Laurel Lance (Earth-1)


 * For her mother of the same name, see Dinah Lance.

"I know Barry is The Flash, and Oliver is The Arrow...because I'm the Black Canary."

- Laurel to Cisco Ramon

Dinah Laurel Lance (born c. 1984) known as simply Laurel Lance, is a former legal aid attorney, and currently an assistant district attorney working under an unnamed District Attorney. Laurel is the daughter of Dinah and Quentin Lance, the older sister of the late Sara Lance, the ex-girlfriend, the close friend and former love interest of Oliver Queen, the ex-girlfriend and the close friend of the late Tommy Merlyn, and the best friend of fellow lawyer Joanna de la Vega.

After the death of her sister Sara, Laurel was inspired to take her sister's place, receiving training in hand-to-hand combat and vigilantism from Ted Grant, as well as further training from and becoming a close friend to Nyssa al Ghul and became a vigilante, joining Team Arrow. In the field, she operates under the codename Black Canary. She has been referred to by the media as the Woman in black.

Early life
Laurel was born in 1985 to Quentin and Dinah Lance, and she had a younger sister named Sara. When she was 7 years old she met and became friends with Oliver Queen, she also met and became friends with Tommy Merlyn at that time as well. When Laurel was 20 years old, at one of Tommy's parties, when her sister Sara snuck out of their house to spend alone time with Oliver, aware that her sister had a crush on Oliver, seemingly out of envy called their father and the cops, she got Sara grounded, and possibly sabotaged any potential relationship her sister could have had with Oliver, 1 month later, after Sara was no longer grounded Laurel and Oliver were now a couple. In 2007 when she was 21 years old, Laurel broached the topic of them getting a place of their own, citing that they had been together even longer than their friends who were already moving in together. Oliver initially agreed, but later panicked, instead of telling Laurel that he was not ready to move in with her yet, he impulsively made the mistake by cheating on her with an unnamed woman who he accidentally got pregnant with his child (unknown to Laurel), and later with her sister Sara, shortly after the Queen's Gambit went down, she found out from Oliver's mother Moira, that Sara was on the Gambit when it went down, she realize that Oliver was cheating on her with her sister, during the 5 years Oliver was away, Laurel went to law school and eventually graduated, sometime after graduating Laurel started working for a law firm called the City Necessary Resources Initiative or CNRI for short, 5 years prior to Oliver's return to Starling City.

Season 1
Laurel was working on a case against Adam Hunt when she learned that Oliver survived and Sara did not. She saw Oliver when he went to CNRI in an attempt to reconnect with her, but wasn't interested in reconciling, still angry at him for his betrayal and blaming him for Sara's death. At Oliver's welcome back party, Laurel apologised for being too harsh with him.

Laurel helps a client whose father, an honest man, was murdered by Martin Somers. She ran into Oliver again at the courthouse where his death in absentia was being revoked, leading to another bitter moment between the two. Later, Oliver went to her apartment with ice cream, mentioning that he missed it while he was on the island. They began to reconnect, but the house was attacked by the Chinese Triad at Martin's behest.

Oliver got in trouble with Max Fuller while at his club and was dragged to a back room to be beaten up by his goons as payback for sleeping with his fiancée at their rehearsal dinner. Tommy tried unsuccessfully to protect him but it was Laurel who quickly took down Max and got him to let them go. Oliver found out that Laurel and Tommy had slept together while he was on the island and tried to talk to Laurel about it, but she told him they did't need his forgiveness or his blessing and left the club. She later spoke with Tommy about what happened.

When Peter Declan was wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, Laurel pointed out that he shouldn't die for someone else's crime. At first the information she found was not enough to free him so she went to the prison to talk to him. While at Iron Heights Prison, Laurel was attacked by the bodyguard of the man who actually killed Declan's wife, but The Hood saved her. Horrified by The Hood's violence, Laurel described him as a "monster" to her father.

Later, Laurel and Oliver kissed. She admitted that she still had feelings for him but made it clear that nothing could ever happen between them. When Oliver was a suspect of being The Hood, Moira Queen requested her to be Oliver's lawyer on his insistence. She decided to accept the request, leading to an argument with her father in which she told him that he should not blame Oliver for Sara's death or the fact that her mother left them afterwards.

CNRI lost its biggest sponsor and Tommy suggested throwing a fundraiser for them. Laurel was initially suspicious of his motives, but considering that CNRI needed the money desperately, she went along with it. After seeing Tommy caring for the drunk Thea, Laurel indicated to Tommy that she might be interested in a relationship.

Laurel agreed to go on a date with Tommy. When his father cut him off, she comforted him and told him it was not his money what she found attractive. She encouraged Tommy to ask Oliver for a job and they argued over his insecurities, although they made up soon afterwards.

Laurel went to the Queens' Christmas party with Tommy. After Adam Hunt was killed, 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 a man otherwise believed to be dead, Garfield Lynns. Lynns attacked a fundraiser being held for the fire station and Laurel was briefly trapped inside with Oliver. Quentin told Laurel she should keep hold of The Hood's phone as she would find better use for it, although he was actually planning to use her to capture The Hood.

Laurel had dinner with Malcolm Merlyn and Tommy.

When Thea got in legal trouble, Laurel asked her father to get her a deal by reminding him of the trouble that Sara got into in her youth. As part of her plea bargain, Thea had to work at CNRI with Laurel for some time.

Laurel found out that the criminal Cyrus Vanch had been released from prison and asked The Hood for help finding evidence against him. When he had something to offer, he called her and she left a date with Tommy to meet him on a rooftop, not knowing her father was tracking her to capture The Hood. Laurel and Quentin had an argument because he was furious at her for contacting The Hood, while she was furious with him for setting her up and putting her in danger. Laurel was then kidnapped from her apartment by Vanch, who used her as bait to attract The Hood. After her father and The Hood rescued her, she told her father to stay away from her for his earlier actions. The Hood told her he saw how much danger he put her in and informed her he was going to stay away. Laurel's relationships with both Tommy and her father suffered as a result of her activities with The Hood.

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

Laurel helped Tommy celebrate his birthday and comforted him when his father turned up, encouraging Tommy to attend a ceremony in which he was going to receive an award. Afterwards, Laurel received a surprise visit from her mother, Dinah, telling her that she thought Sara might still be alive.

Laurel invited her father to breakfast, not telling him that Dinah would also be attending. She encouraged her father to help Dinah investigate whether or not Sara survived the sinking of the Queen's Gambit in order to prove to Dinah that Sara was really dead.

Laurel got caught up in the investigation but ultimately managed to prove that the photo Dinah has found was not actually Sara. Dinah's confession that she allowed Sara to go on the Gambit with Oliver was what allowed Laurel to reconcile with her. Laurel asked her mom to keep in touch when she went back to Central City. Meanwhile, Tommy distanced himself from Laurel even though she needed him.

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

Laurel tried to help a family, but the couple was murdered by an assassin. She took in their orphaned son, Tyler, making herself a target when the assassin went to tie up loose ends. She, Tommy and Tyler temporarily stayed at the Queen Mansion, where she briefly discussed about the past with Moira. Later, Oliver comforted Laurel, which Tommy saw and misconstrued though he did not say anything at the time. The assassin was killed by Oliver and Laurel and Tommy were safe to go home, while Tyler's grandparents had been reached and could take care of him. Soon afterwards, Tommy left Laurel, lying and telling her that he was not ready for a relationship.

Laurel confronted Tommy over him leaving her, saying that she still loved him and believed he loved her too, so they could work to overcome whatever was the problem. He told her that Oliver was still in love with her and she should be with him instead. When Laurel went to Oliver and asked him to tell Tommy that he no longer loved her, he refused, saying that he had too many lies in his life and that he was still in love with her.

Oliver went to Laurel's apartment and told her that he hoped he did not wait for too long. She kissed him and told him he did not. They ended up sleeping together, which Tommy witnessed from the street below. Laurel was unaware that Oliver had previously encouraged Tommy to reconcile with her and he had been on his way to do just that.

Laurel visited Oliver at the Queen Mansion because he left while she was sleeping. He told her to stay out of the Glades that night, but when Moira confessed in a press conference about the Undertaking, Laurel went to CNRI to try and save valuable files for her clients' livelihoods. While she was there, her father called her and told her to get out. She left during the earthquake but got trapped under falling rubble when the building collapsed. Tommy arrived to save her life but was tragically killed in the attempt while her father prevented her from trying to get back to him.

Season 2
A year after the earthquake and CNRI's destruction, Laurel became an assistant district attorney. She was present at a mayor's event that was interrupted by The Hoods, who threatened the district attorney, though 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 The Hood, determined to bring him to justice for his crimes. 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. He later went to talk to her again she revealed that she had set a trap for him.

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 was aimed at the wrong person 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 shown to be 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 her out for dinner in order to protect her from the Assassins pursuing her sister Sara. Afterwards, she made a pass at Oliver, who gently refused her and made it clear that he just wanted to be there for her as a friend, not reignite their romance. Tearfully, she then asked him why everyone in her life seemed to end up running away from her. Laurel noticed that her apartment 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 Queen 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 Merlyn). Disturbed by what she found, she 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, she tried to avoid him, distraught and guilt-ridden at her actions in court.

Sin and Thea sought help from Laurel about Max Stanton. Laurel discovered that the Blood drive Max donated blood in required a psych test, which was unusual but not illegal, meaning that she could not help Sin further.

Laurel began investigating 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, she discovered the name of Maya Resik, Sebastian's aunt who was confined in a psychiatric institution. She visited Maya, who revealed that she was not Sebastian's aunt, but 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 Resik passed away and suspected that she was murdered by Sebastian to prevent her from telling anyone else that he murdered his father. She asked Donner to help investigate the case but Donner refused, not believing Maya was murdered due to her being sick and the lack of evidence about Sebastian murdering his father (Donner did not believe Maya's words because he thought she was insane). Laurel sought help from The Arrow, who helped her search for the files that would prove Sebastian's guilt. Though they were successful, the files had already been removed. Laurel arrived homem discovered that her apartment had been ransacked and was arrested by Officer Daily. She tried to pin it on Sebastian but her father did not believe her as she was in possession of prescribed drugs stolen from him. Oliver helped Laurel clean up her apartment after she was released but was knocked unconscious by The Masked Man, who kidnapped Laurel. She woke up at the Starling Cannery with the Masked Man taunting her. Laurel screamed she knew he would pay but the Masked Man grabbed her and told her she knew nothing. The Arrow showed up and engaged the Masked Man in combat. After overpowering The Arrow the Masked Man drew a gun and was about to shoot him, however Laurel picked up a gun and shot and killed him before he could do so. However when The Arrow removed the man's mask it turned out to be Daily. Laurel was fired by Donner for her drug use and for seemingly being wrong about Sebastian.

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 a drug rehab meeting, she angrily left. She met with Joanna for a job offer, only to learn that disbarment proceedings were being filed against her, making her unemployable. Laurel showed up at Verdant, got drunk and made a scene. Oliver took her keys and got her a cab. When she arrived at her apartment, she saw her sister Sara.

Laurel did not overdose, but was poisoned by a member of the League of Assassins. She told Quentin that she saw Sara, although she was under the impression that it was a hallucination. Soon after, her mother was kidnapped and Quentin tried to comfort Laurel. Quentin revealed to her that Sara was alive but received a call regarding Dinah's location. Laurel followed her father and discovered that Sara really was alive. After the whole Lance family was reunited, Laurel told Sara that everything that ever happened to their family after she left with Oliver was her fault and asked her get out of the apartment out of anger.

Laurel still wanted nothing to do with Sara, refusing to go to her homecoming party. Quentin persuaded Laurel to host a family dinner, hoping he could reconcile with his ex-wife Dinah. At the dinner, things quickly went downhill when Laurel realized that Oliver and Sara had rekindled their relationship. She exploded in rage, arguing with Oliver about her blaming everyone else for everything that had gone wrong ih her life. Finally, a visibly hurt Oliver said he was done with her and walked away. This seemed to shake Laurel, who went to Verdant to apologize to Sara and later showed up at a Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with her father.

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 the case against 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 to but got dissuaded by The Canary. In a act of bravery, she insisted on staying until all the hostages were freed and helped The Canary battle Helena's thugs. However, Laurel got recaptured after the masked vigilante was defeated by Helena. Laurel tried to persuade Helena to let the hostages go by explaining that they had a great deal in common, but the Huntress responded by slipping out of the courthouse and taking Laurel along with her. Later, when The Canary defeated Helena in battle, Laurel convinced her sister not to kill Helena.

Afterwards, DA Spencer apologized to Laurel for Donner's having used her in his scheme to lure the Huntress out of hiding, but said that Donner had no authority to reinstate Laurel. 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. She quoted Helena, mentioning that someone recently told her that 'once you let the darkness inside, it never comes out'.

Laurel visited Sebastian prior to his debate with Moira Queen and apologized for suspecting him of murdering his father. Laurel was later visited by Slade Wilson, who revealed Oliver's identity as The Arrow.

Laurel has a hard time dealing with Oliver's identity, mainly because revealing the Arrow's identity is the only thing that could release Quentin Lance from prison. After she sees Sara's wounds, Laurel is nearly heartbroken on learning her sister's true identity. Quentin is then attacked by a prison inmate and Laurel rushes to see him. Quentin then persuades her to keep the secret about Oliver Queen after telling her to think about the difficulties the vigilante has to face. Laurel, finally at peace with the vigilante's identity forces the D.A. to release Quentin and then visits Oliver and hugs him, saying that he is one of the few people she values in her life.

After Moira Queen's death, Laurel resumed her investigation of Sebastian Blood, confiding her suspicions to her father and asking him to help her. She managed to plant a bug in the mayor's office, allowing Kelton to hack his 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 killed. Given Oliver's disappearance, Laurel contacted Diggle and Felicity. She appeared all of a sudden at the Arrow's hideout and revealed to Oliver that Slade told her about his secret identity. She 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 she informed the team that Mayor Blood was working with Slade, and emphasized that this was no longer just a personal conflict between him and Slade, but involved all of Starling City, which finally galvanized him into action. When Team Arrow left to confront Slade's army, Laurel asked 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, she 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 she told him the city needed him more than she did. On her way to the police station to meet her father, she was attacked by one of Slade's soldiers, but the Canary appeared and rescued her. Laurel told Sara that she knew about her being the Canary and encouraged her dejected younger sister, who believed herself to be beyond redemption. She witnessed Sara rescue a child from a burning building, then both of them reunited with their father at the police station.

Laurel was later abducted by Slade, who wished to avenge Shado's death by killing her, whom Slade believed to be the woman Oliver loved. However, Oliver managed to trick Slade and defeated him, saving Laurel. Sara gave her black jacket to Laurel afterwards.

Return of the Church of Blood
Following his injury, Quentin was taken to the hospital and placed in to a medically-induced coma, in which he stabilized. Laurel constantly stayed by his bed, 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. Laurel, shocked at the information, relayed it back to the team, who came to the conclusion that someone else had to have taken up the name. Laurel watched over an unconscious Roy, commenting on how he resembled her father. She later went to visit her father. While she was there Sara also visited, which caused Quentin to wake after weeks of being in a coma.

Sara's death
Five months after her abduction by Deathstroke, Laurel was assigned to prosecute Vincent Steelgrave, after Steelgrave was apprehended and delivered to the police by the Arrow. Once Laurel presented the evidence gathered by the Arrow, Steelgrave accepted the plea for fifteen to twenty years. Laurel met Oliver Queen in front of Starling City Courthouse, as Steelgrave was being transported to prison, and told him about Steelgrave in a celebratory mood. When Oliver asked her 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.

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 her for still going out in the field despite his health problems. When asked why he kept pushing himself, Lance told Laurel that was the only life that he knew and stated he did not know what he was otherwise. Laurel answered by saying that he was her father, and she needed her. That night, Laurel met 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 seeing Sara would help him, Sara asked her not to tell Captain Lance she was there. Laurel was called in to backstop the interrogation of Zytle at the police station by his boss. As Laurel was leaving, Sara fell down from the rooftop, having been shot in the chest with three black arrows. Seeing her sister's death, Laurel hugged Sara's body as she cried. Not knowing where else to take her body, Laurel took Sara to Arrow's headquarters. Oliver, along with Roy and Felicity, found her in the morning, covered in Sara's blood, still crying by the body.

When Oliver promised Laurel he would find Sara's killer, she told him that when she had thought Sara died aboard the Queen's Gambit, all she could do was scream with rage, but this time she was going to help catch the killer. Oliver objected she should take care of herself and her father, prompting Laurel to say telling her father about Sara's death before they caught the killer would kill Lance. Laurel left, saying a bar was the last place she should be then. When Diggle found a mercenary archer, Simon Lacroix also known as Komodo, by going through the A.R.G.U.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. She harshly questioned Kelso and tortured him until Kelso told her they were working for a deal to build a pipeline for Amertek Industries. Before he could say more, Kelso was killed by Komodo who shot him with a single arrow through the heart from the building across. Captain Lance arrived at the hospital, worried about Laurel, and confronted her about the lie Laurel told his officers. When answered she needed to talk to him, Lance 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.

By following the money Amertek paid Kelso and his partners, Felicity discovered an Amertek board member named Tom Weston had authorized the payments. Theorizing Komodo was paid to stop the deal, they 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 if she went and told 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 revenge. Komodo denied having killed Sara, but was unable to convince Laurel as she pulled the trigger only to discover the Arrow had taken the bullets out of the gun. Back at Verdant, Oliver told Laurel Komodo's alibi of being in Blüdhaven had checked out. He told her it would take time to capture Sara's killer because the trail had run cold and urged Laurel to talk to her father about it. Following Oliver's advice, Laurel went to the precinct to talk to her father, but she was unable to tell her father when Lance's medication reminder's alarm went off. She sidestepped by apologizing for lying to her father the day before. At 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 home, Laurel sat by herself with Sara's black leather jacket.

Training with Wildcat
Next week, 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 could not say and admitted she did not know what to do with it, before listening to a woman named Erica share being beating by her boyfriend. After the meeting, Laurel told her father Erica was giving a similar share every month and that it had been getting worse. When asked if he knew the boyfriend had eight assault charges against him, Quentin answered that he knew but the police acting on the confessions would defeat the purpose of the anonymity of AA. Deciding to take justice into her own hands, Laurel followed Erica's boyfriend and assaulted him with a baseball bat while wearing a ski mask and her sister's jacket. Laurel managed to get a few hits at first, but was soon overwhelmed and beaten severely. She was taken to the hospital where she was visited by his worried father who pleaded her to promise never to do something like that again. Laurel promised and told him she had made a mistake. Breaking her promise, she went to Verdant to speak with Oliver Queen. Seeing Laurel's injuries, Oliver asked her what had happened. Laurel told him and asked him to train her so she could get justice outside of a court room. Oliver flatly refused, saying Sara would never forgive him for it. Having been denied by Oliver, she went back to Grant instead who accepted training her. After she left the Wildcat Gym, Laurel went to the cemetary to visit her sister's grave where she encountered Nyssa al Ghul who had also come to pay respects. After praying in Arabic, Nyssa offered Laurel her condolences as well as her father's, causing Laurel to retort angrily she did not want their condolences. As Nyssa was leaving, Laurel stopped her by saying Sara would not have been killed with arrows in the chest if she had not met Nyssa. Nyssa answered she had found Sara alone and starving, and that she loved and protected her. Seeing Sara's jacket on Laurel, Nyssa told her she had given it to Sara and Laurel was not fit to wear it before leaving the cemetery.

Next morning, Laurel was contacted by Oliver Queen 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 John Diggle went to investigate the address.

When they returned, Oliver explained to Laurel Malcolm Merlyn was alive, and Sara had been tasked to find him. Hearing that Oliver had tagged Merlyn with a tracer arrow when he had a clean shot at him, Laurel angrily asked him what he would do when he found him. She pressured Oliver into killing Merlyn, but Oliver adamantly refused, causing Laurel to storm out of the room. Outside, Nyssa caught up to her and promised that they would find Merlyn, and she would kill him.

When Nyssa kidnapped Thea Queen 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 Merlyn a message on city cameras. She went back to the foundry and gave the location to Oliver so he could rescue his sister. After the rescue, Oliver returned with Nyssa and told Laurel Merlyn had not killed Sara, as well as warning Nyssa to stay away from Merlyn as long as he was in Starling City. When Laurel asked Oliver if he was sure, he told her he would not let Merlyn leave otherwise. Nyssa visited Laurel while she was training at the gym, and told her she had proven to be worthy to wear Sara's jacket.

When the cyber-terrorist group, Brother Eye, shut down power in the Starling City, Laurel was called in to the police department to act as the district attorney, because the DA was visiting at the Coast City. Protesters gathered in front of the Starling National Bank after the Brother Eye threatened to reset the balances of every accounts to zero in 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, Arrow and Arsenal interfered and dispersed the crowd by using teargas on them. Captain Lance was furious when he learned Laurel had gone behind his back and escalated the situation. After he calmed down, he asked Laurel to talk about whatever was hurting her, but she refused to say anything about Sara's death. Captain Lance accepted her refusal, but urged Laurel to speak to someone else, saying secrets hurt. Laurel took her father's advice the next morning, and confided in Ted Grant about her sister's murder. Grant stated he now knew how to teach her and promised to help her deal with her anger.

She kept training with Ted Grant 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 observed 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 get in Sara her footsteps. Laurel said she can handle it and Oliver said she plays a dangerous game. Laurel later learned that Oliver had Ted arrested after they found the real killer. Roy told Laurel he probably killed Sara while he was still suffering from the mirakuru. Laurel asked why and he said he remembered doing it. Laurel was confused as Felicity said the DNA did not match with Roy. Oliver said she needed to focus on Ted right now. Laurel talked with Ted who was in custody. He told her 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 she and Oliver talked and he told her he did not wanted to train her in order to protect her and that he always would look out for her. He also told her Roy did not kill Sara as he remembered killing a officer with an arrow during his mirakuru induced rage. Laurel later talked with Ted and said that his training made her doing the right things. She said she wanted him to help her become a vigilante.

While Laurel was mourning at Sara's grave, Thea came up to Laurel and asked why she was there. Laurel told Thea that Sara had died and told her Quentin could not know about it because of his heart condition. At the Police station, her mother visited Laurel and Laurel confessed to her mother about Sara's death. Laurel and her mother visited Sara's grave where Laurel promised to avenge her death. Dinah encouraged this decision and said she would make the killer suffer.

Becoming Black Canary
In "Left Behind", Laurel prosecutes Jermaine Fisher, denying him bail for shooting a cop. She reports to Diggle, Roy and Felicity concerning a member of mob boss Brick's gang which she identifies as Hose Anton. She learns of Oliver leaving to fight Ra's al Ghul. Upon learning of Oliver's supposed death from Malcolm Merlyn, and not being able to convict Brick's thugs, Laurel picks up the mantle of Black Canary, dons a leather suit and her sister's mask, taking out two of Brick's thugs in a fight.

In Midnight City", she continues fighting crime rescuing a woman from being raped by one of Brickwell's men and helping Roy rescue the kidnapped Aldermen.

In "Uprising", Laurel participates in the fight to reclaim the Glades from Brick, alongside Grant (Under the alias "Wildcat"), Roy and Diggle. She helps Grant after he gets pummeled by Brick.

In, Laurel continues to fight crime as Black Canary, despite Oliver's wishes. She is present during Count Vertigo's escape from custody, and stops a Vertigo influenced guard from shooting more innocent people. Laurel tracks Vertigo down, but during the subsequent fight is injected with a lethal dose of the drug. It causes her to hallucinate her greatest fear- her sister Sara telling her she is a fraud, addict and unworthy or replacing her. She attempts to fight, but is defeated by Count Vertigo. Laurel starts to suffer from an overdose, but Oliver arrives in time to take her back to Verdant for treatment.

When Laurel recovers, Felicity asks her if she is fine. Laurel tells her about her hallucinations, and she was crazy for thinking she could replace Sara. Felicity encourages her by telling Laurel by telling her that Sara wore a mask to hid her demons just as much as she wanted to help people, unlike Laurel. Felicity adds that Laurel has a light that Sara never had, and that she should stop trying to be her sister instead of herself.

Black Canary joins Oliver on the second attempt to catch Zytle. During the fight, Count Vertigo sets fire to the building they are in. While Arrow saves the civilians inside the building, Laurel goes after Zytle. She is once again injected with Vertigo and starts hallucinating another fight with Sara, as well as Quentin, who is furious about his ignorance of his daughter's death. However, despite everything Black Canary manages to overcome the effects of the drug and defeat Vertigo. She then visits Quentin, who confesses he knows she is Black Canary. Laurel tells him about Sara's death and her reasons for keeping him in the dark. Quentin is shocked by the revelation, and Laurel comforts him.

In ,

Laurel then learns from Thea, that Merlyn had drugged her and under his influence she killed Sara. Laurel doesn't hold Thea responsible for her sisters death and tells Thea that she doesn't need to follow Merlyn. Later, Laurel visits Oliver and she deliberately catches him in a lie about Sara's killer. They then argue over the fact that he kept it a secret from her. then it steers towards Merlyn as Oliver tries to make it clear that he needs Merlyn to protect his family. Laurel ignores it and she goes after Merlyn.During the confrontation, Merlyn easily overpowers Laurel, until Nyssa and the league showed up and successfully captured Merlyn. Nyssa then told Laurel that she could rest knowing that Sara's death has been avenged.Later when Oliver finds out that the league took Merlyn, he gets angry with Laurel and she defends her actions. Then when he plans to rescue Merlyn, Laurel is among the ones that disagree with the decision. After Oliver fails to rescue Merlyn and leaves for Nanda Parbat, Laurel has a conversation with Nyssa in which she reveals that having Merlyn to hate is a piece of Sara that she can hold onto and when he is gone so is another part Sara. Laurel then asks Nyssa if she remembers Sara's laugh and she says that the first time she heard Sara laugh was the moment she fell in love with her. Laurel thanked Nyssa for telling her this.

After Oliver and Dig returned from Nanda Parbat, everyone is surprised and confused when he releases Nyssa and tells her to go home. He then tells them all to get back to work. Laurel then visited Thea and the two talked about everything that's recently happened to her. Laurel later goes to talk to her father at the police station. He states that he'll always love her but he doesn't think he can ever forgive her for lying to him about Sara's death for so long. suddenly murmur and his team arrive and attack the station. the two of them hide behind his desk. When the precinct is under attack by Murmur's crew, he orders her to get out while he provides cover fire. As she runs, she finds Nyssa who has returned. Nyssa joins in the fight along with Team Arrow who also show up. Together, they all manage to capture Murmur and take down his crew. Laurel then leaves the station and finds Nyssa waiting for her outside in an alley. She asks her if she would like to talk about Sara which she agrees to as they go out for dinner. Nyssa then offers her training which she accepts.

She along with team arrow attended Diggle and Lyla's wedding. She alongside the rest of the team are then alerted by the media notice about the arrow being accused of committing multiple murders. She and everyone then go back to the base to come up with a plan to stakeout the possible targets that are bad guys who Ra's al Ghul and his gang appear to be going after. She then tries to defend and protect Oliver by blocking Ray Palmer who tries to bring his Queen/arrow information to the police at the station. She succeeds in this but it only makes Ray decide to take matters into his own hands. At the end of the episode she's in a meeting with Felicity, Palmer, Lance and the Mayor who gets hit with an arrow straight into her chest which kills her.

During the attack she took cover like everyone else. After the attack, There are news reports about the shocking attack and Laurel tries to convince her father to trust her that the Arrow is being framed. He wants her to tell him the Arrow's true identity but she refused by remaining silent. She and Team Arrow then head to the location of a building that the league has been using as a staging ground after Nyssa gives them the information. She had also told Oliver that Nyssa was still in town earlier. she and the team go there and do battle with a team led by Maseo. Ra's then shows up and tells the Arrow he has two choices: Replace him as Ra's or spend the rest of his life in prison. At this moment police helicopters arrive overhead. The Arrow team runs away and manages to escape with help from Diggle, who was positioned above with a sniper rifle. In the process Roy injures several cops and Nyssa helps Laurel when she's cornered by her father. Back at the Arrowcave speaks over the phone with an angry Lance who wants Arrow to turn himself in. Oliver apologizes to everyone for putting them all in this position. She then meets with Lance, who thinks her father is doing this because of Sara. Lance thinks the Arrow is the reason Sara was killed. He tells her if she hadn't been on the boat with Oliver she'd never have ended up in the League. she, Felicity and Roy show up and they discuss a plan. After Oliver hands himself in to the police and he's placed in custody, Laurel gets them ten minutes with Oliver in an interrogation room. Oliver tells him he's pushing for a deal where they all get immunity if he goes to prison. They aren't willing to accept that scenario. He wants them to follow him "until it's over". Back at the Arrowcave, she and the team try to figure out their next move.

In, after Roy was arrested for being revealed 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, claiming that both he and Roy were going to be charged as the Arrow, questioning her father that was he going to go above the law and when Oliver asked her why she did it, she claimed it was because she wanted to avoid having both Oliver and Roy in prison.

In, Laurel approached her father about witness statements for a case and she met Joe West and Cisco Ramon, she pulled Cisco aside and told him she knew that Barry was the Flash, she told him she was the Black Canary to see Cisco freak out and say he was a fan of hers. She asked him to come up with an upgrade to Sara's sonic device to which he agreed. Later on, Cisco showed her what he came up with, a choker with a amplified sonic scream and suggested she should call it the Canary Cry to which she agreed, and gave Cisco a folder claiming that if anyone found out, she'd kill him, which he thought was originally was a joke. Inside the folder was a picture of him and Laurel in costume.

In, Laurel went after a criminal who managed to get the advantage over her, though with help from Nyssa, he was apprehended, Laurel then took Nyssa to dinner even though she wanted to continue training, Nyssa then thanked Laurel for showing her how normal people live and how she had also gained a friend as well, Laurel then confessed that Oliver had accepted Ra's' offer to lead the league which enrages Nyssa who then storms out. she then went searching for Nyssa and found her and apologized for not telling her the truth sooner. Nyssa then informs her that Oliver will now hunt her down and kill her for her betrayal against the league. they then went to Palmer Technologies and informed Felicity and Diggle about the situation. she, John and Felicity then decided to help Nyssa after she left to face Oliver on her own. she along with Diggle then rescued her from Oliver who was about to kill her after a brief confrontation and fight with the help of Laurel's new canary cry. instead of fighting them, Oliver leaves the scene. Laurel finds Nyssa again at her safe house tending to her injuries and she states that they shouldn't have interfered. Laurel then stated that Oliver had changed but Nyssa can as well. she then defended her from Diggle who wanted to trade her for Lyla after she was captured by Oliver. she then tried to dissuade her from handing herself over to the league which John suggested she do. Laurel and the team arrived at an unknown location where the exchange will occur. The exchange is made but a massive battle breaks out after Lyla breaks out two guns and shoots some of the league's men. despite their best efforts, Nyssa is captured as they subdue and drag her away. she along with the team then witnessed Thea shoot Oliver in the arm with a arrow as he was about to kill Diggle with his sword. Back at Palmer Technologies, she and the team admitted that they have lost Oliver to Ra's al Ghul and that they must now reassemble all of their efforts without him.

Personality
Laurel is intelligent, hard-working, and fights hard to get what she wants. She is a great lawyer and lives to stand up for the innocent and what is right, despite the corruption in Starling City. She can be stubborn, feisty, brave, independent, (which can, sometimes, get her into trouble) and doesn't like to be told what to do. Laurel is attracted to troublemakers, as shown when she dated both Oliver and Tommy. She 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 is tough and knows how to take care of herself. She takes risks, like contacting Arrow, and 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 on trial.

However, she has a big heart and tends to see the best in the people around her. While her anger towards Oliver for supposedly getting Sara killed and cheating on her with Sara made her harsh towards him, at first, a situation exacerbated by the fact that there was still a spark between them. In where Oliver states that she should hate him for what he did to her and her sister, but she did not. She even wants to get along with her father again, after he used her as bait for The Arrow, even though stating that it will take some time. She is also one of the few people seeing the good person Oliver is inside, even through the snob-front he presents on the outside. When first meeting The Hood, she was disturbed by his methods, she could eventually realize 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 which are enough to break her, 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, though she was shocked at first, Laurel viciously rejected her. 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.

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 Sara. 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 she 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; 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, she ultimately took Ted's advice not to train to defeat Sara's killer, but to train for herself. She also followed Felicity's advice not to follow in Sara's footsteps but "to be (her)self". 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 warrior, tactician in her own right effectively becoming a member of Team Arrow, even impressing and being accepted by Oliver.

Abilities

 * Expert hand-to-hand combatant: Laurel received extensive hand-to-hand combat training. This is because Quentin made her take self-defense classes. Becoming a vigilante, she later begun increasing her skills in boxing and combat via training under Ted Grant. This training allowed her to fight crime as Black Canary, however she still ends up getting injured, though she proves a match against common Red Scarfs. Recently, Laurel has shown being able to trade blows with Nyssa al Ghul. She nonetheless complimented Laurel's fighting skills and offers her further training like how Sara was trained. Laurel's fighting skills improved enough to hold her own against three street thugs and in Nanda Parbat holding her own against multiple League of Assassins members.
 * Expert lawyer/Detective: These help Laurel to use the system of the court to her knowledge. It also makes her look at every aspect before making up her mind, and to see the bright side of everyone. They also help her in her quest to find the truth about Sebastian Blood.
 * Skilled markswoman/Firearms: Laurel's father taught her how to use guns and Laurel is shown to possess several firearms. She uses the shotgun on Mr. Blank possibly to slow him down long enough for the Vigilante to rescue them. She later kills Officer Daily, which makes her a skilled markswoman.
 * Expert stick fighter: While starting to become a vigilante Laurel used a stick in her first fight. She later used the bo-staff of Sara, which she later replaced for a police baton. Through trial and error Laurel slowly became skilled in using a stick in combat. She was able to hold her own against two League of Assassins members and later defeat multiple League of Assassins members. However, her stick fighting skills pale in comparison to Sara's.
 * Network: Being the assistant district attorney and the daughter of a police captain, she has her own connections with the district attorney's office and the SCPD.

Equipment

 * Guns: Laurel is very proficient in using guns.
 * Black Canary suit: Laurel wears a black leather suit while fighting crime as Black Canary. The suit is a modified version of the one used by her late sister. She also wears the black mask and the blond wig to hide her identity from her enemies.
 * Nightstick: Laurel later used a nightstick like the one used by police officers. She is able to wield this weapon proficiently while fighting enemies including League of Assassins members.
 * Canary Cry: An updated 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 her role as Black Canary, Laurel took Sara's bo-staff to fight crime. The staff consists of a pair of expandable batons to fight. They are able to combine into a bo-staff. Laurel later abandoned this weapon in favor of a police nightstick.
 * Sonic device: Laurel used the sonic device of her late sister to stun two criminals and break their car windows. Laurel later abandoned this device when she asked Cisco to make her a modified version the sonic device.

Appearances
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Season 3
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Arrow

 * "Time's Arrow"
 * "Call to the Bar"
 * "Keep 'Em Coming"
 * "Lapse"

Arrow: Season 2.5

 * "Descent"
 * "Following"
 * "Awakenings"

Trivia

 * Being the daughter of a police detective, she learned how police badges were serialized.
 * Like on the show, Dinah Laurel Lance is Black Canary in the original comic. She possesses the meta-human ability of a super sonic scream, which she can deploy to shatter objects and incapacitate her opponent. This ability is called the "Canary Cry". This has not happened in the show yet, though Sara and later Laurel produced a mechanical version of it.
 * In, when Oliver and Laurel go alone to talk, Laurel mentions to Oliver that she wore fishnets to a Halloween party they attended together in 2005. This is a reference to Laurel's DC comic book alter-ego's costume, Black Canary.
 * Laurel is mentioned to be a bad cook, with the only thing she is actually capable of making is macaroni and cheese. This is a trait that her comic counterpart also shares.
 * Her sister, Sara, owned a pet canary when they were children, which references her DC comic book alter-ego's costume, Black Canary.