- "In ten minutes, Red Tornado's gonna bring down this entire facility, and there's nothing we can do to stop that robot."
- —Leo Snart[src]
Red Tornado was a military robot used by General Winn Schott of the Freedom Fighters.
History[]
Fighting the Reichsmen[]
Red Tornado was the secret weapon of General Winn Schott against the Nazi Schutzstaffel forces.[1] He joined the Freedom Fighters in all of their missions. Red Tornado became part of the Freedom Fighters' elite team of superheroes, spearheaded by his meta-human friend the Ray, rescued citizens in the cities occupied by the Nazis such as Tulsa, Oklahoma in the United States. When the Schutzstaffel troops were moved to the outskirts of Tulsa, with Führer Oliver threatening to destroy everything that those who support resistance hold dear, the Freedom Fighters' elite superhero attack team arrived to the city to join local resistance in destroying SS tanks and soldiers. Before too late, however, the battle was joined by the New Reichsmen, a trio of Nazi leaders which included Führer Oliver himself (or "Black Arrow"), the speedster Blitzkrieg and their powerhouse Overgirl.[2]
Overgirl fights Red Tornado.
As the battle continued, the Red Tornado was overpowered by Overgirl and repeatedly punched by her and blasted with Heat vision, his systems now on subnormal levels. Asking not to let the Reichsmen capture the Freedom Fighters' secrets, Red Tornado forced the Ray to take his neo-cortex with him, despite Ray's protests that it would remove the robot's unique personality. After the Ray complied with his robotic friend's request, this version of Red Tornado shut down, while his neuro-cortex, containing a holographic projection of Red Tornado, the Freedom Fighters and the history of Earth-X, was sent to Earth-1, where it ended up in the hands of that Earth's Ray Terrill.[3]
Rebirth and Destruction[]
The robot was rebuilt by General Winn Schott to destroy the Nazi-owned temporal gateway facility to Earth-1, intending to trap Führer Oliver away from the majority of his forces and cause disorder in the New Reich military. That would pose a problem for the Earth-1 superheroes, who'd be cut away from home, leading to the Flash and the Ray teaming up to take down Red Tornado, or at least stall him long enough for the rest of the heroes to make their way to Earth-1. Red Tornado was able to successfully dodge their attacks, dealing with both heroes separately.[1] Eventually, the two meta-humans managed to combine their powers in such a way that the Red Tornado would be hit by the Flash's lightning bolt and the Ray's light blast at the same time, knocking him away and hence destroying the android.[4]
Anti-Monitor Crisis[]
Red Tornado and Freedom Fighters during the Crisis.
In 2019, during the crisis, a repaired Red Tornado with Black Condor, Phantom Lady and the Ray were fighting the remaining Nazi forces in Germany; but during the battle, he and the rest of the group, as well as the train, were killed by a wave of antimatter.[5]
Weapon specifications[]
- Aerokinesis: As a combat android, Red Tornado was designed to be able to manipulate the surrounding air.
- Extreme durability: Red Tornado was able to sustain light blasts and lightning bolts from the Flash and the Ray, though not at the same time.[1][4]
- Propelled flight: The robot was designed for flights at extreme speed with his propeller-like legs.[1]
Abilities[]
- Talking: Unlike his Earth-38 counterpart, Red Tornado was capable of speech.[2]
- Physical fighting: The robot was able fight akin to humans, using his fists and legs. He was strong enough to be a problem for meta-humans like the Flash and the Ray.[1]
Appearances[]
The Flash[]
Season 4[]
DC's Legends of Tomorrow[]
Season 3[]
Freedom Fighters: The Ray[]
Season 1[]
- "Episode One"
- "Episode Two"
- "Episode Four" (hologram)
- "Episode Six" (mentioned)
Supergirl[]
Season 5[]
- "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One" (flashbacks)
Comics[]
Crisis on Infinite Earths Giant[]
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Crisis on Earth-X[]
Behind the scenes[]
- In the DC comics, the android Red Tornado was originally created as an enemy to the Justice League, though he eventually redeemed himself, not only adopting a human alter ego, that of "John Smith", but also becoming a member of the team. He is the second character to carry the "Red Tornado" moniker,the first being a woman named Abigail "Ma" Hunkel.
References[]
| Other versions of Red Tornado (Earth-X) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To see other versions of this character, click the Earth name below for that Earth's counterpart of Red Tornado. | ||||
| New multiverse | ||||
| Earth: Prime | ||||
| Original multiverse | ||||
| Earth: 38 • X | ||||
| Transmultiversal multiverse | ||||
| Earth: | ||||