How Natasha Irons Came to Become Steel's Only Close Family

CBR

By Brian Cronin

Published Feb 28, 2020

In their feature showing where characters are cleared out for new series, CSBG shows how Steel's extended family was pared down to just Natasha.

This is "In The Spotlight So Clear," a feature where we spotlight times in comics where characters need to be cleared out of the way to make room for a new status quo. Like, for instance, you want to introduce a new Captain Superhero, you might want to first get rid of the previous Captain Superhero. Stuff like that.

The other day, I wrote about Christopher Priest and Denys Cowan's excellent run on Steel, which starred John Henry Irons and his niece, Natasha. How did things get set up so that Priest and Cowan could use just Natasha (particularly a non-superpowered Natasha)? Let's find out!

After the Reign of the Supermen storyline was over, John Henry Irons, the superhero known as Steel (who was one of the four "replacement" Supermen during that aforementioned story) moved to Washington D.C. in Steel #1 (by Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove, Chris Batista and Rich Faber), where he moved in with his grandparents, his sister-in-law, her kids and the foster children that she was also raising....

Over time, John's secret identity was exposed (in part due to information given up by one of the foster kids, who was in a wheelchair after being shot by a gang member and was manipulated by an evil group that promised that they could heal him. That plot involved John's nephew using this drug called "Tar" that could give you superpowers but you could also die from using it, which he almost did) and so the family was possibly in danger.

In Steel #26 (by Simonson, Phil Gosier and Faber), Natasha's brother went to go use some Tar again to help protect his family, but Natasha took it instead (since she had not used it before and thus was less affected by the toxic aspects of the drug) and she soon had superpowers...

Tragically, when the villainous Doctor Polaris attacked the Irons' home in Steel #29, John's grandmother sacrificed herself to try to protect her son...

In the next issue, one of Steel's colleagues (a super-spy) offered to put the family into Witness Protection and they agreed...

The foster children had already been removed from the home due to the death of John's mom.

In the next issue, though, Natasha reveals that she decided not to go with her family...

And finally, in Steel #33 (by Peter Tomasi, Jim Aparo and Dick Giordano), Steel helps his niece get over tar withdrawal and she becomes a normal teenager again...