During a brief one-on-one fight, one notable DC hero proved they can pretty handily take care of Deathstroke despite his strength and skill.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the story “Happy Anniversary” from the Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 by Vita Ayala, Laura Braga, Adriano Lucas, and Becca Carey, on sale now
Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, has been considered one of the most dangerous men in the DC Universe. As a deadly mercenary capable of holding his own against the likes of Batman, Deathstroke knows few equals in sheer combat prowess, even when he’s not really trying.
However, Slade just got a harsh reminder from one of DC’s heroes, as Black Canary makes quick work of the villain when the pair crossed paths in the Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular.
“Happy Anniversary” focuses on Green Arrow and Black Canary’s anniversary, with the superhero couple falling into their typical bickering. As Oliver leaves to get some supplies for dinner that he’d forgotten, he leaves a message for Black Canary telling her to join him outside — where she sees him captured by a mysterious figure and thrown into a van. Thinking it’s all just part of an act, Black Canary dons her costume and assumes that Oliver has staged a kidnapping for the event. But upon following him, she discovers it’s actually Deathstroke who’s kidnapped Ollie as part of an assignment to keep the hero from noticing a crime happening across town — and that Green Arrow’s actual present to her was tickets to a martial arts film retrospective she’s been hinting at for weeks.
Black Canary is forced to go one-on-one with Deathstroke while Green Arrow is tied up, with the villain drawing his swords to engage her in combat. Although Deathstroke manages to land a handful of hits against her, Black Canary is able to push through them just fine and respond in kind with her own blows. Coupled with her sonic scream, Black Canary handles Deathstroke, sending him flying and giving her plenty of time to free Green Arrow. Together, they defeat the mercenary and tie him up, slipping a tracker on the villain so they can follow him after he escapes and heads back to his criminal conspirators.
Even though they formally beat Deathstroke together, “Happy Anniversary” is still a nice reminder of just how formidable Black Canary really is. With her sonic scream, she can handle almost anyone she confronts. But beyond even that, her combat skills — picked up over years of intense training — are among the best in the DC Universe. In a genuine throw down, it appears that Black Canary has the edge over someone even as dangerous as Deathstroke. And considering he’s taken down entire teams before all on his own, it’s a good reminder of just how unstoppable Black Canary can be when she needs to be.
Her portrayal in other media — particularly Juliana Harkavy’s role as Dinah Drake in the Arrowverse and Jurnee Smollett as Dinah Lance in the DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey — also features Black Canary with plenty of combat skills, but there’s nothing that can compare to the physical prowess of the core-DC Universe Black Canary, who remains one of that world’s best brawlers.
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