Silver Swan (comics)

Silver Swan
Helen Alexandros receiving her powers from Mars. Art by Gene Colan.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #288 (February 1982)
In-story information
Alter ego	Helen Alexandros
Abilities	Flight, creates powerful sound waves with her voice, super strength.

Silver Swan
The second Silver Swan battles Wonder Woman. Art by George Pérez.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #15
Created by	George Pérez
In-story information
Alter ego	Valerie Beaudry
Team affiliations	Captains of Industry Suicide Squad
Abilities	Flight, creates powerful sound waves with her voice.

Silver Swan
Vanessa as the third Silver Swan, in league with Circe and Sebastian Ballesteros. Art by Phil Jimenez.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	As Vanessa: Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #3 (April 1987) As Silver Swan: Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #171 (August 2001)
Created by	George Pérez
In-story information
Alter ego	Vanessa Kapatelis
Abilities	Flight, creates powerful sound waves with her voice, telepathy with birds

The Silver Swan is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. A major adversary of Wonder Woman, the Swan possesses the superhuman ability to fly, as well as the ability to generate a destructive sonic cry.

She first appeared in 1982 in Wonder Woman #288 (volume 1), written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Gene Colan. Since then, the character has undergone several updates as comic book continuities have evolved and shifted. Indeed, there have been three different Silver Swans since the character's debut, including Helen Alexandros, the original Silver Swan; Valerie Beaudry, the second Silver Swan, debuting in 1988 in Wonder Woman #15 (volume 2); and Vanessa Kapatelis, the third Silver Swan, debuting in 2001 in Wonder Woman #171 (volume 2). The backstories of all three characters are inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Ugly Duckling; similar to the tale's titular protagonist, Alexandros, Beaudry and Kapetelis all believe they are undesirable or unwanted, only to find themselves transformed into extraordinarily beautiful (and vengeful) super-powered women.

Born to Leda Alexandros, Helen Alexandros is a bitter ballet dancer who, disgusted by being overlooked and cruelly treated because of her homely appearance, struck a bargain with Mars to have a beautiful face and body in return for destroying man's champion, Wonder Woman. Helen becomes the mystically-created alter ego Silver Swan in the Pre-Crisis.

Diana Prince comes upon a gang of bank robbers, and a new arrival, a flying, costumed female who calls herself the Silver Swan, helps her bring them in. The Silver Swan flies off, and Wonder Woman discovers that the briefcase of secret documents she and Steve Trevor had been carrying is gone. Later, Diana and Etta Candy discover a rent raise has made it necessary for them to take on a new roommate. The first applicant, whom they accept, is Helen Alexandros, who has found the briefcase and returns it to Diana.