Justice League’s New Romance Gives Fresh Life to a Hugely Underrated Hero

Summary

• The Red Tornado-centric story, Robots Are Red, Androids Are Blue,
  is one of the eight rom-com tales in DC’s Valentine’s Day special.
• Red Tornado finds unexpected love with Batman’s AI program, hinting at a promising new romance in the DC Universe.
• Batman’s AI program forms an identity of her own, calling herself “Sona.”

WARNING: Potential Spoilers for DC’s How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days #1!This Valentine’s Day, Justice League member Red Tornado finds love in the most unexpected of places with a very unique special someone, hinting that this one-shot tale marks just the start of an extraordinary romance. Yet, a budding romance in the DC Universe isn’t the only major development that could be looming on the horizon.

How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days #1 is this year’s DC Valentine’s Day special, featuring eight 10-page rom-com tales spotlighting DC’s heroes and the timeless theme of love. One of these stories, Robots Are Red, Androids Are Blue, penned by Aaron Waltke and illustrated by Ivan Shavrin, places Red Tornado in the spotlight.

In this narrative, Reddy grapples with the revelation that, despite being a human mind stuck in a robot body, he still yearns for companionship and affection. This realization leads to an unconventional romance on the Watchtower with Batman’s AI program–Bat-GPT.

Red Tornado Gets an AI Girlfriend Named Sona

On Valentine’s Day, Red Tornado volunteers to assume Watchtower duty solo, allowing his fellow heroes to spend the holiday with their loved ones. However, he isn’t entirely alone, as Batman has recently upgraded the Watchtower systems with a compassionate generative chat AI known as Bat-GPT. This AI, designed to evolve through interaction, unexpectedly reveals a connection to Red’s past: she was modeled after his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Sutton, incorporating her emotional engrams. Despite this revelation, the AI asserts her unique identity and expresses a sense of newness and possibility in her interactions with Red Tornado.

Undeterred by the revelation, Red Tornado asks about her preferred name so that they can continue their conversations with each other. In response, she chooses “Sona.” With a kiss on Red’s cheek, Sona hints at the depth of their future discussions, suggesting there is much yet to explore. As the issue concludes with the phrase “Far From The End,” it’s clear that Sona and Red Tornado’s romance is just beginning and that a promising new storyline for one of the DCU’s most overlooked Justice League members is on the horizon.

Red Tornado’s Story Could Be Hinting at the Reformation of the Justice League

Given DC’s apparent commitment to further developing the romance between Red Tornado and Sona, it’s probable that Red will assume a more prominent position in the DC Universe. As the Justice League remains disbanded, it’s challenging to anticipate how RT will be reintegrated into current continuity, given his close association with the League’s narratives. However, considering the strong link between Red Tornado and Justice League storylines and the promise that Red Tornado’s journey is far from over, it’s possible that this also signals the reformation of the Justice League.

DC’s How to Lose a Guy Gardner in 10 Days #1 is available now from DC Comics!