A brand new trailer of the much-awaited ‘Black Adam’ is finally out now, all thanks to San Diego Comic-Con 2022. While there is no doubt that fans are going into a frenzy with the look of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Black Adam, there is one more character that has pretty much caught the eyes of the fans: Hawkman.
This member of Black Adam’s Justice Society has a much more convoluted story than any other character in comic books. He has a life which is notoriously confusing. Well, as the character is about to appear in the upcoming masterpiece from DCEU, fans are really keen to know the history of this leader of JSA. Here’s everything you need to know about Hawkman.
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The Mysterious Origin Story Of Hawkman
Hawkman is one of the DC comics superheroes. This character has gone through numerous reincarnations. All of them could be characterized by the use of archaic weaponry and by large, artificial wings, attached to a harness made from the special Nth metal that enables flight.
Well, the story starts in ancient Egypt, where a character named Prince Khufu was engaged in a feud with his rival – Egyptian priest Hath-Set. The priest kills both Khufu and his wife in the end. Then, in 1940, Khufu reincarnates as American archaeologist Carter Hall, who is the most widely-known personality of Hawkman. He is a human archaeologist and settles in New York with plans to work on his future. Not only that, but his wife also reincarnates as Shiera Sanders. Hath-Set reincarnates as a scientist named Anton Hastor.
Somehow Carter regains his memories of his past life and also recognizes the evil priest. Using the properties of Nth metal to craft a gravity-defying belt, Hall creates wings and a costume, and confronts Hastor as Hawkman. Hawkman also has another personality in which he is a policeman named Katar Hol who comes from a planet called Thanagar, and his mission is to pursue criminals with his ability to change forms.
Appearances Of The Leader Of JSA
Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville’s combined creation, Hawkman’s first appearance was in the first Flash Comics magazine in 1940 alongside Johnny Thunder, Jay Garrick, and of course, the genius Thunderbolt. But the biggest breakthrough in the life of the character came with its appearance in the well-known Hanna Barbera series ‘Super Friends‘. In the same, he made a team with Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman. The incarnation of Hawkman featured in the series is Carter Hall. In live-action television, Hawkman as Hall appeared in ‘Smallville’ and the ‘Arrowverse’ series ‘Arrow’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Stargirl’, and ‘Legends of Tomorrow‘. He also appeared in episode 8 of second season of ‘The Flash’. Falk Hentschel played the character in the series.
DC’s ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ episode 1 featured Hall and his wife helping Rip Hunter in his struggle to win over Vandal Savage. The last episodes of the series saw Hawkman and his wife going away from the legends and continuing their lives as superheroes but in the city of St. Roch.
Hawkman’s appearance also includes ‘Super Friends: The Legendary Super Power’ Show, ‘The All-New Super Friends Hour’, and ‘Challenge of the Super Friends’. There are a bunch of animated movies that included a cameo from Hawkman. Some of them are ‘Justice League: The New Frontier’, ‘Justice League Dark’, and ‘Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse.’
Hawkman has a history in Marvel as well. He and Archangel from Marvel comics combine to become AngellHawk of the Justice League Avengers in comic books. In addition, Hawkman had his film debut in 1979 in ‘Legends of the Superheroes‘, a movie starring Bill Nuckols.
Powers And Abilities Of Hawkman
Well, when it comes to the topic of the power and abilities of the powerful character, the first and most unique one that comes up is the ability to reincarnate. It provides him the chance to live multiple lives filled with exciting moments and challenges. Not just that, but he possesses the ability to recall all the events of each of his reincarnations. In addition to being intelligent, Hawkman is a scholar in both history and archaeology and is fluent in numerous languages. He is also a fearless fighter, a clever strategist, a fantastic leader, and a master at using any kind of weapon including battle axes, maces, swords, spears, and shields. But the flail and the mace are Hawkman’s two favorite medieval weapons. He is portrayed as a skilled marksman with a handgun as Nighthawk.
Occasionally, Carter Hall is shown operating cutting-edge technology. He utilized the Thanagarian ship The Brontadon, and wore Rannian hard-light armor during the Rann-Thanagar War. In a depiction from the future, Hawkman is shown wielding sophisticated laser weapons also.
Hawkman is also capable of defying gravity, thanks to the Nth metal in his wings, belt, harness, and boots, which is controlled mentally. His wings, which he can flap with his shoulders, allow him to be one of the most unique characters with the power of aviation. The mysterious wings allow him to fly at different speeds, reaching up to 300 km/hour.
Additionally, Hall’s Nth metal improves his strength and vision, speeds up recovery, and controls body temperature, reducing the need for bulky protective garments while flying at high altitudes. Strong and weak nuclear forces, as well as electromagnetism, are known to be affected by the Nth metal. In ‘Hawkman: Secret Files and Origins‘ #1 (2002), it is also revealed that Nth metal possesses additional undiscovered abilities.
Hawkman As A Member Of JSA
Unlike Green Lantern and the Flash, Hawkman was not a founding member of the Justice Society of America during the heyday of comic books. He and Hawkgirl belonged to the JSA during the Silver Age and participated in its activities up until its collapse. They are partially Justice League of America members.
During the Silver Age, a number of characters were revived and brought back together as the JSA. The Justice Society existed on Earth 2 and the Justice League on Earth 1, which allowed for dimensional crossovers and collaborations from 1963 to 1985. This was the writers’ solution as they didn’t want to eliminate either league.
The JSA will once again be introduced in the Black Adam live-action film, with a particular focus on its four members: Doctor Fate, Cyclone, Atom Smasher, and Hawkman.
The Evolution Of The Character
In comic books, Hawkman is a character with a short fuse, a strong temper, and firm beliefs. He doesn’t have a problem blowing up a villain’s hideout while the villain is inside, even in the Golden Age.
His fervent conservatism is another noteworthy characteristic. It has frequently caused him to disagree with Green Arrow, who is a liberal. The miniseries ‘Identity Crisis’ revealed that the disagreements between him and Green Arrow about the mind-control of Doctor Light were the primary cause of this hostility.
Carter Hall also incorporates a lot of Katar Hol into his fundamental being since his rebirth. He wears the more robust superhero gear that is his signature and resembles both himself and Katar in appearance.
Hawkman In Upcoming ‘Black Adam’ Film
Superheroes based on DC Comics are the subject of the upcoming film ‘Black Adam‘. Made by DC Films in collaboration with New Line Cinema, FlynnPictureCo, and Seven Bucks Productions, it is distributed by Warner Bros. This film is significant because it aims to alter the balance of power within the DC Extended Universe. ‘Black Adam’ debuts Dwayne Johnson as DC’s anti-hero and features an impressive cast.
Aldis Hodge, who is known for ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Supernatural’, and ‘Black Mirror’, movies like ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,’ plays Hawkman.
The movie presents the superheroes we already know. This time, they create the Justice Society of America to fight Doctor Fate. Directed by Jaume Collet Serrat, ‘Black Adam‘ will hit the theatres on October 22, 2022.
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