Circe (character)

Circe
Circe in her first Modern Age look, designed and illustrated by George Pérez, colors by Tom Smith, 2009.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceWonder Woman #37 (September/October 1949)
Created byRobert Kanigher (writer)
Harry G. Peter (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoCirce
Team affiliationsInjustice Gang
Notable aliasesDonna Milton
AbilitiesGoddess-level sorceress
Immortality
Eldritch blasts
Energy manipulation
Energy projection
Reality warping
Matter transfiguration
Immense strength
Supernatural beauty
Hypnotic voice
Hypnotic singing
Telepathy
Telekinesis
Can turn people into animals

Circe is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the eponymous Greek mythological figure who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, she is a wicked sorceress and major recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. She has been presented variously since first appearing in 1949’s Wonder Woman #37, though her characterization has consistently retained a key set of features: immortality, stunning physical beauty, a powerful command over sorcery, a penchant for turning human beings into animals (like her mythological antecedent) and often, a delight in humiliation.

Though she first appeared as a Wonder Woman villain, Circe would spend the next 43 years as an antagonist for other DC Comics heroes, such as Rip Hunter, the Sea Devils, and particularly Superman and Supergirl, for whom she was a persistent foil (and sometimes ally) throughout the late 1950s and 1960s. In 1983, at the tail-end of the Bronze Age of Comics, Circe would be returned to her roots as a member of Wonder Woman’s rogues gallery, and would rise to become one of the hero’s most significant Modern Age foes, appearing frequently in Wonder Woman stories throughout DC Comics’ post-Crisis, New 52 and Rebirth continuities.

Circe has been adapted into several Wonder Woman-related animated TV and video game projects, in which she has been voiced by actors Michelle Forbes, Laura Post and Rachel York. She will appear in the DC Universe (DCU) animated series Creature Commandos, voiced by Anya Chalotra.