DC vs. Marvel – Black Canary vs. Black Widow

DC VS. Marvel: Black Canary vs Black Widow

Background: 

Dinah Lance’s (Black Canary) mother was the original Black Canary and her father was a police officer. During her time as a vigilante Dinah was captured and tortured by drug dealers. She worked extensively with other heroes in various groups. She eventually married Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), but their relationship doesn’t last forever. In the DC reboot, Dinah is the founding member of the Birds of Prey but is also on the run from the law.

Natalia Romanova (Black Widow) trained as an athlete, scholar, and ballerina in the USSR and was eventually drafted into the KGB. After quite a bit of spy work against The Avengers with her love interest Hawkeye and some brainwashing she was later able to regain control and recruited into The Avengers. She continued to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury on special missions, worked solo missions and sometimes pairing up with boyfriend Daredevil. While both heroines have complicated back stories, Natalia’s extensive spy history and more interesting plotlines gives her the edge over Dinah.

Point: Black Widow

Skills:  

Dinah is an expert martial artist, tactician, and strategist. She is also an acrobat, detective and an expert motorcyclist. Black Canary trained under Wildcat, who is formerly the Heavyweight Champion of the World, in the art of Boxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Krav Maga, and Hapkaido, as well as multiple other fighting styles. Dinah is also a meta-human and possesses the powerful “canary cry” a sonic attack that can stun, shatter and even mimic other sounds.

Natalia is considered to be one of the world’s most sought-after spies, and with good reason. Like Dinah she is a master at all types of martial arts and an expert acrobat with Olympic athletic and ballet training. She is also known to be an expert marksman, tactician, computer hacker, and seductress. At one point, Natalia was given a serum that keeps her in peak physical condition. Both women are the best of the best but Dinah’s metahuman canary cry puts her one step ahead of Natalia.

Point: Black Canary

Affiliations:

Dinah became a member of The Justice League soon after her debut as the Black Canary. It was through the JLA that she met her future husband Oliver Queen (Green Arrow). Dinah left the JLA after her mother died. She later became a founding member of the new Justice League International. Dinah also co-formed the Birds of Prey with Oracle, and is the leader of it still in the DC reboot.

Natalia started out with the KGB and later switched sides, joining the Avengers. She went back and forth on various teams including The Secret Avengers, Thunderbolts, the Mighty Avengers and the Lady Liberators. Although Natalia has a long and complicated affiliation history, it is Dinah’s loyalty and main roles in the JLA and BOP that earn her the point for this category.

Point: Black Canary

Apparel/Weapons:

Black Canary’s classic uniform is a black one-piece and fishnets. In the DC reboot, her uniform is a bit more professional looking, but still slightly ridiculous. She drives a motorcycle and carries various martial arts weapons. When she was missing her canary cry she had a “canary cry bomb” that she carried to mimic it. She used to wear a blonde wig to hide her identity but has taken to dying her hair blonde all the time.

The Black Widow wears a synthetic body suit that protects her from weapons and the weather alike. It also has microscopic suction cups that allow her to climb up walls. She uses the “widow’s line” to swing alone rooftops with its grappling hook and retractable line. She also has access to various S.H.I.E.L.D. aircrafts. Natalia has multiple weapons stored in her wrist cartridges and the device “widow’s bite” which can emit electric shocks. Black Canary’s costume is clearly made to make men droll while Black Widow is equipped with everything a spy could need, which is why she wins this round.

Point: Black Widow

Social Relevance:

The Black Canary hasn’t had too much memorable on-screen exposure. She shows up in the animated Justice League series and was a guest star on the long-running Smallville. Her main role was in the short-lived television series Birds of Prey, but the teenage Dinah was so far from canon it barely counts.

The Black Widow, on the other hand, is fast becoming a household name. She made appearances in the animated The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Iron Man Armored Adventured television shows. But with Iron Man 2’s release in 2010, the Widow spiked in popularity. With the release of the highly anticipated Avengers, no one will be able to forget her name. The movie shows Natalia as a kick-ass female who holds her own in an all-male team. With the extra big-screen push, the black widow steps ahead of Black Canary once again.

Dinah Lance is one of the toughest females in the DC universe. She’s beautiful, brave, bold, and dedicated to fighting evil. Black Canary is known for her canary cry, martial arts ability, and multiple team memberships. But most of all, Dinah is known as being the second half in the Black Canary-Green Arrow romance. Black Widow, on the other hand, is known for being an individual instead of one half of a team. She is the perfect example of independent woman, moving around at her own will and always in control of every situation. She even led the Avengers at some point, proving that not only men can be in charge of other men. She managed to maintain relationships without be stuck in the “girlfriend” role. The Black Widow is the epitome of the bad-ass female and for that; she wins this battle of DC vs Marvel.

Point: Black Widow

WINNER: Black Widow!