Michael Dorn Trades One Kind of Steel For Another With His New Gig Writing For DC

Michael Dorn as Worf and his Steels. Images: DC / Paramount.

MAY 16, 2023 - You’ve probably heard of the Man of Steel. That’s the nickname for DC’s first superhero, better known as Superman. But in the 1990s, DC did something groundbreaking when they killed off the Last Son of Krypton himself in an epic crossover event appropriately titled “The Death of Superman.” In the wake of the hero’s demise at the hands of the villain Doomsday, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, John and Martha Kent, and the world at large mourned his loss over the course of nearly 40 comic book issues, including titles not just related to Superman, but also Green Lantern, Justice League America, and Action Comics.

Rising from the ashes of Superman’s death came four new heroes, most claiming to be a resurrected version of Superman himself, including a clone and a cyborg version. John Henry Irons (named in homage of the American folk hero John Henry) was introduced as a genius who built a suit of armor which gave him the powers of Superman so he could pick up where the late superhero left off. In so doing, Irons became Steel, a superhero in his own right.

Steel appears in the comics every now and then and even got his own film, 1997’s Steel, in which he was played by Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Despite that, many consider him an underused character. But now that all may be about to change. DC has announced a new mini-series featuring John Henry Irons and his alter-ego, written by a beloved Star Trek cast member.

Michael Dorn, who has acted in more hours of Trek than anybody else, is trading in his bat’leth made of steel for a superhero named Steel. Dorn isn’t new to the world of DC, or even the character, having voiced John Henry Irons/Steel in the popular Superman: The Animated Series. According to DC, the plot of Dorn’s series, entitled Steelworks, runs thus:

The Metropolis of the future is here today, but can it survive a terrorist who’s out for revenge against its builder, John Henry Irons—a.k.a. Steel—and his company, Steelworks…and who possesses secrets that could undo everything John has worked so hard to build? While John’s professional life is firing on all cylinders, his personal life is even better, as his on-again, off-again relationship with Lana Lang might be back on, permanently. Now he must decide whether it’s time to give up being Steel once and for all. But does John even know who he would be without his superhero identity? How does the other Steel—John’s niece, Natasha Irons—feel about his momentous decision? And does any of that matter if Steelworks crumbles around him when he lacks the superpowers to fight back?

The premise seems to promise a wild ride for Irons and his niece. It’s likely that the title, which is set to release next month, will tie into the year-long “Dawn of DC” event, which the comic publisher has also announced. Exactly if and how that happens will become clear as the titles progress, but it will be interesting to see if Dorn has what it takes to write a comic book script. In all honesty, he probably does.

You can read more about the announcement at CBR.com and use the link to the right to preorder Steelworks #1.