The Steel Armor was developed by John Henry Irons first as a prototype that was designed to be used by the US Army. For whatever reason, it did not come to be as John would leave their services and take up the identity of Henry Johnson. Following Superman's death, however, John Henry would retrieve the mothballed armor and complete it, adding a S-Shield and red cape to it. Irons would later develop various new armor, including one that exposed his face after he revealed his identity to the world. His current armor, though, is modeled after the original.