Mr. Iron

                                                                                                                                                                                        Character Artwork by Garo

Given Name: John Henry Iron

Age: Unknown (though appears to be in his late forties) 

Birthday: September 17th

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 278 Lbs

Country of Representation: U.S.A.

Fighting Style: Traditional Grappling, Power Moves

Glyph: Laurion (Mineral and Metal Magick)

Power Finisher: The Runaway Train

Submission Finisher: The Iron Claw

Favorite Food: His wife’s cooking

Likes: Science, metallurgy, hard work, engineering, travel, live music, whisky, his family, training rookies, activism, Spellbreaking, folklore, history, trainspotting, unions, running a business. 

Dislikes: Ignorant people, those who abuse power, being late, people who are late, laziness, those who take advantage of others, pollution, Firebird Pro Spellbreaking.

'The Iron TItan' is ready to show these young upstarts HE'S STILL the real king of the ring! There’s no avoiding this runaway train!

Mr. Iron (or just John Henry to his friends) is as a towering colossus of a man, who can bend steel beams with either brawn or magick. Renowned in the industry as one of the great veterans, he was once both rival and friend to other champs like Colt the Bolt. He is now semi-retired, preferring to spellbreak for smaller federations and local shows, as he prefers the lack of pretension. He enjoys working with younger and eager spellbreakers.

Mr. Iron was one of the bigger names on the East Coast and southern spellbreaking circuits before he settled down to start both a family and business in Brooklyn. It is long rumored that it was none other than Mr. Iron who convinced Colt the Bolt to get out of the ring while the business was still kind to him. Though the two fighters frequently clashed, they also tag teamed several times throughout their illustrious careers, and are still close friends and confidants. He is considered one of the best spellbreaking teachers in the business, but prefers to 'keep it local', only working with the promoter and manager Varla Montes. The shadow sorceress and former showgirl–famously difficult to work with–has often said that she would only trust John Henry with her business. As such, he has a sterling reputation.

Despite his good nature and storied career, Iron’s background and early beginnings are a mystery, proving something of a tantalizing legend among spellbreaking enthusiasts. Though he is open and friendly to a fault, J.H. keeps his cards close to his chest and even his closest associates are never quite sure of his next moves. The world of spellbreaking has seen many heroes from tall tales and legends pass through the ranks, and considerable debate rages as to whether or not Mr. Iron is really the folkloric John Henry from legend. He has always played candid and coy about his namesake, preferring to let the mystery serve as publicity. Some fans of his even speculate he's the son of the legend--i.e. that J.H. is, in fact, a ‘Junior’! 

Beyond this, John Henry has connections with many top-ranking magi all over the world, and keeps his ear close to the ground, listening for any meddling into the arcane. Of all the spellbreakers based in the United States, he is the most observant of Firebird’s dubious dealings–to the point that there are actually rumors he may be a spy for the US government. This, however, is not true–as J.H. has an implicit distrust of authority. Whatever his dealings may be, they are done on his own terms.

Mr. Iron is a renaissance man. In addition to spellbreaking, he has worked as an engineer and a scientist with a proficiency in metallurgy. He also has a few patents to his name, and has written a book on practical uses of metal-based magick. John Henry’s glyph, ‘Laurion’, grants him the ability to turn his body into an alloy like steel for a short time. He can even cast off the metal generated from his body and reshape it, using it as a projectile. As he is primarily a grappler when resorting to physical combat, he would use these metal missiles to bridge the gap between him and his opponents. A unique side-effect of his body undergoing repeat mineral composition shifts over the years, Mr. Iron's eyes have permanently changed color to a golden-citrine hue.

In the ring, Iron’s raw strength is unparalleled. He favors power moves and grappling, able to toss grown men around with ease. His Runaway Train clothesline–enhanced by his metal arm–has put even the most seasoned spellbreakers out of commission for weeks! His Iron Claw–a nerve claw on the head–is a deadly submission hold that has quite literally crushed his opponent’s skulls in the past! Though rarely employed, he has an alternate move called 'The Garbage Compactor', wherein he stuns his opponents with a 'most muscular' flex--and then uses his metal arms to smash his opponents into his enormous chest, completely smothering them. Allegedly, this move was Colt's idea back in the day...

An alternate color scheme for Mr. Iron. John Henry doesn't preen as much as the other guys, but he's been known to wear more revealing gear on occasion (mostly at Colt's suggestion...)

Mr. Iron rocking some alternate gear.

Mr. Iron's traditional gear is a nod to his railway background. He used the cog/gear button to give himself a bit of flair. A humble guy, he keeps it simple, which is why his tag teaming with Colt back in the day was such an amusing contrast!

Mr. Iron, an American Hero!

Battle Quotes:

“Class is in session--and teach is gonna knock you out!”

“Hard as steel!”

“Eyes up here, sailor!”

“Muscles made of metal! I caught you lookin'.”

“Tied to the tracks; no escape!”

“And that's how you spellbreak, son!”