Aug. 03--Hawkman -- the masked and winged golden-age hero with superhuman strength, sight and speed who wields a magical mace -- will be joining up with the CW's version of the DC universe with "Transcendence" star Falk Hentschel cast as the gruff, no-nonsense warrior. He is set to debut on "Arrow" and "The Flash" in one of their crossover events, but will also appear on the network's newest, "Legends of Tomorrow."
And despite the many, many talents the chiseled, shirtless flying wonder has cobbled together, he also happens to be one of the most stern of supers -- making anything he does pretty fantastic because you're basically watching a half-naked bird man scold villains.
Hentschel's Hawkman will be added to a crowded bunch of heroes on "Legends of Tomorrow." The show already stars Ciara Renee as Hawkgirl, Caity Lotz as White Canary, Brandon Routh as the Atom, Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart/Captain Cold and more.
Hawkman's comic book history is convoluted and has two emerging back stories. One involved the character being a warrior from a battle-hardened planet called Thanagar, with wings that were cosmetic and a substance called Nth metal that allowed him to fly. The other, the one that the DC TV universe seems to be following with minor tweaks, has the hero/character Carter Hall being the latest reincarnation of an Egyptian prince who is resurrected alongside his soul mate Kendra Saunders (Ren饠in "Legends of Tomorrow"). In this version, Hall and Saunders can call on the powers of Horus, the Hawk God. In all incarnations, his spectacular wings allow him the ability to control his flight, and are superhuman strong themselves.
However, the superhero did have an onscreen cameo in "Smallville" -- whose history is seemingly not part of the current DC TV universe -- when the Justice Society of America received spotlights in Seasons 9 and 10. Hawkman was played by "Stargate's" Michael Shanks.
Hentschel had a minor stint in Marvel's TV universe on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," and has also had roles in "White House Down," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Knight and Day."
