Dinah Drake (Prime Earth)

I miss having people watching my back, and not having to figure out everything alone. Call it a family, call it a team, call it whatever you like. I just want to know what it's like to trust somebody again

— Dinah Drake ^src

History

Origins

Dinah Drake was a vigilante and former special operative who was once a member of Team 7 and led the Birds of Prey with distinctive sonic scream known as the Canary Cry.

Dinah grew up as a street kid in Gotham City, until she was caught dumpster diving by Desmond Lamar, the owner of a local dojo. Taking pity on her, he allowed her to stay at the dojo in exchange for helping with the building's maintenance. This went on for years, and she grew to think of him like a father as he took her on as a student at his dojo. When he discovered that he had terminal cancer, he left the care of the dojo to Dinah in his will, and she took up instructing his classes. Unfortunately, he had been keeping the local gangs from muscling in on the dojo for protection money. When the power outage that hit Gotham prior to super-storm René's arrival left the city in the dark, Dinah had been away from the dojo, and happened to encounter an injured man working for John Lynch. The man gave her a device before dying, and she soon found herself being chased by a gang of ninjas who sought to take it for themselves. She fought them off for a while, but was eventually overwhelmed. Fortunately, John Lynch and his men arrived in time to save her life. When he returned her to her dojo, she found it had been destroyed during the riots. Realizing she had nothing left, Lynch offered her the chance to join him in Team 7.^[1]

Team 7

Dinah Drake and Kurt Lance were selected by John Lynch to form a government-run team meant to police Metahuman threats. That team would become known as Team 7.^[2]

Black Diamond Probability

With Team 7, Dinah and Kurt were sent to first recruit the others. Once assembled, their first mission was to investigate the movement of a floating prison ship called "The Float" which had been over-run by its prisoners following exposure to a virus derived from the Black Diamond.^[3] Their mission would take them to Sentinel Island, where the Black Diamond was protected by the ghosts of all of those who died there. Unfortunately, they were not the only ones looking for the diamond.^[4] Despite Slade Wilson becoming possessed by the Diamond's dark prisoner for a time, they managed to recover it.^[5] After that mission, Dinah realized that John Lynch's plan for the team was to put them through the wringer, and essentially give them powers.

Eventually, Dinah would come to marry Kurt, but soon after, she would come to believe he had been killed by her own hand.^[6]

Birds of Prey

A year after leaving Team 7, Dinah was still searching for remnants of the metahuman organization known as Basilisk. She had a lead that pointed to the Iceberg Lounge, and so got a job as a bouncer in the employ of the Penguin. There, she met and befriended Starling, and was given the codename of Black Canary. When her investigation was compromised by Batgirl, the three women joined forces in catching the Basilisk agent. This experience led Dinah to feel the need to be on a team again.^[7]

Trouble in Mind

Dinah contacted Ev Crawford, and the two of them formed the Birds of Prey, an all-girl team of vigilantes. After an encounter with a group of near-invisible martial artists known as the Cleaners, they discovered a mind-controlling villain called Choke had been creating sleeper-agents who could fight, or even explode if the correct mental trigger was heard.^[8]

Dinah also recruited Katana and Poison Ivy^[9], but things got worse when it became clear that Choke had managed to infiltrate Dinah's own mind^[10]. Dr. Trevor Cahill determined that the mind control was facilitated by an experimental anti-stroke drug, which begged the question as to how Dinah had come to have it in her blood stream^[11]. Choke's influence was much more pervasive than that, though, as the entire team began experiencing strange lapses and inconsistency in their memories^[12]. Eventually, suspicion was cast on Dr. Cahill, but after Katanna killed him against Dinah's wishes, it became clear that he was not Choke, and the mind-controller had escaped for the time being^[13]

Your Kiss Might Kill

After a run-in with the Court of Owls, Poison Ivy was weakened by her exposure to a refrigerated train car in helping to take down the Court's Talon. Prior to that, she had made Dinah promise her something, though.^[14] That promise ended up being that she take Ivy's body back to the Amazon Basin; the heart of The Green.^[15] Once there, though, the Birds of Prey soon realize that Ivy had duped them. After regaining her strength, she revealed that she had poisoned all of them, and would not give them the antidote unless they helped her in her agenda against polluting corporations.^[16] Eventually, the Birds of Prey rebelled, and Katana thrust her sword into Ivy's back, while they searched for an antidote with Batman's help.^[17]

A Clash of Daggers

Later, Katana became embroiled in a battle with the Dagger Clan of Japan, and when that involvement took her back to her homeland, Dinah and the other Birds followed.^[18] While there, Dinah's powers began to become unpredictable, with her Canary Cry coming out with far more volume and force than she had expected - and causing significant damage. Each time, the image of her dead husband Kurt had been persistent in her mind. Starling witnessed one such case, but let it go.^[19]

After Katana left the team, Dinah was surprised when Batgirl recruited a former Talon of the Court of Owls - called Strix - to take her place. Though initially upset, she came to be accepting, with Batgirl's vouching for her. However, on their first mission with the new team members, Dinah's Canary Cry destroyed a Gotham power station, and cut power to half the city.^[20] Strix realized that it had been Dinah's fault, and forced her to confess her worries that somehow her husband was affecting her powers.^[21]

The Cruelest Cut

At Batgirl's urging, Dinah allowed Strix to stay at her dojo, while allowing Condor to become close to the team, though he was only intended to stay temporarily. Privately, Starling confronted Dinah about her recent power surges, but when Dinah wasn't forthcoming, she stormed off in anger. Cooling off from the exchange at a café, Dinah encountered an old woman named Miz Ettie, who explained that she would need to forgive herself for Kurt's death. Upon her return to the dojo, she learned that the others had all been called there by a text message she never sent. It was a trap, and Mister Freeze burst in, kidnapping Starling.^[22] Freeze left behind a message warning them to hand over Strix, as part of his vendetta against the Court of Owls for stealing his formula. With Strix leading them to a lab, the Birds of Prey encountered the Court's scientists and learned that they had been leading Mister Freeze there, and not the other way around. To make matters worse, it had all been part of a plan concocted with Starling. She had betrayed them.^[23]

Despite her unhappiness at having been betrayed by her best friend, Dinah and the others did their best to fight back, but both Freeze and Starling escaped. It was not long before they were attacked again by a Talon who had been sent to capture and destroy Strix.^[24] After shaking him off, the Birds could not go back to any of Dinah's old hideouts, because Starling would have known them, so they based themselves in Condor's workshop. Plagued by family issues, Batgirl had to leave, and in her absence, Dinah had an opportunity to get close to Condor, who had developed feelings for her. However, she wasn't ready for a relationship yet. When finally Batgirl returned, she confided in Dinah about having had to kill her own brother, knowing Dinah would relate, having killed her husband Kurt. Shortly afterwards, the Birds were attacked and subdued by a gang of super-humans from Basilisk, who were former associates of Condor. He and Dinah were kidnapped.^[25]

After waking up in a Basilisk facility, Dinah learned that Kurt Lance was alive, and being used to dampen her powers.^[26] She soon learned that Basilisk's leader, Regulus, was in fact Dean Higgins - a man she and Kurt had worked with in Team 7. He and Kaizen Gamorra were merged into one by a combination of the Canary Cry that destroyed Gamorra Island and the psychic energy there. Her power had been what inspired him to create Basilisk as a counter to super-powered beings. He intended to use Kurt's dampening ability to remove the entire world of super-powers, and then gain control.^[27] Dinah insisted she would save Kurt no matter the cost, and removed him from his bed. The result was that his amplification ability began to over-load. It was only through Batgirl's intervention that Dinah was prevented from screaming down the whole compound. In the meantime, Condor and Strix disposed of Regulus, and it was then that Condor learned that Dinah would not be ready to be with him for some time, having discovered Kurt was alive.^[28]

Soul Crisis

Green Arrow: Rebirth

The Death and Life of Oliver Queen

Island of Scars

Emerald Outlaw

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Powers and Abilities

Powers

Canary Cry: Dinah possesses a metagene that gives her a potent sonic attack, able to damage and stun foes or objects, to the point of shattering metal. She possesses a incredible degree of control over her vocal cords. This enables her to mimic sounds and generate any sound she desires, even developing several abilities. The Canary Cry has been able to reach 300 decibels, which is enough to make a person's ears start bleeding even if they're not the attack target. Her canary cry has been stated to be able to shatter a human's skull if used directly on them. She has also shown that the canary cry can enable her to fly when she uses it with precise control.

Abilities

Acrobatics
Driving
Investigation
Martial Arts: She is one of the most skilled martial artists on the planet. She has also been trained in the art of Boxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Krav Maga, and Hapkido. She has also been trained in Dragon Style Kung Fu and pressure point fighting. Other styles she's shown skill in include Savate, Judo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Wing Chun, and Tae Kwon Do. ^{[citation needed]}
- Aikido
- Boxing
- Capoeira
- Dragon Style Kung Fu
- Hapkido
- Judo
- Jujutsu
- Krav Maga
- Muay Thai
- Savate
- Tae Kwon Do
- Wing Chun
Tactical Analysis: Dinah is also considered a strong leader and strategic thinker.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Body Armor

Transportation

Black Canary's Motorcycle

Weapons

Various Martial Art Weapons

Notes

The Dinah Lance version of Black Canary, upon which this version was based, was created by Denny O'Neil and Dick Dillin, and first appeared in Justice League of America #75. This version, however, shares its name with the original version created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, who was Dinah Lance's mother. In the rebooted Prime Earth continuity, Dinah's last name is Lance by marriage, and her first appearance as part of the DC Universe is in Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz' New 52 Birds of Prey series.^[29]

Though she was married to Kurt Lance, his death rendered Dinah Drake a widow. However, his resurrection by way of the Samsara Serum makes it difficult to tell what the state of their marriage is, whether it is still legal or not.

External Links

Footnotes

Birds of Prey member
This character is or was a member of the Birds of Prey, a team of female super-heroes that go on special missions across the world, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Birds of Prey members" category.

Team Arrow member

This character is or was a member of the Green Arrow family of vigilante super-heroes, who fight crime using archery and martial arts. They are a loose connection brought together through family bonds and shared experiences. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Team Arrow members."

Justice League member

This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice League of America members" category.

[1] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #25

[2] Team 7 (Volume 2) #0

[3] Team 7 (Volume 2) #1, Team 7 (Volume 2) #2

[4] Team 7 (Volume 2) #3

[5] Team 7 (Volume 2) #4

[6] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #8

[7] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #0

[8] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #1

[9] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #2

[10] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #3

[11] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #4

[12] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #5

[13] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #7

[14] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #9

[15] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #10

[16] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #11

[17] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #12

[18] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #13

[19] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #14, Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #15

[20] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #16

[21] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #17

[22] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #18

[23] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #19

[24] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #21

[25] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #22

[26] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #23

[27] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #24

[28] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #26

[29] Birds of Prey (Volume 3) #1

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