In the wake of multiple upcoming DC projects facing the chop, fans are relieved that the latest word has it that the Black Canary movie is safely pressing ahead as planned. Originally announced following Birds of Prey‘s release in Feb. 2020, Jurnee Smollett is set to reprise her role in the film, with Lovecraft Country‘s Misha Green penning the screenplay.
It’s about time Dinah Lance got her own movie as, debuting on the page back in 1947, she stands as one of the oldest and most iconic superheroines in DC canon. Although she doesn’t have quite the same level of cultural cache as, say, Wonder Woman, Black Canary has nevertheless been brought to the screen many times over the years, featuring in various animated and live-action TV series.
Perhaps because she’s less of a pop culture giant than other Justice Leaguers, all of these projects depict Dinah in a slightly different way, whether that’s by altering her power-set, retconning her backstory, or revamping her personality. All of them are recognizably the same character, but some versions are superior to others. Let’s find out which by singing the praises of the siren with the super-scream and ranking the most notable on-screen Black Canaries from worst to best.
Note: Although she pioneered the Canary alter ego in the Arrowverse, Arrow‘s Sara Lance is not included in this list as she is an original character more commonly known as the White Canary and not a straight adaptation of Dinah Lance.
Rachel Skarsten (Birds of Prey)
Almost 20 years before Harley Quinn had her fantabulous emancipation on the big screen, The CW’s forebear The WB delivered the Birds of Prey TV series in 2002. A failed attempt to cash in on the success of Smallville, the short-lived show followed Barbara Gordon/Oracle, Helena Kyle/Huntress, and Dinah Lance/Black Canary as they protected Neo-Gotham. The series bizarrely turned Dinah into a telepathic metahuman. Rachel Skarsten impressed a lot more when she later returned to the DC universe as Alice in Batwoman.
Alaina Huffman (Smallville)
Although Smallville began as a pretty grounded teen drama, the second half of its ten-season run ended up becoming a breeding-ground for DC superheroes as Tom Welling’s Clark Kent started meeting members of the future Justice League. Among them was Alaina Huffman as Dinah Lance, initially a criminal sent by Lex Luthor to steal from Green Arrow before she switched sides. Huffman is solid in the role, but with just five appearances, we hardly got to know this take on the character.
Juliana Harkavy (Arrowverse)
After Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance (more on her later) was killed off in season four, Arrow elected to introduce another iteration of the Black Canary. Juliana Harkavy debuted as Dinah Drake in season five and remained a regular until the series concluded with its eighth season. While Harkavy was a great addition to the team, unfortunately she was around for Arrow‘s lesser years so wasn’t given the best material. We’re still disappointed the Green Arrow and the Canaries spinoff got cancelled, though.
Vanessa Marshall (Young Justice)
Veteran voice actress Vanessa Marshall plays Black Canary in fan-favorite animated series Young Justice. While Dinah has been sidelined since the show returned on HBO Max, she was a major part of its original two-season run on Cartoon Network as Dinah served as one of the teen team’s Justice League mentors. Reminding us that she’s one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the DCU, Black Canary was originally the kids’ combat instructor.
Grey DeLisle (Batman: The Brave and The Bold)
On the other side of the spectrum, we have Grey DeLisle’s much softer Black Canary from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, an altogether goofier ride than Young Justice. Dinah appeared across the show’s two seasons but her biggest role came in the acclaimed musical episode, “Mayhem of the Music Meister!” Black Canary begins it by singing about harboring a secret crush on Batman before sharing a romantic duet with her comic book hubbie Green Arrow by the episode’s end.
Morena Baccarin (DCAU)
When it comes to the most authentic adaptation of Black Canary you’ll find on-screen, though, a lot of DC fans would no doubt pick the Justice League Unlimited version, as voiced by Gotham‘s Morena Baccarin. Due to the anthological nature of the animated series, Dinah only appears on three occasions, but she steals the show each time, with her sparky dynamic with Green Arrow and partnership with Huntress providing much enjoyment for comics readers.
Katie Cassidy (Arrowverse)
Arrow was a frequently bumpy ride for fans across its eight-season run, and one of its most controversial aspects was the treatment of Black Canary, here known as Laurel Lance (Dinah is her unused first name), who was underserved for the first couple of seasons and then killed off in its fourth. Thankfully, Katie Cassidy got another crack at the whip with Earth-2’s Laurel — introduced as a supervillain, she went on a compelling redemption arc across the show’s back-half.
Jurnee Smollett (DCEU)
2020’s Birds of Prey movie took a lot of liberties with its depiction of the titular team, with Dinah herself reimagined as a lounge singer/lackey for the villainous Black Mask. Her crisis of conscience and eventual team-up with the other heroes gave her one of the film’s best arcs, though, and Smollett oozes charisma in the role. She’s only just become the Black Canary we know and love by the movie’s end, which leaves her spinoff plenty of room to flesh out the character when it (fingers crossed) gets here.