| Hawkman | |
|---|---|
_001.png) Hawkman and his various past reincarnations in the cover ofHawkman (2018) #7. Art by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Jeremiah Skipper. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics All-American Publications |
| First appearance | Carter Hall: Flash Comics #1 (January 1940) Katar Hol: The Brave and the Bold #34 (February–March 1961) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Carter Hall Katar Hol |
| Species | Human(Carter) Thanagarian(Katar) |
| Place of origin | Thanagar(Katar) |
| Team affiliations | Justice League Justice League International Justice Society of America Elite Hawkmen Force Council of Immortals All-Star Squadron |
| Partnerships | Hawkgirl (various) The Atom (various) Doctor Fate (various) Hector Hall |
| Abilities | Both versions of Hawkman have access to Nth metal harnesses, boots, belts, etc. This grants them a variety of powers such as flight, enhanced durability, strength, etc. Due to having experienced many different lifetimes, Hawkman is a capable warrior, with expertise in hand-to-hand combat, archaic weaponry, and is considered a genius-level tactician. |
Hawkman is the name of severalsuperheroes appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. Created by writerGardner Fox and artistDennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared inFlash Comics #1, published byAll-American Publications in January 1940. While both notable versions of the characters were originally similar (with phonetically similar names) but different characters existing in parallel universes (Earth-One and Earth-Two respectively), the merging of both followingCrisis on Infinite Earths led to numerous revisions to reconcile Hawkman's history and using each alter-ego's name interchangeably, marking Hawkman's reputation for a complex and confusing history.[1][2]
Hawkman is consistently a hawk-themed, reincarnated warrior with access to the fictional Nth metal, granting him a host of powers, a preference for archaic weaponry, and is often paired alongside fellow reincarnated warrior and paramour,Hawkgirl (or Hawkwoman).[2] He is portrayed as either the human archaeologistCarter Hall whose re-discovery of Nth metal recalls his past reincarnations or as a decoratedThanagarian police officerKatar Hol who comes to Earth. Hawkman also has affiliation with several superhero teams such as theJustice Society of America andJustice League, often serving as team leader in the former.[2] Ultimately, Hawkman's first incarnation was originally said to be Egyptian pharaohKhufu but later stories reveal it to be Ktar Deathbringer, an alien murderer cursed to atone for his crimes by saving as many people as he killed, which transitioned him into a heroic figure. Due to the conditions of his curse, he reincarnates across space and time, allowing for multiple iterations to co-exist simultaneously at times.[3][4]
The character has been adapted into other media numerous times, with significant appearances inJustice League Unlimited, which featured Hawkgirl as a main character, as well as severalDC Universe Original Animated Movies. In live action, Hawkman first appeared onscreen in the two-part 1979 TV specialLegends of the Superheroes, portrayed by Bill Nuckols. Hawkman was later portrayed byMichael Shanks inSmallville and byFalk Hentschel inThe CW'sArrowverse series. He also appears in theDC Extended Universe filmBlack Adam (2022), portrayed byAldis Hodge.
Hawkman first appeared inFlash Comics #1 (January 1940), and was a featured character in that title throughout the 1940s. This Hawkman wasCarter Hall, areincarnation of theancient Egyptian prince Khufu. Hall discovered that the mysterious "ninth metal" (later changed simply to "Nth metal") could negate the effects ofgravity and allow him to fly. He donned a costume with large wings to allow him to control his flight and became the crimefighter, Hawkman. He also had a companion hawk named Big Red that assisted him in fighting crime. Anarchaeologist by profession, Hall used ancient weapons from themuseum that he curated.
Hawkman was a charter member of theJustice Society of America, beginning withAll Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940). In issue #8 he became the JSA's chairman, a position he held until the end of the JSA's run inAll Star Comics in 1951. He was the only member of the JSA to appear in every adventure during theGolden Age of Comic Books. He romanced his reincarnated bride,Shiera Sanders, who became the crimefighterHawkgirl. His first three adventures were drawn by creatorDennis Neville (who modeled Hawkman's costume on the hawkmen characters in theFlash Gordon comic strip byAlex Raymond), then bySheldon Moldoff, and later byJoe Kubert, who slightly redesigned his mask inFlash Comics #85 (Jul 1947) and then, one year later, replaced the winged-hawk-like mask with a much simpler yellow cowl inFlash Comics #98 (Aug 1948).
Along with most other superheroes, Hawkman's Golden Age adventures came to an end when the industry turned away from the genre in the early 1950s. His last appearance was inAll Star Comics #57 (1951).
Later in the decade, DC Comics, under editorJulius Schwartz, decided to revive a number of Golden-Age superheroes in new incarnations, but retaining the same names and powers (except forThe Atom, whose GA incarnation was a diminutive pugilist that had no super-powers). Following the success ofthe Flash andGreen Lantern, the name "Hawkman" was revived inThe Brave and the Bold # 34 (Feb–Mar 1961), this time as analienpolice officer from the planetThanagar, though his powers were largely the same. Created byGardner Fox andJoe Kubert, this Hawkman namedKatar Hol came to Earth with his wife Shayera in pursuit of a criminal, and decided to remain on Earth to study earth police methods as well as fight crime. They adopted the names Carter and Shiera Hall and became curators of a museum in Midway City.
This Hawkman became a member of theJustice League of America in issue #31, where he often verbally sparred with the iconoclasticliberal heroGreen Arrow. In the 1960s, it was revealed that the original Hawkman lived on theparallel world ofEarth-Two, and that Katar Hol lived onEarth-One. The JLA and JSA had an annual meeting throughout the 1960s and 1970s during which the two heroes often met.
TheSilver Age Hawkman had his own series for a few years in the '60s, but with declining sales it ended at issue #27 and was then merged with that of theAtom.Atom and Hawkman lasted only another year or so before cancellation.
In the late 1970s inShowcase andWorld's Finest Comics, Thanagar went to war with the planet Rann, the adopted home ofAdam Strange. This led to Hawkman and Hawkwoman severing ties with their homeworld, and later fightingThe Shadow War of Hawkman (written byJenny Blake Isabella) as the Thanagarians tried secretly to conquer the Earth.
The landmark 1985 seriesCrisis on Infinite Earths resulted in a massive revision of much of DC continuity and led to many characters being substantially rewritten. Hawkman was to suffer some of the greatest confusion as successive writers sought to explain his various appearances. In the revised timeline there was a single Earth which had witnessed the JSA in the 1940s and the JLA decades later. Successive revisions sought to establish exactly who had been Hawkman and Hawkwoman at different stages. For the first few years the pre-Crisis incarnations were still used, during which time they were prominent across the DC Universe and joined the latest incarnation of the Justice League.
DC decided toreboot Hawkman, in a limited series (which later led to an ongoing series) titledHawkworld originally byTimothy Truman, and laterJohn Ostrander. In this series, Thanagar was a stratified society which conquered other worlds to enrich itself. Katar Hol was the son of a prominent official who rebelled against the status quo. He and his partner Shayera were sent to Earth and remained there for some years until Hol was apparently killed.
This created several continuity errors. Because the new Katar Hol had only just arrived on Earth, someone else had to have been Hawkman previously. In an attempt to resolve the problem it was established throughretcons that the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl had continued to operate sporadically after their supposed retirement in 1951 through the 1990s, and that Nth metal originally came from Thanagar. The Halls, and not the Hols, joined the original incarnation of the JLA. Another Hawkman—Fel Andar, a Thanagarian agent—had been the one who joined the Justice League during the 1980s, pretending to be a hero but secretly spying on the League for his Thanagarian masters.
TheZero Hour miniseries muddied the waters further by merging the different Hawkmen into a "Hawkgod", who was the focus character in the third volume of the monthlyHawkman series. This version of Hawkman also had a small role in the alternate-future seriesKingdom Come. After the end of this series, Hawkman'scontinuity was considered by DC to be too complicated,[citation needed] and he was absent from comics for several years.
In the late 1990s, theJSA series untangled Hawkman's continuity, establishing him as Carter Hall, a man who—along with Shiera—had been reincarnated dozens of times since his life in ancient Egypt, and whose powers were derived from Thanagarian Nth metal, which had been retroactively renamed from "ninth metal". The Katar Hol of theHawkworld series had also come to Earth during the 1990s, as previously established. The 1980s Hawkman Fel Andar returned to Thanagar. The Hawkgod was later revealed to be an avatar of the Hawk aspect of the Red (from whichAnimal Man receives his powers) and only believed that he was Hawkman.[citation needed]
During theIdentity Crisis miniseries, it was established that Hawkman (Carter Hall) had encouraged themindwipe ofDoctor Light and had actually been the one to initially suggest the idea. His role in the mindwipe was the basis for his enmity withGreen Arrow, who felt that interfering with an individual's right to self-determination was beyond the moral right of any organization or government.
Subsequently, Hawkman was reincarnated and given a new series in 2002 entitledHawkman vol. 4, written initially byJames Robinson andGeoff Johns, with art byRags Morales.Justin Gray andJimmy Palmiotti took over writing duties during the third year of the series. In 2006, the series was retitledHawkgirl with issue #50 and given a new creative team ofWalt Simonson andHoward Chaykin. This series was cancelled with issue #66 in July 2007.
Hawkman was a major character in theRann–Thanagar War miniseries, which stemmed from events inCountdown to Infinite Crisis. During this time, his continuity was further changed.
The character then received a new series spinning out ofDark Nights: Metal, helmed byRobert Venditti andBryan Hitch.[5]
In the days ofancient Egypt, Prince Khufu is engaged in a feud with his rival, the Egyptian priestHath-Set. The priest eventually captures both Khufu and his consort Chay-Ara, and kills them using a cursed dagger of Nth metal. Millennia later, in 1940, Khufu is reincarnated as American archaeologistCarter Hall, Chay-Ara asShiera Sanders, and Hath-Set as scientist Anton Hastor. After touching the same Nth Metal dagger used to kill Khufu, Carter regains the memories of his former life and realizes Hastor is the reincarnation of his ancient foe. When Hastor kidnaps Shiera, using a magic spell to draw her to his lair, Hall uses his newly-refound memories to craft a gravity-defying belt using Nth metal and a winged costume to become Hawkman. Carter successfully rescues Shiera, Anton is killed by electrocution, and Carter and Saunders begin a romantic relationship.
Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders had a son together, namedHector Hall, who grew up to also have a superheroic identity as Silver Scarab and later adopted the mantle ofDoctor Fate. Hector was a member of the superhero groups Infinity Inc. and the JSA, where he served alongside his father.
Katar Hol is an honoredpolice officer on his homeworld of Thanagar. Along with his wifeShayera, they use anti-gravity belts and their wings to fly and fight criminals. These were the tools of an elite police unit tasked to track and apprehend the most dangerous criminals. The pair were sent to Earth in 1961 to capture the shapeshifting criminalByth Rok. Following this mission, they elected to remain on Earth to work with authorities in theUnited States and learn human police methods. The two adopted covers as a pair ofmuseum curators, Carter and Shiera Hall, and acted publicly as the second Hawkman and the second Hawkgirl (later Hawkwoman).
Although initially depicted as surviving theCrisis on Infinite Earths intact, Katar Hol wasrebooted just a few years afterwards in a prestige-formatminiseries namedHawkworld, byTimothy Truman. A regular ongoing series of the same name followed, with writerJohn Ostrander joining Truman. Katar Hol, a youngpolice officer on the planet Thanagar, rebels against the oppressive system of his planet and is sent into exile. He later escapes and uncovers a renegade police captain Byth Rok. As a result, he is reinstated into the force, given a new partner, Shayera Thal, and sent on a mission on Earth, where he is the third Hawkman.
In DC'sThe New 52 universe, Hawkman is Katar Hol but uses the name Carter Hall.
Fel Andar is a Thanagarian agent who also uses the Hawkman codename. There are two different versions of the character: the pre-Hawkworld version (namedFell Andar), created byJenny Blake Isabella andRichard Howell, and the post-Hawkworld version, created byJohn Ostrander andGraham Nolan. Fel Andar was created as a stand-in forKatar Hol in Katar's post-Crisis, pre-Hawkworld adventures, including his brief membership withJustice League International, after DC Comics decided toreboot Hawkman following publication of the 1989Hawkworld miniseries,
First appearing inThe Shadow War of Hawkman, Thanagarian agent Fell Andar led a team to Earth to steal the Hawks' technology. Thanagar has at this time become a fascist empire and was planning to take over the universe, starting with Earth. Since they lost their technology during the Equalizer plague, the Hawks were the only ones who possessed them as they were off-planet. Andar took control of the Hawks' spaceship. The Hawks manage to sabotage the ship and crashed. The Hawks battled Andar and emerged victorious, with Andar being killed in the battle.[6]
FollowingHawkworld, years before the events ofInvasion!, Fel Andar, a Thanagarian spy operating on Earth, fell in love with an Earth woman,Sharon Parker. They married and Sharon gave birth toCh'al Andar, also known as Charley Parker.[7][8] When Charley is four years old, Andar is ordered to infiltrate theJustice League as the second Hawkman, "Carter Hall Jr.".[8] Andar's superiorsmindwipe Sharon, forcing her to take up a new identity as the second Hawkwoman, "Sharon Hall".[9] Intending to gain his teammates' confidence, Andar claims to be the son ofCarter Hall andShiera Hall.[9][10] Sharon learns of Andar's deception and informsMartian Manhunter andMaxwell Lord. Andar murders Sharon and escapes to Thanagar,[7][10][11] and is later captured and sentenced to life imprisonment on Thanagar. During theRann–Thanagar War, Andar is killed byBlackfire while attempting to reconcile with Charley and atone for his crimes.[12]
All incarnations of Hawkman used the fictional "ninth metal" or "Nth metal" to defygravity and allow them tofly. The metal is in their costume's belt, boots, and wings. Its abilities are controlled mentally. Their wings allow them to control their flight, though they can be "flapped" through use of shoulder motions. In most comic books, Hawkman is known to have slightlyenhanced physical strength.
TheGolden Age Hawkman was also granted the ability tobreathe underwater by the sea godPoseidon.[13] He also discovered a hidden kingdom ofsentientbirds led by the old One-Eye, who taught him their language and later sacrificed himself to save Hawkman's life.[14] Among the leading birds was ahawk named Big Red who became a companion and even helped the Golden Age Hawkman solve crimes.[15]
TheSilver Age Hawkman also had enhanced senses comparable to a hawk's. He, and sometimes the Golden Age Hawkman as well, was also able to converse with birds, though not command them in the same way thatAquaman could command sea creatures. Hawkman also wore special contact lenses that allowed him to detect beams and radiation.[16]
The Silver Age Hawkman also possessed a Thanagarian police space ship and a variety ofscience fictional weapons.
All versions of Hawkman prefer to usearchaic weaponry—particularlymaces,nets,spears, andshields—rather than modern or futuristic weapons. The current iteration prefers this in part because, having the memories of having lived throughmany past lives, he is more proficient in their use than with contemporary weapons. In Katar Hol's case, it was too dangerous to use Thanagarian weaponry since there was too great a chance they could be lost or captured and then used or duplicated on Earth. There is, however, one significantly unique weapon Carter employs occasionally: the Claw of Horus. Constructed of Nth metal by Prince Khufu inancient Egypt, it was delivered to the newly resurrected Carter Hall by the time-displacedJay Garrick inJSA Book 3: "The Return of Hawkman". Later, inSuperman-Batman Book 1: "Public Enemies", Hawkman used it to defeatSuperman, using its Nth metal to channel the Earth's gravitational field. As he explained to Superman, "Essentially, I just hit you with the planet."
All versions of Hawkman have shown enhanced levels of strength. The Golden Age Hawkman was said to have the strength of 12 men but later that idea was dropped. Where as the Golden Age Hawkman's strength appeared natural, it was later explained (with theSilver Age Hawkman) that Nth metal enables its wielders to carry great weights. The recent incarnation has interpreted this as Nth metal simply enhancing the strength of the user. Also, several JLA and JSA stories indicate that Thanagar has greater gravity than Earth, and that Thanagarians are naturally stronger than humans because they are adapted to it, similarly to howAtlanteans (e.g.Aquaman) are adapted todeep sea pressures.
It has also been explained in theJSA series that Nth metal greatly aids in healing,closing wounds almost instantaneously. One example is in theJLA story "Crisis of Conscience", in issues 115–118, when Carter's arm is nearly severed during one part of the issue, but the wound has obviously closed and functionality returned by the end of the issue.The Atom has commented that Hawkman laughs at anything less thanthird-degree burns.
Nth metal also regulates thebody temperature of the wearer, preventing the need for heavy protective clothing while inhigh altitudes. It also has the property of radiating heat, which can be controlled to warm the wearer in colder climates.[17]
The series and character have won several awards over the years, including:
Hawkman was ranked as the 118th-greatest comic book character of all time byWizard magazine.[20]IGN also ranked Hawkman as the 56th-greatest comic book hero of all time, stating that the best part of Hawkman is his incredibly short fuse. IGN also described him as a complete and total badass.[21]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Age Hawkman Archives Vol. 1 | Material fromFlash Comics #1–22 | February 2006 | 978-1401204181 |
| Golden Age Hawkman Archives Vol. 2 | Material fromFlash Comics #23-63,Big All-American Comic Book #1 | June 2017 | 978-1401243845 |
| Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns | Atom & Hawkman #46 andPower of Shazam! #48,Catwoman #83,Suicide Squad #67,Question #37,Phantom Stranger #42,Weird Western Takes #71,Starman #81 | July 2010 | 978-1401228064 |
| Hawkman Vol. 1: Endless Flight | Hawkman (vol. 4) #1–6,Hawkman Secret Files #1 | April 2003 | 978-1563899522 |
| Hawkman Vol. 2: Enemies & Allies | Hawkman (vol. 4) #7–12 | March 2004 | 978-1401201968 |
| Hawkman Vol. 3: Wings of Fury | Hawkman (vol. 4) #15–22 | June 2005 | 978-1401204679 |
| JSA: Black Reign[22] | Hawkman (vol. 4) #23–25 andJSA #56–58 | July 2005 | 978-1845760724 |
| Hawkman Vol. 4 Rise of the Golden Eagle | Hawkman (vol. 4) #37–45 | May 2006 | 978-1401210922 |
| Hawkman by Geoff Johns Book One | Hawkman (vol. 4) #1–14,Hawkman Secret Files #1 | June 2017 | 978-1401272906 |
| Hawkman by Geoff Johns Book Two | Hawkman (vol. 4) #15–25 andJSA #56–58 | April 2018 | 978-1401278342 |
| The Hawkman Omnibus Vol. 1 | Hawkman (vol. 4) #1–25,Hawkman Secret Files #1, JSA #56–58 | January 2012 | 978-1401232221 |
| Dark Nights: Metal: The Resistance | Hawkman: Found #1 andTeen Titans (vol. 6) #12,Nightwing (vol. 4) #29,Suicide Squad (vol. 5) #26,Green Arrow (vol. 6) #32,The Flash (vol. 5) #33,Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32,Justice League (vol. 4) #32–33,Batman: Lost #1 | July 2018 | 978-1401282981 |
| Hawkman Vol. 1: Awakening | Hawkman (vol. 5) #1-6 | June 2019 | 978-1401291440 |
| Hawkman Vol. 2: Deathbringer | Hawkman (vol. 5) #7-12 | December 2019 | 978-1401295585 |
| Hawkman Vol. 3: Darkness Within | Hawkman (vol. 5) #13-19 | September 2020 | 978-1779502490 |
| Hawkman Vol. 4: Hawks Eternal | Hawkman (vol. 5) #20-29 | February 2021 | 978-1779508065 |
| Black Adam: The Justice Society Files | Black Adam - The Justice Society Files: Hawkman #1 andBlack Adam - The Justice Society Files: Cyclone #1,Black Adam - The Justice Society Files: Atom Smasher #1, andBlack Adam - The Justice Society Files: Dr. Fate #1 | January 2023 | 978-1779517982 |
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkman Archives Vol. 1 | The Brave and the Bold #34–36, 42–44;Mystery in Space #87–90 | May 2000 | 978-1563896118 |
| Hawkman Archives Vol. 2 | Hawkman #1–8 | April 2005 | 978-1401201616 |
| Showcase Presents: Hawkman Vol. 1 | The Brave and the Bold #34–36, 42–44, 51,The Atom #7,Mystery in Space #87–90;Hawkman #1–11 | March 2007 | 978-1401212803 |
| Showcase Presents: Hawkman Vol. 2 | Hawkman #12–27,The Atom #31,The Atom and Hawkman #39–45,The Brave and the Bold #70 | August 2008 | 978-1401218171 |
| Hawkworld | Hawkworld #1-3 | March 2014 | 978-1401243296 |
| The Savage Hawkman Vol. 1: Darkness Rising | The Savage Hawkman #1–8 | October 2012 | 978-1401237066 |
| The Savage Hawkman Vol. 2: Wanted | The Savage Hawkman #0, #9–20 | December 2013 | 978-1401240844 |
| Convergence: Crisis Book One | Convergence: Hawkman #1-2 andConvergence: Batman and the Outsiders #1-2,Convergence: The Adventures of Superman #1-2,Convergence: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #1-2,Convergence: Green Lantern Corps #1-2 | October 2015 | 978-1401258085 |
| The Death of Hawkman | The Death of Hawkman #1-6 | June 2017 | 978-1401268244 |
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| Original characters | |
| Related | |
