Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2013 22:20:19 GMT -4
The person behind the character:
Name/Nickname: Nate
Age: (Optional)
Experience: Six years
Contact information: PM
Character basics:
Real name: John Henry Irons
Code name: Steel
Date of Birth: June 2
Place of Birth: Washington D.C.
Age: 30's
Known family: Mrs. Irons (mother, deceased), Mr. Irons (father, deceased), Maternal Grandmother (deceased), maternal grandfather (deceased), Butter (grandfather), Bess (grandmother, deceased), Clay Irons (brother), Jemahl Irons (nephew), Blondell Irons (sister-in-law), Natasha Irons (Starlight, niece), Paco (nephew), Tyke (former foster nephew)
The Reflection in the mirror:
Hair: None, he's bald
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6' 7"
Weight: 290 lbs (132 kg)
Legal Status: Adult
Occupation: Owner of Steel Works
Affiliation: Justice League
Abilities:
Genius-Level Intellect
Mechanical Engineering
Weaponry
Computer Operation
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Steel Power Armor: Steel's powers vary in accordance with what hardware is currently available to him. He has modified the original weapons systems and suit several times since its debut and continues to refine its abilities. With his engineering, physics and ballistics knowledge, it is conceivable that the suit may potentially possess even greater power in the future.
Energy Resistance: Steel has immune systems in his armor to help him fight off computer viruses. This system also protects him against mind control agents like Queen Bee's hypnotic pollen.
Radioscopic Scans: His armor is able to analyze photonic energy given off from an object through readouts the armor gives.
Superhuman Durability: The suit's ability to impart a resistance to physical injury was quite considerable before the addition of the inertial dampening field. Small arms fire was generally not a threat but larger firearms could prove dangerous. All of the suits have performed admirably considering Steel's opponents, who include the Cyborg Superman and Metallo.
Superhuman Strength
Transportation
Jet Boots: With what are probably his greatest creations, the flight protocols for his armor are every engineer's dream.[51] The distance that can be traveled before refueling is unknown, but Steel has made a documented trip of at least 1,500 miles before touching down again. It has been determined, by observation, that Steel can reach speeds just short of the speed of sound, which is 700+ miles per hour
Weapons
Kinetic Hammer
Rivet Cannon: This short range weapon has fired red-hot rivets similar to those used in construction.
What's hidden behind the mask:
Personality:
John Henry Irons is a hard working man when it cames to his own company Steel Works. He loves to create new inventions, not just for himself when he's out in the city of the world as Steel, but to help out the law enforcement for Metropolis. He's protective of those he loves, including his niece Natasha, whom he loves dearly like a daughter. He's not a perfect man and he makes mistakes but John gets right back up to fight another day. When John wants to something good, then that's where his counterpart comes in...Steel
As the man of Steel, John is focused on the task at hand. He likes to make improvements in the armor he creates, because John wants to make sure no one gets into it. He can be very protective of those he cares about including his armor. Sometimes, villians or rivals from John's past invades his company so it's always good to have a backup plan, using different types of Steel armors to fight them off. John will do whatever it takes to create different solutions to help others, whether it's as John Henry Irons or Steel, having the experience in the business and medically.
History: John Henry Irons' parents were murdered when he was young, and he felt that the only way to protect his family was to become rich and powerful. John Henry went to Yale on a sports scholarship before getting hired for Amertek.
John Henry Irons, a ballistics expert, enjoyed both wealth and success designing hi-tech weapons for a contractor with government ties. Irons used the money to help his family and was convinced he was doing good. When a series of weapon prototypes, the BG-60s, were leaked to a terrorist cell in Qurac, a fire fight erupted that left many innocent people dead. Irons, flying over to inspect the scene, was horrified at the thought of what his work had led to. He destroyed all the remaining prototypes and attempted to delete all information of a more powerful model, the BG-80, before going into hiding in Metropolis. He got a job as a steelworker under the assumed name "Henry Johnson."
One day, a coworker on a high-rise fell, and "Henry" swung out to save him, only to then fall and plummet towards his death. Luckily, Superman saved him. "Henry" told Superman "I owe you my life" and Superman replied by telling him he should make it count for something. Not very long afterward, Doomsday smashed his way into Metropolis, and Irons tried to reach Superman, only to be buried in a collapsing building. He was not able to free himself until it was too late.
A few weeks later, his weapons are being used by gangs on the street, under the name "toastmasters." Irons decides he must take action, so he forges a suit of armor, flight boots, and completes the look with an "S-shield" and cape. He quickly learns the source of the guns is a mysterious White Rabbit. A neighbor of his, a psychic named Rosie Kratz, insists that this "Man of Steel" is in fact Superman, or at least Superman's soul in a new body. At the same time, however, there are three other "Supermen" in Metropolis, all with seemingly stronger claims.
The Man of Steel gets to work. Shrugging off an offer of employment by Lex Luthor II, he continues to follow the trail of guns, attempting to nail down the source. During his effort, he meets Lois Lane after he saves her in a manner reminiscent of how she met Superman. Unlike the other claimants, however, the Man of Steel insists that he never claimed he was the actual Superman. He also chides Superboy for being too reckless. His search leads him to the White Rabbit, and as he feared it is his old partner, Angora, who helped him design the weapons. She offers to make him a partner, and when he refuses she blasts him out a window and flees.
As he attempts to track down White Rabbit, Steel encounters the Eradicator, calling himself the "Last Son of Krypton", who brutally kills a thug who had turned a gun on John Henry. Steel criticizes the visor-wearing Superman, telling him there is no way he can be the real thing. Enraged, the Eradicator attacks Steel, and they fight until Lois Lane arrives and is able to pull them apart. The Last Son gets enraged again, however, when a process server arrives telling him that Superboy has secured the actual rights to the name "Superman." Steel attempts to contain the situation, prompting the Eradicator to launch them almost into orbit before crashing in California. The Eradicator resumes the fight, but Steel is able to battle him to a standstill (at least temporarily) yelling that being Superman is about more than just having power, it is also about having humanity and compassion. The Eradicator withdraws from the battle. Steel gets a lift back to Metropolis, where the White Rabbit ambushes him at the airport. Fighting off her thugs, he grabs her and forces her to take him to her manufacturing plant. She attempts another ambush here, but he breaks free. The plant is destroyed and the Rabbit seemingly killed, but Steel knows it is not the end of the Toastmasters.
After Coast City is destroyed, Steel decides to investigate first hand. The Cyborg Superman has announced that he and Superboy were not able to defeat the "Last Son," responsible for the destruction, but Steel does not trust this account. Running into Lois Lane, he finds she does not believe it either. Hearing a nearby disturbance, they find Luthor and Supergirl at the docks, facing a huge Kryptonian warsuit. Superboy arrives as Steel knocks down the suit, telling everyone that the Cyborg is the real villain and plans on destroying Metropolis next.
The real Superman emerges from the warsuit. Steel and the others are skeptical at first, especially since Superman is wearing a black costume and is powerless. Upon being told of the situation and having a brief, private conversation with Lois Lane, Superman decides to head for the ruins of Coast City. Steel and Superboy decide to go with him, despite their doubts. Superman borrows a pair of LexCorp flight boots and they set out. They discover Engine City in the midst of the ruins and launch a frontal attack. They manage to get inside the city, but Superboy must quickly leave again to deflect a missile launched for Metropolis.
Steel and Superman continue their way inside. Superman reveals that Supergirl has been with them the entire time, fighting invisible along side them. This only helps affirm to Steel that Superman is who he claims. The trio encounter Mongul, who announces he has just ordered Engine City to fire its reactors, which will cause the Earth to spin out of orbit. While Superman and Supergirl fight Mongul, Steel goes off to stop the reactor. There he encounters the Cyborg, taking on monstrous new forms, and desperately gives all he's got to grind the engines to a halt, saving the Earth and frustrating the Cyborg's plans.
Steel manages to free himself, but his armor is ruined. Superboy returns and saves him from the Cyborg. Green Lantern uses Steel's hammer to defeat Mongul. In the end, however, Superman must battle the Cyborg one-on-one, but emerges victorious and back to full strength. Steel, battered and bruised, leaves the ruins, heading back to Metropolis alongside Superboy and Supergirl via a military transport helicopter.
After a few weeks of doing his best without his armor to round up more toastmasters, John Henry decides it's time to head back to where it all began, Washington, D.C. He parts ways with Superman and leaves Metropolis, and what he thinks is his career as a superhero.
The series began with Steel leaving Metropolis and returning home to Washington, D.C.. Steel reveals it has been five years since he left D.C. He erroneously believed that his old employers, Amertek Industries, would no longer be interested in him. He is met at a bus station by his niece, Natasha Irons, just before a gang fight erupts. One side is using toastmasters, the other is relying on a drug called Tar which grants temporary super strength. John Henry, unarmed and without his armor, tries to intervene, but is distracted when he thinks he sees his nephew, Jamahl Irons, resulting in his being knocked out by a "tar freak." Coming to, he heads home with Nat, where he is greeted by his grandparents, Bess and Butter Irons, his sister-in-law Blondell Irons, and the rest of her children, Paco, Tyke, and Darlene (the latter of two are foster children. Jemahl arrives at dinner time, just before an attack on the home by soldiers working for Amertek. Between this attack and his knowledge that the Toastmasters were now being used on the streets of D.C. he reforged his armor (now stronger than ever) and began his crusade against Amertek, which he correctly knew was responsible for leaking the weapons onto the street. Steel decided not to use the "S" shield, however, since he felt that his battle might take him outside the law and he did not want to tarnish the symbol.
Steel's early adventures pit him against Amertek and against the gangs using the weapons he designed. He quickly learns his nephew Jemahl is involved in one of the gangs, which he thinks offers both him and the family protection. His faith in his "crew" is shaken, however, when a fellow gang member, Spiral, frames Jemahl after a gun deal goes bad. The gang's leader, Cowboy, turns Jemahl over to their supplier, Amalgam. Steel rescues Jemahl and delivers Amalgam over to the police (though not before Amalgam murders Spiral, learning the truth of what happened).
Steel confronts his old employer, Col. Weston, who had already known Steel was in fact John Henry Irons. Steel goes on to break into Amertek looking for proof that they are responsible for selling not only the Toastmasters but Tar as well. During the break in, a firefight sets off a ruptured gas main, leading to the building's destruction. Weston publicly denounces Steel as a dangerous criminal. He then bails Amalgam out of jail, tells him his true identity, and starts in motion numerous plans to attack Steel indirectly. These include a drive-by shooting meant for Jemahl (that leaves Tyke paralyzed), a tar freak attacking John Henry at a funeral, a hit and run that injures Natasha, and Cowboy (masked) mugging Blondell. Realizing he needs help, even with a disk of stolen info from Amertek, Steel contacts a police officer named Shauna Beryl for aid. When Jemahl learns that Cowboy is working with Amalgam against his family, he steals a vial of S-Tar (an upgraded version of Tar) and attacks Cowboy. Steel has to confront his nephew, and manages to keep him contained until the main effects of the drug wear off.
The information Steel gave to Beryl eventually leads to the downfall of Amertek and the arrest of Col. Weston. Not satisfied with ending it there, Steel decides to go after the ones behind Amertex. This leads him to track down a group called Black Ops led by the villain Hazard. The trail first leads back to Metropolis, recently in ruins due to the Fall of Metropolis storyline. Steel's arrival also coincides with the World's Collide event. Steel has to fight alongside Superman once again to defeat the power of Rift. He also gets a firsthand look at Hazard and Black Ops. Hazard is all too aware of Steel's intentions.
Back in D.C., John Henry meets Dr. Amanda Quick while checking on Tyke's condition (his paralysis has left him depressed). Hazard orders his troops to attack Steel at the National Mall. Steel battles Flatline, Hotspot and Quake while his family is nearby (at the Vietnam Memorial). Hazard calls off the troops, sending his teleporter, Split (New Earth), to pull them out. Shortly thereafter, Steel saves a U.S. Senator from Hazard's assassination attempt, whereupon Hazard sends Shellshock, Hardsell and Mainline to attack him. Split turns up in the battle and takes everyone to Hazard's lair, where Hazard himself knocks Steel unconscious. Stripped of his armor, John Henry tells his entire story to Hazard. After his offer of employment is refused, Hazard fires on Steel, whose armor mysteriously appears around him. Breaking free, Steel forces Split to take him clear of Black Ops. He knows the situation with Black Ops is far from over.
A serial killer has also been on the loose in D.C. Investigating, Shauna Beryl is convinced to contact a psychic, who turns up being Steel's former neighbor, Rosie Kratz. Beryl is being aided by a recent transfer from Chicago, Det. Ben Carroll. All of the recent victims were decapitated and were all involved in drugs, prompting the police to suspect a link to tar. Steel asks Shauna how to contact Rosie. Unfortunately, he arrives just after the killer has attacked her, leaving her to bleed to death in Steel's arms. Before she dies, she mentions the word "alter" and draws a police badge in her own blood. Beryl and several uniformed police show up and place Steel under arrest. Quickly concluding he is innocent, Beryl helps him escape custody. Rosie's murder provides a few more clues which allow them to discover Ben Caroll is in fact the real killer. They set an ambush for him involving Shauna. Caroll is not simply a killer, however, but has a metagene that allows him to transform into an enormous, feline like being. Caroll (who real name was Adam Kratz) had been abused as a child and developed "the Alter" as an alternate personality, a monster that tracked down and murdered child abusers. Steel defeats the Alter, clearing his own name when Caroll is arrested.
Wanting to track a Black Ops satellite in orbit, Steel turns to the Justice League for help. Maxima, on Earth at the time and working with the League, offers to help him by bringing him into orbit. Once there, however, they are captured by an alien warlord named De'cine, and his accomplice, B'add. De'cine is trying to force Maxima to marry him as a means of seizing power on Maxima's homeworld. Steel is not killed because the alien scan indicates he is a cyborg. During this time, Steel's armor demonstrates it will appear around him whenever he is directly threatened (i.e. in mortal danger). Steel manages to break free, defeating B'add, and then rescuing Maxima from De'cine and his mother, who has rendezvoused with them in her own warship. The two steal De'cine's ship and head back to Earth with their enemies in pursuit. They detonate the ship after fleeing in a lifepod, creating the impression they were both killed so De'cine and his mother depart. Steel and Maxima are then rescued by the Justice League, but the satellite he wanted to investigate self detonates when he gets near it, leaving another dead end.
Steel's search for Hazard's Black Ops was interrupted by the return of the White Rabbit. She sent her operative, Bomb, to distract Steel while she embarked on a plan to brainwash several prominent members of Congress. Bomb succeeded in distracting Steel and even Superman as the plan proceeded. Another operative, Double, is also investigating the White Rabbit. The two work together, and uncover the White Rabbit's plans. They confront her in her hideout, battling an entire squad of super powered thugs but defeating them all. Unfortunately, the Rabbit escapes from them.
Returning home after defeating the White Rabbit, Steel learns that Tyke has been kidnapped. Confronting a gang of tar freaks ends up being a dead end. Shauna Beryl informs him there have been a string of kidnappings lately and gives him information on where he might start investigating. Steel set out to follow the lead, but is confronted by Chindi, a bounty hunter who claims someone has put a reward on Steel's armor. The two battle to a stalemate in a parking garage, withdrawing when federal agents arrive on scene. Steel goes home to make some minor repairs, unaware that Chindi planted a homing device on him. While setting out to find Tyke again, his armor "acts up" again, disappearing while he is in midair only to reappear. He decides to take it to [S.T.A.R. Labs]], but they are only able to tell him about the tracking device. Federal agents arrive there trying to arrest him, but he has just left the scene.
Shauna's lead takes him to an old waste plant. Chindi confronts him there again, maintaining the upper hand, until their fight spills into a holding cell full of children. Steel explains he learned that the children were being held there for experimentation by Black Ops. Chindi confesses Hazard was the one who hired him, but breaks the contract because of the experiments. They rescue the children before the building explodes. Tyke was not among the children, however. Steel now knows where to find Hazard, and sets out for a direct assault. Chindi backs him up, and they easily penetrate Hazard's lair and take down his goons. Steel confronts Hazard himself and rips off his mechanical arm, but Split teleports his boss away. Tyke is there and John Henry brings him home, but Tyke had gone there on his own, since Hazard promised to make him walk again, and now bears a hatred for his uncle.
Another kidnapping, this type of an old high school teacher of his, leads Steel to join up with Lethal. They find his old mentor and rescue him from a zombie lord named Declaude.
During Underworld Unleashed, a string of riots breaks out throughout D.C. While attempting to help the police, Steel encounters Metallo, now with the ability to reform any metal into a new body for himself. Steel tries to fight him off and recover a bomb planted beneath a mosque. He uses the bomb on Metallo high above D.C., seemingly stopping him. Afterwards, he meets the Alpha Centurion, who was seeking him to join a Superman Rescue Squad, as the Man of Steel had been kidnapped by an alien Tribunal. Steel agrees to join the team.
Steel joins Supergirl, Superboy and the Eradicator onboard the Centurion's ship and head out into space. Superboy tells the others he does not trust the Centurion. These fears are realized when the Centurion abandons the rest to battle an alien platoon on an asteroid. Steel modifies some equipment the Centurion left them to form a makeshift transport. Arriving on a nearby planet, the team is confronted by the Cyborg Superman, who easily takes down all four of them. He turns them over as prisoner of the Tribunal, whom he is working for.
While in custody, Steel discovers the Alpha Centurion is also a prisoner. Steel manages to call his armor and stage an escape, along with Supergirl and the Eradicator. While Steel and Supergirl, both in disguise, go to a local bar to try and find information, the Eradicator stays behind to try and rescue Superboy. Unfortunately, Steel and Supergirl are discovered and a bar fight breaks out. It ends quickly when the Cyborg turns up and easily recaptures them. For escaping, they are both sentenced to death.
Fortunately, neither Superman nor any of the team is put to death. They manage to break free and rally together behind the Man of Steel when the Cyborg betrays his Tribunal masters. Superman leads them to confront the Tribunal itself, which ultimately "exonerates" Superman and lets him go. The team (including the Centurion) return triumphantly to Earth.
Tragedy would strike the Irons family upon his return from space. Tyke, frustrated and angry over his handicap, betrayed John Henry's true identity to federal agents working with Hazard. The agents release a cyborg named Hardwire (modified courtesy of Hazard) who opens fire on the Irons family as they sit down to dinner. Most of them receive minor injuries, though Butter is seriously wounded. Hardwire battles Steel at the Washington Monument, resulting in Hardwire's suicide. Steel had to send his armor away to save his life. This resulted in his secret identity being made known to the world at large. Child Protective services reclaim Tyke and Darlene (Tyke is later shown to end up in the custody of Hazard). Steel is then taken by Hazard, but he manages to escape, recalling his armor again. Steel retrieves an anti-matter weapon, called the Annihilator, which he had designed and hidden years before, for his showdown with Hazard. He also learns at this point that he can teleport himself, not just his armor. He confronts Hazard in his lair and utterly destroys it with his weapon. In this battle, three young soldiers of Hazard (Flatline, Quake, and Hotspot) are apparently killed by Irons.
Now that Steel's identity is out, his family has no peace. They are harassed by neighbors and mobs of people. Natasha is kidnapped by Plasmus, who is trying to blackmail Steel into creating a suit for himself. Steel rescues her, outsmarting Plasums, but cannot help but be grieved at all the pain he is causing the family. Steel moves out (temporarily staying with Dr. Amanda Quick) but the family is still harassed. Then the family is attacked by both Doctor Polaris and the Parasite, both arriving seeking the Annihilator. The Parasite's alternate personality ("Doc" Parasite) is the personality of a scientist who once knew John Henry (and who always resented him). John Henry's beloved grandmother Bess is killed in the fight trying to help her grandson.
The family is forced to go into hiding, relocated by Double. Steel's guilt and pain nearly consumes him. He teleports into the "white zone" (the place he can go or send his armor between teleports) and is confronted there by a monstrous, nightmarish looking version of his armor. He quickly teleports again, ending up at Hazard's old lair. He discovers Flatline, Quake, and Hotspot are all alive. They corner him, as he teleported without his armor, but the Demon Armor has followed him to the lair. John Henry works with the other three to try and fight off the Demon Armor. They engage in a running battle onto the streets of D.C. Natasha (having run away from the family) meets up with him there and tries to help. John Henry realizes that the Demon Armor is part of him. When he thought he killed Hazard's troops, he somehow manifested the ugly, monstrous side of himself into a physical form. Realizing this, Steel banishes the Demon Armor to the white zone, seemingly for good.
Natasha is more grief stricken over the loss of Grandma Bess than she first admits. She spends several nights sleeping at the cemetery and even violently attacks John Henry when he confronts here there. A blind gravedigger tells them that Bess's soul is not at rest because someone stole her wedding ring and she wants to be buried with it. Reviewing media footage of the attack by Polaris, Steel is able to track down the thief and the wedding ring. Bess's body is exhumed and reburied with the ring, letting her soul rest. John Henry and Natasha fix up the family home, good as new, before leaving it forever.
The title received a shakeup when Christopher Priest became the lead writer for issue #34. In addition to relocating Steel and giving him new armor, Priest completely abandons virtually the entire supporting cast from the series.
Steel relocates to Jersey City with Natasha to begin a new life in a new city. He built a new suit of armor that was significantly less powerful than the previous one (but one that featured the return of an "S" shield on it). He decided to sacrifice strength for mobility, as this suit was more easily compact (as he had abandoned this teleporting, fearing another incident similar to the one involving the Demon Armor). He also started work at a hospital, alongside Amanda Quick. His job involves designing medical equipment, under the coordination of the hospital administrator, Dr. Villain (pronounced "will-hane"). On his first day in his new city, he meets the local law enforcement, a police captain named Margot Fields.
Steel quickly becomes suspicious of Dr. Villain when he finds a monster lurking in the sewers beneath the hospital. He also realizes being a parent to Natasha (who regresses, both in age and maturity) is more than what he expected, particularly after she meets a strange boy named Boris. The two kids even steal his armor and get into trouble. Steel recovers the remains of the creature for Villain to examine.
John Henry tries to get closer to Dr. Quick. Margot tells him she suspects Quick has been targeted by an assassin to get at Steel. This ends up being true, as a killer named Skorpio goads Steel into fighting. In the midst of the fight, Steel teleports to the white zone, and is forced to grapple with the Demon Armor until teleporting to Villain's office. Villain removes a microchip from Steel's body that he claims apparently was the source of his ability to teleport, which ends the "white zone" business forever. What Steel does not know is that Villain is the one who hired Skorpio, hoping to draw media attention by more conflicts involving Steel.
Villain is subsequently kidnapped by an African warlord and Steel has to go rescue him. During this adventure, he joins up with the Question to free Villain. While in Africa, Steel meets up with Double and asks him to track down Hazard for him. On the way back to Jersey City, he stops off in D.C. to visit Col. Weston in prison, asking if he knows anything about the microchip that had been implanted in him. Weston denies any knowledge of the chip. Hazard then contacts Steel and admits both that he knows nothing about it and that he is no longer interested in Steel. Unknown to John Henry, his brother Clay Irons, assumed dead, has come to Jersey City to settle some scores under the name Crash.
Steel designs a new hammer to augment the new armor. At the same time, Natasha is beaten up by a creep at her school named Kilo after she refused to sleep with him. Kilo is found dead the next day. Margot brings John Henry in for questioning. He admits to confronting Kilo, but says he did not kill him, and the D.A. has no choice but to let him go for lack of evidence. Double, Crash, and Skorpio all confronted Kilo but none of them killed him either. The real killer was Dr. Villain, though no one discovers this but Skorpio.
Crash keeps an eye on Nat (his daughter) from a distance. Steel helps deliver a baby before John Henry has a date with Dr. Quick. After getting lost driving in the city, they are pulled over by racist white cops who pull John Henry out of the car and beat him senseless. They let the pair go after stealing John Henry's flight boots from the car. Amanda drives them to the hospital. While Steel learns that Boris is there (he is HIV positive), Amanda learns that Skorpio is actually a doctor at the hospital, but she does not tell Steel.
Unnerved by the Genesis event, Steel decides to go to Metropolis to see if Superman has any answers. Superman (in his "Man of Energy" phase) meets up with him and explains that super-powered beings all over the planet are having problems with their powers. When he zips out, he creates an EMP pulse that shorts out Steel's boots, causing him to plummet to the streets of Metropolis. He is not badly injured, and decides to stick around briefly. He has a talk with Lois Lane about Amanda before having to go off and help the rest of the world's heroes contend with the Genesis event. Afterwards, exhausted, he returns home to Natasha and Boris.[34]
John Henry decides to settle matters with the police who beat him up and stole his flight boots. Locating the right township, he drops by the police department and is immediately placed under arrest. The two officers in question had recently been murdered (by Crash) and John Henry is a suspect. Margot arrives from Jersey City and gets John Henry out of jail, citing he was in Metropolis when the murders occurred. The police insist on keeping his flight boots, however, as one of the officer had kept the pair he stole and now they are missing. They later return the boots in pieces and tell him no charges are being pressed. Having repressed all the anger over the incident, John Henry finally loses control. He smashes his entire kitchen in a violent burst of rage.
Things keep getting more complicated. First, Superboy arrives in town to ask Natasha out on a date. John Henry has a talk to Boris while they are gone, who admits he has feelings for Nat but would never act on them because of his condition. John Henry is trying to settle his feelings for Amanda, unaware that she has just slept with Skorpio (despite knowing he was a killer). Steel pulls Superboy from the date to help him stop a runaway train. Much to his relief, Natasha is not interested in pursuing a relationship with SB, because she realizes he is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Tana Moon.
When Christmas rolls around, Nat wishes to go see her family. Steel arranges for Double to take her to them, while he swings by New York. He encounters a racist jeweler who won't sell to him before stopping by Warrior's to chat with Guy Gardner. Of all people, Gardner convinces him to go to Amanda straight away and tell her how he feels. Steel does just that and Amanda admits she loves him, too.
Steel is notified by a man named Cardinal that Crash is the one who took his flight boots. Crash plans on ridding Jersey City of crime by controlling the criminal element. Steel is still unaware Crash is his brother when he confronts him. He is then asked by Dr. Villain to bring a heart transplant to the hospital. Along the way, he is attacked by Deadline, who is hired to destroy the heart (being rushed to a mafia don). Steel fights him off and the transplant is successful, though Skorpio kills the man shortly thereafter.
Steel is called on to assist Superman Red and Superman Blue as well as the Justice League and many other heroes do battle with the Millennium Giants, part of the crossover Behold! The Millennium Giants!.
Shortly after the battle, Steel is asked to join the recently reformed JLA.
Skorpio, angry at Steel for "stealing" Amanda, contacts Crash and promises to help him get Steel's attention. Crash does not know the details, and is shocked and angry when Skorpio poisons Natasha. Steel uses an EMP pulse to knock all his hoods out of the air before confronting Crash, realizing finally it is his brother. Skorpio's poison has no antidote, but requires a complete blood transfusion. His plan had been to leave Steel at Crash's mercy, but instead Crash volunteers for the transfusion to save Steel's daughter. Steel battle Skorpio, who admits to working for Dr. Villain. Steel refuses to kill him, but has him and Dr. Villain arrested. Amanda is arrested as well for not disclosing what she knew about Skorpio. Nat recovers and John Henry is appointed the new hospital administrator.
JLA and the Men of Steel
Around the time of Steel's cancellation, he was recruited as a member of the Justice League. He stayed on as a supporting member for quite some time. He also became a regular member in the Superman titles.
Steel does not stay with the hospital long, but soon relocates with Nat to Metropolis to run his own workshop there, called Steelworks, developing non-lethal weapons and equipment for the Special Crimes Unit and other outfits.
The two became partners of a sort and John Henry helped Superman build a new Fortress of Solitude.
Superman eventually decided to reveal his secret identity to his partner, but John Henry had already deduced it. Nevertheless, he was honored to have Superman's full trust.
In the headquarters of Steel Works, one man is in his office, standing, looking outside of the window, seeing the city of New York that’s outside of his company. His name is John Henry Irons, the owner of Steel Works, but what people do not know, is that he IS the hero called Steel…well not in this world. John was looking outside of the window, thinking, reflecting about everything that has happened to him the past couple of months. It all started one day when John woke up and found Natasha on the floor, who woke up too, but found out that he was in New York, which was strange at first. Why was Steel Works in the city that never slept instead of Metropolis? Did the company move to a new location or something? Because John never signed or agreed to anything like that? That’s when John noticed that things didn’t add up, so what happened next? John and Natasha stayed the night at Steel Works until the next day where they started to leave but someone stopped them….
SHIELD
They needed to speak with them and at first, Natasha being the overprotected one in the family would tell them hell no, but with John, he looked at them and they meant business. So they cooperated with this so called organization called SHIELD and were asked a bunch of questions. Simply John told him that he and Natasha are from Metropolis but they told them that Metropolis didn’t exist in the country. Now that left them, including John in for a loop and they could not understand. How could Metropolis not exist in the country or the entire world to be exact? When the questioning was over, John and Natasha went back to Steel Works but Natasha had enough. She was so upset and angry, feeling that SHIELD was trying to fool them or even hurt them. It made her want to cry in frustration but John was there for her niece, telling her that everything is going to be okay, that they will find out what happen and come back home. But was there really a home for them, besides Iron Works? Would they ever get back to the home they know and love?
Whatever happened happens, so the two of them, especially John had to move on and deal with living here in New York City. John and Natasha found a nice penthouse for the two of them to live so they can get settled in, thanks to the money John has. Besides, John still has a company to run in Steel Works but would that mean John would quit as Steel? Hell no. At night, when he wasn’t working, John would suit up and head out into the city of New York to clean up crime and put the criminals, the bad guys in their places, including jail. John would come home and Natasha would tell him that he was on the news as Steel, and some of the news anchors, reporters, etc asked, is this the new “Iron Man”? John did not even know who Iron Man was until he did his research on the hero and found out that this guy was named Tony Stark. He was the “Iron Man” that people called him. He even revealed his identity as Iron Man at one point which John thought was a stupid move but if Tony revealed who he was, could John do it?
But anyway, John continued to do some more research on the heroes, or new heroes that John has never heard of. Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and so on, heroes that have themselves known to the public and protecting the world from the opposition. John could not believe how many superheroes there were around here, it made John feel like it was just him and Natasha against the world until the next couple of days. John heard the reports on the news about Superman’s appearance as John watched it and it made him smile. Maybe it wasn’t just him and Natasha, maybe there’s more of John’s allies out there, like The Justice League and so forth. Then other reports came in with the appearance of Batman, Robin, the Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Zartanna, and John felt really good, now he’s not alone. He’s got Natasha and other heroes that he knows very well. Maybe one day John could arrange something, gather all of the heroes that he knows, together and take on the world’s toughest villains.
For now, John will continue doing what he loves to do best, being the proud owner of Steel Works and fighting crime as The Man of Steel at night. John had gotten in contact with the NYPD and met with them to talk about making new lethal weapons that can help improve their Special Crimes Division, etc. John met with them, presenting his line of work from the experience John was taught and they approved. Some had their problems with what John brought to the table but John told them not to worry and they shouldn’t. Back at his company of Steel Works, John hired new people who shared the same ideas that John had in his head. The new people he brought in has the experience of what they have done in the past. The other people who worked with John were confused too about where they were, but John told him that they had to move with their lives, starting fresh and brand new. There’s still some more things to figure out but right now, things are good for him and the others.
John walked away from the window and sat down in his seat next to his desk before looking at his schedule on the table that his secretary gave to him in the morning when John came into his office. There was nothing important on it except for a board meeting today to discuss the progress of Irons Works and what more improvements has to be made, including an interview he has with a reporter from the New York Times. The interview between him and the reporter was about Steel Works and what his company represents. He just did not know who the reporter would be, maybe just some new guy that John has never met, and maybe they can be friends. Though there’s some nosy reporters who are pushy, arrogant, and over the top, wanting anything for a story so that it can save his or her behind. For John got up from his chair again and went over the mini bar, getting himself a nice drink of water. Pouring the pitch of water into a glass cup, he place the pitch of water right back down. Taking the glass of water, John started to sip of the water, feeling it go through his throat, then the sound of the phone on his desk started to ring.
Picking up the phone, John put it close to his ear so that he can hear who’s on the other line. “Hello?”, he asked. “Mister Irons, I have a New York Times reporter here for an interview with you, Mister Kent”, the receptionist at the front desk told him over the phone, but the last name…Kent…as in….? “Um…tell him to wait. I’ll come out there and bring him in my office but hold all my calls right now unless it is an emergency”, he said before putting the phone down and hanging up. John had a smile on his face all of the sudden, as he started to put on his suit, straightening out his tie, before checking himself in a small mirror on his desk. He knew someone with the last name of Kent…Clark Kent to be, no no, Superman to be exact. Ready as ever, John left his office and walked down the hallways, passing the other people who work with Steel Works. Inside John would be excited seeing Clark but knew he had to be serious, he did not want to blow the man's cover and he would never do that to Kent.
Code word: Armageddon
Name/Nickname: Nate
Age: (Optional)
Experience: Six years
Contact information: PM
Character basics:
Real name: John Henry Irons
Code name: Steel
Date of Birth: June 2
Place of Birth: Washington D.C.
Age: 30's
Known family: Mrs. Irons (mother, deceased), Mr. Irons (father, deceased), Maternal Grandmother (deceased), maternal grandfather (deceased), Butter (grandfather), Bess (grandmother, deceased), Clay Irons (brother), Jemahl Irons (nephew), Blondell Irons (sister-in-law), Natasha Irons (Starlight, niece), Paco (nephew), Tyke (former foster nephew)
The Reflection in the mirror:
Hair: None, he's bald
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6' 7"
Weight: 290 lbs (132 kg)
Legal Status: Adult
Occupation: Owner of Steel Works
Affiliation: Justice League
Abilities:
Genius-Level Intellect
Mechanical Engineering
Weaponry
Computer Operation
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Steel Power Armor: Steel's powers vary in accordance with what hardware is currently available to him. He has modified the original weapons systems and suit several times since its debut and continues to refine its abilities. With his engineering, physics and ballistics knowledge, it is conceivable that the suit may potentially possess even greater power in the future.
Energy Resistance: Steel has immune systems in his armor to help him fight off computer viruses. This system also protects him against mind control agents like Queen Bee's hypnotic pollen.
Radioscopic Scans: His armor is able to analyze photonic energy given off from an object through readouts the armor gives.
Superhuman Durability: The suit's ability to impart a resistance to physical injury was quite considerable before the addition of the inertial dampening field. Small arms fire was generally not a threat but larger firearms could prove dangerous. All of the suits have performed admirably considering Steel's opponents, who include the Cyborg Superman and Metallo.
Superhuman Strength
Transportation
Jet Boots: With what are probably his greatest creations, the flight protocols for his armor are every engineer's dream.[51] The distance that can be traveled before refueling is unknown, but Steel has made a documented trip of at least 1,500 miles before touching down again. It has been determined, by observation, that Steel can reach speeds just short of the speed of sound, which is 700+ miles per hour
Weapons
Kinetic Hammer
Rivet Cannon: This short range weapon has fired red-hot rivets similar to those used in construction.
What's hidden behind the mask:
Personality:
John Henry Irons is a hard working man when it cames to his own company Steel Works. He loves to create new inventions, not just for himself when he's out in the city of the world as Steel, but to help out the law enforcement for Metropolis. He's protective of those he loves, including his niece Natasha, whom he loves dearly like a daughter. He's not a perfect man and he makes mistakes but John gets right back up to fight another day. When John wants to something good, then that's where his counterpart comes in...Steel
As the man of Steel, John is focused on the task at hand. He likes to make improvements in the armor he creates, because John wants to make sure no one gets into it. He can be very protective of those he cares about including his armor. Sometimes, villians or rivals from John's past invades his company so it's always good to have a backup plan, using different types of Steel armors to fight them off. John will do whatever it takes to create different solutions to help others, whether it's as John Henry Irons or Steel, having the experience in the business and medically.
History: John Henry Irons' parents were murdered when he was young, and he felt that the only way to protect his family was to become rich and powerful. John Henry went to Yale on a sports scholarship before getting hired for Amertek.
John Henry Irons, a ballistics expert, enjoyed both wealth and success designing hi-tech weapons for a contractor with government ties. Irons used the money to help his family and was convinced he was doing good. When a series of weapon prototypes, the BG-60s, were leaked to a terrorist cell in Qurac, a fire fight erupted that left many innocent people dead. Irons, flying over to inspect the scene, was horrified at the thought of what his work had led to. He destroyed all the remaining prototypes and attempted to delete all information of a more powerful model, the BG-80, before going into hiding in Metropolis. He got a job as a steelworker under the assumed name "Henry Johnson."
One day, a coworker on a high-rise fell, and "Henry" swung out to save him, only to then fall and plummet towards his death. Luckily, Superman saved him. "Henry" told Superman "I owe you my life" and Superman replied by telling him he should make it count for something. Not very long afterward, Doomsday smashed his way into Metropolis, and Irons tried to reach Superman, only to be buried in a collapsing building. He was not able to free himself until it was too late.
A few weeks later, his weapons are being used by gangs on the street, under the name "toastmasters." Irons decides he must take action, so he forges a suit of armor, flight boots, and completes the look with an "S-shield" and cape. He quickly learns the source of the guns is a mysterious White Rabbit. A neighbor of his, a psychic named Rosie Kratz, insists that this "Man of Steel" is in fact Superman, or at least Superman's soul in a new body. At the same time, however, there are three other "Supermen" in Metropolis, all with seemingly stronger claims.
The Man of Steel gets to work. Shrugging off an offer of employment by Lex Luthor II, he continues to follow the trail of guns, attempting to nail down the source. During his effort, he meets Lois Lane after he saves her in a manner reminiscent of how she met Superman. Unlike the other claimants, however, the Man of Steel insists that he never claimed he was the actual Superman. He also chides Superboy for being too reckless. His search leads him to the White Rabbit, and as he feared it is his old partner, Angora, who helped him design the weapons. She offers to make him a partner, and when he refuses she blasts him out a window and flees.
As he attempts to track down White Rabbit, Steel encounters the Eradicator, calling himself the "Last Son of Krypton", who brutally kills a thug who had turned a gun on John Henry. Steel criticizes the visor-wearing Superman, telling him there is no way he can be the real thing. Enraged, the Eradicator attacks Steel, and they fight until Lois Lane arrives and is able to pull them apart. The Last Son gets enraged again, however, when a process server arrives telling him that Superboy has secured the actual rights to the name "Superman." Steel attempts to contain the situation, prompting the Eradicator to launch them almost into orbit before crashing in California. The Eradicator resumes the fight, but Steel is able to battle him to a standstill (at least temporarily) yelling that being Superman is about more than just having power, it is also about having humanity and compassion. The Eradicator withdraws from the battle. Steel gets a lift back to Metropolis, where the White Rabbit ambushes him at the airport. Fighting off her thugs, he grabs her and forces her to take him to her manufacturing plant. She attempts another ambush here, but he breaks free. The plant is destroyed and the Rabbit seemingly killed, but Steel knows it is not the end of the Toastmasters.
After Coast City is destroyed, Steel decides to investigate first hand. The Cyborg Superman has announced that he and Superboy were not able to defeat the "Last Son," responsible for the destruction, but Steel does not trust this account. Running into Lois Lane, he finds she does not believe it either. Hearing a nearby disturbance, they find Luthor and Supergirl at the docks, facing a huge Kryptonian warsuit. Superboy arrives as Steel knocks down the suit, telling everyone that the Cyborg is the real villain and plans on destroying Metropolis next.
The real Superman emerges from the warsuit. Steel and the others are skeptical at first, especially since Superman is wearing a black costume and is powerless. Upon being told of the situation and having a brief, private conversation with Lois Lane, Superman decides to head for the ruins of Coast City. Steel and Superboy decide to go with him, despite their doubts. Superman borrows a pair of LexCorp flight boots and they set out. They discover Engine City in the midst of the ruins and launch a frontal attack. They manage to get inside the city, but Superboy must quickly leave again to deflect a missile launched for Metropolis.
Steel and Superman continue their way inside. Superman reveals that Supergirl has been with them the entire time, fighting invisible along side them. This only helps affirm to Steel that Superman is who he claims. The trio encounter Mongul, who announces he has just ordered Engine City to fire its reactors, which will cause the Earth to spin out of orbit. While Superman and Supergirl fight Mongul, Steel goes off to stop the reactor. There he encounters the Cyborg, taking on monstrous new forms, and desperately gives all he's got to grind the engines to a halt, saving the Earth and frustrating the Cyborg's plans.
Steel manages to free himself, but his armor is ruined. Superboy returns and saves him from the Cyborg. Green Lantern uses Steel's hammer to defeat Mongul. In the end, however, Superman must battle the Cyborg one-on-one, but emerges victorious and back to full strength. Steel, battered and bruised, leaves the ruins, heading back to Metropolis alongside Superboy and Supergirl via a military transport helicopter.
After a few weeks of doing his best without his armor to round up more toastmasters, John Henry decides it's time to head back to where it all began, Washington, D.C. He parts ways with Superman and leaves Metropolis, and what he thinks is his career as a superhero.
The series began with Steel leaving Metropolis and returning home to Washington, D.C.. Steel reveals it has been five years since he left D.C. He erroneously believed that his old employers, Amertek Industries, would no longer be interested in him. He is met at a bus station by his niece, Natasha Irons, just before a gang fight erupts. One side is using toastmasters, the other is relying on a drug called Tar which grants temporary super strength. John Henry, unarmed and without his armor, tries to intervene, but is distracted when he thinks he sees his nephew, Jamahl Irons, resulting in his being knocked out by a "tar freak." Coming to, he heads home with Nat, where he is greeted by his grandparents, Bess and Butter Irons, his sister-in-law Blondell Irons, and the rest of her children, Paco, Tyke, and Darlene (the latter of two are foster children. Jemahl arrives at dinner time, just before an attack on the home by soldiers working for Amertek. Between this attack and his knowledge that the Toastmasters were now being used on the streets of D.C. he reforged his armor (now stronger than ever) and began his crusade against Amertek, which he correctly knew was responsible for leaking the weapons onto the street. Steel decided not to use the "S" shield, however, since he felt that his battle might take him outside the law and he did not want to tarnish the symbol.
Steel's early adventures pit him against Amertek and against the gangs using the weapons he designed. He quickly learns his nephew Jemahl is involved in one of the gangs, which he thinks offers both him and the family protection. His faith in his "crew" is shaken, however, when a fellow gang member, Spiral, frames Jemahl after a gun deal goes bad. The gang's leader, Cowboy, turns Jemahl over to their supplier, Amalgam. Steel rescues Jemahl and delivers Amalgam over to the police (though not before Amalgam murders Spiral, learning the truth of what happened).
Steel confronts his old employer, Col. Weston, who had already known Steel was in fact John Henry Irons. Steel goes on to break into Amertek looking for proof that they are responsible for selling not only the Toastmasters but Tar as well. During the break in, a firefight sets off a ruptured gas main, leading to the building's destruction. Weston publicly denounces Steel as a dangerous criminal. He then bails Amalgam out of jail, tells him his true identity, and starts in motion numerous plans to attack Steel indirectly. These include a drive-by shooting meant for Jemahl (that leaves Tyke paralyzed), a tar freak attacking John Henry at a funeral, a hit and run that injures Natasha, and Cowboy (masked) mugging Blondell. Realizing he needs help, even with a disk of stolen info from Amertek, Steel contacts a police officer named Shauna Beryl for aid. When Jemahl learns that Cowboy is working with Amalgam against his family, he steals a vial of S-Tar (an upgraded version of Tar) and attacks Cowboy. Steel has to confront his nephew, and manages to keep him contained until the main effects of the drug wear off.
The information Steel gave to Beryl eventually leads to the downfall of Amertek and the arrest of Col. Weston. Not satisfied with ending it there, Steel decides to go after the ones behind Amertex. This leads him to track down a group called Black Ops led by the villain Hazard. The trail first leads back to Metropolis, recently in ruins due to the Fall of Metropolis storyline. Steel's arrival also coincides with the World's Collide event. Steel has to fight alongside Superman once again to defeat the power of Rift. He also gets a firsthand look at Hazard and Black Ops. Hazard is all too aware of Steel's intentions.
Back in D.C., John Henry meets Dr. Amanda Quick while checking on Tyke's condition (his paralysis has left him depressed). Hazard orders his troops to attack Steel at the National Mall. Steel battles Flatline, Hotspot and Quake while his family is nearby (at the Vietnam Memorial). Hazard calls off the troops, sending his teleporter, Split (New Earth), to pull them out. Shortly thereafter, Steel saves a U.S. Senator from Hazard's assassination attempt, whereupon Hazard sends Shellshock, Hardsell and Mainline to attack him. Split turns up in the battle and takes everyone to Hazard's lair, where Hazard himself knocks Steel unconscious. Stripped of his armor, John Henry tells his entire story to Hazard. After his offer of employment is refused, Hazard fires on Steel, whose armor mysteriously appears around him. Breaking free, Steel forces Split to take him clear of Black Ops. He knows the situation with Black Ops is far from over.
A serial killer has also been on the loose in D.C. Investigating, Shauna Beryl is convinced to contact a psychic, who turns up being Steel's former neighbor, Rosie Kratz. Beryl is being aided by a recent transfer from Chicago, Det. Ben Carroll. All of the recent victims were decapitated and were all involved in drugs, prompting the police to suspect a link to tar. Steel asks Shauna how to contact Rosie. Unfortunately, he arrives just after the killer has attacked her, leaving her to bleed to death in Steel's arms. Before she dies, she mentions the word "alter" and draws a police badge in her own blood. Beryl and several uniformed police show up and place Steel under arrest. Quickly concluding he is innocent, Beryl helps him escape custody. Rosie's murder provides a few more clues which allow them to discover Ben Caroll is in fact the real killer. They set an ambush for him involving Shauna. Caroll is not simply a killer, however, but has a metagene that allows him to transform into an enormous, feline like being. Caroll (who real name was Adam Kratz) had been abused as a child and developed "the Alter" as an alternate personality, a monster that tracked down and murdered child abusers. Steel defeats the Alter, clearing his own name when Caroll is arrested.
Wanting to track a Black Ops satellite in orbit, Steel turns to the Justice League for help. Maxima, on Earth at the time and working with the League, offers to help him by bringing him into orbit. Once there, however, they are captured by an alien warlord named De'cine, and his accomplice, B'add. De'cine is trying to force Maxima to marry him as a means of seizing power on Maxima's homeworld. Steel is not killed because the alien scan indicates he is a cyborg. During this time, Steel's armor demonstrates it will appear around him whenever he is directly threatened (i.e. in mortal danger). Steel manages to break free, defeating B'add, and then rescuing Maxima from De'cine and his mother, who has rendezvoused with them in her own warship. The two steal De'cine's ship and head back to Earth with their enemies in pursuit. They detonate the ship after fleeing in a lifepod, creating the impression they were both killed so De'cine and his mother depart. Steel and Maxima are then rescued by the Justice League, but the satellite he wanted to investigate self detonates when he gets near it, leaving another dead end.
Steel's search for Hazard's Black Ops was interrupted by the return of the White Rabbit. She sent her operative, Bomb, to distract Steel while she embarked on a plan to brainwash several prominent members of Congress. Bomb succeeded in distracting Steel and even Superman as the plan proceeded. Another operative, Double, is also investigating the White Rabbit. The two work together, and uncover the White Rabbit's plans. They confront her in her hideout, battling an entire squad of super powered thugs but defeating them all. Unfortunately, the Rabbit escapes from them.
Returning home after defeating the White Rabbit, Steel learns that Tyke has been kidnapped. Confronting a gang of tar freaks ends up being a dead end. Shauna Beryl informs him there have been a string of kidnappings lately and gives him information on where he might start investigating. Steel set out to follow the lead, but is confronted by Chindi, a bounty hunter who claims someone has put a reward on Steel's armor. The two battle to a stalemate in a parking garage, withdrawing when federal agents arrive on scene. Steel goes home to make some minor repairs, unaware that Chindi planted a homing device on him. While setting out to find Tyke again, his armor "acts up" again, disappearing while he is in midair only to reappear. He decides to take it to [S.T.A.R. Labs]], but they are only able to tell him about the tracking device. Federal agents arrive there trying to arrest him, but he has just left the scene.
Shauna's lead takes him to an old waste plant. Chindi confronts him there again, maintaining the upper hand, until their fight spills into a holding cell full of children. Steel explains he learned that the children were being held there for experimentation by Black Ops. Chindi confesses Hazard was the one who hired him, but breaks the contract because of the experiments. They rescue the children before the building explodes. Tyke was not among the children, however. Steel now knows where to find Hazard, and sets out for a direct assault. Chindi backs him up, and they easily penetrate Hazard's lair and take down his goons. Steel confronts Hazard himself and rips off his mechanical arm, but Split teleports his boss away. Tyke is there and John Henry brings him home, but Tyke had gone there on his own, since Hazard promised to make him walk again, and now bears a hatred for his uncle.
Another kidnapping, this type of an old high school teacher of his, leads Steel to join up with Lethal. They find his old mentor and rescue him from a zombie lord named Declaude.
During Underworld Unleashed, a string of riots breaks out throughout D.C. While attempting to help the police, Steel encounters Metallo, now with the ability to reform any metal into a new body for himself. Steel tries to fight him off and recover a bomb planted beneath a mosque. He uses the bomb on Metallo high above D.C., seemingly stopping him. Afterwards, he meets the Alpha Centurion, who was seeking him to join a Superman Rescue Squad, as the Man of Steel had been kidnapped by an alien Tribunal. Steel agrees to join the team.
Steel joins Supergirl, Superboy and the Eradicator onboard the Centurion's ship and head out into space. Superboy tells the others he does not trust the Centurion. These fears are realized when the Centurion abandons the rest to battle an alien platoon on an asteroid. Steel modifies some equipment the Centurion left them to form a makeshift transport. Arriving on a nearby planet, the team is confronted by the Cyborg Superman, who easily takes down all four of them. He turns them over as prisoner of the Tribunal, whom he is working for.
While in custody, Steel discovers the Alpha Centurion is also a prisoner. Steel manages to call his armor and stage an escape, along with Supergirl and the Eradicator. While Steel and Supergirl, both in disguise, go to a local bar to try and find information, the Eradicator stays behind to try and rescue Superboy. Unfortunately, Steel and Supergirl are discovered and a bar fight breaks out. It ends quickly when the Cyborg turns up and easily recaptures them. For escaping, they are both sentenced to death.
Fortunately, neither Superman nor any of the team is put to death. They manage to break free and rally together behind the Man of Steel when the Cyborg betrays his Tribunal masters. Superman leads them to confront the Tribunal itself, which ultimately "exonerates" Superman and lets him go. The team (including the Centurion) return triumphantly to Earth.
Tragedy would strike the Irons family upon his return from space. Tyke, frustrated and angry over his handicap, betrayed John Henry's true identity to federal agents working with Hazard. The agents release a cyborg named Hardwire (modified courtesy of Hazard) who opens fire on the Irons family as they sit down to dinner. Most of them receive minor injuries, though Butter is seriously wounded. Hardwire battles Steel at the Washington Monument, resulting in Hardwire's suicide. Steel had to send his armor away to save his life. This resulted in his secret identity being made known to the world at large. Child Protective services reclaim Tyke and Darlene (Tyke is later shown to end up in the custody of Hazard). Steel is then taken by Hazard, but he manages to escape, recalling his armor again. Steel retrieves an anti-matter weapon, called the Annihilator, which he had designed and hidden years before, for his showdown with Hazard. He also learns at this point that he can teleport himself, not just his armor. He confronts Hazard in his lair and utterly destroys it with his weapon. In this battle, three young soldiers of Hazard (Flatline, Quake, and Hotspot) are apparently killed by Irons.
Now that Steel's identity is out, his family has no peace. They are harassed by neighbors and mobs of people. Natasha is kidnapped by Plasmus, who is trying to blackmail Steel into creating a suit for himself. Steel rescues her, outsmarting Plasums, but cannot help but be grieved at all the pain he is causing the family. Steel moves out (temporarily staying with Dr. Amanda Quick) but the family is still harassed. Then the family is attacked by both Doctor Polaris and the Parasite, both arriving seeking the Annihilator. The Parasite's alternate personality ("Doc" Parasite) is the personality of a scientist who once knew John Henry (and who always resented him). John Henry's beloved grandmother Bess is killed in the fight trying to help her grandson.
The family is forced to go into hiding, relocated by Double. Steel's guilt and pain nearly consumes him. He teleports into the "white zone" (the place he can go or send his armor between teleports) and is confronted there by a monstrous, nightmarish looking version of his armor. He quickly teleports again, ending up at Hazard's old lair. He discovers Flatline, Quake, and Hotspot are all alive. They corner him, as he teleported without his armor, but the Demon Armor has followed him to the lair. John Henry works with the other three to try and fight off the Demon Armor. They engage in a running battle onto the streets of D.C. Natasha (having run away from the family) meets up with him there and tries to help. John Henry realizes that the Demon Armor is part of him. When he thought he killed Hazard's troops, he somehow manifested the ugly, monstrous side of himself into a physical form. Realizing this, Steel banishes the Demon Armor to the white zone, seemingly for good.
Natasha is more grief stricken over the loss of Grandma Bess than she first admits. She spends several nights sleeping at the cemetery and even violently attacks John Henry when he confronts here there. A blind gravedigger tells them that Bess's soul is not at rest because someone stole her wedding ring and she wants to be buried with it. Reviewing media footage of the attack by Polaris, Steel is able to track down the thief and the wedding ring. Bess's body is exhumed and reburied with the ring, letting her soul rest. John Henry and Natasha fix up the family home, good as new, before leaving it forever.
The title received a shakeup when Christopher Priest became the lead writer for issue #34. In addition to relocating Steel and giving him new armor, Priest completely abandons virtually the entire supporting cast from the series.
Steel relocates to Jersey City with Natasha to begin a new life in a new city. He built a new suit of armor that was significantly less powerful than the previous one (but one that featured the return of an "S" shield on it). He decided to sacrifice strength for mobility, as this suit was more easily compact (as he had abandoned this teleporting, fearing another incident similar to the one involving the Demon Armor). He also started work at a hospital, alongside Amanda Quick. His job involves designing medical equipment, under the coordination of the hospital administrator, Dr. Villain (pronounced "will-hane"). On his first day in his new city, he meets the local law enforcement, a police captain named Margot Fields.
Steel quickly becomes suspicious of Dr. Villain when he finds a monster lurking in the sewers beneath the hospital. He also realizes being a parent to Natasha (who regresses, both in age and maturity) is more than what he expected, particularly after she meets a strange boy named Boris. The two kids even steal his armor and get into trouble. Steel recovers the remains of the creature for Villain to examine.
John Henry tries to get closer to Dr. Quick. Margot tells him she suspects Quick has been targeted by an assassin to get at Steel. This ends up being true, as a killer named Skorpio goads Steel into fighting. In the midst of the fight, Steel teleports to the white zone, and is forced to grapple with the Demon Armor until teleporting to Villain's office. Villain removes a microchip from Steel's body that he claims apparently was the source of his ability to teleport, which ends the "white zone" business forever. What Steel does not know is that Villain is the one who hired Skorpio, hoping to draw media attention by more conflicts involving Steel.
Villain is subsequently kidnapped by an African warlord and Steel has to go rescue him. During this adventure, he joins up with the Question to free Villain. While in Africa, Steel meets up with Double and asks him to track down Hazard for him. On the way back to Jersey City, he stops off in D.C. to visit Col. Weston in prison, asking if he knows anything about the microchip that had been implanted in him. Weston denies any knowledge of the chip. Hazard then contacts Steel and admits both that he knows nothing about it and that he is no longer interested in Steel. Unknown to John Henry, his brother Clay Irons, assumed dead, has come to Jersey City to settle some scores under the name Crash.
Steel designs a new hammer to augment the new armor. At the same time, Natasha is beaten up by a creep at her school named Kilo after she refused to sleep with him. Kilo is found dead the next day. Margot brings John Henry in for questioning. He admits to confronting Kilo, but says he did not kill him, and the D.A. has no choice but to let him go for lack of evidence. Double, Crash, and Skorpio all confronted Kilo but none of them killed him either. The real killer was Dr. Villain, though no one discovers this but Skorpio.
Crash keeps an eye on Nat (his daughter) from a distance. Steel helps deliver a baby before John Henry has a date with Dr. Quick. After getting lost driving in the city, they are pulled over by racist white cops who pull John Henry out of the car and beat him senseless. They let the pair go after stealing John Henry's flight boots from the car. Amanda drives them to the hospital. While Steel learns that Boris is there (he is HIV positive), Amanda learns that Skorpio is actually a doctor at the hospital, but she does not tell Steel.
Unnerved by the Genesis event, Steel decides to go to Metropolis to see if Superman has any answers. Superman (in his "Man of Energy" phase) meets up with him and explains that super-powered beings all over the planet are having problems with their powers. When he zips out, he creates an EMP pulse that shorts out Steel's boots, causing him to plummet to the streets of Metropolis. He is not badly injured, and decides to stick around briefly. He has a talk with Lois Lane about Amanda before having to go off and help the rest of the world's heroes contend with the Genesis event. Afterwards, exhausted, he returns home to Natasha and Boris.[34]
John Henry decides to settle matters with the police who beat him up and stole his flight boots. Locating the right township, he drops by the police department and is immediately placed under arrest. The two officers in question had recently been murdered (by Crash) and John Henry is a suspect. Margot arrives from Jersey City and gets John Henry out of jail, citing he was in Metropolis when the murders occurred. The police insist on keeping his flight boots, however, as one of the officer had kept the pair he stole and now they are missing. They later return the boots in pieces and tell him no charges are being pressed. Having repressed all the anger over the incident, John Henry finally loses control. He smashes his entire kitchen in a violent burst of rage.
Things keep getting more complicated. First, Superboy arrives in town to ask Natasha out on a date. John Henry has a talk to Boris while they are gone, who admits he has feelings for Nat but would never act on them because of his condition. John Henry is trying to settle his feelings for Amanda, unaware that she has just slept with Skorpio (despite knowing he was a killer). Steel pulls Superboy from the date to help him stop a runaway train. Much to his relief, Natasha is not interested in pursuing a relationship with SB, because she realizes he is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Tana Moon.
When Christmas rolls around, Nat wishes to go see her family. Steel arranges for Double to take her to them, while he swings by New York. He encounters a racist jeweler who won't sell to him before stopping by Warrior's to chat with Guy Gardner. Of all people, Gardner convinces him to go to Amanda straight away and tell her how he feels. Steel does just that and Amanda admits she loves him, too.
Steel is notified by a man named Cardinal that Crash is the one who took his flight boots. Crash plans on ridding Jersey City of crime by controlling the criminal element. Steel is still unaware Crash is his brother when he confronts him. He is then asked by Dr. Villain to bring a heart transplant to the hospital. Along the way, he is attacked by Deadline, who is hired to destroy the heart (being rushed to a mafia don). Steel fights him off and the transplant is successful, though Skorpio kills the man shortly thereafter.
Steel is called on to assist Superman Red and Superman Blue as well as the Justice League and many other heroes do battle with the Millennium Giants, part of the crossover Behold! The Millennium Giants!.
Shortly after the battle, Steel is asked to join the recently reformed JLA.
Skorpio, angry at Steel for "stealing" Amanda, contacts Crash and promises to help him get Steel's attention. Crash does not know the details, and is shocked and angry when Skorpio poisons Natasha. Steel uses an EMP pulse to knock all his hoods out of the air before confronting Crash, realizing finally it is his brother. Skorpio's poison has no antidote, but requires a complete blood transfusion. His plan had been to leave Steel at Crash's mercy, but instead Crash volunteers for the transfusion to save Steel's daughter. Steel battle Skorpio, who admits to working for Dr. Villain. Steel refuses to kill him, but has him and Dr. Villain arrested. Amanda is arrested as well for not disclosing what she knew about Skorpio. Nat recovers and John Henry is appointed the new hospital administrator.
JLA and the Men of Steel
Around the time of Steel's cancellation, he was recruited as a member of the Justice League. He stayed on as a supporting member for quite some time. He also became a regular member in the Superman titles.
Steel does not stay with the hospital long, but soon relocates with Nat to Metropolis to run his own workshop there, called Steelworks, developing non-lethal weapons and equipment for the Special Crimes Unit and other outfits.
The two became partners of a sort and John Henry helped Superman build a new Fortress of Solitude.
Superman eventually decided to reveal his secret identity to his partner, but John Henry had already deduced it. Nevertheless, he was honored to have Superman's full trust.
In the headquarters of Steel Works, one man is in his office, standing, looking outside of the window, seeing the city of New York that’s outside of his company. His name is John Henry Irons, the owner of Steel Works, but what people do not know, is that he IS the hero called Steel…well not in this world. John was looking outside of the window, thinking, reflecting about everything that has happened to him the past couple of months. It all started one day when John woke up and found Natasha on the floor, who woke up too, but found out that he was in New York, which was strange at first. Why was Steel Works in the city that never slept instead of Metropolis? Did the company move to a new location or something? Because John never signed or agreed to anything like that? That’s when John noticed that things didn’t add up, so what happened next? John and Natasha stayed the night at Steel Works until the next day where they started to leave but someone stopped them….
SHIELD
They needed to speak with them and at first, Natasha being the overprotected one in the family would tell them hell no, but with John, he looked at them and they meant business. So they cooperated with this so called organization called SHIELD and were asked a bunch of questions. Simply John told him that he and Natasha are from Metropolis but they told them that Metropolis didn’t exist in the country. Now that left them, including John in for a loop and they could not understand. How could Metropolis not exist in the country or the entire world to be exact? When the questioning was over, John and Natasha went back to Steel Works but Natasha had enough. She was so upset and angry, feeling that SHIELD was trying to fool them or even hurt them. It made her want to cry in frustration but John was there for her niece, telling her that everything is going to be okay, that they will find out what happen and come back home. But was there really a home for them, besides Iron Works? Would they ever get back to the home they know and love?
Whatever happened happens, so the two of them, especially John had to move on and deal with living here in New York City. John and Natasha found a nice penthouse for the two of them to live so they can get settled in, thanks to the money John has. Besides, John still has a company to run in Steel Works but would that mean John would quit as Steel? Hell no. At night, when he wasn’t working, John would suit up and head out into the city of New York to clean up crime and put the criminals, the bad guys in their places, including jail. John would come home and Natasha would tell him that he was on the news as Steel, and some of the news anchors, reporters, etc asked, is this the new “Iron Man”? John did not even know who Iron Man was until he did his research on the hero and found out that this guy was named Tony Stark. He was the “Iron Man” that people called him. He even revealed his identity as Iron Man at one point which John thought was a stupid move but if Tony revealed who he was, could John do it?
But anyway, John continued to do some more research on the heroes, or new heroes that John has never heard of. Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and so on, heroes that have themselves known to the public and protecting the world from the opposition. John could not believe how many superheroes there were around here, it made John feel like it was just him and Natasha against the world until the next couple of days. John heard the reports on the news about Superman’s appearance as John watched it and it made him smile. Maybe it wasn’t just him and Natasha, maybe there’s more of John’s allies out there, like The Justice League and so forth. Then other reports came in with the appearance of Batman, Robin, the Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Zartanna, and John felt really good, now he’s not alone. He’s got Natasha and other heroes that he knows very well. Maybe one day John could arrange something, gather all of the heroes that he knows, together and take on the world’s toughest villains.
For now, John will continue doing what he loves to do best, being the proud owner of Steel Works and fighting crime as The Man of Steel at night. John had gotten in contact with the NYPD and met with them to talk about making new lethal weapons that can help improve their Special Crimes Division, etc. John met with them, presenting his line of work from the experience John was taught and they approved. Some had their problems with what John brought to the table but John told them not to worry and they shouldn’t. Back at his company of Steel Works, John hired new people who shared the same ideas that John had in his head. The new people he brought in has the experience of what they have done in the past. The other people who worked with John were confused too about where they were, but John told him that they had to move with their lives, starting fresh and brand new. There’s still some more things to figure out but right now, things are good for him and the others.
John walked away from the window and sat down in his seat next to his desk before looking at his schedule on the table that his secretary gave to him in the morning when John came into his office. There was nothing important on it except for a board meeting today to discuss the progress of Irons Works and what more improvements has to be made, including an interview he has with a reporter from the New York Times. The interview between him and the reporter was about Steel Works and what his company represents. He just did not know who the reporter would be, maybe just some new guy that John has never met, and maybe they can be friends. Though there’s some nosy reporters who are pushy, arrogant, and over the top, wanting anything for a story so that it can save his or her behind. For John got up from his chair again and went over the mini bar, getting himself a nice drink of water. Pouring the pitch of water into a glass cup, he place the pitch of water right back down. Taking the glass of water, John started to sip of the water, feeling it go through his throat, then the sound of the phone on his desk started to ring.
Picking up the phone, John put it close to his ear so that he can hear who’s on the other line. “Hello?”, he asked. “Mister Irons, I have a New York Times reporter here for an interview with you, Mister Kent”, the receptionist at the front desk told him over the phone, but the last name…Kent…as in….? “Um…tell him to wait. I’ll come out there and bring him in my office but hold all my calls right now unless it is an emergency”, he said before putting the phone down and hanging up. John had a smile on his face all of the sudden, as he started to put on his suit, straightening out his tie, before checking himself in a small mirror on his desk. He knew someone with the last name of Kent…Clark Kent to be, no no, Superman to be exact. Ready as ever, John left his office and walked down the hallways, passing the other people who work with Steel Works. Inside John would be excited seeing Clark but knew he had to be serious, he did not want to blow the man's cover and he would never do that to Kent.
Code word: Armageddon