The big screen may still not be ready for Steel again even though many years have passed since the Shaquille O'Neal led film - but there's no reason he should not show up on TV's Supergirl. That might be the perfect place to redeem John Henry Irons in the eyes of non comic book fans. With Cadmus and the DEO, there are plenty of places that he could fit in.
The Supergirl show should have used John Irons instead of turning Jimmy Olsen into James, who is the armored hero Guardian. They could have used the real Jimmy in place of Wynn. But it's too late to change now, so maybe they can use Irons/Steel as a DEO tech expert.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the character would be better off as a recurring one on THE FLASH. He could initially be introduced as a reverse-engineer for all the alien tech confiscated by the Feds at the end of the Dominion 4-parter. Some of that tech having been salvaged from Flash-Earth's counterpart of Krypton!
ReplyDeleteHe would definitely fit in well in the CW shows. Here's hoping.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the Guardian preclude the use and appearance of Steel? Shucks, let's go all silver age and create the Supergirl-verse's treatment of Nightwing and Flamebird... The Guardian and Steel!
ReplyDeleteRoss, another fantastic cover... the story is one I would jump to buy, and I never get to see enough of the original Human Rocket. Your story ideas range into the brilliant... I would love to read some of these!
You'll get to read #2000...
ReplyDeleteHmmm, now that Dark Matter has been cancelled, Roger Cross is free, and he's worked in DCTV multiverse before. I think Steel would be a better fit on Supergirl than Flash, if just because there's no reason for someone to adopt an "S" insignia on Flash's Earth. John Henry could be introduced as somebody who works for Lena Luthor, or somebody who was trying to improve Guardian's armor and uses for himself when James discovers he's afraid of flying (as opposed to being carried)!
ReplyDeleteI've only just started watching Supergirl Season 2 on DVD, and I hadn't even thought of bringing in Steel despite having just seen the Cyborg Superman. Yes, John Henry Irons would fit into the Earth-34 story structures very nicely! It would naturally call for a Shaq cameo (I loved seeing Lynda Carter's guest appearance as POTUS), but that's not a horrible thing. Plus, he's the earliest black superhero I can think of who is a superhero who just happens to be black -- he's true to the "black experience," but it's not tied to his origin or his attitude.
ReplyDelete(I'm also hoping that, at some point, Ray Palmer meets Superman: "Cool suit. I'm not sure I could wear something like that, though.")
Hey Ross, what do you mean that we'll get to read #2000??? Enquiring minds want to know....
ReplyDelete#2000 will be a 100-Page Giant...
ReplyDelete...and I do mean 100 pages.
Wow!!! And less than a month to go. Counting down now....
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ross
FREAKING COOL!!!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait...
I have to disagree with ELS. Steel is a much better fit for Earth-1 (Barry Allen's homeworld) simply _because_ they have to yet to have a local wear the big red "S!"
ReplyDeleteThe Krypton of the Earth-1 universe could have been overrun by the Dominion long before its destruction. Hence, the Dominion could have left all the native Kryptonians behind when their red sun finally did go nova (or whatever). Jor-El and family included!
But, along comes JHI to study all that Kryptonian high-tech adapted by the Dominion...and the rest is history.
As to what you have planned for STF #2000? Well, as Groucho Marx might have put it: "I shall await with bated breath! Though, why anyone would want their breath to smell like bait is beyond me."
ReplyDeleteCary Comic - come, let us reason together. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's no reason there couldn't be an Earth-1 Krypton. And Steel, while an off-shoot of Superman IN THE COMICS isn't necessarily so in the Arrow-verse. I mean, we could speculate that the Legends could encounter him first, and then deposit him in either Central City or Star City.
As for Earth-1 Krypton itself... let's be honest. Aren't you ready for Power Girl by now? Or a world where both Kal-El AND Lara escaped Krypton's explosion? I'm ready for Superwoman, m'self.
ELS - We've seen Superman in the Arrowverse, albeit on Earth-34 (Supergirl's world).
ReplyDeleteRoss - If you're having a genuine 100-page comic interior for #2000, I hope it'll be in PDF format. And congratulations already on the hard work that must've been!
Introducing Power Girl as the Flash Earth-1 Supergirl would not only be sensible. But, make it even _more_ plausible for Steel to be native to FE-1, as well!
ReplyDeleteI just finished Supergirl Season 2 last night, and I saw that the final scene hinted at the coming of Doomsday. If that's the case, then the "Death of Superman" storyline may be coming, and Steel's origin is tied to that. Plus, as I also started with Legends of Tomorrow, the name of Steel is already used there on Earth-1, so Earth-34 seems a good place for Mr. Irons.
ReplyDeleteSplit the difference, guys. John Henry Irons is reverse-engineering confiscated Dominion tech for the Feds of Earth-1's American government. Suddenly, he accidentally triggers a Phantom Zone projector that Dominators lifted from the Krypton of the Arrowverse...and modified. Resulting in his teleportation to Earth-34!
ReplyDeleteRoss said...
ReplyDelete"#2000 will be a 100-Page Giant...
...and I do mean 100 pages."
"WOW!"