Wonder Woman 1984 was officially released to the masses over the weekend, giving fans the latest action-packed, heartfelt extension of DC’s film universe. The film, which debuted both in theaters and on HBO Max, has given fans quite a lot to take in, with a lot of revelations tied to its new and returning characters. In addition to introducing some pretty formidable foes from Wonder Woman’s comic canon, the film served as the theatrical debut of another DC favorite — one with ties to a completely different corner of the DC universe. Spoilers for Wonder Woman 1984 below! Only look if you want to know!
A good portion of the film revolved around Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a businessman and television personality who was trying to gain worldwide love and acclaim through the growth of his Black Gold Cooperative oil company. Prior to his inciting incident in the film – which saw him steal the Dreamstone that had made its way to the Smithsonian after an artifact heist was stopped by Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) – viewers got to see the circumstances of Max’s life, and how his veneer on television didn’t match his reality. This included him arriving at the empty Black Gold offices, where he was greeted by one of the company’s investors, Simon Stagg (Oliver Cotton). Stagg argued that Lord’s company was never going to get off the ground, and that he was nothing more than a loser and a conman — words that particularly stung for Lord, as they were said in front of his son, Alistair (Lucian Perez).
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Later on in the film – after being bonded with the Dreamstone – Lord visited Stagg in his offices, and manipulated him into using his one wish to boost Black Gold’s performance in the oil market. He did, but in return, Lord gained his shares and control of the company, and he also removed Stagg from the playing field entirely by having him immediately be arrested by the authorities for tax crimes.
So, who exactly is Simon Stagg? Created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon, he debuted in The Brave and the Bold #57, as a regular supporting character of Rex Mason/Metamorpho. As the no-nonsense CEO of Stagg Industries and the father of Rex’s love, Sapphire Stagg, Simon has largely served as an antagonist, not only standing in the way of Metamorpho but also causing trouble within the larger DC universe. This most recently was the case in the “DC Rebirth” launch, which saw him open a portal to the Dark Multiverse, an event that led to the creation of the fan-favorite team The Terrifics.
While this isn’t Stagg’s first appearance in live-action, as he previously appeared on Season 1 of The Flash, it still is an interesting context for him to make his DCEU debut. And with the events of the film undoing the effects of the Dreamstone, Stagg presumably remained a free man for the remainder of the 1980s and beyond — leaving the door open for an introduction of Metamorpho, if anyone wanted to tell that story.
What do you think of Simon Stagg making his debut in Wonder Woman 1984? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
