This page is for the original Black Canary, Dinah Drake Lance. Her daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, is the second Black Canary.
Creation
Black Canary was originally created as a means to boost the popularity of existing hero Johnny Thunder in his segment of Flash Comics. Only to prove more popular than Johnny, eventually replacing him in the book.
Major Story Arcs
Pre-Crisis
Dinah Drake was a child in a long line of police officers, and she honored that legacy by taking to the streets as a costumed crime fighter. Dinah was a member of the Justice Society of America, having taken Johnny Thunder’s place on the team.
Dinah Drake married police detective Larry Lance, and had a daughter Dinah Lance. However, her daughter was cursed by Wizard to have a lethal sonic scream. So, Dinah called on an old friend to put her in help her daughter, Johnny Thunder. The only way he could save her was to put her in suspended animation, and, as he felt it was better for everyone, he made Dinah and Larry believe their daughter had died as a baby.
Later, Larry sacrifices his life to save Dinah from Aquarius. In her grief Dinah travels to Earth-1 from Earth-2, where she joins the Justice League and finds that she has gained the superpower of a sonic scream, her “canary cry”.
However, she later discovers that she was poisoned by radiation from the battle with Aquarius, and was dying. So, she had her memories transferred to her now adult daughter’s body, and so the Black Canary of Earth-1 was really Dinah Lance’s body with her mother’s memory.
Post Crisis
After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Black Canary’s origins are altered. Dinah Drake was the original Black Canary, who was a part of the Justice Society of America. She married Larry Lance and had her daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance.
After Larry’s death, Dinah raised their daughter on her own. Dinah Lance grew up around her mother’s friends of the Justice Society, and aspired to be a superhero, like her mother. However, Dinah Drake did not approve.
Prime-Earth
After many reboots Dinah Drake was turned back into the main Black Canary, only to be later revealed that, that Black Canary is Dinah Lance who is now named Dinah Drake. The real Dinah Drake was instead once again the original Black Canary who died before her daughter took the name for herself.
Alternate Versions
Stan Lee’s DC Universe’
In Just Imagine Stan Lee With Chris Bachalo Creating Catwoman Dinah Drake is the name of an L.A fashion model. (Although would use the name Dinah Lance at points.)
Evil Team Arrow
During Dinah Drake Jr.’s look into an alternate reality were Team Arrow were now villainous assassins, she would interact with a living version of her mother who was a member of the League of Assassins going by the name Red Canary.
Other Media
TV
Arrow
In Arrow, Dinah Drake is a police officer who is given her powers via the STAR Labs explosion incident. The dark matter gives her the meta ability to produce a sonic scream, her Canary Cry. In Arrow, Dinah is the third person to adopt the name Black Canary. Dinah Drake first appears in the season 5 episode, “Who are you?”
She’d join Team Arrow, and become a main character of the series, getting a job as an officer in Star City, where she uses her position to help the city the legal way. In season 6, her ex lover was revealed to be Vigilante, who she’d convince into becoming a real hero only moments after for him to be killed in front of her by Black Siren as she cried. Sparking her hatred for Black Siren, and for the rest of the season doing whatever she could to try to get revenge and justice for her fallen love. During the flashforwards it’s revealed she created “The Canary Network” a team of women (And one man, Connor Hawke.) to fight for justice in a broken future. She was played by Juliana Harkavy.