According to The Wrap, ‘Arrow’ has cast ‘The Pact’ star Caity Lotz as Black Canary. But wait… don’t they already have a Black Canary? As in Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance? I then assumed that Lotz may be playing Laurel’s mother (no offense), but the description seems to negate that:
While the Black Canary will start out as a recurring role, Lotz is expected to eventually become a series regular, as her character will be groomed as a love interest for Arrow (Stephen Amell).
Unless this is a mother/daughter love triangle, it sounds like CW is throwing a twist into the Black Canary mythos.
For those unaware, Black Canary originated in the 1940s as a solo star and a member of the Justice Society of America. Her secret identity was that of Dinah Drake and her solo missions revolved around her rescuing the bumbling private eye Larry Lance.
The character was retired along with nearly every other super hero on stands in the early 1950s, but was revived with her JSA teammates during the 1960s, when it was revealed that she’d married Larry and was now Dinah Drake Lance. Later the character joined the younger super team, the Justice League of America in the place of Wonder Woman who departed after losing her powers. She soon developed mysterious sonic powers, which were later focused into her signature Canary Cry. Shortly before her joining the JLA, Larry was killed defending her from the villain Aquarius. She enjoyed a brief dalliance with Batman before embarking on a long-running relationship with Green Arrow.
In the 1980s, DC was forced to reconcile the fact that Black Canary had been active since the 1940s and yet was still a young an vital super hero. Her origin was revised, revealing that there were actually two Black Canaries. The first was the same version up until joining the Justice League. Instead of having her join the team, she and Larry retired and their daughter Dinah Laurel Lance possessed the sonic powers and carried on as a crime fighter, bearing the same codename.
It was this second Black Canary that was dating Green Arrow off and on for decades. They eventually got married, but that was short-lived. In current New 52 continuity, they are not a couple, but when “Laurel Lance” appeared on ‘Arrow’, with a father who was a detective (albeit with the police department, not as a private investigator) fans just assumed that she story arc would eventually lead her to adopt the Black Canary identity.
Guess not! No word on who this Black Canary will be. Technically, since I don’t think they’ve ever referred to Laurel as “Dinah Laurel Lance” Laurel could be her real first name, allowing this Black Canary to go by “Dinah Drake” as the comic book version did originally.
How do you feel about Dinah Drake and Laurel Lance being two separate contemporaries, both rivals for Oliver’s affection? Can you get past their mother/daughter comic book source? Comment below!
