History Sandbox / KayAndover

The protagonist of a Steelpunk setting tends to reflect their world: [[MadeOfIron Made of Iron]], [[CrapsackWorld dark]] and [[UrbanHellscape gritty]], [[GoodIsNotSoft hard]] and [[GoodIsNotNice tough]]. This [[ByronicHero lone wolf]] is likely to sport a [[PragmaticHero necessary lassitude]] on their moral compass ([[JerkwithaHeartofGold which ultimately points the right way]]). For bonus points, the Steelpunker often makes poignant use of his ambient technology in the form [[BadassDriver of a vehicle]] in [[BadassBiker appropriate style]].

AKA Aluminumpunk

* "ComicBook/BarbWire" is set in the aptly named Steel Harbor, which resembles an urban wasteland held together by nails. The harsh conditions are reflected in the protagonist Barb, who is not only a [[BadassBiker Badass Biker]], but also the proprietor of a bar called "The Hammerhead". And since bartending won't pay all of her dues, she pulls double duty as a [[BountyHunter Bounty Hunter]].

[[folder: Film]]
* ''Film/MadMax'': Not only is the titular protagonist a [[BadassDriver Badass Driver]] who fights his way through the hostile obstructions of an artificial landscape, but the motorized gangs he's set against are marked by helmets and armor pieces handmade from metallic leftovers. Both the unique visuals in the series as well as the influence on pop culture designate it as the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifier]].

* ''Franchise/Terminator'' initially builds on standard {{Cyberpunk}} elements (e.g. the nature of humanity and machine and [[{{Cyborg}} both]], the morality of artificial intelligence, conspiratory corporate power, corrupted authority organizations and [[VigilanteMan outlaw protagonists]]), but the amount of weight on hardware and raw steelwork is unorthodox for the genre, which only develops into more poignant form with each installment. The characters are directly involved with the technology around them in a simple and practical manner. To hammer the point home, [[OncePerEpisode the general aesthetic]] of the movies involves an industry or factory full of steel and machinery at some point. [[DroneofDread The main theme even consists of metallic bangs]] created by collisions [[MundaneMadeAwesome between a microphone and a frying pan]].

* ''[[Film/IronManFilms Iron Man]]'' heavily displays this aesthetic with the [[PoweredArmor eponymous armors]], especially in the earlier iterations, with an omnipresent reliance on steelwork and manufacturing environments. The climax of [[Film/IronMan3 the third movie]], which shows more advanced/futuristic models of the suits, takes place in the purely metallic gridwork of a massive oil tanker. Furthermore, Tony Stark is not only [[AntiHero a clearly flawed individual with good intentions]] (directly representing the military-industrial complex at the beginning of his story, before the obligatory [[CharacterDevelopment Character Development kicked in]]) and [[ByronicHero a walking love letter to Byron]], but also ([[DeadpanSnarker in his own words]]) "[[InsufferableGenius Genius]], [[MillionairePlayboy billionaire, playboy]], [[WealthyPhilanthropist philanthropist]]", and he routinely proves himself capable of [[GadgeteerGenius crafting useful technology with anything lying around]].

* ''Film/PacificRim'' showcases [[HumongousMecha The Jaegers]], skyscraper-sized humanoid machines constructed for the purpose of battling {{Kaiju}}. [[Creator/GuillermoDelToro The director]] even deliberately refused the use of motion capture, since that would make them appear more like [[ImpossiblyGracefulGiant Impossibly Graceful Giants]], adding to the cumbersome and lumbering mechanics. [[FridgeLogic Fridge Logic]] kicks in when the hull of one Jaeger is explicitly said to consist of pure iron, and another of pure titanium, [[ArtisticLicensePhysics even though metallic constructs of such dimensions rely on alloys]], exactly for the purpose circumventing [[SquareCubeLaw well-known issues with structural integrity for such titanic projects]].

* ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow'' is set in a [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture vaguely defined time not that far ahead]], where the military is fighting against aliens with the use of [[PoweredArmor "Jackets"]], armored exoskeletons with clunky mechanics and heavy weaponry ([[MoreDakka among which are integrated machine guns]] and [[ShoulderCannon shoulder-mounted explosive launchers]]. [[ShownTheirWork Realistically]], with all that enhanced [[MadeOfIron durability]] and [[SuperStrength strength]] , there is [[GlassCannon virtually zero actual armor protection]]. Appropriately, [[ActionGirl Action]] [[TheAce Ace]] Rita is referred to as a "full metal bitch" ([[BerserkButton but best not]] [[EmbarrassingNickname in her presence]]). The entire setting smacks of steel and grime in a futuristic landscape fitting the theme of the narrative.

* ''Literature/StainlessSteelRat'', as strongly implied by the title, offers tons of descriptions of visuals rooted in alloyed metals. [[LovableRogue Slippery Jim]] is suitably a [[StreetSmart street-smart]] [[AntiHero criminal]] who only goes for [[AcceptableTarget people who can deal with the damage]]. Interestingly, the first book was written in [[TheSixties the 60s]] ([[TheSeventies with a huge hiatus until the sequel]]), [[OlderThanTheyThink retroactively raising the age of this trope a good deal]].

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' is perhaps the most blatant example of the trope, exhibiting a virtually infinite array of futuristic visions [[TheEighties from the perspective of the real-life era the games started in]] – [[TheNineties and in which the series consequently initially takes place]] – with metallic surroundings making up large parts of the environments in the games. From the eponymous [[WalkingTank series of mobile weapons]] to the [[ShellShockedVeteran shellshocked]] [[LegacyCharacter protagonist(s)]], the series can be considered a hallmark of Steelpunk. The weight of the characteristic visuals is especially notable in the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid first two]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty Solid entries]]. [[GenreShift The occasional narrative and aesthetic changes notwithstanding]], the focus on gritty modern [[MilitaryScienceFiction Military Science Fiction]] settings are a relative constant across most instalments ([[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater save for a couple of exceptions,]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV courtesy of being prequels with appropriately older visuals]]),

* ''Film/MadMax'': Not only is the titular protagonist a [[Badass Driver]] who fights his way through the hostile obstructions of an artificial landscape, but the motorized gangs he's set against are marked by helmets and armor pieces handmade from metallic leftovers. Both the unique visuals in the series as well as the influence on pop culture designate it as the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifier]].

* ''Film/Terminator'' initially builds on standard {{Cyberpunk}} elements (e.g. the nature of humanity and machine and [[{{Cyborg}} both]], the morality of artificial intelligence, conspiratory corporate power, corrupted authority organizations and [[VigilanteMan outlaw protagonists]]), but the amount of weight on hardware and raw steelwork is unorthodox for the genre, which only develops into more poignant form with each installment. The characters are directly involved with the technology around them in a simple and practical manner. To hammer the point home, [[OncePerEpisode the general aesthetic]] of the movies involves an industry or factory full of steel and machinery at some point. [[DroneofDread The main theme even consists of metallic bangs]] created by collisions [[MundaneMadeAwesome between a microphone and a frying pan]].

* ''Film/PacificRim'' showcases [[HumongousMecha The Jaegers]], skyscraper-sized humanoid machines constructed for the purpose of battling {{Kaiju}}. [[GuillermoDelToro The director]] even deliberately refused the use of motion capture, since that would make them appear more like [[ImpossiblyGracefulGiant Impossibly Graceful Giants]], adding to the cumbersome and lumbering mechanics. [[FridgeLogic Fridge Logic]] kicks in when the hull of one Jaeger is explicitly said to consist of pure iron, and another of pure titanium, [[ArtisticLicensePhysics even though metallic constructs of such dimensions rely on alloys]], exactly for the purpose circumventing the [[SquareCubeLaw Square Cube Law]].

* ''Film/EdgeOffTomorrow'' is set in a [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture vaguely defined time not that far ahead]], where the military is fighting against aliens with the use of [[PoweredArmor "Jackets"]], armored exoskeletons with clunky mechanics and heavy weaponry ([[MoreDakka among which are integrated machine guns]] and [[ShoulderCannon shoulder-mounted explosive launchers]]. [[ShownTheirWork Realistically]], with all that enhanced [[MadeOfIron durability]] and [[SuperStrenth strength]] , there is [[GlassCannon virtually zero actual armor protection]]. Appropriately, [[ActionGirl Action]] [[TheAce Ace]] Rita is referred to as a "full metal bitch" ([[BerserkButton but best not]] [[EmbarrassingNickname in her presence]]). The entire setting smacks of steel and grime in a futuristic landscape fitting the theme of the narrative.

* ''VideoGame/ScarletNexus'' explicitly evokes the 90s in the lavish depictions of steel and concrete in the architectural visuals of the setting – [[WordOfGod the influence was in fact even confirmed by the developers]]. [[RetroUniverse In this world, widespread use of psychic powers rendered the development of digital technology obsolete, since all major functions of future society depend on psychic powers and [[AugmentedReality a brain-based communications network]]. In functional terms, the style of the game was therefore described as "Brain Punk".

* ''Western Animation/TheIronGiant'', due to taking place in [[TheFifties the 50s]], combines both the [[{{Dieselpunk}} portrayed era's aesthetic]] as well as its more modern cousin in the visuals of the title character. [[spoiler:The radically more futuristic of the Giant's killer mode in the finale unambiguously enters full-fledged Steelpunk territory.]] Furthermore, it speaks for the heavy presence of metal imagery in a work when the demands of an inexpensive yet simultaneously effective portrayal of a metal man, take the production team to render the to the Giant, along with vehicles and other complex machinery being rendered, [[[[TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects]] in 3D CGI]].

* "ComicBook/BarbWire"
The main location of the setting is the aptly named Steel Harbor, which resembles an urban wasteland held together by nails. The harsh conditions are reflected in the protagonist Barb, who is not only a [[BadassBiker Badass Biker]], but also the proprietor of a bar called "The Hammerhead". And since bartending won't pay all of her dues, she pulls double duty as a [[BountyHunter Bounty Hunter]].

* ''Film/MadMax''
Not only is the titular protagonist a [[Badass Driver]] who fights his way through the hostile obstructions of an artificial landscape, the motorized gangs he's set against are marked my helmets and armor pieces handmade from metallic leftovers. Both the unique visuals in the series as well as the influence on pop culture designate it as the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifier]].

* ''Film/Terminator''
While the first movies build on standard {{Cyberpunk}} elements (e.g. the nature of humanity and machine and [[{{Cyborg}} both]], the morality of artificial intelligence, conspiratory corporate power, corrupted authority organizations and [[VigilanteMan outlaw protagonists]]), the amount of weight on hardware and raw steelwork is unorthodox for the genre, which only develops into more poignant form with each instalment. The characters are directly involved with the technology around them in a simple and practical manner. To hammer the point home, [[OncePerEpisode the general aesthetic]] of the movies involves an industry or factory full of steel and machinery at some point. [[DroneofDread The main theme even consists of metallic bangs]] created by collisions [[MundaneMadeAwesome between a microphone and a frying pan]].

* ''[[Film/IronManFilms Iron Man]]''
The [[PoweredArmor eponymous armors]] heavily display this aesthetic, especially in the earlier iterations, with an omnipresent reliance on steelwork and manufacturing environments. The climax of [[Film/IronMan3 the third movie]], which shows more advanced/futuristic models of the suits, takes place in the purely metallic gridwork of a massive oil tanker. Furthermore, Tony Stark is not only [[AntiHero a clearly flawed individual with good intentions]] (directly representing the military-industrial complex at the beginning of his story, before the obligatory [[CharacterDevelopment Character Development kicked in]]) and [[ByronicHero a walking love letter to Byron]], but also ([[DeadpanSnarker in his own words]]) "[[InsufferableGenius Genius]], [[MillionairePlayboy billionaire, playboy]], [[WealthyPhilanthropist philanthropist]]", and he routinely proves himself capable of [[GadgeteerGenius crafting useful technology with anything lying around]].

* ''Film/PacificRim''
[[HumongousMecha The Jaegers]] are skyscraper-sized humanoid machines constructed for the purpose of battling {{Kaiju}}. [[GuillermoDelToro The director]] even deliberately refused the use of motion capture, since that would make them appear more like [[ImpossiblyGracefulGiant Impossibly Graceful Giants]], adding to the cumbersome and lumbering mechanics. [[FridgeLogic Fridge Logic]] kicks in when the hull of one Jaeger is explicitly said to consist of pure iron, and another of pure titanium, [[ArtisticLicensePhysics even though metallic constructs of such dimensions rely on alloys]], exactly for the purpose circumventing the [[SquareCubeLaw Square Cube Law]].

* ''Film/EdgeOffTomorrow''
The film is set in a [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture vaguely defined time not that far ahead]], where the military is fighting against aliens with the use of [[PoweredArmor "Jackets"]], armored exoskeletons with clunky mechanics and heavy weaponry ([[MoreDakka among which are integrated machine guns]] and [[ShoulderCannon shoulder-mounted explosive launchers]]. [[ShownTheirWork Realistically]], with all that enhanced [[MadeOfIron durability]] and [[SuperStrenth strength]] , there is [[GlassCannon virtually zero actual armor protection]]. Appropriately, [[ActionGirl Action]] [[TheAce Ace]] Rita is referred to as a "full metal bitch" ([[BerserkButton but best not]] [[EmbarrassingNickname in her presence]]). The entire setting smacks of steel and grime in a futuristic landscape fitting the theme of the narrative.

* ''Literature/StainlessSteelRat''
As strongly implied by the title, the series places heavy focus on visuals rooted in alloyed metals. [[LovableRogue Slippery Jim]] is suitably a [[StreetSmart street-smart]] [[AntiHero criminal]] who only goes for [[AcceptableTarget people who can deal with the damage]]. Interestingly, the first book was written in [[TheSixties the 60s]] ([[TheSeventies with a huge hiatus until the sequel]]), [[OlderThanTheyThink retroactively raising the age of this trope a good deal]].

* ''VideoGame/MetalGear''
Perhaps the most blatant example of the trope, the Metal Gear franchise exhibits a virtually infinite array of futuristic visions [[TheEighties from the perspective of the real-life era the games started in]] – [[TheNineties and in which the series consequently initially takes place]], with metallic surroundings making up large parts of the environments in the games. From the eponymous [[WalkingTank series of mobile weapons]] to the [[ShellShockedVeteran shellshocked]] [[LegacyCharacter protagonist(s)]], the series can be considered a hallmark of Steelpunk. The weight of the characteristic visuals are especially notable in the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid first two]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty Solid entries]]. [[GenreShift The occasional narrative and aesthetic changes notwithstanding]], the focus on gritty modern [[MilitaryScienceFiction Military Science Fiction]] settings are a relative constant across most instalments ([[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater save for a couple of exceptions,]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV courtesy of being prequels with appropriately older visuals]]),

* ''VideoGame/ScarletNexus''
The heavy use of steel and concrete in the architectural visuals of the setting explicitly evokes the 90s – [[WordOfGod the influence was in fact even confirmed by the developers]]. [[RetroUniverse In this world, a widespread use of psychic powers rendered the development of digital technology obsolete, since all major functions of future society depend on psychic powers and [[AugmentedReality a brain-based communications network]]. In functional terms, the style of the game was therefore described as "Brain Punk".

* ''Western Animation/TheIronGiant''
Due to taking place in [[TheFifties the 50s]], the film combines both the [[{{Dieselpunk}} portrayed era's aesthetic]] as well as its more modern cousin in the visuals of the title character. [[spoiler:The radically more futuristic of the Giant's killer mode in the finale unambiguously enters full-fledged Steelpunk territory.]] Furthermore, it speaks for the heavy presence of metal imagery in a work when the demands of an inexpensive yet simultaneously effective portrayal of a metal man, takes the production team to render the to the Giant, along with vehicles and other complex machinery being rendered, [[[[TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects]] in 3D CGI]].