<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Red Tornado is a fictional comic book superhero character owned by DC Comics. There have been two superheroes that have carried the Red Tornado name.

Golden Age Red Tornado

Red Tornado
Gender	Female
Publisher	DC Comics
Origin	Manhattan
First Appearance	All-American Comics #3 (1939) (as Ma Hunkel) and All-American Comics #20 (1940) (as Red Tornado)
Creator(s)	Sheldon Mayer
Alter ego	Abigail Matilda Hunkel
Aliases	Ma Hunkel
Abilities	Good scrapper, especially with a frying pan.
Affiliations	Justice Society of America

The Red Tornado of the Golden Age of Comics was really a superhero parody. She was a working mother in New York City that was inspired to fight local criminals by her son’s admiration of Green Lantern. For a costume and mask she wore actual red long johns and a cooking pot over her head. She had two kid sidekicks referred to as the Cyclone Kids. She appeared briefly in the first Justice Society of America story, and was later considered an honorary member. In the modern incarnation of the team, the aging Ma helps out as part of the support staff. Her granddaughter is one of the Society’s newest young members, Maxine Hunkel, the teen-aged hero Cyclone.

Red Tornado

Red Tornado
Gender	Male
Publisher	DC Comics
Origin	T.O. Morrow’s laboratory.
First Appearance	Justice League of America # 64 (1968)
Creator(s)	Gardner Fox and Dick Dillin
Alter ego	John Smith
Aliases	Ulthoon
Abilities	Air and wind manipulation, flight, enhanced strength and durability, healing factor.
Affiliations	Justice League of America

The Silver Age of Comics saw the coming of a new Red Tornado character. The Red Tornado is an android created by the super-villain T.O. Morrow, whose power to look into the future allows him to employ advanced yet unheard of technology. This artificial being had the ability to create and control tornado-like winds. Morrow tried to use him in a plan to destroy the Justice League and the Justice Society of America. Red Tornado turned out to be a Pinocchio-type character, who longed to be human. He eventually betrayed his creator and became a hero. It was later revealed that the android had been inhabited by Ulthoon, an air elemental from outer space, which gave him a soul with free choice that was able to overcome his evil programming. Now a superhero, Red Tornado became an official member of the Justice League.

Almost from the beginning, Red Tornado was portrayed against robotic type as an emotional, easily upset, anxious to please and lonely character, with a pervasive sadness about him. Batman would eventually help him establish the human identity of John Smith to allow him to become a part of human society. As Smith, Red Tornado would form a relationship with a woman named Kathy Sutton, and the two would adopt an orphan named Traya, forming an unusual family. Kathy and Traya believe in John’s humanity, and have seen him through many supposed deaths, reincarnations, and even a time in a human body. Now returned to android form, Red Tornado continues to struggle and fight to transcend his mechanical limitations and to be a useful Justice League member and a part of a loving family.