The Twilight Zone Pioneered Concepts 48 Years Before Hugh Jackman’s Sci-Fi Film
It has been 15 years since Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman first collaborated on <em>Real Steel</em>, long before the duo reunited for <em>Deadpool & Wolverine</em>. The 2011 sci-fi boxing drama featured Jackman as former boxer turned robot trainer Charlie Kenton, who must build a robot boxer with his son when automated machines take over the sport. While this may seem like an original idea, the film is based on a short story titled Steel, written by renowned science-fiction and horror author Richard Matheson.
More famously, however, is the The Twilight Zone episode of the same name that aired in October 1963, featuring Lee Marvin as Tim “Steel” Kelly, a former boxer who chooses to face off against a robotic opponent. Nearly five decades before Jackman entered the world of robot boxing, The Twilight Zone had already stepped into the ring. If you haven’t watched this original series episode, consider this your starting bell.
What Is Richard Matheson’s ‘Steel’ About?
Whether you favor the short story or the television episode, both versions of Matheson’s “Steel” share remarkable similarities. In both narratives (set in the near future of 1974…), former boxer Tim “Steel” Kelly has become a boxing trainer/promoter after human boxing was outlawed. This may sound absurd today, but that’s only because you weren’t living in the 1960s. In 1963, the sport faced significant controversy following the deaths of two boxers — Benny Paret and Davey Moore — one of whom died during a match broadcast live on television. As a result, the serious implications of the sport were becoming apparent to audiences, leading many to believe that boxing could eventually be eradicated. This is the world portrayed in Richard Matheson’s story.
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01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do?
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A Pull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it.
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C Keep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who’s pulling the strings.
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02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely?
What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
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D Water. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on.
E Ships and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely.
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