8. The Red Tornado
The superhero genre has often been a way for writers to get away with telling science fiction stories they may not have the opportunity to tell through other mediums. The Red Tornado is a perfect example of that. Although he looks quite human, he is actually an android that was originally programmed by evil scientist T.O. Morrow (ah, the innocent fun of old school comic book names) to infiltrate the Justice League. He overcame his programming and was happily accepted as a full-fledged member. He eventually went on to marry a human woman and they gave birth to a daughter. The science fiction elements in this kind of tale are ripe for cinematic exploitation. The Red Tornado (taking on the name John Smith for when he's out of costume) is a treasure trove of classic sci-fi questions: What makes one human? What is the soul? Do I have free will or am I bound by the programming of my creator? It's like
Blade Runner, but with a main character who can summon 315 miles per hour winds! And it just so happens he's already got a killer theme song, courtesy of HORSE the Band.