Larry Lance

Larry Lance is a DC Comics character, associated with the superheroine Black Canary, a detective who was a love interest and later husband to Black Canary. His first appearance was in Flash Comics #92 (February 1948), created by Carmine Infantino and Robert Kanigher. When the Black Canary was reimagined in the mid-1980s as two characters—a mother and daughter—Larry became the husband to the elder Black Canary and father to the younger superheroine. Paul Blackthorne portrays a version of the character, named Quentin Larry Lance, in the television series Arrow.

Following DC's The New 52 reboot in 2011, Larry Lance was disgarded from continuity, replaced by Kurt Lance, a husband, fellow metahuman and Team 7 teammate of Black Canary in her revised origin story.

Fictional character biography

Larry Lance

Larry Lance's original appearances pertained to being a civilian love interest for Dinah Drake (Black Canary's alter ego), a male "damsel in distress", and occasionally as a crime fighting partner and capable detective to Black Canary; a dynamic of equality similar to the relationships between Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman or Mera and Aquaman. Larry and Dinah later married and had a daughter.^[1]

In Justice League of America #73 (August 1969), Larry plays a larger role as he tends to Starman after the hero is wounded in a battle with a cosmic powered villain called Aquarius. After a universe spanning battle in Justice League of America #74 Larry sacrifices himself to save his wife from a blast of cosmic energy directed at her by Aquarius. After his funeral Black Canary decides to migrate from Earth-Two to Earth-One with the former universe reminding her too much of her lost husband.^[2]

Black Canary, feeling lonely, tries to strike up a romance with the Larry of Earth-One. However, he turns out to be a fixer for the Gotham mob. He takes care of difficult situations; his reputation rides on being able to provide a tidy profit for all concerned in the end. He died while trying to assassinate Batman at the horse races.^[3]

Post Crisis

The post-Crisis version of Larry Lance remains largely unchanged, with minor alterations such as now being the husband to the first Black Canary and father to the second. in Birds of Prey #66 (June 2004) it is revealed that Larry befriended Jim Gordon in the past, while working together on the Gotham police force. They were both growing concerned over the influence of Mafia figures on Gotham society, such as the Falcones and Bertinellis. This conversation happened at a society event which was interrupted by a serial killer later dubbed 'The Blonde Slasher', who left a victim for Larry and his wife to find. Many years later, Larry's daughter caught the man. It was the great-grandfather of Lian Harper, the unrelated child Larry's daughter was raising.^[4]

Kurt Lance as a member of Team 7.

The New 52/Kurt Lance

Following DC's 2011 relaunch, Larry does not appear and is not alluded to, but in the new continuity, Black Canary is once again a singular heroine and is established as on the run from the law for the murder^[5] of her husband, Kurt Lance. Meanwhile in Teen Titans #8 (June 2012) a member of Amanda Waller's task force known as Team 7 is revealed to be Kurt Lance, alive and well, working deep undercover.^[6] Starting in Team 7 #1 (November 2012) the events before his "death" are detailed, working as a government operative for Team 7 alongside Steve Trevor, Deathstroke, and the Black Canary (then going by her maiden name, Dinah Drake).^[7]

Other media

Arrow

Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance in Arrow.

Detective Quentin Larry Lance appears in the television series Arrow, portrayed by Paul Blackthorne as a police detective who is determined to hunt down the main character, the Arrow, for his vigilante activities, and had (correctly) suspected that Oliver Queen is the outlaw. Quentin is also the father of Laurel and Sara Lance, and the ex-husband of Professor Dinah Lance. His youngest daughter, Sara, was presumed dead, which resulting the disintegration of his relationships with his family along his alcoholism, and blames Arrow's alter-ego, Oliver Queen, for the incident as she was with him when his family yacht sank. Towards the end of Season 1, Lance realizes that Arrow is truly trying to help Starling City in additions the corruption within his own department, and reluctantly starts working with him. His increasing cooperation with the vigilante results in his demotion from detective to beat cop at the end of Season 1. In Season 2, he continues to seek assistance from Arrow when he needs it. Sara eventually reappears as another vigilante, under the alias of "The Canary," working closely with Arrow, thus knowing his daughter is alive allows him to make peace with Queen, and involved with Arrow of helping Sara winning her freedom from the League of Assassins before informing his family of his discovery. In "Streets of Fire" Quentin is re-promoted back to detective but in "Unthinkable" he falls unconscious and bleeds out from injuries sustained earlier in the episode. Season 3 saw Lance survive his injuries and be promoted as police captain, however his health deteriorates and requires to take constant medications to keep it under control. Despite his promotion, Lance dissatisfies his new position and still tries to apprehend criminals himself, regardless of risking his health. During the season Laurel struggles to inform her father that Sara has been killed, worried the truth will cause him to suffer more health problems. She resolves to tell him once Sara's killer is caught. Lance becomes suspicious when Sara makes no attempt to contact him, and correctly deduces that Laurel is the new Black Canary seen on television. She then informs him of Sara's death, which leaves him suffering through grief and anger that he turns towards the Arrow, who knew of Sara's death and did not tell him. Ra's Al Ghul reveals Oliver's identity to him, and he starts a manhunt. He blames all the problems of the city and his family on Oliver. Roy Harper is able to clear Oliver's name, but Quentin is still trying to prove Oliver's the vigilante. ^[8][9]

The Flash

Quentin guest stars in an episode of The Flash. He helps Joe West and Cisco Ramon investigate the crash site of of Tess Morgan and discovers the corpse of Harrison Wells. Joe advises Quentin against telling anyone about this to prevent danger from coming onto anyone. Joe also gives Quentin advice regarding his distant relationship to Laurel.

References