This Latina Inspired the New ‘Superman’ Movie Hawkgirl
Warner Bros. Pictures
The day is finally here! One of DC’s biggest releases, Superman, is finally in theaters (July 11). The highly anticipated film features two Latinas, including Peruvian actress Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl.
Remezcla was able to chat with Merced about the inspiration behind her Hawkgirl ahead of the Superman premiere.
Hawkgirl has been played by various actresses in the past. Some of the actresses include Canadian actress and model Sahar Biniaz in Smallville, American actress and singer Ciara Renée in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Cuban-American actress Maria Canals-Barrera in Justice League Unlimited (JLU). But did you know the latter Latina actress served as inspiration for Merced’s take on the role?
“For this character in particular, I looked a lot to Maria Canals-Barrera’s performance in the JLU as the voice of Hawkgirl,” she told Remezcla at the Superman press junket in Los Angeles, CA (June 28). “And because she did such a good job, it was near and dear to my heart – it made the whole process a lot easier for me.”
She continued: “I actually ended up meeting her recently, and she’s phenomenal. For those who don’t know, she played the mom in Wizards of Waverly Place, so that was awesome.” Canals-Barrera’s Hawkgirl premiered in 2001. Most recently, she made a return in the Wizards universe in 2025 on Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
But that’s not all we talked about.
When we asked Merced to describe her character using only Spanish words, she said: “‘Empoderada’ so she’s very empowered, and ‘traumatizada’ she’s very traumatized as well.” “Empoderada” fits her role, especially since the movie shows her in thrilling fighting sequences alongside her co-stars Nathan Fillion (who plays Green Lantern) and Edi Gathegi (who plays Mister Terrific).
This isn’t the only major role Merced has taken on this year. Before promoting Superman, the skyrocketing actress was busy with The Last of Us’ second season. In The Last of Us, she played one of the season’s main characters, Dina. Before portraying Dina, she also portrayed Anya Corazon aka Spider-Girl, in Madame Web.
Superman is now in theaters.