The CBS show Supergirl has cast yet another character from the comics – this time it’s Siobhan Smythe, also known as DC Comics supervillain Silver Banshee. Former Chasing Life star Italia Ricci has been cast in the role of the cursed villain. Her first appearance on Supergirl will be in the show’s 14th episode.
Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg said that they are “so excited” that Ricci has joined the cast. He continued to praise her talents, saying “we’ve been a fan of her work for years and we cannot wait to see her take on this iconic comic book character”. Smythe will be the latest person hired by Cat Grant (played by Calista Flockhart), and will initially be introduced as a workplace foe. Smythe and Supergirl (played by Melissa Benoist) will eventually clash during Kara’s after-work adventures, too.
Silver Banshee is indeed quite the iconic comic book character. She debuted in 1987 and has historically been a villain faced by Superman and Supergirl. At one point, she was called Siobhan McDougal and acquired her powers through a family ritual gone wrong. Silver Banshee spent most of her time trying to kill Superman and Supergirl using her powers, which include superhuman speed, hypersonic screams, and near-immediate language fluency. Silver Banshee was one of the characters DC Comics rebooted a few years ago when they reset their comic book universe. The new version is named Siobhan Smythe, but seems to be an ally of Supergirl’s, rather than a foe. It appears that the producers of the CBS show have opted to merge the two versions of the character.
Supergirl airs Monday nights on CBS at 8:00 p.m. and has recently received a full season order, meaning it’s first season will have 20 episodes. Ricci’s first episode, episode 14, is expected to air in early 2016.
What do you think, Supergirl fans? Are you excited for the latest casting announcement? Supergirl has been killing it with bringing on some awesome villains, are you eager to see what they’re going to do with Silver Banshee?