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| Alias: Charley Parker, Ch'al Andar |
Titans Member
Joined: Teen Titans (first series) #50 [1978] |
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| Golden Eagle Quick Bio: When teen slacker Charley Parker was mysteriously gifted with Thanagarian battle armor, he thought it would be a good way to earn easy cash as Golden Eagle. After escaping death at the hands of the evil Wildebeest Society, Golden Eagle learned his true identity as Ch'al Andar, son of the Thanagarian outcast, Fel Andar. |
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GOLDEN EAGLE from his first appearance in
JUSTICE LEAGUE #116 [1975]. |
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GOLDEN EAGLE in his Post-Crisis costume. |
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GOLDEN EAGLE returns in HAWKMAN #37 [2005]. |
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Battle-scarred Ch'al Andar reunites
with his father and gives up his
vendetta in HAWKMAN #47 [2005] |
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Battle-Scarred
Ch'al Andar |
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Ch'al's Father,
Fel Andar |
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Son of Fel Andar
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| Charley Parker's true lineage revealed in HAWKMAN #45 [2005]. |
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Thanagarian Fel Andar was sent to earth as a spy to garner information before an impending alien invasion. Once arriving, Fel lived the life of an earthman with the intention of one day assuming the guise of Carter Hall, Jr., the son of Carter and Shiera Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkwoman. As part of his ruse, Fel Andar needed to find a Hawkwoman - and he found the perfect candidate when he met and fell in love with Sharon Parker.
The two were married and later had a son, whom Fel named Ch'al Andar. But the presence of a child betrayed his mission; The infant boy was bestowed the earth name Charley Parker and given up for adoption. Charley spent most of his youth in foster homes, where he started to develop deep psychological issues of abandonment. One day, Charley's father revealed himself to him. On that day, Fel Andar gave Charley a gift: Thanagarian battle armor. Unaware of its true origins, Charley Parker wondered how he could make use of this unique gift.
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| Charley Parker - and his revised Golden Eagle armor - in SECRET ORIGINS ANNUAL #3 [1989]. |
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Titans West: Herald, Golden Eagle, Flamebird,
Hawk & Dove, Lilith, Bumblebee and Beast Boy. |
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Golden Eagle Takes Wing
Unaware of his true Thanagarian lineage, Charley assumed the costumed identity of the high-flying Golden Eagle. He seemed to appear out of nowhere in the skies over Northern California, where he rescued a family of campers trapped by a raging forest fire.
After receiving much praise and gratitude, Golden Eagle stunned the populace by insisting on a financial reward for his services. Then he handed out business cards that read: "Golden Eagle - Loved Ones Need Saving? I Fly in the Face of Danger. All Major Credit Cards Accepted." As Golden Eagle soared off triumphantly into the sunset, the town residents promptly tore up his cards. Thus did a super-hero career get off to a shaky start.
Being Golden Eagle was the closest thing to steady work Charley Parker ever had. Chronically unemployed, Parker's idea of a meaningful, fulfilling lifestyle was sunbathing on Malibu Beach, working on his tan while waiting for the right wave to roll in. Unfortunately, no one was willing to pay him to do that. Golden Eagle was supposed to be Parker's ticket to financial security.
Charley's super-heroic guise led him to be linked to Hawkman - who even assumed the role of mentor to the young hero. Ironically, neither winged hero was aware of Charley's true Thanagarian nature at that time.
Charley was "between jobs" when an attack on California by Mr. Esper prompted the formation of Titans West. Despite the refusal of Robin, the leader of the original Teen Titans, to sanction the spin-off group. Golden Eagle thought it would be a good way to make money, by monopolizing the super-hero market in California. It's no surprise that the lack of real levelheaded leadership caused Titans West to unceremoniously disband before anyone ever really noticed that the team had existed. Charley participated in a brief revival of titans West, and still sought reimbursement for his heroism.
Feathers Ruffled
Meanwhile, after the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkman disappeared into limbo, Fel Andar assumed the identity of Carter Hall Jr. - leading him to successfully become Hawkman while his wife Sharon flew by his side as Hawkwoman. Working as a spy within the Justice League, Andar allied with the Dominators, Khunds and Thanagarians in an attempt to destroy earth. When Sharon overheard Fel Andar's treachery, he was forced to kill her. But with her last breath, Sharon revealed Andar's duplicity to the Justice League. Andar retreated back to Thanagar, where he was later regarded as a pariah and a traitor.
| The Golden Eagle was one of the first Titans to fall during Titans Hunt - from NEW TITANS #72 [1991]. |
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Sometime later, current and former members of the Titans were hunted and captured by the Wildebeest Society. Golden Eagle and Aqualad responded to a summons from Deathstroke to help track down the captured Titans. After they met up on the coast of Long Island, they were both brutally attacked by a Wildebeest Agent. The Wildebeest took out Aqualad and left Golden Eagle for dead. Indeed, the Titans assumed Charley Parker had died that day.
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| Charley Parker lives to fly again in HAWKMAN #38 [2005]. |
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But fate intervened. Fel Andar visited his son at that moment and saved him from certain death. It was at this time that Fel Andar also told Charley of his true purpose as a spy for Thanagar. Knowing his father's mission, Charley developed a hatred for Hawkman, who he deemed a 'pretender' to Thanagarian blood - while he regarded his father as the one true Hawkman. Fel and Ch'al had only one week together before the Thanagarian police brought Fel Andar back to Thanagar where he was imprisoned once again.
A Mission Of Vengeance
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| Charley revealed as the son of Fel Andar in HAWKMAN #45 [2005] |
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His misguided hatred for Hawkman now intensified, Charley Parker sought revenge against the man he once emulated. Once a directionless slacker, Charley saw this misplaced mission of vengeance as a way to finally become his own man. Charley spent a few years traveling the globe and established his own aerospace company known as Ethon Enterprises. Living in seclusion, Charley kept his ‘resurrection’ a secret for years. He later relocated to St. Roch and made his presence known as Golden Eagle.
Secretly, Charley had masterminded Hawkman's foes to converge and conspire against him. He had also tried to brainwash Hawkman into murdering Hawkgirl. When Hawkman faked his own death to learn who was behind his constant assaults, Charley even assumed the identity of Hawkman - professing to be 'Hawkman's true son.' But Charley's facade was shattered when he invited Hawkgirl to travel back to Thanagar with him. At that moment, Hawkman confronted Golden Eagle about his true identity.
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| Charley Parker tries to exact revenge on his former mentor in HAWKMAN #45 [2005]. |
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Battle-scarred Ch'al Andar gives up his
vendetta in HAWKMAN #47 [2005] |
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As Hawkman and Charley Parker engaged in a slugfest, Parker revealed his true identity as Ch'al Andar - the son of Fel Andar. Believing Carter Hall as a pretender to the Hawkman name, Parker confessed he had engineered a vengeance campaign against the winged hero. Once Hawkman bested Charley Parker in battle - leaving him scarred and blinding his left eye - he sent him back to Thanagar with a recorded confession; Presumably, Ch'al Andar would not receive a warm greeting once he arrived on Thanagarian soil.
But while Golden Eagle was en route, Thanagar was destroyed in the midst of the Rann/Thanagar War. Ch'al reunited with his fellow Thanagarians and became a captain in their army. When Hawkman entered the fray, Battle-scarred Golden Eagle once again sought vengeance. But as fate would have it, that moment also reunited Ch'al Andar with his long-believed dead father, Fel Andar. Once an outcast on Thanagar, Fel had embraced a spiritual path. Fel pleaded with his son to end his vendetta - and convinced Golden Eagle to fight for peace rather than power or glory.
Just as father and son made peace, Fel Andar was murdered by Blackfire. Ch'al later buried his father on New Thanagar, pledging to protect the surviving Thanagarians in his father's name.
A Gilded Cage
Golden Eagle later came into conflict with the Monarch's alien agent known as Forerunner. Challenging Golden Eagle to honorable combat, Forerunner bested the Thanagarian warrior and claimed him as her traveling consort.
Charley Parker is a superb athlete and a fairly good hand-to-hand fighter, despite his limited combat training the sharp metal talons on his gloves provide Golden Eagle with a formidable assault weapon. In addition to the power of flight, The Golden Eagle has incredible vision, which allows him to see objects from great distances, even in near-total darkness. Whether these powers are attributable to Charley Parker or the Golden Eagle costume itself has yet to be revealed.
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Justice League of America #116 [1975]: Answering the Justice League mail, Green Arrow investigates a letter from an orphaned teenager, who claims to have powers like those of his idol, Hawkman, and to have become a crime fighter in Midway City. GA arrives in Midway City just in time to help young Charley Parker, alias Golden Eagle, escape a trap set by Hawkman's old enemy, the Matter Master, who has mistaken the youth for the real Winged Wonder. Batman, Elongated Man, Flash, and Aquaman join Green Arrow to battle a series of threats unleashed by the Matter Master's Mentachem wand, while Golden Eagle finds himself transported to the villain's hideway, where the Matter Master sits in a state like suspended animation while causing his wand to engage the Justice League heroes. Awakening to the realization that Golden Eagle is not the real Hawkman at all, and that his wand is responsible for Charley's acquiring super-powers (in unconscious anticipation of the villain's wish to battle and defeat a hero resembling Hawkman), the Matter Master is about to destroy Golden Eagle when the JLA intervenes and defeats him. As the case is closed and Parker returned to normal, the real Hawkman unexpectedly returns. First appearance and origin of Golden Eagle (Charley Parker). The events of this issue have been negated by the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Justice League of America #117 [1975]: Charley Parker appears in his civilian guise as several Justice League members are ambushed by a space attacker who resembles Katar Hol (Hawkman), and find their super-powers scrambled as a result. Charley stays behind, thrilled at the opportunity to serve monitor duty at the Justice League satellite. The Hawkman who had returned earlier (as seen in the previous issue) proves to be a mere message-image from the real Hawkman, but before the heroes can investigate further, they must overcome their altered-abilities handicap. Their attacker, who actually is Hawkman, has been the victim of a plague initiated by a space villain called the Equalizer - a plague which has caused all of Thanagar to become "average," each person exactly equal in power and ability to every other. The heroes drive off the Equalizer, and cure themselves and Hawkman of the disease, and Hawkman resumes his relationship until such time as the rest of Thanagar (including Hawkgirl) can be cured, and he can return home. Charley Parker is about to be made an honorary Justice League member in this story; appears next as Golden Eagle, in Teen Titans #50.
Teen Titans #50-52 [1976]: Titans West, comprised of Golden Eagle, Flamebird, Hawk, Dove and Beast Boy, is formed by Lilith; Captain Calamity/Mr. Esper battles the two Titan groups. First appearance of Titans West in issue #50. First appearance of Beast Boy, Bat-Girl [Bette Kane] and Golden Eagle as Titans.
Tales of the Teen Titans #50 [1985]: Donna Troy and Terry Long wed this issue. Appearances by just about every Titan, past and present.
Secret Origins Annual #3 [1989]: Dick Grayson's dream are invaded by the Antithesis, who seeks to break Dick's spirit so that he will remain in Limbo; The Special gives a post-Crisis history of the Titans, including some revamps and revisions. Includes: First Appearance of Flame-Bird (Post-Crisis ret-con of Bat-Girl); First Appearance of Herald (Post Crisis Ret-con of Hornblower and Guardian); First Appearance of Golden Eagle's new costume; Includes Who's Who entries for Flamebird, Golden Eagle, Bumblebee, The Herald, Antithesis, and Gargoyle.
Hawk & Dove Annual (second series) # 1 [1990]: featured a brief reunion of Titans West. A mysterious note to Dawn Granger leads to Hawk and Dove teaming up with the old Titans West crew, with Hawk, Dove, Flamebird, Bumblebee, Mal, Golden Eagle and Chris "Dial H" King forming a rag-tag Titans West team. Flamebird suggested reforming the team, but no one was interested.
New Titans #72 [1991]: The Wildebeest attacks Golden Eagle and Aqualad; Golden Eagle is slain and Aqualad is injured badly. Deathstroke and Dayton begin the search for the Titans. Death of Golden Eagle.
Hawkworld #22-25 [1992]: Fel Andar revealed to be posing as Hawkman. Sharon Parker Hall killed by Fel Andar. Fel Andar and Sharon "Hall" later revealed as the parents of Golden Eagle in Hawkman #45.
Hawkman #37-45 [2005]: Golden Eagle returns! Charley Parker resurfaces alive, settles in St. Roch and resumes his role as the Golden Eagle. In a press conference, Charley announces his identity to the public. Hawkman seemingly dies and Golden Eagle assumes the Hawkman mantle, claiming to be Hawkman's son. Eventually, Charley Parker is revealed as the son of Fel Andar [the Hawkman who betrayed earth to alien forces]; Charley traveled to St. Roch and engineered a vengeance campaign against Hawkman. The real Hawkman returns to confront Charley Parker - and is revealed as the mastermind behind Hawkman's woes. Hawkman defeats Golden Eagle and sends him back to Thanagar. Charley's false origin is told in issue #43; Charley's real origin is told in #45, where he revealed as Fel Andar's son.
Hawkman #47-48 [2005]: Golden Eagle resurfaces as a member of the Thanagarian army. He tries to kill Hawkman, but his father, Fel Andar, convinces him to end his vendetta.
Countdown to Adventure #1-8 [2007-2008]: In the 8-page backup, from the pages of COUNTDOWN, it's a tale of Forerunner! Find out more about this awesome new character and her relationship with the Monitors. Golden Eagle comes into conflict with the Monarch's alien agent known as Forerunner. Challenging Golden Eagle to honorable combat, Forerunner bests the Thanagarian warrior and claims him as her traveling consort.
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| THE TEEN TITANS: PRE-CRISIS |
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Golden Eagle debuted in Justice League #116 [1975]. |
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Crisis Ripples in the Titansverse
The Crisis on Infinite Earths: It was the end of everything! Countless universes were erased from existence in a spreading tide of antimatter unleashed by the Anti-Monitor, a being of undiluted hate birthed at the moment of creation. Watching helpless as the otherworldly Spectre grappled with the Anti-Monitor, those heroes witnessed the rebirth of a single universe, with one Earth and one unified reality. In the final conflict, the Anti-Monitor sent this reborn Earth to the antimatter universe, where the greatest assemblage of super-humans ever known ended his threat for all time - though continuity in the DC Universe was forever altered in his wake.
Many TITANS characters' histories were altered by continuity-changing CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. Most notably, Donna Troy. Also affected were Dick Grayson, Lilith, Mal Duncan, Harlequin, Gnarrk, Bat-Girl/Flamebird, Golden Eagle, and Kole. Other characters have had elements of their back stories refined, but nothing has been severely altered or negated [such as additions like the Flash Year One arc or speed force revelations].
See Secret Origins Annual #3 [the post-Crisis origin of the team], New Titans #50-55 [Who Is Wonder Girl?] and New Titans #56 [a Titans flashback with Gnarrk] for the major post-Crisis revisions that effect the Titans-verse.
Golden Eagle: Golden Eagle's costume has been retroactively revised. Also, rather than receiving his gear from Hawkman (as detailed in Justice League of America #116-117), the origin of Charlie Parker's Golden Eagle armor remained a mystery. These changes are detailed in Secret Origins Annual #3. A revised Who's Who entry appears in that same issue.
Golden Eagle Pre-Crisis History
First Appearance: Justice League #116
Essential Reading: Teen Titans (first series) #50 -52
As a teenager, the orphaned Charles Edmond Parker idolized Hawkman. Charley claims that he accidentally gained the same powers as Hawkman from the Mentachem Rod, prime weapon of the Matter Master, Hawkman's archenemy. Apparently, Matter Master was unaware that Hawkman was off-planet at the time, and the wand attempted to grant the villain his wish for revenge by supplying him with a new "Hawkman."
In return for his help in the JLA case that resulted, Hawkman supposedly gave Charley a set of wings and a helmet. Apparently, Charley had some modifications made later on.
Golden Eagle's involvement with the Teen Titans started when Mr. Esper at tacked California. This soon caused Charley to join Titans West, where he served with some distinction until its dissolution.
Post-Crisis
Golden Eagle was re-imaged as a Californian slacker-surfer, unable to hold down a job. Also gone was the Hawkman connection; Instead, no one really knew where Charley acquired the elaborate costume. Also unrevealed was whether some of Golden Eagle's abilities were due to the costume, or some meta-human abilities of Charley himself.
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Golden Eagle Chronology
The Original Origin of Golden Eagle
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| Titans West debuts in TEEN TITANS #50-52 [1978]. |
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Charley Parker's original origin was told in Justice League of America #116-117 [1975]. An orphaned teenager who idolized Hawkman, Charley Parker accidentally gained the attributes and powers of his hero through the agency of the Mentachem Rod weapon of Hawkman's arch-enemy, the Matter Master. In return for his help on a Justice League case, the real Hawkman made Charley a gift of a duplicate of his wings and anti-gravity belt.
Golden Eagle next appeared in Teen Titans #s 50-52 [1978], where Titans West - Hawk, Dove, Lilith, Gnarrk, Beast Boy, Golden Eagle, and Bat-Girl - made its triumphant debut. Golden Eagle encountered the Teen Titans when Mr. Esper attacked California. This soon caused Charley to join Titans West, where he served with some distinction until its dissolution. It was also in this story that Charley was established as a slacker-hero, often unemployed and down on his luck. Writer Bob Rozakis explains how the Titans West line-up developed: " I took pretty much every other teenage hero that was available!"
Charley Parker appeared next as a guest of Donna Troy's wedding in Tales of the Teen Titans #50 [1984]. There was some talk of reforming Titans West, but nothing ever came of it.
Post-Crisis Revisions
In Secret Origins Annual #3 [1989], George Pérez told the post-Crisis history of the Titans. Pérez: "I'm writing a Secret Origins Annual of the Titans, while Marv writes the Titans Annual. My origin will establish the post-Crisis origin of the middle Titans; the one with Golden Eagle and Bumblebee. I'll establish who existed and who didn't, what powers they had, and how visually they might be different." It also details the group's history from the very beginning to present day in a story involving Antithesis and Gargoyle. This story takes place soon after The New Titans #56.
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| A Golden Eagle commission by former Hawkman artist Richard Howell. |
Golden Eagle was re-imaged as a Californian slacker-surfer, unable to hold down a job. Also gone was the Hawkman connection; Instead, no one really knew where Charley acquired the elaborate costume. Also unrevealed was whether some of Golden Eagle's abilities were due to the costume, or some meta-human abilities of Charley himself. It seemed unlikely that a beach bum who couldn't hold a job for more than a month could design or pay for such magnificent equipment. That mystery wouldn't be solved until Golden Eagle's return in the pages of Hawkman in 2005.
Hawk & Dove Annual (second series) # 1 [1990] featured a brief reunion of Titans West. A mysterious note to Dawn Granger led to Hawk and Dove teaming up with the old Titans West crew, with Hawk, Dove, Flamebird, Bumblebee, Mal, Golden Eagle and Chris "Dial H" King forming a rag-tag Titans West team. Flamebird suggested reforming the team, but no one was interested.
Golden Eagle Becomes Extinct
New Titans #71 [1991] kicked off the Titan Hunt storyline, as Titans members were hunted and captured by the mysterious Wildebeest Society. "One of the problems the Titans have had for many years was playing to the status quo." says Wolfman, "We weren't doing anything. I was bored with it. And so were the readers - we just weren't pushing." New editor Jonathan Peterson was instrumental in pushing for changes. When Peterson took over the book, Wolfman says artist Tom Grummett, inker Al Vey and outgoing editor Mike Carlin got together for three days to come up with the Titan Hunt storyline.
New Titans #72 featured "Death of a Hero" - that hero was Golden Eagle. Golden Eagle and Aqualad responded to a summons from Deathstroke, to help track down the captured Titans. After they rendezvous on the coast of Long Island, they were both brutally attacked by a Wildebeest. The Wildebeest took out Aqualad and strangled Golden Eagle to death.
New editor Jonathan Peterson [on the deaths in TITANS HUNT]: "Then we had the lower rung characters like Golden Eagle. I mean, the perfect fodder for killing off. Essentially, we ALSO knew that we wanted to add some NEW characters as well...that was on the burner as well."
But that was not the end for Golden Eagle...
Golden Eagle Flies Again
Charley Parker resurfaced alive in the pages of Hawkman #37 [2005] after appearing briefly as a mysterious shadowed figure in Hawkman #34. Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti had far reaching plans for Golden Eagle - including some major new revelations concerning his back story. Justin Gray reveals some of the thought behind bringing Charley back: "From what I read on your great web site [titanstower.com], not even Golden Eagle's editor thought much of him, that worked for us because we knew "Who is Golden Eagle and why should we care?" would be a fun question to answer."
The circumstances of his survival – and Hawkman’s role in it - remained a mystery at that time. Charley claimed his miraculous ‘rebirth’ was a second chance, prompting him him to make a promise to become a better man. Leaving his slacker days behind him, Charley spent a few years traveling the globe and established his own aerospace company known as Ethon Enterprises. Living in seclusion, Charley kept his ‘resurrection’ a secret... until he decided to announce his identity to the world and fly again as Golden Eagle in Hawkman #38.
Meanwhile, Hawkman's rogues gallery of villains seemed to be conspiring against him. Golden Eagle witnessed Hawkman's death at the hands of the Manhawks in Hawkman #41. And in that same issue, at Hawkman's funeral, Charley Parker announced that he is Hawkman's son. Pledging to honor his father's memory, Charley Parker donned the Hawkman costume in Hawkman #42.
Hawkman #43 promised the "secret history of the Golden Eagle" told by Charley Parker himself. Charley told his story as an orphaned street rat who was rescued by Hawkman - and later given Thanagarian armor by Carter Hall. Some of Charley's recollections raised some suspicion, both within the comic tale and among comic fandom. Justin Gray teases, " Jimmy [ Palmiotti ] and I both wanted to mess with the readers, give them misdirection, play games with the continuity glitches and generate a lot of speculation about what was happening, while at the same time building a logical blend of what we know and what we don't know about Golden Eagle. In the end we still don't know exactly who he is or what his past was like. We can choose to believe all, part or none of his story in #43." So readers were left wondering: Just who was Charley Parker anyway?
The Real Charley Parker: Ch'al Andar
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| Charley revealed as the son of Fel Andar in HAWKMAN #45 [2005] |
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The big revelation finally arrived in Hawkman #44. Having faked his own death with the help of Dr. Fate, Hawkman secretly attacked each of his foes until only one suspect remained: Golden Eagle. Meanwhile, Charley Parker invited Hawkgirl back to Thanagar as he made amorous advances towards her. After rebuffing Charley, he declared, "I'm sorry - I just thought Hawkman and Hawkgirl, y'know? We're supposed to be together. All Carter Hall did was loot Nth metal from a Thanagarian battleship that crashed on earth centuries ago. His blood isn't pure. He has no claim to the uniform or understanding of what it signifies" Growing more angry, Charley pronounced, "Hawkman is my father. The one true Hawkman!" At that moment, Hawkman arrived for a final confrontation.
Charley Parker's real history was divulged at last in the pages of Hawkman #45. Having deduced that Golden Eagle was the mastermind behind his attacks, Hawkman demanded to know who Charley Parker really was. Engaged in battle, Charley finally revealed himself as the son of Fel Andar. Back in Hawkworld #22-25 [1992], Fel Andar assumed the identity of Carter Hall Jr. and became Hawkman. Secretly a Thanagarian spy, Andar conspired with the alien alliance to destroy earth. Once found out, he was sent back to Thanagar in disgrace.
Charley revealed he is Ch'al Andar, son of Fel Andar and Sharon Parker. Charley told Hawkman he had been planning his downfall for some time, after discovering the true identity of his father. Charley also revealed that he met his father twice: Once when he was given the Golden Eagle armor - and a second time when Fel Andar saved him from certain death at the hands of the Wildebeests.
After Hawkman defeated Golden Eagle, he decided to record a confession from him and send him back to Thanagar - where he would be greeted with contempt.
So how exactly was Golden Eagle re-imaged from slacker hero to Thanagarian mastermind? Justin Gray reveals how the story developed: " The story just came together when we were discussing the "big bad" and for me Golden Eagle seemed to be the least obvious choice and with the recreation of Hawkman at Geoff Johns’ talented hands, we couldn't just tell a story, we had to tell a big story that would get people thinking. Having said that, almost all of these questions are answered in #45, but the real truth behind Golden Eagle will still be somewhat open to interpretation and speculation because that's the nature of the character... in my mind anyway. I wanted to leave a certain amount of mystery to be explored, hopefully, by others in the future."
"I see him as a sort of tragic and enigmatic figure, caught between hero and villain, human and alien," Justin adds, " Charley is flawed and he was a directionless slacker with deep psychological issues related to being an orphan, being abandoned, being everything but his own man. That doesn't go away on its own. Even when he discovers the truth about his father he still has no sense of closure and blames Hawkman (Cater and Katar) as a source and a reason his father was taken away a second time. Because of the other Hawkmen, Fel Andar was never able to stay on earth and be a father. Now Charley has the opportunity to do the right thing in St. Roch, but he is still misdirecting his power/anger/sense of right and wrong in an attempt to ret-con his own existence - reinventing himself and his own continuity as a mechanism for dealing with his issues."
"Charley was not aware of his lineage at the time when he was a Titan, but the speculation and theories are one of the great things about comics and history so I left a lot of doors open for people to debate. It is all about lingering questions."
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Creators on Golden Eagle
Marv Wolfman:
"It's not to shake things up," he says, "outside of Golden Eagle's death. He was a useless character in many ways-nobody was using him, and he was replicated elsewhere. It tells the reader that nothing is sacred. That first death may have been tenuous, but the future ones aren't- this is the direction it had to go once we set the story in motion."
Jonathan Peterson, Titans Hunt editor:
"Then we had the lower rung characters like Golden Eagle. I mean, the perfect fodder for killing off. Essentially, we ALSO knew that we wanted to add some NEW characters as well...that was on the burner as well."
Justin Gray, Hawkman writer:
"From what I read on your great web site [titanstower.com], not even Golden Eagle's editor thought much of him, that worked for us because we knew "Who is Golden Eagle and why should we care?" would be a fun question to answer."
"I see him as a sort of tragic and enigmatic figure, caught between hero and villain, human and alien," Justin adds, " Charley is flawed and he was a directionless slacker with deep psychological issues related to being an orphan, being abandoned, being everything but his own man. That doesn't go away on its own. Even when he discovers the truth about his father he still has no sense of closure and blames Hawkman (Cater and Katar) as a source and a reason his father was taken away a second time. Because of the other Hawkmen, Fel Andar was never able to stay on earth and be a father. Now Charley has the opportunity to do the right thing in St. Roch, but he is still misdirecting his power/anger/sense of right and wrong in an attempt to ret-con his own existence - reinventing himself and his own continuity as a mechanism for dealing with his issues."
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