STEEL III [John Henry Irons]

PERSONAL DATA Real Name: John Henry Irons First Appearance: Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993)

  Originally a weapons designer, John Henry was disgusted at the devastation caused by one of his inventions, the Toastmaster. He quit what was his life and moved to Metropolis, where, having become a construction worker, his life was saved by Superman. When his saviour was killed, he donned a suit of steel armour and became a defender of Metropolis in his honour. Later, Superman having returned to life, Steel moved to Washington DC to be nearer his family, but recently he returned to Metropolis, where he heads up the Steelworks, a facility dedicated to technological breakthrough. He and his niece Natasha have developed strong friendships in Metropolis, including Superman, Lois Lane and Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E.. Steel was briefly a member of the JLA, where he demonstrated a clear head and a truly heroic heart. In the cataclysmic battle with Imperiex, Steel was seemingly killed and only survived due to some dangerous technology from Apokolips which almost made him Darkseid's slave. He has now retired from the hero business to concentrate on technological achievements and his niece Natasha now occasionally operates as Steel.