Circe (character)

Circe is a fictional character 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 and DC Comics-related animated TV and video game projects, in which she has been voiced by Michelle Forbes, Laura Post, Rachel York, and Anya Chalotra.