How African American heroes are made, circa 1972 and 1993

Steel (John Henry Irons) - Power Man (Luke Cage)

When Marvel resolved to introduce an african-american super hero in 1972, the result was completely and clumsily premised on the “blaxploitation” trend in cinema at the time. So Luke Cage, later to be known as Power Man, was written by Archie Goodwin and subsequent scribes spouting jive talk along the lines of “Sweet Christmas!!!” an exclamation I‘ve never encountered outside of comic books. Ahh, the unceasing wonders that result when white nerds in the ‘70s presume to craft realistic dialogue for black characters!

Nonetheless, Cage became less stereotyped as the 1970s progressed, and he has since been Marvel’s premiere african-american character: he’s been mucho prominent in recent years.

In my very limited understanding, DC’s Steel reflects a more nuanced treatment of how to present an african american character. Introduced in the 1993 Fall of Superman arc, John Henry Irons is an inventor who isn’t known to complain about “the man.” Why can’t a black guy be a middle class smart guy, like other super-heroes? Why indeed.

Commonalities:
Both strong doods! In the 52 series, Irons’ skin becomes briefly metallic, which is most Cage-esque.

Differences:
Irons is an inventor who dons an armor to do his stuff, whereas Cage is an ex-con and has been played as a Sam Jackson-style tough guy recently.

Alternate histories:

ST: John Henry Irons is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and is sentenced to a term in prison. He volunteers for a experiment where he is to don a prototype armor; Irons escapes and makes his way back to his hometown, where adopts the code name Steel and works as a extranormal operative for hire. He briefly replaces Robotman in the Doom Patrol and takes on a partner (to be named later); the two work together for many years. Steel now leads the dissident Justice League.

PM: Scientist Carl Lucas takes a job as a construction worker and is saved from plunging to his death by Thor, who inspires him to take up adventuring. Taking the names Luke Cage and Power Man, he devises a method in which he gains superhuman strength and durability. During the time that Thor appears to have died, Power Man takes up his slack, and eventually joins the Avengers.