Shiera Sanders (New Earth)

Shiera Sanders, the Golden Age Hawkgirl, was the wife of Carter Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman. She was also a member of the All-Star Squadron and a close associate of the Justice Society of America.

History

Origins

Centuries ago, Chay-Ara and her lover Prince Khufu were killed by Hath-Set with a knife forged from an alien metal called the Nth Metal.

The properties of the metal and the strength of the duo's love created a bond between them, causing them to be reborn multiple times throughout the centuries. Some of her incarnations are:

• Lady Celia Penbrook, alive during 5th century Britain, and love of Silent Knight;
• Cinnamon an Old West gunslinger, and love of Nighthawk;
• Sheila Carr, lady love of Pinkerton detective James Wright

In the early 20th century, Chay-Ara was reborn as Shiera Sanders. She was kidnapped by Dr. Anton Hastor (a reincarnation of Hath-Set) but subsequently rescued by Hawkman (her reborn lover Khufu). Shiera became the hero's frequent ally and love interest. Eventually, she was granted a costume of her own and a belt of gravity-defying nth metal and joined him at his side as Hawkgirl.

JSA

The Hawks were members of the All-Star Squadron, and while Hawkman was a member of the Justice Society of America, Hawkgirl was not, only assisting the group on occasion. Eventually, Carter and Shiera married and they later had one son, Hector Hall.

In more recent times, both Shiera and Carter (who aged at a far slower rate than normal humans due to exposure to an unknown type of radiation in 1942) both came out of retirement and joined the Justice League of America as well as serving on occasion with the Justice Society, which had likewise returned to active duty.

Shiera died when she was merged with Carter and Katar Hol to form a new Hawkman version, a "hawk god" creature, during the events of Zero Hour.

Brightest Day

In the wake of Nekron's assault on all life, Shiera was one of a small group of people to be resurrected by the light of the White Lantern Power Battery. Carter and Shiera followed Hath-Set, who has collected the bones from all of their past bodies, and created from them a portal to Hawkworld. While there, Shiera is kidnap by Hath-Set's minions and, told by the Entity to stop Hath-Set from killing Carter, because if he dies one time more, he does not undergo the cycle of resurrection again.^[2] Shiera is attacked in Hawkworld's dungeon by Hath-Set's queen, and the queen reveals to Shiera that she is her mother.^[3]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Reincarnation: The Nth metal knife which murdered Hawkgirl in her original incarnation as Chay-Ara had an unusual effect upon her soul and that of her lover Khufu (Hawkman). The pair are locked in a seemingly endless cycle of death and rebirth throughout the centuries. While not a superhuman power per se, this propensity for reincarnation has allowed Hawkgirl to cheat death and return to active duty in her current incarnation.

Abilities

• Martial Arts
• Weaponry
• Medicine: She was nurse in U.S. Navy during the World War II.^[4]
• Animal Empathy: She can speak with birds.

Weaknesses

• Vulnerability to Deja Vu: Hawkgirl occasionally experiences flashes of déjà vu from her past lives. These can often be disorienting, and can also prove distracting in the midst of battle.
• Curse: Every time she is born again she must wander the earth till she meets again with her eternal soul mate. But as soon as they form a deep bond, they are destined to be murdered again and the cycle continues.
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Nth Metal Belt & Boots
  • Nth Metal Enhancement
  • Enhanced Strength
  • Enhanced Durability
  • Enhanced Vision
  • Accelerated Healing
  • Self-Sustenance

Transportation

• Artificial Feathered Wings

Weapons

• Hawkgirl's Dart Gun
• Archaic Weaponry

Notes

• Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and no longer apply.
• Shiera first appears as Hawkgirl in All-Star Comics #5, in a costume created by Sheldon Moldoff, based on Neville's Hawkman costume.
  

Trivia

• Though Shiera originally had brown hair, it is sometimes shown as red.

Related

• 275 Appearances of Shiera Sanders (New Earth)
• 56 Images featuring Shiera Sanders (New Earth)
• 7 Quotations by or about Shiera Sanders (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Shiera Sanders (New Earth)

Footnotes

Justice Society of America member This character is or was a primary member of the Justice Society of America in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice Society of America members" category.

Justice League member This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice League of America members" category.

All-Star Squadron member This character is or was a member of the All-Star Squadron in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "All-Star Squadron members" category.

Black Lantern Corps member This character is or was a member of the Black Lantern Corps. Those who have died may wield the Black Power Ring, symbolizing their lack of both life and emotion. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Black Lantern Corps members category."

White Lantern Corps member This character is or was a member of the White Lantern Corps, guided by the Life Entity to wield the White Light of Life. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "White Lantern Corps members category."