Live-action comic book adaptations of the 1990s often elicit mixed reviews from audiences, none more so thanSteel. Released in 1997 on the heels of DC’s acclaimedBatmanlive-action film saga, fans of the then-newer DC film adaptations were surely let down by the final product. Following the events of a military scientist turned street-level vigilante hero, this lower-budget superhero flick embodies several tropes utilized by campier action and science fiction films of the time period (seeSpace Jamor theRoboCopfranchise for examples).
Joining the relatively stacked cast alongside Judd Nelson, Richard Roundtree, and “I Hit It First” singer Ray J, is NBA juggernaut Shaquille O’Neal in the film’s titular role. Crafted as a superhero movie for the whole family, many comic fans at the time were disappointed inSteel’s all-ages tone, for starters.
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From the underwhelming superhero suit to Shaq’s less-than-stellar acting skills – including tongue-in-cheek nods to Shaq’s then booming basketball career through pointed lines peppered throughout the script –Steeleffectively removes much of the impact of its main character’s beloved comic book origins.
What is Steel about?
Centered around John Henry Irons (played by Shaquille O’Neal), a US military weapons engineer discovering a different call to heroism as the armored vigilante “Steel”.Steel’s inciting incident shows Nathaniel Burke (played by Judd Nelson), a soldier working closely with Irons’ latest prototype, deciding to show what Irons’ weapons can do by setting a sonic sound cannon to the highest setting and shooting at a nearby abandoned building. However, the cannon backfires and destroys the building their team is situated in. After this incident leaves Susan “Sparky” Sparks (played by Annabeth Gish) paraplegic, Irons leaves his role with the military because of his guilt.
After Burke’s role in the incident is revealed in the official investigation, he is dishonorably discharged and turns to selling Irons’ weapons to local “gangs” (even recruiting a video arcade manager to help him sell his product). One day, Irons witnesses a bank robbery organized by these gang members which used Burke’s modified weapons for the attack. Irons follows the group to their hideout to interrogate them on their source for the weapons, but the gang members refuse to talk. He then goes to visit Sparks in a veteran’s hospital and, after a meaningful conversation about their lives after the accident, Irons takes her to his new laboratory. He convinces Sparks to join his fight to clean up the neighborhood of Burke’s stolen weapons and she agrees. Together (and with the help of Irons’ Uncle Joe, played by Richard Roundtree), they forge a suit of armor and the arsenal necessary for Irons to carry out his vigilanteism.
Steel’s early days come with their own growing pains, most notably an early defeat by the same gang he initially found with the stolen weaponry and being arrested at his grandmother’s house. Meanwhile, Burke prepares to auction off his modified weaponry using the power of the Internet. When Irons is finally released from jail, Sparks, who has assumed the “guy in the chair” role for Steel, gets captured by Burke’s henchmen, and Irons is captured in his attempt to rescue her.
This leads to the film’s climactic showdown. While Steel is still captured, Burke continues on with the auction and remains distracted long enough for Steel and Sparks to overtake Burke’s forces. Burke, in a last-ditch effort to gain the upper hand, fires a laser at Steel. However, the beam reflects off of Steel’s armor and kills him, the explosion destroying Burke’s lair. The film ends with both the neighborhood and the US military learning about Steel’s heroics and Sparks developing a wheelchair that allows her to walk.
What is Steel based on?
The character of John Henry Irons first debuted inThe Adventures of Superman#500, but made his major comic book appearance as Steel afterSuperman’s death at the hands of Doomsday. John Henry Irons was a genius weapons engineer for AmerTek Industries who quit in outrage after one of his designs, the BG-60, fell into the wrong hands and was used to kill innocent people. After the death of Superman, an event Irons witnessed first-hand, he constructed an armored suit that granted him enhanced strength, flight, and other special abilities similar to the original Man of Steel. Irons used his new-found superhero status to stop the devastating gang war in inner-city Metropolis once he learned that the BC-60 was being used to cause devastating death and destruction.
When four new “Supermen” arrived on the scene in the “Reign of the Supermen” storyline, all wearing the iconic “S” shield across their chests, comic readers were asked which (if any) could replace Superman. Of the four – Superboy, The Last Son of Krypton, The Cyborg, and Steel – Steel was the only one who outright admitted that he was not Superman from the start. Yet, of the newcomers trying to take over the job, Steel was the only one with Superman’s moral code and was the one most seriously considered by Lois Lane herself. When the real Superman was resurrected, Irons was applauded for his heroism and earned the respect of the real deal.
Steel later became a valued member of theJustice Leagueand played pivotal roles in some of the biggest crossover and crisis storylines inDC Comicshistory, solidifying his place as one of the publisher’s best B-list heroes.
Steelcould have been DC’s first real step towards connecting a cinematic universe nearly a decade beforeMarvel StudiosintroducedIron Manin 2008 – hadSteelnot cemented itself as the worst superhero movie of all time.
WhileSteelleaves too much to be desired, it wasn’t all failed attempts and near-misses for a comic book movie of its time. For all ofSteel’s flaws, it was still the first blockbuster comic book movie to prominently feature a Black superhero (debuting a year beforeWesley Snipes broughtBladeto the big screen). It brought the traditional superhero story out of massive fictional cities like Gotham City or Metropolis and centered its setting in urban Los Angeles, a city that prides itself on its own melting pot of cultures and identities. Furthermore, the story features young kids of color who were sucked into a life of crime by corrupt, white villains in positions of power without treating the kids as the problem, in addition to featuring a disabled character in a large supporting role.
ThoughSteeldid a lot for diversifying the comic book movie subgenre, that (and its admittedly awesome theme music) is really the only thing the film has going for it.Steelwas a critical and box office flop, making only $870,068 in its opening weekend and maintaining a rating of 12% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite the restraints that often come from having a low budget,Steelseems to actively lie in those confinements. The writing lacks the necessary creativity that makes great superhero media memorable. An overwhelming amount of the film’s dialogue is steeped in not only these clichés, but sappy TV-Movie-of-the-Week clichés that make many products of the 1990s and early 2000s feel so dated to modern viewers. In addition to the woeful, attention-dropping dialogue,Steel’s action scenes lack a lot of action. Across the board, the performances are wooden at best. Cap that off with a super suit reminiscent of Spirit Halloween’s superhero collection, andSteelhas stood the test of time as the bottom of the barrel for the superhero movie genre.
