One of the biggest DC Comics characters to appear in TV and film the most is Black Canary, mostly the Dinah Laurel Lance incarnations as well as her mother Dinah Drake a couple of times. From various animated series to her many live-action incarnations, Black Canary has come and gone plenty of times. While partially known as the iconic love interest of Green Arrow, Black Canary is her own hero in so many ways. From being one of the most iconic Justice League members to one of the founding members of the Birds of Prey, Dinah stands out as a hero in several ways.
With the recent introduction of Jurnee Smollett-Bell as the DCEU’s Black Canary, there have been several adaptations of the heroine’s iconic costume. Always sporting a leather jacket while wearing fishnets, the costume has gone through multiple iterations in the world of live-action and animation. These are 10 of the best costume designs for Black Canary in TV and film.
Legends of the Superheroes
One of the earliest incarnations of Black Canary in live-action goes all the way back to 1979 when Danuta Wesley played her in Legends of the Superheroes. This was one of the times where the Dinah Drake version was featured rather than her daughter who is more frequently used.
Despite being influenced by the late 70s, it’s still a very accurate depiction of the suit. It’s one of the occasions where Dinah has sported a mask which isn’t always included with the Black Canary costumes, whether it’s comics, TV or films.
Justice League Unlimited
When it comes to animation, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited is one of the most popular series to have happened for DC.
In the case of the Black Canary, Morena Baccarin’s version of Dinah Lance is still a major fan-favorite. Her costume design also wins as properly adapting the heroine’s iconic look and is one of the versions to have gone with a bluer jacket as opposed to black.
Young Justice
One of the ongoing DC animated shows to feature the Black Canary is Young Justice with Vanessa Marshall voicing the role. Dinah was primarily featured within the show’s first two seasons before its revival for DC Universe. Being a long-time hero who aids the young team, this is one of the best portrayals of Black Canary.
When it comes to her costume, this version of Dinah has the addition of finger-less gloves that go all the way up to her biceps. It’s a nice addition and nod to her costume’s comic counterpart.
DC Showcase: Green Arrow
One of the iterations of Green Arrow and Black Canary that don’t get properly recognized is the DC Showcase: Green Arrow. The short animated film, which was included on the Blu-ray/DVD set of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, features the Emerald Archer proposing to his beloved Pretty Bird (his famous nickname for Dinah) who is voiced by Grey DeLisle.
While her appearance is brief, Dinah’s costume design here is another well-crafted take on the suit, and just a beautiful drawn of the character in general.
Arrow Season 3 (Black Canary I)
The Arrowverse is no stranger to having used Black Canary more than once as both Dinah Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) and Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy) have been featured throughout Arrow. While Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) began her vigilante career as The Canary, her big sister Laurel is the one to properly begin the Black Canary legacy in season 3.
This version of the costume went more for a leather-based design while excluding the fishnets, given the show is filmed in Vancouver, Canada. Better suited for the country’s weather, this look is solid, but probably the least stand-out version out of the Canary suits that came afterward.
Arrow Season 6 (Black Canary II)
Even though Laurel’s mom was introduced early in the series, Arrow’s next Black Canary came in the form of a reimagined version of Dinah Drake in season 5 after Laurel’s death. While she doesn’t begin her Canary journey with a costume, Dinah properly suits up in the 6th season which is a more evolved look from Laurel’s costume.
While it does have some vibes of the black suits in the early X-Men films, it was still a step-up for the Canary legacy in the Arrowverse.
The Flash Season 2 (Black Siren)
Right after Laurel’s death in season 4, Black Siren, her evil doppelganger from Earth-2 arrives on The Flash that same season. Despite not starting out as Black Canary, Siren’s costume had more Black Canary vibes than ever. This version seemed to take some inspiration from the design in Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey: Brightest Day run where Dinah goes with a leather coat.
While still not wearing fishnets, the upper part of the sleeves does have pieces of fishnet incorporated. Even though Siren gets redeemed in later seasons with a new suit, this was a superior costume from Earth-1 Laurel’s costume.
Smallville
Before the many Canaries in the Arrowverse, The CW had Alaina Huffman portray the hero in Smallville for a couple of episodes. Between seasons 7-10, Dinah would show up to aid her fellow heroes whenever possible.
This version is currently one of the few incarnations to go full-out with the costume as this Dinah’s suit comes with a pair of fishnets. While Huffman’s character does sport a mask, it’s not a traditional one as she instead uses face paint.
Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
The cinematic version of Black Canary officially made her debut with Smollett-Bell’s portrayal in Birds of Prey. By the end of the film, Dinah has gotten herself a suit that is one of the more creative designs when it comes to live-action.
While fishnets get included, she wears them as a shirt rather than for leggings while sporting a blue suit. It’s likely to be the first of many looks for the DCEU’s Canary as the costume will probably evolve in future appearances.
Arrow Season 8 (Black Canary III)
With the many Canary costumes that have been created for the Arrowverse, the final version that Earth-2 Laurel gets is, without doubt, the best to exist in live-action. This design has a more comic book-y vibe to it with the yellow color incorporated.
While it’s not full-on fishnet leggings, Laurel’s new suit does come with more nets as a nad to the comics and still being suitable for filming in Vancouver. Should the spinoff Green Arrow and the Canariesgo to series, it will be fun to see the suit once more.
