Circe (character)

Did You Know?

• An alternate universe variant of Circe appears in Flashpoint.
• Circe appears in Absolute Wonder Woman, where she was banished to an island in Hell and raised an infant Diana as her own.
• Circe was intended to appear in the second volume of The Legend of Wonder Woman prior to its cancellation.

Publication history

Circe made her debut in 1949's Wonder Woman #37, where she had blonde hair and flowing red robes, in a story by Robert Kanigher with art by Harry G. Peter. Her first Silver Age outing came a decade later in Showcase #21, where she fought Rip Hunter; there she had black hair and a yellow gown, though the cover showed her with dark green hair and a white dress. In 1962, Kanigher again wrote the character, this time against the Sea Devils in Sea Devils #3, illustrated by Russ Heath, where she appeared with green hair and a white gown.

Fictional character biography

In the original DC Comics continuity, Circe is a centuries-old enchantress kept young by an elixir called vitae, made from plants and herbs. Living on the island Aeaea, she gains magical powers and spends centuries luring male sailors and travelers, turning them into animals that match their personalities. The Amazonian queen Hippolyta punishes Circe by banishing her to Sorca, an island planet in space. Upon returning to Earth, Circe tries to destroy Wonder Woman after hearing from an oracle that Hippolyta's daughter will be her undoing. Unlike many Golden Age foes, Circe does not repent when her plot fails. In Captain Marvel Adventures #66, set on Earth-S, the evil immortal Oggar gave Circe immortality 3,000 years ago when she was a Graecian princess, hoping she would marry him. Because she spurned his love, he refused to grant eternal youth, causing her to slowly age into a hideous old woman. She learns sorcery to restore her youth and transform men into beasts. She helps Captain Marvel defeat Oggar by turning him into a boar. A woman claiming to be a descendant of the original Circe later gives Superman an evolution serum, temporarily transforming him into a lion. Circe is also responsible for changing Biron the centaur into a horse and later giving him super-powers as Comet the Super-Horse. She has encounters with Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Rip Hunter, and Catwoman once used Circe's wand to turn Superman into a cat.

In other media

Circe appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode 'This Little Piggy', voiced by Rachel York, where she was previously imprisoned in Tartarus by Hippolyta. She appears in Justice League Action episode 'Luthor in Paradise', voiced by Laura Post. She appears in Creature Commandos, voiced by Anya Chalotra, as a rogue Amazonian sorceress seeking to rule Themyscira. She appears as a boss in Justice League Heroes: The Flash and as a boss and playable character in DC Universe Online, voiced by Michelle Forbes. She appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure and as a playable character in DC Unchained. She appears in the children's books Monster Magic and Wonder Woman Is Respectful, and in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #7 as regent of New Themyscira. She also appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #7 and Scribblenauts Unmasked: A Crisis of Imagination #7.