Tornado Twins
Encyclopedia
The Tornado Twins are fictional characters, superhero
es in the DC Comics
Universe. The twins are Don and Dawn Allen, the children of Barry Allen (the second Flash
) and Iris West-Allen. They first appeared in Adventure Comics #373 (October 1968).
. They temporarily gain super-speed powers during "Flash Day", a ceremony honoring their ancestors.
After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths
, the history of the DC Universe is changed. In this new continuity, Barry Allen briefly joins his wife Iris in the 30th century, where the two manage to conceive the twins. Before they are born, however, Allen is killed saving the remaining worlds from the Anti-Monitor
Don and Dawn are raised in an era of extreme xenophobia, where metahuman activity is unwelcome. Growing up hearing the stories of their heroic father from their mother the two twins, who have inherited their father's superspeed powers, operate as superheroes in secret. They disguise themselves by spinning rapidly, so that they resemble two tornadoes. During this era they meet a time-travelling Wally West
, who inspires them to fight the 30th century's prejudice against metahumans.
As an adult, Don Allen marries Meloni Thawne
; they are the parents of Bart Allen
, the speedster hero who is first known as Impulse, before maturing into the Teen Titan Kid Flash
, and who later becomes the fourth Flash
. Dawn Allen marries Jeven Ognats, and gives birth to Jenni Ognats, who would become the Legionnaire
XS
.
The Twins' fate has changed with each of the DC Universe's major temporospatial disruptions
, although they usually involve death in some way. Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, they were killed helping the Legion of Super-Heroes
fend off a Dominator
invasion during the Five Year Gap (a timeline in which Jenni did not exist). Post-Zero Hour
, the Dominator invasion occurred about 15 years before the Legion's existence; President Thawne, a corrupt descendant of the supervillain Professor Zoom
, arranged for the Twins' murder several months after their children's birth.
The Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds miniseries reveals that the post-Zero Hour characters (including both Meloni and Jeven Ognats, Jenni's father and Dawn's husband) originated on the same Earth as the post-Infinite Crisis version of the Legion (which was introduced in "The Lightning Saga
"). Thus, continuity revisions have been made: after Barry's death in the original Crisis, the Twins and their families (Bart and Jenni having already been born) became the target of Professor Zoom, who was attempting to sabotage Don and Meloni's marriage. Both families escaped to Earth-247 (the post-ZH timeline) and the Twins died soon after in unknown circumstances. Both cousins were reunited with their grandmother Iris, and both also rapidly aged to teenagers within days (one can assume that Jenni's rapid-aging stabilized under her own volition, as she never showed signs of it during either Legion series she was featured in).
. The West family is stuck in a parallel world for almost a year after the combined Flashes attempt to subdue the evil Superboy Prime, but return to the DC Earth in Justice League of America #10 (August 2007). Due to a side-effect of their superspeed powers, Iris appears to be approximately 10 years old, while Jai appears to be 8. Wally has referred to his twin children as the "Tornado Twins," and is helping them follow his footsteps. Although they are connected to the Speed Force
, they manifest it in different ways; Iris can vibrate through objects (taking others with her), and Jai can "superaccelerate the myofibrillar hypertrophism in [his] muscular tissue" to gain temporary super-strength. Neither of them have ordinary super-speed, although Iris briefly possessed it when their powers were in flux. Their powers require complex machinery to remain stable. Their accelerated growth spurts and their unstable powers are later revealed as the byproduct of a deep connection with the Death Aspect of the Speed Force, physically embodied by the Black Flash. Wally manages to fight him one last time, severing his bond with his offspring, whose aging patterns and powers are finally stabilized.
Originally neither of them possessed super speed, but while temporarily aged by the Death Aspect of the Speed Force, they exhibited the ability to develop it. During the events of Flash: Rebirth, Iris reveals that the reason their powers are the way they are is because they are literally fighting over the speed force and to continue to do so will kill them. Iris then draws all the power into herself and finally becomes a speedster. She is then stabilized by Jesse Quick, who recently regained her connection to the Speed Force. Iris West then becomes the new Impulse.
On Earth-22, Wally West also had twins, Iris and Barry West. Of the pair, Iris West shows a personality very similar to the spunky, driven and restless personality of her alternate-universe namesake, and, while aged, she had her very same physical appearance, while Barry is more laid-back, broody and aside from the friendly bickering with his sister, inclined to follow every one of her ideas. Both twins have identical super-speed powers, but only Iris became a superhero.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
Universe. The twins are Don and Dawn Allen, the children of Barry Allen (the second Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
) and Iris West-Allen. They first appeared in Adventure Comics #373 (October 1968).
Don and Dawn Allen
In their first appearance, the twins are 30th century descendents of Barry AllenBarry Allen
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is the second character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Showcase #4 , created by writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome and penciler Carmine Infantino. His name combines talk show hosts Barry Gray...
. They temporarily gain super-speed powers during "Flash Day", a ceremony honoring their ancestors.
After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
, the history of the DC Universe is changed. In this new continuity, Barry Allen briefly joins his wife Iris in the 30th century, where the two manage to conceive the twins. Before they are born, however, Allen is killed saving the remaining worlds from the Anti-Monitor
Anti-Monitor
The Anti-Monitor is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain and the antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 , and was destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, only to return after a long absence in Green...
Don and Dawn are raised in an era of extreme xenophobia, where metahuman activity is unwelcome. Growing up hearing the stories of their heroic father from their mother the two twins, who have inherited their father's superspeed powers, operate as superheroes in secret. They disguise themselves by spinning rapidly, so that they resemble two tornadoes. During this era they meet a time-travelling Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
, who inspires them to fight the 30th century's prejudice against metahumans.
As an adult, Don Allen marries Meloni Thawne
Meloni Thawne
Meloni Thawne-Allen is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe, and the mother of the superhero Impulse. She first appeared in Impulse #23...
; they are the parents of Bart Allen
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
, the speedster hero who is first known as Impulse, before maturing into the Teen Titan Kid Flash
Kid Flash
Kid Flash is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first incarnation of the character, Wally West, debuted in The Flash #110...
, and who later becomes the fourth Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
. Dawn Allen marries Jeven Ognats, and gives birth to Jenni Ognats, who would become the Legionnaire
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
XS
XS (comics)
XS is a fictional character, a superheroine in the future of the DC Comics universe. A member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, she is the granddaughter of Barry Allen , and first cousin of Bart Allen .-Fictional character biography:Despite being the granddaughter of Barry Allen and the daughter of...
.
The Twins' fate has changed with each of the DC Universe's major temporospatial disruptions
Crisis (DC Comics)
A crisis in the DC Universe is an event with potentially great consequences, often involving multiple universes and sometimes even threatening their existence....
, although they usually involve death in some way. Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, they were killed helping the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
fend off a Dominator
Dominators
The Dominators, collectively known as the Dominion, are a fictional alien race from the outer cosmos of the DC Universe. They are highly technologically advanced, and live in a rigid hierarchical society, in which one's caste is determined by the size of a red circle on one's forehead...
invasion during the Five Year Gap (a timeline in which Jenni did not exist). Post-Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
, the Dominator invasion occurred about 15 years before the Legion's existence; President Thawne, a corrupt descendant of the supervillain Professor Zoom
Professor Zoom
Eobard Thawne, who has gone by the codenames "Professor Zoom" and "Reverse-Flash", is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the DC Universe. Thawne is the Arch enemy of the superhero Barry Allen, the second hero to be called the Flash...
, arranged for the Twins' murder several months after their children's birth.
The Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds miniseries reveals that the post-Zero Hour characters (including both Meloni and Jeven Ognats, Jenni's father and Dawn's husband) originated on the same Earth as the post-Infinite Crisis version of the Legion (which was introduced in "The Lightning Saga
The Lightning Saga
"The Lightning Saga" is a comic book crossover story arc that took place in DC Comics' two flagship team books: Justice League of America and Justice Society of America. It was written by Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns, and illustrated by Ed Benes, Dale Eaglesham, and Shane Davis...
"). Thus, continuity revisions have been made: after Barry's death in the original Crisis, the Twins and their families (Bart and Jenni having already been born) became the target of Professor Zoom, who was attempting to sabotage Don and Meloni's marriage. Both families escaped to Earth-247 (the post-ZH timeline) and the Twins died soon after in unknown circumstances. Both cousins were reunited with their grandmother Iris, and both also rapidly aged to teenagers within days (one can assume that Jenni's rapid-aging stabilized under her own volition, as she never showed signs of it during either Legion series she was featured in).
Jai and Iris West
In Flash vol. 2 #225 (October 2005), Linda Park, wife of the current Flash Wally West, gives birth to the twins Jai and Iris West IIKid Flash (Iris West)
Kid Flash is a superheroine in the alternate future of Kingdom Come in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Kingdom Come #3 .-Publication history:...
. The West family is stuck in a parallel world for almost a year after the combined Flashes attempt to subdue the evil Superboy Prime, but return to the DC Earth in Justice League of America #10 (August 2007). Due to a side-effect of their superspeed powers, Iris appears to be approximately 10 years old, while Jai appears to be 8. Wally has referred to his twin children as the "Tornado Twins," and is helping them follow his footsteps. Although they are connected to the Speed Force
Speed Force
The Speed Force is a concept presented in various comic books published by DC Comics, primarily in relation to the various speedsters in the DC Universe.-Empowered:...
, they manifest it in different ways; Iris can vibrate through objects (taking others with her), and Jai can "superaccelerate the myofibrillar hypertrophism in [his] muscular tissue" to gain temporary super-strength. Neither of them have ordinary super-speed, although Iris briefly possessed it when their powers were in flux. Their powers require complex machinery to remain stable. Their accelerated growth spurts and their unstable powers are later revealed as the byproduct of a deep connection with the Death Aspect of the Speed Force, physically embodied by the Black Flash. Wally manages to fight him one last time, severing his bond with his offspring, whose aging patterns and powers are finally stabilized.
Originally neither of them possessed super speed, but while temporarily aged by the Death Aspect of the Speed Force, they exhibited the ability to develop it. During the events of Flash: Rebirth, Iris reveals that the reason their powers are the way they are is because they are literally fighting over the speed force and to continue to do so will kill them. Iris then draws all the power into herself and finally becomes a speedster. She is then stabilized by Jesse Quick, who recently regained her connection to the Speed Force. Iris West then becomes the new Impulse.
On Earth-22, Wally West also had twins, Iris and Barry West. Of the pair, Iris West shows a personality very similar to the spunky, driven and restless personality of her alternate-universe namesake, and, while aged, she had her very same physical appearance, while Barry is more laid-back, broody and aside from the friendly bickering with his sister, inclined to follow every one of her ideas. Both twins have identical super-speed powers, but only Iris became a superhero.
In other media
- The words Inferior FiveInferior FiveThe Inferior Five are a parody superhero team that premiered in the DC Comics title Showcase #62 . Created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Joe Orlando and Mike Esposito , the group was intended as a parody not only of the Fantastic Four, but of all the superhero teams whose members had such great...
, Metal MenMetal MenThe Metal Men are fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in Showcase #37 and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and penciller Ross Andru...
, and Tornado Twins appear in the background in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode Mayhem of the Music Meister when the titular villain has BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Black CanaryBlack CanaryBlack Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
in a death trap.
External links
- Tornado Twins at Those Who Ride the Lightning website
- Tornado Twins at Unofficial Guide to DC Universe