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As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
- Vanessa was weak. She looked up to Wonder Woman. She thought her a friend. I am not Vanessa, and the moon reflects the cold silver of my dead heart. Wonder Woman, on the other hand--her heart is the warm sun of a foreign shore. It can be broken--she can be broken.
- — Silver Swan src
Vanessa Kapatelis is the Silver Swan, an enemy of the super-heroine Wonder Woman. She has the ability to manipulate microscopic robots known as nanites which are located in her blood stream.
History
Origin
Vanessa Kapatelis was an ordinary American teenager with a promising future as a ballet dancer and singer. One day Vanessa was present when the disaster manipulating villain Major Disaster attempted to rob a bank. Wonder Woman intervened in his robbery, however the situation escalated and a building fell on Vanessa. Wonder Woman swiftly took care of Major Disaster and then kept Vanessa company as she was airlifted into hospital. The hospital told Vanessa that she would never walk again because of the accident, ending her career as a performer for good.[1]
Wonder Woman would often visit Vanessa and tell her about the Gods of Olympus, over time Vanessa considered herself to be Wonder Woman's best friend and even started to fall in love with her.[2] Because of the loss of her legs Vanessa would spend her time drawing herself as a hero with her best friend, she called herself Silver Swan after the famous ballet routine Swan Lake. Eventually the doctors introduced the possibility of a cure for her disability. The solution involved nanites (microscopic robots) that would be injected into Vanessa's bloodstream. From there Vanessa would have to use her brain to control the nanites into fixing her broken body from the inside. Vanessa gladly accepted this process.[1]
After weeks of hard work, and the support of her mother and Diana, Vanessa was finally able to walk again. Over the next few months Vanessa stopped getting visits from Diana, which made her upset. Her mother told her that Wonder Woman had a responsibility to the rest of the world, not just her. Vanessa coped well for a while, however her mother died in a car crash which made her yearn for Diana's attention even more. To make matters worse the shock of her mother's passing greatly effected Vanessa's psyche, making her lose the passive concentration she needed to walk. Vanessa began to resent Diana due to her absence. One day when she turned on the television and witnessed Diana treating a family who had undergone an awful situation in the same way she had been treated, she finally realized that she was never truly special to Diana.[1]
The emergence of the idea that she had never been special to Diana caused her to finally snap. The nanites in her brain affected her psyche, causing a mental split. One personality was the same old Vanessa, however the new personality was far more sinister, volatile and dangerous. The new personality sought to take up the moniker of Silver Swan, although instead of wanting to be a hero she wanted to make Diana suffer. Manipulating the nanites in her blood stream, Vanessa built mechanical wings for herself as well as razor sharp claws and the ability to project deadly sonic screams. With these new abilities the Silver Swan sought to kill those who had replaced her so that Diana would notice her again.[1] Before she set out to kill her enemies, Swan first butchered the hospital staff and deleted the information on how the nanite procedure worked.[3]
Fighting Wonder Woman
Silver Swan travelled to the home of the victims she saw on television and butchered them slowly. She then awaited the arrival of Wonder Woman, whom she was sure would visit the family again soon. When Wonder Woman showed up Swan immediately attacked her. Wonder Woman tried to convince Silver Swan that she could still do good, but Swan unrelentingly continued her attack. Silver Swan forced Diana into the street where she bombarded her with the power of her sonic screams. During the fight Wonder Woman's brother Jason arrived to back his sister up. Seeing an opportunity to hurt Diana even more, Swan instantly attacked Jason. Jason then used his powers to create a tornado and tried to take down Silver Swan with it. However Swan was able to avoid the attack and slit Jason's throat. Infuriated that her brother was injured, Diana ferociously attacked Swan, making her flee.[4]
When night fell Silver Swan headed to the home of Wonder Woman in order to kill her brother Jason. Crashing into the building from above, she dragged the brother onto a beach and began beating on him. Wonder Woman soon arrived and goaded Swan into attacking her. Diana then dragged Swan into the ocean where she was finally able to defeat the crazed killer. Because of the stress placed on her mind by the nanites, Vanessa fell into a coma. She was kept in a containment pod so that if she ever woke up she wouldn't be allowed to transform.[3]
Return
Some time later, under unknown circumstances, Silver Swan escaped and clashed with Wonder Woman again inside a mall, during the confrontation she took a bystander hostage and threatened to kill him even if in the end she couldn't bring herself to harm him remembering how she was once in a similar situation with Major Disaster. Eventually Wonder Woman restrained her with her Golden Lasso and convinced her to surrender and seek help. She is later seen depowered in jail undergoing physical and mental rehabilitation with the support of Wonder Woman.[5]
Reemergence
Through unknown means, Vanessa regains access to the nanites and once more becomes the Silver Swan. She is recruited by Sarge Steel to be part of a special task force created to kill Wonder Woman.[2]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Nanite Manipulation: Using the nanites injected into her blood, Silver Swan was able to give herself a variety of abilities by manipulating the tiny robots into performing tasks.[3] She had lost all of her powers after having the nanites removed from her body.[5]
- Claws: Vanessa had created claws for herself out of the tiny robots. These claws are razor sharp, capable of cutting into an Amazon's flesh.[4]
- Mechanical Wings: Silver Swan had the ability to construct herself wings made of nanites at anytime. She often used these wings in combat as they possessed razor sharp ends which were able destroy wood and concrete as if they were paper. She had also used the wings as a protective barrier by inclosing herself within them like a cocoon. The wings also allowed her to fly at high speeds.[4]
- Superhuman Durability: As Silver Swan Vanessa could survive blows from Wonder Woman.[1]
- Superhuman Strength: Silver Swan physical strength is augmented by her nanites.[1] This allows her to hurt a demigod like Jason.[3]
- Sonic Scream: Using her nanites, Swan was able to manipulate her voice to create a high-pitched and powerful scream. This sonic scream was strong enough to tear concrete apart and send cars flying. The scream is also powerful enough to hurt Wonder Woman.[4]
- Technokinesis: By implanting some of her blood into a hospital computer, Swan was able to hack into and erase vital data about the experimental procedures which created her from every corner of the internet simultaneously with little effort.[3]
Abilities
- Dancing: Before her legs were crippled, Vanessa had a promising future as a professional ballet dancer. Her instructor said she could become a big name as a ballerina.[1]
- Drawing: Before the loss of her legs, Vanessa would occasionally draw her fellow ballet dancers as well as the hospital crew after her accident.[1]
- Historiography: When she was in hospital, Vanessa was taught about the Greek Gods by Wonder Woman. By the time she had became Silver Swan she was able to use references to Greek mythology as metaphors and similes.[4]
- Singing: Before her accident Vanessa was said to have possessed a beautiful singing voice, and she planned to be a performer when she grew older. However the accident made her loose confidence in herself.[1]
Other Characteristics
- Restricted Mobility: Vanessa lost the use of her legs in one of Wonder Woman's fights with the super-villain Major Disaster. However she was able to regain the ability to walk with the help of nanites[1] but was forced on a wheelchair again after having her nanites removed, although she is currently undergoing physical rehabilitation.[5]
- Schizophrenia(Formerly): Vanessa's exposure to the nanites hideously warped her mind as it did her body. Producing a split personality which identified as Silver Swan whom was belligerent, volatile and confrontational.[3] She has apparently been cured of her condition after having the nanites removed and she underwent therapy.[5]
Notes
- Vanessa Kapatelis was created by George Pérez and Len Wein, first appearing in Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #3. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Vanessa Kapatelis first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Wonder Woman (Volume 5) #38 by James Robinson and Emanuela Lupacchino.
Trivia
Related
- 11 Appearances of Vanessa Kapatelis (Prime Earth)
- 8 Images featuring Vanessa Kapatelis (Prime Earth)
- 3 Quotations by or about Vanessa Kapatelis (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Vanessa Kapatelis (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
Wonder Woman Villain(s)
This character is or was primarily an enemy of Wonder Woman and the Amazons in any of her various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Wonder Woman Villains category." |