Red Tornado

This article is about the Silver Age character. For the Golden Age character, see Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel). For the Kingdom Come character, see Cyclone (DC Comics). For the weather phenomenon, see tornado.

Red Tornado
250x450px Cover art for Red Tornado #1 (Spet. 2009). Art by Ed Benes.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	as Red Tornado: Justice League of America #64 (August 1968) as Ulthoon: Mystery in Space #61 (August 1960)
Created by	Gardner Fox (writer) Dick Dillin (artist)
In-story information
Full name	John Smith
Place of origin	Rann
Team affiliations	Justice League Justice Society of America Young Justice Primal Force
Notable aliases	Tornado Tyrant of Rann, Ulthoon, Tornado Champion, John Smith
Abilities	Superhuman strength and durability High-level intellect Air and wind manipulation Ability to access information from any foreign computer system and change from android to human form at will

Red Tornado is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. The character first appeared in Justice League of America #64 (August 1968), and was created by Gardner Fox and Dick Dillin.

Fictional character biography

Ulthoon, the Tornado Tyrant and Tornado Champion

The origin of Red Tornado comes from the merger of two different entities: the android body created by supervillain T. O. Morrow and the Tornado Champion from the Earth-One planet Rann.

The origin of the Tornado Champion begins with a fight between the sentient tornado on the planet of Rann; Ulthoon, the Tornado Tyrant of Rann and Adam Strange, with Strange being the victor. The defeated Tyrant "contemplated the nature of good and evil and decided that good was the superior force". It observes the exploits of the Justice League of America (JLA) and then settles on an abandoned planet, which transforms into a perfect replica of Earth, right down to its populace, the only absence being the JLA. The tornado entity splits itself to become the JLA of this world, taking for itself the name the Tornado Champion. However, the Champion soon discovers that it had inadvertently split itself into two separate entities, the Champion and the Tyrant, who easily defeats the Champion. "Disappointed, the Tornado Champion lured the Tyrant to Earth-One, where the Tyrant was defeated by the real JLA".

The Champion then goes to Earth-Two, where he encounters Morrow, who is creating an android to use against the Justice Society of America. Morrow had given his android the false memory of being the Red Tornado who had attended the first JSA meeting. The Tornado Champion enters the android's body but loses its memory in the process. This explains why Red Tornado seems to be alive. After defeating the JSA, Morrow and Red Tornado travel to Earth-One, where they are defeated by the JLA.

However, Red Tornado's dual-origin was not fully revealed until Morrow had re-captured him in order to figure out how he became sentient. When Morrow opens up Red Tornado, both the Tornado Champion and the Tornado Tyrant come out of the body; the Tyrant had never truly left the Champion. After a battle with the JLA, Red Tornado was reassembled by Firestorm, with both the Tyrant and the Champion being returned to the android and with both their memories being erased.

As Red Tornado

In Justice League of America, Vol. 1, #64 (August 1968), the Red Tornado shows up at the JSA's headquarters on Earth-Two, claiming to be the "original" Red Tornado—a woman from the 1940s named Ma Hunkel. The JSA is suspicious, but Red Tornado has all of Hunkel's memories. Morrow, however, has programmed the Red Tornado android to defeat the JSA (Red Tornado believes they are dead, not just comatose) and cover his tracks by making each murder appear to be an accident. Red Tornado suspects Morrow is behind the "deaths", and tracks him down. Morrow kills the Red Tornado with an energy weapon, but then realizes he needs the android for his next crime. He revives Red Tornado, and Red Tornado is on the verge of defeating him when Morrow flees through a dimensional portal to Earth-One. Morrow defeats the JLA, but by this time the Red Tornado has followed him to Earth-One and realized that Morrow isn't killing (just incapacitating). Red Tornado revives several JLA members, who then revive several JSA members, and together they defeat Morrow. The JSA then admits Red Tornado as a full member in gratitude.

In Justice League of America, Vol. 1, #72 (June 1969), Red Tornado arrives again on Earth-One, only to have the Justice League ignore him as they battle a gang known as the Gruesome Ghouls and the "Chtonic Demons" who've tricked the hapless magician, Marmaduke Mantick. Red Tornado saves the day, and in JLA #73 (August 1969), the JLA finally listens to him: A "living star" known as Aquarius has managed to wipe out the Earth-Two universe. Doctor Fate has managed to protect the JSA and Black Canary's husband, police detective Larry Lance, inside a magic bubble, but this was two weeks ago. In JLA #74 (September 1969), the JLA travels to Earth-Two, and learns that Dr. Fate's bubble is all that keeps the Earth-Two dimension from being wiped out. Aquarius forces the JSA to do battle against the JLA, but his hold over the JSA is broken when Larry Lance sacrifices himself to save Black Canary. Aquarius is tricked into entering an antimatter universe, where he is destroyed. Black Canary then travels to Earth-One and joins the JLA.

Red Tornado's feelings of insecurity and his sense that he has never been completely accepted by the JSA are magnified in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #82 (August 1970). Red Tornado is easily captured by the alien super-being known as Creator². Creator² wants to merge Earth-One and Earth-Two into a new paradise Earth of his own making, and uses Red Tornado (who has been in both dimensions) as the "anchor" for this effort. Creator²'s servants incapacitate several JSA members, but the dimensional merging is already at play and several JLA members are also rendered comatose. The Earth-One Green Lantern and the Atom realize Red Tornado is in the clutches of Creator². With the help of Spectre, Dr. Fate, Johnny Thunder, and Thunderbolt free Red Tornado and end the threat—although Spectre is presumed dead.

Red Tornado has his final mission with the JSA beginning in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #100 (August 1972). The JLA is being visited by the heroes Elongated Man, Metamorpho, Zatanna, and Wonder Woman when the JSA calls for help. Arriving on Earth-Two, the JLA discovers that the villain known as Nebula Man has created a planet-sized magic metal fist which is crushing Earth-Two. The heroes contact Oracle, a super-being with vast knowledge, who tell them that only the Seven Soldiers of Victory (SSV) have the power to defeat Nebula Man. But the SSV were scattered through time by Nebula Man, and now the JSA and JLA begin to rescue them. In JLA #101 (September 1972), readers discover that an old SSV opponent, Iron Hand, is behind Nebula Man's attack. While the rescue of the time-lost SSV members continues, Iron Hand attacks JLA's Wonder Woman at JSA headquarters. The story concludes in JLA #102 (October 1972), where the last of the Seven Soldiers are retrieved. The JSA and JLA learn that Wing, sidekick to the Crimson Avenger, died saving the SSV from Nebula Man by using a secret SSV weapon against him. JLA's Wonder Woman defeats Iron Hand, but his device controlling Nebula Man is smashed and now not even he can stop Earth-Two's destruction. After the SSV recreate their weapon, Red Tornado takes the device into orbit and detonates it.

The JLA and JSA believe Red Tornado is dead, but he is not. Instead, the explosion opened a dimensional rift and hurled him into the Earth-One universe. He eventually reveals himself to the JLA, who welcome him as a new member.

As John Smith

On Earth-One, Red Tornado slowly becomes more human-like. He develops more of a distinct personality, and adopts the name John Smith. He takes a job teaching school, where he meets and develops affection for employment counselor Kathy Sutton. In time, Red Tornado even comes to love her, and they are married. The couple later adopt Traya, an orphan girl from the (fictional) Middle Eastern nation of Bialya. As a member of the Justice League of America, Red Tornado finds an acceptance he never did on Earth-Two. He becomes particularly close to new JLA members Hawkwoman and Firestorm.

Destruction

Red Tornado makes his first appearance on Earth-One in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #105 (April 1973). Elongated Man is made a JLA member, and leads the JLA in investigating a group of pliable, putty-like men who are assembling a super-weapon. Various JLA members are saved by a mysterious individual, who later turns out to be Red Tornado. In JLA #106 (July 1973), Red Tornado reveals himself to the JLA, with new features—which he believes were molded by a blind hermit he met while his memory was impaired. But the hermit turns out to be T.O. Morrow, who has implanted a device inside Red Tornado that will kill the JLA when Red Tornado uses his JLA signal device for the first time. The JLA uncovers the plot, and deactivates the device. Morrow, who can only exist if Red Tornado does not, now fades away. Red Tornado attempts to travel back to Earth-Two in JLA #107 (October 1973) by stowing away in the JLA's new Trans-matter Cube (which allows interdimensional travel), but the changes wrought in him by the Nebula Man explosion cause the team to travel to Earth X where they assist the Freedom Fighters in defeating Nazi Germany. Red Tornado accidentally frees the alien supervillain Eclipso from imprisonment inside the human being Bruce Gordon, and is damaged in the resulting explosion. He receives a new, more colorful costume in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #110 (March 1974) after the JLA defeats its old nemesis The Key, and is seriously damaged by the aliens known as the Adaptoids in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #118 (May 1975) after he and other JLA members are mistaken for tyrants rather than heroes.

When the alien super-being known as Nekron causes the JLA to suffer an extreme fear of death and disband, Nekron threatens to destroy Hawkman's home of Midway City with a solar flare. Nekron demands that Hawkman challenge him in combat, as Hawkman is one of the weakest JLA members. Instead, Red Tornado disguises himself as Hawkman and is destroyed—giving the real Hawkman and Wonder Woman (who is immune to Nekron's fear-inducing power) time to evacuate the city. Nekron is then defeated when Green Lantern and Aquaman force Superman to suffer intense fear, which Nekron cannot handle (knocking him comatose).

Resurrection

A new Justice League villain composed of radio and other electromagnetic waves, Construct, appears in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #142 (May 1977). He is apparently defeated, but remains alive and attacks the JLA by reforming the Injustice Gang. Construct and the Injustice Gang are defeated (and the Injustice Gang satellite destroyed) in JLA #143 (June 1977). The Red Tornado reappears without warning at the end of Justice League of America Vol. 1, #145 (August 1977). In JLA #146 (September 1977), the Justice League learns that Construct did not die when the Injustice Gang satellite exploded. The intelligence had reassembled Red Tornado's body, and taken refuge within it. Red Tornado is defeated, and Construct seeks refuge in yet another robotic body. Red Tornado comes to life again, this time his own android mind in control, and battles Construct in a test of wills that (the JLA believes) finally destroys the intelligence once and for all.

Key adventures

Red Tornado next helps the JLA defeat a new foe, the Star-Tsar. The former Manhunter Mark Shaw has adopted a new heroic identity, the pirate-themed Privateer. Doctor Light defeats the JLA, but another villain (Star-Tsar) frees the League as he perceives Light to be a competitor. Snapper Carr is revealed to be the Star-Tsar, and the JLA's old foe The Key is found to be backing him. The Key, too, is defeated, but is shown to now have a physical deformity that eliminates him as the Star-Tsar. Red Tornado, however, uses his robotic memory to reveal that Shaw went missing during crucial moments in the adventure—and Shaw is unmasked as the Star-Tsar.

Red Tornado meets his future adopted daughter, Traya, in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #152 (March 1978) after she finds a powerful alien orb and gains super-powers, and he and Phantom Stranger save the JLA from Oceanic gods in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #157 (August 1978). Red Tornado assists new JLA member Zatanna in locating her mother, Sindella, in the multi-issue "Homo magi" storyline in 1979, during which time he is badly injured. Still recovering, he is attacked by the Secret Society of Super-Villains and defeated twice—once by the villains, and again by the villains (whose minds are actually those of other JLA members). He was put on trial before the World Court for various violations of human rights by the superhero Ultraa, who was being manipulated by the alien known as the Over-Complex. (Ultraa ended the trial once he realized he was being duped.)

In DC Comics Presents Vol. 1, #7 (March 1979), Red Tornado saves the world from the Weaponers of Qward. The Qwardians capture Superman and take him to Qward, where they intend to use his Kryptonian body as a lens to concentrate Q-rays and immobilize everyone on Earth. They then intend to invade the planet. The process begins, but Red Tornado is immune due to his android nature. Tracing the Q-rays to their source in the Qward dimension, Red Tornado manages to free Superman by concentrating too much Q-energy through the Man of Steel's body. The rift between the two dimensions closes.

Despite his success in saving the Earth, Red Tornado resigns from the League in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #175 (February 1980) after concluding that he is unreliable in combat. He becomes Traya's foster father, and resumes his relationship with Kathy Sutton. But long-time JLA foe Doctor Destiny escapes from prison and causes havoc by causing people's nightmares to materialize, Red Tornado not only successfully battles his own dream-demon but stops the villain. His confidence restored, he rejoins the League (who defeat Doctor Destiny yet again). He later is one of two League members who discover that the deadly Starro has returned. Although Starro is using small duplicates of himself to take over the minds of millions of people in New York City—including those of most of the Justice League—Red Tornado's android mind is not affected and he is able to cause a city-wide blackout that deprives Starro of the energy source needed to dominate so many people.

Revelation of the Tornado Champion

In Justice League of America Vol. 1, #192 (July 1981) a Red Tornado attacks his fellow Leaguers without warning, severely injuring several of them before being destroyed. A second Red Tornado attacks as well, and is destroyed. The androids were duplicates created by T.O. Morrow, back from wherever he disappeared to in JLA #106. Morrow used a program to summon the real Red Tornado. Readers discover that Morrow developed a device to steal technology from the future, which included a super-computer that taught him how to build a "humaniztron" device to make Red Tornado sentient and thus capable of destroying the JSA. The computer did not predict that Red Tornado would become independent, however, and Morrow was defeated. Morrow fled to Earth-One, where the super-computer predicted he would "fade away" after 28 days if the Justice League was not destroyed. When the damaged Red Tornado also crossed dimensions and fell to earth near Morrow's hideout, he tried again to program it to destroy the JLA and failed.

Morrow reveals that the super-computer had wrongfully predicted his death. When Morrow didn't die at the end of the 28-day period, the computer used future technology to try to dematerialize him. But faulty programming actually led to Morrow being divided into two beings. One (the "original" Morrow) materialized on an alien world, here he discovered a powerful sceptre-like device that allowed him to control the planet's ecosystem. He kidnapped Atom's wife, Jean Loring; the Flash's wife, Iris West Allen; and Linda Danvers (Supergirl) and transported them to this world, hoping to lure the Atom and the Flash there. Although Morrow was able to defeat Atom and Flash, he hadn't counted on Supergirl's presence, and was defeated.

The other copy of T.O. Morrow stayed on Earth. This version, which Morrow believed to be a future version of himself (and therefore was known as "Future Man"), was heavily mutated. He attempted to switch minds and take over the Red Tornado body. Although successful, Red Tornado was able to reverse the switch and "Future Man" died of his mutations.

After "Future Man's" death, the "original" Morrow escaped from prison, consulted his super-computer, and learned how he'd been split in two. With the computer's help, he also attempted to determine what "flaw" had allowed Red Tornado to become independent. Morrow concluded some "outside force" was responsible.

In Justice League of America Vol. 1, #193 (August 1981), Aquaman discovers Morrow's hideout and is nearly killed when Morrow uses his alien sceptre on him. Morrow attempts to dissect Red Tornado to discover the "outside influence", and releases Tornado Champion/Tornado Tyrant within the android shell. Tornado Tyrant defeats the JLA, except for Firestorm. The Tornado Champion informs Firestorm about how he and his alter-ego became fused with the Red Tornado android, and Firestorm manages to place both sentient beings back into the android body. Red Tornado wakes, and only Firestorm is aware of the true nature of the windy wonder.

Red Tornado's friendship with Firestorm deepens in Fury of Firestorm #4 (September 1982). The super-villain Killer Frost freezes New York City's eight million people. Her hold on sanity weak, she demands to be queen of New York, and asks that her consort be movie star Curt Holland. The JLA arrives to help, but Firestorm fights them off. Heading to the JLA Satellite, Firestorm reveals his twin secret identities as teenager Ronnie Raymond and middle-aged physicist Martin Stein. While Stein works on a device to unfreeze the people of New York City, Red Tornado takes Ronnie to Hollywood where Holland rebuffs them. Later, Firestorm brings Holland to Killer Frost in New York. But it is Red Tornado in disguise, the one member of the JLA immune to her touch (which can instantaneously freeze anyone). Red Tornado uses the freezing unit hidden in his chest to immobilize Killer Frost, and then the two work together to unfreeze the people of the city.

Final years

Red Tornado discovers where the body of Larry Lance has been taken in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #219 (October 1983) and Justice League of America Vol. 1, #220 (November 1983), as well as the secret origin of the Black Canary. Shortly thereafter, he discovers he is one of the few heroes who can defeat the power-mimicking super-villain Paragon in Justice League of America Vol. 1, #224 (March 1984).

In the aftermath of the Mars/Earth War Aquaman disbands the Justice League. He reforms it, but only includes members who are willing to devote themselves full-time to JLA business. Red Tornado is not among these heroes, and is not a member of the reformed League.

Just prior to the 1985-1986 multi-title cross-over storyline "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the Red Tornado's last adventure as John Smith was recorded. The Construct returns, his mind reassembled by the continued use of radio waves and computer signals. Using the electromagnetic fields generated by nearly every electronic device, the Construct manages to take over the mind of nearly every human being on Earth. Although the Red Tornado cannot be brainwashed, since he is an android, his mind is nonetheless affected by the electromagnetic fields assaulting it.

The Construct later faced the Red Tornado in his first mini-series (Red Tornado #s 1-4, July–October 1985). In this limited series, the Construct takes over the entire world, brainwashing everyone with energy emissions from most electronic objects. The Red Tornado tries to resist as much as he can, given that he cannot be brainwashed. Eventually, Red Tornado battles Construct in a virtual world composed of electromagnetic particles, and defeats him.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Red Tornado makes his final appearances in his original form largely in the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic book miniseries. As has long been attested in books published by DC Comics, the multiverse was created when an alien scientist named Krona attempted to meddle with the creation of the universe. An embodiment of the power of the Earth-One universe, the nearly all-powerful Monitor, discovered that an antimatter version, the Anti-Monitor, lived in the Qward universe. When a scientist named Kell Mossa (later known as Pariah) destroyed his dimension, the Anti-Monitor became more powerful than the Monitor—which led the Monitor to begin assembling his galaxy's greatest heroes and villains to aid his cause. But the Monitor's assistant, Harbinger, has been possessed by one of the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons, and she kills the Monitor even as groups of heroes fan out throughout the universe and time to turn on devices ("cosmic tuning forks") the Monitor has placed to stop the advancing antimatter wave destroying the multiverse.

Red Tornado makes his first appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths #4 (July 1985). The Psycho-Pirate has been whisked away from his mission to protect a cosmis tuning fork, and now Red Tornado and the Flash are similarly teleported away. The Anti-Monitor has kidnapped them, and now refashions Red Tornado's body into a powerful weapon. The Anti-Monitor tells the Red Tornado that he is more than a machine, even more than a man (a comment Red Tornado fails to understand). Under the Anti-Monitor's control, he wreaks destruction on a massive scale across Earth-One and Earth-Two (which have been temporarily saved from destruction) before being torn apart by numerous heroes. Supergirl gravely injures the Anti-Monitor and destroys the machine which was tearing the remaining universes apart. In saving the universe, she dies. Red Tornado again appears in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (November 1985). Firestorm, the Atom, and the hero known as Blue Devil take the remains of the Red Tornado to the Justice League satellite. They bring T.O. Morrow to the satellite to repair him. But a bomb inside the Red Tornado goes off, destroying the satellite.

Red Tornado, however, is still alive inside the wreckage of the satellite. In Justice League of America Annual Vol. 1, #3 (August 1985), he links with the still-functioning JLA computer to learn more about himself. A bolt of energy sends the wreckage down to Earth, where the Martian Manhunter finds Red Tornado's head. Red Tornado, however, sends his consciousness into a nearby S.T.A.R. Labs weather-control satellite. Gathering energy to give himself physical form, he also uses the satellites to wreak havoc on Earth. The JLA destroys the satellites one by one, eventually freeing the now-corporeal Tornado Champion. Red Tornado has tried contacting Kathy Sutton via several electronic devices. The JLA takes her to the Tornado Champion, who declares he now has the power to remake worlds. Kathy convinces him that he needs to be more human in order to be accepted. He seems to accept Kathy's reasoning, but a brief attack by Superman angers him and he heads off into the universe.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths ends when the Spectre confronts the Anti-Monitor at the moment when Krona creates the multiverse. The villainous god Darkseid and the Earth-Two Superman then destroy the weakened Anti-Monitor.

Air Elemental

The Crisis on Infinite Earths changed history. Although the Red Tornado's android origin remained almost the same, he was never the Tornado Champion. Instead, he was an Air Elemental, created by Maya (the spirit of the Earth) to protect the environment. Like other elementals such as Swamp Thing, this spirit needed to have a human host before becoming manifest. The host was meant to be Professor Ivo's infant son, but the boy died at a young age. So the elemental went into an android body that Professor Ivo created.

The Elemental War

Air pollution has an adverse effect on the Red Tornado/Tornado Champion, driving him half-mad and into conflict alongside Naiad against Firestorm and the Swamp Thing in The Elemental War. Eventually, Firestorm calms both the Red Tornado and Naiad, and manufactures a new body shell for the Red Tornado. This new body is imperfect, as the Red Tornado begins to experience serious malfunctions. His humanity is almost lost, and his physical appearance becomes more and more damaged, dirty, and clearly not right. During a period of near-total malfunction, Red Tornado is a member of the Leymen. During this period, he experiences odd jerks and spasms as he moves, and sounds from malfunctioning gears and mechanisms clanging together come from within the android's body. He also only speaks in a halting, emotionless, mechanical monotone. During the course of his association with the Leymen, the original Red Tornado personality begins to re-emerge, and slowly, his emotions and humanity as well.

Young Justice

Red Tornado spends some time silent and unmoving in the old, empty JLA headquarters located in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, feeling that he had become isolated from humanity. However, when the three young heroes, Robin, Superboy and Impulse spend a sleepover there, Impulse's behavior annoys Red Tornado to such an extent he voluntarily reactivates himself, realising from his feelings of annoyance towards the group that he is not as removed from humanity as he previously thought.

Upon restoring his abilities to move properly and communicate, the Red Tornado re-establishes his connections with the Justice League and the regular super hero community. He serves as an advisor for Young Justice, assisting them on their missions if the situation requires it, and as an auxiliary member of the JLA. During this period, he attempts to renew his relationship with his wife, Kathy Sutton. While he does not succeed in fully reuniting with Kathy, their adopted daughter, Traya, has readily accepts the Red Tornado into her life, regardless of his appearance or state of repair. Because of Traya's attachment for the Red Tornado, Kathy allows Red Tornado regular visitations and contact. He does not, however, return to his John Smith identity, instead he acts as Traya's adoptive father in his superheroic/robotic identity. During this time, he also plays an important role in Superman's defeat of Brainiac 13; when Brainiac takes control of the robotic heroes until they were shut down by an EM-pulse generated by Lex Luthor in a stolen Kryptonian battlesuit, Kelex, Superman's fortress robot, reactivates Red Tornado so that they could use him to break Brainiac 13 down into his component nanobots and trap him inside Luthor's battlesuit.

Crisis of Conscience

In the events following DC's Crisis of Conscience mini-series, Red Tornado is attacked by the surviving members of the original Secret Society of Super-villains. His body is completely destroyed before the JLA arrive. Batman takes the remains to the Batcave and builds an upgraded android body. When the League is attacked by Despero, Red Tornado is essential to his defeat, as he is immune to Despero's telepathy and mind control.

Infinite Crisis and 52

Red Tornado is one of the heroes recruited by Donna Troy to fight against the menace in space during Infinite Crisis. According to a conversation between Doc Magnus and his creator T.O. Morrow in 52, the Red Tornado sacrifices himself during the Crisis (in fact he is utterly destroyed, hit by a stray Zeta beam signal). Morrow's response to this news is to question how many times the Tornado has actually died, clearly indicating he expects the Red Tornado to return to active status eventually. Morrow also alludes to another android he created, called the Red Inferno. No other data is given on this possible sibling to the Red Tornado.

During the fifth week of the 52 event, after the other heroes are beamed back down to Earth at Uluru, the Tornado's speaker embedded in Mal Duncan's chest replays a warning message for his comrades, "It's coming! 52! 52!", implying that shortly before his destruction he may have seen something pivotal to the DC Universe future, the rebirth of the Multiverse.

Twelve weeks later, in 52 Week 17, it is revealed that the Red Tornado, now largely in pieces, is beamed back down to the Earth with the other heroes, but is apparently missed by the search team. Conscious but unable to say anything other than "52," the Tornado is discovered by a group of young Aborigines in the Australian outback. At the end of 52 Week 21, he is shown to being reassembled with car parts by an Australian mechanic. Malfunctioning, but at least able to access his aereokinetic powers, in 52 Week 28, he is set against a group of Intergang enforcers evicting a tribe of Aborigines from their shanty town. Defeated, he is disassembled and trashed, and his head used in a contemporary art sculpture. T.O. Morrow manages to buy his head back, hoping to discover his secrets. As T.O. Morrow is used as bait to trap Mr. Mind, Red Tornado's head falls into Rip Hunter's hands, who combines his head with his own Time Bubble to navigate safely into the restored universe.

One Year Later

After the events in DC's One Year Later story-line, Red Tornado's android body is fully repaired. Kathy Sutton spends some time with it, talking with the heroine Platinum and thinking how she has done this seven times before, waiting for John to come back to his body. However, his soul chose to enter a human body offered by Felix Faust posing as Deadman. When the Justice League of America call him back as a member, John Smith returns as a human being, and shows the same wind powers of his robotic form, but lacks the stamina and resilience of his android body.

His android body is stolen from Will Magnus' lab by Dr. Impossible. Magnus notifies Red Tornado, who then leaves to find his stolen android body. Arsenal (who later to took the title Red Arrow), Black Canary and Green Lantern join the search using a beacon planted by Will Magnus inside Red Tornado's android body. They track the signal to a remote mountain base and confront Professor Ivo who has regained his human appearance. Ivo then releases a swarm of various activated Tornado Androids to assault the heroes. After the androids are defeated, and Red Tornado arrives, it is revealed that this has been orchestrated by a revived and intelligent Solomon Grundy.

Solomon Grundy confesses that he masterminded the plan that put the former android in a human shell meant to cripple him, and slowly rob Red Tornado of his health and aereokinesis, although a mishap let Tornado keep his powers even in his weakened form. Grundy also has the Red Tornado Android body infused with a multitude of super powered objects, along with one of Ivo’s Amazo chips, to create an invincible shell to house his soul so he could never die again. The assembled heroes, along with others, go after the Red Tornado/Amazo android, who, thinking himself to be John Smith, went to see John’s family. While they run off, Grundy keeps the now weak human Red Tornado separate in an attempt to kill him. Tornado, who is no longer a match for Grundy's superhuman strength, is beaten and mutilated by the undead brute. In spite of his severe injuries, through sheer force of will he is able to summon winds that snap the immortal monster like a tree.

The Amazo form is slowed down by Apokoliptian technology given to Kathy Sutton by Big Barda (after recent tragedies the JLA had armed their loved ones). The assembled heroes manage to neutralize Amazo.

Slowly dying, he asks his wife to quickly rebuild the Red Tornado android and allow him to return. Zatanna lifts the spell trapping his soul which allows Red Tornado to again be able to inhabit his android shell upon "death". Although he is offered to keep the various enhancement planted by Ivo, Red Tornado divests himself of all augmentation, joining the Justice League of America with his usual array of powers. However, since the return to his robotic body, Red Tornado has begun behaving out of the ordinary, even losing control of his powers at one point and nearly killing Red Arrow. He also becomes increasingly cold and detached from his friends and family, in which he acts more like a machine than a sentient being.

After the team's battle with the Injustice League, Red Tornado's body is badly damaged, and his consciousness is placed into the Hall of Justice's computer systems. When his feelings slowly return, he warns that this time a jump into a new host body could be a damaging experience for his soul, and even if the new shell Magnus built for him mimicks perfectly every function of a human body, its computational abilities are far inferior than his current cybernetic mind. Nevertheless, he accepts the deal in order to get a new chance at life with his family.

The Justice League, calling upon Zatanna and John Henry Irons, initiates the transfer, however Amazo, still present in the previous body of Red Tornado as a dormant program, takes control of the self-repairing routines, fights Irons and steals the Magnus shell for himself, giving battle to the whole League. In the end, Zatanna is forced to unleash against him the only force Amazo is unable to mimic, the very soul of Red Tornado in his primal, elemental form. Red Tornado is then restored in a spare body, after which the Tornado proposes marriage to Kathy, which she accepts. After helping to capture Professor Ivo, Red Tornado takes a leave of absence from the League.

In 2009 DC comics announced a Red Tornado mini-series, which chronicles his origin and the revelation of a new "Android family" that may cause conflict between Tornado and his wife and adopted daughter, following the events of Final Crisis.

Blackest Night

Following the events of the mini-series, Red Tornado is once again destroyed, this time during a fierce battle with Black Lantern versions of deceased JLA members Vibe and Steel. Once the Blackest Night ends, the JLA disbands and is replaced by a new roster. Former Titan Cyborg is among the new members of the League, and immediately sets out to rebuild Red Tornado, and claims to have a plan to make him indestructible. With his new body still under construction, Red Tornado's severed (but sentient) head is left behind by Cyborg when the team abruptly leaves the JLA Watchtower to face down a group of villains on Blackhawk Island. While waiting in Cyborg's workshop, Red Tornado witnesses Green Arrow's battle with Doctor Impossible, and ultimately saves the archer's life when he activates his unfinished body and uses it to attack Impossible and his cohorts.

Brightest Day

Following this, Cyborg takes a leave of absence from the JLA in order to finish the work on John's new body. With the repairs finally completed thanks to the use of self-replicating nanites, he invites Kathy to the S.T.A.R. Labs facility in order to reunite with her husband. Once there, Red Tornado lashes out and attacks Cyborg, and begins to beg his friend to kill him before he hurts someone. Though not yet known to Cyborg or Red Tornado, his insanity is revealed to be the result of Alan Scott's Starheart power, which is able to possess metahumans with magical or elemental abilities. Cyborg manages to free Red Tornado with his matrix.

Later, Red Tornado aids the JLA during their mission into Hell, where he helps Superman defeat the demon Minos.

The New 52

In 2011, DC rebooted its continuity as part of its "The New 52" initiative. There have been some allusions to Red Tornado in the primary New 52 continuity of Prime Earth (Earth-0):

• In the series Earth 2, set on the world of that title, the Red Tornado's body is mentioned as being still under construction, and is shown to be kept in Tokyo, Japan. This Red Tornado is a gynoid. On Earth 2, Red Tornado appears very similar to the pre-reboot version, except it is a feminine robot inhabited by the consciousness of Superman's wife, Lois Lane. Sam Lane, Lois's father, transfers the mind of his daughter into the robot's body. Who is forced to contend with her new existence as a robot, and with the reappearance of her now evil ex-lover. After Red Tornado Lois snaps Superman from Darkseid's control, Superman and Lois leave for the Kent Family's farm.
• During the battle between the Justice League and Atlantis, Dr. T.O. Morrow mentions that his weather machine can take control of the weather from the invading Atlanteans, but Dr. Silas Stone rejects the idea because the technology is from another dimension (specifically, Earth-Two) and unstable. Morrow later tries again, going so far as to say, "But the Tornado could...".

Powers and abilities

Red Tornado is a highly intelligent android possessing superior strength and durability, and capable of creating bursts of cyclone-force winds that enable flight, enhanced speed and the creation of storms. The character can also access information from any foreign computer system. Red Tornado is upgraded and provided with a new body composed of microscopic nanites and now possesses the ability to change from android to human form at will.

Other versions

Kingdom Come

Three different versions of Red Tornado exist in the four issue limited series Kingdom Come (1996). One is an older armor-wearing Ma Hunkel, her wind-manipulating meta-human granddaughter Maxine, and another is a spirit of the Tornado Champion simply called "Tornado". All 3 of them serve in Superman's Justice League.

Smallville Season Eleven

The narrative of the TV series Smallville was later continued in comics. In that series, Tess Mercer (an alternate version of Lena Luthor) becomes Red Tornado following her death after downloading her saved consciousness into a cyborg body.

Flashpoint

In the alternative timeline of Flashpoint event, Red Tornadoes are androids created by Doctor Morrow. They defended in Japan from the war between the Amazon forces and the Atlantean forces.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Red Tornado appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us comic, as part of Superman's vision of what his life could have been like. Tornado is among the heroes gathered at Congress to hear the Man of Steel's daughter's speech.

In other media

Television

• The character has made several minor appearances in the animated series Justice League Unlimited (2004 - 2006) voiced by an uncredited Powers Boothe. In "Initiation", Red Tornado was one of the many heroes to join the Justice League when it boosted its roster. In "This Little Piggy", He participated in the search for Wonder Woman when Circe transformed her into a pig. In "The Return", he served as the second line of defense against Amazo's pursuit of Lex Luthor, along with Supergirl, Rocket Red and Fire. During the engagement with Amazo, Red Tornado was destroyed; however, in "Dark Heart", he was back on duty by the time of the Dark Heart incident. In "The Great Brain Robbery", Red Tornado was also one of the few heroes on the Watchtower present when Lex Luthor took over the body of the Flash and confronted him many times during the incident.
• Red Tornado appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008-2011), with Corey Burton making the voice. In the episode "Invasion of the Secret Santas!", Red Tornado tries to understand the spirit of Christmas, while helping Batman stop Fun Haus's holiday crime spree. Red Tornado destroys Fun Haus's giant robot and defeats the villain, but his body is destroyed due to an overload. However, shortly before exploding, he finally experiences the "tingling sensation" that he believes to be Christmas Spirit. His pieces are picked up by hazmat scientists and taken to be rebuilt at S.T.A.R. Labs. He appears in "Game Over for Owlman!". When Owlman framed Batman by posing as him, Red Tornado was among those hunting Batman only to be caught in a trap set by Owlman. Owlman tries to kill him by having him pulled to pieces by a magnetic field but is saved by a Zorro-like Batman and helps defeat Clock King. He eventually becomes lonely in "Hail to the Tornado Tyrant!" and thus builds himself a son named Tornado Champion. Red Tornado adds human emotions to him, but, due to interference by the villain Major Disaster. Champion goes insane and wants to wipe out mankind. Renaming himself Tornado Tyrant. Batman and Red Tornado battle with Tyrant, Red Tornado seeking to reason with his son but suffering severe damage in the process. In the end, Red Tornado is begrudgingly forced to destroy his own son by driving his hands into Tyrant's chest and blasting with his powers. Despite the fact that he claims to have no human emotion, the ending of the episode sees him shed a tear at the loss of his son, though it seems Red Tornado does not understand what this means (he stated that it was 'oily discharge'). This episode also shows he considers Batman a close friend, so close that he wanted him to witness the creation of his son. He makes a cameo appearance in "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!" defeating the Top in Smallville. In "Sidekicks Assemble!" he is shown as a member of the Justice League. In "The Power of Shazam!", he was killed by the Faceless Hunter, since he is immune to Starro's mind control.
• Red Tornado appears multiple times as a recurring character in Young Justice voiced by Jeff Bennett. In the series, he acts as a mentor and self-proclaimed "den mother" to the team of young heroes, taking residence with them in their base in an attempt to learn to be more human (a goal he could not reach by spending time with the Justice League themselves). Tornado has a prominent role in several episodes of the show's first season, particularly in the episode "Humanity". Several episodes deal with attempts made by his creator, T.O. Morrow, to reclaim Tornado into his "family" of similarly elemental-themed robots - Red Torpedo and Red Inferno. In the end, Tornado ends up saving his "father" from his newest sibling, Red Volcano, though at the cost of the lives of Torpedo and Inferno.
• Red Tornado appears in Supergirl, portrayed by Iddo Goldberg. This version is an combat android designed by T. O. Morrow and the United States army.

Film

Red Tornado appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) in a non-speaking role. When Superwoman infiltrates the Watchtower, Red Tornado, among with other heroes, help to defeat them in battle. At the end of the film, he becomes an official member of the Justice League.

Video games

• Red Tornado is a playable character in Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame (2010) voiced by Corey Burton.
• Red Tornado appears in DC Universe Online (2011).
• Red Tornado appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Liam O'Brien.

Toys

• Red Tornado was a part of Kenner's 1985 2nd series figure wave in the Super Powers collection.
• Red Tornado was the 48th issue in the DC Comics Super Hero Collection line.

Web series

Red Tornado appears as a teacher at Super Hero High in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

• DCcomics.com's Origin on Red Tornado
• DCDP: Red Tornado
• The Unofficial Red Tornado Chronology