Superman Star Isabela Merced Teases Hawkgirl’s “Really Dark” DCU Backstory From the Comics

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In the fresh DC Universe, it’s not just David Corenswet’s Man of Steel who’s taking flight in the upcoming Superman movie. The film penned and directed by James Gunn for DC Studios is also set to debut Element Man Metamorpho, portrayed by Anthony Carrigan on Barry, and an ensemble of superheroes sponsored by Maxwell Lord, a tech tycoon from LordTech. These superheroes include Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi from For All Mankind), the Guy Gardner Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion from Firefly), and the agile Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced who gained fame from The Last of Us season 2).

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On the DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast, Merced shared that Kendra seems to have been reborn, but not as a human – she’s an alien reincarnation instead. The storyline is quite intense and disturbing, he mused, questioning how the creators will tackle such complexity when it comes time for adaptation.

It seems that Kendra’s background won’t be explored in Superman, but Merced mentioned, “She carries the recollections and the pains of her past lives within her, which gives her a somewhat gruff personality.” (Merced will reprise her role again in Peacemaker season 2 alongside Fillion’s Green Lantern, set to air on HBO Max later this year.)

Merced is portraying the character of Kendra Saunders, a winged warrior that first appeared in issue #1 of JSA Secret Files from 1999. Kendra is Shiera Sanders Hall’s grandniece, who debuted alongside Hawkman in Flash Comics #1 from 1940 and later became the initial Hawkgirl for the Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #5 from 1941. Besides this family connection to Shiera, Kendra is also the granddaughter of Cyril “Speed” Saunders, another golden age hero.

19-year-old character named Kendra took over the role of Hawkgirl in the comic book series “JSA,” written by James Robinson and David Goyer. Her grandfather provided her with her aunt’s wings for the role. Plagued by mysterious dreams of ancient Egypt and other worlds such as Thanagar, it was eventually disclosed that Kendra attempted suicide following the murder of her parents.

2001’s comic book series JSA, issue #21 by Goyer and Geoff Johns, depicts the backstory of Kendra. As a fallen guardian angel named Zauriel narrates, Kendra didn’t make it past her second suicide attempt, and the recurring visions where she died in various time periods were actually her previous lives. Later, Speed clarified that Kendra with green eyes perished due to an overdose of pills, while brown-eyed Shiera, who is a reincarnation of ancient Egyptian princess Chay-Ara, took control of Kendra’s body. Notably, Prince Khufu Kha-Taar from ancient Egypt would eventually be reborn as Carter Hall, known as Hawkman.

The actress playing Madame Web commented, “I genuinely adore it! It offers such a rich background, which is incredibly useful. Yet, combined with James Gunn’s unique twist – that self-awareness and humor – it allows me to humorously address my own past struggles.

In the live-action Arrowverse shows The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, Ciara Renée embodied Kendra Saunders who was reborn, while Sahar Biniaz briefly appeared as Shayera Hall’s character version on Smallville. However, Maria Canals-Barrera is best known for giving voice to Shayera Hol Hawkgirl in the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.

The movie titled Superman, featuring actors like David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Neva Howell, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Frank Grillo, will be exclusively shown in cinemas starting July 11.

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2025-05-25 21:40