WANTED: Earth-Two's Most Dangerous Super-Villains

T. O. Morrow

Personal information

Real Name: Thomas Oscar Morrow

 

Residence: Mobile 
Occupation: Professional Criminal
First Appearance (Golden Age): None
First Appearance (Post-Golden Age): Flash Comics #143 (February 1964)

Character History

Little is known of the life of Thomas Oscar Morrorw before he appeared on Earth-One in 1964. Fascinated by science and the fact that his name abbreviated to “T.O.MORROW”, he devoted his energy to accessing the future.  When his initial efforts at time travel failed, he developed a “fourth dimensional viewing device” that allowed him to witness events that had yet to happen.  This device allowed him to witness technology before it was invented, including a grappling ray that allowed him to steal without effort and a duplicator ray.  He inadvertently duplicates test pilot Hal Jordan and learns he is the Green Lantern.  He sends the duplicates on a crime spree until they are defeated by the real Green Lantern and the Earth-One Flash.  The two heroes corner Morrow in his lair but he deceives them by duplicating himself and luring them into a trap.  Avoiding death, the pair confront the real Morrow who appears to fall to his death into one of his machines.  No body is found however (The Flash Vol. 1. #143).

In reality, Morrow had arranged for himself to be transported to Earth-Two where he resumed his research in earnest.  Planning his first robbery, he input his plans into a futuristic computer to calculate his probability of his success.  The computer informed him that he would fail when the Justice Society stopped him but he could alter events in his favor if he created a new member to infiltrate and interfere with the team.   He creates an android with “memories” based on the history of Abigail Hunkel, the original Red Tornado.  The android appears in JSA HQ and after convincing them to take a chance on him, joins the heroes when they seek to stop Morrow’s robbery of a local museum.  Despite his efforts, the Red Tornado’s action cause the JSA members to fall to Morrow’s faceless henchmen.  Red Tornado and Dr. Fate managed to track Morrow to his ship but he managed to eject them into open sky.  They land in water and survive and Red Tornado resumes pursuit, only to be inactivated by Morrow. 

Planning a new robbery of a recently section of Atlantis lifted from the sea bed, the computer tells Morrow it will only success if Red Tornado is there to stop him.  He re-activates the android who in turn leads an assault against Morrow’s henchmen at the Atlantis site.  The remaining JSA members, having seen their comrades defeated at the museum, watch from afar and conclude that they should come to the Tornado’s aide.   Arriving as the last henchman falls, they find Red Tornado holding an Atlantean ray gun which he claims will revive the other JSA members.  Instead it activates, subduing all of them.  Morrow gloats as he plans to return to Earth-One and defeat the Justice League but his computer shares his only change of victory will be if Red Tornado does not appear.

red tornado vs t.o. morrow inks colors resize

Believing the android dead, Morrow travels to Earth-Two and uses energy duplicates of JLA loved ones to subdue half the Justice League and constructs of space creatures and old foes to defeat the remainder.  Meanwhile on Earth-Two, the Red Tornado revives and uses his attunement to Morrow’s tech to follow him to Earth-One.  The boastful Morrow has left a recording of what he had done allowing Red Tornado to see a plan to restore the Justice League.  Summoning the loved ones that had been duplicated, their kiss was sufficient to draw the energy out of half the Justice League who then set off in pursuit of Morrow.  As the League arrived with Red Tornado, Morrow realized he was undone and while he put up a vigorous fight, was defeated and taken into custody.  The futuristic device Tornado had found on Earth-Two restored the remaining League members and when taken to Earth-Two, revives the Justice Society.  Morrow’s android creation is left wondering if there is a place in the world for such as he (Justice League of America #64-65).

A few years later, Morrow is out of prison and has established an headquarters deep in the Rockies.  Serendipitously, the Red Tornado, having been blown out of the Earth-Two dimension destroying a weapon of the Iron Hand (Justice League of America #102), lands in Morrow’s back yard.  Morrow’s computer reveals that in 28 days, as a result of a cosmic balance presumably created by the appearance of the Red Tornado, either he or the Justice League will disappear.  Morrow gives the android new features and memories of being saved by a blind hermit and then sends him with a hidden circuit to join the Justice League.  The League accepts the Tornado but he has a hidden circuit that will destroy the JLAers when his signal device is activated.  As Morrow watches, the League falls one to his trap but as he exults, the heroes appear and reveal that Superman discovered the trap early on, destroyed it and staged their defeat to lure Morrow into complacency enough to track him down.  As they do, the calendar flips to the 28th day and Morrow disappears.  Presuming their foe deceased, the JLA depart and Red Tornado attempts to build a life on Earth-One (Justice League of America #105-106).

Morrow had not died but thrown into the time stream where the accumulate chronal energy in his body caused him to schism.  One version was thrown to and the other mutated into an advanced futuristic form.  The more human form was discovered in 1977 when he kidnapped Iris Allen and Jean Loring into an alternate dimension as a lure to the Flash and the Atom.  There they found Morrow with vast new powers, the result of his tapping into the living planet on which they found themselves.  Morrow was ultimately defeated and returned to Earth (Super Team Family #11).

In 1980, the Futuristic Form re-appeared calling himself the Tomorrow Man.  Seeking to avenge himself on his creation and escape his dying mutated body, he captured the Tornado and used a futuristic device to transfer his consciousness into the hero’s android form and the Tornado’s consciousness into his own moribund body.  He appeared to the Tornado’s family and launched an aggressive career as the “new” Red Tornado until the true Tornado was able to regain consciousness and confront him.  In the ensuing melee, the Red Tornado was able to restore himself to his own body and force the alternate Morrow back into his original form.  This version of Morrow died shortly thereafter (World’s Finest Comics #265-268).

In 1985, Morrow escaped from his cell in Central City Penitentiary and retreated back to the Rockies.  He captured the Red Tornado and created duplicates with the attention of attacking his old adversaries the Justice League.  Morrow was frustrated when his duplicates could not replicate his original android and on reflection, identified several aberrations around the Tornado’s creation.  He decided to dissect the android but when he did, an explosion destroyed his lab.  The Justice League arrives seeking their comrade and they and Morrow see an enormous being composed of cyclonic energy that the recognized as an old foe, the Tornado Tyrant.  It is revealed that the aberration in the Tornado’s creation was the fusing of the Tornado Champion, a heroic entity from Rann who was the conscience of the Tyrant.  Merging them Tyrant, the Champion and the Red Tornado’s body with Firestorm’s molecular alteration powers allowed the hero to be recovered and Morrow returned to prison (Justice League of America #192-193).

Right before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Morrow found himself in the unusual situation of working with the same goal as the Red Tornado to stop the Construct, an electronic life form that was attempting to seize control of the Earth.  While Morrow’s efforts were ultimately unsuccessful and he was subsumed by the Construct, the Red Tornado expressed gratitude for the attempt and allowed him to escape, warning that their next meeting would be as enemies (Red Tornado #1-4).  

Morrow was seen actively participating in the Crisis on Infinite Earths but his ultimate fate in the Earth-One/Earth-Two timelines remains unknown.

Powers and Abilities

Thomas Morrow is a scientist of above average accumen, tho unlikely at the genius level of someone like Alexei Luthor.  His major advantage was the discovery/creation of a machine that could read events in the future, allowing him to develop an array of technologies by copying things yet to be invented.  His most notable acheivement was the creation of the Red Tornado, tho the full potential of his creation reflects the existence of an alien life form inside it, not Morrow's genius.

Weaknesses and Limitations

T.O.Morrow was an ordinary human with at best average physical capacity.  Separated from his stolen technology, he could be easily defeated.

Multiversity Villains

Multiversity

Earth-One

The Thomas Morrow who engaged in activities on Earth-Two is the Earth-One version.  A T.O.Morrow existed on Earth-Two in the 1940s, a criminal who claimed to be from 100 years in the future.  He was eventually defeated by the Shining Knight and revealed to be a fraud (Adventure Comics #86).

Prior Earth-0

The T.O.Morrow of the Post-Crisis merged timeline is thought to share most of the same historical events as the Earth-One/Earth-Two version.  Additional details include that his true name is Tomek Ovadya and that he is of Polish ancestry.  His parents were futurists, instilling in Morrow the interests  that would guide the rest of his life.

Casework that occur later in Morrow's career include an effort to alter the timeline by traveling back to the 1940's and manipulating events to create his "perfect future" until the timeline is restored to normal by the Justice League and the Justice Society (DC 2000 #1-2).   He created a number of other androids include Tomorrow Woman with Professor Ivo (JLA #5) and a family of "Red" androids including Red Volcano, Red Torpedo and Red Inferno (Red Tornado Vol. 1 #1-3).  He assisted the Society to create the monstrous Genocide (DC Universe #0).  His final fate in this line is unknown.

Appearances

Issue

Comment

Reprinted in

Flash Comics #143

First appearance, vs. Flash and Green Lantern

DC Special Series #24 – Flash Digest, The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told, Showcase Presents The Flash #3, Flash Archives #6, Flash: The Silver Age Omnibus #2, Flash: The Silver Age TPB #3

Justice League of America #64-65

Creates the Red Tornado, vs. the Justice Society and the Justice League

JLA Archives #8, Crisis on Multiple Earths #2, Showcase Presents the Justice League of America #4, Justice League of America: The Silver Age Omnibus #2, Crisis on Multiples Earths – Crossing Over #1

Justice League of America #105-106

Restores Red Tornado to function, vs. the Justice League

The Best of DC #31, The Justice League of America Hereby Elects TPB, Showcase Presents The Justice League of America #5, Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus #1

Super-Team Family #11

True version that survives  JLA #106, vs. the Flash, the Atom and Supergirl

Justice League of America – The Wedding of Atom and Jean Loring, Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus #3, Countdown Special: The Atom #1

World’s Finest #265-268

Alternate future version, vs. the Red Tornado, dies in this story

 

Justice League of America #192-193

Attempts to understand true nature of Red Tornado, vs. the Justice League

DC Comics Classics Library: The Justice League of America by George Perez #1

Red Tornado Vol. 1 #1-4

Aides Red Tornado’s battles against the Construct

 

Crisis on Infinite Earth #8-10

Participates in the Villain War during the Crisis

Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, Crisis on Infinite Earths TPB, Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths HC