Cyclone by Robin250 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Sorry for this being so late, but here she is, Maxine Hunkel, AKA Cyclone!!!

Maxine, or Maxi as her friends call her, is the granddaughter of the original Red Tornado, Abigail "Ma" Hunkel, who was a member of the Justice Society of America, the predecessor of the Justice League. When she was a little girl, Maxine was captured by Dr. T.O. Morrow, the scientist who not only created the Red Tornado android, but who was also an associate of Dr. Silas Stone, the father of Cyborg. Morrow, now having desired power for himself, injected Maxine with some of Red Tornado's nanites, and was about to augment her into an android form. However, the Titans, who'd recently become members of the Justice League, stopped the operation before Morrow could complete his plans. The nanites however remained dormant inside of Maxine until she reached the age of 14.

Once she entered high school, the changes began. A sneeze demolished the second floor of her classroom, and the next day, she woke up from sleeping in class to find herself in a tornado that was 500 feet off the ground. Thus, Maxine realized she had the power to control the wind.

When Nightwing and the Titans decided to reform the Teen Titans, in order to prepare themselves for what was to be possibly the final fight against Trigon, Maxine was one of the first teenage metahumans who were accepted into Titans Academy, the new high school in Jump City that would train the next generation of Teen Titans. Being a die-hard fangirl of the team that rescued her when she was a little girl, Maxine instantly accepted without hesitation, through extreme amounts of excitement. Thus, Maxine became Cyclone: one of the Teen Titans!!

Unlike in the comics, when she joined the JSA, this iteration of Cyclone is a Teen Titan true and true. This was actually a fan suggestion by 1987man, so this one's for you, buddy! For Maxine's costume, I was definitely NOT having her look like the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. I felt that it looked way too impractical in combat, especially the witch hat. In fact, Argent helped design Maxi's costume, since she felt more in touch with her powers over wind through her skin. So, she opted for something revealing, as well as a mask and fingerless gloves, as a homage to her idol and roommate, Stargirl. In fact, Cyclone eventually became Stargirl's girlfriend. (In the comics, it was hinted that Maxine had a crush on Courtney.) Bubbly, cheerful and extremely smart, she is Starfire's mentee, an avid fan of musical theatre, as well as a member of both the drama club and the light music club. Kole even taught her how to play the guitar, as she herself learned when her husband, Jericho, was still alive. Her talkative nature and high intelligence make her an ace in the classroom, and she doesn't turn down any opportunity for a group study session.

Disclaimer: Cyclone belongs to DC Comics, Geoff Johns and Dale Eaglesham.