Abigail Hunkel is a retired super-hero known as Red Tornado.
Early life[]
Very little is known about Abigail Hunkel's early life. At some point, Abigail became a masked vigilante known as the "Red Tornado", and became involved with the Justice Society of America. Abigail Hunkel's identity was however, eventually discovered by Checkmate. They framed Abigail and had her arrested by the police, along with several other masked mystery men. Much like the others, Abigail Hunkel tried to take the blame and exonerate the others. Due to evidence of jury tampering, missing witnesses and a lack of evidence, Abigail was eventually released from custody.
Season Nine[]
In 2010 Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan found Abigail's criminal record, along with a newsreel of her arrest. Later Carter Hall mentioned that he was going to track down the surviving JSA members and reform the team.
Season Eleven[]
Abigail Hunkel assisting Superman and Impulse get into the Brownstone.
A couple of years later in Metropolis, Clark and Bart Allen visit the JSA Brownstone, being tended to by Mrs. Hunkel. She lets them past the security measures and Clark takes Bart into the museum honoring the members of the Justice Society of America. Bart recalls that this was Carter Hall's group but wonders how any of the artifacts will help them with his problem with the "speed demon". Clark explains they are there to begin a search for the first hero to break the sound barrier on foot, Jay Garrick.
Later Jay and Clark meet at the JSA brownstone and talk about Bart and Carter. Jay leaves with Abigail when Emil shows up, but not before looking at his old tin hat.
Abigail is visited by Lex Luthor.
Some time later, Lex Luthor visits Abigail at the former headquarters of the Justice Society, which contains Alan Scott's old power battery, to ask about the history of the Green Lanterns.
Abigail refuses to answer Lex's questions.
Lex is making no progress in his search for answers on the Green Lanterns from Mrs. Hunkel. He wants to know about Alan Scott and comes to the point of threatening Mrs. Hunkel, but she tells him nothing, and also warning him that she will call Ted Grant. Suddenly, the power battery lights up, relaying a distress signal from Superman.
In the Comics[]
Abigail Hunkel as she appears in the comics.
When Gus Hunkel won a 100-1 bet at the local race track, he used his winning to help his sister-in-law buy Schultz's Grocery Store. Ma Hunkel ran her store for a time before she was approached by racketeers looking to collect protection money. The burly Ma Hunkel battered the duo, causing them to escape in their car. However, Ma's daughter and her friend Dinky, had managed to lock themselves in the car without anyone realizing. The racketeers found the children later and held them hostage in the swanky gambling house owned by their boss, Tubbs Torponi. Realizing that their children had disappeared, the Hunkels and the Jibbets contacted Police Chief Gilhooley for help. Ma told the Police Chief that she thought Torponi's gang had kidnapped her children. However, Gilhooley said that the police had investigated Torponi and found him to be clean. Ma insisted on his arrest Gilhooley said he would if he had enough evidence to arrest him. Ma realised that the Chief was afraid to act because of Torponi's power and so the two families left. While Ma was driving home in the back of the Jibbet's car, she continued talking to her son Huey and his friend "Scribbly" Jibbet about the cops not wanting to raid Torboni's house. Scribbly said that Green Lantern would have managed to have rescued the children already. The children explained that Green Lantern fought crime in a costume so that no one would be able to recognize him. Ma Hunkel further probed the children about Green Lantern at the Jibbet house.
Her granddaughter Maxine currently operates with the JSA using the name Cyclone, an homage to her grandmother's name.
Notes[]
Red Tornado's helmet and Green Lantern's power battery.
- While she never appears in costume in Absolute Justice, behind the scenes footage shows the Red Tornado helmet as being part of the pieces on display at the museum.
- It is currently unknown, whether or not Red Tornado was a full member of the JSA, or was merely an honorary member (like in the comics). She does not appear along with the others, in the JSA portrait.
- Hawkman mentioned that they were going to recruit the children and protégés, of the old Justice Society of America members. However, it is currently unknown whether or not Abigail's granddaughter, Maxine Hunkel, exists in Smallville's continuity. In Haunted, Superman refers to her as "Mrs. Hunkel", indicating that she has at least been married at some point.