Laurel Lance (Earth-1)


 * For other characters with the same first name, see Dinah.
 * For other people who used the "Canary" identity, see Canary.

"Please... please don't let me be the last Canary. That way, a part of me will always be out there with you."

- Laurel's last words to Oliver Queen.

Dinah Laurel Lance (November 15, 1985 – April 6, 2016 ), better known as Laurel Lance, was a citizen of Star City and one of its most beloved public servants. Laurel was the oldest daughter of the late Quentin Lance and Dinah Lance (after whom she was named), the older sister of Sara Lance, the ex-girlfriend/longtime friend of Oliver Queen, and longtime friend/ex-girlfriend of the late Tommy Merlyn. She was a lawyer who held the position of assistant district attorney and was previously a former legal aid attorney. However, after the death of her sister, Laurel was inspired to take up vigilantism and received training from Ted Grant and later by her close friend and Sara's former lover, Nyssa al Ghul. She eventually joined Team Arrow and became known as the Black Canary, the second Canary of her beloved city.

Laurel was fatally stabbed by Damien Darhk during his prison escape and passed away surrounded by the team just moments before her father arrived. Following her death, her actions as Black Canary were made public by Oliver in order to preserve her reputation as a hero to Star City; her identity as Black Canary is left on her own tombstone.

2 years after her death, Earth-2 Laurel Lance, reveals herself to the public (pretending to be her late Earth-1 counterpart) in order to protect herself from Ricardo Diaz, she states to the press that her death was faked by H.I.V.E. and that she had been tortured by the organization for the last 2 years; as the public is now convinced that (Earth-1) Laurel is alive.

Early life
Laurel Lance was born on November 15, 1985 to Quentin and Dinah Lance in and had a younger sister named Sara Lance. As children, Laurel and Sara would play dress up together and in one instance, they pretended to be grown-up versions of themselves with Laurel as a police officer and Sara as a doctor. When she was young, Laurel met and befriended Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn, and the three of them grew up together as lifelong best friends. She also became close with Oliver's younger sister, Thea.

Growing up, Laurel was always studious and responsible, in stark contrast with Sara's rebellious nature. From an early age, she was very close with her father, sharing Quentin's drive of administering justice and making the world a better place.

In her senior year of high school, Laurel became the student body president with help from Oliver and Tommy, who handed out gift baskets to the voters.

Laurel was to attend Starling City University after high school, but was struggling to figure out what she wanted to study in college. Meanwhile, her father suspected something was going on with Sara so he asked Laurel to keep an eye on her. The next day, Laurel tried to walk home with her sister but Sara rejected her offer of help. Sara later came home with a black eye, which revealed she was being bullied. Quentin scolded Laurel for not being there for her sister, citing that they should always look out for those who couldn't protect themselves, and began giving her and Sara self-defense lessons. Later as Laurel and Sara were walking home from school, Sara's bullies cornered them, but the sisters worked together to fend them off and they never bothered Sara again. Afterwards, Laurel took her father's words to heart and decided to study pre-law at Starling University, aspiring to become a lawyer to help people.

In 2005, Laurel was attending one of Tommy's private college parties when Sara snuck out of the house to attend so she could spend time with Oliver. Their father and the cops later arrived to shut down the party, resulting in Sara getting grounded. Sara would come to believe it was Laurel who tipped off their father to sabotage the former's chances with Oliver, since she apparently knew about Sara's crush on him. However, it remains unclear as to whether or not Laurel actually did this. One month after Tommy's party, Laurel and Oliver began dating and fell in love, despite Oliver's reputation as a "frat boy", as Quentin liked to call him. Their relationship was approved by Oliver's family, with Moira Queen in particular admiring the influence Laurel had on her son.

Two years later in 2007, while applying to law schools, Laurel broached the topic of her and Oliver getting a place of their own, citing that they had been dating even longer than their friends, Ray and Jean, who were already moving in together. Oliver seemingly agreed, only to become suffocated and try to run away from the responsibility by cheating on her. Laurel remained unaware of this as she began apartment hunting for herself and Oliver whilst planning their future together, hoping to one day become "Mrs. Laurel Queen". While Sara was visiting from college, Laurel excitedly detailed her aspirations. However, Sara expressed wariness and tried to talk to Laurel about the possibility that Oliver might not be ready to settle down, given his reputation. Angered by her sister's apparent lack of support, Laurel refused to listen and the two got into a heated argument.

When Oliver was about to board the Queen's Gambit with his father, Laurel came to the docks to see him off and gave Oliver a picture of herself for him to look at during his trip. Possibly with Sara's previous warning in mind, Laurel wondered if she scared him with her proposal of moving in together, but Oliver (falsely) assured Laurel that she didn't and everything was fine before bidding her farewell. A few days later, Laurel and her father saw on the news that the Queen’s Gambit was lost at sea, much to their horror. Shortly after, Moira revealed that Sara was on the yacht as well when it went down, and Laurel realized Oliver had been cheating on her with her sister.

A fractured family and venture into law
Devastated by Oliver and Sara's betrayal, Laurel found herself unable to mourn for her sister due to her mutual grief and anger, ultimately becoming emotionally numb to the pain. Over the next five years following her sister's death, Laurel's parents divorced, with her mother moving to Central City while her father threw himself into his job and became an alcoholic, leaving Laurel to pick Quentin up from bars and bail him out of trouble. Laurel later went to law school, where she buried herself in her studies and distanced herself from the Queen family, becoming cynical and closed off for a period of time. At law school, Laurel met and befriended Joanna de la Vega.

In early 2008, Laurel received an unknown call on her cell phone while at school. However, she received no answer upon picking up, much to her confusion (unaware that it was actually Oliver calling from Lian Yu). The call was abruptly cut and Laurel dismissed it.

At some point in law school, Laurel made it to the final mock trials in Moot Court and asked her father to come watch, which Quentin initially agreed to. At Moot Court, Laurel was the defense attorney for a suspect who was wrongfully arrested for and accused of a murder that was carried out with his stolen gun. She waited for her father but he didn't show, leaving her disappointed. Laurel proceeded as the defense and eventually won the case. Afterwards, Quentin apologized for not coming, explaining how he finally apprehended a serial killer known as "The Night-Stalker", but Laurel was still upset.

In early 2010, Laurel, in her final year at law school, accepted a job offer at Weathersby Posner, a prestigious corporate firm in San Francisco. One day in February, Laurel received a call from Quentin's desk sergeant when he didn't show up at work. After finding him in a bar, Laurel paid for her father's drinks and took him home. That night, she attended Tommy's 25th birthday party at the Merlyn mansion, where the two caught up before encountering Thea. Laurel and Tommy were growing increasingly worried about Thea's new lifestyle of partying and drugs. The party was broken up by the cops when Thea's drug dealer was found dead. After Quentin arrived at the scene, he lashed out at Thea and Tommy and also berated Laurel for continuing to hang out with people like Oliver, much to her anger. Laurel scolded her father before taking him inside. Quentin then revealed his unhappiness with her new job, pointing out that Laurel wanted to become a lawyer to help people and at Weathersby Posner, she would just be “helping fat cats get fatter”. The next day, after some thinking, Laurel turned down Weathersby Posner's offer and instead accepted a job at City Necessary Resources Initiative (CNRI), a legal aid office in the Glades. Tommy approached Laurel as she was leaving CNRI that evening to check up on her. He invited Laurel to get dinner and drinks, which she accepted.

Soon after, Laurel and Tommy began a casual affair. Tommy secretly desired a real relationship, though Laurel simply considered them a "lapse”. Laurel graduated from law school and began working at CNRI alongside Joanna. She eventually ended her affair with Tommy, but he remained in love with her. At CNRI, Laurel embarked on a mission to take down the corruption in Starling City through the legal system.

Oliver Queen returns from the dead
At CNRI, Laurel was heading a case against Adam Hunt with her best friend and coworker, Joanna de la Vega. She saw a news report that Oliver had survived the sinking of the Queen's Gambit, much to her shock, but Sara did not, prompting Laurel to angrily turn off the TV. The next day, Oliver stopped by CNRI to apologize to her, but Laurel refused to accept his apology and blamed Oliver for Sara's death, declaring he should've perished in the accident instead. Later though, Laurel attended Oliver's welcome back party to apologize for being too harsh with him. Comforted that her sister didn't suffer, Laurel assured Oliver that she is here for him if he needs to talk about what happened. However, Oliver lied that the island did not change him and advised Laurel to stay away from him, otherwise he will just end up hurting her again. Upset, Laurel claimed that the island did change Oliver as he is more honest now before walking out. The next night, Laurel and Joanna were elated upon learning that all the money Adam Hunt stole was somehow returned to its rightful owners. Laurel then met with Tommy to discuss that she and Oliver are over. Tommy wondered if there was a chance for them but Laurel, slightly conflicted and amused, believed that he is not the kind to be in a serious relationship with.

Laurel and Joanna represented Emily Nocenti against Martin Somers, who murdered Emily's father, an honest man. They ran into Oliver again at the courthouse where his death in absentia was being revoked, leading to another bitter moment between him and Laurel. The next day, Quentin placed Laurel under police protection due to her prosecution of Somers, which she begrudgingly agreed to. That night, Oliver went to Laurel's apartment to apologize for pushing her away once again and brought ice cream for the two to eat together. They began to reconnect as Laurel gave Oliver advice in getting his family to reconcile his new self with the one they wanted him to be. Suddenly, Laurel's apartment was attacked by the Chinese Triad at Somers' behest, despite the police protection. Oliver protected Laurel while his bodyguard, John Diggle, fended them off. Afterwards, Quentin tried to get her to drop the case, but Laurel refused to abandon Emily, citing that she is doing the same job as her father - using the law to help the city. After the Hood helped arrest Somers, Laurel and her father made up. Laurel began to consider the vigilante a hero for what he did, though Quentin vehemently believed otherwise.

Laurel was taken by Joanna to Max Fuller's club, Poison, to loosen up. There, Oliver and Tommy got into a brawl with Max and were beaten up by his men. Laurel intervened and quickly took down Max, coercing him to let them go. Oliver found out from Thea that Laurel and Tommy had a physical relationship while he was on the island. He tried to talk to Laurel about it, but she coldly brushed Oliver off, stating that she and Tommy didn't need his forgiveness or his blessing, and left the club. Later at the courthouse, Laurel and Tommy talked about what happened. Laurel realized Oliver somehow already knew about her and Tommy's affair since he didn't react when Thea told him. Tommy revealed he wanted to try being a better person, one deserving of a relationship with her. Touched, Laurel subtly agreed to give him a chance.

After the attack on the Unidac Industries auction, Laurel went to the Queen Mansion to check on Oliver, only to find he'd disappeared. When Oliver arrived home, Laurel scolded him for his continued selfishness, pointing out that his family deserves better. The next night, Laurel encountered the Hood in her apartment after work. The Hood revealed that Peter Declan was wrongfully sentenced to death for murdering his wife, Camille, and asked Laurel to defend him. After speaking with Peter at Iron Heights Prison, Laurel grew to believe in his innocence and agreed to take up his case. After obtaining the case files from her father, Laurel learned Camille intended to testify about her employer, Jason Brodeur's, toxic waste dumping and reported it to The Hood. The vigilante eventually provided Laurel with Camille's file of evidence against Brodeur, but it wasn't enough for her to stay Peter's execution. Laurel then went to meet with Peter at Iron Heights, where they were suddenly caught in the middle of a prison riot orchestrated by Brodeur's bodyguard, the real murderer of Camille. Laurel was attacked and nearly strangled by an inmate, but The Hood intervened and started beating the man to death until she stopped him. Horrified by The Hood violence during the confrontation, Laurel came to agree with her father that the vigilante was a remorseless killer. The next day, she watched as an exonerated Peter reunited with his daughter.

After Quentin arrested Oliver under suspicion of being The Hood, Moira Queen asked Laurel on her son's behalf to defend him. While expressing her sympathies, Laurel was initially against representing a client she had been romantically involved with, but later changed her mind, hoping to get through her father. Laurel was still cold to Oliver in court, sarcastically affirming his innocence on the basis that he would never want to actively make a difference like The Hood. After Oliver's hearing, Laurel and Quentin argued about how Oliver is not to blame for Sara's death or the fact that her mother left them afterwards. During Oliver's polygraph, Oliver revealed his scars were from being tortured and his belief of killing Sara, shocking and saddening Laurel. During Oliver's prison-themed party in the Queen Mansion, Laurel talked with him in private, revealing how her family fell apart after Sara's death. Laurel admitted that she hated Oliver for a long time, but was so busy thinking about her family that she did not stop to consider his; she now knows that happened to him on the island was more that he deserved. With Laurel's encouragement, Oliver reluctantly showed her his scars, leading to an intimate moment between them in which they kissed. However, Laurel suddenly pulled away and rushed out, distressed. The next day after Oliver was cleared of all charges, Laurel visited him, questioning his polygraph results. Oliver admitted to Laurel that he did want to be seen as "damaged". Laurel realized that she and Oliver still had feelings for each other, but made it clear that nothing could ever happen between them again.

When CNRI lost their biggest donor, Stagg Industries, Tommy suggested having Merlyn Global Group throw a fundraiser for them. Laurel was initially suspicious of Tommy's motives, but considering that CNRI needed the money desperately, she went along with it. After seeing Tommy caring for a drunk Thea at the benefit, Laurel stated she "owes [him] a dance", indicating she may be interested in a relationship.

Laurel agreed to go on a formal first date with Tommy. When Tommy was cut off by his father, Malcolm Merlyn, Laurel assured him that it was not his money which she found attractive. Laurel later encouraged Tommy to ask Oliver for a job at his nightclub and they argued over his insecurities, although they made up soon afterwards.

Laurel went to the Queen family Christmas party with Tommy. When Adam Hunt was killed by a copycat archer, Laurel realized that the Hood was only trying to protect her.

After Joanna's brother, Danny de la Vega, died suspiciously in a fire, Laurel asked her father for help. He refused on the grounds that the death was not suspicious, but she stole his phone to contact The Hood. She asked for help investigating Danny's death and they worked together, discovering that Danny's murderer was Garfield Lynns a firefighter believed to have been killed in the Nodell Towers fire. Lynns attacked a fundraiser being held for the fire department and Laurel was briefly trapped inside with Tommy. After Lynns' death, Joanna took a sabbatical from CNRI. Quentin seemingly let Laurel hold onto The Hood's phone, as she would find better use for it. However, he was actually planning to use Laurel as bait to capture The Hood.

Laurel and Tommy had dinner with Malcolm when the latter reached out to supposedly reconnect. However, things went downhill when Malcolm revealed his intentions of closing down Tommy's late mother Rebecca's clinic. The next day, Laurel comforted Tommy as he reflected on how his father changed after his mother's murder.

When Thea got into legal trouble after driving under the influence of Vertigo, Laurel asked her father to get Thea a plea deal by reminding him of the trouble that Sara got into in her youth. As part of her plea bargain, Thea had to do 500 hours of community service at CNRI as an intern under Laurel's supervision.

Laurel found out from her coworker, Anastasia, that Cyrus Vanch, who CNRI was prosecuting, had been released from prison and asked The Hood for help in finding new evidence against him. When he had something to offer, he called her and Laurel left a date with Tommy to meet him on a rooftop. However, their discussion was interrupted by an SCPD task force, as Quentin tracked Laurel's phone to capture The Hood. Laurel and Quentin had an argument, with Quentin furious with his daughter for contacting The Hood while Laurel was angry for being set her up and placed in danger. Tommy also became upset with Laurel upon learning of her work with the vigilante. The next night, Laurel was kidnapped from her apartment by Cyrus, who used her as bait to draw out The Hood. After Quentin and The Hood rescued her, Laurel remained angry with her father for his actions, asking that he stay away from her until she can trust him again. The Hood then ended their partnership, feeling it put Laurel in danger. Shortly after, Laurel and Tommy made up.

Laurel and Thea had a lunch break from working at CNRI and walked through the Glades. Suddenly, Thea's purse was snatched by a thief, Roy Harper. Laurel gave chase but he managed to escape. Thea tracked Roy down and Laurel helped by passing on the information to her father so he could arrest Roy.

Laurel held a birthday party for Tommy at her apartment, with Oliver and McKenna Hall in attendance. She tried to support Tommy when his father unexpectedly showed up and later encouraged him to attend a humanitarian ceremony honoring Malcolm. Afterwards, as Laurel went to meet Tommy at the hospital when Malcolm was shot, she received a surprise visit from her mother, Dinah, telling her that Sara might still be alive.

Laurel invited her father to breakfast at Big Belly Burger, not telling him that Dinah would also be attending. She encouraged her father to hear out her mother's theory of Sara surviving the sinking of the Queen's Gambit to, at the very least, convince Dinah that Sara was really dead. Laurel also attended Verdant's grand opening with Tommy, where she questioned him on his failure to show up at the breakfast with her parents.

Upon seeing Quentin getting caught up in her mother's investigation, Laurel contacted a friend of hers from law school who worked at the Chinese Embassy to locate the girl in a photo Dinah found, whom the latter believed was Sara. Laurel realized the girl was actually a resident of Starling City named Jenn, whom she introduced to her parents, proving Sara's death. Dinah's confession that she left Starling City after Sara's death out of guilt for not stopping her from getting on the Queen's Gambit with Oliver eventually allowed Laurel to reconcile with her mother. As Dinah returned to Central City, Laurel asked her mother to keep in touch. Meanwhile, Laurel also became frustrated when Tommy began to keep secrets from her.

Laurel was furious when her father tried to prove Tommy and Oliver were selling Vertigo at Verdant.

Laurel tried to help a family who were cheated out of their life savings by Edward Rasmus, but the couple was murdered by an assassin. Laurel took in their orphaned son, Taylor Moore, making herself a target when the assassin went to tie up loose ends. After the assassin tried to kill them at Laurel's apartment, she, Tommy, and Taylor temporarily stayed at the Queen Mansion. While there, Laurel and Moira briefly reflected on the former's past with Oliver. Later, Oliver comforted Laurel, which Tommy saw and misconstrued, though he did not say anything at the time. That night, the assassin was killed by Oliver, allowing Laurel and Tommy were safe to go home. Once Taylor's grandparents had been reached, he was released into their care. Soon after, Tommy left Laurel, lying that he was not ready for a serious relationship.

Laurel met with Oliver at Verdant for coffee, confiding in him about her and Tommy's breakup. Oliver advised her and Tommy to talk to and be honest with each other. During their conversation, Laurel met Felicity Smoak. At Merlyn Global Group, Laurel confronted Tommy over him leaving her, professing that she still loved him and believed he loved her too, so they overcome whatever their problems were. However, Tommy instead claimed that Oliver was still in love with her and she should be with him instead. Taken aback, Laurel went to see Oliver and asked him to tell Tommy that he no longer loved her. Oliver refused, saying that he had too many lies in his life, revealing he did in fact still have feelings for her.

A week later, Laurel went to Verdant to see Oliver, wondering if they could still be together and maybe she is ready to admit that she still had feelings for him as well. However, Oliver claimed that nothing between them had changed. Laurel later visited her father, revealing that Tommy broke up with her because of Oliver. Laurel acknowledged that Oliver broke her heart multiple times, to which Quentin grudgingly admitted that he has changed since returning from the island. Oliver later visited Laurel at her apartment, saying that he might finally be ready to be with her since she knows him better than anyone and is more important to him than anyone. Oliver hoped that he did not wait too long, to which Laurel kissed him, assuring him that he didn't, before they slept together. Unbeknownst to Laurel, Oliver had previously encouraged Tommy to reconcile with her and the latter had been on his way to do just that when he witnessed the two of them kissing.

The next day, Laurel visited Oliver at the Queen Mansion, worried he was getting scared again because he left while she was asleep. Oliver assured her that wasn't the case, telling Laurel that she has always seen the best in him and the island brought out the person that she always saw. Before leaving, he warned her to stay out of the Glades that night. However, when Moira revealed in a press conference of her role in the Undertaking occurring that night, Laurel went to CNRI with Joanna and her coworkers to try and save valuable files for her clients. As she worked, Laurel's father called her, urging her to get out. When the earthquake started, Laurel tried to leave CNRI but was trapped under a falling beam when the building began to collapse. Tommy arrived and lifted the beam, allowing Laurel to escape and saving her life. Laurel met with her father and Joanna outside, but Tommy was tragically killed when the building caved in. Quentin prevented Laurel from trying to get back to Tommy and she cried out his name in despair before breaking down in tears. After the earthquake, Laurel found Tommy's body in the rubble of CNRI and witnessed the Hood walking away.

At Tommy's funeral, Laurel gave his eulogy in Oliver's absence. She emphasized that Tommy was so much more than a billionaire playboy and how much she came to love him. Oliver visited her after the funeral, believing that he failed Tommy. Laurel insisted he shouldn't blame himself for Tommy's death but Oliver stated she would blame him too if she knew "the truth". A week later, Oliver and Laurel, seeking comfort in one another, sorted through some old photos of their and Tommy's childhood. Laurel reflected how the three of them were always a great team and suggested she and Oliver could work together to try and save the city, hopeful about the future. The next day, Laurel found a letter from Oliver in her apartment along with the picture of herself she had given him over five years prior. In the letter, Oliver assured Laurel that she is a hero who will help the city recover and he would only hold her back from doing so, which is why he's going away for a while. Oliver told Laurel to never doubt his love for her and that she has always been the best of himself. Laurel was heartbroken and began crying.

Recovering from Tommy's death
Five months after the Undertaking and CNRI's destruction, Laurel became an assistant district attorney. She was present Mayor Altman's Earthquake Relief Fund with her boss, ADA Adam Donner. The event was attacked by the Hoods, who killed Altman. One of the members threatened Donner, but Laurel managed to take him down. Immediately after, one of them pointed a gun at her before she could do anything else. Her father, demoted to officer rank, tried to ask her questions about the attack but his boss intervened. Oliver arrived and they talked about how she regretted sleeping with him, feeling that she cheated on Tommy. Later, Laurel met Oliver again at Tommy's grave. They agreed on being friends and she told Oliver how she was going to help the District attorney take down the Hood, still unaware that the Hood and Oliver were one-and-the same.

Laurel made plans to catch and arrest the Arrow, determined to bring him to justice. When he went to talk to her, she revealed that she was also angry because it looked like he had the opportunity to save Tommy life, but did not, the Arrow later went to talk to her again, but an SCPD S.W.A.T. team surrounded him, with Laurel revealing that she had set a trap for the vigilante.

The Canary rescued the Arrow from Laurel and the police. When Quentin angered the serial killer he was hunting down, the Dollmaker, the man targeted Laurel, kidnapping her and attempting to kill her while Quentin watched. The Arrow arrived just in time to save Laurel's life and the Canary killed the Dollmaker. Laurel realized her misplaced guilt over Tommy's death was aimed at the wrong individual and that she really blamed herself.

Laurel was having a hard time from recent events, and began drinking heavily and taking anti-depressants, almost getting arrested for a DUI. Both Oliver and Quentin attempted to get through to her but failed, the Canary, revealed to be Laurel's younger sister Sara, was seen watching over Laurel.

Laurel was put on Moira's prosecution and was able to convince the DA to offer Moira a plea bargain - life in prison as opposed to the death penalty (in case she was declared guilty). Oliver took Laurel out for dinner in order to protect her from some assassins pursuing her sister, Sara, after arriving home, Laurel suddenly tried to kiss Oliver, who gently refused and made it clear that he just wanted to be there for her as a friend, not reignite their romance. Laurel tearfully wondered why everyone in her life whom she loved seemed to end up running away from her. Laurel then noticed that her apartment door was open and when Oliver investigated, he found a knife, which he hid from her. After Oliver left, Laurel took some anti-depressants.

Laurel was appointed lead prosecutor in the Moira's case to replace ADA Donner, who had been poisoned with Vertigo, While reviewing the case notes, she discovered Donner's "trump card" (that Moira had an affair with Malcolm) disturbed by what she found, Laurel tried to convince Moira to protect her family by not taking the witness stand, warning that she was obligated to prosecute the case to the best of her ability and would be forced to present Donner's evidence in court if Moira testified. However, Moira still decided to testify and Laurel had to reveal the affair, making a strong case for a guilty verdict. When she encountered Oliver immediately after mercilessly cross-examining Moira, Laurel tried to avoid him, distraught and guilt-ridden over her actions in court.

Thea and Sin Simone sought Laurel's help regarding Max Stanton's disappearance and death. Laurel discovered that the blood drive Max donated blood to required a psych test, which was unusual but not illegal, and explained that she could not help Sin further.

Laurel began investigating mayoral candidate Sebastian Blood, whom she found suspicious, she questioned him about his past and his connection to Cyrus Gold, asking her father to help her get more information on Sebastian, in the course of her investigation, Laurel discovered the name of Maya Resik, Sebastian's aunt who was confined in a psychiatric institution, she visited Maya at St. Walker's Hospital, where Maya revealed that she was not Sebastian's aunt, who actually his mother. Maya told Laurel that Sebastian murdered his father and had her committed to hide his crime.

Laurel later got a call from St. Walker's Hospital, learning Maya had passed away, suspecting that Sebastian murdered Maya to cover up his murder of his father, Laurel asked Donner to help her investigate the case but he refused, not believing Laurel due to Maya's mental state and the lack of evidence about Sebastian murdering his father, Laurel then sought help from the Arrow, who helped her search for the files at the city archives which would prove Sebastian's guilt, though they were successful, the files had already been removed, Laurel went home and discovered that her apartment had been searched by Officer Daily, who discovered her anti-depressants weren't prescribed to her. Laurel was arrested for possession of a controlled substance.

Laurel believed Sebastian framed her, but Quentin refused to trust her judgement since she stole his prescription drugs, Oliver helped Laurel clean up her apartment after bailing her out, suddenly, Brother Blood ambushed them and kidnapped Laurel, Laurel was taken to the Starling Cannery, with Brother Blood taunting her, she vowed he would pay but Brother Blood claimed she knew nothing, the Arrow showed up and engaged the man in combat, Brother Blood was about to shoot the Arrow, but Laurel picked up his previous gun, shooting and killing Blood before he could do so, when the Arrow removed the man's mask, it turned out to be Daily. Daily's charges against Laurel were dropped but she was fired by Donner for her substance abuse.

Laurel grudgingly agreed to have dinner with her father at his request. When this turned out to be a ruse to get her to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, she angrily left despite his pleas. The next day, Laurel met with Joanna at Wethersby & Stone LLP for a job interview. Upon arriving though, Laurel discovered that due to her prescription drug addiction, the State Bar Association was preparing to file disbarment proceedings against her pending an inquiry on conduct affecting her fitness to practice - thus rendering Laurel unemployable for a law career. In disbelief, Laurel went to Verdant and got drunk while telling Oliver and Thea of her disbarment. Oliver took Laurel's car keys while Thea got a cab to take her home. When she arrived at her apartment, Laurel suddenly collapsed and saw Sara before passing out.

Laurel was taken to the hospital for an apparent overdose, where her parents watched over her. Laurel told her father that she saw Sara, although she was under the impression that it was a hallucination. It was later revealed that Laurel had in fact been poisoned by a member of the League of Assassins at the behest of Nyssa al Ghul in a bid to lure out Sara. Soon after, Laurel's mother was kidnapped and Quentin tried to comfort her. After Laurel was discharged from the hospital, Quentin revealed to her that Sara was alive before receiving a call regarding Dinah's location. Laurel followed her father and was shocked upon seeing her sister. After the whole Lance family was reunited, Laurel angrily kicked Sara out of her apartment, blaming her sister for all the pain and struggle their family went through over the past six years.

A week later, Laurel still wanted nothing to do with Sara, even refusing to go to her homecoming party. Quentin persuaded Laurel to attend a family dinner, hoping he could reconcile with Dinah. Laurel agreed and decided to host it at her apartment. At the dinner, tensions quickly escalated when Dinah revealed she had moved on, after which Laurel realized that Oliver and Sara had rekindled their relationship. She flew into a rage at everyone in the room and stormed out. In the hallway, Laurel scolded Oliver for sleeping with Sara again and the two argued about Laurel blaming everyone else for the problems in her life. Finally, a visibly hurt Oliver said he was done running after Laurel and walked away. This seemed to shake Laurel, who went to Verdant to see Sara. Admitting how far she had fallen, Laurel tearfully begged Sara not to hate her. Sara simply embraced her and the sisters reconciled. The next day, Laurel showed up at an AA meeting with her father.

As she filled out a job application at Verdant, Laurel saw that Sara was clearly being pushed away by Oliver and tried to give Oliver advice on how to handle it.

Donner offered Laurel her old job back if she agreed to prosecute Frank Bertinelli. When Helena Bertinelli took over the courthouse in an attempt to kidnap Frank, Laurel was taken hostage and The Canary arrived to rescue her. In the stress of the situation, Laurel was about to drink again upon realizing the trial was a sham, but The Canary dissuaded her. Laurel insisted on staying until all the hostages were freed and helped The Canary battle Helena's thugs. However, Laurel was recaptured after The Canary was defeated by Helena. Laurel tried to persuade Helena to let the hostages go, explaining that they had a great deal in common, but she responded by slipping out of the courthouse and taking Laurel hostage along with her in exchange for Frank. Later, when The Canary defeated Helena in battle, Laurel convinced her sister not to kill Helena.

Afterwards, DA Spencer apologized to Laurel for Donner having used her in his scheme to lure the Huntress out of hiding, but stated that he had no authority to reinstate her. However, Laurel then blackmailed Spencer into rehiring her by threatening to reveal Donner's scheme to the public if she was not given her old job back. Laurel quoted Helena, mentioning that someone recently told her, "Once you let the darkness inside, it never comes out".

Laurel visited Sebastian prior to his mayoral debate with Moira and apologized for suspecting him of murdering his father. The debate was interrupted when Thea was revealed to have been kidnapped. Later that night after Thea's release, Laurel was visited by Slade Wilson, who revealed Oliver's identity as The Arrow.

Laurel had a hard time dealing with Oliver's identity, mainly because revealing it is the only thing that could release her father from prison. While visiting Sara at the hospital, Laurel saw her sister's scars and was nearly heartbroken at the revelation that her sister was The Canary. Quentin was later attacked by a prison inmate and Laurel rushed to see him. Quentin persuaded Laurel to keep the Arrow's identity secret by requesting her to think about the difficulties the vigilante has to face in his dual life. Finally at peace with the vigilante's identity, Laurel blackmailed DA Spencer into releasing Quentin. She then visited Oliver at Verdant and hugged him, saying that he is one of the few people she values in her life.

After Moira's death, Laurel attended her funeral and tried to console Thea. She resumed her investigation into Sebastian, confiding her suspicions to her father and asking him to help her. Laurel managed to plant a bug in the mayor's office, allowing Kelton to hack Sebastian's computer and search his files. They discovered proof of his involvement in Moira's death in the form of a press release offering his condolences to the Queen family, dated the day before Moira was murdered. Upon learning of Oliver's disappearance, Laurel contacted his teammates, John Diggle and Felicity Smoak. When Oliver returned, she appeared in the Arrowcave and revealed to Oliver that Slade told her about his secret identity. Laurel insisted that Oliver should continue fighting for the sake of his family and friends and not surrender to Slade, stating that she knew him better than anyone else and that he never gives up.

None of this seemed to sway him, but then Laurel informed the team that Sebastian was working with Slade, emphasizing that this was no longer just a personal conflict between Oliver and Slade, but involved all of Starling City, which finally galvanized him into action. When Team Arrow left to confront Slade's army during the Siege, Laurel wanted to join them, though Oliver refused, as she would not be safe. Nonetheless, she ended up following them. When one of the Mirakuru-enhanced prisoners began choking the Arrow, Laurel bashed the prisoner with a pipe, distracting him and allowing the Arrow to gain the upper hand. When she and the Arrow were cornered by Slade's soldiers, Oliver shot an explosive arrow towards the ceiling, causing a cave-in.

Laurel got trapped by rubble from the cave-in, but managed to escape by following Oliver's instructions to shoot an explosive arrow with his bow. Oliver was reluctant to leave her, but Laurel pointed out the city needed him more than she did. On her way to the police station to meet her father, Laurel was attacked by one of Slade's soldiers, but the Canary appeared and rescued her. Laurel revealed to Sara that she knew about her being the Canary and encouraged her dejected younger sister, who believed herself to be beyond redemption. She later witnessed Sara rescue a child from a burning building, officially dubbing her sister as the Canary. Laurel and Sara then reunited with their father at the police station.

Laurel was later abducted by Slade, who wished to avenge Shado's death by killing her, as he believed Laurel to be the woman Oliver loved. However, Oliver and Felicity managed to trick Slade and defeated him, saving Laurel. Afterwards, Laurel and Quentin bid goodbye to Sara as she prepared to return to the League. Sara gave her black jacket to Laurel as a parting gift. As Laurel and Quentin left the docks, Quentin suddenly collapsed, having been injured during the Siege. Laurel immediately called for an ambulance.

Return of the Church of Blood
Following his injury, Quentin was taken to the hospital and placed into a medically-induced coma, in which he stabilized. Laurel constantly stayed by his side, so much so that a doctor insisted she take some time off from her father. Laurel decided to take the woman's advice, and went outside to call her sister.

Sometime later, Laurel began questioning Hoshaw Tolibao after he held a woman hostage at gunpoint. He claimed to need no lawyer, as he was righteous and his god, Brother Blood, would protect him. Shocked at the information, Laurel relayed it back to Team Arrow, who came to the conclusion that someone else had to have taken up the mantle. Laurel watched over an unconscious Roy, commenting on how he resembled her father. She later went to visit her father. At the hospital, Laurel reunited with Sara, who was also visiting. Just then, Quentin awoke after weeks of being in a coma.

Later, Laurel encountered Caleb Green and was captured by him to draw Oliver to the Queen Mansion. Oliver arrived and freed her. He and Caleb battled, during which he told Laurel to leave. Laurel initially refused, but eventually did so. After the mansion had burnt down, she went through the rubble and discovered Oliver. The pair found Caleb, who died soon after.

Sara's death
Five months after Deathstroke's defeat, Laurel was assigned to prosecute Vincent Steelgrave after he was apprehended and delivered to the police by the Arrow. Once Laurel presented the evidence gathered by the Arrow, Steelgrave accepted the guilty plea for 15 to 20 years in prison. Laurel met Oliver in front of Starling City Courthouse as Steelgrave was being transported to prison to tell him about her success. When Oliver wondered why she had invited him there, Laurel led him to a speech her father was giving nearby. The two listened as Captain Lance announced that the Starling City Police Department had disbanded the task force charged with capturing the Arrow, acknowledging the vigilante as a hero for stopping The Siege.

Laurel's father was hospitalized that night after a failed attempt to capture Werner Zytle with the Arrow. Laurel visited her father at the hospital in the morning and berated him for still going out in the field despite his health problems. When asked why he kept pushing himself, Lance told Laurel that being a cop was the only life that he knew and stated he did not know what he was otherwise. Laurel pointed out that he was also her father, and she needed him.

That night, Laurel met up Sara, who had just arrived in Starling City, at a rooftop. The two sisters warmly embraced each other, and Sara asked Laurel how their father was. When Laurel answered that seeing Sara would help him, Sara asked her not to tell Quentin she was still here. Laurel was called to backstop the interrogation of Zytle at the police station by her boss. As Laurel was leaving, Sara suddenly fell down from the rooftop, having been shot in the chest with three black arrows. Laurel rushed to her sister's side and hugged Sara while crying. Not knowing where else to take her body, Laurel brought Sara to the Arrowcave. Oliver, Roy, and Felicity found a distraught Laurel in the morning, covered in Sara's blood. Oliver comforted Laurel as she broke down.

Later that day at Verdant, Oliver promised Laurel he would find Sara's killer. Laurel expressed how when she had thought Sara died aboard the Queen's Gambit, all she could do was scream with rage but this time, she wanted to help catch the killer. Oliver objected, stating she should take care of herself and her father, prompting Laurel to point out that telling her father about Sara's death before they caught her murderer would kill him. Laurel left, saying a bar was the last place she should be. When Diggle found a mercenary archer, Simon Lacroix/Komodo, by going through A.R.G.U.S.'s database, the Arrow followed Komodo as the mercenary was trying to kill a man named Erlich Kelso. Laurel watched the fight between the Arrow and Komodo on street cameras from the Arrowcave with Felicity, and was furious when Komodo escaped.

Laurel went to the hospital Kelso was held under protective custody and lied her way through the police officers at his door using her ADA credentials. Laurel harshly questioned Kelso, even torturing him, until he revealed that he and a couple other businessmen were working on a deal to build a pipeline in Qurac for Amertek Industries. Before Kelso could say more, he was killed by Komodo, who shot an arrow through his heart from the building across. Quentin arrived at the hospital, worried about Laurel, and confronted her about the lie she told his officers. Laurel stated she needed to talk to him, to which her father asked her to go home and let the police handle it. Despite seemingly agreeing, Laurel contacted Felicity to meet her at Verdant so she could tell Team Arrow about what she learned from Kelso.

Using Laurel's intel, Felicity discovered an Amertek board member named Tom Weston had authorized the payments and theorized Komodo was paid to stop the deal. The team determined his next target would be Weston, who was attending Ray Palmer's Star City Pledge event. When Laurel tried to go after Komodo, Oliver argued she would be killed and assured her he would catch Komodo this time. Unwilling to stay behind, Laurel took a gun and went after Komodo anyway. She caught up to them just as the Arrow subdued Komodo. Seeing her with the gun, the Arrow tried to talk her out of her revenge, warning her this wouldn't bring Sara back, but Laurel refused to listen, angrily declaring she was doing this for her sister. Komodo denied having killed Sara, but was unable to convince Laurel as she pulled the trigger, only to discover the Arrow had removed the bullets. Back at Verdant, Oliver told Laurel Komodo's alibi of being in Blüdhaven at the time of Sara's murder had checked out. He explained it would take time to capture Sara's killer since the trail had run cold and urged Laurel to talk to her father about her death. Following Oliver's advice, Laurel went to the precinct to talk to her father, but she was unable to tell him the truth when Quentin's medication reminder alarm went off. She sidestepped by apologizing for lying to him the day before. That night, Laurel and Team Arrow put Sara to rest in her old grave from when she was presumed dead after the Queen's Gambit accident. Back at her apartment, Laurel sat by herself with Sara's black leather jacket, mourning her sister.

Training with Wildcat
A week later, Laurel was assigned the case of a break-in allegedly perpetrated by Tom Bronson. She went to the Wildcat Gym to question Bronson's fighting teacher Ted Grant. When he was told that witnesses had placed Bronson at the scene the previous night, Grant claimed Bronson was with him at the time, causing Laurel to angrily accuse Grant of perjury. Despite admitting to nothing, Grant answered that some people in Starling City were dealt bad hands and that he was willing to lie to keep a good kid who made a mistake. Seeing Laurel's rage, Grant invited her to train in his gym in order to work off her rage.

In her next AA meeting, Laurel confessed she was feeling rage over something she couldn't say and admitted to not knowing what to do with it. She then listened to a woman named Erica Vendel share being beaten by her alcoholic boyfriend. After the meeting, Laurel revealed to her father that Erica had been telling similar stories every month and the abuse is getting worse, stating that her boyfriend, Michael Ancona, had eight assault charges against him. However, Quentin knew that the police acting on Erica's confession would defeat the purpose of the anonymity of AA. Deciding to take justice into her own hands, Laurel followed Michael and assaulted him with a baseball bat while wearing a ski mask and her sister's jacket. Laurel managed to get in a few hits at first, but was soon overwhelmed and severely beaten. She was subsequently taken to the hospital and visited by her worried father, who pleaded Laurel to never do something like that again. Laurel promised, admitting she made a mistake.

Breaking her promise, Laurel went to Verdant to speak with Oliver. She told him about her injuries and asked Oliver to train her so she could get justice outside of a courtroom. Oliver flatly refused, saying Sara would never forgive him for it. Undeterred by Oliver's response, Laurel returned to Ted Grant, who agreed to train her at his gym.

After she left the Wildcat Gym, Laurel went to the cemetery to visit her sister's grave and encountered Nyssa al Ghul, who had also come to pay her respects. Nyssa offered Laurel her and her father's condolences, but Laurel angrily retorted that she did not want their consolation. As Nyssa was leaving, Laurel claimed that her sister wouldn't have died if she never met Nyssa. Nyssa pointed out that she had found Sara alone and starving on Lian Yu, and had loved and protected her since. Upon seeing Sara's jacket on Laurel, Nyssa stated that Laurel was not fit to wear it before leaving the cemetery.

The next morning, Laurel was contacted by Oliver and told before her death, Sara had asked her father for information about something named "Jansen." Heading to the precinct, Laurel questioned Captain Lance about what Sara had asked about. Her father explained that Sara had been in Starling, but asked him not to tell Laurel, and that he had given her the last known address of Ken Zhi Jansen. Seeing Nyssa walk into the precinct, Laurel went to confront her. Nyssa figured out Laurel had not told her father about Sara's death, and although believing he had the right to avenger his daughter, she did not reveal it to Quentin because Laurel asked her not to. Quentin gave Laurel Jansen's address, and she went to wait in the Arrow's headquarters as the Arrow, Arsenal, Nyssa, and Diggle went to investigate the address.

When they returned, Oliver revealed to Laurel that Malcolm Merlyn was alive, and Sara had been tasked to find him. Upon learning that Oliver had tagged Malcolm with a tracer arrow when he had a clean shot at him, Laurel demanded to know what he would do when he found him. She wanted Oliver to kill Malcolm, but Oliver adamantly refused, causing Laurel to storm out. Outside, Nyssa caught up to Laurel and promised that they would find Malcolm, and she would kill him.

When Nyssa kidnapped Thea to set a trap for Merlyn the next night, Oliver asked Laurel's help in tracking them down. Laurel did not find anything specific to Nyssa or Thea, but she discovered the smoke signal Nyssa was using to send Malcolm a message on city cameras. Laurel went back to the Arrowcave and gave the location to Oliver so he could rescue his sister. After Thea was saved, Oliver returned with Nyssa and told Laurel Malcolm had not killed Sara. When Laurel asked Oliver if he was sure, he told her he would not let Malcolm leave otherwise. Nyssa visited Laurel while she was training at the gym, and admitted she had now proven to be worthy to wear Sara's jacket.

When the cyber-terrorist group, Brother Eye, took control of Starling City, Laurel was called into the police department to act as the District attorney since the DA was visiting his niece at Coast City. Rioters gathered in front of the Starling National Bank after Brother Eye threatened to reset the balances of every accounts to zero in Starling City's banks. Trying to make sure no one got hurt during the protest, Laurel pushed the boundaries of her authority and sent an emergency service unit to the bank, but the riot squad only served to exacerbate the situation. Before the protest turned violent, the Arrow and Arsenal interfered and dispersed the crowd by using tear gas on them. Quentin was furious when he learned Laurel had gone behind his back and escalated the situation. After calming down, Quentin asked Laurel to talk about whatever was hurting her, but she refused to say anything about Sara's death. Quentin accepted her refusal, but urged Laurel to at least talk to someone else, expressing how much secrets hurt. Laurel took her father's advice the next morning and confided in Ted about her sister's murder. Ted stated he now knew how to teach her and promised to help Laurel deal with her anger. Ted asked which color uniform she would like, to which Laurel responded, "Black. Definitely black."

Laurel kept training with Ted, who also started to use grappling against her during the boxing sparring. After the training they decided to have dinner together. When they returned a body was strung up in the gym and The Arrow confronted Ted. Laurel came in between and said Ted could not have done it as he was with her after closing the gym. She talked with her father who questioned her relationship with her trainer. She left the gym and walked straight past Carrie Cutter, who was observing the crime scene. Talking with Oliver she said Ted was innocent and had lots of (former) criminals in his gym who might want to send a message. Oliver questioned that she trained with him after he refused to learn her to fight, and told her she had to watch out with Ted.Laurel learned about the body in Ted his hideout and that he was a former Vigilante. She identified the victim as a former magician assistant. Ted told them that both are related to a hotel where a drug dealer got killed before he stopped being a vigilante. Oliver asked Laurel if Ted was aware why she was training and that she wanted to follow in Sara her footsteps. Laurel claimed she can handle it, to which Oliver stated she plays a dangerous game.

Laurel later learned that Oliver had Ted arrested after they found the real killer. Roy confessed to Laurel he probably killed Sara while he was still suffering from the Mirakuru. Laurel asked why and he said he remembered doing it. However, Laurel was confused as Felicity pointed out the DNA did not match with Roy's. Oliver said she needed to focus on Ted right now. Laurel talked with Ted while he was in custody. Ted told her about his former partner, Isaac Stanzler, who helped him during his days as a vigilante. The both of them chased criminals in a way to make the glades safer. He told her Isaac was the one who killed the drug dealer. He said he told Isaac to flee the city to avoid revenge from the drug dealer his gang.

Ted got released from prison and he and Laurel talked after which Isaac ambushed and captured them. He forced Laurel to drive them away in their car. He accused Ted of leaving him when he need them the most. As they talked Laurel called Team Arrow. Oliver and Roy gave chase and Laurel used the distraction to toss Isaac out of the car as he tried to shoot Roy. However, the car crashed and Oliver and Diggle had to drag Laurel and Ted out of the burning vehicle.

In the hospital, Oliver told Laurel he did not want to train her in order to protect her and that he always would look out for her. He also revealed Roy did not kill Sara as he actually remembered killing a police officer with an arrow during his Mirakuru-induced rage. Laurel later talked with Ted and said that his training made her do the right things. She said she wanted him to help her become a vigilante.

Around Christmas, Laurel visited Sara's grave. Thea approached Laurel, wondering why she was there. Laurel revealed that Sara had died and urged Thea not to tell Quentin because of his heart condition. At the police station, Laurel and Quentin received a surprise visit from Dinah. As she and her mother went out for coffee, Laurel confessed to Dinah about Sara's death. Laurel and her mother visited Sara's grave, where Laurel promised to avenge sister's death and convinced Dinah to keep this a secret from Quentin until she accomplished her mission.

Becoming Black Canary
Laurel prosecuted Jermaine Fisher, denying him bail for shooting a cop. She reported to Diggle, Roy, and Felicity concerning a member of mob boss Danny Brickwell's gang, whom she identified as Jose Anton. Laurel learned that Oliver had left to fight Ra's al Ghul. Upon learning of Oliver's supposed death from Malcolm and not being able to convict Brick's thugs, Laurel took on the mantle of Black Canary, donning a leather suit and her sister's mask. She took out two of Brick's thugs in a fight.

Laurel began protecting The Glades, where she stopped a woman from being assaulted by one of Brick's men. Later, she helped Roy save the city's kidnapped Aldermen. Laurel participated in the fight to reclaim The Glades from Brick, alongside Ted, Roy, Diggle, and hundreds of the denizens of The Glades. During the battle, Laurel helped Ted after he was pummeled by Brick.

Laurel continued to fight crime as Black Canary against Oliver's wishes. She was present during Werner Zytle/Count Vertigo's escape from custody and stopped a Vertigo-influenced guard from shooting more civilians. Laurel tracked Count Vertigo down but during the subsequent fight, she was injected with a lethal dose of the modified drug and began to hallucinate her greatest fear - her sister, Sara, denouncing Laurel as a fraud, addict, and unworthy of "replacing" her. Laurel attempted to fight back, but was defeated by Count Vertigo. She began to suffer from the overdose, but Oliver arrived in time to bring Laurel to the Arrowcave for treatment. There, Laurel hallucinated Felicity as Sara, who asked why she had to die in order for her sister to take on her mantle. Laurel tried to apologize before being sedated.

When Laurel recovered, she confided in Felicity about her hallucinations, believing she would never be worthy of following in Sara's footsteps. Felicity agreed, pointing out that Sara wore her mask to hide her demons just as much as she wanted to help people, but added that Laurel has a light inside her that Sara never had. Felicity encouraged Laurel to use that as her driving force behind Black Canary instead of trying to be like her sister.

Reinvigorated, Laurel joined Oliver on the second attempt to catch Count Vertigo. During the fight, Count Vertigo set fire to the building in an attempt to cover his escape. While the Arrow saved the scientists inside, Black Canary went after Count Vertigo. She was once again injected with Vertigo and started hallucinating another fight with Sara, as well as Quentin, who was furious about his ignorance over his daughter's death. However, Black Canary managed to overcome the effects of the drug, stating she was done running from her sister's death, and defeated Count Vertigo. Laurel then saw a vision of Sara smiling proudly at her (which was really Oliver). Back at the Arrowcave, Oliver accepted Laurel as a member of Team Arrow.

Afterwards, Laurel visited her father, who revealed he knows she is Black Canary. Laurel finally confessed Sara's death and her reasons for keeping him in the dark. Quentin was shocked by the revelation, and Laurel comforted him as he cried.

Laurel found Quentin bringing flowers to Sara's grave. She revealed Dinah already knew about Sara's death, further angering her father. Quentin was upset that Laurel was a vigilante too, but Laurel brought up their conversation five years ago regarding her initial decision to take a job at Weathersby Posner, pointing out that her father always knew she was going to live a life helping people. When Quentin called Laurel out over lying to him about his daughter, she suggested they go to an AA meeting together. However, Quentin refused to go to the same one as her and walked off after handing her a bottle of alcohol. Laurel dumped the alcohol out.

Laurel learned from Thea that Malcolm forced her to kill Sara by drugging her with Vitura. Ultimately though, Laurel didn't hold Thea responsible for her sister's death and tried to dissuade her from following Malcolm. Later, Laurel visited Oliver and deliberately caught him in a lie about Sara's killer. They had an argument over Oliver keeping it a secret from her, which then steered towards Malcolm as Oliver tried to explain that he needed Malcolm to protect his family. Still angry, Laurel ignored Oliver and tried to go after Malcolm herself to avenge Sara. During the confrontation, Malcolm easily overpowered Laurel until Nyssa and the League arrived (having been tipped off by Thea) and successfully captured him. Nyssa assured Laurel that she could rest knowing that Sara's death was avenged. Oliver found out that the League took Malcolm and became angry with Laurel, who defended her actions for Thea and Sara's sakes. When Oliver planned to rescue Malcolm, Laurel was among those who disagreed. After Oliver failed in the rescue attempt and left with Diggle for Nanda Parbat, Laurel and Nyssa discussed the circumstances. Laurel admitted that having Malcolm to hate felt like she still had a piece of Sara to hold on to and worried she would lose it following his death. Laurel then asked Nyssa if she remembers Sara's laugh, having trouble doing so herself. Nyssa reminisced how she fell in love with Sara after hearing her laugh for the first time.

After Oliver and Diggle returned from Nanda Parbat, everyone was surprised and confused when he released Nyssa. Laurel then visited Thea and the two talked about everything that's recently happened to her. Laurel later went to talk to her father at the police station. Quentin tells Laurel that he'll always love her, but doesn't think he can ever forgive her for lying to him about Sara's death for so long. Suddenly, Michael Amar/Murmur and his crew arrived and attacked the station. Laurel and her father hid behind his desk, with Quentin ordering her to get out while he provided cover fire. As Laurel ran, she encountered Nyssa, who joined in the fight along with Team Arrow. Together, they all managed to capture Murmur and take down his crew. After leaving the precinct, Laurel found Nyssa waiting for her outside in an alley. Laurel asked Nyssa if she would like to talk some more about Sara over dinner. Nyssa agreed and offered Laurel further training, which she accepted.

Laurel attended Diggle's wedding to Lyla Michaels. Later, she and the rest of Team Arrow found about the Arrow being accused of committing multiple murders. The team comes up with a plan to stakeout the possible targets who Ra's al Ghul and his assassins appeared to be going after. When Ray Palmer tries to bring forth information to the police that Oliver is the Arrow, Laurel succeeds at blocking him, causing Ray to decide to take matters into his own hands, though he eventually realized Oliver was innocent. Laurel later attended a meeting with Felicity, Ray, Quentin, and Mayor Celia Castle. Celia was suddenly shot and killed with an arrow by an imposter posing as The Arrow.

During the attack, Laurel took cover and managed to survive. Afterwards, she tried to convince her father to trust her that the Arrow is being framed. Quentin wanted Laurel to tell him the Arrow's true identity, but she refused. Laurel and Team Arrow then headed to a building which the League had been using as a staging ground after Nyssa gives them the information. There, Laurel and Team Arrow battled a group of assassins led by Maseo Yamashiro. Ra's then showed up and demanded that the Arrow succeed him as Ra's. Just then, police helicopters arrived overhead but Team Arrow managed to escape with help from Diggle, who was positioned above with a sniper rifle. In the process, Nyssa helped Laurel when she was cornered by her father. Back at the Arrowcave, Quentin demanded that the Arrow turn himself in. Laurel met with her father and accused him of doing this because of Sara. Laurel, Felicity, and Roy tried to come up with a plan to free Oliver. After Oliver handed himself over to the police and was placed in custody, Laurel arranged for the team to have 10 minutes with him in an interrogation room. Oliver revealed his goal pushing for a deal where the team would get immunity if he went to prison. Back at the Arrowcave, Laurel and the team worked to figure out their next move.

After Roy was arrested after claiming to be The Arrow, Laurel returned to the SCPD and presented her father with a notice from the District Attorney's office for Oliver's release. She questioned her father on his actions of prosecuting Oliver. When Oliver asked her why she did it, Laurel claimed it was because she wanted to avoid having both Oliver and Roy in prison.

Laurel approached her father about some witness statements for a case and met Joe West and Cisco Ramon. Laurel pulled Cisco aside and told him she knew Barry Allen was the Flash since she was the Black Canary. Cisco was excited at the revelation, claiming to be a "fan" of hers. Laurel asked Cisco to upgrade to Sara's sonic device, which he agreed to. Later on, Cisco presented Laurel with a choker that had an amplified sonic scream and suggested she call it the Canary Cry. As thanks, Laurel gave Cisco a folder containing a picture of him posing with the Black Canary. Laurel warned Cisco that if anyone found out about the picture, she would kill him, which he originally thought was a joke.

Laurel went after a criminal who managed to overpower over her, though with help from Nyssa, she was able to apprehend him. Laurel then treated Nyssa to burgers, fries, and black & white milkshakes for dinner. Nyssa thanked Laurel being her friend. Laurel confessed that Oliver had accepted Ra's' offer to lead the League which enraged Nyssa, causing her to storm out. Laurel eventually tracked her down and apologized for not telling her the truth sooner. Nyssa revealed that Oliver will now hunt her down and kill her for her betrayal against the League. The duo went to Palmer Technologies and informed Felicity and Diggle about the situation. Laurel, Diggle, and Felicity decided to help Nyssa after she left to face Oliver on her own. Laurel and Diggle saved Nyssa from Oliver, who then left the scene. Laurel found Nyssa again at her safehouse tending to her injuries. Laurel persisted in trying to help her, stating that while Oliver changed, Nyssa can as well.

When Lyla had been kidnapped by Oliver in exchange for Nyssa, Laurel defended Nyssa from Diggle, who wanted to make the trade. She then tried to dissuade Nyssa from handing herself over to the League. Laterm Laurel and the team arrived at an unknown location where the exchange would occur. The exchange was made, but a massive battle broke out after Lyla took retrieved guns from Felicity and shot some of the assassins. Despite their best efforts, the team was overpowered and Oliver captured Nyssa. Back at Palmer Technologies, Laurel and the team admitted that they lost Oliver to Ra's al Ghul and now must reassemble all of their efforts without him.

Sometime later, Laurel and Diggle chased a criminal back to his gang. While they defeated the thugs, Diggle, who was still angry over Oliver kidnapping Lyla, began to heavily beat up one of the thugs until Felicity calmed him down. Back at John's apartment, the three discussed John's actions. When Laurel brought up Oliver's transformation, Felicity claimed it was not the Oliver she knew. Later Laurel, Felicity, and Diggle were called to a meeting by Merlyn, who attempted to reveal to them that Oliver was actually undercover and has been working with him. When the three refused to believe him, Malcolm brought out an old friend of Oliver's, Tatsu Yamashiro. Tatsu revealed that Ra's al Ghul intended to unleash the Alpha-Omega virus, the same virus that killed her son, on Starling City. Malcolm arranged for them to be flown to Nanda Parbat. Back at Palmer Technologies, Laurel, Diggle, and Felicity scanned the data and determined that Malcolm may have actually been telling the truth, though Felicity is still reluctant to trust Malcolm. Laurel and Diggle were about to take off with Malcolm when Felicity arrived, having changed her mind, deciding to come with them to stop Ra's al Ghul. When the trio arrived, they were confronted by numerous assassins and a large scale fight ensued. When the virus was about to be launched in a jet, Ray arrived and destroyed it, at the cost of damaging his A.T.O.M Exosuit. The group was then surrounded and taken prisoner. While in a cell, Oliver arrived and dropped a sample of the Alpha-Omega virus in their cell, seemingly killing them.

Eventually, the group woke up, with Malcolm revealing that he inoculated them from the virus using a skin graft, saving their lives. Laurel and the group were rescued by The Flash, who assured them that Oliver still needs them before leaving. Arriving back in Starling City at Palmer Technologies, Laurel and the group were confronted by Oliver and Nyssa. Diggle angrily punched Oliver in the face for kidnapping Lyla. Ray suggested that they all give Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle a moment.

Laurel arrived at the SCPD to inform her father about the Outbreak. When he dismissed her claims, Laurel quickly realized that he is drinking again, despite Quentin's claims that he can handle it. Proclaiming that they're both alcoholics, Laurel told Quentin he can continue blaming her and Oliver for what happened with Sara, but falling off the wagon is on him. Now though, he has a choice to make: keep being an angry drunk or make both of his daughters proud by becoming sober and helping Team Arrow save the city. Laurel and Team Arrow scouted different positions around the city for the virus, quickly learning that Ra's was using his own men to carry it. With Nyssa's help, Laurel managed to take down and defeat numerous assassins while Oliver killed Ra al Ghul and Ray dispersed the cure, saving the city and preventing The Outbreak.

Afterwards at Palmer Technologies, Oliver revealed he is retiring from being a hero to start a new life with Felicity, entrusting Laurel, Diggle, Thea, and Ray to protect Starling City in his absence.

The Ghosts
Five months after Oliver and Felicity left the city, Laurel and Team Arrow began to deal with an army of trained soldiers nicknamed by the media as the "Ghosts". The group targeted and killed Star City's leadership committee, though Laurel managed to save her father. Afterwards, Laurel and Thea decided to travel to Ivy Town to persuade Oliver and Felicity to come back to Star City, despite Diggle's objections. After Oliver decided to return to Team Arrow permanently as "Green Arrow", Laurel and the rest of the team learned that the leader of the Ghosts is Damien Darhk. Laurel also learned from Diggle the circumstances of his brother, Andy Diggle's, death and that the Ghosts are actually affiliated with H.I.V.E.. Unbeknownst to Laurel, her father is being blackmailed by Damien to work for him under the threat of killing her should he refuse.

Laurel and Team Arrow stopped the Ghosts' attack on a water treatment plant. Later, she advised against talking to her father about their investigation into the attack on Jessica Danforth. During a stakeout, she tried to talk to Diggle about his grim demeanor as of late. Diggle revealed to her about H.I.V.E.'s possible connection to Andy's murder. Laurel urged him to tell the others due to her bad experience with keeping her sister's murder from her father. Felicity informed the team that their attacker was Lonnie Machin. When Thea lost control of herself during an argument with Oliver and pinned him down, Laurel and Diggle pulled her off Oliver and later questioned him about Thea's condition. Laurel and the team then went after Machin, who had captured Jessica's daughter, Madison. When Madison was injured in the rescue, Laurel and Diggle rushed her to safety.

Resurrecting Sara
After Thea begins to suffer from the side effects of the Lazarus Pit, Laurel learned the circumstances of Thea's injuries from Ra's al Ghul, which practically killed her and that Oliver had used the Lazarus Pit to heal her from the brink of death. Laurel and Thea later decided to travel to Nanda Parbat under the guise of a spa weekend in hopes for finding a solution for Thea's bloodlust and so Laurel could have a chance to bring Sara back from the dead. They dig up Sara's body from her grave to bring with them on the trip.

Meeting with Malcolm and Nyssa, Laurel demanded that Malcolm to bring Sara back. However, Malcolm refuses, explaining that the Lazarus Pit has never been used to resurrect a dead individual and even if it worked, Sara would be completely different. Privately meeting with Nyssa, Laurel proclaimed her surprise that Nyssa agreed with Malcolm's decision. Nyssa pointed out that Laurel is doing this out of grief and if Sara was brought back, it wouldn't be the same Sara who they loved. Ultimately, to appease Thea, Malcolm agreed to use the Lazarus Pit on Sara. During the ceremony, Laurel and Thea lowered Sara's body into the Lazarus Pit. Initially appearing unsuccessful, the pit's magic successfully revived her, although in a feral, animalistic state. Although overjoyed to have her sister back, Laurel is advised by Malcolm to prepare for the worst. Later, Laurel learns that Nyssa had destroyed the Lazarus Pit in retaliation for her lover being resurrected in such a horrific state. Before being taken away, Nyssa warned Laurel that although Sara's death was on Malcolm's hands, the consequences of her resurrection are on her.

Upon returning to Star City, Laurel kept Sara chained up in her apartment building's basement, confident her sister would return to her normal self in a few days. Keeping her sister's state a secret from the rest of Team Arrow, Laurel introduced a newly-resurrected Sara to their father, shocking and terrifying him. Laurel tried to get through to her sister by showing her photos of their family, but Sara suddenly attempted to strangle Laurel until Quentin intervened. Upon gaining information about the circumstances of Sara's resurrection from Damien, Quentin decided to kill Sara to put her to rest. However, Laurel convinced him not to.

Later, Sara escaped from her chains and began to go on a killing spree. When Sara attacked a nightclub, Laurel tried to restrain her but Sara escaped once Oliver arrived. Oliver confronted Laurel over her secret visit to Nanda Parbat and messing with forces she doesn't understand. When Thea was hospitalized after being attacked by Sara, Laurel went to check on her. There, Laurel and Oliver had an argument and Oliver scolded Laurel about how her actions endangered his sister and many innocent people. Laurel apologized for putting Thea in danger but stated that Oliver has never seen her as an equal since she became Black Canary due to the secrets he kept from her, such as the truth about Sara's murder and Thea's experience with the Lazarus Pit. She wished Oliver would care about her family, just as she has always loved and cared for his. After capturing Sara at Verdant, Laurel reluctantly decided to put her sister out of her misery but Oliver revealed a way to save her. He contacted John Constantine, who explained that Sara needs a restitution - the return of her soul to her body. Laurel, Oliver, and Constantine headed to another realm to retrieve Sara's soul from the Lazarus Pit. The mission was successful, and Laurel and Quentin were reunited with Sara. Laurel took Sara to stay in her apartment. Sara revealed her memories are scattered, but she remembers falling to her death and Laurel crying over her body. Moved to tears, Laurel apologized to her sister for putting her through this. Laurel later met with Oliver for his mayoral press conference, where she thanked him for helping her sister and apologized for what she said at the hospital. Oliver also apologized, admitting he hadn't always been the best friend to her but would like to try again.

Laurel, Quentin, and Dinah are glad to have Sara back. Later at the Arrowcave, Oliver and Felicity briefed Laurel on Ray's survival and imprisonment. Laurel and Team Arrow then stole a quantum manifold from Kord Industries but faced unexpected resistance from upgraded security. Sara started brutally beating a guard until Laurel's voice calmed her down. The team later regrouped and devised their plan to save Ray, who was being held captive by H.I.V.E. in the Latin Building. Laurel joined Thea and Sara in an assault on the Ghosts but witnessed Sara give into her bloodlust by killing one of the Ghosts. The team managed to recover Ray and escape. Afterwards, Sara confided in Thea and Laurel about her struggle with her bloodlust, deciding to leave the city. They tried to convince her to stay, but Sara insisted on figuring things out for herself. Accepting her decision, Laurel embraced Sara and the two reaffirmed their sisterly love.

Laurel accompanied the team in fighting off a Ghost attack on an armored truck from Star City Bank. However, the Ghosts were successful in destroying the money. Laurel later accompanied the team in breaking into Wolfman Biologics. At a gala for the SCPD, Laurel talked to Diggle about their shared experience with resurrected siblings and urged him to use this chance as an opportunity to heal. After Ray tracked H.I.V.E. to the Muller Psychiatric Center, the team attacked the asylum, looking for Andy. Laurel and Ray were able to extract Andy.

Assisting Mari McCabe
Not trusting her sister, Kuasa, with the theft the Water Totem to defeat Benatu Eshu's Fire Totem, Mari McCabe contacted Laurel, Felicity, and Ray to help her on the way to Star City. Mari's suspicions proved correct as Laurel and Ray restrained Kuasa. Laurel headed to Detroit with Mari to stop Eshu, who was terrorizing the city to lure out Mari. Mari, Ray, and Laurel fought Eshu, but he eventually overpowered each of them, blocking Laurel's bo-staff and pushing her back with flames. Later after Mari eventually defeated Eshu, Laurel and Ray attended a gala with her at the Detroit Museum of Natural History, where they silently congratulated Mari on her victory. The three of them were soon called to Coast City by Cisco to aid Barry and Oliver. Since then, Mari and Laurel have remained on friendly terms with one another.

Father's activities
After Oliver publicly announces Damien's identity and association with H.I.V.E., Laurel learned from an anonymous source that her father has been in contact with Damien. She confronted Quentin, to which he admitted his involvement with Damien after he threatened Laurel's life, as well as becoming Oliver's mole within the organization. Laurel ultimately understood her father's reasons, but made it clear that she decides whether she needs protection. After Felicity, Diggle, and Thea were kidnapped by Damien at Oliver's mayoral holiday party, Laurel and Malcolm (disguised as Green Arrow) lead an assault to save Oliver and the rest of the team from Damien.

Following Oliver's proposal to Felicity, she is hospitalized due to an attack by Ghosts and Oliver began to greater risks in his pursuit of Damien, going so far as to capture Lonnie Machin and imprison him, causing Laurel to call the police to apprehend Machin to prevent Oliver from torturing him. Oliver later freed Machin from the police so that he could track down and kill Darhk. Furious, Laurel criticized Oliver for setting Machin loose, as he could kill innocent people in his vendetta. While visiting Felicity at the hospital, Laurel discovered that her father is dating the former's mother, Donna Smoak, much to her surprise. Ultimately though, she is very supportive of their relationship. Laurel later informs Oliver of Machin's location and helps save Darhk's wife and daughter.

Nyssa's Rebellion
After Thea's physical condition begins to worsen due to her refusal to submit to her bloodlust, Nyssa appears to offer up a potion known as the Lotus, which can cure Thea on the condition that Oliver kills Malcolm. Laurel is supportive of the idea if it means saving Thea's life due to Malcolm being responsible for Tommy and Sara's deaths, but agrees with Oliver on finding a diplomatic solution. Laurel visits Nyssa and sees that she is preparing a rebellion against Malcolm with her own followers from the League. Laurel offers Nyssa leadership of the League in exchange for the Lotus, which the latter accepts, but knows that Malcolm will not. Nyssa's assumptions are proven correct when Malcolm later backs out of the agreement and tries to steal the cure. Afterwards, Laurel confronted Nyssa over holding Thea's life hostage, stating she will not allow her to wage a war in the city. She later assists Team Arrow in capturing Nyssa. In the Arrowcave, Laurel points out to Nyssa that her that all her recent actions were things that her father would have done, not her. After Oliver defeats Malcolm in a trial by combat and hands the leadership of the League to Nyssa, she later meets with Laurel, Oliver, and Malcolm. Nyssa admits Laurel was right about letting Ra's to continue to define her actions and reveals that she disbanded the League. Nyssa destroys the Demon's Head ring, with Laurel silently approving her decision.

Laurel rescued her father from an ambush set up by the Demolition Team. She and Team Arrow later prevented them from destroying the debate building.

Damien Darhk's trial
After Damien kidnaps a young boy to force Oliver to drop out of his mayoral campaign, Oliver reveals that the boy is his son, William Clayton. William's mother, Samantha, later arrives at the Arrowcave after Oliver reveals his secret identity to her and is stunned to see Laurel again. As Laurel tries to comfort her, Samantha apologizes for sleeping with Oliver while he and Laurel were still together and laments that she should have been honest with her. Laurel corrects Samantha by stating Oliver is the one who should have been honest with her. Later, Laurel and her father discuss finding William's location and Laurel expresses that despite her and Oliver having been over for a long time, she still feels hurt by the revelation of his son. When Oliver calls on Mari McCabe for help, Laurel affectionately greeted her. Mari aided the team in rescuing William and capturing Damien.

Laurel leads the prosecution over Damien's trial where his attorney, Fitzmartin, submits paperwork that Damien is legally under the assumed name of "Kenneth Bender", a citizen of Markovia. Laurel struggles to provide adequate evidence of Damien's identity since the Ghosts involved in William's kidnapping committed suicide and the witnesses from Oliver's mayoral holiday party are too afraid to testify, even with Laurel subpoenaing them. She decides to call her friends to testify, as they were kidnapped by Damien. However, Fitzmartin destroys Thea and John's credibility by proclaiming that John helped Thea purchase $74,000 worth of cocaine with an affidavit signed by Thea's former drug dealer from when they tried to capture the rogue Anti-Vigilante Task Force. Laurel was later approached by her father, who offered to come forward as a witness in order to tie Damien to his crimes, at the cost of implicating himself and possibly ruining his career. Laurel reluctantly agrees to her father's proposal and watches as Quentin admits to involvement in gaining information and stealing for Damien under the threat of the latter killing his daughter. Ultimately, Judge Sakow decides to rule in favor of Quentin's testimony and imprisons Damien without bail, much to Laurel's elation. After the trial, Quentin commends Laurel for her prosecution and she witnesses her father turn in his badge while under investigation by internal affairs.

Assault on Palmer Technologies
Following Oliver's breakup with Felicity, he began to train the team harder than usual. Laurel eventually confronted Oliver, assuring him it was okay to miss Felicity and she is here for him. Later, Brie Larvan launched an attack on Palmer Technologies, trapping Thea, Felicity, and Donna. Laurel and the team attacked the building to rescue them, but Oliver was stung by one of Brie's robotic bees. Back in the Arrowcave, the team learned the bee was multiplying inside Oliver, which will eventually kill him. Using an idea from Curtis Holt, Laurel screamed with the Canary Cry to cancel out the frequency Brie was using to control her bees, saving Oliver's life. While Oliver began to harshly criticize Curtis for his positive attitude towards vigilantism, Laurel stopped him, calling Oliver out on his attitude. Oliver tried to explain that his life as a vigilante is what ruined his relationship with Felicity, which he couldn't salvage despite saving his city. While understanding his pain, Laurel corrected Oliver that Felicity didn't leave him because of being Green Arrow, but due to the lies he told as himself. She also reminded Oliver that life is never fair, but he can save the city as he is a beacon of hope to people and Laurel wished that he would save some hope for himself. After defeating Brie, Oliver apologized to Curtis and decided to take Laurel's advice.

Death
After Ruvé Adams' mayoral inauguration, she approached Laurel with the offer to become the district attorney after making DA Remz her deputy mayor. Laurel was tempted with the offer, as being the DA is what she originally wanted before becoming Black Canary and it would additionally allow her to infiltrate Ruvé's inner circle. However, Quentin warned Laurel that if she accepts Ruvé's offer, she may not be able to be Black Canary anymore.

Malcolm managed to steal Damien's Khushu Idol from the Arrowcave and after a failed attempt to recapture it, Oliver revealed to Laurel that he believed Andy was somehow involved, to which she urged him to be careful when getting involved with the Diggle siblings. As the ADA, Laurel conducted a prison search in Damien's cell at Iron Heights in order to locate the idol but was unsuccessful. Later as Oliver and Laurel began discussing how the team was falling apart, Oliver brought up that being the DA might be a good change for her. Laurel initially rebuffed the idea as it meant she would have to give up the mantle of Black Canary, but Oliver pointed out that she became a vigilante to channel her grief and anger after Sara's death. Now that Sara's back, Laurel doesn't need to be Black Canary anymore and she could more good for the city as a hero in the light by being the district attorney.

After Damien staged a prison riot to escape, the team went to confront him and Laurel intended this to be her last mission as Black Canary. As the team battled Damien, Andy betrayed them by revealing his allegiance to Damien, who immediately revealed he knew the team's identities and regained his mystical powers from the restored idol. While using his powers to restrain the team, Damien, still enraged over Quentin's testimony against him, took one of Oliver's arrows and stabbed Laurel in the stomach, telling her to pass on to her father that he keeps his word. After Damien, Malcolm, Andy, and the prisoners escaped, Oliver brought Laurel to Starling General. Dr. Elisa Schwartz arrived and upon seeing the situation, she and her team immediately began operating on Laurel.

Laurel initially came out the surgery appearing to make a full recovery. Surrounded by the team, Laurel revealed that tonight was supposed to be her last night as Black Canary but she can never give the mantle up; she loves them all so much and being Black Canary makes her feel alive inside. Later, Laurel and Oliver spoke privately. Laurel revealed that she kept the photo of herself she gave Oliver before he got stranded on Lian Yu because it reminded her of a simpler time between them. Realizing anything could happen, Laurel assured Oliver that she is glad he found Felicity and hopes he can find his way back to her, also admitting that while she knows she is not the love of Oliver's life, he would always be the love of hers. Laurel then asked Oliver to promise not to let her be the last Canary and give the identity to someone else, so there will still be a part of her fighting beside him and the team. Oliver promised. Suddenly, Laurel started seizing from an embolism. The doctors tried to resuscitate her but despite their best efforts, Laurel passed away at 11:59 pm on April 6, 2016, much to the devastation of Oliver, Thea, Diggle, Felicity, and her father.

Original timeline
According to Rip Hunter, in the original unaltered timeline where Sara wasn't recruited into the Legends, Damien Darhk killed not only Laurel, but Sara and Quentin as well.

Alternate reality
In the alternate reality created by the Dominators, Laurel is still alive and Oliver never cheated on her. Thus, Laurel has a close sisterly bond with Sara and is getting ready to marry Oliver. The night before her wedding, Laurel met with Sara, who arrived to stay at the Queen Mansion for a few days. Sara noticed Laurel's canary necklace, a gift from Oliver, which triggered a reaction from her. After Oliver and his father were saved by the Hood from a mugging, Laurel went to check on Oliver and grew concerned about his behavior. She voiced her worries to Sara at the rehearsal dinner, where they met Ray. The next day, Sara was helping Laurel with her wedding dress when Oliver burst in, wanting to talk to her in private. Laurel was angry that he missed the rehearsal dinner, to which Oliver apologized but was unable to explain his reasons. Voicing his desire to marry her, Oliver promised to be the husband she deserves, much to Laurel's joy. Soon after though, Oliver, Sara, Thea, Ray, and John tried to break free from the fake reality. Sensing this, Laurel pleaded Oliver and Sara to stay with her, but they knew they couldn't. Oliver and Sara bid Laurel an emotional goodbye, leaving her to sadly watch as they exited the illusion.

Rewritten reality
In a rewritten reality created by the Legion of Doom using the Spear of Destiny, Laurel was still Black Canary but was killed by Damien, now mayor of Star City, yet again alongside Oliver, Barry, Diggle, Rory Regan/Ragman, Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog, Vincent Sobel/Vigilante, and a vigilante Felicity. All of their masks were put on display in his office. When Sara, brainwashed into being Damien's assassin, tried to fool him by pretending to still be so, Damien was suspicious and tested her by taunting her about Laurel's death. Damien told Sara that Laurel was his favorite kill and was aware that he killed her in the previous timeline. As planned, this made Sara angry enough to blow her cover.

Seeing Sara for the last time
When Sara used the Spear of Destiny, Laurel appears as a manifestation of her desires, or possibly a spirit given the Spear's mystic nature. Sara realizes that she could use the Spear's power to undo Laurel's death, but knows she can't. Laurel explains that the Spear doesn't need someone "pure of heart" to wield it, but someone who is willing to do the right thing. Laurel promises Sara she won't ever be too far away from her and the sisters embrace. Sara tearfully tells Laurel that she loves her one last time before returning to reality.

Legacy
Following her death, Laurel is initially listed as one of the casualties in the Iron Heights Prison riot and her identity as Black Canary is protected by her doctors. However, an orphaned teenager named Evelyn Sharp, who admired Laurel as Black Canary and sought revenge against H.I.V.E. for killing her parents, stole the Canary Cry from Laurel's hospital room. Fashioning her own Black Canary suit, Evelyn briefly imitated Laurel's alter-ego in her vendetta. Oliver eventually convinced Evelyn to cease her crusade, but her actions end up labeling the Black Canary as a criminal.

At Laurel's funeral, Oliver gave her eulogy and revealed Laurel's identity as Black Canary, proclaiming she was a hero in every way a person could be, to preserve her reputation and all the good Laurel had done with her life. Her identity as Black Canary was left on her tombstone. After the funeral, Oliver stood over Laurel's grave for hours, during which Barry Allen arrived to pay his respects, though regretfully missed the funeral itself because of an encounter with Zoom. Oliver told Barry that Laurel's death isn't his fault, but it is his responsibility to avenge her by killing Damien Darhk. While unsure of his odds against Damien's dark magic, Felicity urged Oliver not to give up in finding a way for the sake of Laurel, Team Arrow, and Star City.

Vengeance and Justice for Laurel
After her death, both Quentin and Sara attempted to undo Laurel's death; as both were initially unable to accept the fact that Laurel was gone and she was never coming back. Quentin made contact with Nyssa, asking her to use the Lazarus Pit on Laurel the same way Laurel used it on Sara, however, Nyssa reveal that she destroyed the Pit leaving Nyssa to tell him she would bring her back if she could. Later Oliver is forced to make Quentin accept his daughter's death by assuring him that if there was a way to bring Laurel back Oliver would do it. Sara, who arrived five months after leaving with Rip Hunter's team, discovered Laurel's death and threaten Rip Hunter to take her back to advert it, but he refused. Also, Rip reveals that she would not be able to change it even with the team's help. Despite this, Sara secretly began her own crusade to kill Damien Darhk in the past before he could kill Laurel and attempted to kill him in 1942 and 1987. However, Martin Stein convinced her to drop her crusade after convincing her that killing Damien before his actual death would have countless unforeseeable side-effects on history.

Laurel's death was ultimately avenged when Oliver killed Damien in a similar manner that he killed Laurel previously. Oliver later lamented his actions over Laurel's grave, citing that she would not have approved of his actions; he reflected that Laurel was always better than him, which was what he loved most about her.

Six months after her death, Oliver commissioned a statue of Black Canary as a reminder of the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect Star City, and that as long as they remain in their hearts, brighter days lied ahead. Laurel's death also changed Oliver's approach towards justice, causing him to resume killing criminals, believing if he had been doing so from the start, then he could have saved Laurel. This belief also caused a rift between him and Thea, who refused to be Speedy so long as Oliver was killing.

Laurel Lance of Earth-2 (Black Siren)
Laurel's Earth-2 counterpart was brought over by Hunter Zolomon/Zoom as part of his plan to invade Earth-1. She learned of Earth-1 Laurel's death yet Earth-2 Laurel felt little remorse. Barry had trouble fighting Earth-2 Laurel given that she looked exactly like her late doppelgänger, whose funeral he'd recently attended. Once Earth-2 Laurel was captured Caitlin considered telling Sara and Quentin about her but Barry voted against it, not wanting to ruin their memory of Laurel. Around Christmas Laurel's Earth-2 counterpart was released by Prometheus and extorted into impersonating her Earth-1 counterpart to infiltrate Team Arrow, though Felicity discovered her deception and Earth-2 Laurel was eventually taken into A.R.G.U.S custody. Oliver believes, partially out of guilt for Laurel's death which Oliver blames himself for, that Earth-2 Laurel could find redemption, believing choices are caused by circumstances, but also so he can forgive himself for what happened to Laurel. Encountering Earth-2 Laurel also motivated Oliver to keeping his promise to Laurel to find a Black Canary successor, and recruited Dinah Drake. She escaped custody yet again due to Prometheus and appeared again, this time to Quentin Lance. Seeing her, Quentin initially believed that his daughter had come back to him from death much like Sara had but Thea told him the truth of Black Siren's origin. Though she spoke to Quentin as if she was his genuine daughter, Quentin realized that she was Laurel, just not his Laurel. When Earth-2 Laurel fought against Dinah Drake, she angrily spat that Dinah thought she could replace her, speaking as both herself and her Earth-1 counterpart. She was then knocked out from behind by Quentin as she was tarnishing his daughter's memory.

Earth-2 Laurel spends time working for Cayden James after surviving the explosion on Lian Yu where she was reluctantly shot by Quentin when attempting to kill Dinah. She mocks Quentin when he tries to stop her from escaping during an encounter, saying she would have shot him on Lian Yu were she in his position. Later on, she kidnaps Quentin and is still angry with him about being shot on Lian Yu, though he begins to talk about her father, which leads to her revealing he's been dead since she was 13 and that he and Quentin shared the same ritual going out to retrieve a birthday cake for their respective Laurels. She becomes genuinely sentimental, and after Cayden orders her to kill him, she instead frees him, telling him to run. Despite all this, she continues her criminal activities and committing immoral acts, such as reluctantly killing Vincent Sobel on Cayden's orders, after it's revealed he's a mole in Cayden's cabal, which leads to both Oliver to seemingly give up on trying to redeem her as she continuously tarnished the woman he loved's memory, as well as Dinah becoming committed to killing her to avenge Vince.

After Cayden's death she was abducted by Quentin in a successful attempt to bring some of the good in her to light by reminiscing with her about his Laurel in private and how this Laurel finally has the opportunity to choose what she wants to be. She is confronted by New Team Arrow, who are seeking to get back money she stole for Cayden, though Dinah attempts to kill her to avenge Vince. Oliver and the original Team Arrow rush to her aid, though mainly to stop Dinah from attempting to kill, as Oliver angrily states he never wants to see her again after this. Escaping from Dinah, she eventually reveals herself to the public (pretending to be her late Earth-1 counterpart) in order to protect herself from the person (Ricardo Diaz) who killed Cayden James; as she is fully aware that her late doppelgänger was an important public figure, which will make it difficult for anyone to kill her, Laurel stated to the press that her death was fake by H.I.V.E. and that she had been tortured by the organization for the last 2 years; as the public now believes that (Earth-1) Laurel is alive. Initially, Laurel acted as a mole within Team Arrow, gaining their trust by acting good around Quentin and helping them with intel that they use to rescue Roy Harper from Diaz. Oliver thanks her and agrees to give her space to try and be good, seeing it as fair. However, meanwhile, she continued to assist Diaz with his criminal activities while becoming romantically involved with him and feigning being good, though her brief romance with him ends after seeing him burn his childhood bully alive despite her pleas not to and she begins avoiding him.

She eventually revealed her alliance with Diaz to Quentin, though throughout her time on Earth-1, she had grown genuinely fond of Quentin, as he had become a surrogate father to her and the two began to act towards each other as actual father and daughter. Although Quentin at first was furious, learns from her that her alignment with Diaz was out of fear after watching him burn a man alive over a childhood grudge and as she states to him and that she was trying to protect both herself and Quentin. Feeling it hypocritical to blame her as he assisted Damien Darhk to protect Earth-1 Laurel, he apologizes for lashing out at her and he and Earth-2 Laurel then promise to protect each other. Later Oliver figures out about her alliance with Diaz when he sees her with him after being abducted and brought to Diaz. After avoiding Diaz for weeks, he realizes she is having doubts about him and doesn't wish to expose Oliver as Green Arrow in his trial so he threatens to kill her if she doesn't.

During his trial, Christopher Chance breaks into the courtroom disguised as both Tommy Merlyn and Green Arrow, claiming to be him. Laurel is brought in to testify as Diaz watches on TV and is asked who is Green Arrow, Oliver or Tommy. After hesitating to think about her response and looking over at Quentin, she ultimately testifies that Tommy is Green Arrow, much to Oliver's surprise that she had just redeemed herself and saved him and much to Diaz' anger. This leads to Chance (who happened to be disguised as judge C. McGarvey) to have the reasonable doubt that he needs to acquit Oliver of all charges, despite the rigged verdict from the jury that was paid off by a Diaz. Laurel tells Quentin that he changed her mind about testifying against Oliver, and that the first step to standing up to Diaz is standing up to him, which leads to her attacking Diaz at the docks along with his men and nearly killing him, though she gets cocky and he uses the time to activate his meta-human dampener and capture her, telling her he now plans to kill Oliver and everyone he cares about, much to her horror.

After Oliver made a deal with the FBI to help him liberate the city, Diaz called Quentin threatening him to remove the FBI or else he'd kill Laurel. After meeting, Diaz took Quentin and held him in the same cell as Laurel (who was now wearing a power-dampening collar) telling him that he only promised to give him proof of life before leaving. Diaz later returned as Team Arrow and the FBI were moving in on him, telling Quentin he was gonna shoot Laurel in front of him if he didn't comply to his terms. Laurel told Quentin not to comply to him and not let Diaz have the city, daring Diaz to shoot her believing he was bluffing. After giving Quentin five seconds, Diaz attempted to shoot her, with Quentin jumping in front of her and taking a bullet to the abdomen. Stunned, Laurel attempted to comfort Quentin, and when Diaz began to mock them, telling her he shot him where he did as a mercy so he wouldn't bleed out yet so she can get him to call the FBI and tell them to leave the city, Laurel angrily told Diaz she was gonna kill him. As Diaz was about to shoot Laurel in front of Quentin, Oliver and the FBI arrived, forcing Diaz to flee. He came up and found Laurel with an injured Quentin and Dinah told Oliver to go get Diaz, so he shot the lock off the cage where they were held captive and Dinah arrived shortly after as Laurel tended to Quentin. Laurel spotted up to Dinah, believing she was going to attempt to kill her again, only to be stunned when Dinah instead freed her from her collar. The two carried Quentin out of the building to safety, using their canary cry's to fend off Diaz' men along the way and Dinah handed Laurel a gun. After getting Quentin to the paramedics, Laurel headed back into the building and went to the rooftop where Oliver had nearly subdued Diaz. Diaz dared Oliver to kill him, as it was the only way to truly defeat him and knew Oliver wouldn't. Knowing Oliver wouldn't kill him, Laurel told him that Diaz was right that he'd have to kill him to beat him before blasting Diaz off the roof with her canary cry into a river below in an attempt to kill him herself, frustrating Oliver as he knew Diaz would survive the fall and angrily lashed out at Laurel, who in turn told him that she was trying to end it and she could only hope that the fall killed Diaz.

Oliver and Laurel then headed to the hospital to see Quentin, and while Oliver went in to speak with him, Laurel waited outside the room and called Quentin's other daughter and her deceased doppelgänger's sister Sara Lance, who arrived and seemed fairly amazed to see her deceased sister's face again on her doppelgänger. Laurel thanked her for coming, believing it was only right for Quentin's daughter to be there. Sara thanked her for calling her, and Laurel asked if it was weird for her to see her, which Sara responded that it was a little. Sara then asked if she was anything like her Laurel, which Laurel replied she hardly was at all, visibly disappointed at herself. Sara and her later walked over to Team Arrow and witnessed Samanda Watson arresting Oliver, to their confusion as he explained his deal to enlist her help from liberating the city from Diaz also involved him turning himself in in exchange for immunity for the rest of Team Arrow. Dr. Schwartz approached them, and when Oliver asked how Quentin was, she told them he had seized during surgery and died as his brain was deprived of oxygen for seven minutes, leaving Laurel, Oliver, Sara, Dinah, and the rest of Team Arrow devastated as the FBI took Oliver away, who told all of them to take care of each other. As a grieving Sara hugged Felicity, Laurel turned away visibly teary-eyed and heartbroken by both Quentin's death and Oliver being taken away. Later as Oliver (under the direction of the FBI) revealed his identity as Green Arrow to the rest of the world and called on his friends and allies to keep fighting to save the city, Sara and Laurel cried and mourned together as they stood over Quentin's body. Five months after Quentin's death, Laurel was appointed district attorney of Star City. When Diaz returned to Star City, Dinah placed Laurel into SCPD witness protection; much to Laurel's annoyance. Despite being told that the Longbow Hunters were in town along with Diaz, Laurel refused to placed under police custody. Laurel eventually snuck out of her office, but was found by Dinah. While Dinah wanted to call the SCPD in to help, Laurel said she was intending to take down the Longbow Hunters and then kill Diaz herself to get revenge for Quentin. When they entered the building, they separated and Laurel was attacked by one of the Longbow Hunters. Upon being found by Dinah, they both used their sonic screams to defeat The Silencer, but were not successful in capturing her. The following day, Laurel visited Dinah at the SCPD and thanked her for the help in defeating The Silencer. Before leaving, she tearfully apologized to her for killing Vincent and stated that she was no longer a murderer, and that she hoped that Dinah would one day see how much she had changed.

About a week later, Laurel was approached by Felicity who asked for her to help interrogate The Silencer, whom she had captured with the help of Rene. Laurel interrogated her by torturing her with her sonic scream; however, due to Honor's resilience, Felicity started to lose her temper and told Laurel to use extreme force, even if it meant killing her. Laurel then said to her that once that line is crossed, it's nearly impossible to come back from that, and suggested that she find another way to interrogate The Silencer. When Felicity was declined access to visiting Oliver at Slabside, she turned to Laurel, who then turned to Dinah for help. Felicity had been told that Oliver was taken to "Level Two" at Slabside, with Laurel stating that there is no documentation of its existence. The three of them eventually found that "Level Two" was a psychiatric program that was intended to re-socialize the Slabside inmates. Laurel, Felicity, and Dinah were able to reveal the illegal practices of Slabside to the press, to which Laurel said that she could attempt to appeal Oliver's conviction.

Despite her success in working with Felicity and Dinah, Oliver was not trusting of Laurel, as shown when she visited him at Slabside. Frustrated, Felicity comforted her by stating that Oliver had not had a chance to see that Laurel was a changed person. Her frustration grew after her attempt at appealing Oliver's conviction was denied. She intended to torture the judge, but before she could, she was talked down by Dinah, who reminded her to not through away her attempts at doing the right thing. Ultimately, Laurel was able to make a deal with the FBI to have Oliver released if he was willing to help with their case against Diaz.

A week after Oliver's release, Laurel attended the gala held by Star City in honor of his return and to support prison reform. Despite having helped get Oliver out of prison, she was greeted coldly by everyone, except for Felicity, who reminded the others how they should all thank her for what she did to set Oliver free. Oliver then (genuinely) thanked her and apologized for not having given her the benefit of the doubt.

After the death of Ricardo Diaz, Laurel was placed in charge of investigating his killer. Ben Turner called her and asked her to come visit him at Slabside so he could give her some intel. He revealed to Laurel that he knew who killed Diaz, but in exchange for disclosing that information, he wanted to see his son and also asked Laurel to get him out of prison faster. Although hesitant, Laurel accepted those terms and arranged for Turner's son to visit him. Turner then told Laurel that the person behind Diaz's death was the new Green Arrow.

Laurel then called Emiko and arranged for a meeting. At the meeting, Laurel revealed to her that she knew her true identity and that she knew she killed Diaz. However, Emiko responded by saying that nobody would believe her because of her past as Black Siren. When she disclosed this information to Oliver, he (once again) did not believe her and demanded that she leave them alone. The following day, Laurel got a call from Dinah, who scolded Laurel for forcing the confessions of her suspects during interrogations. Although Laurel agreed to do things "the right way", she lost her temper and threatened to kill Gustavo Hernandez after he mocked Quentin's death during an interrogation.

Right after Hernandez was released, he was mysteriously found dead. Dinah confronted Laurel and accused her of killing him, to which Laurel questioned why she was being accused. Although Laurel denied killing Hernandez, Dinah did not believe her, stating that she looked at him in the way that she looked at Vincent right before killing him. Frustrated, Laurel responded that despite how hard she had worked at redeeming herself, Dinah would never ever believe her and only see her as the Black Siren. Later that night, Laurel was visited by Emiko, who had released a photo of Laurel working alongside Diaz and told the public that Laurel was responsible for killing Hernandez. Frustrated that her criminal past caught up with her and hurt that her "friends" had not believed her, Laurel donned her Black Siren persona and contacted an old friend. Together, they began a crime spree around Star City. Although Felicity believed that Laurel could still be saved, Dinah was adamant on bringing her in; even after she found proof that it was not Laurel, but Emiko who had killed Hernandez. After an unsuccessful attempt at pulling through to Laurel herself, Felicity contacted Sara, believing that she could help pull through to Laurel. Despite the efforts of Felicity, Sara, and Dinah to pull through to Laurel, she seemed to rebuff their efforts on multiple occasions. However, after Sara realized that she had Laurel had no intentions to kill people and just felt hurt and abandoned, she attempted to give her some encouragement when visiting Quentin's grave; to which Laurel resisted. As she was preparing to steal a lethal weapon, Laurel was approached by Felicity, who told her that she still believed in her. When Laurel stated that being a criminal is her true self, Felicity challenged Laurel by saying that if she was happy with the weapon killing people, she should just kill Felicity right then and there; which was echoed by Sara and Dinah. Unable to kill her friends, Laurel decided to stop her criminal spree and turned against Shadow Thief, who revealed to them that she had been anticipating that to happen. The four women were then attacked by Shadow Thief's other partners, but after a brief fight, Felicity detonated the weapon; destroying the building and all four of the women managed to escape. Felicity and Dinah cleared Laurel's name by giving the evidence of Emiko's involvement in Hernandez's death over to the SCPD. Despite that, Laurel told them that she was tired of hiding from her past, and that she decided to return to Earth-2; following Sara's advice to go back to where it all started. Before departing Earth-1, Felicity gifted her Laurel's Black Canary suit; encouraging her to take up the mantle of Black Canary on Earth-2. A few weeks later, Laurel returned to Earth-1 to help Oliver and Team Arrow defeat Emiko and the Ninth Circle; now operating under the alias "Black Canary". Their efforts were successful, with Oliver shaking her hand and thanking her for her help. When a wave of antimatter hit Earth-2, Laurel escaped with Oliver and John just before the universe got wiped from existence. The following day, Oliver was approached by Mar Nouv who criticized him for interfering with the events on a parallel universe. According to Novu, Laurel was supposed to die with the rest of Earth-2 if Oliver hadn't pulled her through the breach and saved her life before its complete destruction -- to which Oliver replied that he had watched "her" die once before, and did not want to experience that again.

Possible futures
In a possible future where Laurel may or may not have survived, in the year 2046 following Grant Wilson's uprising in Star City, it was implied that she had been killed, alongside Quentin and Diggle. If still alive, it was clear that Laurel had stopped operating as Black Canary.

By the year 2166, Vandal Savage became aware of Laurel's death while researching into Sara's life after learning her origin time. After Savage was imprisoned on the Waverider, he taunted Sara by asking, "Have you spoken to your sister Laurel lately?", most likely deducing Sara was from a point in time where she had yet to learn of Laurel's death.

In a possible future where Eobard Thawne comes from, Black Canary is one of the several heroes remembered in the "Age of Heroes"; whether this is refers to Laurel, her Earth-2 counterpart, or her successor, Dinah Drake, is unknown.

Personality
"Laurel Lance became a lawyer to help people who may have appeared helpless. She wanted to give a voice to the silent. But just being a lawyer wasn't enough. She wanted to do more for those people, and for this city. And she loved this city so much."
 * -|As a civilian=

- Oliver Queen

Laurel was idealistic, intelligent, hard-working, and fights hard to get what she wants. She was a competent, upstanding lawyer aiming to stand up for the innocent and what was right, despite the corruption in Starling City. Laurel can be stubborn, feisty, and independent and doesn't like to be told what to do. She was attracted to troublemakers, as shown when she dated both Oliver and Tommy. Laurel gets annoyed when her father tries to get in the way, always forming his opinion of her boyfriends, even though it almost never changes her mind. Laurel was tough and more than capable of taking care of herself. She takes risks, such as contacting the vigilante for help in her cases. She can't resist saving people from tough situations, from when Tommy and Oliver were going to get beat up in the night club Poison, to innocent people being wrongfully accused.

Laurel is shown to have a big heart, being open-minded and inquisitive, having a tendency to see the best in the people around her. While Laurel's anger towards Oliver for supposedly getting her sister Sara killed, whom he had been cheating on her with, made her harsh towards him, at first, a situation exacerbated by the fact that there was still a spark between them. Laurel humored Oliver when he admitted that she should hate him for what he did to her and her family, but she eventually came around to forgiving him, realizing Sara was also as much to blame. Laurel also eventually forgave her father when he tried to use her as bait for the Hood and began making amends with her mother after Dinah admitted her mistakes in leaving the family. Laurel was also one of the few people who saw the good in Oliver, even through the playboy-front he presented on the outside. When first meeting the Hood, Laurel was initially disturbed by his methods, but soon accepted that he was, in his own way, trying to help Starling City.

Due to the events of the Undertaking as well as her kidnapping and emotional dilemmas, her personality takes a harsh fall. She also didn't want to face her own guilt, for being partly responsible for Tommy's death, so she tried to blame the Arrow for something that wasn't his fault, until she was captured and almost killed by Barton Mathis. She starts using drugs and alcohol, like her father, to cope with her pain; eventually she loses the respect of her father and Oliver, even losing her job as an ADA. She is reluctant to admit that she has a problem, and spirals deeper and deeper into her addiction.

When Sara returned alive and well, Laurel was shocked at first but viciously rejected her sister, holding Sara accountable for her and their parents' strifes. Laurel kept on trying to blame people in general for ruining her life, this behavior of hers continued, until Oliver coldly criticized and corrected her on her actions, and being pressured by her father she began to go to AA meeting groups and tearfully reconciled with her sister welcoming her back. Laurel began displaying her former personality, showing some bravery and stubbornness as she refused to leave without her colleagues who were being taken hostage by Helena. She managed to convince the Canary to help her free the hostages.

Although she eventually seeks help for her addiction and reconciles with her friends and family, it seems that her experiences have left their mark and brought out a darker, harder, manipulative side of her character, as demonstrated when she blackmails DA Kate Spencer into giving her her old job back, and to have her father released from conviction when he was arrested for aiding the Arrow. Later on after discovering Oliver and Sara were the respective vigilantes Arrow and the Canary Laurel not only accepted these facts she confronted them on her own terms; she comforted and inspired them to carry on their crusades during their crisis of faith when Oliver was depressed following Moira Queen's death, and Sara's self-depreciation believing she wasn't a hero due to her time with the League of Assassins while participating in the fight against Slade Wilson's siege of Starling City.

"She was a hero in every way that a person can be. And if Laurel were here, I know that she would expect all of us to live up to the example that she set. She'd want us to save our city."
 * -|As Black Canary=

- Oliver Queen

After Sara was killed, dying right in front of her, Laurel was struck with grief, shock and forced herself not to tell it to her father (out of fear it would cause him a heart attack). She became angrier, reckless, and was fueled with a desire for revenge; she sought to help people like her sister did as she tried to assault a man that abused his girlfriend to honor her sister's memory. Determined not to fall into addiction again, she needed "another way" and asked Oliver to train her in combat. When Oliver refused, she turned to boxing as an outlet, then learning of Ted Grant's vigilante past she became his apprentice, asking him to train her. To deal with her pain, and with Oliver's supposed death being the catalyst, she decided to take up her sister's mask, begin to actively fight crime out on the streets and act as The Black Canary. Despite a lot of objections and being unsuccessful at first she kept doing it and slowly became better.

After Laurel was injected by one of Werner Zytle's Vertigo-filled throwing darts, which caused her to see a hallucination of Sara and was almost killed by the latter, she finally realized that Oliver was right (that she was using vigilantism and adrenaline to avoid facing the fact that Sara was dead and she was never coming back); Laurel finally came clean to her father about her sister's death which cost her her relationship with him, though they admit they'll always love one another. Even after she learned Malcolm Merlyn was her sister's killer, and even attempted to take him down which ends very badly for as she is no match for Malcolm, she ultimately took Ted's advice not to train to defeat Sara's killer, but to train for herself, as well as Felicity's advice not to follow in Sara's footsteps but "to be herself". After striking up an unlikely friendship with Nyssa al Ghul who shared stories of Sara with her, and offered her further training, Laurel started to regain her sense of self-discipline and control. She ultimately became a proficient fighter in her own right effectively becoming an official member of Team Arrow, even impressing and being accepted by Oliver.

In the final moments, Laurel confessed to Oliver that despite all their complications and history together, she truly did still love him, as he would always be the love of her life.

Abilities

 * Peak human physical condition: Having taken self-defense lessons, Laurel was very fit and able to use her build to her advantage when tackling fighters of much larger size. After months of training with Ted Grant, Laurel was in top physical condition with fast reflexes and strong enough to lift a grown man on top of a desk. She later received additional training from Nyssa al Ghul, further improving her abilities, soon able to flip and even hurl her opponents through the air.
 * Acrobatics/Free-running: Since becoming Black Canary, Laurel had developed free-running skills, allowing her to scale her surroundings and drop from a height of several feet without injuring herself. Laurel was also able to perform a backflip without using her hands during a fight against Benatu Eshu.
 * Honed senses: Laurel has sharp hearing and sight, as well as keen skills of perception. She is able to pick up and incoming danger and react extremely quickly.
 * High-level intellect/Master lawyer/Expert investigator: Laurel was a highly respected attorney, having graduated law school with an offer to work at Weathersby Posner - a renowned corporate law firm, being a regarded legal aid attorney at CNRI, and later being offered the position of district attorney. Her ability to use the legal system to her advantage allowed Laurel to help others and herself, both inside and outside the court, while looking at every aspect before making up her mind. Laurel's experiences as a lawyer make her a capable investigator and she has exceptional instincts; she was able to gather compelling information on her corrupt targets to make a case against them. Laurel was suspicious that Sebastian Blood had a hidden agenda and was a corrupt politician, which proved to be correct. After learning from Slade Wilson that Oliver Queen is the Arrow, Laurel was able to gather the evidence to prove his claims and as a result, figure out her sister Sara Lance's identity as the Canary.
 * Expert interrogator/Torturer: As an ADA, Laurel was highly trained in interrogating suspects, as demonstrated when she threatened to send one of Danny Brickwell's men to Belle Reve, where he could be killed, if he did not aid her. Laurel was also capable of torture, such as when she pressed further on Erlich Kelso's injury when looking for information on Simon Lacroix. However, it should be noted that Laurel only did this under extreme emotional distress after Sara's death and generally did not believe in physical torture.
 * Skilled driver: Laurel was capable of driving multiple vehicles, such as cars and motorcycles.
 * Expert hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Laurel was a skilled combatant due to having taken self-defense classes on her father Quentin Lance's request; she was able to easily overpower Max Fuller by targeting specific points on his body before taking him down and fend off Cyrus Vanch's thugs when they tried to kidnap her. Once Laurel decided to become a vigilante, she began further training in boxing and advanced combat under Ted Grant, allowing her to take on street thugs such as the Red Scarfs, though she still got injured from time to time. Laurel even became skilled enough to briefly fight Nyssa, landing a few punches on her, but was soundly overwhelmed. Nyssa later offered her training in the ways of the League of Assassins and over time, Laurel's combat abilities improved enough for her to hold her own against multiple opponents, whether they were street thugs or members of the League. After a further five months of acting as a vigilante, Laurel became capable of defeating multiple enemies of advanced training, such as H.I.V.E. soldiers or League members, with only minor occasional assistance. Laurel's fighting style seems to be a mixture of boxing, judo, and techniques from the League of Assassins.
 * Expert stick-fighter: Throughout her career as a vigilante, Laurel had used several weapons such as a stick, her sister's batons, and finally her choice weapon of a tactical tonfa. Laurel's ability with her tonfa improved through trial and error, ultimately becoming accomplished enough to hold her own and later defeat members of the League of Assassins and even spar with Sara. During confrontations against H.I.V.E.'s Ghosts, Laurel had been shown to occasionally wield two tonfas successfully in combat. While helping Mari McCabe against Eshu, Laurel fought with a metal bo-staff instead of her tonfa, yet she showed impressive skill while using the weapon during battle. Working with John Diggle and Thea Queen, Laurel was able to briefly fend off Vandal Savage and managed to block a few of his attacks, but was soon defeated.
 * Skilled markswoman: Quentin taught Laurel how to use a gun and she legally owns several firearms. Laurel used a shotgun on Mr. Blank to slow him down long enough for the Hood to rescue her and Tommy. She was also able to successively fire multiple shots at and kill Officer Daily from a distance in order to save the Arrow.
 * Skilled archer: When trapped under rubble, Laurel was able to wield Oliver's bow and accurately shoot an explosive arrow to free herself from the debris.
 * Indomitable will: Laurel was a fearless, determined, and highly driven woman. She remained defiant even when threatened with death at the hands of Cyrus. Unlike her father, Laurel was able to overcome her alcoholism and stay sober without any relapses. Laurel was also able to eventually overcome Werner Zytle's fear-inducing Vertigo in order to apprehend him.
 * Network: As a former law student, legal aid attorney, and assistant district attorney, Laurel had multiple contacts in the legal system, D.A.'s office, and other establishments, including the Chinese Embassy.

Equipment

 * Guns: Laurel was skilled in using multiple types of firearms. She kept a pistol holstered on her left leg when in the field, though only used it in emergencies.
 * Black Canary suit: Laurel wore a black leather suit while fighting crime as Black Canary. The suit was a modified version of the one used by her sister, Sara Lance. Laurel also wore a black mask to hide her identity from her enemies.
 * Motorcycle: After Sara died, Laurel used her motorcycle as the new Black Canary.
 * Tactical tonfas: As Black Canary, Laurel used a tonfa or side-handle baton, similar to the ones used by police officers. She is able to wield this weapon proficiently while fighting enemies, including League of Assassins members. After five months, Laurel adopted a second tonfa when facing H.I.V.E. to help her deal with multiple opponents.
 * Bo-staff: Laurel used a bo-staff while fighting Kuasa and Benatu Eshu.
 * Canary Cry: An upgraded version of the sonic device that both Sara and Laurel used. This device was made by Cisco Ramon as a favor to Laurel.

Former equipment

 * Expandable batons: After taking on the mantle of Black Canary, Laurel used Sara's bo-staff to fight crime. The staff consists of a pair of expandable batons, which are able to combine into a bo-staff. Laurel later abandoned this weapon in favor of a tactical tonfa.
 * Sonic device: Laurel once used her sister's sonic device to stun two criminals and break their car windows. She later abandoned this device after asking Cisco Ramon to make her a modified version.
 * Blonde wig: Like Sara, Laurel initially wore a beach-blonde wig to hide her identity as Black Canary before abandoning it.

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Trivia

 * Laurel liked Pinot Noir wine.
 * Laurel is fond of ice cream (especially rocky road) and black & white milkshakes. She even likes dipping her fries in her milkshakes.
 * She enjoys sushi, Indian cuisine, and the mushroom & olive pizza from Mario's.
 * Laurel is mentioned to be a bad cook and is only capable of making macaroni and cheese. This is a trait that her comic book counterpart also shares.
 * Being the daughter of a police detective, she learned how police badges were serialized.
 * When she was a little girl, Laurel wanted to be a police officer like her dad.
 * As a child, Laurel's favorite cake was yellow with chocolate frosting, which her father would buy her every year on her birthday.
 * Laurel has double piercings in her right ear and triple piercings in her left ear. She also likes wearing ring sets on each hand.
 * While Laurel formally goes by her middle name, her full name is mentioned when people quote, "Dinah Laurel Lance, always trying to save the world".
 * Laurel has had two love interests in the series: Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn. She was also attracted to Sebastian Blood before learning of his true nature.
 * Additionally, Carter Bowen, Adam Donner, and Cisco Ramon were hinted to be attracted to her.
 * Laurel has been kidnapped five times, each of which were individual instances.
 * In she was kidnapped by Cyrus Vanch to draw out the out The Hood.
 * In ​​​, she was kidnapped by Barton Mathis/The Dollmaker so he could kill her in front of her father.
 * In ​, she was kidnapped by Officer Daily due to her investigation into Sebastian Blood.
 * In ​​, she was kidnapped by Slade Wilson to be used as a hostage for Oliver.
 * In 🇰🇲​​, she was kidnapped by Caleb Green in his vendetta against Oliver.
 * Laurel has been killed in four separate timelines, mostly by Damien Darhk.
 * First was in an erased timeline in ​ when Laurel, along with the other members of Team Arrow and Team Flash, was killed by Vandal Savage. Due to Barry changing the timeline, Laurel was spared from this fate.
 * Second was an erased timeline mentioned by Rip Hunter in ​​ where Laurel, Sara, and Quentin were all killed by Darhk. Due to Rip recruiting Sara, she and Quentin were spared from their fates, though Laurel was not.
 * Third was in the current timeline, both Pre-Flashpoint and Post-Flashpoint, in where Laurel was murdered by Darhk. This is her final and ultimate fate.
 * Fourth was in the Legion of Doom's rewritten reality in ​ where Laurel, along with many members of Team Arrow and Team Flash, was murdered by the Damien Darhk of 1987. The Legends have since restored the timeline to its original state but Laurel's death remains the same.
 * Interestingly, Laurel saved/helped save the lives of every past/present member of Team Arrow up until her death; she stopped Sara from killing Helena Bertinelli, knocked out one of Danny Brickwell's men who was about to kill Roy Harper from behind, resurrected Sara, helped rescue Ray Palmer from Darhk and later John Diggle, Thea Queen, and Felicity Smoak from his gas chamber, saved her father from the Ghosts, and used the Canary Cry to save Oliver from a bee of Bug-Eyed Bandit.
 * Laurel is one of the few known vigilantes whose identity is public knowledge, made so posthumously by Oliver to preserve her legacy (though Laurel's identity both as civilian and hero alter ego were later adopted by her living Earth-2 counterpart in an attempt to protect herself from Ricardo Diaz and Dinah Drake). The others are Oliver as The Arrow/Green Arrow, J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter, James Olsen/Guardian, and presumably Jay Garrick/The Flash.
 * The way in which Laurel discovered Oliver's identity from Slade is similar to the way that Quentin discovered it from Ra's al Ghul.
 * Laurel shares some similarities with Shado.
 * Both were lawyers.
 * Both had been directly influenced by their fathers in learning how to fight and defend themselves.
 * Both have been romantically involved with Oliver Queen.

Behind the scenes

 * Like on the show, Dinah Laurel Lance is Black Canary in the original comics. She possesses the meta-human ability of a sonic scream known as the "Canary Cry", which she can deploy to shatter objects and incapacitate her opponents. This did not manifest in Laurel in the show, though Sara and later Laurel each produced a mechanical version of it.
 * However, Laurel's Earth-2 counterpart does indeed have this ability.
 * In Season 3, Laurel wore a long blonde wig along with her suit when acting as Black Canary. This is a nod to the comics, in which Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary wore the same wig prior to dying her dark hair blonde.
 * Interestingly, Laurel had already dyed her hair in Season 2, at same time when Sara, the first Canary vigilante, surfaced.
 * In ​​, when Oliver and Laurel go alone to talk, Laurel mentions to Oliver that she wore "horrible" fishnets to a Halloween party they attended together in 2005. This is a reference to Laurel's DC comic book alter-ego's Black Canary costume.
 * While Laurel didn't have fishnets in her suit, her Earth-2 counterpart does.
 * In a flashback from ​​, Sara referred to Laurel as "Mrs. Laurel Queen", likely a reference to the comic book Laurel's marriage to Oliver Queen.
 * In a flashback from ​​, Sara referred to Laurel as "Mrs. Laurel Queen", likely a reference to the comic book Laurel's marriage to Oliver Queen.