Soon afterward, Siobhan discovered that a family curse gave her the power of a banshee's sonic scream and became a criminal, calling herself Silver Banshee. She allied herself with Livewire to take revenge against Cat and Kara, but they were defeated and imprisoned by Supergirl and the Flash.
Siobhan was born in Metropolis[1] to an unnamed man and an unnamed woman. When Siobhan was 17, she caught her father having an affair with his personal assistant. The next day, the man tearfully apologized to his daughter, claiming that he was sorry, really loved her mother, and would end the affair. While Siobhan believed him, this betrayal created a permanent rift between them.[2]
Working at CatCo Worldwide Media[]
Siobhan and Kara's rivalry begins.
Siobhan was hired to be Cat Grant's new assistant alongside Kara Danvers. When Kara arrived at work, Siobhan introduced herself and Cat designated Siobhan as "Assistant #1" whilst Kara was "Assistant #2", much to the latter's confusion. Siobhan promptly one-upped Kara's coffee. Cat then instructed Siobhan to get James Olsen and Lucy Lane into her office and Kara to cover the phone. Siobhan flipped her hair at Kara as she left.
Siobhan later tried to flatter James, but was brushed off. She then secretly observed Kara and James talking and walked away, smirking.
The next morning, Siobhan antagonized Kara by quietly sending her messages regarding the relationship between her and James, boldly asking whether they were dating or friends with benefits, which Kara denied. Unconvinced, Siobhan continued sending messages and angered Kara by apparently accusing her of being "obsessed" with James. Cat arrived and told Kara to keep it down, citing that Siobhan hadn't "made a peep," much to the latter's satisfaction. When Kara was called away, she asked Siobhan to order Cat's lunch, which the latter recited perfectly and mocked Kara for not doing her job. Annoyed, Kara left and Siobhan winked at Winn Schott, smirking at his uncomfortable reaction.
Siobhan later tried to listen in on James and Lucy's private conversation, but James noticed her and shut the door. That evening, she observed James and Cat talking on CatCo's terrace.
Siobhan boasts of her ambitions to Kara.
The day after, Siobhan smugly told Kara that she finished her work for her. Fed up, Kara bluntly stated she didn't like her, but Siobhan retorted she was here to become "the next Cat Grant", not make friends. Siobhan detailed her massive ambitions, first aspiring to be promoted to a junior reporter in a few months, and then gain enough experience and recognition to build her own news media brand. She mocked how in the meantime, Kara will be "booking [her] waxing appointments." Unfazed, Kara challenged that they would see which one of them gets to stay.[3]
Dating Winn Schott[]
As Siobhan waited to deliver Cat her mail, Winn tried to make conversation with her but she put him down. Kara explained that Cat preferred to have her mail opened publicly, but Siobhan refused to listen. Cat called everyone into her office for a conference call. Siobhan showed a package that Cat should see personally, but she wanted it open for all to see, proving Kara right. Inside was a flash drive containing the names of the members of Diamond Discretions, a cheating website, and a letter asking Cat to publicly release this information. An unimpressed Cat told Siobhan to have the drive "microwaved", throwing her off. Afterwards, she discovered that one of the names on the drive was her father, which greatly upset her.
During Indigo's cyber attacks on the city, Cat told Siobhan to call her investment broker, but she stammered for a moment and Kara took the assignment.
The next day, Siobhan was having trouble with the copier, so Winn helped her out by removing a jammed paper. Siobhan lamented on how she couldn't rely on anyone or anything her life. After some probing from Winn, Siobhan revealed she's angry over finding out from Indigo that her father was listed as a platinum member of Diamond Discretions and opened up about catching him having an affair when she was 17. She abruptly brushed off Winn's concern left him to make the copies.
Siobhan kisses Winn.
Later at CatCo, Winn approached Siobhan as she was about to get on the elevator. He talked about his own family's problems and empathized with her situation, understanding what it's like to have your parents let you down. However, Winn assured Siobhan that there were still people who will be there for her if she lets them. Touched, Siobhan passionately kissed Winn, but warned him not to speak of this to anyone. She then pushed him into the elevator to make out.[2]
Fired[]
Siobhan continued her secret relationship with Winn until Kara caught them having sex together in a supply closet. As Kara expressed disgust at the sight, Siobhan nonchalantly walked off, declaring, "that's [her] exit".
The next day, Siobhan was taken aback when Kara began dressing boldly and one-upped her on getting Cat a list of potential replacements for Lucy. When Cat awarded Kara with clubbing tickets, Siobhan snidely asked if she even knew how to dance. However, Kara dismissively stated that she didn't care about Siobhan's jealousy, silencing her.
When Supergirl had her inhibitions destroyed by Red Kryptonite, Siobhan caught her on tape letting a K'hund get away and eagerly showed this to Cat. However, Cat refused to run the scoop until they had more information, much to Siobhan's frustration. She then decided to send the video to Perry White at the Daily Planet, planning to use the story as her route to becoming a reporter in Metropolis. Kara picked up on this using super-hearing and lured Siobhan away from her desk so she could print the email. When Cat learned out about Siobhan's treachery, she fired her on the spot, and persuaded Perry not to hire her either. As Siobhan despondently went to clean out her desk, Kara tauntingly reiterated Siobhan's earlier words about this "being her exit," angering the latter.[1]
Following this, Siobhan was blacklisted from National City's media industry, with no one willing to hire her due to being fired by "the Queen of all Media". Plotting revenge on Kara, Siobhan slipped into CatCo after hours and sent a nasty email to Cat using Kara's company laptop. The next night, Siobhan was called into Cat's office, smugly believing that Kara was fired and she would regain her job. However, Cat revealed she had Winn analyze the email and found that the typing pattern was an exact match to Siobhan's. Cat brusquely ordered Siobhan out and warned her that she would be arrested if she ever set foot on CatCo or pulled another stunt like that again.
Siobhan's powers save her life.
That night, Siobhan got drunk on a roof. Winn arrived, worried she intended to jump off the edge, but Siobhan mockingly assured him that she "[had] too much self-esteem" to consider suicide. Siobhan then laid into Winn for turning on her as he tried to explain that resorting to criminal and manipulative behavior will get her nowhere. Suddenly, one of Siobhan's spike heels snapped, sending her screaming over the edge of the building. To Siobhan and Winn's shock, the sound waves from her screams broke her fall just as she was about to smash into the pavement, blowing a giant hole in the concrete in the process.[4]
Becoming Silver Banshee[]
Winn took Siobhan to be examined by doctors at the D.E.O., who deduced that she wasn't an alien. While begging Winn to help her, Siobhan started hearing a piercing scream inside her head and saw visions of a banshee. Siobhan implied that she had been dealing with these visions for some time, stating that she had believed herself to be cursed for "all [her] life".
Later that week, Siobhan was walking along the streets of National City when the visions and screams returned. Out of nowhere, she angrily stormed into CatCo and sonic-screamed at Kara, sending her flying out of a window. However, Kara was rescued by the Flash, who accidentally traveled to Earth-38 while using the tachyon prototype to increase his speed.
Later, a seemingly distraught Siobhan consulted her Aunt Sinead for help. She learned that years ago in Ireland, one of their ancestors stole something from a banshee. In retaliation, the banshee placed a curse on all of the women in the thief's family; whenever a female member of Siobhan's family is wronged, she is possessed by the spirit of a banshee. Once her powers grow to their full potential, she will be able to send her scream anywhere in the world. However, unless Siobhan kills the object of her rage, her scream will destroy her soul. This made Siobhan decide to kill Kara. Believing that Supergirl had rescued her, she decided she needed to get past the superheroine to have a shot at Kara.
Livewire and Silver Banshee team up.
Siobhan proved a quick study with her powers once she fully embraced them. Remembering that Livewire was incarcerated at the D.E.O. and wanted to kill Cat and Supergirl, she broke into the facility and sonic-screamed from a distance, shattering Livewire's prison. Siobhan then lured Livewire into an abandoned warehouse and offered to team up. Livewire readily agreed, but suggested that Siobhan get a new costume and a makeover. Siobhan painted her face white with heavy black eyeliner and put on a silver wig, taking on an appearance similar to the banshee she saw in her visions. At Livewire's suggestion, she began calling herself "Silver Banshee".
When Supergirl and the Flash tracked Livewire and Silver Banshee to the warehouse, Supergirl was about to douse Livewire with water when Silver Banshee screamed with enough force to make her ears bleed. Supergirl and the Flash then created gusts of wind to push back Silver Banshee and Livewire before retreating.
Cat kidnapped by Livewire and Silver Banshee.
Livewire and Silver Banshee then stormed CatCo, with Silver Banshee arriving on Cat's private elevator. Winn tried one last time to talk some sense into Siobhan, only for her to tempestuously scream him to the ground. The duo then kidnapped Cat and chained her to a bench at National City Park, using their powers to keep civilians and the police away. As Livewire was about to kill Cat, Supergirl and the Flash rushed in. Silver Banshee tried to scream at them, but it had no effect; the two heroes were wearing enhanced earplugs that the Flash built. As the Flash battled Livewire, Siobhan attacked Kara once Cat was freed. Livewire tried to destroy a helicopter, but Supergirl flew in front of the blast to prevent a potential disaster. As Livewire and Silver Banshee were about to make a move on an incapacitated Supergirl, the bystanders rushed in to protect her. Livewire was about to electrocute them all when a fire engine doused her with water. Livewire's electricity grew out of control and hit Siobhan, which incapacitated her.
Siobhan was then arrested by the NCPD who, with the Flash's help, could now contain meta-humans.[5]
When Winn showed Livewire's criminal record to the rest of the Superfriends, it displayed Siobhan's name and the fact that she was affiliated with Livewire.[6]
For Supergirl's battle with Purity, Winn dug up the same technology that she and the Flash used to combat Siobhan.[7]
"I admire loyalty, integrity, and employees that I can trust, not backstabbing, opportunistic little... imps. Clean out your desk. I'm sorry. Was I using my inside voice? You... are... fired! Now before you go scooping all the way back to Metropolis, I will save you the bus fare. I had a much too long conversation with Perry White, and there is no job waiting for you there. Mmm. Now... be gone."
Siobhan idolized Cat Grant, aspiring to become a media mogul like her. Siobhan had no interest in getting to know or even working with her fellow employees at CatCo Worldwide Media. She looked down on nearly everyone, deeming them inferior unless maintaining favor was needed on her path to success, as seen with Cat. She is relentlessly driven to be the best and frequently tried to one-up Kara Danvers as Cat's assistant. Siobhan is petty and nosy as well, as seen when she often tried to eavesdrop on private and important conversations at CatCo and antagonize Kara by insulting her clothing and prodding into her relationship with James Olsen.
When Siobhan caught Supergirl on tape letting a K'hund get away, she wanted this to be publicized regardless of whether or not the superheroine was an imposter, only caring about the recognition it would bring. After Cat refused to run the scoop, Siobhan planned to betray her boss without hesitation and send the video to Perry White of the Daily Planet, Cat's biggest competitor. This caused her to be fired and blacklisted from National City's media industry.
Siobhan as Silver Banshee.
Upon realizing the existence of her powers, Siobhan quickly became corrupted and embraced them, with her vengeance against Kara and Cat escalating to a dangerous obsession. She initially desired to kill Kara to free her soul, but decided to instead go after Supergirl, kill Cat, and take over National City with Livewire, not caring who got hurt in the process. Siobhan has lost all her humanity, becoming a true supervillainess.
Because of the banshee curse that affects her, Siobhan is able to emit high-frequency sound waves through her scream. The sound waves are powerful enough to shatter glass, break thick concrete, and pulverize cement. The sonic waves also act as levitation, able to cushion her falls.[4] They are also strong enough to affect two full-sized adults at once by knocking them off their feet, disorienting them, or even killing them. Not even Kryptonians are immune to these screams, either because Siobhan's powers come from a magical curse (Kryptonians are not protected from the effects of magic), as a side-effect of their enhanced hearing, or possibly both. She can also direct her screams over large distances and even send them at specific targets, as seen when she deafened Supergirl without affecting both Livewire and the Flash. With enough time, her powers will grow to the point Siobhan could send her scream anywhere in the world by focusing on her target.[5]
Superhuman strength: The banshee spirit that took over Siobhan gave her enhanced physical strength; when the spirit first took her over, Siobhan single-handedly threw Winn Schott back without breaking a stride. Later, after fully embracing her powers, Siobhan was able to land a hard punch on Supergirl that sent the latter flying several feet.[5]
Abilities[]
Skilled hand-to-hand combatant: Siobhan is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant.[5]
Weaknesses[]
Sound-proof tech: Siobhan can't affect other individuals; who use technology to mute her scream.
Meta-dampening tech: Even if Siobhan's powers are rooted in magic; she is still susceptible to meta dampening technology.
Eventual destruction of the soul: As a side-effect of the curse, as stated; by Siobhan's aunt, Sinead; her soul would be destroyed and she would die.[5]
Siobhan is of Irish descent, as seen by her name[3] and having an ancestor from Ireland.[5]
Behind the scenes[]
In the DC comics, Silver Banshee is a super-villain with sonic powers who was cursed to turn into a banshee, becoming an enemy of both Superman and Supergirl. She debuted in Action Comics #595 (December, 1987). Her original name was Siobhan McDougal.
Unlike in Supergirl, where Siobhan and Kara become enemies at first sight, in the DC comics of the New 52, they become best friends right after they meet (and later roommates). Notably, Siobhan turns out to be the only one on Earth able to understand Kryptonese (as Kara could not speak or understand English until the Kryptonian H'el later gave her this ability) due to her Silver Banshee nature, and the first to recognize Kara as a hero.
