The superhero genre continues to dominate the entertainment industry, and the DC flick will be the first big screen installment of the new DCU. James Gunn's Superman is nearly upon us, and will feature a number of other superheroes such as Hawkgirl and Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Some fans are wondering if we'll see Hawkgirl and a different Lantern get romantic in upcoming DC movies, and someone finally asked actress Isabela Merced.
What we know about Superman is limited, but that'll change when it finally hits theaters this weekend. The Superman cast has plenty of familiar faces, and The Last Of Us star Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl. During an interview with Nerdist, she spoke about the epic romance between her character and Green Lantern John Stewart in the Justice League animated series. She expressed interest in bringing that to life in live-action, offering:
I really love the idea, and that's why I love Lois and Clark's story. It’s like the alien and human love story. There's just something so romantic about that to me. It's like, 'We shouldn't, but we should, but we shouldn't.' That [romance] really got my heart as a kid, it broke my heart, when she eventually abandoned the team- the betrayal. The betrayal is crazy.
She's not wrong. Star-crossed lovers are a tried and true trope in entertainment, including comic book stories. Lois Lane and Clark Kent are technically different species, which can help cause an interesting give and take. And Merced seems to think the same can be said for Hawkgirl/Green Lantern in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
Of course, have no indication as to if/when this happen. The first slate of DCU projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and are largely a mystery to the general public. While Merced's Hawkgirl is being established early, the same can't be said for Green Lantern John Stewart. Although that character is expected to be one of the main protagonists of the developing Lanterns series.
Those who watched the two Justice League shows will remember that Hawkgirl and Green Lantern's relationship was the primary love story. It took a while for them to open up to each other, and eventually Hawkgirl's history with the Thanagarian military ripped them apart.
Of course, Merced is playing a different version of the winged superhero altogether; she's Kendra Saunders, not Shayera Hol. In the same interview, the 23 year-old actress addresses this, saying:
My love for the character that Maria brought to the show, it definitely transferred to this version, who is not Shayera, but she's Kendra, but she has all the memories of her past life. So I'm definitely a huge fan of her story, so I can't wait to see how that evolves or if there even is a romantic aspect potentially, because I'm a romantic at heart, for sure.
In Superman, Kendra is resurrected from an alien Hawkgirl and retains her memories. This is a different take on the character, but seemingly hasn't discouraged Merced about the opportunity to bring the Green Lantern romance to life in the future. As a big Justice League fan myself, I'm going to cross my fingers as well.
Superman will hit theaters on July 11th as part of the 2025 movie release list, including a live-action take on Hawkgirl. And while Green Lantern Guy Gardner will be in on the fun, no one is expecting them to get together.
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