The Birth: John Henry Irons was a ballistics genius for a military industrial firm, AmerTek. Irons designed advanced weapons systems but had a change of heart when the deadliest of his creations fell into the wrong hands. Irons quit, destroyed his notes, and was immediately targeted for elimination by AmerTek. Thus, Dr. John Henry Irons, Ph.D., assumed the identity of construction worker Henry Johnson and moved to Metropolis.
While he was working on the high steel, his co-worker tripped and fell almost to his death if it hadn't been for Irons. Though he managed to save his friend, Irons himself lost hold and took the fall. Superman saved him that day and Irons told him, "I owe you my life," to which the Last Son of Krypton replied, "Then make it count for something."
When Irons discovered his most lethal weapon design in the hands of street gangs, he was stirred by the admonition. He modified prototype flight-capable armor into a facsimile of Superman's costume, carrying on the legend as the Man of Steel and later, simply Steel. He made his first appearance as John Henry Irons in the Adventures of Superman #500 (June, 1993) and he actually put on the armour in Man Of Steel #22 (June 1993)

The Alter Ego: John Henry Irons a.k.a Henry Johnson goes by the name of Steel. The man has a love for humanity and his actions are dictated by his own scruples, not by someone else's rules. He did what he thought was morally right when he destroyed the weapons and their plans after he'd seen what they could actually do.
Currently, he is Chief of the Staff at Garden State Medical Center in Jersey City, New Jersey.
It is obvious that Dr. Irons possesses several degrees in Physics, Quantum Physics, Advanced Energy Physics, Temporal Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, and Robotics. It is likely that he has even more education than can be currently assessed by the creation of his powered armor. His strong moral fibre and integrity has made him quite famous among the metahumans that he works with and his dedication to his family has proven to be a hallmark of his character.

The Legend: Steel was one of the many heroes inspired by Superman. Supes had told him to make his life count for something. That's what he was thinking when he tried to help Superman fight Doomsday. He didn't make it - the building collapsed on him before he could even reach the Man of Steel.
Superman was dead and buried and the Metropolis crime rate had risen.
John Henry Irons tried to stop a bunch of goons from escaping after one of the neighborhood kids got killed in the crossfire of their gang war. It was then that he realized that the "ToastMasters" they were using were advanced assualt guns, BG-80's, his design.
The entry of the BG-80's or the ToastMasters as they were called would elevate gang warfare into new heights. That's when he took the decision of becoming the Man Of Steel. Later, after a request from Big Blue himself, he changed his name to Steel.

His costume is actually computerized armor which vastly increases strength, while his boot jets enable flight. With his powered armor increasing his strength as much as 15 times, Steel's enhanced strength is quite considerable.
His main weapon is a computerized hammer. The damping field of Steel's hammer increases its inertia relative to the distance it is thrown; the farther it goes, the harder it hits.
The rivet cannon, a short range weapon has fired red-hot rivets similar to rivets used in construction. This weapon was chosen as a less lethal device in place of far more dangerous weapons that Dr. Irons had created.
Computerized Communications and Scanning Array (CCSA) is integral to the armor's technological advantages. The onboard computer comes equipped with high density, flash memory protocols for suit operation, including weapons management, power management, gyroscopic balancing, and analysis of electromagnetic phenomemna. The armor can also receive signals on classified bands such as the Air Traffic Controller wavelengths and the NASA communication protocols.

Man of Steel #22	Inside Cover