WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Young Justice: Phantoms, streaming now on HBO Max.
In the DC Universe, what makes Batman so powerful is the knowledge he possesses. Sure, he’s got gadgets and a brain that could outsmart the biggest geniuses in the cosmos, and knowledge is the ultimate currency to Bruce Wayne; ergo why he was eager to don the Mobius Chair in the books. This attitude has given him a leg up on the competition in the corporate world, but more so, as the Dark Knight, it’s allowed him to plan for many villains and even, fellow heroes in the Justice League across media. However, in Young Justice: Phantoms, a bombshell exchange confirmed, in this reality, Black Canary was way more powerful than Batman on this front.
It occurred in the closing credits of the midseason finale, “Kaerb Ym Traeh!,” where Black Canary was talking to the magical hero, Giovanni Zatara. As they sat in the Watchtower’s garden, she was in her Dinah Lance persona, counselling him after he gained freedom from the influence of Nabu. He had three weeks off duty before donning the Helmet of Fate again, so they conferred about grief and the time he spent away from Zatanna. It’s not easy for a dad to unplug from his daughter and then be shunted back into the real world, after all.
However, before the session started, Dinah admitted she too knew about the value of time — both lost and to come — when she mentioned the kids Klarion kidnapped. The Witch Boy stole their bus and took them all across space and time, which led to Zatanna and co. defeating the Child, sending Klarion back to space while Giovanni was free. However, it wasn’t a full victory because while the kids and driver went back to the time from when they were plucked, 10 years ago to be specific, she has been treating them ever since regarding what they endured.
Their experiences have shaken her to her core as they regaled her with wars on different worlds and the trauma they developed as a side-effect. Black Canary confessed these children “told me things, gave me foreknowledge, which I couldn’t possibly share…” — reaffirming she’s hurting too, otherwise she would have given Zatanna and other League members details on battling the Child.
Still, because Black Canary knows about future events, she may get desperate with her secrets if Green Arrow’s life is on the line, or other friends such as the Roy Harper clones and even the Justice League’s kids. The series never revealed the true depths of what these kids saw on Apokolips as well, and because Darkseid is gearing for one final assault, Dinah may need to break the rules and share insight for them all to survive.
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