Escaping The Hawkgirl and Green Lantern (John Stewart) Mess

   Ever since the early 2000s, the relationship between Hawkgirl (Shayera Hol) and Green Lantern (John Stewart) has been a hot topic of debate among Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, DCAU, and comics fans in general. DCAU fans who grew up watching the Justice League cartoon have been wanting for them to get back together, while older, more "traditional" fans (Hawkfans) like myself want to see Hawkgirl back with Hawkman. What's the best way forward for the Hawkfans and DCAU fans? With Hawkworld groups on Reddit, Facebook, Bluesky, and Blogger, I run into this debate often. At the risk of pissing some fans off, I thought I would offer my thoughts and a solution to the whole conundrum. 

Justice League of America No. 149 (December 1977)

Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (1976)

Showcase Presents Hawkman No. 101 (June 1978)

   When I started reading comics in 1977, I discovered the amazing world of DC superheroes and the hero that sunk his talons deep into my young, impressionable mind was Hawkman. I had started reading the Justice League of America comic and discovered Hawkman there. In the gaudy world of costumed superheroes, he still stood out. The helmet, the huge wings, the mace, the harness across the chest, the spaceships and Thanagar were really cool and fascinating. I wanted to know more about this character. But there was a problem. He didn't have his own comic. So I had to go looking. I scoured the local conveniece stores' spin racks for any JLA back issues and found quite a few. I came across Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes in a book store and learned about the Golden Age Hawkman's first appearance and the first story of the Silver Age Hawkman. Then Showcase Presents Hawkman No. 101 came out in March 1978. I was hooked. This character fascinated me. 

From Showcase presents Hawkman No. 101 (June 1978)

   Of all the things that fascinated me about Hawkman, the most interesting aspect was the relationship that he had with Hawkgirl (later Hawkwoman). While there were other DC couples, these two were truly partners, aliens on a planet they had adopted as their own. The reincarnation part of their story was not focused on during the Silver and Bronze Ages, but even without it, they seemed to be completely devoted to each other. Their relationship was the number one thing that attracted me to them and made me want to read more about them. 

The Shadow War of Hawkman (May-August 1985)

Hawkman Vol. 2 (August 1986-December 1987)

   In 1985, I finally got my wish. Tony Isabella( writer) and Richard Howell (artist) started a 4-issue series which led to a special issue at the end of 1985 and then the second Hawkman series in 1986. It featured the Hawks as fugitives from the their home planet of Thanagar, and the spotlight was on their love for each other and the way they were equal partners in their fight against Thanagar and other villains. One of my all-time favorite scenes in their history is when they are reunited after it appeared that Hawkwoman had been killed. You can feel the pain, relief, joy, and love that the two had for each other coming out of the pages. It was a beautiful run and it still has not been collected into one volume. It's been fourty years now. We're waiting, DC Comics. 

The Shadow War of Hawkman No. 3 (July 1985)

   This is the image that I had of Hawkman and Hawkwoman; complete commitment, unquestioned love, and equal partners. It was one of the greatest love stories that DC had to offer. But then they decided to start breaking that apart. 

Hawkworld Vol. 1 No. 1 (August 1989)

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 0 (October 1994)

   Hawkworld came out in 1989 and completely rewrote the Hawks' story. Katar was a tortured, introspective, thoughtful guy who occasionally had fits of rage, while Shayera was head-strong and almost always in a fit of rage. They eventually found themselves on Earth, fugitives from Thanagar once again, and fell in love. However, the entire story took a turn after Hawkman merged with the Carter Hall and the Hawk god during the Zero Hour event. Hawkwoman lost her wings, Hawkman grew distant, and Shayera was almost completely written out of the series. She moved away and rarely appeared again. Instead, we got a middle-aged man with two left arms named....yes you guessed it...Lefty. 

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 6 (February 1994)

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 17 (February 1995)

   This completely took the wind out of the series. It lost its way and was canceled a year later. They tried to take Hawkman in a new direction at the expense of Hawkwoman and the readers lost interest. Hawkman and Hawkwoman being together is their greatest appeal. But writers continued to go down this path even after the failure of this series. 

JSA No. 2 (September 1999)

JSA No. 23 (June 2001)

   In 1999, with the Hawks shelved after the poor showing of Hawkman Vol. 3, DC Comics decided to go in a new direction and introduced a whole new Hawkgirl. Sort of. Kendra Saunders was the grand-neice of Shiera Saunders and after a "successful" suicide attempt, she died but then was resurrected with her great-aunt's soul as part of her memory and persona. She now had bits and pieces of her memories as Hawkgirl. She only had vague memories of Hawkman. When he returned, he fully expected to be reunited with Shiera, NOT with Kendra. He could sense Shiera in there, but Kendra, whose life had been pulled back from death because of Shiera, completely rebuffed him. 

JSA No. 24 (July 2001)

   Because of this new angle, Hawkman was now almost like a creepy stalker. They had been reincarnated for thousands of years, were completely devoted to each other time and time again, and now suddenly this Hawkgirl wanted no part of it. Kendra was again head-strong and almost always in a fit of rage, except with no Hawkman to reel her in. So what did the DC writers do? They started writing Hawkman as a raging battle tank, always jumping into a fight without thought and using more force than necessary. This is where the discussion about Hawkman being the DC equivalent of Marvel's Wolverine began. Before the 2000s, this would never have been even considered. 

Hawkman Vol. 4 No. 23 (March 2004)

   Meanwhile, over in the DCAU, things were changing there as well. Hawkgirl (Shayera Hol) was introduced as a member of the Justice League and eventually developed a relationship with John Stewart. But she turned out to be a Thanagarian spy who worked under Hro Talak, the leader of the Thanagarian invasion forces. Hro Talak of course being a "clever" anagram of Katar Hol. 

Hro Talak of course looked almost identical to Hawkman, and since he had not appeared in the series yet, of course the new generation of Hawk fans were going to dislike Hawkman and root for Shayera and John to be together happily ever after. It didn't help when another Hawkman appeared in the Justice League Unlimited series. 

   This Hawkman, named Carter Hall, was from Earth and convinced that they were the reincarnations of Prince Khufu and Chay-ara. Hro Talak wasn't forgotten, fans wanted Shayera to be with John and the almighty Batman was immediately suspicious of him. Three strikes and you're out. This is the Hawkman that the generation of the early 2000s grew up watching. Who is going to like a character like that? To top it all off with something extra special, Shadow Thief turned out to be an evil side of Hawkman's psyche. Whoever made these decisions, whether it was deliberate or not, couldn't have made a more toxic vibe around Hawkman. The "newer" fans now wanted Shayera and John together, not the creepy stalker Hawkman. If it's a Superman or Batman that they did this too, most fans would realize this is just a differnt version of the heroes. But the comics and cartoon both portrayed Hawkman as a raging psycho at times. The damage that the comics and cartoon from the early 2000s have done untold damge to the most beautiful and fascinating thing that made them so great. And now the writers of the current comics and the fans who buy them are the kids who grew up watching this unfold. Of course they are going to want Hawkgirl and Green Lantern together. 

Batman Beyond Unlimited No. 4 (July 2012)

Green Lantern Corps No. 1 (April 2025)

   The Hawkgirl-John Stewart story has even crept into the comics. In the Batman Beyond Unlimited series, it was revealed that Shayera and John ended up together and had a child named Rex Stewart. Rex would eventually become the superhero called Warhawk. In the Green Lantern Corps series, Shayera Hol contacted John Stewart personally for help. Throughout the first three issues, it was implied that there had been something between them long ago, but it was never revealed. But when it was announced that Shayera was in an adventure together, many Hawkfans of the JLU era sure did seem excited. 

Green Lantern Corps No. 2 (May 2025)

   And this brings us to today. The Superman movie recently came out and Hawkgirl is one of the characters in the movie. Naturally, Hawkfans have started to wonder when Hawkman will show up. Hawkman made his movie debut in Black Adam in 2022, right when the DCEU was wiped out by James Gunn and the new DCU was announced. Some bits and pieces of the defunct DCEU apparently is being used in the DCU. What about Hawkman? Aldis Hodge played the role in Black Adam and many have been wondering is he will be called back in by James Gunn. As of now, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. 

Aldis Hodge as Hawkman in Black Adam (2022)

Black Adam's Hawkman Actor Addresses Potential James Gunn DCU Return 

   As far as we know, Aldis Hodge wants to return to the Hawkman role, but James Gunn has never contacted him and there are zero rumors about his return. Not looking good to be honest. And then Isabella Merced, the current Hawkgirl in the Superman movie, said this in an interview. 

Isabela Merced Teases Hawkgirl’s Romance With John Stewart In The DC Universe 

Isabela Merced actually touched on this romance in a recent interview. When asked if there was any chance for Hawkgirl and John Stewart to date in the DC Universe, the actress admitted that she loves the idea. This is, in no small part, due to the drama created by one of the characters being a Green Lantern; complete with all the responsibilities that stem from it.
“I really love the idea, and that’s why I love Lois and Clark stories – like, that alien-human love story. There’s just something so romantic about that to me. It’s like, ‘We shouldn’t, but we should, but we shouldn’t.’ That really got my heart as a kid.

   It's looks like it's being set up for Hawkgirl and John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre in the Lantern series, but hold on just a minute. 

Justice League No. 14 (February 2019)

Justice League No. 15 (March 2019)

   Kendra has never been with John Stewart. It's always been Shayera. The two were together in the Justice League series (2018-2022) by Scott Snyder but they never had any sort of relationship. When Hawkgirl went to Thanagar with John Stewart and the Martian Manhunter to confront Shayera, she tried to start a relationship with....the Martian Manhunter. Meanwhile, Shayera never even looked twice at John Stewart. 

Hawkman Vol. V No. 19 (February 2020)

Hawkman Vol. V No. 29 (January 2021)

   As for Shayera, she was reunited with Hawkman (Carter Hall) in the Hawkman Vol. V series (2018-2021), and even after the series ended five years ago, there have been numerous references  and appearance to Carter and Shayera being together. The only sign that Shayera may or may have had a relationship with John Stewart was the recent GL Corps series and even then, nothing was really revealed, just slightly implied. Maybe we'll find out what happened in the past between these two. 

If you want to catch up on what is going on with Hawkwoman and Hawkgirl, here is my history of the two characters here. You can also read up on the full history of the Hawks here. 

   My suggestion for James Gunn and the DCU would be to go ahead and throw Hawkgirl and John Stewart if that is what you have to do to bring back memories of the cartoon. But make it Kendra, not Shayera. Most fans probably wouldn't care or even notice. The "older" fans would be thankful that they kept the two couples separate. Hawkman and Hawkwoman are finally back together again. Don't destroy again what is the greatest part of these two heroes. Put Shayera on Thanagar. Kendra can be based on Earth. Hawkman can run back and forth between the two planets, with Shayera as the woman he loves and Kendra as a sort of a little sister that he cares deeply about. 

   While it's not perfect, it could be a win-win senario. Keeping the old and news fans happy, while introducing new characters in the DCU family. What could be more perfect? What do you guys think? Depending on which version you grew up on, I'm sure the opinions will vary. Maybe DCU leader James Gun can figure out how to keep both groups happy. Stayed alert as usual! 

The Complete Guide to the History of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (1940-2025)