Who is Cyclone? The Justice Society Comic Book Hero Explained

With the Justice Society of America set to appear in the upcoming Black Adam film, one recent revelation confirmed the absence of Hawkgirl due to as-of-yet-unexplained behind-the-scenes issues, despite the presence of Hawkman on the team. This leads to the announcement of a different JSA member, Cyclone, presumably filling a similar role to that of Hawkgirl. But just who is Cyclone?

Cyclone technically first appeared in the second issue of Alex Ross and Mark Waid’s futuristic dystopian superhero tale Kingdom Come in 1996. It wasn’t until 2006 during Geoff Johns’ relaunch of his long-running JSA book, re-titled Justice Society of America, that Cyclone was introduced to the DC Universe proper. Maxine Hunkel was the grand-daughter of Abigail “Ma” Hunkel – a comical Golden Age super-heroine with a frying pot for a helmet as well as a member of the JSA. Unlike her predecessor, however, Maxine had super-powers, including wind manipulation which gave her the ability to fly.

Maxine is best known for her bubbly personality, and despite her extremely chatty demeanor, she is is also very intelligent with supremely high achievements in school. Maxine served as something of a foil for Stargirl, who by this point had become a seasoned superhero in her own right despite being the same age as Maxine. Over time, Maxine’s personality develops past her talkative characterization as she builds relationships with several members of the growing Justice Society of America. Unfortunately, the character’s appearances in the comics were rather limited outside of Johns’ run on Justice Society of America, especially following the New 52 reboot. She only reappeared somewhat recently, in a cameo in Doomsday Clock – also written by Johns – which saw Doctor Manhattan reinstate the Justice Society of America’s role in the DC Universe along with the Legion of Super-Heroes.

It seems most likely Cyclone’s role in the upcoming Black Adam movie will be that of air support. In fact, every hero in the newly announced line-up – with the exception of Atom Smasher – has the ability to fly. This is probably one of the reasons Cyclone is replacing Hawkgirl, as both are aerial specialists. While the character could appear as the older version seen in Kingdom Come, it seems most likely it will be the version that appeared in Justice Society of America, considering the Kingdom Come version went by the name “Red Tornado II”. It also seems increasingly likely since much of Black Adam’s anti-hero characterization stems from Geoff Johns’ run as well.

Maxine’s youthful enthusiasm could make for an amusing counterpart to Black Adam. After all, the title character is at least five thousand years old, along with Hawkman and Doctor Fate, who also have the benefit of several lifetimes worth of experience. Hopefully, this reinforces the JSA as a multi-generational super-team, with heroes belonging to several different age groups. Of course, it could also be hilarious to see Maxine – in full chatterbox mood – straining Black Adam’s patience. Regardless, hopefully, the upcoming Black Adam movie won’t be the last we see of Cyclone in the DCEU.

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