Hawkgirl

Hawkgirl is the name of several different superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Since the debut of the original version, first created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940), the character is often depicted as being from a line of immortal warriors affiliated with Hawkman, reincarnated and originating from different backgrounds, utilizes archaic forms of weaponry, powers intricately connected to the fictional Nth metal (often in the form of wings), and their alter-ego's names sometimes phonetically identical.

The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Hall (née Sanders), is considered one of DC Comics' earliest superheroines and is the chief love interest of the Carter Hall version of Hawkman. This version was present during the Golden Age, battling adversaries during the World War II era and was a member of the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society of America. The second Hawkgirl, Shayera Hol (née Thal), was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Joe Kubert, and first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #34 (March 1961). Active during the Silver Age, this version was an alien (Thanagarian) law enforcement officer trained under decorated Katar Hol and later arrived on Earth. Shayera later uses the "Hawkwoman" moniker instead. The third Hawkgirl, Kendra Saunders, is the current version; she is depicted as a Hispanic reincarnation who often seeks to distance herself from prior reincarnations. Ultimately, Hawkgirl's first incarnation was originally the Egyptian Chay-Ara but later revealed to be Shrra, an angel and herald who advocated for Ktar Deathbringer's (Hawkman's original incarnation) redemption despite his crimes, leading her to be cursed alongside him until he can redeem himself.

Hawkgirl have all been adapted into various media, including direct-to-video animated films, video games, and both live-action and animated television series, featuring as a main or recurring character in the shows Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, The Flash, Arrow, Young Justice, DC Super Hero Girls and Legends of Tomorrow. In particular, Ciara Renée portrayed Saunders in the Arrowverse franchise while Isabela Merced portrayed her in the DC Universe (DCU) film Superman (2025). Some versions, however, are also composite versions of one another and feature different aspects of characterization not first present in comics.