DC’s Newest Legacy Character May Be Its Best Ever

Warning: Mild spoilers for Dark Crisis: Dark Army #1!DC Comics has more than its fair share of legacy heroes, and whether they be former Robins, Superboys, or Kid Flashes they are often called upon to bear the weight of historic mantles. However, DC’s newest character to take on a heroic legacy may be one of its best in a long time.

In simple terms a legacy hero is someone who takes on the mask, cape, and heroic identity of an already established hero. This comes with a lot of benefits, as a legacy hero does not have to establish a reputation for themselves, and can often rely on the name and resources of the elder character they took over for. Yet, this also comes with a lot of responsibility and pressure, as a relatively young and untested hero is expected to live up to the name and the costume they have chosen. Most legacy heroes have an explicit and established connection to the hero they soon become, the most common being a former sidekick, like Wally West or Dick Grayson. Another common connection is a family member, such as Jon Kent and Damian Wayne. It is often assumed that the new hero taking on the legacy’s mantle has been trained and prepared for the role, however, there are exceptions.

Related: Batman Beyond Fixes the Biggest Problem With DC’s Legacy Heroes

In Dark Crisis: Dark Army #1 by Delilah S. Dawson, Dennis Culver, and Mark Waid, readers are introduced to Red Canary, DC’s newest legacy hero. This relatively unknown character is following in the footsteps of Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, who herself took on the mantle of her mother, the original Black Canary. Not much has been revealed about Red Canary yet, as she is still a brand-new hero in the landscape of the Dark Crisis event and DC Comics, but she claims that unlike other legacies she has no formal connection to Black Canary other than admiring her ability to help others. With the world in shambles and Dinah dead, Red Canary claims she just wants to do something to help and honor her hero.

Damian Wayne vs. Red Canary

This is a great and refreshing origin story for a superhero, especially in the work of Dark Crisis where most of the Justice League has been killed. At its heart superhero comic books are about people doing their best for those around them, and that is exactly what Red Canary is claiming to be doing. She has no years of intense training, or time spent working as an apprentice hero. She’s no one’s daughter or sister or girlfriend, she is just a fan girl who sees a world going wrong and wants to help. This also makes Red Canary the perfect contrast with Damian Wayne, who was literally “born for this,” as he states in the issue.

The son of Bruce Wayne and grandson of Ra’s al Ghul, he spent his entire childhood fighting and training as heir to the throne of the League of Assassins. He then spent his next formative years working with his father as Robin, learning the ins and outs of superheroics, and spending time with teams like the Teen Titans and the Justice League. Damian has spent literally his whole life preparing to be a superhero and is a blood relation to one of DC’s Trinity, Batman. The son of Bruce Wayne is a great character, but sometimes it seems that being a superhero is as much about who you know as it is about your desire to help, and although there is a hint given at the end of the issue about a possible connection to Green Arrow, Red Canary still seems to be bucking that trend.

This newest legacy hero has currently hitched a ride along with Damian to an alternate dimension in order to save the world, putting the two in direct conflict over their ideals and understanding of what it means to be a hero. By placing Damian and Red Canary together in Dark Crisis, DC Comics is giving readers a fun dynamic, and an acknowledgment that the world needs both well-trained veteran heroes and well-intentioned newcomers to succeed.

Next: Dark Crisis Finally Reveals the Fate of DC’s ORIGINAL Green Arrow

Dark Crisis: Dark Army #1 is on sale now from DC Comics.