‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’ have welcomed dozens of DC Comics heroes and villains into their love action world and the parade isn’t due to stop anytime soon, as Hawkgirl, Hawkman and nearly every speedster in DC’s arsenal are slated to visit either Star City or Central City this fall/winter.  And even though ‘Supergirl’ is segregated on a different network, CBS versus The CW which houses the other two, she won’t be completely cut off from the DC roster of champions.

One of the first heroes she will encounter is also one of the publisher’s most colorful, in more ways than one, Red Tornado, played by Iddo Goldberg.  The Israeli born Goldberg has dozens of film and movie roles to his credit, most recently the miniseries ‘Tut’.

Red Tornado is described as:

“The most advanced android the world has ever seen. Designed by scientist T.O. Morrow for the U.S. Army as the ultimate superweapon, he soon becomes sentient, posing a grave danger to National City — including the people Supergirl cares about most.”

It should be noted that Goldberg will be playing both Red Tornado and his creator T.O. Morrow.

The comic book version of the character has indeed been a volatile figure over the years, serving as a valiant hero willing to sacrifice his own existence to save his fellow heroes and serving as a mentor/chaperon to the teen heroes of ‘Young Justice’.  But his robotic form actually houses powerful elemental forces which at times have threatened the world with their vortex powers.  (At one time, he was intended to become evil, but that plan was scrapped.)

His appearance has also varied depending on the artist drawing him.  At times, he looks like an ordinary human, while others render him more robotic.  But even at his most human-looking, his eyes are usually obscured.

Below, you can see Goldberg in full Red Tornado makeup and armor:

His robotic nature is referenced with his plated armor which has a metallic texture, and his helmet captures the comic book character’s look pretty faithfully, minus the yellow arrow that is a signature of the character.  Of course, this is a TV show with a smaller budget than a movie, so shortcuts have to be made.  His face is rendered with just makeup and no FX contact lenses (which could hamper any acting required) and the sleeves are clearly fabric, allowing for movement.  Then again, it goes back to who draws him, as many artist do render him in what is clearly a fabric costume, while others choose to make him look like solid metal.

The most obvious comparison most will make is to Paul Bettany as The Vision in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’.  Considering that Goldberg’s android alter ego is created on a smaller TV budget versus the multi-million dollar budget ‘Avengers’ had, Red Tornado doesn’t look half bad.  The visible human eyeballs are the biggest drawback, but Bettany’s Vision had the same features.  Bettany’s look is certainly sleeker, compared to Red Tornado’s chunky armor, so whether that is a plus or minus depends on personal preference.

One area where The Vision wins is his flowing cape, which adds a nice sense of movement to the flying hero.  In the comics, Red Tornado is known for sporting a long blue cape, usually drawn with a high collar.  (The comic book Vision also has a high collar, which is omitted from the movie design.)  The natural argument is that capes may not seem practical or realistic, but this is ‘Supergirl’ and the title character and her cousin, Superman wear capes, so the precedent is there.  For whatever reason, the show has opted not to give Red Tornado one, but that may be explained on the show, or maybe he will even wear one, but just doesn’t have it on in this photo.

All in all, not a bad look and it remains fairly faithful to the comics.  ‘Arrow’ was originally very grounded in reality, but with the debut of ‘The Flash’, both shows are embracing the more colorful elements of super hero mythology.

What do you think?  Is Red Tornado a Red Carpet win?  Or a “What Were They Thinking?”

‘Supergirl’ starring Melissa Benoist, Calista Flockhart, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, David Harewood, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Benanti and Jenna Dewan-Tatum premieres on October 26, 2015 on CBS.

Source: Comic Book Movie