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Hannibal Hawkes was a traveling repairman who wandered across the American West in the 19th Century, with his sidekick Jim Peyton. However, when mystery threatened, he would don the guise of Nighthawk, a masked gunfighter.

Pre-Crisis

He was friendly with other Western heroes of the time, such as Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, Scalphunter and Johnny Thunder.

Nighthawk was killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths by waves of antimatter, after fighting valiantly against the Shadow Demons with a crew of other heroes.[1]

Post-Crisis

Nighthawk reappeared in the new universe established by the great Crisis, with portions of his history changed. He met and fell in love with a gunfighter named Cinnamon, who he traveled with.

Hawkes also assisted Guy Gardner during Zero Hour, where he led a group of heroes including El Diablo and Bat Lash against several men who had been brainwashed by Extant. Nighthawk had grown sideburns by the time he led this group (which he referred to as "the Rough Bunch").

Nighthawk was eventually killed when both he and Cinnamon were shot dead by a criminal named Mathilda Roderic.[2] Years after his death, Nighthawk was revealed to be a reincarnation of Prince Khufu - who would later be reincarnated as Carter Hall, the Hawkman. With this revelation, Roderic is revealed as an incarnation of Khufu's nemesis, Hath-Set.[3]

Legacy

A new hero going by the name Nighthawk has since shown up in modern days. At one point, this character met Robin and U.S. Marshall Ohiyesa Smith, and the three heroes fought the modern-day Trigger Twins in a showdown on the main street of a Western-themed attraction near Gotham City. This character was a mercenary.[4] He was also active during the Infinite Crisis.[5]

Powers

As a mortal human being, Hannibal Hawkes possessed no superhuman powers.

  • Reincarnation: the Nth metal knife which murdered Khufu had an unusual effect upon his soul and that of his lover Chay-Ara. The pair are locked in a seemingly endless cycle of death and rebirth throughout the centuries.

Abilities

  • Equestrianism: Nighthawk was a capable horseback rider, and cultivated a strong bond with his horse.
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat: Nighthawk was an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant.
  • Firearms: Nighthawk was an expert marksman. He was especially good at night-time shooting, using other senses (mainly hearing) to compensate for the low light.[6]
  • Weaponry: Nighthawk He was also highly skilled in the use of a bullwhip and lasso.
  • Mechanical Aptitude: Nighthawk was a proficient "fix-it" man, who brought his unique talents from town to town, earning himself a meager sum

Equipment

Lasso and bullwhip

Transportation

Horse and covered wagon.

Weapons

Nighthawk usually employed two six-shooter revolvers.

  • Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
  • Originally, Nighthawk met his fate in Coyote, Texas in the year 1879 during the Crisis on Infinite Earths in Crisis on Infinite Earths #3.[7] However, as his death took place prior to the reboot of the DC Universe, the details behind his death are considered non-canonical. Recent material has revealed that Nighthawk was operating in the town of St. Roch, Louisiana as late as the 1890s. A deranged woman named Matilda Dunney (an ancestor of modern-day crime figure Kristopher Renard Roderic), shot Nighthawk dead from an elevated position in Hawkman (Volume 4) #7.[8]

Related

Footnotes



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