Each villain has their own set of powers that distinguishes them from one another. We have a supervillain with a killer voice capable of killing Superman! Silver Banshee was created by John Bryne and first appeared in Action Comics in 1987.
This character undergoes a change after suffering as a result of her family and her background and emerges as a villain capable of killing large groups of people with simply her deathly wails.
Silver Banshee, dressed as a ghost, has a disturbing appearance as she journeys across the universe in quest of a prized possession that has been lost for a long time. Let’s learn more about this strange villain with a deathly voice by delving into her past!
In her very first comic appearance, she killed Superman!
The Silver Banshee first appeared in the Action Comics [Issue 595] titled Ghost of the Superman, where she made a deadly appearance and went up against the superhero. As she walks around the streets of Metropolis, Silver Banshee gets weird looks and comments about her outfit and makeup. However, she does not let anybody get away with making fun of her, and much to everyone’s terror, anybody who comes in her path ends up dying.
It appears that her touch can be lethal to anyone who comes in contact with her, and she kills many civilians without batting an eye. Silver Banshee makes her way to a bookstore, and we learn that she is in search of a specific book. As she kills the bookstore manager, the civilians notice a strangeness in her voice and report it as a voice that sounds like ‘if somebody who’d been dead for a thousand years could talk.’
While the onlookers rush to inform the police, Silver Banshee goes from bookstore to bookstore and is determined to find what she is looking for. She also gets in trouble with the police but quickly subdues all of them except Superman, who is in a disguised form.
Silver Banshee wonders why her powers are not working on this particular being when she finally realizes it’s Superman who she is going up against. She asks him to stay out of this, but the superhero does not back off. Finally, she decides to increase the strength of her powers, and the on-looking policemen warn Superman that her touch is deadly. However, Silver Banshee reveals that it is not her touch but rather her voice that is lethal. She ends up killing Superman, and the city of Metropolis goes into a state of shock over the surprising news.
Lois Lane meets up with Batman, and they decide that they must do something about Superman’s death. Martian Manhunter, another founding member of the Justice League from Mars, is also determined to do something as he thinks of a plan to get rid of the Silver Banshee. Meanwhile, arrangements for Superman’s funeral are made, and a huge crowd shows up to pay their condolences to the dead superhero. At the funeral, a strange thing happens as a pale ghost rises from Superman’s coffin and declares that he must finish what he set out to do and get rid of Silver Banshee.
Meanwhile, Silver Banshee wreaks havoc at more bookstores when she comes across James Olsen, a reporter who is also Superman’s close friend. She gloats about the fact that Superman won’t be here to save him anymore, while at the same time, Superman’s ghost makes its way to the bookstore. She is shocked to discover that the superhero is still alive and declares that her powers are simply undefeatable. She tries to kill him with her voice once more, but even Silver Banshee does not have the ability to kill ghosts. They battle it out, and the Silver Banshee’s body ends up exploding while Superman returns to his physical form.
The superhero checks up on James Olsen and then reveals himself to be ‘J’onn J’onzz,’ also known as Martian Manhunter. Superman still remains in his ghost form as J’onn J’onzz returns to his original form, and the two finally disclose their brilliant plan that defeated the Silver Banshee.
They discovered that the super villain’s powers are of no use if she does not know the identity of her victims. Thus, J’onn shapeshifted into Superman before going up against her. J’onn also used his superhuman abilities to ‘jumpstart’ Superman’s body after he died, thereby bringing him back to life. Together, they worked to get rid of the menace that was Silver Banshee and made sure she could not terrorize the citizens of Metropolis for at least some time.
Origins of Silver Banshee explored
Born as ‘Siobhan McDougal,’ Silver Banshee spent her childhood as a part of an exclusive Irish clan with special powers bestowed only upon the firstborns in the family. Siobhan left their ‘Castle Broen’ quite early in her childhood and set out to travel the world. She only returned to her family castle after hearing the news of her father’s death.
After her father’s death, Siobhan was rightfully supposed to inherit the leadership of the clan through a ritual. However, she was stopped from performing the aforementioned ritual by her uncle ‘Seamus,’ who opposed the idea of a woman leading their clan. He intended for Siobhan’s younger brother ‘Bevan’ to assume leadership instead of her.
Without her family’s support, Siobhan decided to go ahead and perform the ritual by herself and even managed to call upon all the supernatural forces in the universe that were a part of the ritual. However, her brother, Bevan, interrupted her, which ruined the ceremony and led to devastating side effects. Siobhan ended up being transported to the Netherverse and remained there for centuries and centuries to come.
Here, she came across the supernatural entity known as ‘Crone,’ who bestowed Siobhan with the powers that made her the Silver Banshee. In her new avatar, Silver Banshee returned to the mortal world and went back to her family castle in search of her father’s precious occult book. However, she was devastated to find out that the clan had sold off his books to bookstores in the USA. She was determined to find the book, which led her to Metropolis and she wreaked havoc in multiple bookstores as she looked for her book.
Her extensive role in the Supergirl TV series – Silver Banshee in Arrowverse
Silver Banshee was a recurring character on the Arrowverse show ‘Supergirl,’ where we also get a glimpse into her past and family history. Played by Italia Ricci, Silver Banshee made appearances across the show’s first three seasons and was a prominent character, especially in the first season.
Introduced as a human named ‘Siobhan Smythe,’ her character discovered the true extent of her powers and turned into the Silver Banshee as the show progressed. Siobhan Smythe worked as an assistant to ‘Cat Grant’ at a media company known as CatCo WorldWide Media. However, she clashed with ‘Kara Denvers’, a new recruit who shared the same assistant position as Siobhan. The two did not get along and often tried to sabotage each other’s plans. At the same company, Siobhan also met Winn Scott, and the two soon got into a relationship.
While Siobhan and Kara’s rivalry continued, Siobhan got a substantial scoop of information on Supergirl. However, Cat did not release this information without further evidence, which frustrated Siobhan to no extent. She took matters into her own hands and decided to send this information to the ‘Daily Planet’ on her own, hoping that it would pave her way as a reporter in Metropolis. However, Kara got wind of her plans and exposed her to Cat, who immediately fired Siobhan. Kara also blacklisted Siobhan in the media industry, and she struggled to get a new job.
While Siobhan wallowed in her sorrows, she ended up on a rooftop with Winn, where she lost control over her body and accidentally fell off the building. This was the moment she first realized her powers, as her screams produced sound waves that protected her from the fatal fall.
Her scream also created a hole in concrete on the ground below, and Siobhan questioned her true identity. She started getting visions and flashes about her past and sought out her ‘Aunt Sinead,’ who revealed their family history as a powerful clan in Ireland. In the show, Silver Banshee’s powers originated from a curse placed on all the women of her family. When the women of her clan are wronged, they get possessed by the spirit of a banshee which explained her newfound powers.
Siobhan decided to get her revenge on Cat and Kara and joined forces with the supernatural entity ‘Livewire,’ who also blamed Cat for her current state. The two made a plan to attack Cat and Kara, but Supergirl and Flash thwarted their plans.
Siobhan, that is, Silver Banshee was then handed over to the police and placed under arrest, which is the last that we know of her arc in the Arrowverse.
Silver Banshee in the DC Animated universe
Silver Banshee also appeared in various films in the extended DC universe, where she played minor roles in different animated series and movies.
She appeared in the animated ‘Justice League Unlimited’ series, where her character was included in various episodes as she worked alongside Metallo and other Secret Society members. She was also the inspiration behind ‘Scream Queen,’ a character written into the ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ series.
Silver Banshee also made an appearance in the animated ‘Superman/Batman: Public Enemies’ film as well as the ‘Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem’ film, where her character worked alongside the Joker. Her alternate Siobhan persona also appeared in the animated ‘Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay’ movie.
She also appeared in the animated ‘DC Super Hero Girls’ series, where she was a member of the Super Hero School’s debate team and rock band. She was also a part of live-action DC shows such as ‘Smallville’ and the Arrowverse series ‘Supergirl.’
Besides animated series and films, Silver Banshee was also a playable character in many DC Video Games.
What makes her so powerful?
Silver Banshee’s death stare and death wail set her apart from most supervillains, as she has a unique set of powers. She possesses the ability to kill anybody with just her deathly stare, under the condition that she knows their name. On the other hand, she can use her voice as a weapon and scream a ‘death wail’ that has the power to drive everybody around her insane or even fatally injure or kill them.
Her wail is her preferred choice of weapon, and she often uses it while fighting off a large number of opponents. Moreover, she is immune to her cries and the wails or sonic screams of her opponents. She can also use her superhuman sonic voice to produce different types of sound waves and even kill her opponents by creating sound waves that vibrate their heartbeat at a speed that shatters their bones.
Her screams can break glass, knock people off their feet, and are even powerful enough to work against extremely strong Kryptonians. However, it must be noted that these powers do not work against nameless or disguised opponents, and Silver Banshee must know the real names of her victims for her abilities to work against them.
Besides her deathly voice and stare, Silver Banshee also possesses superhuman durability, speed, and strength. Her supernatural strength equals that of approximately ten men, making her an undefeatable opponent in any fight. She can also resist energy blasts as well as physical attacks with very little pain, and any injury to her body heals very quickly.
She also has the ability to possess the bodies of her victims, and she can take over control of their bodily functions. Moreover, Silver Banshee can exploit her victim’s worst fears by just touching them and then weaponizing these fears to leave her victims in a weakened, catatonic state.
As seen in the DCAU animated series and films, Silver Banshee can also fly on her own and chase after superheroes as well as escape them by flying away. She can teleport by evaporating and then reappearing as per her wish, and even teleport small distances without much trouble. She also has the ability to perform pyrokinesis, that is, create her own fire. In certain universes, Silver Banshee can even communicate with animals and speak all the languages of the world.
Conclusion
To sum it up, Silver Banshee is one of the most interesting villains in the DC universe, with quite a unique set of powers and abilities. She has lived quite a tumultuous life and has never backed down from a challenge. She is also a determined opponent who does not rest until she has gotten her revenge, and it is advisable to stay out of her way at all costs!