Steel (1997 film)

Lore & Background

John Henry Irons is a weapons designer who invents high-tech laser guns, protective armor, and sonic sound cannons for the United States military. One soldier, Nathaniel Burke, sets one of Irons' sonic cannons at the highest power setting, firing it at an abandoned building, but the weapon backfires and destroys the building where the team is situated. Irons' partner, Susan 'Sparky' Sparks, is crushed by a large slab of concrete in the ensuing chaos. In court, Irons reveals Burke's role in the incident, and Burke is dismissed from the military. Because his weapons resulted in Sparks becoming a paraplegic, Irons resigns in disgust. Meanwhile, Burke hatches a plot to sell Irons' weapons to criminal gangs.

Irons witnesses a bank robbery organized by gang members wielding Burke's modified guns. He visits Sparks in a veteran's hospital and takes her to his own assembled laboratory, where he hopes he and Sparks can create weapons needed to combat the criminals. With the help of Uncle Joe, they forge a suit of armor and the weaponry necessary for Irons to carry out his war on crime and become the vigilante 'Steel'. During his crusade against crime, Irons is pursued by the cops and is forced to return to his lair. Eventually, Burke prepares to auction off all his modified weapons to every criminal organization in the world over the Internet. When Irons is released from jail, Sparky is captured by Burke's thugs. Irons, as Steel, attempts to infiltrate Burke's headquarters, but is captured himself. When Burke continues with the auction, he is tricked by Steel, which allows him and Sparks to rebel and destroy Burke's lair. Burke himself is killed when a laser he fires towards Steel reflects towards him due to Steel's suit.

Reader's Guide

Steel is notable as a rare big-screen adaptation of a DC Comics character that deliberately distances itself from the source material's Superman connections. The film was produced by music producer Quincy Jones and his partner David Salzman, who were fans of the Steel character. Jones stated that he found children's 'perspective on the future has changed for the worse, and I hate seeing young people who don't believe in the future. Steel—and I don't want to use that word 'superhero' because he doesn't fly or anything like that—represents a role model.' Kenneth Johnson, the writer and director, described Steel's persona as a 'blue-collar Batman' and removed Steel's cape from his costume to reflect this. The film's legacy is largely defined by its commercial and critical failure: it earned only $1.7 million domestically against an estimated $16 million budget, and holds an 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Shaquille O'Neal earned a Razzie Award nomination as Worst Actor for his performance. Despite this, the film has gained a cult following for its unintentional humor and earnest tone.

Did You Know?

• Wesley Snipes was Kenneth Johnson's first choice for the lead role.
• Shaquille O'Neal contributed to the film's soundtrack with the single 'Men of Steel', featuring rappers KRS-One, Ice Cube, B-Real, and Peter Gunz.
• The film's sophomore weekend drop was about 76%, though other superhero films like The Marvels (78%) have had larger drops.
• Kenneth Johnson removed Steel's cape from his costume to reflect a 'knight in shining armor in a contemporary setting'.