The return of Katie Cassidy’s Laurel Lance wasn’t what Team Arrow hoped for. On Wednesday’s mid season premiere of Arrow, “Who Are You?”, the former Black Canary “returned” from the grave only to reveal herself as Black Siren, an Earth-2 doppelganger who appeared last season on The Flash. But in the closing moments of the episode, another new Canary appeared, leading everyone to wonder just what her story was.
At a bar in Hub City (home of the faceless superhero called “The Question”), a new badass in leather makes quick work of some bikers, using her own version of the Canary Cry. Her name is Tina Boland (Julia Harkavy), and she’s been described as an ex-Central City detective who “is brash yet tactful, tough, speaks her mind, and is not the easiest person to impress.” She also takes issue with vigilantes, which will put her at odds with the Green Arrow and his merry band of crimefighters.
Tina is a new character created for the show, although executive producer Wendy Mericle teases] she is “very much connected” to the comics.
“She’s like Oliver, has lost somebody and is hellbent for revenge,” said Mericle in a recent interview with CBR. “She is an amazing fighter. She has a lot of skills, and she’s very much a peer of Oliver, so they have an instant connection since they’ve both been through a version of hell. It’s ultimately him that’s going to show her a different way to do this, a different way to get revenge than just killing people.”
It’s very plausible, given her access to the Canary Cry, that Tina will become the new Black Canary after whatever pushback and tension has to happen in a TV drama. But with Mericle confirming that there is a connection to someone, it’s anybody’s guess as to whom at this moment. But, feel free to rule out the guest character Harkavy played on Constantine, since that show was only retroactively set in the Arrowverse after being canceled.
Arrow airs Wednesdays on the CW.
