Isabela Merced Talks About Hawkgirl’s “Dark Story” in Upcoming Superman Movie: “It’s Actually So F*cked Up”

Actress Isabela Merced is playing Hawkgirl in the new Superman movie, and she recently shared some interesting things about her character. The movie is directed by James Gunn and features a large cast, including David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and more.

This will be Hawkgirl’s first big role in a live-action film. In the movie, she is part of the Justice Gang, a team of heroes who are sponsored by a corporation. But unlike Superman, they don’t all share the same morals.

Hawkgirl is a complicated character in the comics. Over the years, she has had many versions. Some stories say she’s an alien. Others say she’s someone who has been reincarnated many times. In the version Merced plays, Kendra Saunders, she’s both an alien who has been reborn again and again.

Speaking on the DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast, Merced said: “Kendra is reincarnated, but she’s reincarnated from an alien. So, she has all those memories. The story is actually really dark, it’s actually so f*cked up that I wonder how they’re going to handle that when it comes to addressing that. I think she carries all of the memories and the traumas and the mistakes of her past lives in her body wherever she goes, so she has a little bit of a grumpy demeanor.”

That backstory gives Merced a lot to work with. It also makes her version of Hawkgirl more serious and intense.

Even though the role is heavy, Merced is excited to be part of the film. She said that working with James Gunn was a dream come true: “One of my dreams in my career was to work with James Gunn. I told James the day I met […] I was a huge fan.”

She even joked that she would’ve taken any role just to be in the movie: “If he wanted me to be a citizen in Metropolis, I would have done that too.”

Playing Hawkgirl is a big challenge because of all the different stories about her in the comics. But Merced says that she enjoys having a lot of material to draw from:

“I love it. Honestly, it gives me so much backstory and it’s super helpful. But then, also, with the James Gunn twist, you know, that self-awareness and the comedy of it all. […] It gives me [the] opportunity to sort of… make light of my trauma.”

It sounds like Gunn is mixing the serious side of Hawkgirl with some humor, which could make for a very unique take on the character. Fans will get to see how it all comes together when the new Superman movie hits theaters.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!