STATS

Real Name: John Henry Irons

Age:

Height: 6' 3"

Weight: 235 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: none (bald)

Marital Status:

Occupation: Super Hero, Adventurer and Mercenary, former construction worker, former ballistics engineer

Known Relatives: Clay Irons (Brother deceased), Blondell (sister in-law), Jemahl Irons (nephew)

Known Enemies: Hazard

Known Allies: Superman, Superboy, Supergirl and Guy Gardner. Group Affiliation: JLA

Base of Operations:

First Appearance:

Publisher: DC Comics



BRIEF HISTORY His story begins as a child when his grandparents were supposedly killed when they interfered with a robbery at their home, but John Henry believed it was a murder over racial tension in the area. A few years later Irons' parents were killed in a car accident, which eventually led him and his brother Clay into the custody of his other set of Grandparents. After losing so much of his family he remembered something one of the policemen told him right after his grandparents' deaths "The best way a man can keep his family safe is to get so rich and powerful nobody can touch 'em." Taking this to heart, after John Henry realized how much professional sports players were beginning to make he saw his road to wealth and power was through his sports ability.

After a football game one of his teacher's remarked on John Henry's ability to control a football's trajectory at the field goal. When his teacher told John Henry what a trajectory was, and that it could enhance his ability on the football field, he began to study physics the very next day, and started his illustrious career in science.

Delving into the sciences and sports as a way to become a success and protect his life, it became almost his obsession in life.

A short time later while on a field trip to the Washington Monument he became separated from his class, and was pulled into the Zero Hour crisis and was sent years into the future. Without even realizing what was going on he encountered his grandmother, years older, and his nieces, and nephews who hadn't even been born yet. While there he looked up, and saw his future self in his identity as Steel, in a fight with Hazard's minions. When he asked his future family what was going on they told him, "Haven't you ever heard of the Man called Steel", seeing someone attacked by three assailants at once he decided to help out and threw a rock at one of the attackers and saved his future self. Right after that he asked who his nephew was, and then John Henry told Jemahl his name, and Jemahl said that his uncle had the same name, and he was the only other person he had ever seen throw like that. Seconds later a young John Henry was back in his own time, thinking he had some weird day dream, and everyone else from his group simply thought he had wandered off.

A short time later his brother told him that he was getting married to his girlfriend Blondell, who he had gotten pregnant, about the same time he found out he had received a full scholarship and grant money to Michigan University. But before he left, Blondell had her first child, Jemahl, and John Henry began to question if it was a dream at the Washington monument at all. Leaving for Michigan U. he ran into Guy Gardner who was on the same football team as he was. But while Gardner was majoring in Phys. Ed., John Henry was majoring in ballistics. He and Guy became good friends throughout their school years.

Unfortunately for the Irons' family tragedy struck when his younger brother Clay was killed in a drive-by while working at the neighborhood grocery store. After that John Henry gave up his dream of going to grad school and took a job offer from Ameretek, in order to support and provide for his family. While working for Ameretek he first met Angoria, aka the White Rabbit, and created his military weapon the BG-60. With the money he received he bought his family a new house, in a better neighborhood. After his family was taken care of, he proceeded to rent a workshop where he was possessed with the idea of the flying man he had seen and created his first prototype Steel armor in secret. On his first test flight he encountered a young Hazard trying to kill a man he blamed for the death of his gang. Unfortunately a novice Steel was unable to stop Hazard and his telekinetic power, and the man Hazard was after was killed. Unfortunately for John when he returned to his workshop Angora was waiting for him, and convinced him to turn the blue prints and design over to Ameretek to finish paying off his family's house and save American soldiers.

A while later John discovered his guns had been used to kill Kurdish civilian women and children, while guns weren't supposed to be used by anyone but Americans. After John realized that the only way the guns could have gotten there was if someone in Ameretek sent them there, he tried to quit, but was threatened by his boss Colonel Thomas Weston. Seeing he was in danger he erased the designs for the new BG-80, and his new armor modifications from Amereteks' computer system. Yet when he went to erase the files in his private workshop he was attacked by goons, wearing his armor design, out to kill him, and steal his newest designs. At that point John Henry realized that only he and Angora knew where the place was, and knew that he had been sold out to Ameretek. When the goons destroyed the building with John Henry inside he escaped when he heard police sirens and the Ameretek goons flew off.

Faking his death he moved to Metropolis, met one of his best friends (a psychic named Rosie), and took the name Henry Johnson. Still working to perfect his armor at night, he took a day job in construction work. On this very important day, John Henry's losses began to get to him and he began to question his life, at that very moment his friend, Peter Skywalker fell and John Henry grabbed a cable and swung out to catch him but, at the same time his cable slipped and he began to fall to certain death when Superman showed up, and saved his life. When John Henry told Superman he owed him his life, Superman told him to make it count for something, and John Henry quit working on his armor and took a more active role in the community.

Unfortunately a few days later Superman had his amazing battle with Doomsday, which led to his apparent death. During the same battle Doomsday knocked a building down and buried John alive. When he finally received the news that Superman was dead along with Doomsday, John set out to treat the entire world as his family, and that same morning children were killed in a drive-by shooting using his BG-80. Seeing a mystery needing to be solved, and a world without a Superman, he put the finishing touches on his armor and became the new MAN OF STEEL




since 9/9/98.

"STEEL" and all related images TM and © DC Comics 1998. These references are not for profit and are for entertainment purposes only.






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