Why hasn't Hawkman ever joined Justice League Dark?

[Draegwolf]

This always bothered me but has anyone else ever found it weird that throughout all it's inceptions, Hawkman (more specifically Carter Hall) has never been incorporated onto any iteration of Justice League Dark?

I mean we're talking about a guy who's origin and most defining characteristic is that he's locked in a (seemingly) endless cycle of reincarnation, and given that many of his earlier escapades dealt with him looking into his past lives one would think that Hawkman's lore should be steeped in the occult. And yet despite that DC doesn't really seem all that interested in using Carter in any way beyond the JSA or regulating him into being just another alien. Does no one see the potential of having Carter on a team of mystical characters when he could essentially just pull knowledge from one of his past lives and is running around using weapons more or less designed to deal with magical threats? Why would you not want someone like that on your team? Hawkman is literally the closest thing to the Avatar that DC has running around, and that aside is still a very capable fighter and archaeologist capable of bringing a lot to the team.

[Gaius]

Invite got lost in the mail.

[Vilynne]

Invite got lost in the mail.

No he got it. Just got annoyed they sent it via pigeon carrier.

[Flash Gordon]

I don't think he's a good fit for the Shadowpact, but this did yet me thinking on how a team of pulp action heroes would be a lot of fun. Aquaman and Hawkman and a bunch of other sci fi pulp that aren't really superheroes, having adventures around the world. I'd buy it.

[Riv86672]

How specific are talking though?
To me even when he’s Katar he’s Carter. The way his origin waxes and wanes I’ve always just thought of him as both.

He was a JLA member Pre Crisis...

...and a JLI member Post Crisis.

For what it’s worth, i preferred it when, several Post Crisis reboots later he became integral to the JSA.
He’s a better fit there and a bigger player.

[sifighter]

I don’t see Hawkman as magic related, there’s a kind of magic involved but Hawkman himself isn’t seen as magic. He’s seen as more action or sci-fi.

Now if there’s someone who I think should be on the Justice League Dark it’s Shazam. Powers from the gods given by a wizard and protector of magical realms, he would fit right in. Aquaman’s an interesting notion though, he would be aware of Atlantian magic and the dark hidden secrets of the deep.

[Ra-El]

I think Hawkman would go well in some Conan type stories. Those variant covers Stjepan Sejic and others did confirmed to me sword and sorcery is a genry where Hawkman could really shine.

fdlzmdebf9211.jpg

MAY180518_ft.jpg

8a58d2870f7aa9bf8b563ad37f9dddce.jpg

It could be the perfect niche for Hawkman.

[Riv86672]

I think Hawkman would go well in some Conan type stories. Those variant covers Stjepan Sejic and others did confirmed to me sword and sorcery is a genry where Hawkman could really shine.

fdlzmdebf9211.jpg

MAY180518_ft.jpg

8a58d2870f7aa9bf8b563ad37f9dddce.jpg

It could be the perfect niche for Hawkman.

I’ve said the same thing.
He’s kind of like Tarzan in a way (as well as Conan, and Indiana Jones, and a space character to boot!) in that he has a civilized veneer as an archeologist and museum curator, but when he goes all bare chested weapons in hand he’s very much a primal beast. I’ve always liked that about him.

[Lee Stone]

I really don’t think of Hawkman when I think of Magic-based characters.
Aside from the reincarnation and the archaeology angle, he’s really more sci-fi or pulp to me.

I can’t imagine Spectre or Dr. Fate going out of their way to recruit him to fight supernatural beings from another dimension.
Not unless they’re going to give him a +1 Mace of Smiting and some healing spells.

[Draegwolf]

I don’t see Hawkman as magic related, there’s a kind of magic involved but Hawkman himself isn’t seen as magic. He’s seen as more action or sci-fi.

Now if there’s someone who I think should be on the Justice League Dark it’s Shazam. Powers from the gods given by a wizard and protector of magical realms, he would fit right in. Aquaman’s an interesting notion though, he would be aware of Atlantian magic and the dark hidden secrets of the deep.

That's kinda my point, DC pretty much locked him into being sci-fi/action genre with the introduction of the Thanagarians way back when and most people more or less automatically associate Hawkman with that in general in part because of the DCAU. And it's not like anyone at DC has really done anything to change that perception, even in the current run the vast majority of Carter's past lives that have been explored have been the ones on advanced civilizations. The mysticism and mystique has been ground out to make way for more sci-fi settings and it feels like a wasted opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Hell even steering him closer to a pulp noir setting would be closer to a more fantastical than he presently is.

Honestly Shazam is another one I'm kinda sorta surprised didn't make the transition to Justice League Dark, and really anyone from Aquaman's immediate camp probably could have worked out too given how heavily magic plays into his mythos. If they didn't keep locking her in the Titans I would also say Raven.

[Vilynne]

I don’t see Hawkman as magic related, there’s a kind of magic involved but Hawkman himself isn’t seen as magic. He’s seen as more action or sci-fi.

Now if there’s someone who I think should be on the Justice League Dark it’s Shazam. Powers from the gods given by a wizard and protector of magical realms, he would fit right in. Aquaman’s an interesting notion though, he would be aware of Atlantian magic and the dark hidden secrets of the deep.

Aquaman is cool but having Mera or Garth would be a better fit I feel. Both have trained in mystic arts of Atlantis, haven't they ?

[Lee Stone]

Aquaman is cool but having Mera or Garth would be a better fit I feel. Both have trained in mystic arts of Atlantis, haven't they ?

Yeah, I would want someone that could really be considered a descendant of Arion. Mera would probably be the easiest, considering she already has red hair and has had some magic training.

[M L A]

idk I'd rather not have common JLAers (other than Zee on JLD) or those associated with one of the big 7 (Dick, Garth, etc) on the lesser known teams because they already take over most of the DCU.

Gimme those B-D listers who would never show up anywhere else.

[Doctor Bifrost]

I can’t imagine Spectre or Dr. Fate going out of their way to recruit him to fight supernatural beings from another dimension.
Not unless they’re going to give him a +1 Mace of Smiting and some healing spells.

Well, now that we're "All Nth Metal All The Time," he has an Nth Metal weapon that can change forms, and apparently Nth Metal also gives him a healing factor. I think even Arthur C. Clarke would have been hard-pressed to determine whether that was magic or some sort of "science."

Anyway, the JLA Dark has a lot of people in it that the Spectre and Dr. Fate wouldn't go out of their way to recruit in order to fight supernatural beings from another dimension. Like Detective Chimp and Man-Bat. Not that I'm saying anything bad about either one of them - but the JLA Dark membership is not filled up with Spectre-like and Dr. Fate-like characters.

[Lee Stone]

Anyway, the JLA Dark has a lot of people in it that the Spectre and Dr. Fate wouldn't go out of their way to recruit in order to fight supernatural beings from another dimension. Like Detective Chimp and Man-Bat. Not that I'm saying anything bad about either one of them - but the JLA Dark membership is not filled up with Spectre-like and Dr. Fate-like characters.

This is true.
I wouldn't expect Fate or Spectre to recruit either of them, either.
And Wonder Woman would be only considered if it was something pertaining to Olympus.

I still wouldn't consider Hawkman a magic-based character, however.