The problem with stories with multiple timelines is that keeping track of who’s who can become more than a little bit confusing. In short, Black Siren is the code-name for the Laurel Lance from Earth Two rather than Earth One, meaning that she isn’t the one from the main time-line on Arrow. As a result, there are some significant differences between the two characters, with an excellent example being how Black Siren is a villain rather than a hero.
What Might a Black Siren Standalone Look Like?
Still, there seems to be something of a fascination with the character from certain segments of the fandom. As a result, it can be fun to speculate about potential standalones centered around Black Siren. Certainly, the chances of such are not particularly high, but brainstorming about it can serve as an exercise in creativity if nothing else.
Currently, there seems to be an effort to redeem Black Siren in some manner, which has not been executed that well. First, the problem is that Black Siren doesn’t actually seem to have a lot of qualms about what she is doing on a regular basis. There was one recent moment when she seemed to show a moment of hesitation when a man was burned to death, but that reaction was undermined by her involvement in various other villainous acts over the course of the season. Second, there is an irritating insistence on the part of Quentin Lance that there must be some good in Black Siren, which makes sense from an in-character perspective but has some potentially problematic implications from a narrative perspective because that undermines the character’s agency.
To solve these problems, one simple and straightforward solution would be having Black Siren meet her counterpart from Earth X, who will be popping up in Arrow. In short, the idea would be that the Earth X Laurel Lance is worse than her Earth Two counterpart by a significant margin, which would work because she is the one who comes from a timeline in which the Nazis won World War 2. As a result, Black Siren gets a good look at how far down her chosen path can lead, which causes her to question her choices out of disgust. This in turn, causes her to turn on her current allies, thus fitting into the efforts to redeem her while still ensuring that she is the one who is actually making the choices that make the narrative move forward.
Moreover, if it is necessary, such a scenario could set up other plotlines as well. Simply put, redemption isn’t simple and straightforward, meaning that there is room for stories about making amends as much as possible, stories about struggling with old habits in light of new aspirations, and stories about moving forward in a world that has essentially been turned upside down. Granted, the chances of a Black Siren standalone are not exactly high, but on the whole, making one seems like a natural flow from what has preceded it.
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