Changes: Shayera Hall

Revision as of 01:01, 16 June 2013

Shayera Hall is Carter Hall's deceased wife. She was also known as Hawkgirl, a member of the Justice Society of America.

Physical Appearance

Shayera has dark brown eyes, long dark hair and features are delicate and soft. While drinking with Lois Lane, Carter Hall, possibly because he was drunk, or because he was seeing a vision of his dead wife, saw her looking at him mournfully, while dressed in a silk robe of white and blue.

In a painting depicting the original Justice Society of America, Shayera is painted in her Hawkgirl costume. During that time, she wore a yellow and green sleeveless tunic that exposed her arms, and bronze bracelets on her arms similiar to the kind Carter wore. She wore a bronze helmet shaped like a hawk's head. Like Carter, she had massive brown wings that allowed her to fly.

Powers and Abilities

Reincarnation: Shayera is cursed to come back to life again and again.
Flight: Like her husband, she possessed wings.

Early life

"Hard to believe. What would someone like me know about love? When I only know it ends and it always ends. In every one of my lives, past and present. Shayera and I were born a thousand years ago. We were cursed by one of our enemies, destined to fall in love with each other only to watch each other die lifetime after lifetime." – Carter Hall, Absolute Justice

Shayera and her husband Carter Hall, were cursed thousands of years ago so that they would live to see each other die lifetime after lifetime. In the 1970's, Carter and Shayera found their way back to each other, and became the super-hero duo of Hawkman and Hawkgirl. They would later join the Justice Society of America, where Carter was their leader and Shayera acted as his conscience, keeping his short temper in check. During a battle with the JSA's foe, the original Icicle, Shayera was killed, which devastated Carter pushed him over the edge when he located Icicle and placed him in a catatonic state. Almost immediately after, Carter and most of the other JSA members were taken into custody because of the organization known as Checkmate, but they eventually were released, leaving Carter to mourn his deceased wife.

Season Nine

Several decades after the JSA were forced to disband because of the Checkmate agency, members of the old team were targeted and murdered by the son of Icicle, Cameron Mahkent.

911Smallville1139 — The memorial trophy case for Hawkgirl.

When Clark, Oliver and Chloe began investigating deeper into the murders of the ex-JSA members, Clark encountered Doctor Fate, who transported him to their headquarters/museum the old Brownstone, where he found all the old memorabilia belonging to all the members of the JSA team in which Carter had preserved in a glass case. Amongst them, he discovered Shayera's old helmet, which was damaged, and her mace. Upon meeting Carter, Clark learned of Shayera's death at the hands of the original Icicle, and used her memory to convince Carter to take up the mantle of Hawkman again.

Season Ten

1002Smallville1340 — Shayera's love letter to Carter.

Carter, under Clark's orders to keep an eye on Lois, met with her in Egypt during an archeology dig. After listening to her go on about Clark's secret, he revealed to her that he was already aware of Clark's abilities and offered to listen to her troubles. Over drinks, Carter proceeded to tell Lois about his life-story of falling in love with Shayera, trying to make it sound as if the story was also mythology. However, due to their drinking, Carter hallucinated that Lois was his deceased wife and attempted to kiss her, for which he received a firm slap across the face and the threat of worse if he attempted it again. Before Lois left, Carter gave her a book that Shayera had written which told the story of their multiple lives together.

ShayeraShieldCap — Shayera in Carter's vision.

Later on, Lois confronted Carter about the fact that his "story" was actually an autobiography. Lois was then saddened to learn that Carter's hallucination was in truth a vision, which meant that he would be with Shayera once again in death, so that they would be allowed to be reborn in a new life together. Carter then urged Lois to return to Clark, as she was the only one that could keep Clark's purpose driven to fulfill his destiny as the world's greatest hero.

When Carter died protecting Lois, he was buried next to Shayera in Egypt.

Appearances

Season Nine: Absolute Justice, Part 1, Absolute Justice, Part 2

Season Ten: Shield, Icarus

In the Comics

File:1191861-hawkgirl 19.jpg

Hawkgirl as she appears in the comics.

There have been many versions of Hawkgirl over the years. All of whom have been reincarnated from Chay-Ara and reborn as Shiera and Kendra Saunders. Most recently, after the events of Blackest Night and Brightest Day, Shiera has returned once again as Hawkgirl now going by the name Shiera Saunders.

Hawkgirl was once Chay-Ara, a consort of Prince Khufu of Egypt. Both she and her lover died fighting an Egyptian sorcerer. The two were both repeatedly reincarnated, destined to meet and fall in love, but cursed to die at the peak of their relationship. Her latest incarnation was that of Shiera Hall. Together with Carter, they became Hawkman and Hawkgirl, heroes and symbols of justice and warrior's honor.

However, when Shiera died, Carter managed to avoid the cycle of death and rebirth. Afraid and unwilling to be separated from her lover, Shiera's spirit found a way to remain on Earth by fusing with that of her grandniece, Kendra Saunders. An unfortunate side effect was that Kendra had all the drive and skill to be a heroine that Shiera had, but had no access to the memories of Shiera's past lives.

1269651-hawks of the damned — Till Death do us part.

Thus, while always feeling a strong attraction to Carter, she was unable to justify her feelings and instincts, rebelling against what destiny seemed to be forcing her to do against will and logic. She fights with him and away from him on an equal basis, together often, but seemingly forever apart.

Kendra visits Carter at the museum, acting on her growing concern about the increasing incidences of Carter's rage. She witnesses Carter Hall angrily rebuff a despondent Ray Palmer over the phone, after the latter asks Carter to let him visit the grave of Jean Loring. Kendra witnesses him smashing the phone to prevent Ray from traveling through, and rebukes him. This resulting long conversation evolves into a mutual rant about their tense relationship, emerging from the tension created by their mutual destinies and Kendra being unable to access the memories of her past lives.

Kendra then tries to explain that she's always had to control her instincts, and that it was very difficult for her to do. She didn't want to give up that measure of control because of the curse they shared, which states that at the point when their love for each other was greatest, the hourglass would turn, and they would both die before their time. She weeps at that point and almost reveals how she feels about him when she is impaled from behind by a spear held by a reanimated Sue Dibny, now a Black Lantern.

1353368-white lantern hawkgirl of earth — Shiera is back from the dead.

Carter, stunned by what happened to Kendra, is then easily beaten by Black Lantern Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man, using Hawkman's own Nth Metal mace against him. Before Hawkgirl dies, she manages to tell Carter that she had always loved him. As Carter is finished off by the Elongated Man, Kendra's heart is extracted by Sue Dibny and her body rapidly decays. Kendra's and Carter's hearts are consumed to power up the Black Rings. The Black Hand appears, then releases two more rings, which then command the corpses of both Carter and Kendra to rise as Black Lanterns.

Hawkman-and-hawkwoman — Carter & Shayera are reunited in Brightest Day

During the final battle of the Blackest Night, Hal Jordan and the other heroes are temporarily made into White Lanterns used white power rings to sever the connection to the Black Lanterns. This brought many of the slain heroes and heroines back to life one of which was Hawkgirl. Upon her rebirth she remembers all the past lives. Where Kendra once stood, Shiera physically and mentally now stands.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl are now back to life. Their most powerful foe Hath-Set is trying to kill them again.

They follow his footsteps and it leads them to a mystical portal leading to Hawkworld. As Carter and Shiera enter, they see visions of them dying in many different ways. Once they enter the world, it appears as landmasses just floating in the sky. There is a war between Manhawks and these lion-people. Shiera gets captured by the Manhawks and is taken to a holding cell. Carter is now left with the lion-people. Shiera is fighting for her life in the cell and Hath-Set appears. The white lantern contacts Shiera and tells her that she needs to help Carter survive Hawkworld. She has to kill Hath-Set or else she and Carter will never be able to resurrect again.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl together defeat Hath-Set and save Hawkworld, only to be called back to Earth by the White Lantern Entity along with a handful of other heroes who were resurrected. These heroes are transformed into Elemental beings with Hawkman and Hawkgirl becoming the element Air. They along with Deadman, Hawk & Dove, bring forth the new Entity of Life, Swamp Thing, thus fully achieving life again. All, except for Hawkgirl that is, who does not return to life, but instead remains an Air Elemental, much ot Hawkman's great pain.

File:2334403-hawkgirl.jpg

Hawkgirl/Kendra Munoz-Saunders in the DCnU.

In the New 52 Kendra as the superheroine Hawkgirl lives in Earth-2. Hawkgirl was one of the first characters to be introduced alongside Jay Garrick , Alan Scott and Al Pratt. She first meets Jay Garrick in Poland and the two travel together to Washington D.C. where they confront Solomon Grundy. After Al Pratt arrives and defeats Grundy he captures Hawkgirl, revealing that the two come from a similar government program, from which she gained her wings, and that she has escaped. Kendra also revealed that she was a treasure hunter.

2575826-7753471562 22bd9a9d98 o — Hawkwoman/Shayera Thal in the DCnU.

In the new 52, Shayera Thal is revealed as the princess of Thanagar in Earth-1, former lover of Katar Hol and sister of the Emperor Corsar. Initially, she is depicted as a villain, seeking revenge against Katar for the murder of Corsar. It later evident that Katar was innocent and Shayera is surprised when she discovers her brother alive and behind Katar's arrest in the attempt to part Katar from the Nth metal and own it for himself. Shayera has no choice but to comply to his orders as the Emperor but later sabotages a machine that was to teleport the Nth metal from Katar to Corsar. In rescuing Katar from being killed by the transfer, Shayera leads Katar and Emma Ziegler to an escape pod while remaining in the Aerie ship to face Corsar. While Katar and Emma escape to Earth, Shayera and Corsar are left alone and die as the ship drifts off into the Sun.

Notes

In the DCAU's Justice League, Hawkgirl played a more pivotal role as one of the founding member of the Justice League, as well as a top member of the Thanagarian military which was a complete contrast to her comic book counterpart in her early years. Usually Hawkman would be the more pivotal character of the two. However due to her immense popularity in the series Hawkgirl became more of an equal to Hawkman rather than just a sidekick heroine. This version however was closer to Hawkwoman with the name of Hawkgirl used instead.
Hawkgirl was the first superhero to die, because she has been dead before the Justice League's members were born.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |image = [[File:Shayera.jpg|300px]]
 |name = Shayera Hall
-|powers = [[Flight]], Reincarnation and [[Super strength]]
+|powers = [[Flight]], Reincarnation and [[Super Strength]]
 |family = [[Carter Hall]] (husband, deceased)
 |job = Member of the [[Justice Society of America|JSA]]