We'll Meet 'Arrow's New Black Canary Soon Enough

Amidst that other picture that was trying to "break the internet," the first released photos of Arrow 's Laurel Lance as Black Canary certainly shook the interwebs, too. I mean, this has been a long time coming. Her transformation has slowly been happening since day one on the show, as we've always known that one day Laurel would suit up in the black costume, slap a mask on her face, and head off to help Oliver fight those who have failed his city. It was always going to happen, we just never knew when. Now, with pictures of the Black Canary in heavy rotation on the internet, it looks like it's finally happening. But, when will we see Black Canary for the first time on Arrow ?

Laurel was noticeably absent from the last Arrow episode. It probably wasn't even something that crossed many fans minds, because we were busy obsessing over the growing Oliver-Felicity-Ray love triangle, which is enough to keep is busy for a while. But by episode's end, it struck me that there wasn't even a passing mention of Laurel. Even though she wasn't discussed, we all know what she was up to, anyway. Or, what she's soon going to be up to.

We all know that Laurel was off — secretly, and much to Oliver's dislike — training with Wildcat, obviously. Her and her crime-fighting leather jacket are getting tough and buff so she can keep up with the Arrow as he defends the city. This is all still a direct reaction to Sarah's murder, that clearly Laurel hasn't accepted yet. She might never truly accept it, but at training to become a masked vigilante herself makes her feel like she's being proactive about the situation. Besides, with the name Laurel Lance, she was always destined for greatness. Even though Arrow is preparing for its epic Flash crossover, Laurel won't show up for long in the two-night event. As executive producer Marc Guggenheim told The Hollywood Reporter, they're slowly building momentum for Laurel's big introduction as Black Canary. "Episodes 10, 11 and 12 are a three-part trilogy that are about her. And episode 13 I think I can spoil, is called 'Canaries,'" he said. "For fans of Laurel... they're going to get more than their fill after the winter break." That's some awesome news right there.

And with an episode title of "Canaries," does that mean we'll get a flashback of Sarah, too? Arrow loves to use the past to help explain the present, so it's possible. It looks like we may have a lot to look forward to in 2015 when Season 3 returns with a new Black Canary.

Images: Ed Araquel/The CW (2)