Black Adam Star Explains Hawkgirl’s “Intentional” Absence

Black Adam is poised to change the landscape of the DC universe going forward, bringing some formidable and lovable new characters onto the big screen. While fans are undeniably excited to see the film’s Justice Society of America roster onscreen, there’s also been a fair amount of conversation around the comic-accurate team members that aren’t in the film — with Hawkgirl being among them. As Black Adam star and executive producer Dwayne Johnson revealed in 2020, Hawkgirl was originally expected to appear on the JSA roster, with Johnson tweeting that those plans somehow fell apart, leading to Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) joining the ensemble instead. With Hawkgirl’s comic partner and often-husband Carter Hall / Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) appearing in the film, there’s still the question of why she ultimately didn’t make the cut — but according to Hodge, there was a good reason.

“Oh, I actually can’t speak to that, her factoring into the film story-wise, because… Yeah, I can’t speak to how it would factor into the film aside from the fact that it would still be awesome,” Hodge explained in a new interview with The Direct. “It would be amazing, but her not being there is intentional. We have room to grow, so however we are allowed to go further and we can explore different avenues, hopefully that is one of the avenues that we do get to touch on. But everything has a meaning and a purpose.”

Who is Hawkgirl in DC Comics?

Hawkgirl’s mantle in the pages of DC Comics is somehow even more complex — the mantle was first held by Shiera Sanders Hall, Carter’s wife and immortal soulmate. The pair operated together for decades, and their convoluted pasts were subverted multiple times over in the Silver Age of Comics and onward, eventually leading to the later establishing of a second Hawkgirl named Shayera Hol.

Both were later succeeded by Kendra Saunders, a young Latina woman and a descendant of Shiera’s family who develops Hawkman powers when Shiera’s soul literally enters her body. She has become a consistent member of teams like the JSA, the Justice League, and the Birds of Prey ever since.

Do you want to see Hawkgirl appear in the DC Films world? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Black Adam is set to be released exclusively in theaters on October 21st.