Two
characters have gone by the name the
Red Tornado.
Both were published by
DC Comics.
The first appeared in All-American Comics as a
supporting character. The main character, Scribbly
Jibbet, had a friend named Huey. Huey's mother was
one Mathilda "Ma" Hunkle. When a criminal protection
racket threatened the neighborhood where Ma Hunkle
had her grocery store, she took inspiration from
Scribbly and Huey's hero the Green Lantern and created
her own costumed identity to fight crime. Donning a
pair of red underwear, a cape, and using a sauce
pan for a helmet, Ma Hunkle became the Red Tornado.
The Red Tornado had a distinguished career as a hero.
She was joined by her daughter Sisty and her daughter's
friend Dinky in the identities as the Cyclone Kids in
her battle against crime. She was even given membership
in the Justice Society of America.
The second character to use the name Red Tornado was
an intelligent tornado from the planet Rann. Known
then as the Tornado Tyrant, this creature learned
heroism from the Earth man, Adam Strange. The Tornado
Tyrant was eventually put into an android body by
the scientist T.O. Morrow and the process took its
memory from it. Sent to attack the Justice League of
America, the android relented, becoming the hero the
Red Tornado.
The second Red Tornado adopted a human identity as
John Smith and eventually married and adopted a child.
Over the past years, the Red Tornado has been destroyed
on a number of occasions, to be return later. It has
been revealed that the Red Tornado is the Earth's air
elemental and currently it acts as the mentor for Young
Justice.