Ok. I’m going to TRY to make this POSITIVE. Unfortunately, it’s inspired by the recent appearances of Hawkwoman in Green Lantern Corps. The first two issues have teased something…terrible for fans of the Hawks. It’s easy to get upset and come out swinging with criticism…don’t worry, it’ll come. Eventually. I’m trying to start with lauding the most significant aspect of Hawkman and Hawkwoman/ girl (she shall be Hawkwoman for the remainder of the article as it’s a name change and not necessarily a different character being referenced- unless it is!). So, what’s unique and special about the Hawks? What’s the one thing about them that is significantly different from other characters and why does it set them apart and why does it matter?
Hawkman and Hawkwoman A Couple for Life and Beyond
It might be easy to think that the idea of Hawkman and Hawkwoman having an eternal destiny is a new idea that came about during Robert Venditti’s (fairly) recent, iconic and definitive Hawkman run. The beauty of that run is that Venditti was just building on perhaps THE core element of the characters that makes them unique. In the process he developed an approach to the characters that elegantly connected all the various incarnations, retcons and cosmic shenanigans and made sense of them in a rather simple fashion- the couple reincarnate in both time and space- their reincarnations aren’t always linear, meaning they can interact with other versions of themselves at the same time. Consequently, they’ve had thousands (if not millions) of lives. Just as important is the story he came up with in order to create a reason for their eternal connection. This ends up not only being quite beautiful, but it gives an in story rationale for why the two always find each other in their lives. It’s not a cosmic destiny that operates as an outside force on their lives, but a CONSCIOUS DECISION the couple made in their first life in order to literally “be together forever”- not even death can separate them. How’s that for rooting love at the center of a relationship, and it’s doubly moving because that decision was based on sacrifice, reconciliation and redemption.
Hawkworld.org gives a great breakdown of Venditti’s story:
During the battle with the Deathbringers, Ktar was mortally wounded. With Shrra at his side and holding his hand, he died and awoke to find himself standing in a vast field of skulls, all his victims. A god-like entity (identity is never revealed) appeared before him and said that he had sensed something good in Ktar, so he gave him a choice; pass into the unlife or receive the power of reincarnation. He would live to save lives and he would continue to reincarnate until he had saved as many lives as he had taken, no matter how long it took. Ktar accepted the power and his cycle of reincarnation began.
Note: writer Robert Venditti has mentioned in interviews that he thought of Ktar as a “reverse-Lucifer,” Instead of being made to serve God and then turn evil, Ktar was created to serve a demon-god but rebelled and turned good.
The Golden Age
One of the great things about Venditti’s story is that his explanation and exploration of the reincarnation cycle builds on something that’s been with the characters since day one and indeed part of every incarnation in comics. When the duo first appeared as Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders back in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940), in his origin story, Hawkman (Carter Hall) learns that he is the reincarnation of Khufu, an Egyptian prince and the mysterious young woman he’s met, Shiera Sanders is the reincarnation of Khufu’s love. Though Shiera would not don wings and a costume until All-Star Comics #5 (June 1941) she aided Carter/ Hawkman on his adventures from the beginning before she became Hawkgirl (she was Hawkgirl for many years).
Over the ensuing years, Carter and Shiera married, had a son (Hector Hall, Silver Scarab) and remained together until their deaths in Zero Hour. It’s significant that even though Shiera hung up the wings at some point, she and Carter remained together, reflecting their connection.
The Silver Age
Though their continuity would continue into the Silver Age, through the Bronze Age and into the ’90’s, the Golden Age versions of the characters were retired during the ’50’s and replaced during the Silver Age with new versions. Just as Barry Allen replaced Jay Garrick and Hal Jordon replaced Alan Scott, Katar and Shayera Hol (nee Thal) replaced Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders.
The Brave and the Bold #34 introduced this version of the Hawks, this time they were Police officers from the planet Thanagar come to Earth following the trail of an escaped criminal from their world. Katar and Shayera came to Earth as an already married couple. With the opportunity to create a whole new take, one of the aspects that was retained was their status as a couple. While this version didn’t reference the reincarnation cycle, it’s certainly significant that they came to Earth already married. The idea of married superheroes was and still is something different. While Superman and Lois Lane have been married for quite a while, it’s not easy to think of many married heroes, let alone couples in which both are superheroes. It’s an aspect to Hawkman and Hawkwoman that stands out.
Throughout the Silver Age and the Bronze Age, their status as a couple was cemented, rarely appearing without the other, including both holding Justice League of America membership at the same time. Aquaman and Mera have become a similar type of couple over the years. They were not introduced together, but it’s hard to think of them separately. They function as a duo. Hawkman and Hawkwoman are the same. Their lives are intertwined as part of their origin.
Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths
After the seminal Crisis on Infinite Earths which rebooted the DC Universe, the next take on Hawkman and Hawkwoman got some tweaks. While they were still Thanagarian- Katar Hol, Shayera Thal- police officers and partners, they weren’t married. Despite this, it was an an undercurrent in the comics of the time with the two eventually falling in love. The theme remained with this version even though other elements of the characters were updated and different from both Golden Age and Silver Age versions. It seems clear that the two exist together as a single concept and it’s difficult to separate them without detouring from one of the core elements of the concept.
Post-Zero Hour
During the Zero Hour event Hawkman underwent a huge change which created a rift between the two. This Hawkman ended up dying and Hawkwoman returned to Thanagar. At this point a new version of Hawkgirl, Kendra Saunders was introduced in the pages of JSA. This Hawkgirl was the neice of Shiera Sanders Hall and through some cosmic shenanigans Shiera’s soul was also inside her. Eventually, Carter Hall in Katar Hol’s body (the post-Crisis Katar Hol) returned on a storyline that took the Justice Society of America to Thanagar. The returned Carter also retained Katar Hol’s memories.
This era featured a long “will they won’t they” period because Kendra Saunders was fighting against the Shiera part of her which manifested as a desire to not be with Carter. This was made all the more difficult because Carter could sense Shiera’s soul in Kendra, convincing him that Kendra was Shiera reincarnated. While the two struggled to find a way to be together, it was also central to their characters.
This era presents the oddity of having both a Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman present at the same time, two fairly distinct characters. Hawkwoman (Shayera Thal) would die in the Rann-Thanagar war which was part of the lead up to Infinite Crisis. She would die in Carter’s arms with him showing deep grief as he still retained Katar Hol’s memories. The connection between this Carter Hall/ Katar Hol prefigures the future of the pair as we can now understand that Katar and Shayera were one of the reincarnations of Carter and Shiera.
New 52/ Rebirth
When the New 52 launched we got a new Thanagarian Hawkman and Hawkwoman, but not police officers. Shayera was royalty this time and engaged to Katar Hol. Shayera would perish. Hawkman would also die in The Death of Hawkman a few years later.
Rebirth would give the Hawks a new lease on lives. Carter and Shiera once more had a long history with their time in the JSA reinstated along with the JSA. A version of their incarnations from the 1940’s was once again in play. This time, Hawkman “died” as he was investigating the Dark Multiverse. Shiera would die at some undisclosed point as well. He and Shiera would reincarnate into rewritten versions of the New 52 versions of the characters. Shayera was still royalty. This reincarnation was a little different as they both would be split into two version. Hawkman is the Dragon of Barbatos AND the Hawkman and Shiera becomes both Shayera Thal AND the new version of Kendra Saunders.
Shayera and Katar were still married and he still died in similar events as depicted in the aforementioned The Death of Hawkman. Shayera retreated with the surviving Thanagarians as their Empress. Meanwhile, Kendra had a whole separate life. In the course of events, Kendra gets separated permanently from her connection to Shiera/ Shayera and is finally her own person. Hawkman would reincarnate again and this is the character we see in the pages of Venditti’s run. And, it’s this Empress Shayera that we also see in Venditti’s take. These final events leading up to Venditti’s series appear to clear the way for a simple Carter/ Shiera or Katar/ Shayera relationship, again acknowledging that the two not only belong together, but that they need to be together.
Love Everlasting
The Venditti series concludes with Hawkman and Hawkwoman living happily ever after. It’s not something he invented out of whole cloth, rather its the logical conclusion to what’s been a part of the characters since day one. So, whatever nonsense happened in some cartoons that misunderstood and misrepresented the characters, it’s not relevant to what is going on in the comics. That Hawkgirl from the Justice League cartoon isn’t really Shayera as we know her…she’s just a random Thanagarian with a similar name. If her name is Shayera Hol, that means she’s already married to Hawkman. Besides, why would you want to laud a cartoon that made her a villain and Hawkman a creepy stalker. The comics have made it clear that they are to be together forever, and that’s a unique take on a couple and not only an element that’s been there from the beginning, but one that can’t be escaped. To not understand that is to not understand the Hawks!
There’s something deeply moving about finding that one person to be with…forever. The Hawks aren’t just together for this life, but EVERY LIFE. It’s something special when you find that person. It’s something many people struggle to do. Their story, nay, the very concept of their pairing for eternity is unique in comics. It’s something that truly sets them apart. The fact that they are a couple and one no more important than the other is also an important aspect of understanding them as a duo. It isn’t hero and sidekick, it’s two heroes together in life as well as their heroism. There are plenty of opportunities to explore different aspects of relationships, including the long distance relationship which is what SHOULD be happening within the current status quo. Venditti’s series left the couple happy together living out their final life TOGETHER. Anything that attempts to tear that asunder is grossly misguided.
Special thanks to Hawkworld.org, a great resource for everything Hawks! Check it out for all your Hawk-family questions!
