Dinah Lance aka The Black Canary
Early Life
Dinah Laurel Lance was born to a smiling pair of parents in Gotham General Hospital. Due to the success of her parents, the bar was always set high for young Dinah who had very different aspirations from her parents. Her mother was a successful lawyer, helping defend numerous victims in Gotham's court system and ensuring killers went behind bars where they belonged. Her father on the other hand was the man who ensured criminals were brought in to be prosecuted by the courts as he worked the streets as a member of the Gotham City Police Force alongside one of his closest friends and comrades James Gordon.
Despite her parents pushing her towards academic activities, Dinah leaned towards numerous physical activities begging her parents to let her take part in swim teams, gymnastics, dance and of course karate. As she grew she eventually abandoned the karate and the swim team but Dinah studied gymnastics and dance through high school right up to college. Growing up on the Upper West End of Gotham, Dinah had a few close friends but none were as close as her younger sister Sara. Sara and Dinah, despite the two year age difference between them were nigh inseparable. The two shared several friends and were always found together whether it be playing in the yard or in the same gymnastics class. Sara was the competitive one of the two and always pushed herself to keep up to her older sister and at times to even surpass her.
Growing Pains - 2009
As Dinah entered highschool, the two sisters began to drift apart as Dinah was caught up in a new circle of friends and within a year she had stop making an effort to include Sara in all her plans leaving a heartbroken Sara often alone at home. During her sophomore year of highschool, Dinah found herself sick quite often claiming to have a sore throat. While the doctors assumed she had numerous ailments ranging from tonsillitis, to laryngitis to vocal nodes. Having given up on Gotham's major clinics and hospitals, Dinah sought out a small clinic run by Leslie Thompkins for the neglected and impoverished residents of Crime Alley and the surrounding area known as the Bowery. Dr. Thompkins was the first person to actually help shed some light on Dinah's condition. After taking a blood sample, Dr. Thompkins revealed to Dinah that she was a metahuman and it was soon after this Dinah released her first Canary Cry. Struggling to hide her new found ability, Dinah under Leslie's suggestion took up the harmonica which allowed her to learn to control her ability. Enjoying the harmonica, Dinah eventually started singing lessons, her teacher commenting she sang as lovely as the song birds outside her bedroom window.
Downward Spiral - 2010
In her junior year of highschool, Dinah met Evelyn Crawford and the two became fast friends, while Sara began to befriend several friends from the wrong side of town. While Dinah began to look towards colleges, Sara began to try cigarettes and the downward spiral only went further from there. Eventually Sara began sneaking out to join in on numerous parties, whether it was a rave in an abandoned building, a field party outside the city or a sneaking into a Blüdhaven club with a fake ID. While Dinah had been taking basic self defense for quite some time, it was when Sara began her downward spiral that Dinah asked for her training and family friend Ted Grant to teach her more advanced techniques and combat forms believing that Sara's behaviour would put her in danger and possibly even their family.
Leaving the nest - 2011
As senior year reared its ugly head for Dinah, Sara eventually dropped out of gymnastics and other extra circulars while Dinah decided to announce to her family that she had decided to take a year abroad instead of going to college immediately after her highschool graduation. Both Lawrence and Laurel believe it was this turn of events that led to Sara experimenting with illegal drugs and eventually her death as Dinah packed her bags and headed to Europe while Sara rarely came home and soon stopped going to school all together. It was also at this time that the Justice League revealed themselves to the world, like most teens her age, Dinah was infatuated with the men of the League but also seeing other people with abilities led her to believe perhaps instead of hiding hers, she too should put it to work.
Trial by Blood - 2012
While in Europe, Dinah took it as a chance to have a trial run in using her abilities. Travelling all over Europe, she donned a hoodie to disguise herself as she unleashed her abilities upon unsuspecting criminals. Eventually her activities caught the attention of the wrong people who managed to abduct Dinah before forcing her to fight in their underground cage fights. Surviving match after match, Dinah was kept for a week before finally a foe arrived who she couldn't defeat. Brought out to fight again, her voice hoarse and throat raw, Dinah looked up to see a woman of Asian descent.. The woman proceeded to unleash a barrage of brutal martial arts upon her as Dinah struggled to defend against the flurry of fists and feet. Eventually overwhelmed, Dinah lay collapsed on the floor while the other woman looked her over. Extending a hand, the woman helped Dinah to her feet before introducing herself as Sandra Wu-San, though Dinah would come to know her better as Lady Shiva. Shiva knew of Dinah's exploits while travelling and informed her she represented a powerful organization with plans to change the world. Intrigued, Dinah wanted to find out more and Shiva told her she would after she was properly trained. Blindfolding Dinah, the young Black Canary was taken deep into Japan where she was introduced to Richard Dragon. Dragon spent months training Dinah in the art of Dragon Kung-Fu along with numerous other martial arts turning her into a competent fighter without needing to relay on her metahuman nature. Eventually however, Dinah overheard Dragon and Shiva talking, realizing the organization that Shiva worked for was the mysterious League of Shadows, Dinah rebelled from her trainers bringing her into combat with Shiva once again. The two fought again with Dinah matching Shiva blow for blow until eventually the two fought each other to a stand still. Impressed by the American's progress, Shiva allowed Dinah one favour by letting her leave in peace but warned her next time they encountered each other it would be a fight to the death.
Taking Flight - 2013
Coming home to Gotham, Dinah was greeted by teary eyed parents as they reluctantly explained while she was gone her sister had passed away. Enraged and heart broken, Dinah realized she didn't have to fly half way around the world to fight crime when it was right here at home. Looking up to the Batman of Gotham, Dinah decided it was time for her to take up an alias. Her sister Sara had kept a pet canary when the girls were younger and in her honor, Dinah dubbed herself the Black Canary. Enrolling in Gotham University, Dinah took an associates degree in business before opening up a florist shop in order to fund her mission. Reconnecting with Eve, Dinah hired her friend in order to help run the business while she set up a different shop in the back. After a few trial runs, Dinah procured herself a motorcycle being more than comfortable with them since her Dad had owned one his whole life teaching both girls how to ride. Deciding she'd need a costume, Dinah found a local tailor who she worked with to design the Black Canary costume. While the leotard was relatively easy to design, her leggings took a few trial runs before they managed to get them right. In the end, the leggings which appear to be fishnet tights, were made of a kevlar weave and while they won't stop a knife or direct bullet would protect her legs from being grazed or slashed while retaining almost full movement. Dinah decided against a mask, finding them limiting to her vision and instead began to wear her hair pulled back while donning glasses and wearing less form fitting clothes to blur the lines between her appearance as the Canary and as Dinah Lance. Additionally, Dinah used make up to alter her facial appearance while in her civilian garb. With the right shades of blush and foundation, Dinah was able to make her cheekbones seem higher and her face more narrow, hiding her more toned features.
Birds of a Feather - 2014
Now as the Black Canary, Dinah patrols Gotham's West side, coming into conflict with the Golden Dragons along with various other rogues who she is slowly starting to build a rivalry with. Dinah hopes one day to be noticed by the Batman or the Justice League, and perhaps to even be honored by joining the ranks of the latter. Recently she has begun to work alongside another 'green' hero by the name of Oddman...
SUPPORTING CAST
Detective Lawrence Quentin Lance:
Lawrence, or rather Larry, is a Gotham City Police Detective and quite close with James Gordon, having both served together in the Major Crimes Unit. Unlike Gordon however who aspires to climb the ladder, Larry feels his place is on the streets and is quite content in his role as Detective in Gotham. Lawrence is also a loving father and husband to Dinah and Sara respectively. Recently, Lawrence has been paired with a young headstrong detective by the name of Helena Bertenelli although the two are as different as Night and Day. Gordon believes together they'll accomplish great things however. Summed up in a few words, Lawrence is a “gruff, determined city detective” who believes true justice can only come from law and order.
Laurel Simone Drake-Lance:
The mother of Dinah and the wife to Lawrence Lance, Laurel is a high profile lawyer who works on some of Gotham's largest cases which unfortunately brings her into contact with the most dangerous men in the city. Laurel is the younger sister to Mortimer Drake, although the two have been estranged since the latter's descent into eccentricity and the Lances belief that Mortimer could be a threat to their daughter.
Sara Gail Lance:
Sara was Dinah's younger sister and is believed to be dead after she was kidnapped sometime after Dinah returned from Europe. Growing up together the girls were nearly inseparable until Dinah entered highschool and made new friends. Throughout those four years, the girls grew further and further apart leading to Sara picking new friends eventually rebelling from her parents in order to set herself apart from Dinah. Landing herself in Gotham's party scene, Sara got caught up with drugs and alcohol coming home at all hours of the morning until one morning she didn't come home. Lawrence and the GCPD believe Sara likely overdosed at the party and in a panic other party goers ended up dumping her body in the nearby river.
Mortimer Drake:
Laurel's brother and Dinah's uncle, Mortimer Drake was a self-made millionaire who used to rub elbows with the likes of Bruce Wayne before he descended into further eccentricity and nearly lost his fortune. A collector of 16th and 17th Century Artifacts with a special soft spot for anything coming from France during that time period. Mortimer nearly lost his fortune when he decided to build a private history museum. Rumor has it he has since turned to crime and he's not been welcome in the Lance household for quite some time.
Jack Drake:
Jack Drake is the son of Mortimer Drake as well as the nephew to Lawrence and Laurel Lance and a cousin to Dinah. Like his father, he's a self made business man with an interest in archeology although Jack didn't amount the fortune that his estranged father did. Growing up distant from his father with no clue who his mother was, Jack was taken care of by various nannies before being sent away to boarding school. Coming out with promising grades he eventually attended University in Metropolis where he met his future wife and graduated with a degree in business. Investing in several stocks, Jack made a modest fortune on the return from these investments and eventually upon the birth of his son Tim, decided to buy a home in Gotham where his biggest investment, FoxTech Incorporated was situated.
Janet Surillo-Drake:
The wife of Jack Drake and a County Judge in Gotham City. Janet was completing her degree in law when she met her future husband Jack Drake. Shortly after completing University, Janet was snatched up by a law firm where she work for several years, proving herself to be assertive and aggressive eventually earning herself a Judgeship only two years after the birth of her son. Unfortunately due to the long work hours, her relationship with Jack has begun to fall apart and neither parent are overly close with their son.
Timothy Drake:
Second Cousin Timothy 'Tim' Drake, the son of Jack and Janet Drake is a young prodigy and second cousin to Dinah. Young TImothy seems to be showing much promise towards surpassing both of his parents later in life due to his high intelligence and aptitude. Unfortunately Tim is often left with a nanny or babysitter due to both of his parents being too caught up in their jobs to take time for their young son.
Ted Grant:
A friend to both Lawrence and Laurel Lance, having been a college friend of the former. Ted Grant too settled down in Gotham when he could which wasn't often as Ted had become a world heavyweight mixed martial arts champion nicknamed the Wildcat. A champion in the ring, Ted was almost world renowned for his progress in the Boxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Krav Maga, and Hapkaido, but he was also a man with a very kind heart and often took care of a young Dinah when her parents couldn't. As Dinah grew, Lawrence had her put in boxing classes taught by Ted in order to ensure his daughter could defend herself. As Dinah decided to pursue a career in fighting crime, she came to Ted asking for private lessons which he obliged although reluctantly upon seeing a certain gleam in her eye.
Evelyn Crawford:
The daughter of a former Mob Hitman, Evelyn Crawford or Eve as she prefers to go by has seen the darker side of Gotham for much of her life. Raised in Old Gotham, not far from the infamous Crime Alley, Eve has gotten to used to dealing with mobsters and gangsters. By the time she was in highschool her father had taught her how to handle various firearms and she was quite capable with a pistol. Eventually moving out of Old Gotham in order to attend University of Gotham where she met Dinah Lance. The two became quick friends and Eve eventually took up Ted Grant's boxing class alongside. Currently, Eve works for Dinah at Sherwood Florist as her assistant manager, although Eve is completely unaware of Dinah's nightly activities.
ROGUES GALLERY
Lady Shiva:
A master martial artist, Sandra Wu-San first encountered Dinah when the latter was back packing through Europe after highschool. Having gotten the bright idea to test out what Ted Grant had taught her in an underground fight club, Dinah managed to make her way to the top where word of her exploits reached Lady Shiva who sought a worthy opponent and recruits for the League of Shadows. Seeking out Dinah, the two eventually dueled with Shiva emerging the leader. Seeing the potential in Dinah, she directed the future Canary to her former sensei, Richard Dragon introducing them both as members of a world changing order. Intrigued, Dinah agreed to train with Dragon, but she soon realized the true ideals behind the League of Shadows and rebelled against her mentors. This brought Dinah into combat with Shiva again, but this time Dinah managed to fight Shiva to a draw, earning enough of Shiva's respect to walk free but losing enough to cement herself as both a rival and enemy to Shiva and the League of Shadows. Shiva is the only member of the Canary's rogue gallery to know Dinah's true identity making her all that much more dangerous of a foe.
White Canary:
Lady Shiva's unknown protégé, like Dinah the White Canary was trained by Richard Dragon before being made a full fledged member of the League of Shadows. It's said her skill might even surpass Shiva herself possibly making her one of the world's most deadly martial artists. Rumors of the White Canary are hard to come by as she very rarely leaves witnesses or survivors.
Martin 'Mad Dog' Hawkins:
A former mob hitman turned serial killer, Martin 'Mad Dog' Hawkins was once a stable individual with a penchant for killing people. However after a near attempt on his life left his damaged and revitalized the buried memories of his traumatic childhood at the hands of his father who beat and sexually abused him. Admitted to Arkham Asylum, Mad Dog managed to stay under the radar, building his strength until he managed to overpower an orderly, raping her and leaving her for dead. Despite being believed to have feld to Metropolis, ever since Mad Dog's escape, reports of woman raped and mutilated bodies have been surfacing from Gotham's Coventry and the West End. Though so far the victims have only been homeless, drug addicts or prostitutes, Detective Lawrence Lance is taking these events seriously unlike most of the GCPD.
Lynx:
Leader of the Golden Dragons, a gang of young Chinese Youths set up in Gotham's Chinatown along the city's West Coast between Upper West Side, the Diamond District and Old Gotham. Lynx is a deadly tactician and a skilled swordswoman. Acrobatic and skilled in various martial arts, Lynx by herself is more than enough fight for the Canary without being backed up by her gang.
Lady Vic:
A deadly mercenary for hire. Lady Vic isn't particular about the jobs she takes and is often desperate enough for money that'll she take what comes her way. While she's from England, she seems to primarily find employment in Gotham and Blüdhaven particular at the hands of the Blockbuster gang. Lady Vic and the Canary have tangled on a few occasions previously and have a sort of rivalry formed. Her signature is using antique weapons which come from her family's vast collection.
Onomatopoeia:
Not much is known about Onomatopoeia, Dinah has heard rumours of him in the underworld and there are a couple of cold cases attributed to a killer of that name but no evidence or witnesses have ever been found. The current rumor is that he stalks his targets before killing them, learning about them and watching how they work so he can kill them without a struggle. Gotham Police aren't sure why the underworld refers to him as Onomatopoeia and most aren't really willing to find out.
Dollmaker:
A Gotham City Serial Killer who creates "dolls" out of the skin and limbs of his victims. The Dollmaker has a long history of torturing and murdering women, going so far as to transform some of these woman into 'Dolls' which he keeps, often breaking them mentally until a form of Stockholm takes over them causing them to remain loyal to him and carry out his will without resistance. As a child, Barton Mathis went on several 'hunting trips' with his father. During these hunts, he watched as his father killed people and then cannibalized them. He would also witness his father being shot down by a young cop named Lawrence Lance. After spending only a year in foster care, Barton disappeared for years before he resurfaced as the criminal Dollmaker. His mask is partially made of skin from his deceased father.
GOTHAM LOCATIONS:
Sherwood Florist:
Sherwood Florist is a small flower shop owned by Dinah and operated out of the Upper West End in Gotham City. Built just off of the Diamond District, Dinah was inspired to go into a florist business by her mother who had always wanted to do one before her law career took off. The property is owned by Dinah and contains a small garage out back in which Dinah stores her motorcycle as well as her Canary gear. She has a small staff who works for her, most notable Evelyn Crawford who is her best friend and assistant manager. Above the Sherwood Florist is also a small one bedroom apartment which Dinah lives in. The downside to the location of the shop is that it almost lies in Golden Dragon territory making it a potential target to gang related crime. Dinah has yet to allow herself to become a victim and most of the criminals in the area stay away from the neighbourhood which is under the protection of the Black Canary.
The 'Roost':
The Roost is Dinah's nickname for the garage in which she stores her motorcycle and Canary gear. Although her costume is simplistic at best, in time she hopes to be able to upgrade her gear to the quality that some of her inspirations wear such as the Batman. Aside from her gear, the Roost has a small work area with enough tools for Dinah to maintain her chopper bike. The outside of the roost appears to be a very run down garage with several bushes grown close to the doors making it appear as though no one has been in it for a very long time.
My Alibi:
A local nightclub run out of the Lower West End between Gotham University and the Coventry. Popular among both Gotham's seedier citizens and the students at Gotham U who just want to blow off some steam, My Alibi has provided Dinah some extra cash as she's performed as a Lounge Singer several times impressing some of the wealthier clientele. The club's true use lies in listening in on the conversations in the dark corners which reveal where the next big deals are going down between various gangs and other members of Gotham's Underworld.
PARAPHERNALIA:
Body Armor:
As the Black Canary, Dinah wears a kevlar weave leotard which covers her torso. On her legs she wears a fine mesh 'fishnet' stocking that she had custom made. These stalkings contain smaller amounts of kevlar in order to preserve her agility and full range of movement. Her arms are bare however though she does wear reinforced gloves which also brace her wrists. Additionally, Dinah has one of two heavy leather jackets she wears over her uniform, the first of which is a short 'biker' jacket and the second of which is a long trench coat. When using her motorcycle, she dons a black motorcycle helmet which can also be used as an impromptu weapon.
As her career in crime fighting advances, Dinah will eventually be able to achieve a more armored uniform.
Motorcycle:
Dinah rides a heavily modified Honda Fury. She's taken the time to increase the speed of the bike as well as improving its handling. Dinah also managed to reduce the bike's weight and beef up it's suspension allowing for her to pull some trickier maneuvers with the powerful machine.
Telescopic Batons:
As the Canary, she uses a pair of expandable batons to fight. They are able to combine into a bo-staff. These batons are similar to the ones used by the Gotham Police Force with the exception of their ability to combine into a bo-staff.
Canary Cry: A high-pitched, sonic scream which she can deploy to shatter objects and incapacitate her opponents. Analyzing her capabilities, it was found that she can reach ultrasonic frequencies outside the audible spectrum which render other beings unconscious. However, the cry has been shown to be completely useless when Dinah's mouth is covered with a gag, piece of tape, or any other means of forcing her mouth closed. When Canary is close enough she can unleash her cry to literally destroy an opponent but this is an absolute last resort. Dinah states that her Canary Cry is able to inflict serious damage to beings even as durable as Wonder Woman. Moreover, Dinah is capable of not only creating sonic blasts, but also could generate an ultrasonic attack, which renders everyone within an ear range unconscious; this specific use of the Canary Cry requires the full capacity of Dinah's lungs. Black Canary rarely utilizes her metahuman abilities during fights, preferring to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Lately, Dinah uses the Canary Cry only against considerably more powerful metahuman opponents. Black Canary is one of the very few characters who chooses not to take advantage of their superpowers, preferring physical skill over inborn abilities. During times of extreme stress, Canary has displayed the ability to create sonic vibrations capable of destroying whatever was obstructing her mouth. Black Canary can also use her Canary Cry to glide across gorges by rebounding on sonic waves. Furthermore she can use the Canary Cry to propel herself large distances in the air. Dinah plays a harmonica which she uses to strengthen her breathing and vocal cords. This is a form of training for her Canary Cry. In addition to this, Dinah loves to sing and will often perform karaoke at her favourite pubs and has worked a gig as a lounge singer at least once in the Iceberg Lounge.
Acrobatics: Due to her history in gymnastics and dance, Dinah is a strong acrobat. While she's not capable of performing parkour or free running like some of her peers, Dinah's acrobatic nature is more than useful for getting around Gotham rooftops. Dinah's small frame and acrobatic nature also help keeps her safe in a fight as she's able to stay light on her feet making her a hard target due to her agile evasive fighting techniques.
Driving: A skilled motorcyclist, Dinah got her passion for her bikes from her father and grew up working on her father's hobby motorcycles. When she was old enough, her father made sure she knew how to ride and has since regretted as getting Dinah off a bike is near impossible. Dinah has taken some professional lessons and dated a motorcycle stunt rider during her senior highschool years learning a few tricks from him as well.
Investigation: As the daughter of one of Gotham's leading detectives, Dinah was taught quite a few skills in observation and problem solving. While she's by no means as good as a detective as her father, nor anyone near the same level as the Batman, Dinah can handle her own cases on the streets bringing in help when she needs it.
Martial Arts: Dinah is a very skill martial artists having learned a variety of hand to hand combat techniques. She trained under Ted 'Wildcat' Grant, who is a retired Heavyweight MMA Champion. As such, Ted is highly skilled in numerous martial arts including the art of Boxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Krav Maga, and Hapkaido. Teaching these to Dinah, Ted pushed her to be the best she could, making sure to emphasize moves and techniques that benefited from her size and stature. While travelling abroad, Dinah encountered Lady Shiva who after seeing her potential sent her to Richard Dragon to be trained to be a worthy opponent. Under Richard Dragon, Dinah learned Dragon Style Kung Fu as well as pressure point fighting. Her travels also introduced her to the basic elements of Savate, Judo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Wing Chun, and Tae Kwon Do.
Tactical Analysis: Dinah is also considered a strong leader and strategic thinker. These traits have been learned from her mother who always encouraged Dinah to think radically about a situation and look at all the ways to approach it. As such Dinah is very well suited to putting together strategies both with advance preparation and on the spot. With the proper chances she could easily develop into a team leader.
Strength level: Black Canary possesses the strength level of a woman her age, size and weight who engages in intensive regular exercise. Dinah can therefore press (lift) at least her own body weight.
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