Birds of Prey: Who are the members of the DCEU’s new team?

Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez)

Detective Renee Montoya is another character who was created for Batman: The Animated Series as a foil to fellow police officer, Harvey Bullock. However, she was preemptively introduced into mainstream comics before her animated debut and her character has grown exponentially since. Over the years, she frequently worked alongside Batman, but was eventually outed a lesbian which lead her to resign her position with the Gotham PD. Although not possessing any superpowers, Renee uses her detective skills and combat training to become a hero named the Question. Victoria Cartagena played Renee Montoya in Fox’s Gotham series, while the character of Anna Ramirez who was featured in The Dark Knight was also inspired by Renee.

Celebrated dancer and actress Rosie Perez plays Renee Montoya in Birds of Prey. From the little we’ve seen her in the trailers, it appears as though she is also after some sort of “emancipation” like Harley. Perhaps struggling to have herself taken seriously as a lesbian cop among her male co-workers? We do know that is also building a case against Black Mask and eventually teams up with the rest of the ladies to take him down. It is unclear yet if the character is indeed a lesbian, or if any hints about her becoming the Question, will be included in the film.

Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco)

In the comics, Cassandra Cain is the daughter of infamous villainess Lady Shiva, but eventually becomes an iteration of Batgirl and later, the hero Orphan. Cassandra was deprived of human contact and speech while her parents trained her to become the world’s deadliest assassin, which means she consequently grew up to be an expert martial artist who was mute, illiterate and had limited social skills. Batman eventually takes her under his wing, turning her from a feral assassin to an outright hero. It’s also worth noting that Cassandra is the first Batgirl to have her own ongoing series, a huge accomplishment for a character of Asian descent.

This one seems to be the biggest departure from her comic book counterpart. Cassandra Cain is played by Ella Jay Basco, and appears some years younger than when she debuted in the comics. A bounty is put on her head by Black Mask after Cassandra steals a valuable diamond from him. Along the way, she is befriended by Harley, who makes it her mission to protect Cassandra at all costs.

This is DC’s second attempt at a live-action Birds of Prey, the first being the short-lived WB show that ran from 2002-2003. The television series featured alternate versions of the Huntress and Black Canary, but was praised for it’s depiction of Barbara Gordon, aka Oracle, who was one of the founding members of the team in the comic book. The Huntress, played by Ashley Scott, reprised her role for a cameo appearance in The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, which also featured a cameo voiceover by Dina Meyer, the actress who played Oracle.

Are you excited to see Harley and the women of Birds of Prey on the big screen? Let us know in the comments section below.