The Birds of Prey movie gave real meaning to the Black Canary name. In fact, the movie gives Dinah Lance’s nom de plume two meanings based on the slang of the era in which she was created and the character’s upcoming solo movie could expand on the meaning of her name even more.

Comic book historians still debate the precise meaning of Black Canary’s code-name from when the character first appeared in 1947. The most common guess is that writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino modeled the heroine on popular actress Veronica Lake, who had just appeared in the movie Blue Dahlia and they wanted a name with a similar rhythm and a color theme. It’s possible that with the Black Dahlia murders still hot in the press at the time that the color was changed to evoke the same sense of mystery. Later stories suggested the name was a tease of how the brunette Dinah hid her secret identity behind a blonde wig, but there was nothing in her original appearance to indicate that she wasn’t a natural blonde.

While “canary” was a slang term for female singers when Black Canary first appeared, there was nothing in her classic background to indicate she was a singer. Various adaptations since then have depicted Black Canary as a singer, such as the Black Canary of the Brave and the Bold cartoon and the Dinah Lance of the DC Bombshells universe. It was not until 2015 that any mainstream DC Comics story showed Dinah Lance trying to make a living as a singer when she wasn’t saving the world. Black Canary, as played by Jurnee Smollet in Birds of Prey, is a canary in that sense, working the lounge in a nightclub owned by crime boss Roman “Black Mask” Sionis. Yet the story of Birds of Prey turns Dinah Lance into the other kind of canary famous to 1940’s film noir: an informant who sings to the police (specifically Detective Renee Montoya) about her employer’s crimes.

Amusingly, Roman’s right-hand man Victor Zsasz specifically refers to Dinah Lance as a rat, ignoring the more obvious and bird-themed term for a treasonous gangster. The upcoming Black Canary movie, a spinoff of Birds of Prey that is being penned by Lovecraft Country showrunner Misha Green, could explore the meaning of the character’s name as well. It’s possible the solo film will touch upon Black Canary’s origin — Birds of Prey revealed her mother was once a vigilante and likely the original Black Canary — and the story could dig into why that moniker was ultimately chosen.

It is unclear if Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson intentionally evoked both classic bits of 1940s slang with her story in order to justify the Black Canary moniker. It could just be a happy coincidence that the movie makes Dinah Lance into both a songbird and a stool pigeon. Either way, it is an amusing bit of trivia to ponder and one that can further explored in the Black Canary movie, especially now that she’s getting the solo spotlight treatment.

More: Every DCEU Character Who Could Appear In The Black Canary Movie

  • Black Adam Release Date: 2022-10-21 Shazam! The Fury of the Gods Release Date: 2023-03-17 The Batman Release Date: 2022-03-04 Super Pets Release Date: 2022-07-29 Aquaman 2 Release Date: 2023-12-25 The Flash Movie Release Date: 2023-06-23