Last night’s Arrow episode, “Who Are You,” solved the midseason finale Laurel Lance mystery, and whether you like how the situation played out or not, I think it’s safe to say the real Black Canary is gone for good. Though Black Siren’s appearance was pretty much useless in the grand scheme of things, her evil side did motivate Green Arrow to fulfill his final promise to Laurel: Find a new Black Canary.
“Someone out there, there is a woman worthy of Laurel’s legacy,’ Oliver tells Felicity, while standing at the destroyed Black Canary statue.
Then, in the final scene of Arrow Season 5 episode 10, we meet a new character who could potentially fill Oliver’s void. The best part about her is that she has the sass of Katie Cassidy’s Black Siren and the smarts of District Attorney Laurel Lance. The character, played by Juliana Harkavy (The Walking Dead), is having a drink in a bar in Hub City when two guys threaten to abuse an innocent woman.
“Seriously, could you two be any more of a cliche?” she says. “I thought people like you only existed in the movies. You know, two guys trying to overcompensate for their lack of manhood by taking it out on a defenseless woman.”
Cut to a very strong Canary Cry, and it doesn’t look like she has any sonic tech. While her name wasn’t revealed in the episode, we know it’s Tina Boland. The catch is, her character description says she’s a brash and tactful detective who isn’t fond of vigilantes wearing leather suits, as she makes clear in the next episode’s promo. So why would she want to suit up as Black Canary? Executive Producer Wendy Mericle told CBR Tina may have a change of heart.
“She’s going to factor into the back half of the season. She comes into the story in a really interesting way. She’s like Oliver, has lost somebody and is hellbent for revenge. She is an amazing fighter. She has a lot of skills, and she’s very much a peer of Oliver, so they have an instant connection since they’ve both been through a version of hell. It’s ultimately him that’s going to show her a different way to do this — a different way to get revenge than just killing people.”
What’s interesting is Boland isn’t a character in DC Comics. However, Mericle confirms her name may just be a cover, and she’ll end up being tied to the comics in a very big way.
“We’re going to reveal her to be somebody very much connected to the comics.”
That’s some pretty strong indicators Boland is going to be the new Black Canary, but there are still some other possibilities to ponder. It’s important to note that Oliver locked Earth-2 Laurel up in ARGUS with the hope she would come to realize some of the more heroic qualities. If she does, Oliver wants to be the first to know, meaning we could end up seeing Katie Cassidy once again. Greg Berlanti previously stated Cassidy would be back for a bunch of episodes, and producer Wendy Mericle has said multiple times that it’s hard to do a Green Arrow show without the Black Canary. This means we can’t rule out a Black Siren redemption arc just yet.
I also find the fake story Earth-2 Laurel Lance used to be quite interesting. It’s probably the only solid way the show has left to actually resurrect the real Laurel Lance… and it even makes logical sense: White Canary goes back in time, saves Laurel by teleporting her to the Waverider, and drops her off with Ollie in present day Star City. While we know this actually didn’t happen, it would be an intriguing way to bring the real Laurel back down the line. Cassidy is a series regular across all four shows, giving even more reason to believe we could end up seeing her on Legends of Tomorrow.
Do you believe Tina Boland continue the Black Canary’s legacy? Let us know in the comments below!
