From Arrow’s beginning, Dinah Laurel Lance has been an instrumental character, though not always involved in the action. She was a kick ass lawyer for two seasons, fighting for justice in the only way she knew how, set on making criminals pay for their crimes. Laurel is a cop’s daughter and from the start, she had self-defense training and knew how to take care of herself. (Though all of that somehow disappeared as she became the Black Canary and all of her self-defense class training vanished and she was unable to throw a decent punch, but that’s a story for another time.) When she became the Black Canary, we saw Laurel more involved in the action. She lost faith in the justice system and took it into her own hands, much like Oliver did.
Below are my Top 10 Badass Laurel Lance Moments:
Her very first moment as the Black Canary. “I’m the justice you can’t run from.
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Saving Felicity, Thea and Diggle from Damien Darhk. Without her canary cry, they would’ve been gassed and all of them, including Oliver, would be dead
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Pouring the bottle of alcohol on Sara’s grave. She was faced with Sara’s death, her father had fallen off the wagon and wasn’t speaking to her. Above all, she had to deal with an anger inside of her that she couldn’t quench. She could’ve easily fallen off the wagon, too, but she poured out the bottle and started fresh and sought another way to save herself and the city.
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In Arrow 1×20, “Home Invasion,” Laurel risks her life by taking in a young witness until his extended family can come get him. But before that, a hitman shows to kill the boy, prompting Laurel to do everything she can to save him, including taking out a shotgun and showing off the talents her father taught her.
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The end of season one. Laurel’s actions resulted in Tommy’s death, but she had pure intentions. She was so brave to stay in the Glades, even with the threat of imminent death, and she just wanted to protect everyone in the only way she was able to.
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Using Oliver’s bow. When Slade attacked the city, Laurel and Oliver were trapped underground and separated. The only way out was for Laurel to shoot an explosive from Oliver’s bow.
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“New frequency, same cry.” When Darhk’s men figured out how to mute the Black Canary, Laurel was stunned by their technology. She had to find a new way to use her Canary Cry to save the day and stop the Ghosts.
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Almost ripping a man’s arm off, only taken down by being tazed in her apartment hallway.
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Taking on some of the League of Assassins in the season three finale, with minimal (shown) training from Nyssa al Ghul.
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Many people forget that Laurel Lance is also highly intelligent. When Slade gave away Oliver’s secret identity, Laurel took her time to connect the dots before accusing him. She worked it out and gathered evidence, like a lawyer, would do.
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Laurel Lance has kicked ass, worked her butt off and strained herself since day one to protect Star City and everyone in it. Becoming the Black Canary only furthered her reach into the justice system, but balancing that with being the District Attorney, Laurel can save the city from any angle. She fights both in the light and in the shadows to make her city safe and doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the sacrifices she makes.