Steel (John Henry Irons)

Steel
John Henry Irons as Steel as he appeared on the cover of Steel (vol. 2) #0 (August 1994). Art by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	The Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993)
Created by	Louise Simonson Jon Bogdanove
In-story information
Alter ego	Dr. John Henry Irons II
Team affiliations	Steelworks Justice League AmerTek S.T.A.R. Labs Infinity, Inc. Supermen of America Suicide Squad Superman family
Notable aliases	The Man of Steel Henry Johnson
Abilities	See list Currently: Genius engineer and inventor Powered armor grants: Superhuman strength, durability, and endurance Flight Various other cybernetic armaments Variety of communication and sensor arrays Wields seemingly indestructible mallet Formerly: Living steel Bulletproof stainless steel skin Ability to generate heat and become fluid molten steel

Steel is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a genius engineer who built a mechanized suit of armor that mirrors Superman's powers, and initially sought to replace him after he was killed by Doomsday. After Superman was resurrected, he accepted Steel as an ally. His real name is John Henry Irons and he wields a sledgehammer—this is a reference to the mythical railroad worker John Henry. He has a niece named Natasha Irons who is also a superhero in a similar mechanized suit of armour.

The character is portrayed by Shaquille O'Neal in the 1997 film adaptation of the same name. Wolé Parks portrays the character in the television series Superman & Lois.