Larry Lance

Larry Lance
Interior artwork fromBatman: Shadow of the Bat#36 (March, 1995 DC Comics). Art byBarry Kitson.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Flash Comics#92 (February 1948)
Created by	Robert Kanigher Carmine Infantino
In-story information
Alter ego	Lawrence Lance Kurt Lance (New 52) Quentin Lance (Arrowverse)
Team affiliations	(Larry) Star City PD (Kurt) Central Intelligence Agency
Notable aliases	(Larry) Detective Lance (Kurt) Agent Lance

Larry Lanceis aDC Comicscharacter, a detective associated with the various incarnations of thesuperheroineBlack Canary.His first appearance was inFlash Comics#92 (February 1948), created byCarmine InfantinoandRobert 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.

Following DC'sThe New 52reboot in 2011, Larry Lance was re-established asKurt Lance,and is now the husband of theDinah Drakeversion of Black Canary, having met when they worked together as members ofTeam 7.

A version of Larry Lance renamedQuentin Lanceappeared as a main character in the first six seasons ofThe CWshowArrowand a recurring character on the otherArrowverseshows, played byPaul Blackthorne.

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Earth-Two version

Lance with Black Canary. Art byCarmine Infantino.

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 betweenSteve TrevorandWonder WomanorMeraandAquaman.Larry and Dinah later married and had a daughter.

InJustice League of America#73 (August 1969), Larry plays a larger role as he tends toStarmanafter the hero is wounded in a battle with a cosmic powered villain calledAquarius.After a universe spanning battle inJustice 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 fromEarth-TwotoEarth-Onewith the former universe reminding her too much of her lost husband.

Earth-One version

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,The Collector.He takes care of difficult situations; his reputation rides on being able to provide a tidy profit for all concerned in the end. He manipulated Black Canary, and died while trying to assassinate Batman at the horse races.

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. inBirds of Prey#66 (June 2004) it is revealed that Larry befriendedJim Gordonin 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 theFalconesandBertinellis.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.

The New 52/Kurt Lance

Kurt Lance as a member of Team 7.

In September 2011,The New 52rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, the Dinah Drake Black Canary is re-established as a singular heroine and is supposedly on the run from the law for the murder of her husband, Kurt Lance.Later, a member ofAmanda Waller's task force known asTeam 7is revealed to be Kurt Lance, alive and well, working deep undercover.When the events before his "death" are detailed, it is revealed that Dinah Drake had also been part of Team 7, where she and Lance met and later secretly married.

In other media

Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance inArrow.

In the television seriesArrow,Quentin Lanceis portrayed byPaul Blackthorne.He is the father ofLaurel(Katie Cassidy) andSara Lance(Caity Lotz), and the ex-husband of ProfessorDinah Lance(Alex Kingston). Blackthorne also reprises his role in the spin-off seriesThe Flashin the episode "Who Is Harrison Wells?"andLegends of Tomorrowin the episodes "Last Refuge"and"Legendary".Quentin is killed off in theseason sixfinale after being shot byRicardo Diazand dying in the hospital with Earth-2 Laurel and Sara present. In season eight,MonitorandLylause a mental deja vu on Oliver to prove that he can't save everyone when it comes to the different deaths of Quentin. After the formation of Earth-Prime following theCrisis on Infinite Earths,Quentin is alive and operating as mayor. While allowing Rene to succeed him, he does talk to Earth-2's Laurel about how his Laurel couldn't be brought back. Quentin later presides over Oliver's funeral.

During the "Crisis on Earth-X"crossover event, Blackthorne portrays aSturmbannführerversion of Quentin from Earth-X. He also killed his version of Sara after discovering that she was bisexual which he mentions to Earth-1's Sara. Before Sturmbannführer Lance could execute the Earth-1 characters andRay,they are rescued by Citizen Cold. A season four episode ofThe Flashreveals that he is the father of Earth-X's version of Laurel who operates as Siren-X.