Black Canary (DC Animated Universe) (2024)

This article is about the DC Animated Universe incarnation of Black Canary. For other versions go to the disambiguation page.

Dinah Laurel Lance, alias Black Canary, is a recurring character from the animated superhero TV series, Justice League Unlimited.

She is voiced by Morena Baccarin.

Biography[]

Black Canary is a member of the Justice League, making her first appearance in the first episode entitled "Initiation." She is hinted as Green Arrow's reason in accepting Justice League membership.

Black Canary makes her official first appearance as the main protagonist in the episode titled "The Cat and the Canary", an episode that explored her relationship with former mentor and fellow Justice League member, Wildcat and introduced her relationship with Green Arrow.

The episode starts out with Black Canary officially introducing herself to Green Arrow who had been subtly admiring her from a far. Arrow soon finds out that his admiring wasn't as subtle as he had hoped when he tells Black Canary that he has noticed her around, and she replies that she knows.

Canary wants Arrow's help because he is new to the team, a seemingly trustworthy hero, and very rich. She decides to manipulate him at first and also judge his fighting skill in the process. Canary challenges Arrow to a sparring match and hides her true combat abilities from him. She first throws an easy punch at him which he catches and then does a kick which he catches and uses to throw her down. Slightly impressed by Arrow's strength, she slowly starts to get back up and continue, but Arrow takes it a step further and pins her.

Canary uses this time to offer him a mission that they could both do together. Arrow shows a lack of interest since they have just met. He is also completely fooled and thinks that he is a superior fighter to Canary. She challenges him to a bet saying that if she could get out of his pin he would have to help her. Arrow co*ckily agrees thinking that there was no way out for her.

Canary easily cracks his hold and throws him across the room into a wall. The impact makes several weight plates fall off. While Arrow struggles to get up Canary offers her hand to help, amusedly proclaiming "I'll drive" as Arrow looks up half shocked and half impressed.

Their mission is to help Wildcat, who has lost his flame in fighting crime as he begins to realize he is too old for it. Discovering he has been fighting in an illegal no-hold spar cage-fighting arena that pitted superhumans against one another under Roulette, Canary tries to pull him out of it before he gets kicked out of the league. She decides to challenge Wildcat in a fight, offering her victory in exchange for Wildcat's ban from cage-fighting. In worry for her, Green Arrow tricks Canary and knocks her out with anesthetic gas, and instead battles Wildcat himself, feigning his own death and loss, and thus snapping Wildcat out of his funk.

Black Canary also makes an appearance in the episode "Double Date". In this episode, Black Canary and Green Arrow tail Huntress and the Question in Huntress's quest of revenge against the killer of her parents, mob boss Steven Mandragora. The story ends with Mandragora arrested and Canary and Huntress's distaste for one another unresolved.

Black Canary's final main role takes place in "Grudge Match". Here, Canary is found by Huntress to be involved in another one of Roulette's no-hold spar fights throughout countless nights while her mind is under control by use of Grodd's mind-controlling technology on her Justice League comm link, courtesy of the Legion of Doom. The fights take place at night and in her consciousness by the rest of the day she is worn out, unable to fight crime well. With Huntress tracking and following her, Canary wakes into consciousness after Huntress finally destroys her comm link, thus cutting off the signal. In freeing Canary, both are captured and are forced to face off in the arena against Hawkgirl and Vixen.

With Canary and Huntress defeating them both and destroying their comm links, Roulette finally has them all caged to fight against the strongest, Wonder Woman. While Vixen and Shayera struggle to subdue Wonder Woman, Black Canary and Huntress escape the arena and break into the control center, defeating Roulette and Sonar and killing the signal, thus ceasing Wonder Woman's attacks. By the end of the episode, Black Canary and Huntress begin a new-found friendship, beginning with a fight.

In the series finale "Destroyer", Black Canary is involved in the final battle against Darkseid and his Parademons in Darkseid's invasion of Earth. Black Canary fights alongside Green Arrow. She and Arrow make their final appearance as they race off to a new adventure before the core seven.

Personality[]

Black Canary is generally more impulsive and hot-headed than Green Arrow. She decides the only way to stop Wildcat from fighting is to take him on herself, forcing Arrow to make her pass out and take her place instead. When forced to guard Mandagora, it's Canary who ends up hitting him in the face and getting them forced outside. She drives her motorcycle very fast and recklessly, to the point where Green Arrow is visibly scared when riding on it with her, and when he saves them from colliding with a train, instead of thanking him, she gets angry and chastises him for letting her bike get wrecked. Despite this, however, she's ultimately a heroic and good person who fights for justice.

Abilities[]

The Black Canary's powerful attack is called the Canary Cry; an ultrasonic scream capable of anything from incapacitating an opponent to wrecking a building. However, the downside is that Black Canary cannot hold her Cry out for too long, for it leaves her exhausted.

Black Canary is very skilled at hand-to-hand combat, having been trained by former League member Wildcat. She has been shown to match with or defeat Green Arrow, Huntress, Fire, Vixen, or even Hawkgirl. She could even hold her own with Wonder Woman who is much stronger and possesses a lifetime of combat experience due her life with the Amazons.

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