Hawk and Dove are the titles of a number of DC Comics superhero duos who fight crime together despite the partners' typically sharply differing methods and attitudes about violence. This difference is signified by the bird iconography of the hawk typically representing aggression and the dove representing pacifism.

The Hawk and the Dove

The Hawk and the Dove are a duo of comic book superheroes created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates . They were a pair of brothers, Hank and Don Hall, who fought crime together despite their diametrically opposed opinions about the use of force. Hawk (Hank) was hot-headed and reactionary whereas Dove (Don) was more thoughtful and reasoned, but prone to indecisiveness. Their powers, gained from a mysterious voice, were essentially heightened strength and agility. Their father, Judge Hall, had a personality and political opinions midway between his sons, but firmly disapproved of vigilantism.

They first appeared in Showcase #75 and their own title, The Hawk and the Dove, ran for six issues from 1968 to 1969. Skeates was reportedly unhappy with the direction the book was taking, feeling that Don was being portrayed as an ineffective wimp, rather than a pro-active pacifist.

After their series ended they became semi-regulars in Teen Titans, eventually joining Titans West. The Dove was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Hawk continued on his own, but without Dove to restrain him he became excessively violent to the point where many of the superhero community considered him nearly as much trouble as the supervillains.

Hawk and Dove

In 1988, a new Hawk and Dove mini-series written by Karl and Barbara Kesel revealed that they gained their powers from the Lords of Chaos (Hawk) and the Lords of Order (Dove). The Lords of Order gave the powers of Dove to a woman named Dawn Granger, who Hawk reluctantly teamed up with. This Dove, while considerably more aggressive and self confident than Don, had the additional innate power to instantly and completely assess a combat situation which enabled her to resolve it in a manner that minimized the need of force on her part. This new team appeared in an ongoing series that ran for 28 issues from 1989 to 1991.

In 1991, the ending of the Armageddon 2001 crossover was changed at the last minute. The time-travelling villain Monarch , who had originally been written as a future identity of Captain Atom-post-psychosis, was now portrayed as the future identity of Hawk (one of the only two characters who had been proven to not be Monarch). Monarch killed Dawn (the other character who had been proven to not be Monarch) in front of Hawk, causing Hawk to suffer a psychotic break, kill Monarch, and take his identity. He briefly became a recurring foe for Captain Atom, before changing his name to Extant in Zero Hour. Later he challenged the JSA, an encounter that led directly to his demise.

Recently, Dawn Granger has been resurrected and returned to the role of Dove. Furthermore, she has gained a new Hawk, her sister, Holly Granger whose temperament is much like Hank's was.

The new Hawk and Dove

Another Hawk and Dove, with no connection to the originals, appeared in a six-issue mini-series in 1997, written by Mike Baron. In this version, the take on the conflicting personalities was that Hawk (Sasha Martens) was a "military brat" and Dove (Wiley Wolverman) a "slacker dude". They gained their powers (large bird wings and a telepathic link) owing to have been given experimental medical treatments as children.

Following the mini-series, the new Hawk and Dove made a handful of cameo appearances in Titans-related books, before seemingly disappearing.

Justice League Unlimited

The original Hawk and Dove were featured alongside Wonder Woman in the episode of Justice League Unlimited, "Hawk and Dove".

This version shows the pair with a stronger relationship, with a more self confident Dove, whose philosophical bickering is more like a brotherly teasing. They are voiced by Jason Hervey and Fred Savage respectively, both of whom starred in the TV series The Wonder Years as (coincidentally) brothers Wayne and Kevin Arnold.