Art by Ryan Sook and Jose Villarrubia
- Name: Theresa Cassidy
- Code Names: Siryn, Banshee, the Morrigan
- First Appearance: Spider-Woman #37 (April ’81)
- Powers: Sonic Scream, Persuasion
- Teams Affiliation: Fallen Angels, X-Force X-Corps, X-Factor Investigations
About
One of the biggest things the DC Universe has to differentiate itself from Marvel is the sense of legacy. The most famous Green Lantern isn’t the original, Batman spawned an enormous team of characters trying to follow in his footsteps, and the Teen Titans are an entire team made from the legacy of the Justice League. The Marvel Universe, while working towards it recently, have very few characters with any sense of legacy. The sense of world and history that legacy brings adds a phenomenal amount of depth to a character. The X-Men have one huge example of legacy, one that ties back to the days of Giant Sized X-Men, and it is an odd one. Sean Cassidy, the mutant known as Banshee, has had his legacy carried on by his long lost daughter, the screaming Siryn.
Portrayed by Shauna Kain in X2 and X-Men: Last Stand
Sean Cassidy was sent into a deep undercover operation for Interpol, he kissed his wife goodbye and headed into the field more over a year. Little did he know that his beloved Maeve was pregnant with their first child. With no way to inform her husband, Maeve gave birth to their child and traveled to her family in Armagh, Northern Ireland, a county embroiled in strife. An IRA bombing rocked the city and took Maeve’s life but her daughter, Theresa Cassidy, was spirited away by Sean’s cousin, the one and only Black Tom. Tom kept the child a secret, even when his cousin returned from assignment. He raised her as only a supervillain could, teaching her to rob and being inattentive enough to discover that Terry had developed a drinking problem at the age of 13. In his own way though, he loved the girl that he raised and wanted the best for her, Black Tom just had a skewed view of what that was.
As Terry grew, so did her sonic scream. Black Tom and his hetrosexual life partner, the unstoppable Juggernaut, decided to enlist the girl on a heist to steal a shipment of vibranium. Her wail attracted the attention of Jessica Drew, the vigilante known as Spider-Woman, and the crooks were able to easily dispatch the wall crawler. The X-Men had noticed a new mutant in the area, thanks to Cerebro, and decided to work with Spider-Woman to track this mutant down. They traveled to the dilapidated boat where the trio of villains were laying low and their combined might was enough to best the fiends. Black Tom felt guilt for wrapping his teenage ward in this life of crime and admitted that she was the daughter of Banshee. The X-Men took Siryn in promising the girl that soon, she would meet her real father.
Art by Steve Leialoha
Banshee had fallen for Moira MacTaggert and previously left the X-Men to stay with his love at her facility on Muir Island, but he rushed back to Westchester to meet his daughter. Their reunion was beautiful and Terry decided to join him and Moira on Muir Island. Terry became close with Jamie Madrox, another mutant living on the island, it was nice having someone closer to her own age on this island. The two worked with the New Mutants to find the lost Sunspot and Warlock, though that escapade led them to the Vanisher and his run away group of mutant, the Fallen Angels. They stayed with the Angels for a while but Terry left when she realized the Madrox she had known and loved was just one of his dupes, a copy created by his mutant power. She rushed home to Muir Island, only to get caught in the Shadow King’s takeover. She was forced to battle her mind controlled father until Forge was able to break the spell, but the experience had left Terry angry.
Art by Dave Cockrum, Josef Rubinstein, and Glynis Wein
Looking for an outlet for her anger, Terry flew off to foil a plot by Black Tom and Juggernaut to destroy the World Trade Center (this is a very unfortunate plot that could only work in 1991). X-Force and Spider-Man had also teamed up to stop the destruction and they were successful in stopping them from destroying both towers. Cable offered of Terry to join the team and she accepted, eventually growing close with teammate Warpath. Terry was broken after everything that had happened to her and looked for the solution at the bottom of a bottle. Warpath sensed the anger in the girl and decided to help her. They returned to her ancestral keep and confronted Black Tom and the catharsis awoke something in Siryn. She realized the path her life was going down and vowed to change it.
Art by Tony Daniel, Jon Holdrege, and Marie Javins
Terry soon tried to track Black Tom down again as the man who raised her had fallen ill. Tom was attempting to use Deadpool’s regenerating abilities to heal him and the merc with the mouth became close to Siryn. She was sickened when he revealed what he looked like under his mask, reasonably so as Pool looked like someone pulled his balls up through is mouth and then wrapped them over his head. Still she worked through the horror and became an ally to Deadpool, that is until a young mutant removed her memories of the man.
Art by Ian Churchill and Bud Larosa
Siryn continued to run with X-Force until the team disbanded. After, she joined the Paris branch of X-Corporation and battled Weapon XII in the Chunnel. After M-Day X-Corporation closed its door but an old friend by the name of Jamie Maddrox opened a window. He was starting a PI firm to live out his dreams of being a gumshoe and wanted Siryn to be a part of it. While working she discovered a new aspect of her powers, she could use her voice as a hypnotic suggestion like the siryns of myth.
Tragedy struck Terry’s life when her father was killed by the mad Vulcan, or one would assume. After growing up in a castle with leprechauns and living with legitimate superheroes her entire life, Theresa only saw death as a roadblock. She was sure that her father would turn up to still be alive, or a clone, or a robot, or resurrected as a horseman of death and refused to believe he was truly gone. Eventually she came to accept that her beloved father was no more and mourned for him in her own way.
Art by Ariel Olivetti and Jose Villarrubia
Theresa tried to keep a good attitude, to keep her depression and drinking at bay, however she started to act recklessly. When Maddrox came to her one night she let him into her bed, unfortunately so did Monet. Terry was disgusted that she might have slept with a dupe and felt betrayed by Jamie, matters were complicated when she discovered that she was pregnant. She decided to keep the child and the pregnancy went as smooth as any superhero birth could and she gave birth to a healthly young boy named Sean. She handed her beautiful child to his father, wriggling and crying as only infants can do. She pictured their future, unconventional sure, but it was theirs. She saw Sean growing, living up to his namesake, becoming the man she knew he could be. Then she saw Jamie Maddrox, the Multiple Man, absorb her child back into his body like just another dupe.
Art by Valentine De Landro, Craig Yeung, and Jeromy Cox
Theresa Cassidy, lashed out in rage, all the emotions she had tried to suppress for years came seething forth. She clawed at Jamie’s chest, trying to rip through him to get her son back and was only stopped by her weakness after childbirth. Jamie tried to explain that he didn’t know it was a dupe that slept with her and he had no way of knowing this would happen. It didn’t matter though, Syrin broke his fingers and threatened his life if she ever saw him again. She returned home to Ireland to grieve, but hope came from a surprising place. One of Jamie’s dupes had long since ran away and become a man of the cloth, the Reverend counseled Terry and she began to overcome all the hardship she had faced. She decided to christen this new outlook at life with a new codename, Banshee.
Art by Karl Moline and Rich Magyar
Terry rejoined her friends in X-Factor, even trying to get on better terms with Jamie. While investigating a rash of murders, Theresa found the culprit was the Celtic goddess The Morrigan. The goddess tried to convince the new Banshee to worship her and she threw Terry to her death when she refused. She was saved at the last minute but the experience left a mark on her. Still depressed over her father and the injury of a teammate, Terry tried to summon the Morrigan and found something she didn’t expect. The goddess was tired of her eternity, she offered her godhood to Terry if only the Banshee would kill her. Theresa Cassidy chose to become the new Morrigan and left to explore this new adventure.
Art by Leonard Kirk, Jay Leisten, and Matt Milla
Must Read
Just about six months ago I had my first child. He is my everything and I can’t imagine life without him. That’s what makes X-Factor #39 so hard to read because writer Peter David understands the immediate bond a parent has with their child. He was always open about his family life, the recap pages of X-Factor caught you up on both the investigators and the ongoing adventures of David’s children. A moment that could have been pure shock value in the hands of a lesser writer becomes incredibly impactful in David’s hands. Pull up Marvel Unlimited and read this right now, but make sure to have some tissues handy.
Art by Mike McKone
Ranking
I like Siryn, she brings that sense of legacy that is so neat about DC, while adding more depth than Banshee ever had. She has been the center of very relatable and human struggles and she really resonates with readers. She doesn’t have the energy and excitement of fellow X-Factor member M or the mix of comedy and tragedy that makes Strong Guy such a stand out. She is more engaging than Callisto, the depth of character sees to that. However I don’t think she has the page presence of someone like Rachel Summers. Because of that I am slotting Siryn in as the new number 16 in the Xavier Files.
Siryn was requested by Brad from the Patreon, thanks for the request! If you want to cut to the front of the line like Brad, we have a Patreon if you want to support it and get a line cutting reward for just a $1 pledge. Our first goal is only $15 and it gets rid of those ads and makes the hosting for Xavier Files entirely reader supported.
Xavier Files is opening itself up for guest articles. If you have something you would like to pitch send an email to Zachary.Jenkins@Xavierfiles.com and we will be in touch. So far this has generated us hosting an amazing web comic called Bish & Jubez, a eulogy on Harry Leland, and the best new readers guide out there.
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Zachary Jenkins runs ComicsXF and is a co-host on the podcast “Battle of the Atom.” Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside of all this.
