DC's New Birds of Prey Adds WildC.A.T.s Fan-Favorite Zealot

By Jenna Anderson

This week has brought some monumental updates for DC fans, with the revelation that a new Birds of Prey book will be launching later this fall. The roster for the book's first arc has been incrementally revealed over the past few days — and it may have just added its biggest curveball yet. On Thursday, Birds of Prey writer Kelly Thompson revealed that Lady Zannah / Zealot will be joining the newest incarnation, marking her first time as a member of the team. Other members of the new Birds of Prey currently include team leader Dinah Lance / Black Canary, Cassandra Cain / Batgirl, and Big Barda, with one more member still to be revealed. The Birds of Prey book will be drawn by Leonardo Romero, with colors by Jordie Bellaire.

Interestingly, Zealot also has confirmed ties to Angel Breaker, a supervillain introduced last year who was trained by Black Canary. It will be interesting to see if and how that detail factors into the Birds of Prey dynamic.

Who is DC's Zealot?

Originally created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi for the Wildstorm universe, Zealot first made her debut in 1992's WildC.A.T.s #1. In addition to serving as a member of that team, she also had her own three-issue solo series in 1995. Once the Wildstorm canon was folded into the DC Universe, Zealot largely appeared as a supporting character in Deathstroke and Stormwatch, before appearing in the most recent WildC.A.T.s series.

A warrior from the alien planet Khera, Zealot made her way to Earth and formed a warrior sisterhood known as The Coda. In addition to being incredibly skilled in combat, Zannah can teleport, has telepathy, and even has experience with dark magic.

Who are DC's Birds of Prey?

Initially pitched by DC editor Jordan Gorfinkel, the Birds of Prey began as a team-up between Black Canary and Barbara Gordon / Oracle, with Helena Bertinelli / Huntress being added to the team during Gail Simone's run on the title. Over the years, the group included a number of female characters from the DC universe, including Lady Blackhawk, Batwoman, Manhunter, Starling, Katana, and Poison Ivy.

"It's of course a bit of a cheat to say that I needed THESE characters for THIS specific mission, since *I* designed the mission," Thompson wrote of the book on her Substack. "But... that's just the best way I know to build a story? Finding something juicy with good tension and stakes and potential emotional fall out and building the most exciting and emotionally resonant story around that idea. In this case, I'm especially excited about this idea, and I think we built the right team for the best story for this first arc," Thompson continued. "But without overwhelming the book, there are only so many characters I can include. Some favs are gonna be left in the toy box (as always), but the BIRDS OF PREY format it very bendy in a beautiful way, and the right cast for THIS mission is not necessarily the right cast for the next mission. And by that same token – there are some big surprises in this first arc that I think will make a lot of things make sense to everyone."

What do you think of Zealot joining DC's new Birds of Prey relaunch? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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