After sitting out of the first installment of Injustice: Gods Among Us, one of the best fighters in the DC Universe is coming to the sequel. Black Canary is the newest confirmed addition to the roster of Injustice 2!
IGN made the announcement and dropped the first Injustice 2 gameplay footage of Black Canary in action, battling Blue Beetle, Deadshot, and Atrocitus. Perhaps the most encouraging thing about the clips is that this version of Black Canary lives up to her reputation with her acrobatic moves, martial arts mastery, and signature sonic scream. Those skills are true to her comic book counterpart, and it’s also why Black Canary topped our wishlist for Injustice 2. However it’s far from the only reason we’re happy to see her in this game.
If everything you know about Black Canary comes from what you’ve seen on Arrow, then you’re missing out on a lot of the qualities that made her such a compelling heroine. While different versions of Black Canary have been around since 1947, the character really came into her own in the ’90s as one of the co-leads of Birds of Prey. Back then, there weren’t a lot of female led DC titles, Birds of Prey was unique in that it had two: Black Canary and Oracle/Barbara Gordon. While Oracle advised and assisted from a remote location, Black Canary went on international covert missions that most other heroes would have shied away from. Essentially, she was the James Bond of the DCU at a time when she didn’t even have superpowers.
During Gail Simone’s stint on Birds of Prey, it was reestablished many times that Black Canary was one of the top martial artists in the world, even when was up against Lady Shiva and other expert assassins and fighters. That’s one of the things that has us so excited about Injustice 2. We’re finally going to experience that neglected side of Black Canary’s skill set, since her counterpart on Arrow wasn’t nearly as adroit. And to be honest, Black Canary hasn’t gotten the best exposure on that series, and the show has even pushed her long history with Green Arrow aside in favor of the Oliver and Felicity romance. The Arrow creative team recognized that more fans reacted to “Olicity,” and some of Laurel Lance’s questionable actions seemed to alienate the audience. Eventually, Laurel got a measure of redemption when she finally became Black Canary…at least until she was killed off last season.
In fairness, we think that the Arrow creative team may have realized their mistakes, which may be why they recently introduced a potential new Black Canary for the series. Fans deserve to see a version of the character who isn’t just a great fighter, but also a strategic thinker, a leader (of the Justice League, no less!), and a compassionate heroine with a well-defined personality. The new Injustice 2 footage definitely seemed to capture the spirit of the character, and we can’t wait to try her out in the game!
Are you excited to see Black Canary get her shot in Injustice 2? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Image: Netherrealm Studios
