Dinah Lance

> *For other people who used the "Canary" Identity, see Canary.*
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**Dinah Lance** (née **Drake**; April 10, 1962 – 1997) was a police detective, secretly a vigilante in Star City known as **Black Canary** and a prominent former member of the Justice Society of America. She was the wife of mayor Larry Lance, mother of Laurel and Sara Lance and the grandmother of Connor Lance.

## Biography

### Early Life

At some point in her early years, Dinah became a meta-human through unknown means. Sometime after, she became a police detective and met Larry Lance, who was also a detective at the time. The two eventually fell in love and married, Dinah later giving birth to their daughter, Laurel, in 1987 and their daughter, Sara, in 1989.

### Vigilante Life

Later in her police career, Dinah felt that she could not protect everyone if she was only a simple police officer and so, convinced that she could control her abilities, Dinah became the first Black Canary. However, her co-workers were not so supportive of a vigilante in the city and constantly hunted her. During her vigilante career, she joined the Justice Society and became good friends with Mr. Terrific and Wild Dog.

After completing her night on patrol of the city, Dinah entered her home through the kitchen window and saw her daughter Laurel watching TV in the living room when she was was meant to be in bed. She called her name and brought her in a glass of milk. Laurel told Dinah that she wanted to see the latter in her Black Canary costume. Dinah laughed and picked her up in order to put her to bed. She lay the covers over her and kissed her on the forehead, wishing her a good night sleep. The next day, Dinah was discussing a case with her co-worker before her husband came and kissed her on the cheek. The two discussed his mayoral campaign

## Personality

According to Laurel and Sara, Dinah was a loving and caring woman. She dedicated her life to protecting the innocent who couldn't protect themselves. Furthermore, she not only protected her beloved city by being a police officer but became a vigilante in order to properly patrol the city and seek out any criminals that may try to hurt innocent people.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Meta-Human Physiology:** Through unknown means, Dinah obtained the meta-human gene and her vocal cords were enhanced, giving her access to her powers.
	+ **Super-Sonic Scream:** Dinah was able to emit a glass-shattering scream that was capable of hitting a vehicle so hard that it would crash into other vehicles and push them. It was also able to knock a fully grown man out of a window.

## Equipment

* **Black Canary Suit:** Dinah wore a leather suit and mask to hide her identity as the Black Canary and keep her family safe.
* **Bo Staff:** When fighting crime, Dinah used a bo staff as a weapon to defeat her enemies.

## Appearances

### *Batman: Anarky*

#### Season 1

* "Siren's Cry" (flashback)
* "The Secret Six" (mentioned)

### *Green Arrow*

Season 1
* "The Caged Bird" (mentioned)
* "Birds Fly" (mentioned)

Season 2
* "Friendly Face, Deadly Enemy" (mentioned)
* "Secrets Don't Keep" (mentioned)
* "Amazons Attack, Part 2" (flashback)
* "Lost Canary" (mentioned)
* "Battles Lost and Won, Part 1" (mentioned)
* "Battles Lost and Won, Part 2" (mentioned)

Season 3
* "Repercussions" (mentioned)

Season 4
* "Enter the Slayer" (mentioned)
* "Oh Sister, Where Art Thou?" (mentioned)
* "Wonders" (mentioned)

### *Superman*

#### Season 1

* "General, Care to Step Outside?" (mentioned)
* "Amazons Attack, Part 1" (photograph)

## Behind the Scenes

* In DC Comics, **Dinah Drake-Lance** was the original **Black Canary** and the mother of the second Black Canary, Dinah Laurel Lance, who was named after her. Dinah was later diagnosed with cancer and passed away, handing down the mantle to her daughter.
	+ In the show, Dinah's daughter, simply known as Laurel Lance, inherited her mother's canary cry but instead of becoming the second Black Canary, she became a criminal known as Black Siren.