Man of STEEL: John Henry Irons Appreciation 2021

[Vordan]

[Alpha]

Damn, that looks awesome!

[Celgress]

Damn, that looks awesome!

Indeed it does.

[Vordan]

John making the switch from antagonist to quasi-ally in this week’s S&L leaves me hopeful we’ll see him become the traditional Steel by the end of the season. Would lose it if he shows up wearing the traditional mech suit, we still haven’t seen that in love action!

[The Frog Bros]

I'd love to see entire S&L episodes dedicated to showing Irons wandering this Earth and learning about it as compared to his Earth. Makes for some pretty cool character development, and a classic storytelling device. Shoot, I'd enjoy a comic based on this premise.

fd226c21-c08d-4ef7-ab8e-453133fd6c0b_text.jpg

[Vordan]

I’d love a straight up spinoff show honestly, something in the tone of that Bill Bixby Hulk show where it’s just John traveling the Earth, looking into what happened to his counterpart and trying to find a way back home while helping people along the way.

[The Frog Bros]

I’d love a straight up spinoff show honestly, something in the tone of that Bill Bixby Hulk show where it’s just John traveling the Earth, looking into what happened to his counterpart and trying to find a way back home while helping people along the way.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!

Cue the sad piano music

[Vordan]

So I forgot that Irons faking his death to get away from the company he designed weapons for was his origin in the comics!

Doctor John Henry Irons was a brilliant weapons engineer for AmerTek Industries, who eventually became disgusted when the BG-60, a powerful man-portable energy cannon he had designed, fell into the wrong hands and was used to kill innocent people.[4] As the company would have coerced him to retain his services, John faked his death, and eventually came to Metropolis.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stee...n_Henry_Irons)

Now I think there’s a much greater chance that if they do plan to kill off the Elseworld Irons they will still bring in an Earth Prime John to replace him.

[Frontier]

So I forgot that Irons faking his death to get away from the company he designed weapons for was his origin in the comics!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stee...n_Henry_Irons)

Now I think there’s a much greater chance that if they do plan to kill off the Elseworld Irons they will still bring in an Earth Prime John to replace him.

I wouldn't be against it but it feels like they've spent so much time developing the Elseworlds version...

But I guess we then could get the normal Steel who is buds with Superman.

[Vordan]

I wouldn't be against it but it feels like they've spent so much time developing the Elseworlds version...

But I guess we then could get the normal Steel who is buds with Superman.

Might’ve just been them leaving themselves an out. If people hated alternate John, well then they could kill him off or send him back home and have a more traditional Irons replace him. Very interested to see what the status quo is by the end of this season.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I'm thinking he's set up for a spinoff. Essentially his time on S and L is one long origin story. Eventually he'll get a spinoff on his own Earth or he'll be stuck on this one. He'll probably assume his alternate version's life.

[Thor-Ul]

I wouldn't be against it but it feels like they've spent so much time developing the Elseworlds version...

But I guess we then could get the normal Steel who is buds with Superman.

I can understand the writers' need to set apart of the original concept: I mean, in the comics, you have an armored hero, who was a weapons designer and then had a change of heart, because a pivotal event. Put in that way sound marvelous familiar, isn't?

[Vordan]

I can understand the writers' need to set apart of the original concept: I mean, in the comics, you have an armored hero, who was a weapons designer and then had a change of heart, because a pivotal event. Put in that way sound marvelous familiar, isn't?

They were 100% riffing on Iron Man, although you could just as easily say they were copying Hardware as well since John is actually closer to Hardware given both were weapons designers for companies rather than the heads like Tony Stark was.

[Thor-Ul]

They were 100% riffing on Iron Man, although you could just as easily say they were copying Hardware as well since John is actually closer to Hardware given both were weapons designers for companies rather than the heads like Tony Stark was.

The similarities are obvious. But where they imitating? In any way, I prefer Steel to be still more like a worker than a industrialist.
In any case, Steel is halfway between the two of them, but the influence of the folk hero John Henry is the more obvious reference.

[Vordan]

The similarities are obvious. But where they imitating? In any way, I prefer Steel to be still more like a worker than a industrialist.
In any case, Steel is halfway between the two of them, but the influence of the folk hero John Henry is the more obvious reference.

No clue if they were reading Milestone at the time, or if they deliberately chose to homage Tony Stark, someone should ask Louise and Jon if they get a chance. The folk hero influence is definitely the reason for the hammer and name though.