It was invented by Steele, who stuck it on Iron Man's chest to drain all the power from the hero's armor. It was not enough to keep Iron Man down.
--Iron Man I#60
STEELE
Real Name: Unrevealed (possibly Steele; first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Criminal
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Hacker, Masked Marauder (Frank Farnum), other unidentified henchmen
Enemies: Iron Man (Tony Stark)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile
First Appearance: Iron Man I#60 (July, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Steele was very muscular and was surprisingly strong, but not superhuman as far as we know.
He was an electronics expert capable of creating and understanding advanced technology and used a variety of high tech devices provided to him by the Masked Marauder, including a laser tool, an ionic reinforcer and a steel armor. He also used an energy draining device of his own creation and Iron Man's gauntlets.
Steele's armor was allegedly stronger than steel and protected him from physical attacks. It was outfitted with tear gas blasters on the chest.
Height: Unrevealed (6'4"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (247 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Bald
History:
(Iron Man I#60) - Steele worked a comfy electronics job when he was hired by the Masked Marauder. Steele left his job to become one of the Marauder's criminal henchmen. Masked Marauder provided Steele with equipment, including an armor that rivaled Iron Man's. Steele designed an energy draining device while working for Masked Marauder that could be used against Iron Man.
(Iron Man I#60) - Masked Marauder led Steele and his other henchmen in a raid on Stark Industries' Aerospace facility where they stole a new space shuttle capable of space flight and normal airplane use. Steele believed Masked Marauder's claims that he had planned this coup for years and that Iron Man would not be a problem for them in case he interfered. He knew that each of them could easily make a million bucks doing this job. Inside the space shuttle Steele used a laser tool provided to him by Masked Marauder to slice through the wires and then connected another of Marauder's devices, an ionic reinforcer that would protect the space shuttle while Steele drove it through the facility's wall. Steele flew the space shuttle until Iron Man caught up to them. He landed the space shuttle on a deserted highway where he faced Iron Man with the armor provided to him by Masked Marauder. Steele's armor protected him from Iron Man's punches. Steele then blasted Iron Man with tear gas and after a few kicks, stuck an energy draining device on his chestplate. Steele was sure it would render Iron Man helpless. Masked Marauder was impressed by Steele's invention, but the armored Avenger switched some of his controls in his gauntlet to blast the surprised Steele with a repulsor ray and destroy his armor. Steele was shocked that his armor that was supposed to be stronger than steel was so easily destroyed. Iron Man knocked him out with a punch to the face.
(Iron Man I#61) - After Iron Man got captured by the Masked Marauder, Steele and the other henchmen boarded the space shuttle and Steele piloted it to Marauder's headquarter. While the other henchmen turned the space shuttle into a bomb under Masked Marauder's supervision, Steele was given the opportunity to examine Iron Man's armor. Steele started off by removing one of Iron Man's gauntlets to learn more about his repulsor rays, which fascinated him. Iron Man tried to convince Steele that Masked Marauder would eventually turn on Steele, but he wanted to hear none of it. Iron Man eventually broke free of his restraints, which surprised Steele because Marauder had claimed they could hold Iron Man forever. He punched Steele in the face, but without a gauntlet it could not down Steele, who put on the gauntlet and fired a residual charge left in the repulsor ray at Iron Man. The repulsor ray grew weaker because it was not connected to Iron Man's power pack and Iron Man fought back. Steele ripped apart a machine and struck Iron Man with it, but Iron Man was not down yet. Steele picked up a weapon and fired it at Iron Man, but Iron Man fought back. In a last ditch effort Steele tried to push the alarm button, but Iron Man stopped him.
Steele was back on his feet after Iron Man defeated Masked Marauder and challenged Iron Man to a fair fight because he didn't want to lose out on all the money Marauder's plan would bring him. He asked Iron Man for his second gauntlet so that he would have some protection and Iron Man gladly handed it over because it had shorted out anyway. As soon as he had the second glove, Steele tried to use the repulsor ray to renege on the deal of a fair fight, but Iron Man had already expected this and the glove didn't work anyway. Steele then tossed more machine parts at Iron Man and then tried to tackle him, but Iron Man easily defeated him with another roundhouse punch to the head.
Comments: Created by Mike Friedrich, George Tuska & Mike Esposito.
Steele was the armored henchman on the cover of Iron Man I#60, but the coloring was vastly different from the way he was depicted in the story.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Steele has no known connections to:
Hacker has no known connections to:
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It was invented by Steele, who stuck it on Iron Man's chest to drain all the power from the hero's armor. It was not enough to keep Iron Man down. --Iron Man I#60 |
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(Iron Man I#60) - Hacker was one of the men recruited by Masked Marauder to aid him in the theft of Stark Industries' new space shuttle. He was afraid that Tony Stark would send Iron Man after them, but Masked Marauder claimed that he would not be a problem for them. Steele showed off a laser tool to Hacker, which Masked Marauder had provided to him. Hacker felt the power of the space shuttle when it started. Hacker was sent out with other henchmen to deal with Iron Man after he caught up to the space shuttle, which Steele had landed on a deserted highway on the Marauder's order. Even though he was armed with a gun, he was quickly knocked out by Iron Man. (Iron Man I#61) - He boarded the space shuttle again after Iron Man got defeated and captured by the Masked Marauder. At Marauder's headquarter he was among the henchmen helping Marauder turn the space shuttle into an atomic bomb, but the plan was ultimately thwarted by Iron Man. --Iron Man I#60 (61 |
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images: (without ads)
Iron Man I#60, p14, pan3 (main)
Iron Man I#60, p15, pan5 (head shot)
Iron Man I#61, p6, pan5 (using Iron Man's gauntlet)
Iron Man I#60, Cover (full body shot, alternate coloring)
Iron Man I#60, p15, pan3 (energy draining device)
Iron Man I#60, p2, bottom (Hacker head shot)
Iron Man I#60, p13, pan1 (Hacker body shot, knocked out by Iron Man)
Appearances:
Iron Man I#60-61 (July-August, 1973) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
First Posted: 08/02/2026
Last updated: 08/02/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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