Hawkman
From Hawkman Wiki
Hawkman is the name of several DC Comics characters.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Carter Hall
In the days of ancient Egypt, Prince Khufu is engaged in a feud with his rival, the Egyptian priest Hath-Set. The priest eventually captures both Khufu and his consort Chay-Ara, and kills them. Millennia later, in 1940, Khufu is reincarnated as American archaeologist Carter Hall, and Chay-Ara as Shiera Saunders.
Using the properties of "Nth metal" to craft a gravity-defying belt, Hall creates wings and a costume to become the first Hawkman.
Carter Hall and Shiera Saunders had together a son ,named Hector Hall, who grew also a superheroic identity as Silver Scarab and later adopted the mantle of Dr Fate. Hector Hall was member of the superhero groups Infinity Inc. and JSA where he served along his father.
In the DC Universe, Carter Hall is the current Hawkman. He operates out of the fictional city of St. Roch, Louisiana.
In Hawkman Special #1 a nameless being who claims to be the Demiurge, or God's architect, tells Carter that he is one of the Aberrant Six. He tells Carter that some unknown entity has mixed his true reality with pieces of other Hawkmen from before the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Therefore, some of the events that he remembers did not happen to him in the reality of the New Earth that was created after the Crisis. Which events are untrue remains to be seen, but as the Demiurge left him he called him Katar Hol. Hall is quoted, "The Demiurge called me Katar Hol...A Thanagarian name that belongs to a dead man." This reestablishes Hawkman's link to the Thanagarian police officer.
[edit] Katar Hol
- See: Hawkman (Katar Hol)
Katar Hol is an honored police officer on his homeworld of Thanagar. Along with his wife Shayera, they use the anti-gravity ninth metal and their wings to 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 1959 to capture the shape-shifting criminal Byth. Following this mission, they elected to remain on Earth to work with authorities in the United States and learn human police methods. The two adopted covers as a pair of museum curators, Carter and Shiera Hall, and acted publicly as the second Hawkman and the second Hawkgirl (later Hawkwoman).
After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Katar Hol was rebooted in a prestige format miniseries named Hawkworld by Timothy Truman. A regular ongoing series of the same name followed. Katar Hol, a young police 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. As a result, he is reinstated in the force, given a new partner, Shayera Thal, and sent on a mission on Earth, where he is the third Hawkman.
[edit] Fel Andar
- See: Hawkman (Fel Andar)
Late in the 1980s, Thanagarian spy Fel Andar -- who had been living on Earth for some time already -- was ordered by the Thanagarian army to infiltrate the Justice League as the second Hawkman
[edit] Zauriel
- See: Zauriel
When Grant Morrison revived the JLA comic book in 1997, he expanded the roster to include over a dozen heroes. With frequent collaborator Mark Millar, he intended to create a new Hawkman with no links to the old characters. This new Hawkman, an Earth-bound angel of the "Eagle host" named Zauriel, was to be introduced into the JLA with issue #6 (June 1997). Morrison was denied permission to use the name "Hawkman" by DC editorial, which still considered it "radioactive", due to the complex post-Crisis continuity problems with the character.
In the Wizard JLA Special, Morrison made an appeal to the fanbase: "it's a good name and it seems a shame to let it go to waste. We're hoping that fans will figure 'For God's sake, let's just call him Hawkman and get him in the Justice League as Hawkman,' and the editors will relent. We're hoping to start a campaign." DC held firm, and the "Hawkman" name went unused for several more years.
[edit] Charley Parker
- See: Golden Eagle
Originally the Teen Titans member called Golden Eagle, Charley Parker was presumed deceased after an attack by the Wildebeest Society during the event known as "Titans Hunt". He was later revealed to be alive in the fourth volume of Hawkman and went on to assist the Carter Hall Hawkman for some time. When Carter Hall seemingly perished, Charley Parker took on the mantle and became the fourth Hawkman, and revealed himself as the son of Carter Hall. In fact, he was actually the son of Fel Andar, and had been responsible for Carter's troubles and his apparent demise. Carter Hall eventually defeated the Golden Eagle, and their vendetta would later be dropped, and Carter Hall reclaimed his mantle.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
Powers and abilities All incarnations of Hawkman used the fictional "ninth metal" or "Nth Metal" to defy gravity and allow them to fly. 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.
The Silver Age Hawkman also had enhanced senses comparable (it was said) to a hawk's. He (and, sometimes, the Golden Age Hawkman) was also able to converse with birds, though he couldn't command them as Aquaman could, with sea creatures.
The Silver Age Hawkman also possessed a Thanagarian police space ship and a variety of science fictional weapons.
All versions of Hawkman preferred to use archaic weaponry - particularly maces, nets, spears and shields - rather than modern or futuristic weapons. The current incarnation prefers this in part because, having the memories of living through many 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 in ancient Egypt, it was delivered to the newly resurrected Carter Hall by the time-displaced Jay Garrick in JSA Book 3: "The Return of Hawkman". Later, in Superman-Batman Book 1: "Public Enemies", Hawkman used it to defeat Superman, 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. Whereas the Golden Age Hawkman's strength appeared natural, it was later explained (with the Silver Age Hawkman) that the Nth metal enables its wielders to carry great weights. The recent incarnation has interpreted this as the 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 how Atlanteans (i.e. Aquaman) are adapted to deep sea pressures.
It has also been explained in the JSA series that the nth metal greatly aids in healing, closing wounds almost instantaneously. One example is in the JLA story "Crisis of Conscience," in issues 115-118. Carter has his arm 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 than third-degree burns.
The Nth metal also regulates the body temperature of the wearer, preventing the need for heavy protective clothing while in high altitudes.
[edit] See Also
[edit] Other media
- Hawkman's first animated appearance was in the 1967 Filmation animated series The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, in which Hawkman appeared in several shorts, either in solo adventures or as part of the Justice League.
[edit] Super Friends
- Hawkman has appeared as a Super Friend in The All-New Super Friends Hour, Challenge Of The Super Friends, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians. His voice was provided by Jack Angel. Hawkman appears in almost every episode of Challenge of the Superfriends, but has only spoken lines in only thirteen out of the sixteen episodes of this series.
- Hawkman was featured in the Legends of the Superheroes TV Specials in 1979, portrayed by Bill Nuckols.
- In 1997, during the period in which Hawkman's continuity was considered hopelessly complicated and the character was in limbo, Hawkman was the star of a tongue in cheek Baby Ruth commercial. A slightly out-of-shape Hawkman is shown struggling to lift criminals off the ground and flying straight into a glass window. Eating a Baby Ruth candy bar, he says, gives him the energy he needs to fight crime.
[edit] Justice League
- In the second season finale of Justice League, a character based loosely on the Silver Age Hawkman called Hro Talak (an anagram of Katar Hol) had used Hawkgirl as a scout and he led his Thanagarian forces in an invasion on Earth, after tricking the Earthlings, so that they can sacrifice the planet to defeat their enemies, the Gordanians. After the Justice League defeated them, they fled Earth. The concept of a villanious Hawkman is likely based on Fel Andar. He did not use the name Hawkman. Hro Talak was voiced by Victor Rivers.
[edit] Justice League Unlimited
In Season 1 of Justice League Unlimited, it was revealed that the remainder of the Thanagarian army was attacked by the Gordanians and Hro Talak sacrificed his life to destroy one of their ships leaving those that were with Hro to flee to another planet where they plot revenge against Hawkgirl when she lands in their trap with Vixen and Vigilante.
- In Season 2, an actual Hawkman appears, who is an amalgamation of the Golden Age and Silver Age Hawkman. He first appears in the form of Carter Hall (whose birthname is Joseph Gardner), an archaeologist who takes a liking to Shayera. He had previously discovered Thanagarian technology in an Egyptian tomb, and after exposure to a memory-recording device called an Absorbacron, came to believe that he and Shayera were the reincarnations of two Thanagarian lovers, named Katar Hol and Shayera Hol, who had crashed in ancient Egypt. Adopting the name of Hawkman, Hall led her to the tomb (with Batman secretly following) and revealed his superhero identity. When the villainous Shadow Thief attacked, the tomb collapsed, after which Shadow Thief escaped away, and Hawkman departed, still believing that he and Shayera are meant for each other. It is not stated definitively, however, that Hall is actually speaking the truth - it is suggested that he is delusional, and that his mind may have been addled by his exposure to the Absorbacron. Eventually it was discovered that the Shadow Thief is an independent fragment of Hall's addled psyche and that the reincarnation theory was likely true. Hawkman was voiced by James Remar. Batman says that Hall's real name is "Joseph Gardner", which is a nod to Hawkman's most notable creators, Joe Kubert and Gardner Fox. In the series finale, he is seen along with other heroes responding to the League alert concerning Darkseid's invasion of Earth.
[edit] The Batman
- Hawkman makes a cameo (alongside The Flash, Green Arrow and Green Lantern Hal Jordan) in The Batman season-four finale "The Joining, Part Two" and appeared in the episode "What Goes Up...", voiced by Robert Patrick. In the episode, he teamed-up with Batman and Robin to stop Black Mask and Shadow Thief. In the series finale episode "Lost Heroes", he and the Justice League went up against Hugo Strange and the joining. While not identified by name, a comment made about the Batcave looking like Police headquarters on Thanagar indicates that he's Katar Hol.
