Hawkgirl

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Hawkgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines in the DC Comics universe. They are partners, and sometimes spouses or lovers, of the various incarnations of Hawkman.

Contents

1 Shiera Sanders
2 Kendra Saunders
3 Powers and Abilities
4 Other media
5 See also
6 External links

Shiera Sanders

The Golden Age Hawkgirl was Shiera Sanders (or Saunders), the reincarnation of the Egyptian princess Chay-Ara, and partner of Carter Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman. Centuries ago, Chay-Ara and her lover Prince Khufu were murdered by the jealous high priest Hath-Set with a knife forged from an alien substance called nth metal. The properties of the metal and the strength of the duo's love created a bond between them, causing them to be reborn multiple times throughout the centuries.

She has had a number of subsequent incarnations, most notably the lady fair of Sir Brian Kent (The Silent Knight) and the Old West gunslinger, Kate Manser (a.k.a. Cinnamon).

In the early 20th century, Chay-Ara was reborn as Shiera Sanders. She was kidnapped by Dr. Anton Hastor (reincarnation of Hath-Set) but subsequently rescued by Hawkman (her reborn lover Khufu). Shiera became the hero's frequent ally and love interest. Eventually, she was granted a costume of her own and a belt of gravity-defying nth metal and joined him at his side as Hawkgirl.

Shiera Sanders as Hawkgirl. Art by Steve Rude.

The Hawks were members of the All-Star Squadron, and while Hawkman was a member of the Justice Society of America, Hawkgirl was not, only assisting the group on occasion. Recent retcons seem to point to Hawkgirl being formally inducted into the JSA at some time however. Eventually, Carter and Shiera married and had one son, Hector Hall, the most recent Doctor Fate.

Through retcon Carter and Shiera also joined the Justice League of America in the late 1980s, serving as liasons between that group and the Justice Society.

Shiera died when she was merged with Carter and Katar Hol to form a new Hawkman version, a "hawk god" creature, during the events of Zero Hour.

Kendra Saunders

The current Hawkgirl is Kendra Saunders, a young woman who committed suicide. When Kendra's soul left her body, that of her grandaunt, Shiera Hall, the Golden Age Hawkgirl, entered it. Her grandfather, former OSS agent and globe-trotting adventurer Speed Saunders, recognized this change and encouraged his granddaughter to embrace her destiny as the "new" Hawkgirl.

Still believing herself to be Kendra, she debuted as a heroine using the original Hawkgirl's equipment and set out in search of a being called the Fate-Child (actually her own reincarnated son, Hector Hall). This led to a meeting with the Justice Society and Kendra's induction to that team.

She currently has all of Kendra's memories, but almost none of Shiera's. This creates tension with Hawkman since he remembers all of their past lives together and believes they are destined for each other. Kendra has been presented as a very troubled young woman, haunted by the murder of her parents by a corrupt cop and confused by her jumble of memories and feelings. She has operated as Hawkman's partner but only recently began to actually admit her attraction to him. The truth about Kendra's identity was eventually revealed to her by the angel Zauriel.

She is one of the heroes Donna Troy recruited for a deep space mission to avert a coming crisis. A Zeta Beam tranporter malfunction injured many of the superheroes in space, including Hawkgirl, causing her to grow over twenty feet tall. Some time later, her proper stature restored, she is protecting St. Roch, Louisiana, in the absence of Hawkman.

Powers and Abilities

Hawkgirl owes her powers to a belt of nth metal, a substance native to the planet Thanagar (once home of another pair of Hawk-heroes, Katar Hol and Hawkwoman). The metal is psycho-reactive, responding to its bearer's thoughts and in its base form has a number of electromagnetic/gravitational properties. To the Hawks, it grants the power of flight, superhuman strength, super-acute vision, and an enhanced healing/regeneration ability.

Additionaly, the nth metal knife which murdered Hawkgirl in her original incarnation as Chay-Ara had an unusual effect upon her soul and that of her lover Khufu (Hawkman). The pair are locked in a seemingly endless cycle of death and rebirth throughout the centuries. While not a superhuman power per se, this propensity for reincarnation has allowed Hawkgirl to cheat death and return to active duty in her current incarnation.

Other media

Hawkgirl appears 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.

External links