THE SCENARIO

THE SPORTS BOX

CHRIS:   YES, the Rivet-laden Ranganorok is here! The Armored Armaggedon has arrived! The Metallic....oh, uh, we're on, right. *ahem* Hello, welcome to today's matchup. I'm Chris Mullane.

PREDATOR:   And I'm Predator. It's a pleasure to be here with you all today. We have one heck of a match, wouldn't you say Chris?

CHRIS:   Oh, yes indeed. This is the only battle to date that has actually formed its own cult following, as some of you may know.

PREDATOR:   As scary as it is, that's correct Chris. We're reporting live from the Khazan City Smelting factory to bring you the showdown of Steel vs. Iron Man. I can see our two gladiators suiting up now.

CHRIS:   Fortuantely, from within the God-Proof Sports Box, and I'm sure we'll need every ounce of shielding when these technological titans clash. While they're still busy, let's take a look at the fan letters for this week's metallic matchup.

YOUR OPINIONS

SonicHunter writes:

Yes there is an Iron Man Vs Steel cult , and now that the fight between Iron Man And Steel is guaranteed we shall consume the suicide drink and acend to our rightful place in heaven !!!!

Uhhh you were supposed to consume the drink AFTER the fight Sonic . OOOP !!

Well looks like I've only got a few seconds to post my opinions . I think Iron Man should win simply because he's more heavily armed than STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL .

*Dies*

Editor's Note: Jeez, how many times did I tell you, do NOT drink the mercury until AFTER the Metal Mayhem had arrived!? Sheesh, you can't find good mindless minions these days...--Chris

sibernut writes:

while John henery Irons is a very brilliant and corageous superhero, Tony just has more going for him. a variety of suits to choose from, such suits as his Hulk buster armor could take out steel's armor in little or no time, as well expericence, hes been doing his job as ironman decades before steel even thought of making a suit for himself. granted I think this is going to be a good fight because im a fan of both steel and Ironman, but ironman just has more resorceses as well as experiance, not to mention better wepondry. such as repulsor rays and adamantium tiped missiles.

The Saint writes:

I want Iron Man to win, no I want Steel, no IM, no, the big S, no... AAAAAARGH!! You guys made quite a choice this time, as both are mega-whup-ass bad boys in protective armor. It's like trying to decide in the Barney vs Wesley fight without a "Both Mangled And Killed" Button. God, was this ever a Catch-22!! Don't get me wrong, I love them both, that's why I can't choose. Or nearly didn't. You see, people are more likely to vote for Stark, despite his catastrophic "Heroes Reborn" origin re-writing. He was the first, he came out even before Crisis in the DC universe, before the Death of Superman. And as in most cases, originals win out. Stark has his own comic book series, and it's likely that he's going to get his own cartoon series on Fox network. That oughtta put a lot of weight in his corner. And let's not forget, Stark industries can even buy out Wayne Industries. That puts a lot of influence in his corner. That aside, Stark can use almost any weapon in his suit, from pins to Proton Cannons(I'm referring to Marvel Super Heroes Fighting Game by Capcom here). So he even stars in a fighting game, that's experience... OK, OK... so most of the above doesn't count. But you have to admit, Stark has a lot going for him. So Steel followed Doomsday. Did he lay him out for count? That's what Tony did to Bruce (Banner, that is)! Sadly, as much as I like DC, Tony takes this one... Steel has as much a chance as this comment has of being published.

Triaxm'l writes:

It's a touch lopsided. Even with the way that Morrison has been writing Steel, he just isn't in that league.

IM has been one of the most powerful avengers for decades, and has an incredible amount or weaponry and defenses.

Even more sadly, Steel has been downgraded recently. He's got better hammer, but his armor itself is weaker (it basically allows flight, and to be bullet proof). It doesn't even enhance his strength much anymore. Up against Iron Man who stood up and fought and defeated the Hulk. Gone toe to toe with the Thing, and held his own against Thor? And most of these fights were in older suits.

And then you get to the technical side of things. I know that Morrison is making Steel out to be some sort of super-genius, but he isn't in Iron Man's league here either. A huge amount of the Avengers tech is Stark built. Most of sheild's advanced weaponry was built Stark Industries. The only reason Sheild doesn't still use Stark anymore is because Tony doesn't build weapon for other people anymore.

Heck, they tried to force him to continue making weapons by buying him out, and he neatly defeated that.

Steel might win on a really good day, but Iron Man will still win on most of his bad days.

HexxJo writes:

Well, his movie did reek the ninth circle of heaven, but at least Steel got a movie. I'm willing to forgive him for the sins of Shaq. Iron Man, well, he just got a cheezy syndicated animated series. There's no forgivness for the likes of that sin.

Sage of Halo writes:

I gotta say that Iron Man will win because he has more experience. He took down the Silver Surfer (albeit his circuits overloaded, and it was before Surfer's leap in power, but Iron Man is more advanced today anyway). Because Iron Man has faced more challenges than Steel, and has more weapons (Steel shoots out metal pegs or something like that, while Iron Man has too much stuff to mention). Plus, he's rich! He could find some way to win using the art of war perfected by rich tycoons everywhere.

Mani writes:

Steel is a great character and all, but in terms of combat he bites dust. First we have that all important factor, experience. Iron Man is used to armoured opponents. He's got a variety of tools that he can use against them. Plus, Hypertime or no Hypertime, Iron Man has been around for far longer than Steel. Tech level wise, I'll just say that they're equal, as Steel has received a massive intelligence upgrade in the JLA. While he was an impressive genius, he now is in Tony Stark's league. The armour: Hammer or no hammer, the end result is the same, the Iron Man armour is simply better than Steels.

Peregrine writes:

One word - experience! Tony Stark's been at this a LOT longer, and he's faced more and varied foes. His armor has been refined through several successive upgrades. This is like Windows vs Linux on the desktop - the new guy's got some advantages to be sure, but the veteran still carries the day.

Or - "Age and experience will always defeat youth and talent."

Editor's Note: Tell that to Bill Gates. (jk) --Chris

Rimfiztrik writes:

Well, hmmm... I have to give the to Iron Man only by a slight margin. He's more versatile, and Andy Stark has more experience that Steel. Still, it won't be easy.

MasterManG writes:

I gotta say Iron Man hands down after a lengthy battle. Steel's okay and can analyze foreign technology quickly, but adapting to and overcoming technological threats is Iron Man's stock and trade, and what makes him a valued member of the Avengers. In the Prometheus storyline in JLA, Steel got taken by Prometheus' electric baseball bat for Pete's sake. Besides Iron Man is from the Avengers were they typically face down threats on a JLA level without having about seven Superman level heroes on the team. Iron Man has got guts whereas Steel can just sit back in the sidelines with the JLA because he knows if there is a problem Superman, Green Lanter, the Flash, or any of the big gun heroes will handle it. He's probably gotten lazy without having to fend for himself for awhile. Despite a slight alcohol problem (which is the only possible way Steel could win this) Iron Man will triumph. He's simply got more in his arsenal. And that's the bottom line because "The Great MasterMan" says so!

The Devil writes:

Hiya kiddies, i'm back. I took a little vacation after my humiliation last halloween. but i'm back. What is going to happen here is simple, Iron Man is going to walk out, take one look at Steel and laugh his balls off. After he catches his breath he will then proceed to kick the crap out of him. I mean come on! IM has more experience, more weapons, more style, and more charisma. Besides When you share a name with a song by my boy, Ozzy, you can't lose!And if by the off chance, things should start to look bad for old Tony, I might just jump in to help him. After all I have a lot of money riding on him. And I have to protect my investments. TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now)
Your Friend
El Diablo

Editor's Note: I'll make sure to tell Zauriel you dropped by. --Chris

Green Lantern writes:

A nasty fight, but ya gotta give it to Iron Man. Sure, Steel's got the smarts, the combat experience, and the technology, but so does Iron Man...and he's got it to a factor of 10. Iron Man's gonna end up taking Steel's hammer and beating him with it.

Phantom writes:

A look at the contestants: Steel is a technological genius. His first suit of armor was made out of scrap metal. He didn't use any fancy lab equipment. For cryin' out loud, he built his suit with a sledgehammer, anvil, and his apartment building's blast furnace! And that armor was powerful enough to take out a Kryptonian Battle Suit in one hit. His current armor is a large upgrade from the "beta" version. All it would take is one hit from his hammer, and Tony would be down for the count. However, it's still not enough to beat Iron Man. Prometheus showed just how easy it is to override Steel's armor. When you combine that with the fact that Steel doesn't really have an effective ranged attack, and his armor isn't as manueverable as Tony's, you can see that there's no way he would even be able to get a hit in. Tony would scramble Steel's computer systems, and use the time to get a few choice sucker-shots in. Once Steel's systems reboot, Tony would use his armor's superior range and speed to pound John Henry from afar. Steel becomes Scrap.

Dr. D. Brimstone writes:

After detailed research on both combatants, we can safely deduce one thing: those are not mere suits of powered armor that Tony Stark and John Henry Irons wear... they are in fact, man-sized cans of 100% PURE WHOOP-ASS! It is because of this, that each warrior shall be severly tested in this fight, as is prophecized. However, it is Steel who shall emerge victorious in the end, for he has way, way more intestinal fortitude than that boozehound Stark. So it has been written, so it shall be done...

Editor's Note: Thanks for the professional opinion, Doctor. ;-) --Chris

Mr. Silverback writes:

As a member of OIMSVAC, I pined for this match, but now that it has arrived, I have no idea who to vote for.

Both have heart, courage, devestating weaponry and incredible engineering skills. I am torn...

Oh, the heck with it. Johnny Rico of Rico's Roughnecks (Novel version) shows up and spanks them both.

Chaos Sigma Omega writes:

since we have two metal heads going into battle against each other, I have 2 things to say:

1) the fact that Iron man has more weapons, forms, armor, etc., gives him the upper hand in this.. barely

2) Steel's big hammer has a short range, exept for the propusion that the boots give.

This will be a close match, but I am in favor of IRON MAN!

GrimmSoup writes:

ALRIGHTY NOW. were shall i begin? O yes, i'll begin by saying that steel has this in the bag. WHY? Well for multiple reasons.

1) He has the strange ability to understand almost anything technological in nature, no matter how alien or advanced it may be.

2) He is on the Justice League, a station that it is difficult for any normal hero to attain. but steel is anything but normal. what began as a iron man/superman rip off has evolved into a charcater all its own.

3) He wears the almighty "i could kick your ass 3 ways to tuesday for lookin at me wrong" S! None that possess the S can be kept down for too long. and

4)It is about time that the black man over come his white opressor! Long has the rich white man (stark) kept his equal, the black man, hard working and honest, down! KILL WHITEY!!! tee hee (jk)

Anyhoo, the only thing that iron man has on his side are: years of battle experience both alongside and away from the avengers (a team that is more family like and into the concept of training then the JLA), his might gadgets, and his harem of readily available women paid for by tony stark himself.

ANYWAYS, THE "S" WINS THIS TIME.

Bri Rob the Caveman writes:

Aright, folks, let's analyze this.

Steel:

FACT: Steel remotely resembles Superman. Superman got his butt handed to him by Thor.

Fact: Steel got made into a really sucky movie starring Shaq. Then there was Shap-Fu, Kazaam, and (God save us all), Shaq trying to rap! In Conclusion: Steel condemns himself. However...

Iron Man

FACT: Iron Man helped to spawn War Machine.

FACT: I can kick War Machine's butt on Marvel vs Capcom with anyone.

FACT: War Machine and Steel are both versions of older superheroes.

FACT: Everyone knows that sequels suck.

FACT: Although i voted for Steel, cause he just looks kooler with that hammer, I think Iron Man could take him. In Conclusion: Iron Man still sux in my book. So... WHY ISN'T THERE A "BOTH MANGLED AND KILLED" BUTTON(tm)?!?!?!?!?

Editor's Note: We're looking into that now --Chris

Shylock writes:

I know, it's a lost cause, but I'm going with Steel. The man has determination and even though, he's not as diverse weapons wise, he was still able to stand to Superman level threats. I think that his abilities to quickly decipher the workings of technology would allow him to quickly modify his hammer to go through Ironman's repulsor shield and deliver massive systems damage. Ironman might have the suit, but Steel has heart, a fuctional one, if I might add.

The Immortal Kahless writes:

Steel is harder than Iron. This Steel guy looks cooler than Iron Man, how can it go any other way?

Editor's Note: Qa'pla! --Chris

The InterKnight writes:

Steel, hands down! Iron Man doesn't stand a chance against Steel because Steel was prepared to go up against Superman's rogues gallery. Metallo, Brainiac, Mxyzptlk: Could Iron Man handle any of them? I don't think so. Go Steel!

TheBigGiantHead writes:

Iron Man = Windshield Steel = Insignifricant fly

Iron Man possesses every advantage in this one, folks. His physical power quite a bit superior (something approaching the Thing's.) He has a personal force field with protection from both physical and electromagnetic attack (so none of that "take over IM's system" bruhaha). He has better and more varied weaponry, to boot. Guy has something like 600 heavy ballistic weapons on his person. And then you factor in the fact that Steel is a very obvious ripoff of Iron Man... There's only one way this can go.

Charge Man writes:

Sigh; I want Steel to win so bad, but... well, what can I say? Shaquille O'Neal is NO actor. Kazaam has proved us that. But noooo, apparently Shaq had to tarnish the good name of John Henry Irons. The former-Supes replacement really deserved better than being played by a tall guy who can't act. Thanks a lot, Shaq; by now you've probably dug Steel's grave in this fight. Editor's Note: THIS AIN'T MR. "SHAQ-FU" IN A BUCKET HELMET! IT' S THE ONE TRUE STEEL!

Sorry, but you wouldn't believe how many resonses we got citing that line of reasoning alone, oy. --Chris �But Steel is still my pick; Stark's armor is just too damn volatile.

Robotech Master writes:

Its Chris Mullanes dream come true. This battle has finally happened, and it will be one Titanic battle. However, Iron Man will be the Victor. I can only respect Steel's impressive weapons and armor defenses, but Iron Mans technology is a bit too advanced. I'm sure his lasers could find a way through Steels armor. Iron Man has access to stuff from some heavy duty tech companies, and has the abilities to fly around Steel. While Steel seems tough, he basically has his hammer, and a few other accessories, which is little in comparison to Iron Man.

Jim Smith writes:

This is so simple. Consider:
1) Steel's hammer generates EM pulses. (Steel #52) Iron Man's armor gets shut down by EM pulses. (Avengers/Squadron Supreme '98) Night night, Tony.
2) Tony has accomplished all the stuff he's done with big corporate resources, and all he got was a suit that's been killing him. John started out in his basement with his own money, and his suit ain't giving him trouble. Advantage: Steel.
3) The Steel Homepage could kick the Iron Man Armory's ass. There's two of us, after all. Ta ta, Coin-Slot-Face.

Justicar writes:

I spent a month pondering this issue since it first came to light on the great Khazan message board. I have to come down on the side of Iron Man. Iron Man has the overall experience needed to win this fight. That will be the ultimate deciding factor. Both have guts, money, resources, technology and know-how. Tony Stark has just been in the hero business longer than John Henry.

Steel may have the guts to walk up to Doomsday with a sledgehammer, but Iron Man has the experience to know that an asswhuppin is coming if you act in such a rash manner.

With Iron Man's experience he will know just how to battle Steel. He will anticipate what Steel is capable of and what Steel will try to do. Iron Man's experience is going to tell Tony when to use the firepower and when to try another tactic. Experience is the key to victory.

Skunk187 writes:

I don't know who would really win...I've been voting for both of them.

The Match Maker writes:

First off, have I offended thee oh mighty Chris Mullane? For am I not a founding advocate? If so, why hast my name been erased from the "suggested by" list of fellow MetalBrothers/Sisters? I doth grieve for the injustice I must have caused thee. Editor's Note: I have no idea how this happened, but I now officially reinstate your MetalBrotherhood in the OIMVSAC, fellow Founding Advocate. --Chris ��

With that said, here are my views. After long thoughtful consideration, I have reached a verdict. I think in the end it will be close. But Iron Man will come out the winner. While Steel's armor may "tougher", Iron Man has more options open to him. He has a wider variety of weapons to draw upon. Ah heck, I can't really decide. I just have a gut feeling that Iron Man will eke out a victory. (That and the fact Iron Man is better known to a wider variety of people than Steel is.)

�� Here's hoping this makes the cut. It has been a while since I've "seen print".

I AM IRONMAN ! writes:

Just cause Ozzy & Heavy Metal Kicks Ass !! � � � � � � WHOOOOOOOOOOOO !! And the fact IronMan has held his own with the likes of Fin Fang Foom ! Eww brain storm here how about a Fin Fang Foom vs Godzilla polka dance contest forget Tokyo could the wold survive such a horrer ?!? Editor's Note: I'm not touching that one with the Hulkbuster armor... --Chris

THE BATTLE

PREDATOR:   Well it seems as though Iron Man has a stronger backing in the crowd. We'll just have to wait and see if it does him any good. Wait.......it looks like the armor-clad warriors are ready to rumble.

CHRIS:   Interesting, they're walking towards each other...giving each other a brotherly handshake. Wow, even in rivalry, they still respect each other.

PREDATOR:   Yeah, whatever. Ok they're going into fighting stances. And Iron Man makes the first move by shooting a Repulsor blast at Steel. Steel blocks the brunt of the blast, but is still thrown several feet back.

CHRIS:   Yow! That looks painful. Ooh, so did that laser gauntlet shot from Steel; I knew he wouldn't show up with that piddly rivet gun. But Stark's already on his feet again...

PREDATOR:   You mean thrusters, Chris. Iron Man is coming in low at Steel, fists first. Iron Man makes contact with Steel's stomach and the two go crashing into some heavy machinery.

CHRIS:   Steel's got a chip on his shoulder, and he doesn't look happy. It's going hand-to-hand now...POW, massive crack with the Atomic Hammer! Iron Man's stunned, Steel's going for another hit.

PREDATOR:   And Steel connects with another hammer blow to the head. Iron Man looks mad now and.... KRANG! belts Steel with a savage right hook.

CHRIS:   Ouch, that had to hurt! Irons is going airborne now, trading laser fire with Stark in pursuit. They're both dodging and weaving...Iron Man is gaining. Looks likes Steel is winding up the Hammer...

PREDATOR:   SHOOM! Oh, Iron Man let's Steel have it with the Repulsor Rays again just before the hammer is thrown. Steel is hit hard and is going down. Steel's landed in more machinery, and has flung a huge piece of debris at the airborne Iron Man.

CHRIS:   Stark dodged it easily, and he's really letting go now--guided missles, explosive bullets, the works. KRACK-POWWW! The machinery has exploded in massive fireballs and debris! Too much smoke to see.......

PREDATOR:   Well that explosion took out a good sized portion of the factory, Chris. But we're still here thanks to the God-Proof Sports Box. The smokes clearing now and.......hey, where'd Steel go? He's gone! Iron Man's checking his sensors to try and pick up a signal..........

CHRIS:   BLAM BLAM BLAM!! Steel surprised him from behind, but with what....dang, those are some big Toastmasters he's wielding! They give new meaning to the phrase 'ghetto blaster'. He's giving both barrels now....Stark's been blasted into the air!

PREDATOR:   He's up, up, up, and through the roof! Steel's taken to the air in pursuit. Personally, I'd be surprised if Iron Man even survived that. SH-WOOM! What the heck was that? Steel just got slammed to the ground by what looks like a red and gold streak. Oh, that's Iron Man. Man, he's fast. Steel's on the ground now, with Iron Man standing before him. Steel let's loose another shot with his wrist laser and Iron Man is dazed.

CHRIS:   Steel just let the Atomic Hammer fly again, Iron Man doesn't see it though all the laser bolts he's dodging.... BRANG, it's connected hard, Iron Man was blasted back again! He really isn't happy now.

PREDATOR:   FA-WOOOOOM! Iron Man let's loose the Tri-Beam on his chestplate and Steel is floored clear across the factory. Steel's on the floor now trying to get back up. Man, his armor looks bad after that. Iron Man zooms in faster than lightning and......KRAM! KRAM! KRAM! He lets Steel have it with several fierce punches. Steel's been beaten into the floor now...........

CHRIS:   He's getting up... can we get a scan on that? *bzzzt-whrrrr* Nothing but his lasers are working and the Hammer is across the floor. He's taking the last shots with the lasers now, and they're getting awfully close to a crack near Iron Man's ammo cache.......

PREDATOR:   Yes Chris, I believe that's........KRA-KOOM! Yes as you were saying Chris, Iron Man's ammo cache has exploded. Iron Man is down, and he's having some serious trouble getting his sytems rebooted. Steel's gotten to the Hammer now and he's using it to help himself up.

CHRIS:   This is the endgame, Predator; both Stark and Irons have almost no functioning systems left. It looks like Steel's doing something with the Hammer while he's got a few seconds...Iron Man is pulling some kind of package from the back of his armor, can we zoom in on that?

PREDATOR:   I believe so, Chris. It looks like Iron Man is pulling out a heavy duty Ion Cannon. ION CANNON? That thing could destroy half this factory! Is Stark nuts? Wait, what's Steel doing?

CHRIS:   He's attaching something to his Hammer, I think it's....his primary power cell!? That's a friggin' COLD FUSION BOMB! It could drop the Taj Mahal if detonated! I think these men have lost all objectivity now. Both are charging their modus finale weapons now......

PREDATOR:   Both of the warriors have charged their weapons to full power. Steel is winding up the hammer for a final throw, Iron Man is preparing to fire full blast!

CHRIS:   LOOK AWAY NOW!

Battlefield:   BOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!

THE FINAL VOTE

'Nuff Said!

FINAL VOTE:

IRON MAN: 859

STEEL: 445

THE WRAP UP

PREDATOR:   *cough, cough* Oh man, they took out the whole factory! *pzzzzch* Those two better have their credit cards in their armors, because this is coming out their pockets.

CHRIS:   *bzzzzt* God-Proof Sports Box� my *crackle*! I can barely see through this...is that Iron Man standing there?

PREDATOR:   I think it is, it looks like he's helping Steel out of the rubble...

CHRIS:    Yeah, both of their suits look totally smashed, but what's left of the scanners tell me Stark's life support is barely functional.

PREDATOR:   That puts him one above Irons, his suit's totally off-line. Well, I'd say this fight is finished, and it certainly was everything the prophecy said it would be.

CHRIS:    Boy, you can say that again. From what's left of the "God-Proof" Sports Box�, I'm Chris Mullane.

PREDATOR:    And I'm Predator, signing off.

CHRIS:    LONG LIVE THE OIMVSAC!

PREDATOR:    We're not off yet, Chris.

CHRIS:    Oh, well, *ahem* good night folks. Pictures for this weeks big fight came from:

Iron Man Armory.

Steel Homepage.

DISCLAIMER / NOTICE:

STEEL (TM) is the property (c) of D.C. Comics

IRON MAN (TM) is the property (c) of Marvel Comics

This webpage makes no claims and attempts no infringement... this is just for fun.

CBUB: The Comic Book Universe Battles