Hawkman
| Hawkman | |
|---|---|
Hawkman and his various past reincarnations in the cover of Hawkman (2018) #7. Art by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Jeremiah Skipper. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics All-American Publications |
| First appearance | Carter Hall: Flash Comics #1 (January 1940) Katar Hol: The Brave and the Bold #34 (February–March 1961) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Carter Hall Katar Hol |
| Species | Human (Carter) Thanagarian (Katar) |
| Place of origin | Thanagar (Katar) |
| Team affiliations | Justice League Justice League International Justice Society of America Elite Hawkmen Force Council of Immortals All-Star Squadron |
| Partnerships | Hawkgirl (various) The Atom (various) Doctor Fate (various) Hector Hall |
| Abilities | Both versions of Hawkman have access to Nth metal harnesses, boots, belts, etc. This grants them a variety of powers such as flight, enhanced durability, strength, etc. Due to having experienced many different lifetimes, Hawkman is a capable warrior, with expertise in hand-to-hand combat, archaic weaponry, and is considered a genius-level tactician. |
Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in January 1940. While both notable versions of the characters were originally similar (with phonetically similar names) but different characters existing in parallel universes (Earth-One and Earth-Two respectively), the merging of both following Crisis on Infinite Earths led to numerous revisions to reconcile Hawkman's history and using each alter-ego's name interchangeably, marking Hawkman's reputation for a complex and confusing history.
Hawkman is consistently a hawk-themed, reincarnated warrior with access to the fictional Nth metal, granting him a host of powers, a preference for archaic weaponry, and is often paired alongside fellow reincarnated warrior and paramour, Hawkgirl (or Hawkwoman). He is portrayed as either the human archaeologist Carter Hall whose re-discovery of Nth metal recalls his past reincarnations or as a decorated Thanagarian police officer Katar Hol who comes to Earth. Hawkman also has affiliation with several superhero teams such as the Justice Society of America and Justice League, often serving as team leader in the former. Ultimately, Hawkman's first incarnation was originally said to be Egyptian pharaoh Khufu but later stories reveal it to be Ktar Deathbringer, an alien murderer cursed to atone for his crimes by saving as many people as he killed, which transitioned him into a heroic figure. Due to the conditions of his curse, he reincarnates across space and time, allowing for multiple iterations to co-exist simultaneously at times.
The character has been adapted into other media numerous times, with significant appearances in Justice League Unlimited, which featured Hawkgirl as a main character, as well as several DC Universe Original Animated Movies. In live action, Hawkman first appeared onscreen in the two-part 1979 TV special Legends of the Superheroes, portrayed by Bill Nuckols. Hawkman was later portrayed by Michael Shanks in Smallville and by Falk Hentschel in The CW's Arrowverse series. He also appears in the DC Extended Universe film Black Adam (2022), portrayed by Aldis Hodge.