Simon Pegg was famously the visual inspiration for Wee Hughie in The Boys comic series, and later appeared as the character’s father in the TV adaptation, but what fans of the actor might not realize is that this wasn’t his only superhero genre work. In fact, he played Strontium Dog protagonist Johnny Alpha in a trilogy of audio dramas.
Strontium Dog: Down to Earth, Strontium Dog: Fire from Heaven, and the crossover Judge Dredd: Pre-Emptive Revenge, are three full-cast audio dramas adapting the long-running comic, published in the British anthology 2000 A.D. serially between 1978 and 2018.
Pegg, an avowed fan of the series, took on the role of the mutant gunslinger at the heart of the series, Johnny Alpha.
Simon Pegg Starred As Johnny Alpha In A Series Of Early 2000s “Strontium Dog” Audio Dramas
Pegg’s Forgottten 2000 A.D. Adaptation, Explained
The audiobooks starring Simon Pegg as Strontium Dog’s Johnny Alpha were released between 2002 and 2004. On the timeline of Pegg’s career, this came after the conclusion of his break-out TV role in the British sitcom Spaced, and just as he was on the verge of becoming an international household name with Shaun of the Dead.
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Though Pegg might not seem like a natural fit for the character visually, when it came to Johnny Alpha’s voice, Pegg brought energy and passion to the role, having been a fan of Strontium Dog for years before he starred in the adaptation. One notable Spaced gag even revealed Pegg’s character was distraught at the death of Johnny Alpha in the comic.
Strontium Dog is one of many examples from the comic anthology 2000 A.D. that warrants a film or TV adaptation, but one has never materialized. Unlike the similar character Judge Dredd, Johnny Alpha has never fully crossed over into the mainstream; for Simon Pegg fans, though, his early-aughts turn as the character is a great deep cut from his prolific career.
Simon Pegg’s Time As Johnny Alpha Was Brief, But It Is A Reminder Of The Character’s Potential
The Actor Was A Noted Strontium Dog Fan
For context, it wasn’t until 2006 that The Boys debuted, with its central character, stalwart “everyman” Hughie Campbell, obviously based on Simon Pegg’s likeness. Had a version of that series been adapted a decade before the 2019 debut of the Amazon series, Pegg would have been the first, and perhaps the only choice to play Hughie.
[Simon Pegg] isn’t entirely lacking genre bona fides, but other than his brief appearances in The Boys, a comic book role has largely eluded him over the past twenty years.
Pegg would go on to play Scott in the mid-2000s Star Trek reboots, and to play a critical role in the Mission Impossible franchise. So, he isn’t entirely lacking genre bona fides, but other than his brief appearances in The Boys, a comic book role has largely eluded him over the past twenty years.
That is why his tenure voicing Johnny Alpha is noteworthy; the Strontium Dog audio dramas are a fascinating footnote in the legendary career of Simon Pegg, one that highlights that his comic book legacy extends beyond The Boys, just as this classic 2000 A.D. series doesn’t deserve to languish in obscurity.