HAWKGIRL I (Shiera Sanders Hall)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Shiera Sanders Hall
Identity: Secret, later public
Occupation: Former reporter, Archeologist, now retired
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives: Carter Hall (husband), Hector Hall (son), Hippolyta Hall (daughter-in-law), Norda Cantrell (godson), Daniel Hall (grandson), Cyril "Speed" Saunders (cousin), Kendra Saunders (grand niece); Nestor Sanders (uncle); Hank Sanders (cousin)
Base of Operation: New York City, NY (Midway City, MI for a few years)
Group Affiliation(s): Justice Society of America, Justice League of America (original), All-Star Squadron
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 114 lb.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1/3 (January 1940) (as Shiera);
Flash Comics #24 (December 1941) (as Hawkgirl)
Creators: Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville

HISTORY

About a thousand years after Vandal Savage (as the Pharaoh Cheops) had built the Great Pyramids the country of Egypt had declined. The Hyksos conquered Lower Egypt and founded the Fifteenth dynasty, ruled by a cruel Pharaoh and his even crueler high priest Hath-Set. There was rebellion however from Prince Khufu Kha-Tarr the latest in the long line of Hawk Avatars, helped by his true love a Hyksos Noblewoman called Chay-Ara who despised the cruelty of her own people. Khufu used a mysterious Ninth Metal (which when charged with crude electrical cells allowed him to levitate) to fashion a harness, he also learned to control his flight by using special wings. The Ninth Metal was a gift from the Hawk God whom Khufu recognized as Horus (a different God in his own right).

In a desperate plan Chay-Ara allowed herself to be captured, Khufu then staged an attack where he made it look as if he was trying to kill Chay-Ara to stop her talking. He was captured and she then fed her captors counterintelligence telling them that she no longer trusted Khufu after he tried to kill her. It all worked. Chay-Ara gave the Pharaoh a rigged Ninth Metal harness, when he tried it on without the wings he disappeared into the stratosphere only returning to Earth then he took the harness and died on impact with the ground. In the confusion a band of rebels in Ninth Metal harness and wings attacked. Hath-Set mortally wounded Khufu with a Crystal Dagger before being cut down by Khufu's archers. With his dying words he cursed Khufu that they would meet once again on the cycle of reincarnation. Shortly afterwards Khufu died from his wounds.

In the beginning of the 20th century Prince Khufu was reincarnated as Carter Hall. When Hall via archaeological circles obtained quite by chance the Crystal Dagger that had ended the life of Khufu he had a dream that reawakened him to his Egyptian origins. Quite accidentally he ran into Shiera Sanders a journalist for the Sentinel, he instantly recognized as the reincarnation of Chay-Ara and tried to convince her that she was reincarnated. Their discussion was cut short by an electrical blackout caused by Dr Anton Hastor (the reincarnation of Hath-Set) who demanded that the city surrender to him. Knowing that he must act Hall cobbled together a costume and decided to try out a Ninth Metal harness and wings that he had been working on. He then confronted Hastor and defeated Hastor. Deciding to continue operating with the mask and wings Hall created the identity of Hawkman and became one of the new breed of "Mystery Men" and became one of the founding members of the Justice Society of America.

Shiera would eventually come to believe Carter's claim and she and Hall subsequently fell in love. Some time later, when Hawkman and the rest of the JSA except Wonder Woman were taken captive by the villainous Brainwave, Shiera and the other women closest to the JSA members were brought together to free them. Shiera made herself a Hawk costume like that of Carter's and using a spare set of artificial wings and a belt of "ninth metal" and the other women became female counterparts of their loves as well and they eventually freed the JSA. Following the incident Dr. Fate and Inza cast a spell wiping the memory of their boyfriends secrets from the minds of the ones that didn't know of it until this adventure began and everybody went back to their daily lives.

However, not long afterwards Carter awarded Shiera a set of wings of her own and she joined him in the skies as Hawkgirl. When the war set in Shiera joined Carter as a member of the Justice Battalion (the war-time name of the JSA) and the All Star Squadron. When the Justice Society disbanded in 1951 Carter used a Thanagarian teleportation device that, to teleport the JSA mysteriously from the HUAC meeting. Like many of his comrades Carter retired after that and then he married Shiera.

Kept young as a side effect of the mystical energies of the sorcerer Ian Karkull Carter the Halls continued working as archaeologists. The two had a son, Hector who they often took to see their friends in Feithera where they became the godparents of Norda (the son of a winged Feitheran and a human). Hector would envy the way that Norda could fly with his parents and he could not. When Superman appeared over the skies of Metropolis and started a whole new heroic age the Justice Society members for the most part were content to remain retired and let the new Justice League have the stoplight. Things all changed when Vandal Savage reared his head again. Savage captured a number of the former Society members including Carter Hall. They were saved by the intervention of Barry Allen and Jay Garrick. The JSA was semi-reactivated with Hall as their chairman. Shortly afterwards he joined the Justice League of America as liaison to the younger heroes.

Carter was later joined by Hawkgirl in the League and the two became part of the back bone of the League and Justice Society. When Hector fashioned his own costumed identity as the Silver Scarab and with other JSA progeny petitioned for membership of the Justice Society they found themselves turned down by their mentor and parents who were winding down their careers rather than gearing up for new younger team-mates. Hector and friends formed the team Infinity, Inc. and at their press conference he revealed his identity to the world. A side effect of revealing his own identity was for him to reveal that of his fathers as well, at first this put a further strain on their relationship.

Shortly after the event known as the Crisis, Carter Hall led the Justice Society including Shiera back to the 1940's and into an extra-dimensional world to battle ancient Norse gods to stop Hitler's insane plan to bring about Ragnarok. The JSA seemingly remained there fighting the same battle over and over again to hold the stalemate and prevent the conclusion of the battle in the destruction of all reality. The only characters spared from the fate were the Spectre and Doctor Fate both of who told the world little of what had happened. The world and government considered Carter Hall and the JSA deceased. Later Hector was killed by the latest reincarnation of Hath-Set, his spirit became the third Sandman before Morpheus the true Dreamlord righted events and let Hectors spirit depart for the next cycle. Ironically Hector's son Daniel would, after Morpheus death, replace him becoming the true Dreamlord and a member of the Endless.

Some years later the hero known as Waverider brought the JSA back from Limbo for a short time during the event known as "Armageddon: Inferno". However, as their involvement had been crutial to the heroes success Waverider found a way to return them for good. Back from Limbo Hawkman and Hawkgirl met Katar Hol and Shayera Thal, the new Hawkman and Hawkwoman. When Shiera and Carter next went into battle Shiera too had taken the name Hawkwoman, making her the third to go by that name.

During the event known as Zero Hour, Katar, Carter and Shiera were fused physically into one being. The new being was patterned for the most part on the physical body and personality of Katar Hol. He now no longer needed a Ninth Metal belt and wings as he now possessed true wings sprouting from his back which he could withdraw inside him if necessary. Within him were the combined spirits of all the past Hawk Avatars including Carter and Shiera.

As a part of the Hawk Avatar combo Shiera and her husband would later end up trapped in a dimension of the Hawkgod. When Shiera's grand niece Kendra Saunders died at the age of seventeen Shiera would be reincarnated into her body and be brought back to life.

POWERS AND WEAPONS

Hawkwoman could fly at great speed by means of her artificial wings and antigravity belt made of "ninth metal." The antigravity belt also enables her to lift enormous weights aloft. She wields ancient and medieval weapons from her husband's extensive collection. Hawkwoman is a superb hand-to-hand combatant. She retains unusual physical vitality thanks to having absorbed temporal energy from the villainous Ian Karkull decades ago.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Hawkgirl in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #10 (December 1985)

JLA-Z #2 (December 2003)