Hawkgirl, as seen in Justice League

Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman are the names of several fictional characters, superheroes in the DC Comics universe. They are partners, and sometimes spouses or lovers, of the various incarnations of Hawkman.

The Golden Age Hawkgirl was Shiera Sanders (or Saunders), the reincarnation of the Egyptian princess Chay-Ara, and partner of Carter Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman. The Hawks were members of the All-Star Squadron, and while Hawkman was a member of the Justice Society of America, Hawkgirl was not a member, only assisting the group on occasion, although recent retcons seem to point to Hawkgirl being formally inducted into the JSA at some time. Eventually, Carter and Shiera married and had one son, Hector, who is the current Doctor Fate.

The Silver Age Hawkwoman was Shayera Thal, a law enforcement officer from the planet Thanagar and partner of Katar Hol, the Silver Age Hawkman. She was a member of the Justice League. Because her continuity is tied with Hawkman's, and Hawkman's continuity became quite convoluted between the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Hawkworld and Zero Hour, Hawkwoman's history became very difficult to follow.

The current Hawkgirl is Kendra Saunders, a young woman who committed suicide. When Kendra's soul left her body, that of her grandaunt, Shiera Hall, the Golden Age Hawkgirl, entered it. She currently has all of Kendra's memories, but almost none of Shiera's. She is a member of the Justice Society.

Animated version

Hawkgirl appears in the animated Justice League series on Cartoon Network. This version of Hawkgirl, who fell in love with the Green Lantern, was a regular member of the Justice League team throughout the series, but in the end was revealed as a traitor to Earth; she was really a Thanagarian advanced scout/spy for an invasion force.

In the last episode of the original Justice League series (the show continued in a new incarnation as Justice League Unlimited), she betrays the League and helps the Thanagarian invaders defeat them, but switches sides at the very last minute when the Thanagarian leader tries to kill all life on Earth.

Despite her change of heart, Hawkgirl resigned from the team. She stayed at the tower of Doctor Fate for some time, but in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Wake the Dead", Hawkgirl assists the JLU in defeating Solomon Grundy and rejoins. The 'original seven' founding members of the Justice League appear to from a governing 'inner council' in Unlimited, but it is unclear if Hawkgirl has been revoked of this privelage since rejoining.