‘Birds Of Prey’ To Feature Black Canary, Huntress, & The DCEU’s First Openly Gay Lead Character

At this point, will there be anything left for Warner Bros. and DC films to announce at San Diego Comic-Con?

After last week’s news that Joaquin Phoenix is, in fact, going to play the Joker in a new standalone film, with the actor confirming the news himself, and today’s latest on “Birds of Prey,” there doesn’t seem like there will be any surprises in store for the people camping outside of Hall H this weekend.

The Wrap is reporting that Margot Robbie’s “Birds of Prey” will have a pretty diverse cast of characters for the upcoming film. Joining Robbie’s Harley Quinn will be Dinah Laurel Lance, aka Black Canary, Helena Bertinelli, aka Huntress, Cassandra Cain, aka former Batgirl, and Renee Montoya, aka Gotham Detective.

Unless you’re a fan of the comic books, or perhaps the Arrowverse of CW, many of these names probably don’t mean much to you. Black Canary has been a mainstay among the comic book version of “Birds of Prey,” so her inclusion is least surprising. Huntress has been seen on CW and worked pretty well in that capacity, so it would be interesting to see how the film deals with her pseudo-Batman persona.

Cassandra Cain and Renee Montoya are the real surprises. Cain has a long history in the DC comic book universe, but mainly during her stint as Batgirl. She is a martial arts expert that was best known for being the mute Batgirl. It’ll be interesting if they make her character mute in the film, or if they massage her origins just a little to appeal to whatever actress they hire to take on her role.

Montoya is a fan-favorite among DC readers. She’s been a mainstay in the Bat-books, with appearances in just about every Gotham City-set comic book. She has no superpowers but has donned a mask as The Question, for a brief period. She is also an out lesbian, so as long as they keep that part of her character, DC could beat Marvel to the punch with having an openly gay lead character.

As mentioned before, Robbie has confirmed “Birds of Prey” will film in January. That means we should be hearing casting shortly. And if WB/DC has any news to share on that front, you can expect it at SDCC.