Why Black Canary Has The Heart Of A Warrior

There can never be enough recognition for strong female characters, and Black Canary is high on the list. Often paired with Green Arrow, Dinah Lance is more than capable of standing apart. She’s been a leader of the Justice League Of America and the field commander for the Birds of Prey, a team consisting of herself, Oracle, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk. She’s a prodigious martial artist and has the power of her ‘Canary Cry,’ a high powered sonic scream that can damage organic and inorganic material.

Dinah is the daughter of the original Black Canary, named Dinah Drake Lance. She was trained by Wildcat in boxing and developed her fighting ability over a number of years. Dinah met Green Arrow for the first time when she joined the Justice League. Although she disliked him at first, they became romantically involved and married each other later.

She joins up with Barbara Gordon, who reinvented herself as Oracle after The Joker crippled her. The two become best friends, with Dinah’s impulsiveness providing a counterpoint to Barbara’s organisation skills. They are joined by Huntress and Lady Blackhawk, forming Birds of Prey. The team is a great example of women working together to make the world a safer place.

Canary is known to have a rivalry with Lady Shiva, with her defeating the assassin on a few occasions. Shiva has worked with the Birds of Prey, citing her respect for Dinah as part of the reason.

Dinah’s role as a mother is important because she’s shown she can fight crime and handle family responsibilites. She rescued and adopted a girl called Sin from a cruel matriarch known as Mother. Sin was being groomed to be the next Lady Shiva and Dinah made sure she was safe. She’s also acted in a motherly role to Roy Harper and Connor Hawke, Green Arrow’s biological son.

Another interesting trait about Dinah is she only uses her Canary Cry as a last resort. She prefers hand-to-hand combat, relying on a style of boxing and judo. Dinah is regarded as one of DC’s top fighters, having trained with Wildcat, Lady Shiva, Wonder Woman, Cassandra Cain and more.

Dinah is an exemplar of feminine fortitude and she deserves a solo series.