The Birds of Prey are a team of superheroes residing within the DC Universe. While not many people know about them, they are still one of the more important teams within the comics, and have a roster featuring some fairly big characters. However, the team is starting to get some recognition, thanks to the upcoming, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) movie. The film looks to be a dark and gritty approach to the characters, which certainly fits some of their personalities. There is also a suspected high amount of violence within the film, leading audiences to believe that some characters will be a bit more true to their violent nature. To look into some of the more brutal characters from the team, here is our list of the 10 deadliest members of the Birds of Prey.
10 Lady Blackhawk
Lady Blackhawk was a key member of the Birds of Prey before the title relaunched for the New 52. As a time-displaced member of the original Blackhawks, Lady Blackhawk has all sorts of skills, without having any superpowers of her own. In training with the other Blackhawks, she has become an expert pilot. Furthermore, she is a highly experienced hand-to-hand combatant. Throughout her time with the team, Lady Blackhawk proved to be an incredibly valuable, deadly member of the Birds of Prey.
9 Katana
At the moment, Katana is most recognized as a member of the Suicide Squad. Though she isn’t like the other members of the Squad, Katana’s unique skills and training still make her incredibly valuable, as well as one of the deadliest members. Using Soultaker, a sword with her former husband’s soul trapped inside, Katana has also proven herself to be one of the deadliest assassins in all of DC. Therefore, it makes sense that her skills would continue to be valuable for another team. Though not a common member of the team, Katana still accomplished a lot while in the Birds of Prey. Anyone who knows what she is capable of with the Suicide Squad should easily understand how she can be just as deadly for the Birds of Prey as well.
8 Barbara Gordon
As Batgirl, Barbara Gordon was easily one of the more experienced members of the team. However, she only served as Batgirl on the Birds of Prey following the launch of the New 52. Beforehand, Barbara served as Oracle, one of the most brilliant computer hackers in the DC Universe. While Barbara’s time as Oracle didn’t exactly make her deadly, she was still one of the most important members of the team. As Batgirl though, Barbara is still an incredibly experienced fighter. Her training with Batman has made her a very skilled combatant, and she's usually only held back by her own moral code. However, factoring her time as Oracle into consideration, Barbara lands a little lower than she potentially should be.
7 Catwoman
Catwoman has always been a bit morally ambiguous. Because of this, she has often gone from friend to foe and back again. In one of her brighter moments, she has even teamed up with the Birds of Prey from time to time. Typically, Catwoman is only a part of the team when it suits her needs. However, she has done a lot of good alongside the other members, and has even been offered a place on the team as well. Though not a typical member, Catwoman is easily one of the deadlier Birds of Prey. Her time in Gotham has also made her one of the team’s more ruthless members, making her position on this list a no-brainer.
6 Hawk
Hawk and Dove have both served as members of the Birds of Prey. Hawk, however, is far more brutal than Dove. Together, the two actually complement each other rather nicely. Individually though, Hawk can get very violent, very quickly. This makes sense, especially considering how Hawk is the living embodiment of war. With Dove at his side, Hawk can be much more tame in combat. Without her though, he is easily one of the deadliest fighters on the entire team.
5 Harley Quinn
At the moment, Harley Quinn has yet to be an official member of the team. However, with the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, as well as the upcoming relaunch of the comic, it is safe to assume that Harley will come to have a major role on the Birds of Prey going forward. With that in mind, Harley has an incredibly dark and violent past thanks to her romantic involvement with the Joker. Though she has done a lot to distance herself from her beloved Mr. J in recent years, Harley is still prone to violence. Between that and her unpredictable behavior, Harley is easily (going to be) one of the deadlier members of the Birds of Prey.
4 Cassandra Cain
Cassandra Cain is the daughter of Lady Shiva and David Cain, two of the deadliest assassins in the DC Universe. Since her birth, her father has taken especially drastic measures to ensure that she is one of the best killers on the planet. Yet, after everything her father has put her through, Cassandra found a way out of the darkness and even served as Batgirl for a time. At the moment, she goes by Orphan instead, but remains one of the most skilled combatants in the universe. Batman himself has even noted that he would have a hard time going up against her, making Cassandra’s deadliness is likely only limited by her experience and younger age.
3 Huntress
There have been several different people to call themselves Huntress over the years. However, the most common version of the character is Helena Bertinelli. As the daughter of one of Gotham’s most notorious crime bosses, Helena learned about brutality at a very young age. After she started dealing out her own brand of justice, she quickly became one of the most feared individuals in Gotham. When she joined the Birds of Prey, she had to tone down some of her methods so they didn’t interfere with the morals of other members. Yet, with years of independent experience still under her belt, Huntress has proven time and again just how brutal she can be.
2 Black Canary
Even without her superpower, Black Canary is one of the deadliest members of the Birds of Prey. After receiving training from some of the best fighters in DC, Black Canary also established herself as one of the greats. If all goes well, she rarely even has to use her supersonic canary cry in combat. Black Canary’s cry is so powerful that she can incapacitate virtually anyone within moments. Furthermore, she can also knock down walls or cause other damage, just by using her voice. Considering everything Black Canary can do, it is obvious why she ranks so high on this list.
1 Poison Ivy
Dr. Pamela Isely was not a member of the Birds of Prey for very long. In fact, she barely made it to the second arc of the team’s title after the New 52 relaunched. However, despite her tensions with other members of the team, she was still an official member of the Birds of Prey. Likewise, she is easily one of the most powerful members to ever serve on the team. Thanks to her unique connection to The Green, Poison Ivy is able to control and manipulate all sorts of plant life. In her time as a villain, she has demonstrated incredibly powerful feats, making her one of Batman’s toughest adversaries. Furthermore, her expert knowledge of chemistry has made her even more of a threat. While she is not typically known as a member of the Birds of Prey, Poison Ivy is easily the deadliest member to have ever served on the team.