Every Birds of Prey Roster, Ranked

The Birds of Prey are one of DC’s most notable teams, introduced in 1995 through the one-shot Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey. Since then, the original duo branched out into a fully-fledged team, recruiting various superheroes through the DCU.




While the team has had core members for years, they’ve also sported a rotating cast. This has led to various incarnations of the team appearing over the decades, usually with at least Barbara Gordon or Dinah Lance present— though sometimes, that may not even be the case. Regardless, the rotating cast of the Birds of Prey has led to many DC heroes gaining spotlights they otherwise would not have.


10 Urban Legends Had A Forgettable Roster

Lady Shiva, Katana, Ghost, & Miracle Molly

Birds of Prey header


Issues of Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Batman: Urban Legends

Che Grayson, Serg Acuña, Ivan Plascencia, & Josh Reed

April 2022 – June 2022

The 2021 Batman: Urban Legends series was one of DC’s most recent attempts at giving the Caped Crusader an anthology series, focusing on him and the denizens of Gotham as a whole. Urban Legends was a great way to tell stories about characters adjacent to Gotham in some fashion, especially ones that didn’t have solo series. Some tales from the title even lead into proper series, such as Sword of Azrael or Red Hood: The Hill.

This eventually led to a three-part story about a new Birds of Prey— potentially, a backdoor pilot issue that never really got off the ground. This new team was composed of Lady Shiva, Katana, Miracle Molly, and Ghost, all characters either vaguely related to the Birds of Prey or recently introduced to DC overall. As a result, the team was quickly forgotten after their debut, though it would be a nice surprise if any of them appeared in Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero’s current Birds of Prey.


9 The Movie’s Team Had Too Much Focus On Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, Huntress, & Cassandra Cain

Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

Cathy Yan & Christina Hodson,

February 2020

Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey

Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Paul Mounts, & John. J. Hill

February 2020 – February 2021

Birds of Prey Vol.4 #1

Brian Azzarello, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, John Kalisz, Trish Mulvihill, & Steve Wands

June 2020

While 2020’s Birds of Prey was an energetic and fun movie, fans of the iconic team were disappointed with the film’s interpretation of them. While it had classic members like Huntress and Black Canary, it now seemed to center on Harley Quinn as the group’s leader, completely forgoing any relevance Barbara Gordon ever had with the Birds of Prey.


Two teams inspired by the film would find their way into the comics around the time of its release– one was a miniseries done by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor that loosely adapted beats from the film, and the other was a one-shot written by Brian Azzarello that was plagued with production troubles behind the scenes. Both were fairly forgettable, causing the roster inspired by the film to find itself forgotten very quickly.

8 The New 52 Didn’t Know What It Wanted To Be

Black Canary, Katana, Poison Ivy, Starling, Batgirl, Strix, Condor, & Talon

Poison Ivy captures the Birds of Prey in vines (New 52)

Issues of Appearance Creators Dates of Release
Birds of Prey Vol.3 #1 – 34 Various September 2011 – August 2014

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The New 52 cut off a lot of books in their heyday, with Birds of Prey as a notable hit seemingly ending in its prime. It was revived very early on in the New 52 alongside dozens of other books, though its execution left a lot to be desired. The lack of two major members hampered the series: Barbara Gordon was Batgirl in her first-ever solo series— with the prospect of her being Oracle completely off the table— and Helena Bertinelli was absent from the new continuity, presumed dead— until the events of Grayson revealed her as a Spyral agent.

As a result, the team only had Black Canary available from its classic roster and a small handful of vaguely Gotham-centric characters to choose from, with the team’s initial roster consisting of Black Canary, Katana, Starling, and even Poison Ivy. While the roster would evolve– with the last three members leaving and replaced with Strix, Condor, Talon, and Batgirl herself– the New 52 era of the Birds of Prey never quite found its footing.


7 Rebirth Felt Tonally Jarring

Batgirl, Black Canary, & Huntress

Black Canary, Batgirl, and Huntress, AKA the Birds of Prey from DC Comics.

Issues of Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #1 – 22

Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, Rogê Antônio, Claire Roe, Allen Passalaqua, Deron Bennett, Steve Wands, Hi-Fi, Josh Reed, Breno Tamura, Marcelo Maiolo, Marcio Takara, Saida Temofonte, Dezi Sienty, Jordan Boyd, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson, Yanick Paquette, & Nathan Fairbairn

August 2016 – May 2018

After the incredibly inconsistent roster provided by the New 52, the Rebirth era’s Batgirl and the Birds of Prey seemed to be a glorious return to form for the team. The trio made iconic by Gail Simone of Huntress, Black Canary, and Barbara Gordon were at the forefront of a book once more– yet, the series itself was remarkably lacking.


Batgirl and the Birds of Prey may have brought back familiar characters, but how they were written came off as strange; often written as if they were teenage leads in a YA story rather than adult women. Fans were also disappointed with Barbara Gordon headlining the team as Batgirl rather than Oracle, with her previous moniker stolen and used haphazardly by a villain or two. The series may have been fun on a surface level, but the lack of substance for its leads made it a disappointing interpretation of a classic roster.

6 Brightest Day Was A Bright— Though Rushed— New Chapter

Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Hawk, Dove, Question, & Manhunter

birds of prey Cropped

Issues of Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Birds of Prey Vol.2 #1 – 15

Gail Simone, Ed Benes, Nei Ruffino, Steve Wands, Adriana Melo, J.P. Mayer, Alvin Lee, Jack Purcell, Marc Andreyko, Inaki Miranda, Billy Tucci, Travis Lanham, Carlos M. Mangual, Diego Olmos, & Stanley Lau

May 2010 – August 2011


At the end of the early 2000s, DC reorganized many Gotham-centric titles, shuffling around creative teams or canceling them entirely. Birds of Prey was one such series targeted by this, as the original ongoing was canceled. However, a little over a year later, it was revived under the Brightest Day label.

The 2010 series picked up almost immediately where the original ended, wasting no time throwing readers back into action— this time streamlining the team, though adding the duo Hawk and Dove as mainstays. With Simone back as a writer for the series, it was still as charming and fun as it once was— but something felt missing, as the series suffered from a hurried pace and lack of chemistry between some of its leads. The series and its roster would quickly end when the title was canceled in 2011 to make way for the New 52.


5 The Current Birds Of Prey Is At Its Peak

Black Canary, Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Barbara Gordon, Vixen, Zealot, Harley Quinn, Grace Choi, Onyx Adams, & Maps Mizoguchi

Issues of Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Birds of Prey Vol.5 #1 – 15 (Currently Ongoing)

Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Clayton Cowles, Jordie Bellaire, Arist Deyn, Gavin Guidry, Javier Pina, Robbi Rodriguez, David López, Jonathan Case, Sami Basri, & Adriano Lucas

September 2023 – November 2024 (Currently Ongoing)

The Birds of Prey was struggling for a while after the conclusion of the Rebirth series and their debut film, but Kelly Thompson brought the team back in full force with 2023’s Birds of Prey. A series with art as dynamic as its writing brought the team back to its roots while providing a new spin on its rosters and missions.


While it took an arc or two for the book to find a roster it was comfortable with, it’s doing a great job with its rotating cast of characters, all having top-tier chemistry with one another. The series has also been filled with reunions and reconciliations, notably between Black Canary and her adopted daughter Sin as well as Dinah and Barbara Gordon. The series is still firing on all cylinders with fun new characters cycling in and out, keeping readers invested in the team’s next mission.

4 Manhunt’s Team Served as the Prototype

Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress, & Catwoman

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Issues of Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Birds of Prey: Manhunt #1 – 4

Chuck Dixon, Matt Haley, Wade Von Grawbadger, Android Images, Gloria Vasquez, Phil Felix, John Lowe, & Sal Buscema

July 1996 – October 1996


Looking at how long the original Birds of Prey ongoing lasted for— a healthy 127 issues across ten years— it’d be surprising to learn that the concept originated through a series of one-shots and miniseries before it found its footing. One of the early miniseries in this lineup was Birds of Prey: Manhunt, in which various superheroines chased after a man named Archer Braun who had wronged each of them.

The book had the usual duo of Oracle and Black Canary but also introduced Huntress and Catwoman to the team. In hindsight, this move seems almost prophetic, as Huntress would become a staple of the team years later under a different writer. Regardless, while the series was only a mini, it was remarkably entertaining and paved the way for Birds of Prey to have a rotating cast of superheroes later. This roster was even homaged in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “The Mask of Matches Malone!”— though Oracle wasn’t present.


3 The Original Birds Of Prey Were A Duo

Oracle & Black Canary

Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey 1

Issue of Appearance

Creators

Date of Release

Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1, Birds of Prey Vol.1 #1 – 55

Chuck Dixon & Various

December 1995 – May 2003

Many more casual readers are familiar with the later Birds of Prey, which has at least three members. Still, only fans of the property would be familiar with Birds of Prey, which begins with simply two characters— Oracle and Black Canary. Since then, the two have been established as the team’s backbone, with many rosters featuring them in leading roles since its inception.


Birds of Prey was originally a series that leaned into espionage and more subtle operations, with Black Canary not even knowing who Oracle was behind her private communications. As a result, readers were shown a fascinating relationship between the two women trying to escape the fact they were both at their lowest points. Black Canary especially, as she had just lost her powers and survived the traumatic events of Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters. What would ensue was one of the most iconic friendships in DC Comics, as Barbara and Dinah had an unshakable bond.

2 One Year Later Introduced A Variety Of Characters

Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Misfit, Lady Shiva, Big Barda, Spy Smasher, and so many others

Birds of Prey cover

Issues of Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Birds of Prey Vol.1 #92 – 127

Gail Simone & Various

March 2006 – February 2009


While it seemed Simone had perfected the roster of the Birds of Prey in the first half of her run, things were only getting started when the DC: One Year Later initiative kicked into gear— where all DC titles jumped one year into the future after the events of Infinite Crisis, showing us how everyone in the universe had dealt with the fallout. One Year Later was a boon to the Birds of Prey line, as it allowed Simone to softly relaunch the idea of the team with a rotating roster.

The main draw of the One Year Later relaunch was Lady Shiva and Black Canary swapping roles to learn more about the other. This led readers to discover Shiva’s soft spots, and Canary took in the young girl Sin. Yet, the most impressive aspect of this era was how Simone could balance her primary roster with a rotating cast of superheroines, turning Birds of Prey into a delightful variety show.


1 Gail Simone’s Original Roster Was Classic

Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress, & Lady Blackhawk

Issues of Appearance

Creators

Dates of Release

Birds of Prey Vol.1 #56 – 91

Gail Simone & Various

June 2003 – February 2006

While Gail Simone didn’t create the Birds of Prey, she was responsible for its most iconic roster. Keeping Oracle and Black Canary as the series leads, she found room to include two interesting picks as primary leads for the series— Helena Bertinelli as the Huntress and Zinda Blake as Lady Blackhawk.


The four leads of Birds of Prey bounced off of each other phenomenally, Simone excelling at their chemistry and humor— but their inclusion also fit the original team’s premise, with Oracle recruiting women missing something in their lives to help them get things back on track. With Lady Blackhawk finding new purpose after discovering she was the last of her squadron and Huntress reducing her violent tendencies, Simone made the right picks for this iteration of the team.

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