Black Canary
Black Canary is a comic book character that first appeared in Flash Comics #86
Born into a family of crime fighters, Dinah Laurel Lance follows in their footsteps, assuming the costume and identity of her mother, the original Black Canary.
Dinah Drake Lance
The Original Black Canary
Bronze Age
When Roy Harper became addicted to heroine, Green Arrow abused him and threw him out on the streets. Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, would discover this and bring Roy over into the care of Dinah. Dinah stayed by his side, helping him with the pain of quitting cold turkey. Roy appreciated the help and support Dinah offered him, and later on looked at her in a way that was part sibling, part friend, and part parent.It was later revealed that Black Canary was actually the daughter of the original Black Canary, on account of writers feeling that Dinah seemed to be much older then Green Arrow and the rest of the Justice League . So now, during the 1950s Dinah and Larry had a child. Unfortunately, the child was cursed by the Wizard, foe of the JSA, which caused the child to have an uncontrollable scream. Dinah asked Johnny Thunder to summon Thunderbolt to help find a cure. They were unsuccessful, and so Dinah asked Thunderbolt decided to put the child in suspended animation (while slowly growing up) until they could find a cure or a way to control it . Dinah learned that she was poisoned by radiation from her battle with Aquarius, and was slowly starting to die. She made an arrangement with Thunderbolt and Superman of Earth-One to transfer her mind to the body of her now adult daughter.
Dinah Laurel Lance
However, her mother forbade it because she believed the world was not as nice as the days she worked as a crime fighter, and that Dinah would die. Dinah did not listen to her mother , asking Wildcat to help train her. Dinah also had her “Canary Cry”, but unlike the Silver Age, she was able to control it and it was a result of a meta-gene. After years of intense training, she took the Black Canary mantle and started her vigilantism while also maintaining a day job as owner and operator of Sherwood Florist. Dinah also helped reform the Justice League of America with Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter and Aquaman. After she joined the Justice League, she became romantically involved with teammate Green Arrow. The age difference was much different this time, with Green Arrow being a few years older then she was. After her mother’s death caused by radiation poisoning from Aquarius, Dinah decided that she would quit the JLA. She moved with Green Arrow to Seattle to start a new life, opening her own florist shop there. Her move to Seattle, though, began a slow spiral downward in her life. Dinah had decided to join an operation to bust a drug ring, but failed. They kidnapped Dinah and proceeded to torturing her, causing her to lose her fertility and Canary Cry. Eventually Green Arrow would save her but Dinah would not be the same after this. She started to attend extensive counseling, and was able to recover psychologically from the events. Dinah’s relationship with Green Arrow would take a turn too. With years of trust issues having accumulated from being abandoned and walked out on several times by Gree Arrow, she broke off their relationship after she walked in on Green Arrow kissing her young florist shop assistant.
Birds of Prey
Oracle would later ask Black Canary to work as an agent for her, and they would form the Birds Of Prey. When she began working with the Birds of Prey, she decided to get rid of the blond wig and bleach her hair blond. At first Dinah did not get along with Oracle, but eventually the two put their disagreements aside and became best friends, learning that they had so much in common. Later it was revealed during one of the early Birds of Prey issues that Dinah had married when she was very young, but divorced soon after. Her ex-husband made an appearance in a Birds of Prey storyline where he was seeking her help but in fact, wanted her to return to him after he had stolen money from the mob. When Dinah began dating a European man who later turned out to be Ra's al Ghul, she was seriously injured and the only way to save her was to dip her into the Lazarus Pit. The Lazarus Pit would restore her meta-human ability “Canary Cry” and her fertility.
Shiva vs Canary
Dinah was trained by the same martial arts master as Lady Shiva. Shiva became impressed with Dinah’s martial arts skills and offered her a chance to sharpen her skills. Dinah declined Shiva’s offer because she believed that it would change her morality and turn her into a cold blooded killer like Shiva, however, Shiva remained an important figure in Dinah's life.
During Infinite Crisis, Alex Luthor reveals that Wonder Woman was originally a founding member of the Justice League. This affects Black Canary because during one of the earlier retcons, Black Canary replaced Wonder Woman as one of the founding members of the Justice League. It has yet to be explained on Dinah’s status in her earlier life with the JLA. In One Year Later after Infinite Crisis, Dinah had traded lives with Lady Shiva. Dinah is now going through the entire training that Lady Shiva went through in her early life. It takes place in a Vietnamese village where Dinah is abused by a gang of warriors and learns more about fighting then she thought she ever could. Lady Shiva took care of Dinah’s role in the Birds of Prey, calling herself the Jade Canary and being prone to excessive violence. Eventually Dinah realizes that the training she is going through would change her morality and decides to end the training and return to America. Dinah also decided to take a little girl with her named Sin, a girl who was supposed to be Lady Shiva’s successor. Dinah did not want such a little girl going through all the horror that was in that village. Leaving the Birds of Prey, Dinah took Sin with her to live a life safe and sound.
The Justice League of America
Group Photo
Living with Sin
While eating at a fast food restaurant, Dinah tells Sin about her relationship with Green Arrow . Dinah mentions that Ollie has finally proposed to her, but it's complicated so she hasn't given him an answer yet. Dinah then goes to the bathroom, and when she returns, Sin has destroyed the entire playplace. They leave and are confronted by a mysterious stranger, whom Dinah beats up before realizing he is her ex-husband. He tells her that some people what him dead and begs her to protect him. At first, Dinah declines, but she eventually comes to save him in time. With the help of her ex-husband Craig, she was able to enroll Sin into a safe school and leased a house in Star City.The next day at school, Sin is attacked by the League Of Assassins. She defeated the ninjas and ran out of the school, where she sees Ollie in a car outside calling her. However, when she gets in the car she is knocked out by a gas arrow, revealing "Ollie" to be Merlyn in disguise. Dinah, Green Arrow, and Speedy investigate the area of the kidnapping only to find out someone that looked like Green Arrow had kidnapped Sin. Dinah decides to go search for Sin by herself, while Green Arrow and Speedy check out other leads. Dinah heads over to Craig's apartment to discover a bomb attached underneath his car, and him packing ready to leave town. She makes him tell her everything he knew about the people that threatened him. With the help of Oracle, Dinah and Craig set up a trap for Merlyn at his office, while Green Arrow and Speedy went to rescue Sin.
After Meryln arrives, Dinah defeats him easily. She then heads to the harbor to help out Green Arrow. Speedy was able to rescue Sin and was putting her on the life boat when Green Arrow gets impatient and shoots an arrow at the boat's rope to drop it in the water. However, the boat shatters and Sin is no where to be found. Dinah becomes extremely enraged at what had happened to Sin, and the League of Assassins member only fueled her rage when they blame her for causing them to fail their mission. She then beats on the League of Assassins until Merlyn arrives, and also blamed Dinah for ruining his only chance to rule the world. She beats down Merlyn and nearly kills him until Ollie talked her out of it before she committed murder. Back at home, she threw away Ollie's engagement ring until he comes in and gives Dinah a letter written by Sin. Sin tells Dinah that Ollie thought of a plan to keep the League of Assassins from continuously coming after her. However, it involved Dinah to believe that Sin was killed. In fact, Sin did not fall into the water, she would hang on the side of the boat with a rope and slipped in through the ship's window. Dinah needed to have a real reaction to make it believable. Speedy took Sin to Connor and he took her to Ollie's former master to hide. After letting some anger out at Ollie, she tells him that she accepts his proposal, despite him having kidnapped her daughter and telling her that her daughter was dead.
Powers & Abilities
Accessories
When Dinah lost her Canary Cry, she used a number of weapons and gadgets.
- High Frequency Sonic Disruptor's
- Gas Pellets
- Sonic Screamers
Alternate Continuities
All-Star Batman and Robin
Black Canary is an oversexualized, abused bartender in the bad part of Gotham City. She wears her leather jacket and black costume with a mask while bar tending, and her fuse is about the blow as these sleazy drunks continuously hit on her. After she tells off a couple of guys, one of them slaps her on the butt, only to get the teeth kicked out of him. Canary then started beating up all the drunks in the bar, after she knocked everyone out, she proceeded to robbing them. Her boss comes out and she tells him that she is resigning and that Batman is on her mind. After he replied to her saying "Sweet Chunks," he gets kicked through the window by Canary. She then steals one of the drunk's motorcycle and leaves. She heads over to the docks to beat up some thugs. Coincidentally, Batman was also at the docks conducting an investigation of his own. Canary then fights the two thugs and easily knocks them out, also stealing their money after wards. However, she is then ambushed by more armed men. Canary was able to avoid most of the gun shots and knock some of them out. She held on long enough for Batman to arrive. While Batman was beating up the thugs, Black Canary stood there and watched as she started becoming attracted to the Batman. After Batman was done, the two shared a kiss and Batman took her back to home.
Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come
Twenty years into the future of the current DC Universe, superheroes have split into two different categories. There were the traditional superheroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League. The other category were vigilantes like Batman and his meta-human team of "Outsiders." Black Canary was on Batman's side and acted as one of his generals. In this future, Dinah married Oliver Queen (one of Batman's partners) and the two have a daughter named Olivia Queen, who also acts under the alias Black Canary. She also wields a bow similar to her father. However, during the Gulag battle, she was killed by a meta-human named Trix, who accidentally shot an arrow into her head. She died in Oliver's arms. Oliver would soon suffer the same fate as he was caught and killed in the nuclear explosion
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Black Canary becomes a member of the Justice League in the first episode entitled "Initiation." She was also the reason why Green Arrow decided to accept the membership to the Justice League. Canary had a minor role in the first season, however her character would develop more through the next couple of season.Black Canary had some episodes that were about her, the first being the first episode in the second season entitled "The Cat and the Canary." This episode explored her relationship with her former mentor and Justice League member, Wildcat. Wildcat had lost his flame for fighting crime as he began to realize he was too old for it. Canary would convince Green Arrow to help her get Wildcat back on the right track. After discovering he was fighting in an illegal cage fighting league that pitted super humans against each other, they decided to challenge Wildcat to a fight. Green Arrow would battle Wildcat and feign his own death, and it snaps Wildcat out of his funk.
The next episode for Black Canary would be in season two episode nine entitled "Double Date." This was a homage to the comic Black Canary and Green Arrow's relationship. Another interesting fact about this episode was that it was written by Gail Simone (Birds of Prey writer), and that she wanted to be a tribute to the Birds of Prey, but the script ended up going in a different direction. In this episode, Black Canary and Green Arrow tail Huntress and The Question as they try to get revenge on mob boss Steven Mandragora.
The next episode with Black Canary getting more screen time was entitled "Grudge Match" in season three episode nine. This episode was an all women's fight as the illegal superhuman fight promoter named Roulette, who was responsible for persuading Wildcat into this sport, forced Canary to battle her fellow Justice League members under mind control. After Canary defeats Huntress, Vixen, and Hawkgirl, they were free from the mind control. The four of them were then pitted against Wonder Woman, they eventually defeat her and lifted the mind control. In the episode entitled "Destroyer," it was the series finale and Black Canary was in it. She and the Justice League defended Earth from Darkseid's invasion.
Episode Appearances
- Initiation
- Fearful Symmetry
- The Dark Heart
- The Cat and the Canary
- Double Date
- Panic in the Sky
- Divided We Fall
- To Another Shore
- Grudge Match
- Destroyer
#101 in
Power Rank
Rank Game
| Super Name: | Black Canary |
| Real Name: | Dinah Laurel Lance |
| Aliases: |
Dinah Laurel Lance Dinah Drake Lance The Blonde Bombshell Siu Jerk Jai Girl Gladiator Pretty bird Canary |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Gender: | Female |
| Character Type: | Other |
| 1st Appearance: | Flash Comics #86 |
| Appears in: | 1123 issues |
| Birthday: | |
| Died: |
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