Black Canary will soon return in live-action, with the iconic Blonde Bombshell receiving a movie on HBO Max. This project marks her DCEU return following Birds of Prey and, at least according to writer Misha Green, will also see the debut of the DCEU's Green Arrow. This will have the two heroes fighting alongside each other like in the comic books and the Arrowverse, but it has the chance to be much closer to the former than the latter.
Though it's so far been Black Canary's biggest role outside of the comics, the Arrowverse made several somewhat controversial decisions with the character. And by sticking closer to the DC Comics source material and embracing legacy, the DCEU Black Canary can be better than her Arrowverse counterpart.
Keep Black Canary's Legacy Simple
The Arrowverse was notorious for making the Black Canary mantle a confusing affair, taking the idea of its legacy and making it confounding beyond recognition. In this universe, neither Dinah Laurel Lance nor her mother, Dinah Drake Lance, were the first Black Canary. Instead, the legacy was started by Laurel's sister Sara, an original character. Their mother had nothing to do with the legacy, though Laurel was still the second Black Canary. After her death, she would be succeeded by an unrelated woman named Dinah Drake, who had the classic Canary Cry powers.
This was all to accommodate some of the more questionable choices in the Arrowverse's writing, and erring closer to the comics would be for the best. Dinah's mother was mentioned as being something of a hero in her own right in Birds of Prey, so using this as the source of the Black Canary legacy would be the best course of action.
Embrace the JSA
Black Canary has been associated with the Justice Society of America since the Golden Age, with the original Black Canary being one of the team's most iconic members. In the present day, Dinah Laurel Lance is a member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society, continuing her mother's heritage while forging close friendships with newer heroes. The Arrowverse elected to ignore that part of Black Canary's history, and while it wasn't to the detriment of the character, the DCEU has a chance to make up for the lost time.
The Justice Society will be debuting in the DCEU soon in the Black Adam film, and it would be perfect to have some of their modern-day proteges and members show up in some capacity in the Black Canary movie. It would also help to rectify one of the biggest issues with the DCEU's Justice League, which many felt didn't have the setup it required.
Make Green Arrow/Black Canary a Thing
Ironically, despite being one of the most iconic couples in both DC Comics and superhero comics in general, none of the live-action Green Arrow/Black Canary incarnations have really had such a romance. This was especially true of the Arrowverse, which controversially paired Oliver Queen with a mostly original take on incredibly minor character, Felicity Smoak.
The Black Canary movie, even if it only briefly features the Emerald Archer, should clearly establish that he and Dinah are going to be a thing. Making their attraction to each other immediate, such as on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon, would go a long way to achieving this goal in a short amount of time.
Don't Forget the Birds of Prey
Perhaps the most forgotten entry in the DCEU is the Birds of Prey movie, which adapted the team that Black Canary is most associated with outside of the JSA/JLA. Despite this name, it was honestly more of a vehicle for Harley Quinn, who usually has no relation to the Birds of Prey whatsoever. Still, the Black Canary movie shouldn't ignore this film and should use it to build up some of its relationships.
Having Dinah talk to and slowly get closer to Helena Bertinelli would be instrumental to developing her supporting cast. Black Canary and Huntress are close friends in the comics, and it was a shame that the Arrowverse only had them interacting for one episode. This was to fight each other, no less, with Sara Lance serving as that version of Black Canary.
Put Green Arrow and Black Canary On Equal Footing
If Green Arrow has a large role in the movie or in sequels, neither member of the romantic superhero duo should be made to look bad. Green Arrow and Black Canary have to be on equal footing in some capacity, making them different from romances such as Superman/Lois Lane or Wonder Woman/Steve Trevor. Part of what makes their relationship so iconic is that they're both heroes, meaning that they understand each other more than others do. Likewise, they're already heroes before knowing each other and weren't inspired by the other's actions.
This wasn't the case for the Arrowverse, where Laurel was initially a completely untrained civilian who was inspired by her sister and Oliver's actions as vigilantes. Perhaps the most egregious sin was that Green Arrow was a much better fighter than pretty much any of the show's Canaries. Green Arrow should excel at marksmanship, while Black Canary should be one of the DC Universe's premier martial artists, giving them different strengths. If the movie can pull off this dynamic, it'll be on the right path to being a worthy adaptation of the iconic character.