Hawkgirl isn’t the only winged wonder that will be appearing in Legends of Tomorrow, as it was announced during the DC TV panel at San Diego Comic-Con that Hawkman will show up in the DC anthology series. As in the comics, the two heroes will be the latest reincarnations of two lovers who have been reborn many times over 5,000 years, but before he gets involved with the series’ protagonists and their time-traveling hijinks, he may be appearing on the shows that Legends of Tomorrow will spin out of.
According to EW, Hawkman, or Carter Hall, could be appearing on Arrow and The Flash before Legends of Tomorrow premieres next year, which means that we may see the eponymous heroes interacting with him near the end of 2015. Although in the comics, Hawkman is typically more aggressive and short-tempered, the article describes this iteration of the hero as a natural-born leader who is “charismatic and wise beyond his years.”
He will also have retained all the memories of his past lives, unlike Kendra. She will apparently have no idea who he is when they first meet. That should make for some interesting drama.
There’s still no word yet on who is being looked at to play Hawkman. If the creative powers that be are already planning to bring him on board for Arrow and The Flash, though, there will presumably be casting announcement in the coming weeks.
Judging by the description, it sounds like he may already be a superhero. Kendra has already been introduced to the DC TV universe through a small cameo in The Flash Season 1 finale. She was also mentioned in Eobard Thawne’s newspaper clipping from the year 2024 in “The Trap.” Although Hawkman has a complicated and convoluted history in the comics, most adaptations of him in other media have been of the Golden Age version of the character who has continuously been brought to life via magic. He was most recently seen in live action during Smallville, where he was played by Stargate SG-1’s Michael Shanks.
Introducing Hawkman ahead of time is one of the many ways that Arrow and The Flash are setting the stage for Legends of Tomorrow. It’s been confirmed that Sara Lance will be resurrected on Arrow before she joins the team of “legends” as the White Canary, and The Flash will explain what the Firestorm situation will be, since only one half of the hero is appearing on the spinoff. There will also likely been an explanation for how Ray Palmer survived the explosion he inadvertently caused in Arrow Season 3, and if that first Legends of Tomorrow trailer is any indication, it probably involved shrinking.
Legends of Tomorrow will air sometime in 2016 on The CW.
