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| Silver Swan | ||||
| Real name | Valerie Beaudry | |||
| Debut | Wonder Woman v2 #15 (April 1988) | |||
| Created by | George Pérez | |||
| Affiliations | Captains of Industry Suicide Squad | |||
| Abilities | Flight via artificial wings, creates powerful sound waves with her voice. | |||
Years after Wonder Woman had faced the villainous Silver Swan, AKA Helen Alexandros, a new Silver Swan resurfaced in the Post-Crisis continuity, this one named Valerie Beaudry. She was deformed by her parents' exposure to radiation but had nascent abilities to control sound. Industrialist Henry Armbruster seduced and even married her to convince her to submit to experiments that enhanced her sonic powers and transformed her into a beautiful woman. But she remained insecure and emotionally dominated by Armbruster, who used her as a weapon against Wonder Woman.
History[]
Valerie Beaudry was exposed to radiation from nuclear tests while in the womb. This caused her to be horribly deformed. Valerie had no friends except for a pen pal named Henry Cobb Armbruster. The CEO of Armbruster International, he exploited Valerie's need for acceptance by choosing her for one of his projects. Henry promised that he could make Valerie beautiful and so she volunteered to undergo treatments in the program called Project: Silver Swan. The project leader, Benjamin Buchman, experimented on Valerie, mutating her from the proverbial ugly duckling into a vivacious, beautiful woman to become the Silver Swan, granting her incredible beauty as well as tremendous hypersonic powers. He extended his control over her by marrying Valerie. Some seven years after they had last corresponded, Valerie met another of her pen pals, Maxine Sterenbuch for the first time. Maxine could not understand why someone so obviously beautiful would be shy about her appearance. Maxine learned of Armbruster's abusive behavior towards Valerie, but was powerless to do anything about it. Despite her beauty however, Valerie was still jealous of other women - particularly the neophyte super-hero known as Wonder Woman. Armbruster encouraged Valerie's jealousy, intent on using her as a weapon to defeat the Amazon princess.
Armbruster got his chance when Wonder Woman made a personal appearance at the Wonder Woman charity fair in Boston Commons. Using the name, the Silver Swan, Beaudry attacked Wonder Woman at the fairgrounds. Her true purpose was to steal a supply of microchips that one of Armbruster's inside men had hidden inside the fairground receipts. Wonder Woman flew up to face her, and the Silver Swan unleashed an intense wave of sonic energy. Though equipped with devastating power, she had little control over it, and even less experience. Wonder Woman grabbed hold of Valerie and flew her out over the sea where no innocents would be harmed. As the two fought in the water, Wonder Woman used her soaked cape as a weapon and ensnared the Silver Swan. Panicking, Valerie released the full range of her powers, but succeeded in only draining herself, thus enabling Wonder Woman to defeat her. He also used her to battle Wonder Woman and Ed Indelicato. Eventually, thanks to Diana and Maxine Sterenbuch, who had formed a true friendship with her over the years, Valerie saw Armbruster for who he truly was and divorced him.
Valerie, wanting to repay Diana for helping her, offered her assistance during her time as a fugitive during War of the Gods. Diana refused her however, not wanting Valerie to be put in harm's way, despite her incredible power. Nevertheless, she joined many of Earth's heroes in the battle against Circe. She later joined a short-lived superteam known as the Captains of Industry. Eventually, Valerie retired her identity as the Silver Swan, but not before serving a stint in the Suicide Squad. She also appeared in Underworld Unleashed as one of many characters whom the inhuman Neron approached to exchange their souls to him for additional power. Valerie was among the villains assembled by Neron in the first issue, but by this time, as she was no longer a villain, but an active superhero, having reformed long before this. As such, she rejected Neron's offer, opting instead for a quiet life in suburbia, not far from her good friend Maxine.
Powers and Abilities[]
Silver Swan has the ability to create powerful sound waves with her voice. Her "swan song" is capable of devastating a small area of land with its destructive force. By creating a low-level humming, the Silver Swan can form a protective shield around herself that can deflect bullets and projectiles. Unlike the pre-Crisis version, whose abilities were acquired supernaturally through the god Mars, Valerie Beaudry needs artificial wings to control her flight motion.