Simon Stagg

Simon Stagg is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Stagg made his live-action appearance on the first season of The Flash, played by William Sadler.

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. Adventurer Rex Mason wanted to win the hand of Sapphire Stagg. Simon sent Rex to Egypt to retrieve a meteor referred as the Orb of Ra. Unbeknownst to Rex, Simon had his brutish Neanderthal bodyguard Java attack him and leave him for dead. Rex was near the Orb of Ra and was exposed to it leading to his transformation into Metamorpho.

Sometime later, Simon Stagg tricked the Metal Men into attacking the Justice League and had Java detain Rocket Red #4 and Animal Man. It turned out that Rex had a baby, who harmed whatever it touched. Metamorpho handed the baby over to Simon, who became convinced he would now die, harmed like Java had been moments earlier.

Simon came through unharmed since something in his genetic structure protected him just as it did with the baby's mother. Simon's stance softened, and everyone was allowed to go. Doc Magnus of the Metal Men offered his services to Simon in creating new arms for Java.

On the way home, Metamorpho's friends were puzzled as to how he knew Simon would be unaffected by the child. Metamorpho indicates that he had hoped the baby would kill Simon.

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 upon Simon Stagg's former colleagues. It is revealed that not only were Sapphire and Joey merged, but so was Simon and it was him 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 Simon claiming to have been overcome by the energy itself and unable to control his actions. As the comic ends, he steps away from the joyous family reunion to check on a growing clone of the murdered 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 the grave of Don Hall and transported by The Ray. He leaves before the Lanterns attack, and it is unclear whether he survived the event.

During the "Brightest Day" storyline, Simon Stagg is later contacted at his Canadian estate by Metamorpho when he and his fellow Outsiders Black Lightning, Geo-Force, Katana, and Owlman (Roy Raymond, Jr.) need a place to stay during the War of the Supermen storyline after accidentally being shot down. Simon Stagg later placed Java's mind into the body of a Shaggy Man which was defeated by Freight Train.

In the "DC Rebirth", Simon Stagg opened up the portal to the Dark Multiverse and was trying to use Metamorpho transmuted into Nth Metal in order to close it. This attracted the attention of Mister Terrific and Plastic Man. When Mister Terrific tries to get Simon Stagg to close the portal, Mister Terrific, Plastic Man, and Metamorpho are sucked in. Simon Stagg was present when Mister Terrific, Plastic Man, Metamorpho, and Phantom Girl made it back from the Multiverse. Due to the effects of the Dark Multiverse energy, Mister Terrific concludes that they can't go their separate ways due to this bond. Simon Stagg threatened to sue for invading his lab, though Mister Terrific made a compromise where they would continue investigating at Simon Stagg's mansion.

Television

 * Simon Stagg appeared in the Justice League animated series, voiced by Earl Boen. In the two-part "Metamorphosis", Stagg Enterprises sought to create a chemically altered individual known as 'Metamorpho' who could survive in harshest environments, pitching this idea to a board of executives after an oil accident had nearly killed three workers. Stagg had Java smuggle some mutagen samples for that into the country, but one of the containers ended up braking during the transport, and the leaked chemicals nearly causes a train wreck which was prevented by the Green Lantern. Like in the comics, his favorite employee Rex Mason was in love with his daughter Sapphire Stagg of whom Stagg was jealously protective. In order to "protect" his daughter, Simon decides to test out the chemicals on Rex, transforming him into a shape-shifting mutant upon trapping him in a tube the chemicals were emptied into, and later tricks him into fighting Green Lantern and the Justice League. Upon learning the truth, Rex went after Simon in which the first attempt had Rex frozen to below zero temperatures. Simon's men dispose of Metamorpho but the metahuman later brakes free. During his second confrontation with Metamorpho at his company, an accident renders Simon mindless, with his base desires ending up in some of his chemicals, creating a monstrous synthoid creature (with resemblance to Chemo) that rampages throughout Metropolis. When the synthoid was destroyed by Metamorpho, Stagg woke up in the hospital screaming. Stagg later made a non-voiced cameo in "Only a Dream" Part 1 among the villains in John Dee's dream.
 * Simon Stagg appears in Beware the Batman, voiced by Jeff Bennett. First appearing in "Hunted", he is among the corrupt executives hunted and kidnapped by Professor Pyg and Mister Toad for revenge after a land deal he was involved in resulted in severe damage to the environment. When Michael Holt and Alfred Pennyworth are captured, they and Stagg end up hunted by Pyg and Toad. Alfred ends up injured saving Stagg from a trap. Before Pyg and Toad can finish off the three captives, Batman arrives and fights Pyg and Toad while Alfred gets Stagg and Holt out. In the episode "Toxic", Stagg disapproved of Sapphire Stagg's relationship with the security guard Rex Mason and believed that he had bred his daughter to be better. Donning a ski mask, he set off an alarm and lured Rex into the lab in "Project Metamorpho" where he trapped Rex inside to be exposed to the chemicals. Upon Batman's arrival, Stagg fled the lab and deleted an incriminating security footage. Batman eventually learned the truth and told everything to Metamorpho in order to lure him back to Stagg Industries to be cured. Stagg allowed Batman access to Project Metamorpho where the antidote didn't work. After Metamorpho vanished, Stagg attempted to pin the blame of Metamorpho's death on Batman only for Batman to show Sapphire the footage of her father's role in Metamorpho's creation. Batman then leaves with plans to leave the incriminating footage of Stagg's role in Metamorpho's creation to the police. In "Allies", Stagg was mentioned by Tobias Whale to have been arrested by the police at the time when Tobias Whale's gang were robbing one of the Stagg Enterprise warehouses. 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 for profit. He visits Simon in his cell at Blackgate Penitentiary, but Stagg denies being involved in the scheme. The culprit is later revealed to be Sapphire seeking to impress her father. Batman threatens her to stop while withholding Rex's survival from her.
 * In Arrow, Stagg Industries is mentioned as being one of Laurel Lance's law firm's biggest benefactors. STAGG, however, has decided to end its funding of the firm and places the firm at risk of shutting down until Tommy Merlyn steps in and helps. Stagg Industries is again mentioned as being a chemical plant that Firefly set on fire during a murder spree. This is the set where the Arrow first faces off against Firefly.
 * Simon Stagg appears in The Flash, portrayed by William Sadler. This version acts as a philanthropist and inventor with more sinister underlying motivations, and is an old acquaintance of Harrison Wells. In "Fastest Man Alive", he is Danton Black's target as he stole research and took the credit, rendering Danton unable to save his own wife. The Flash ultimately saves Stagg from being killed by Black. This, in turn, causes Stagg to be fascinated with the Flash, seeking to exploit the speedster's powers like he did with former employee's research. However, Wells kills him so Stagg won't interfere with his own plans for the Flash. As of "Out of Time" and "Rogue Time", Stagg's murder remains undiscovered and he is reported as missing with rumors that he has become reclusive. However, journalist Mason Bridge discovers Wells was the last person to see Stagg alive to which the Reverse-Flash kills Bridge as well.
 * Simon Stagg appears in season three of the Young Justice animated series. In "Triptych", Simon was behind the metahuman trafficking which is later exposed and resulted in his arrest. While in his prison cell, he is visited by Shade in jail to presumably kill him.

Video games

 * Simon Stagg's Stagg Industries is referenced in DC Universe Online. When the players on the hero side find a Jade Jaguar Totem during their mission to stop Catwoman, a voice-over by Catwoman mentioned that she acquired it in Peru while trying to save the jaguars from Stagg Industries' sponsored murders. Stagg Enterprises' Gotham HQ can be found in the Otisburg section of Gotham City.
 * Simon Stagg appears in Batman: Arkham Knight, voiced by Phil Proctor. His in-game profile describes him as a philanthropist and entrepreneur from Central City who is researching airborne inoculation technology and has been accused of human rights violations. After interrogating the Penguin, Batman learns that the Arkham Knight has taken Barbara Gordon to Founder's Island where Stagg has his airship laboratories. Upon infiltrating one of Stagg's airships, Batman finds him being held against his will by the Arkham Knight's militia where they demand some specific files. After taking out the militia, Stagg tells Batman that his company has been developing Nimbus Generators, a clean power cell technology. Stagg then tells Batman that the Scarecrow is on the second airship. After a Joker-related hallucination as a result of the fear gas, some of the militia regain consciousness and bring Stagg to Scarecrow on the second airship. Batman later finds out that Stagg and Jonathan Crane were working on a project called Cloudburst until Stagg double-crossed him upon still seeing that Jonathan Crane is still operating as Scarecrow. When Stagg's cell is slowly filling with fear toxin, Batman had to work to free Stagg before his cell is filled with the fear toxin. After the militia guarding him are defeated, Batman demands an explanation from Stagg where he claimed that Scarecrow needed help with the Cloudburst. When the fear toxin kicks in, Stagg starts hallucinating that something is crawling all over him causing Batman to knock out Stagg. Batman later returns to the airship where he takes down the militia before finding Stagg's hiding spot after breaking out of his cell. Stagg tells Batman that the Cloudburst is surrounded by nimbus field and anything that doesn't run on a Nimbus Cell will be fried. Stagg allows Batman to "borrow" a Nimbus Cell. Batman then throws Stagg into another cell as he obtains a Nimbus Cell. After Batman rescues Barbara from Scarecrow and his militia and brings her to the GCPD, Stagg was put into the GCPD's supervillain holding cell thinking that the cops are insane when he has no idea what he has done to deserve being locked up in jail. Simon's audiotapes have his employee Dr. Alex Sartorious talking about Stagg's weapons development and how he collaborated with Scarecrow.

Comic Strips

 * Simon Stagg appears in Dick Tracy in February 2018. He made a deal with Ghost Pepper to buy his restaurant Pepper's. However, Ghost backs out on the deal, poisons Simon, and takes his money.