Understanding Hawkman: Part One – the new origin

 

 Hawkman – why is he so difficult for some to understand?

Sure, he’s had a bit of a convoluted history with all of the reboots and re-imaginings, but Hawkman as he exists today, who was “fixed” by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and David Goyer, is not too difficult to understand at all.  But before we break down the current history, let’s get a general overview of this character. 

Hawkman debuted in 1940 in Flash Comics #1, created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville.  He was named Carter Hall, an archaeologist by trade who realized that he was the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince.  He fought crime as the winged warrior, Hawkman, and became a member of the Justice Society of America, serving as it’s chairman for a long time alongside his girlfriend, Sheira Sanders, who became Hawkgirl.

Like most other war-era mystery men comic characters, Hawkman fell off the radar, but was introduced later in what came to be known as the “Silver Age” where several mystery men were re-introduced with science fiction influences popular at the time.  This Hawkman was Katar Hol, a policeman of the planet Thanagar.  Along with Shayera, also known as Hawkwoman.  We discovered that the first Hawkman, Carter Hall, existed on a planet called Earth 2, whereas Katar existed on Earth 1.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths destroyed the concept of the Multiverse in the 80s, Hawkman was one of the most profoundly affected characters.  In an attempt to shoehorn him back into the DCU, writer Tim Truman re-imagined the Silver Age origins of Hawkman in the pages of the miniseries, Hawkworld.  Thanagar was far more militaristic, and Hawkman was far more severe.  Later on they introduced the concept of the Hawk Avatar, essentially a god-like character who used Hawkman as it’s champion.

By this point, Hawkman had about 73 origin stories, give or take 26.  DC decided to simply do away with the character in the Zero Hour event, and Hawkman wasn’t seen again for a few years.

Then we get to the modern age of comics, and the title JSA, written by David Goyer and Geoff Johns; and later the new Hawkman ongoing comic written by Geoff Johns and James Robinson combined to take on the task of cleaning up the varying histories of Hawkman into one nice, neat package.   What follows is the result of that undertaking.

THE ORIGIN OF MODERN DAY HAWKMAN

 

Don’t worry – we’ll get to Hawkman caving in some Nazi’s faces soon enough!  Our story actually begins a long time ago, in a galaxy really, really close by.  We begin on Ancient Thanagar, one of the galaxy’s first star-spanning empires.  Mastering the mysterious “Nth Metal,” the Thanagarians spread amongst the stars.  One spacecraft made it as far as Earth, but it was damaged and it crashed into the sands of Ancient Egypt.  The craft and it’s dying occupants were found by the Prince Khufu, along with his court of Nabu (the future Dr. Fate) and Teth-Adam (Black Adam).  Coming in contact with the Nth Metal passed on the racial memory that all Thanagarians enjoy to Prince Khufu and he became aware of the potential power of this substance.  Fashioning a armaments partially inspired by his own religion, and paritally by the new Thanagarian memories he did not fully understand, Khufu and his bride, Chay-Ara used the Nth metal to become mighty champions of their empire, ruling with love and justice.  They were betrayed, however, by one of their closest allies, known as Hath-Set.  A combo of the Nth Metal and a curse placed upon them by Hath-Set put into motion thousands of years of re-incarnations of Khufu and Chay-ara, dooming them to meet, fall in love, but ultimately be killed by Hath-Set, who was also caught up in the curse.

The three were reborn time and time again.  Among the notable reincarnations for them were DC’s western heroes, Nighthawk and Cinnamon.

 The 20th Century saw Khufu reborn as Carter Hall, and like his original origin, he was an archaeologist by trade and a museum curator.  The Nth metal of the armaments that had been passed down through time drew the attention of a Thanagarian agent named Paran Katar, who recognized a sort of kindred spirit in Carter.  Like many of the day, Carter and his girlfriend (eventual wife) Sheira Saunders adopted costumed identities during the second World War: the winged heroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

They stayed active as heroes longer than most, being a part of the JLA as well as the JSA, and even had a son named Hector, who became a hero named the Silver Scarab.  This was the first time in their many lives that they had children.  During this time they met two police officers from Thanagar named Katar Hol and Shayera Thal.  The two Thanagarians became active on Earth as Hawkman and Hawkwoman for some time, but during the time crisis known as Zero Hour which saw many of the Justice Society die, the original Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Katar Hol were seemingly killed by the villain extant.  Only Shayera surived that event, but she would end up leaving Earth.

Zero Hour was essentially the end of Katar Hol, but not the end of Sheira or Carter.  Sheira was the first to return, but in an incomplete way.  Her neice, Kendra Saunders, a film school student in Austin, Texas, killed herself after a troubling life.  She was taken to the hospital by her uncle, Speed Saunders, who saw her die…but then be reborn.  He recognized that Kendra was gone and that the soul who came back was in fact Sheira Hall.  The rebirth was not fully complete, and Sheira woke up believing herself to still be Kendra.

“Kendra” would end up joining the reborn Justice Society of America, albeit somewhat reluctantly.  Always a confused, troubled individual she began to slowly open up to a few members of the team; notably then-chairman Sand (Sandy Hawkins), and Dr. Fate, who was actually Hector Hall reborn (having been killed years earlier).  She was eventually confronted by the angel, Zauriel (a replacement-character for Hawkman created during his long comics absence) who informed her that she was not Kendra, but rather Sheira.  Before she could even begin to process this she was whisked away to Thanagar, who needed her to help Carter Hall return from the grave.

It turned out that Carter, Sheira and Katar fell into a well of souls.  As previously stated, Sheira escaped first; and Katar was actually killed and had passed on, but not before his soul had somewhat merged with Carter Hall’s.  Using the centuries-old bond between them, the Thanagarian mystics used “Kendra” as a tether to pull Carter Hall’s soul from the well.  Hawkman, now with the memories of Carter Hall, Katar Hol and indeed every one of his previous lives, was reborn.  With the help of the JSA, Hawkman and Hawkgirl defeated the villainous god, Onimarr Synn and freed Thanagar from his tyranny.  Now a man of two worlds, Carter Hall returned to Earth…but unlike previous lives not all was familiar.

In this life they had a child, who like them had been reborn (in the form of his trusted advisor from ancient times); and “Kendra” did not love him, despite his attempts to reclaim her heart.   Eventually the two would become closer, and even feel love, but their millenia-spanning bond had been shattered.  Further breaking the curse, Hawkman and Hawkgirl defeated and banished the re-incarnated Hath-Set, and along the way Kendra’s soul returned and Sheira passed on to her final reward.  Now, for the first time in their many lives they are no longer slaves to fate.

 Why is that so hard to understand?

Coming up next, we’ll explore the friends, loves and allies of Hawkman