Blue Steel

This article is about the signature character. For the developer Ray Snyder, see Blue Steel (Developer).

Blue Steel
Paragon Police Department's very own hero
Details
Real Name	Josh Young
Gender	Male
Archetype	Scrapper
Affiliation	Paragon Police Department
Age	Unknown
Romantic Associations	Unknown
Known Family	Father (deceased)
Primary Powers	War Mace
Secondary Powers	Shield Defense Willpower
Zone Locations	Kings Row

Overview

Blue Steel is a hero trainer in Kings Row in the Freedom Plaza section located at (-768.0, 36.0, 1330) , or 330 yards southwest of the Paragon City Monorail station. His location is marked on the map as a contact.

Blue Steel appears in captions:

• during the Apex Task Force

Blue Steel can be fought as an Elite Boss:

• during the mission The Face of the PPD from Max

Blue Steel can be found as an ally:

• during the mission The World's Final Gambit from Dream Doctor

Background

Description

Blue Steel was originally a promising beat cop with the Paragon Police Department before he grew into the role of hero. He was affiliated with Back Alley Brawler and the Regulators, and led initiatives to curb gang activity in Paragon City. He led one of the early crackdowns against the Clockwork, though has rarely spoken of the encounter.

The PPD works very closely with Blue Steel, though he finds time between assisting the force and training newer heroes to lend a hand in otherwise impossible situations.

History

Blue Steel was an original member of the Regulators with Back Alley Brawler. He is the only hero in Paragon City who works directly for the police.

Further details of the man who is Blue Steel was recently revealed.

Josh Young's father was a stalwart member of the Paragon Police Department. Josh spent his youth on the streets of Kings Row, feeling safe and proud because his dad was a cop. Josh's world turned upside down when his father was shot and killed in the line of duty the week before Josh's High School graduation. That day Josh put aside his plans for college and enrolled in the Police Academy. His father's sterling reputation and untimely death assured Josh of a spot with no questions asked. He excelled in his courses and completed his studies in record time. He was a man possessed, studying and preparing every day practically round the clock. With what little spare time he had, he built a dream. Forging himself a shield with his father's badge melted into it, Josh crafted the identity of Blue Steel.

Josh went to his Captain with the idea of patrolling the Row in his Blue Steel identity. His notion was met with skepticism at first but after he went straight to the PPD Commissioner (who was a friend of his father) and told him that Blue Steel would be patrolling the streets of Paragon with or without sanction, a compromise was made. Josh registered himself as a super-powered individual but was made a special deputy in the PPD. This solution received some resistance but enough high ranking officers spoke on Josh's behalf and thus it was implemented despite any objections.

Blue Steel adopted Kings Row as his primary beat, after asking the Back Alley Brawler to set up shop in Galaxy City as a personal favor. He is known to let his still simmering anger over his father's death boil over on occasion (such as his encounter with the Clockwork King) but so far no disciplinary action has been leveled against him.

Blue Steel has a special rank in the PPD and is also registered as a super-powered hero. Any hero in Paragon City is welcome to join the PPD. They must receive training like any other police officer but it does not excuse them from registration.

Character Stats

Secret Identity: Josh Young
Origin: Natural
Archetype: Scrapper
Primary Powers: War Mace
Secondary Powers: Shield Defense
Other Powers: Willpower

Greetings

• Could you use some pointers?
• The city needs the best. That includes you, Character.
• Good to see you in Kings Row, Character.

Blue Steel Meme

For a while, Blue Steel was the subject of a great many Chuck Norris one-liner jokes. Most of these jokes, like the Chuck Norris jokes, "are normally absurd hyperbolic claims about [Blue Steel's] toughness, attitude, virility, sophistication, and masculinity". The source of these jokes was that Blue Steel was often used to thwart Arachnos' plans, sometimes facing seemingly impossible odds, and typically by himself. No one knows exactly when or where the Blue Steel meme began, but it was very popular during early to mid-2009.

Even developer Manticore got in on the meme:

Blue Steel grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his rage over Tub Ci's release.

Blue Steel didn't come by his powers; he sprang full grown from the forehead of Zeus ready for battle.

Blue Steel doesn't sleep. He waits … for another crack at the Clockwork King.

Castle and BABs put Shield Defense in the game because Blue Steel told them to … or else.

Blue Steel has no Secondary powers. All his powers are Primary.

If you can see Blue Steel, he can see you. If you can't see Blue Steel, you may be only seconds away from defeat.

Blue Steel doesn't register as a hero. The city registers heroes so Blue Steel doesn't have to take them down.

Blue Steel told Statesman that PPD trumps FP and Statesman shut up.

Blue Steel destroyed the periodic table, because the only element he understands is the element of surprise.

(I consulted with Ray Snyder, the dev who plays Blue Steel, and he informed me that Blue Steel is a Martial Arts, Shield Defense Scrapper but…Blue Steel doesn't need an Archetype. Blue Steel *is* an Archetype)"

From the Canon Fodder thread on the Official Forums [1] [2]

The joke was acknowledged in-game in 2012's Valentine Tips. If a message from U'Kon Gr'ai to Positron regarding how he is "grey to his threat scanners" is given to Blue Steel instead, Blue Steel replies:

"U'Kon is in for a surprise, Character. Threat scanners can't read me, because I don't make threats... I make promises."

Notes

• Blue Steel is mentioned in the description of the Blue Shield exploration badge, which is likely a homage to his namesake in the original plans for City of Heroes, 'Blue Shield.'
• Blue Steel was not an in-game NPC until the Beta Test of City of Heroes. Originally, Back Alley Brawler was the hero trainer of Kings Row. When Galaxy City was added to the game as a secondary entry point for new heroes, Back Alley Brawler was moved to Galaxy City and Blue Steel was added as the hero trainer of Kings Row. He was originally an NPC named 'Blue Shield' in the planning stages of City of Heroes, and was involved in the creation of the villain known as the Clockwork King, but was not intended to be an in-game trainer. This is likely why there is (so far) no Praetorian Earth villain counterpart for Blue Steel.
• Blue Steel is responsible for the 'birth' of the villainous Clockwork King. After tracking down a suspect involved in a police homicide committed by robots controlled via telekinesis, Blue Steel beat the man nearly to death and left him for dead. This man's body was never recovered, and was beaten beyond repair. However, the Clockwork King's brain survived the encounter, and he used his powerful telekinetic powers to build himself a clockwork body, leading to the rise of the Clockwork King.
• Blue Steel is used quite often as the reason Arachnos' plans do not succeed post-Issue 7. Some of his feats include:
  • Breaks the trap used to hold Numina to a base in Nerva
  • Breaks Miss Francine out of an Arachnos prison with Luminary's assistance
  • Breaks Manticore, Operative Hugo Figures and Agent Gally Ido out of an Arachnos prison
  • Breaks various other people such as scientists from Arachnos after they were kidnapped
  • Impersonates Manticore on one occasion to a degree where nobody is able to tell the difference
• Blue Steel communicates with players for the first time via a real-time cutscene during the Apex Task Force, although players do not get to witness him in combat.
• Blue Steel made his debut as an opponent players could fight in Issue 22.