Batman learns of Stagg's involvement from the Penguin and "borrows" a Nimbus Cell from Stagg to protect his equipment from the Cloudburst machine's nimbus field. Following this, Stagg is arrested by the GCPD.

Miscellaneous

Simon Stagg appears in a Dick Tracy comic strip published in February 2018. He strikes a deal with Ghost Pepper to buy his restaurant, Pepper's. However, Ghost backs out of the deal, poisons Stagg, and steals his money.