Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn didn’t do blockbuster box office numbers, but it certainly has a special place in the hearts of comic book fans. The movie brought a lot of fan-favorite characters - like Huntress and Black Canary - into the DC Extended Universe. Recently, Warner Brothers and HBO Max announced that Black Canary would get her own movie on the streaming site, starring Birds of Prey actress Jurnee Smollet-Bell in the role.
The actress will reteam with Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green for the project, but since it’s still in development, there aren’t a lot of details available to fans just yet. That’s led to a lot of speculation as to just what chapter of Black Canary’s life the movie might be about, and just which of the comic book characters that are a big part of her story will make an appearance. Some fans might hope for a reunion with her Birds of Prey castmates, but there are a lot of characters that could join the DCEU (or are already in it) that play roles in her backstory.
Lady Shiva
Though Batman is often thought of as being one of the best hand-to-hand combatants in DC Comics, Lady Shiva has him beat. She’s a master martial artist, an assassin, and shares a training history with Black Canary.
The two had a sensei in common in the comics, though they didn’t know it for years. When their former sensei was murdered, they teamed up to find the killer and get justice, leading to their paths crossing quite a few times over the years, especially with regards to Black Canary’s Birds of Prey team. While the DCEU might not feature them having the same relationship, it’s clear that the Canary has had some fight training as she saves the life of Harley Quinn when Black Mask’s thugs go after her.
Barbara Gordon
One complaint fans had about Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn is that the team in the movie wasn’t the Birds of Prey fans knew from the comics. Missing from the lineup was former Batgirl Barbara Gordon.
Barbara Gordon was recently cast for her own Batgirl movie for HBO Max. Leslie Grace of In The Heights fame will take on the role. Since Black Canary’s movie is also slated for HBO Max, it’s not much of a stretch to think the two characters could cross paths. Fans don’t necessarily need Batgirl to be a huge part of the movie, but their friendship and team-ups in the comics are some of Black Canary’s best stories that don’t revolve around her romance with the Green Arrow. A cameo appearance hinting at a team-up to come would be enough to get fans interested in more from the characters.
Savant
As a villain, Savant has been apprehended by quite a few comic book characters in his time. He’s also gone up against the Birds of Prey - and Black Canary - quite a bit. One Easter egg in The Suicide Squad makes fans think that’s true in the DCEU as well.
When Savant is introduced at the start of the movie, he uses the rubber ball he’s bouncing to kill a small yellow bird during his time outside at Belle Reeve. His seeming hatred for the small bird is theorized to be him projecting because another “bird” put him in prison and at the Suicide Squad’s disposal. Seeing Black Canary and Savant face off in a movie set between Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad would be a great way to flesh out both of those characters in the DCEU, even if it ends up just being a small part of a larger story for Dinah Lance.
The Potential Previous Black Canary
There is one exchange in the Birds of Prey movie that might have stood out to fans about Dinah Lance’s life. She and Renee Montoya discuss her mother. As Dinah points out, her mother used to help the police, and it got her killed. In one comic book continuity, Dinah and her mother were both Black Canaries with the ability to use their voice as a weapon.
It’s not confirmed that Dinah’s mother had the same abilities as her daughter, and she only uses her version of the Canary cry once on screen, but it could be interesting to see more of the origin of this ability - and her relationship with her mother. Whether that’s in the form of flashbacks or setting the movie before the events of Birds of Prey, seeing Dinah’s mother would help give the character less mysterious backstory.
Oliver Queen
If there’s one thing that’s true of a Black Canary movie, it’s that it should be her movie. Fans don’t necessarily need the Green Arrow taking up her screen time and turning her story into a romance. That being said, the character is a huge part of her life in the comics, for better or worse.
A cameo of Oliver Queen, not his alter ego Green Arrow, would be a nice tease for their future in the DCEU. He doesn’t need to steal her thunder on a mission, or take the credit in a fight, but the two crossing paths would be a fun nod for comic book fans.