Who's the Construct?

Who's This? An evil broadcast.

The facts: Created by Steve Englehart and Dick Dillin, the Construct makes its first appearance in Justice League of America #142 (May 1977), plaguing the team for a couple more issues that year, in one chapter stealing Red Tornado's body (oh the angst!). An early-career Kury Busiek then uses him as the villain for his Red Tornado mini-series in '85 (see below) confirming that the sentient amalgamation of Earth's broadcasts is indeed Reddy's archnemesis (if not his ONLY nemesis). In JLI, it turns out he's behind Max Lord taking an interest in the new League. While the Construct references Metron as its creator, a later story blames Kilg%re instead. A couple appearances in Chase aside, the concept is pretty much forgotten until Busiek revives it in late-era JLA, where its final fate is to have its consciousness distributed in several individuals and in that form, proving more friend than foe.
How you could have heard of him: Well, the IP was repurposed for the Infinite Crisis video game tie-in comics in the mid-2010s (not sure it's in the game itself). That Construct presents as female and was created by the Monitor to keep watch on the Multiverse. But the original? I have to hope you're a JLA or JLI fan.
Example story: Red Tornado #4 (October 1985) "Ghost in the Machine" by Kurt Busiek, Carmine Infantino and Frank McLaughlin

"Three days ago, the Construct took control of all the machines in the world. Then he began taking over the humans." Kind of feels like Busiek was commenting on the world of today, but that's impossible. Somehow, Red Tornado is one of the few minds not taken over on the entire planet. It's basically him and T.O. Morrow trying to stop the Construct, and not even that.

The Construct may think his "ointment" is "perfect", but he's still making phones ring when he talks. I guess it can't bother anyone, because everyone is him. The whole world is like a body, with valves beating and hormones spritzing. The Tornado threatens to infect his internet with his own consciousness, but didn't count on the Construct being able to assemble a body!

Does the Construct have a plan for Earth? Did humanity? He just plans to exist. And if his giant robot body doesn't do the job here, he can summon up all the other parts of his existence to destroy Red Tornado.

Who put the fire hydrants on electronic control?! By the time the fight is over, Reddy looks like a scarecrow falling apart, and Construct uses Morrow's tech to trap him in a broken body. Only the Tornado's girlfriend Kathy Sutton remains free of his influence and the mechanical mind sends his flying head to subjugate her as well. And then his commands ring out on every TV, every radio, every speaker. "It is prime time in the new world." Reddy sees only one way out and that's surrendering his mind to the Construct. The arrogant creature doesn't realize it's a trap until it's too late, and suddenly the art goes FULL Infantino and battle is joined inside the Matrix.

Physically, it looks like they're firing blasts at each other, but from Red Tornado's dialog, he's somehow wrestling parts of the grid away from the Construct, like Australia, and all FM bands. The Construct can't believe it, his O.S. is the more powerful! (Is this a battle between Mac and PC?) But Reddy has willpower! He's recently figured out he's alive and Johnny 5 doesn't want to lose that! The final blow is out of the Captain Kirk playbook, making him realize he, too, has emotions and the "humanity" he hates.

He bounces back briefly, but he's lost control of humans, and their (our) minds fight him too. Trapped between two fronts, he cannot win. By the time T.O. Morrow wakes up, his lab is trashed, but the Construct is inert.

Best (only good) Red Tornado story? Damn you, young Kurt Busiek, for making this work! But to confirm a previous statement, the Construct is definitely Red Tornado's archenemy. Every Justice Leaguer should have one on their resumé, even the Red Tornado.

Who's Next? The Guardians of the Universe's cousins.