Hawkwoman

Hawkwoman is the name of several fictional superheroines all owned by DC Comics and existing in that company's DC Universe. They are partners, and sometimes spouses or lovers, of the various versions of Hawkman, and share many features with the character Hawkgirl.

Fictional character biography

Shayera Hol

The Silver Age version of Hawkwoman was Shayera Hol, a law enforcement officer from the planet Thanagar and wife of Katar Hol, the Silver Age Hawkman. She originally operated under the codename Hawkgirl, and was a member of the Justice League of America.

She was born on Thanagar, which had a scientifically advanced civilization in which crime was virtually unknown. As an adolescent, Shayera joined the Thanagarian police force and was assigned to assist the force's most decorated officer, Katar Hol, in capturing the Rainbow Robbers. At first, Katar was furious at being assigned an inexperienced young woman as a partner, but he nevertheless became strongly attracted to her.

Shayera Hol on the cover to Hawkman v2 #6. Art by Richard Howell.

Together, they captured the Rainbow Robbers in their stronghold found behind a waterfall; while on the case, Shayera saved Katar's life and the two fell deeply in love. A few weeks later, Katar proposed to Shayera in front of the same waterfall. She accepted and they were married. Ten years later, the couple was sent to Earth in pursuit of the criminal Byth Rok. Upon reaching Earth, they were befriended by Midway City police commissioner George Emmett, who established cover identities for them as Carter and Shiera Hall. After capturing Byth and bringing him back to their planet, Katar and Shayera chose to return to study Earth's crimefighting methods, and they fought against evil as the superheroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Shayera renamed herself Hawkwoman in the early 1980s.

As Hawkgirl, Shayera eventually joined her husband as a member of the Justice League. She was the first League member admitted as part of the League's vote to lift its prior twelve-member limitation,^[1] which had effectively prevented the admission of more women to its ranks. Her membership set precedent for the admission of Zatanna as the League's fifteenth member. Both Zatanna and Shayera became close friends since Hawkman vol. 2 #4 .

As Shiera, she first worked as Carter's secretary, but later became co-director of the Midway City Museum. She has a sort of rivalry with the museum naturalist Mavis Trent, who has her eyes on both Hawkman and Carter Hall.

Later, Thanagar had established itself as a military dictatorship bent on conquering other planets. Hawkman and Hawkwoman thwarted Thanagarian plans to invade Earth, destroying their own starship in the process. Hawkman and Hawkwoman remain on Earth, regarded as traitors by everyone on Thanagar. She helped her husband come to terms with the deaths they caused during the battle. Eventually, she changed her codename to Hawkwoman.^[2]

Following the events of DC's miniseries, Crisis on Infinite Earths, the histories of Earth-One and Earth-Two are merged. As a result, both Golden Age and Silver Age versions of Hawkman and Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman live on the same Earth. Initially, the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkwoman were kept in continuity unchanged. They took Superman to Krypton (now a gas planet),^[3] briefly joined Justice League International, teamed-up with Atom,^[4] and helped Animal Man defuse a Thanagarian bomb during Invasion. However, DC reversed this decision and rebooted Hawkman continuity after the success of the 1989 Hawkworld miniseries. Originally, Hawkworld retold the origins of Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkwoman. After becoming a success, DC Comics launched a Hawkworld ongoing series set in the present resulting in a complete reboot of Hawkman continuity. By doing so, several continuity errors regarding Hawkman and Hawkwoman's Justice League appearances needed to be fixed.

Sharon Parker

Years before the events told in the Invasion story arc, Fel Andar, a hybrid Human-Thanagarian spy, was sent to Earth to infiltrate among humans. Eventually he met and married an Earth woman, Sharon Parker, who would soon give birth to Charley Parker, later known as the Golden Eagle.

Costume worn by Sharon Parker. Art by Jan Duursema.

When Charley was four years old, Thanagar called Andar to active duty, so he joined the Justice League International claiming to be Carter and Shiera Hall's son Carter Hall, Jr. Andar never told the Thanagarian Empire about Charley, so they mindwiped Shayera, forcing her to take the identity of Hawkwoman Sharon Hall, wife of Carter Hall Jr.

When Sharon learned about the masquerade she exposed the truth to J'onn J'onzz and Maxwell Lord. Confronted by both, Andar escaped back to Thanagar and Sharon perished...

Shayera Thal

Shayera Thal II is the illegitimate daughter of Shayera Thal I and Andar Pul, Thanagar's Administrator of Protection and close friend of Shayera I's father Thal Provis. Andar Pul had seduced the then 13-year-old Shayera I and her pregnancy became a political scandal that threatened to put her father's political activities to a hold. As a result, Shayera II was abandoned in Downside by her mother shortly after her birth.

When she was ten, she first met Wingman ensign Katar Hol during his first mission to the Thanagarian ghettos. Her mother was killed in a terrorist bombing.

When Shayera lost her Downside guardian as a result of a police action she was sent to an orphanage in the High Towers. Here she was found and adopted by Thal Provis, whose grief over the loss of his own daughter, had led him to find and reclaim his granddaughter. She was unaware Provis was really her grandfather until much later.

As a young woman, Shayera became a Wingmen and eventually meets Katar Hol again. She helped him stop Byth's drug smuggling.

In the early 1990s, Thanagarian policemen partners Katar Hol and Shayera Thal arrived on Earth (following an attempted Thanagarian invasion of Earth) with the mission to capture the Thanagarian shapeshifting criminal Byth. They were part of a force which used the hawk as their symbol, and also had a winged, gravity-defying harness. Together they fought crime on Earth and corruption on Thanagar for some time, eventually falling in love and deciding to remain on Earth and build a life there rather than return to their homeworld. Then came the events of Zero Hour where Katar was merged with Carter and Shiera Hall in a new Hawkman version, who was then possessed by a creature from the red known as the Hawk Avatar. Fundamentally changed, he swore off his relationship with Shayera, and she retired from superhero work to become a cop in Detroit. The "new" Hawkman adventured for a brief time before going insane and being banished into limbo.

Shortly after that, Kendra Saunders became the new Hawkgirl, and Carter Hall, the original Hawkman, was resurrected. Shayera met them during her final battle against Byth when the three Hawks, aided by Animal Man, defeated the Thanagarian criminal for good.

In the Rann-Thanagar War miniseries, Shayera Thal reappeared as a reinstated soldier of the Thanagarian Army, last seen fighting with the invasion force of Polara. She considered reborn Hawkman Carter Hall and Hawkgirl Kendra Saunders friends of Thanagar, but grew angry with their ally Adam Strange blaming Rannian science for the destruction of her birth world. Despite this, she reluctantly served alongside him as a comrade-in-arms during the war.

Shayera was betrayed and murdered by Tamaranean Queen Komand'r. Her body was sent on a trajectory into Thanagar's sun, Polaris, the heroes' resting place in Thanagarian tradition.^[5]

Following DC's 2011 relaunch, Shayera Thal is revealed as the princess of Thanagar and the former lover of Katar Hol. Initially, she is depicted as a villain, after erroneously believing her lover Katar Hol has killed her brother, Emperor Corsar, vowing vengeance upon him.^[6] But after it is discovered that Corsar survived and was manipulating the situation Shayera betrays him and saves Katar's life, sacrificing her own for it.^[7]

Other versions

• In Alex Ross's Silver Age-toned Justice, Shayera Hol is a member of the Justice League and co-director of the Midway City Museum, alongside her husband. She also appears in Secret Origins and Liberty and Justice.
• Shayera and Katar are featured in the Elseworlds three-part series Legend of the Hawkman (2000). The story takes place in the Earth-One timeline, some time after The Brave and the Bold #34. She is shown wanting to return home to Thanagar while Katar has grown accustomed to life on Earth. Although this mini-series was never labelled as an Elseworlds project when originally published, it is now accepted as being one, with this story clearly based on the Silver Age versions of Hawkman and Hawkwoman during the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths era.
• In JLA: The Nail and JLA: Another Nail, Hawkwoman is a member of a much-hated Justice League, and remains so even after her husband's death by Amazo. In Another Nail, she appears to be close friends with Zatanna. She has forgiven Oliver Queen (in Amazo's body) after he admits feeling responsible for getting Katar killed, and mentions that her husband was proud to call Oliver a "comrade... and a friend." Her role as the sole Hawk with League membership is much like her animated counterpart in the Justice League animated series.
• In Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, the Hawks tried to return to Thanagar to flee from Lex Luthor's military dictatorship, only to crash in the rain forests of Costa Rica. They decided to remain in hiding. They've given birth to a son and daughter, giving them natural wings. Katar and Shayera were killed in a military strike ordered by Lex Luthor, embracing each other in their final moments. The children were brought up in the jungle ever since. They were bent on revenge against Lex.^[8] As Hawkboy, the son ultimately kills Lex with Batman's permission, since he understands what he's been through.
• The Silver Age Hawks made a cameo appearance in Adventures in the DC Universe 80-Page Giant as Chronos II travels across space and time. He witnesses them in a battle against the Manhawks.
• Katar and Shayera Hol appear in JLA/Avengers due to time distortions caused by Krona.
• Shayera appears in JLA: Created Equal, now calling herself "Hawk" after her husband died in the Fall.
• Shayera appears in issue #9 of the The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold comics. Much like their Silver Age counterparts, she and Katar are married and very much in love.
• Shayera appears in Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl as a member of the Justice Society.

In other media

Television

• Hawkgirl appeared in the animated Justice League series on Cartoon Network. Based on the comic book character Hawkwoman, Shayera Hol is an advance scout for a Thanagarian invasion force. She carries an electrode mace made of Nth metal and her wings are organic. For more information see Hawkgirl.
• Hawkwoman in Young Justice.^[9] She alongside Hawkman are members of the Justice League. In "Fireworks," she was with the Justice League when they arrived at the Cadmus Building following Blockbuster's defeat. She reappears in the episode "Revelation", helping to defend Metropolis alongside Hawkman and Green Lantern against a plant monster sent by Poison Ivy and the Secret Society of Super-Villains. In the episode "Failsafe," Hawkwoman was seen defending Taipei from alien invaders alongside Hawkman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary. The events of that invasion were all part of Martian Manhunter's mental training on the Team. In "Agendas", Hawkwoman attends the meeting of the Justice League about expanding the membership. She agrees with Wonder Woman and Black Canary about the Justice League needing more female members.

Films

• Shayera Hol has a cameo appearance as Hawkwoman (or Hawkgirl) at the end of the animated film Justice League: The New Frontier. She is seen during the famous speech by John F. Kennedy.

See also

• Hawkgirl

References

External links

• Hawkgirl on the DC Animated Universe Wiki, an external wiki
• Hawkman FAQ
• Hawkfan - A fansite dedicated to Hawkman and Hawkgirl.