Black Adam is the newest DCEU movie released as we finally got to meet the titular character in action. Of course, while the movie focused heavily on Black Adam, we also got to meet other characters that played their parts in the movie as well. This included one of the younger heroes in the form of Cyclone, who is new to the DCEU and is actually green in terms of her experience. So, who is Cyclone in Black Adam?
Cyclone, portrayed by Quintessa Swindell, is named Maxine Hunkel and is actually the granddaughter of the original Red Tornado. She has an ability called aerokinesis, which allows her to manipulate winds and summon cyclones and strong bursts of wind at will using nothing but her mind.
The introduction of Cyclone into the DCEU opens a lot of opportunities for the character and the DCEU itself as it was able to inject some young blood. In that regard, while she wasn’t the most important character in the movie, her appearance in Black Adam allows the DCEU to explore what it can do with Cyclone in relation to the other characters of the DCEU. Now, let’s get to know more about Quintessa Swindell’s character.
Who Is Cyclone In Black Adam?
The opening part of the Black Adam movie allowed us to see how the character came to be and how he found himself in modern-day Kahndaq. Of course, we learned in the opening that Teth-Adam was the champion of the people of Kahndaq and was chosen by the same wizards responsible for choosing the ones who could control the power of the gods. However, he hasn’t been seen since he defeated the tyrannical king of Kahndaq 5,000 years ago.
However, because the modern-day version of Kahndaq was now under the control of Intergang because of the rich Eternium deposits in that region, the people needed a new champion that could protect them and the city from the foreign invaders that were basically enslaving the country. As such, Adrianna, a local, was desperate enough to call on the power of Teth-Adam by awakening him from his tomb.
This led to an all-out battle between Teth-Adam and Intergang, which was no match for the power of the champion of the wizards. Of course, because of what had happened in Kahndaq, as Teth-Adam basically slaughtered most of the members of Intergang, the awakened champion caught the attention of Amanda Waller, who we all know is the one in control of Task Force X and is the one overseeing any operation that concerned threats to the planet, especially when metahumans were involved.
That was when she sought the help of Carter Hall, who is actually the superhero named Hawkman. Carter put together a team that he believed had the firepower and muscle that could match the overwhelming capabilities of Teth-Adam, whose power levels were overwhelming enough that only the strongest metahumans could bring him in. One of the heroes hired for the job was Cyclone. So, who is Cyclone in Black Adam?
Cyclone’s real name is Maxine Hunkel, who is actually quite young and was able to have a few moments with her fellow young hero named Atom Smasher. During the entire movie, Cyclone played more of a supporting role as a member of the Justice Society, which was the group of heroes sent to try to neutralize and bring Teth-Adam. As such, her abilities were quite useful during the times when the Justice Society was battling Teth-Adam.
As mentioned, Cyclone’s role was to provide support to Hawkman and Doctor Fate, who were the only ones that could stand a chance at keeping Teth-Adam’s overwhelming powers at bay. However, it was Hawkman who was mostly on the frontlines against the champion of Kahndaq. Throughout that time, Cyclone supported the older heroes that had the experience and the powers that allowed them to battle Teth-Adam well enough.
While she wasn’t strong enough to match Teth-Adam, Cyclone’s other abilities were on full display in the movie. She was a genius at medical science as she was able to nurse Adrianna’s brother back to full health. In that scene, she told Atom Smasher her backstory as she was actually kidnapped when she was just 15 and was used as a guinea pig for an experiment that involved putting nanobytes into her body. These nanobytes were what gave her the powers she mastered, but she was already a genius before she got experimented on.
In the comics, Maxine is the granddaughter of the original Red Tornado. It was also the same scientist that kidnapped her that created the second Red Tornado, who is actually a powerful android.
Cyclone also helped in the battle against Sabbac and the hordes of hell during the latter part of the movie. Even though she couldn’t match the power of Sabbac, she was indispensable in helping the people in their fight against the demonic legions that were summoned when Kahndaq was turned into hell.
What Are Cyclone’s Powers And Abilities?
As mentioned, Cyclone got her powers when she was kidnapped and experimented on by the scientist that created the second Red Tornado. Nanobytes were inserted into her body, as these machines allowed her to gain powers that were similar to the ones possessed by Red Tornado.
That is why, as her name suggests, Cyclone possesses aerokinesis, which allows her to control wind at will. The same power allows her to summon cyclones and tornadoes in an instant with nothing more than just her mind. As such, we were able to see her summoning different cyclones and tornadoes instantly, as she used these strong winds for both offense and defense. She could even use the winds to fly, as she possesses perfect control over her ability to control the wind.
There is also the fact that she is a genius that is capable of using the nanobytes in her body to her advantage. In fact, she was smart enough to not only heal Adrianna’s brother but also assist her in determining the true meaning behind the inscription on the crown of Sabbac.
