Birds Of Prey Movie Characters Revealed, Including Unknown Batman Villain

Update: The Birds of Prey reviews are already rolling in. Critics like it and our own Birds of Prey review rated it exceptionally well, calling it a "neon-soaked delight" and praising it for its "top-tier action."

Original story follows...

Comic book vigilantes Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and Renee Montoya are reportedly joining Harley Quinn's girl gang in the upcoming Birds of Prey movie. According to TheWrap, the film is centered on a revolving group of female heroes fighting against several villains, including an unknown character from Batman's rogue gallery. The only clue we have as to their identity is that they haven't been in a movie before.

In the comics, the Birds of Prey have taken on many forms. The most well-known iteration of the group is led by both Dinah Lance, aka the Black Canary, and Barbara Gordon, aka Oracle. In almost every variation of the Birds of Prey, the group is composed entirely of female heroes, vigilantes, or redeemed villains. They typically take on secretive spec ops missions that the flashy Justice League can't, but also have a working relationship with Batman and all of his immediate allies, like Nightwing and Red Robin. Just as the Birds of Prey group has evolved and changed over time, so have the four characters confirmed to feature in the film.

Black Canary is a metahuman with a supersonic scream. She also happens to be one of the best martial artists in DC Comics, holding her own against the likes of Bronze Tiger, Deathstroke, and even Batman. Although her activities as leader of the Birds of Prey have her teaming up with Batman a lot, in the comics Dinah is usually associated with and married to Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, and is an adoptive mother figure to Arrow's sidekicks, Arsenal and Speedy. Helena Bertinelli, aka Huntress, is a masked vigilante who uses a crossbow. She used to be a member of the Justice League, but was kicked out after Batman had to forcibly stop her from killing a criminal.

Like Canary, Cassandra Cain is a formidable martial artist. Growing up, Cassandra was kept completely isolated in a dark room and only interacted with her master who taught her how to fight. She never learned to speak but can immediately discern someone's attack from the smallest movement. After showing an unwillingness to kill, Cassandra was abandoned by her master, and in certain continuities she's eventually taken in by Oracle and trained as the next Batgirl. Renee Montoya is best known as one of DC Comics' most prominent openly lesbian characters. She's a detective who recently became a masked crimefighter after adopting the Question persona.

Birds of Prey is set to be directed by Cathy Yan, which would make her the third female filmmaker to join the DC Cinematic Universe and first Asian woman to ever direct a DC Comics film. The script for Birds of Prey is being written by Christina Hodson, who is also writing the script for Batgirl and did write the story behind the upcoming Bumblebee. Though it hasn't been confirmed whether Barbara Gordon will be in Birds of Prey, Cassandra Cain's inclusion in the film could hint that Barbara meets an unfortunate fate at the end of Batgirl.