This page is for the third Steel, Nathaniel Heywood.
Origin
Nathan hearing bad newsNathan Heywood is the grandson of the original Commander Steel aka Henry Heywood and the cousin of the previous Steel, Henry Heywood III. Despite having a promising American Football career, he was forced to retire early due to an injury to his knee which completely shattered the bone. The injury was quite grave as a result, his leg had to be amputated. Nathan has become addicted to the painkillers that he was prescribed during this time, in order to escape the pain and suffering he endured throughout the day.
Whilst attending a family reunion, Nathan and his family were attacked by the Fourth Reich, a group put together by Vandal Savage to destroy the Justice Society of America and making sure that there were no relations left of the original heroes to carry on their legacies. This attack results in the majority of the Heywood family being brutally killed including Nathan's brother and mother who were turned into statues by the metallic Reichsmark.
Just as Nathan was about to receive similar treatment he stabbed his crutch into the villains mouth which caused him to spit metallic blood all over Nathan. Eventually Hawkman appears to save the remaining members of the Heywood family, Nathan and a few children and takes Nathan to Dr. Mid-Nite who informs him that his body for some reason is absorbing the metallic blood and Nathan goes into a coma.
Defending himself against ReichsmarkDuring this coma a metallic leg grows were his amputated one was previously. Eventually he awakes and realizes that with his new leg he has gained superhuman strength and that his body is living steel due to it absorbing the properties of Reichmark's blood. In order to regulate his strength Nathan is given a special suit that acts as a second skin. Finally having a cause in his life, Nathan takes the name Citizen Steel and adopts the legacy of his grandfather and cousin and becomes a member of the Justice Society of America.
Major Story Arcs
Steel unleashes his full power on GogThy Kingdom Come
When Gog visits the planet, he persuades certain heroes with promises and gifts. Nathan is one of these heroes. Believing that Gog can restore his sense of touch he so craves, he sides with Gog. When Gog decides he wants to punish the evil generals in the Middle East, the Society is split into two. One half supports Gog and his conquest, mainly because he had helped them and the other half is against the ideas and methods of Gog, seeing them unfit and immoral.
It is later revealed that Gog is secretly rooting himself in Earth in an attempt to destroy it. The misguided heroes still defend their new deity, until Gog tries to turn Flash into lightning. After seeing Gog attempting to kill one of their teammates, the heroes come to their senses and they join the teammates in the battle against Gog. Gog feeling betrayed takes away all the gifts he had bestowed upon the heroes, but with a twist. Nathan retains his sense of touch, but to an extreme degree. All his pain receivers are overloaded, making him writhe in agony.
Nathan tears of his suit in order to unleash his full power. He manages to topple Gog's head and together with Magog, manages to remove his head from the ground, thereby saving the planet. After that Superman and Starman take Gog's head and embed it permanently in the Source Wall. After Gog's defeat, Nathan notices a sense of relief and satisfaction, knowing that it isn't important if he can feel or not as long as he can protect the world. After that he decides to take time off to spend more time with his family.
During the incident of the Prophecy Sphere, Nate was one of the few members who got lost. During that time, he found out that he share a connection with his mother and brother petrified, implying that maybe they are still alive, he and the all stars where ambushed by crystal monsters created by Reichsmark to kill him.
He recently has joined the All-stars after the Brownstone destruction. He helped in the rescue of Stargirl , who was kidnapped by Arthur Pemberton, and later was defeated by Icicle during the battle against the King of Tears. He and the rest of the all-stars, a exception of Stargirl who was transported to the Subtle Realms were saved by the mysterious Anna Fortune. The All-Stars decide to travel to the Subtle Realms to save Stargirl.
Blackest Night
Nathan is seen among the rest of the Society fighting off Black Lanterns in Manhattan. He tried to fight Black lantern Kal-L alongside Hourman, Lightning, Stargirl, Cyclone, and Power Girl, but he was easily defeated.
After the JSA was split into two separate teams, Citizen Steel joins Power Girl's faction: the JSA All-Stars.
He was one of the members who helped in saving Stargirl when she was kidnapped by Arthur Pemberton. Later when they fought against the Injustice society, he tried to fight against Icicle but was defeated by the villain. After capturing the King of Tears, Nate traveled alongside the All-stars to the Subtle of dreams to defeat Johnny Sorrow and save Stargirl and Atom Smasher. He attended Damage's funeral after Blackest Night.
He, alongside Hourman, Judomaster and Stargirl to went L.A. to fight against a drug cartel follower of the Gods of Parador while the rest of the team travelled to Parador to fight against the drug dealers. Nate saved Courtney from being slashed by a jaguar in L.A. to which Courtney said to him that he punched a kitty. Later He and the rest assisted Power Girl in the fight against the Gods of Parador but he was thrown away to the sea. Luckily he was picked up by the other part of the team that was coming to L.A. to help in the fight. After the defeat of the Gods, the All-stars spend a weekend at the beach celebrating the victory.
When they traveled to space (minus Cyclone who lost her powers) they fought against invaders and defend X-anathraxis successfully.
Some time later, Citizen Steel received the key of the city of Columbus for his heroism. There he met with Jenny Mason, a former classmate who confessed that she had a crush on him before his powers and kissed him. That made Nate remember that because his powers and armor he wont feel never again. When they fought against Pemberton, Powergirl, Tomcat and he were telported to Limbo. Anna Fortune came to rescue them and they return to help the All-Stars against the Puzzle Men. Roxy, who entered in the body of Arthur Pemberton's daughter, was able to destroy The Puzzle Men forcing Pemberton and his allies to flee. Roxy decided to kiss Nate and she found it awful, Citizen Steel with a smile said that it was awful to.
Powers & Abillities
Before his accident, Nathan had the physical capabilities of a man who engages in physical exercise on a daily basis. Because of his football career, Nathan has some experience with tackles and take downs.
Super Strength and Invulnerability: Due to the fact that Nathan no longer has feeling in his body and his strength is so great, the JSA create a special uniform made from the alloy designed to protect space craft on re-entry. This uniform is basically forged onto his body to limit and restrain his movement. During the JSA fight with Gog Nathan removes the top half of his uniform to strike Gog down. He is successful in taking Gog down with a single blow something Superman from Earth-22 couldn't accomplish. The exact limit of his strength is as yet unknown, but he is capable of lifting/carrying several hundred tons.
Character Profile
- Height: 6'0"
- Weight: 378 lbs
- Eye Color: Green
- Hair Color: Red
- Citizenship: American
- Place of Birth: Franklin Country, Ohio
- Marital Status: Single
- Occupation: Adventurer; former student and college football player
- Known Relatives: Hank Heywood, Sr. (grandfather, deceased), Hank Heywood, Jr. (uncle, deceased), Hank Heywood III (cousin, deceased), Kirk Heywood (brother, deceased), Nicole (cousin)
- Base of Operations: Battery Park, New York City
Other Media
Legends of Tomorrow
Nathaniel 'Nate' Heywood makes his first live action appearance in Legends of Tomorrow season two where he attempts to rescue the Legends as they became scattered throughout time. After the Legends are reformed with the exception of Rip Hunter, Nate joins the team and aided them on a mission to the 1940's where they encountered the Justice Society of America which included Nates grandfather Commander Steel. It was during this adventure that the Legends teamed up with the JSA to stop Krieger, Nate became seriously injured in an air strike and needed to be injected with a superhuman serum created by Ray that saved his life and granted Nate superpowers. The serum gave Nate the ability to turn his skin into an organic metal giving him superhuman strength and durability. After gaining these Nate continued to be a valuable member of the Legends not just for his powers but because of his background as a historian who would often be able to identify any changes to history.
In this continuity Nate, while trying to choose a super hero name, was inspired by his grandfather who went by Commander Steel and suggest names such as a Corporal Steel, Mr. Steel or Citizen Steel but ultimately taking the simpler identity of Steel.
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