Following multiple delays, Wonder Woman 1984 finally made its debut and while audiences seem pretty split on the film, it did include some memorable scenes and awesome easter eggs tucked away while others were quite obvious. One surprise appearance in the film came from a scene between Max Lord and a character known as Simon Stagg. For those who don’t know, Simon is quite the character in the DC Universe and an unethical and immoral businessman himself. Stagg was portrayed by British comedian and playwright Oliver Cotton.
Simon Stagg first appeared in Brave and the Bold #57 all the way back in January of 1965 and was created by Ramona Fradon and Bob Haney. As shown in the film he’s the owner and CEO of Stagg Industries, but who we don’t see is his daughter, Sapphire Stagg. Sapphire ends up becoming romantically involved with Rex Mason, an adventurer who’s hired by Simon Stagg to journey to Egypt to acquire the Orb of Ra. Mason was betrayed by Stagg’s bodyguard, who’d accompanied him on the trip, and left dead in an attempt to keep him from furthering his relationship with Sapphire. Laying near the orb for an extended amount of time caused Rex to develop abilities and completely change his appearance. Upon returning, Rex took up the mantle of Metamorpho and would go on to join Batman, Katana, Black lighting, and Geoforce to form The Outsiders.
Simon Stagg has appeared in many DC projects including Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Beware The Batman, The Flash, and Batman: Arkham Knight. It’s unknown if we’ll see Stagg return in the DCEU as his first and only appearance so far has been all the way back in 1984. Given he wasn’t the most youthful of the bunch, an origin for Rex Mason may have to take another route.
Wonder Woman 1984 is in theaters now and the first of many WB films to stream alongside its theatrical release on HBO Max.
