"Guardian Archangel:" The Official Character Discussion Thread

[Lightning Strykez!]

"Guardian Angel":
The Official Character Discussion Thread
***********************​

Welcome to the first official thread dedicated solely to Archangel--an original member of The X-Men. Here, I would like to invite my awesome fellow Forum Members to discuss all things in relation to Warren Kenneth Worthington III (hint, hint): His future roles in film, TV, and in print. Let's talk about the live action and animated actors that have embodied this character over the years, the potential impact Archangel could have on kids of the world when 2006 rolls around, and his relationships with The X-Men. Also feel free to post your favorite pictures of this winged Adonis....

Biographical Data​

Real Name: Warren Kenneth Worthington III
Occupation: Adventurer
Identity: It is publicly known, but not that he was the being called Death.
Legal Status: United States citizen with no criminal record
Other Aliases: Angel II, Death II, Dark Angel, Avenging Angel
Place of Birth: Centerport, Long Island, New York
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Warren K. (grandfather, deceased), Warren K. Jr. (father, deceased), Kathryn (mother, deceased), Burt (alias, Dazzler, paternal uncle)
Group Affiliation: (current) X-Men, (former) X-Factor, Defenders, Champions, Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Base Of Operations: Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Salem Center, Westchester, New York
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #1 (as Angel II), X-Factor #17 (as Death II), X-Factor #36 (as Dark Angel), X-Factor #38 (as Archangel)

His Story​

History:Warren Worthington III was attending a private school in his adolescence when wings began to grow from his shoulder blade. The wings reached their full adult size within months, but Worthington kept them a secret by strapping them tightly to his back and concealing them under his clothes. At first he thought himself a freak. However, Worthington learned that he could use his wing to fly, and came to enjoy his new ability. Then, one night there was a fire in his dormitory, and he resolved to use his flying power to rescue the people inside. To conceal his identity, Worthington wore a long blond wig and a long nightshirt, so that he looked like an angel. The rescue was successful, and his identity remained a secret. Shortly thereafter Worthington became a costumed crime fighter in New York City under the name of the Avenging Angel. He was then contacted by the X-Men and agreed to join them.


Subsequently, in a battle with the Marauders during their massacre of the mutant Morlocks, the Angel was caught by Blockbuster. Another Marauder, Harpoon, then impaled the Angel's wings with his weapons. The thunder god Thor rescued the Angel, but the bones of the Angel's wings had been permanently crippled, and his wounds became infected. As a result, surgeons amputated Worthington's wings. Worthington changed his will, leaving his fortune to X-Factor, thereby unwittingly playing into Hodge's plans. Shortly afterwards, in despair over the loss of his wings, his breakup with Southern, and the controversy plaguing X-Factor, Worthington apparently committed suicide in a small aircraft that exploded.

In fact, however, Worthington was teleported to safety by the mutant Apocalypse who, through genetic manipulation, caused the Angel's wings to grow back in a new form. His views towards the world radically altered by his recent traumatic experiences, Worthington became one of Apocalypse's warriors, the so-called Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and took the name Death. As Death, he battled the other four founding members of X-Factor, but he was shocked into ending his attack when one of the X-Factor members, Iceman, faked his own demise. Abandoning both Apocalypse and X-Factor, Worthington flew off to live a solitary life. He then rejoined X-Factor and adopted the new name of Archangel. Recently Warren underwent yet another transformation. This time Archangel "shed" his metallic wings which gave way to his older, more familiar feathered wings. The mystery surrounding this change is yet uncovered, but Warren fears it could be the next step in some higher plan that Apocalypse may have in store for him. This transformation was seemingly triggered by injuries he suffered to his wings inflicted by Sabretooth.

His newfound relationship with his fellow X-Man, Psylocke, has been the anchor he needs while dealing with his current changes. It's no surprise that Warren is also providing the same comfort to Betsy as she deals with her own "evolution" as a result of her exposure to the life-saving Crimson Dawn.

Stats​

Height: 6 Ft.
Weight: 150 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond

Strength Level: The Angel possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height and build, who exercises in intensive regular exercise. His wings can create enough lift to enable him to carry aloft at least 200 pounds in addition to his own weight.

Known Superhuman Powers: Angel is a mutant who can fly by means of his natural. Fully feathered like a bird's, the wings have a very flexible skeletal structure, enabling him to press them to the back of his torso and legs with only the slightest bulge visible under his clothing. His wings have superhuman strength and can create enough lift to enable him to carry aloft at least 500 pounds in addition to his own weight. Angel's entire anatomy is naturally adapted to flying. His bones are hollow like a bird's, making him weigh far less than usual for a man of his build. His body is virtually devoid of fat and possesses greater proportionate muscle mass than an ordinary human does.

His eyes are specially adapted to withstand high-speed winds which would hurt the average human eye. He possesses a special membrane in his respiratory system enabling him to extract oxygen from the air at high velocities or altitudes. Angel flies by flapping his wings, as a bird does. Though he generally flies below the height of clouds (6,500 feet), Angel can reach a height of 10,000 feet with little effort. With severe strain he can reach the highest recorded altitude of a bird in flight (African geese at 29,000 feet above sea level), but he can only remain that high for several minutes. He can fly nonstop under his own power for a maximum of approximately twelve hours. Contrary to some reports, he could not make a transatlantic flight solely under his own power. However, since his genetic alteration by Apocalypse, Angel may be able to fly for longer periods non-stop than he could previously.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Gallery I

This first gallery features classic renditions of Archangel by various artists over the years. Some are from actual X-comic panels.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Gallery II

The following are "artsy" renditions of classic artists i.e. Boris Vallejo and others.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Gallery III

This gallery contains various shots of acclaimed actor Ben Foster,
who will play the role of Angel in 2006's X3.

 

[Neto Magnus]

Reserved for forthcoming comment.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

The Focus Of This Thread:

A Note From Lightning:

Unlike other threads devoted to various rumored casting choices and others that concentrate exclusively on Ben Foster's aesthetic looks, the purpose of Guardian Angel is to focus more on the character of Angel himself--i.e. the source material. It's important that we get to know this new character to the X-Men film franchise and the important role he's played in the X-Men world from Issue #1.

True, there is no way to do this without getting into Ben Foster's acting prowess, but now that we have finalized casting and the galleries above as a point of reference, we can talk more about what Brett's possible plans are as details unravel.

Some items for discussion:

*Noting the varied looks of Angel's wings over the decades, which styling would look best for a modern silver screen treatment?

*How appropriate would it be to tie in the Morlocks with Angel's storyline?

*Do you think the rumored graphic descriptions of Angel's amputation attempts will be too strong for young audiences?

*Flight sequences: Should the studio designers go with all CGI or simply wirework?

*What impact do you feel Angel's conflict will have on teenagers who are searching for their own identites?

 

[EnSabahNur]

Ok so we know Warren is being KNown as Angel and not ArchAngel in the 3rd movie....

 

[Franklin Richards]

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I don't wanna see any of that Apocalypse crud. Give me billionaire playboy Warren with his regular ol' wings any day. That maudlin Angel sucks.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I don't wanna see any of that Apocalypse crud. Give me billionaire playboy Warren with his regular ol' wings any day. That maudlin Angel sucks.

It's good to see a familiar face "from the old days". Welcome Franklin.



EDIT: I agree with you by the way. I definitely prefer au naturel wings and I'm thinking they will go with something like that. The question is, how CGI heavy will that be to accomplish that? Or will they do prosthetics?

 

[EnSabahNur]

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I don't wanna see any of that Apocalypse crud. Give me billionaire playboy Warren with his regular ol' wings any day. That maudlin Angel sucks.

agreed, if they ever do make a sequal with apocalypse in it, id be all for that angel but not this time....

 

[aaron]

too early for apocalypse

 

[Franklin Richards]

It's good to see a familiar face "from the old days". Welcome Franklin.



EDIT: I agree with you by the way. I definitely prefer au naturel wings and I'm thinking they will go with something like that. The question is, how CGI heavy will that be to accomplish that? Or will they do prosthetics?

The footage I saw in Dogma convinced me that they could do a nice Angel. I don't know how much was CGI or how much was practical. All I know is that it was great. Check that flick for superb Angel effects.

I'd also like to see some Morlock action with Angel involved. If they use the old story of Storm battling for his life it might give Halle just the depth she needs in a part.

Callisto would be great. But would they soup up her powers? She didn't have alot other than tracking and fighting.

 

[aaron]

maybe they should of got jason mewes for angel instead, hes already got the long, long hair

 

[Endeavor]

That black and yellow costume with the tubing snaking all around him, it's rancid

 

[aaron]

i dont like the tubing

 

[X-Maniac]

The Focus Of This Thread:

Some items for discussion:

*Noting the varied looks of Angel's wings over the decades, which styling would look best for a modern silver screen treatment?

*How appropriate would it be to tie in the Morlocks with Angel's storyline?

*Do you think the rumored graphic descriptions of Angel's amputation attempts will be too strong for young audiences?

*Flight sequences: Should the studio designers go with all CGI or simply wirework?

*What impact do you feel Angel's conflict will have on teenagers who are searching for their own identites?

1) Natural feathered wings.... any alteration to metal wings should come later, unless he has the feathered wings as a child, has them removed, and we see a grown-up version with the metal wings as a result of Weapon X. Seems a lot to happen in one movie...

2) The tie-in with Morlocks could be too complex. A tie-in with Weapon X and Wolverine seems more logical given the events of the previous two movies.

3) Showing the amputation attempts will be fine, considering X2 had Magneto killing a guard by pulling out iron. We needn't see shots of attempts to gouge out the wings, just a knife, arm movements with the arm behind the back, then a knife with blood on it. It can be done easily without being graphic.

4) Wings should be prosthetics and during flight sequences CGI would be better than wirework.

5) Angel's wings signify the same as other mutations - the teenager who feels out of place with the world, misunderstood by parents and peers. The emergence of the full wings and subsequent flight signifies finding freedom of expression, a 'coming out', a transition into adulthood, able to be who you are.

 

[Neto Magnus]

you know, keeping with the 'fresh' movie versions of certain characters...I think it would be interesting if Warren was born not only with wings but blue skinned as well. They could show how he struggled as a kid growing up and how his parents made him cover up his wings and made him wear makeup.

His basic story would be that his parents denounce the fact that their son is a mutant and when Warren meets the X-Men, he becomes proud to be a mutant, or something like that.

 

[X-Maniac]

you know, keeping with the 'fresh' movie versions of certain characters...I think it would be interesting if Warren was born not only with wings but blue skinned as well. They could show how he struggled as a kid growing up and how his parents made him cover up his wings and made him wear makeup.

His basic story would be that his parents denounce the fact that their son is a mutant and when Warren meets the X-Men, he becomes proud to be a mutant, or something like that.

Don't you think we have enough blue mutants? Mystique, Nightcrawler, Beast.... That fact has already influenced (partly) which of those we see in X3. Nightcrawler will be absent, and Mystique may be made into a normal human.

I think it would be too much if we had yet another blue mutant. It would be anything but the 'fresh movie version' you mention - it would be theeee most tired movie version. Audiences would just remember Mystique and Nightcrawler and it would be sooo not fresh!

 

[JP]

If anything, I'd want him to be grey.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

5) Angel's wings signify the same as other mutations - the teenager who feels out of place with the world, misunderstood by parents and peers. The emergence of the full wings and subsequent flight signifies finding freedom of expression, a 'coming out', a transition into adulthood, able to be who you are.

Let's talk about that for a moment:

Although he's not part of this current production, Singer made a point to sew in themes of acceptance of discriminated groupings of people (i.e. blacks, minorities, gay and lesbian individuals, et al) into X1 and X2.

For example, when I did a google search for the pics above I learned that Angelic wings are also used as a symbolic metaphor for Gay Life.

Musical artists i.e. Mariah Carey and R. Kelly have done songs that touch on this same metaphor, one that revolves around freeing oneself from the stigmatisms that the world places on certain groups.

From what we know, Warren's father is trying to stifle this very process with the demutantizing cure. Do you think that Ratner has the vision to tie in this "coming out" as a metaphor through Angel's ability to fly? If you think about it, there are many directions they could go with this that could really strike a political chord with everyday people--even boosting X3 to critical acclaim if it's done right.

This film needs to have a strong message of some kind and I think Angel is going to be the great key to it all.

 

[X-Maniac]

If anything, I'd want him to be grey.

But why would be he grey?????????

He was normal white skin colour in the comics, and only became blue as the metal-winged Archangel.

He should be a white-skinned. Blue is already well-covered. Grey would be odd, and yet more make-up to be applied as well as the wings. No need to complicate things. Beast is blue, Leech is green, that's enough skin changes for X3!!!!

 

[EnSabahNur]

you know, keeping with the 'fresh' movie versions of certain characters...I think it would be interesting if Warren was born not only with wings but blue skinned as well. They could show how he struggled as a kid growing up and how his parents made him cover up his wings and made him wear makeup.

His basic story would be that his parents denounce the fact that their son is a mutant and when Warren meets the X-Men, he becomes proud to be a mutant, or something like that.

Ok mutants get their powers during puberty
i think he should lay off on the makeup... he might end up looking like a michael jackson with wings....
His parents wont denounce he is a mutant, if they were gong to hide his powers etc theyd lock him away in their house and deny they have a son.... he watches children playing from a small windo.... he is frustrated that he cant play with them, he attempts to cut his wings off....
i dont think after meeting with the xmen he will be proud to be a mutant.... the movies arnt episodes from the 90's tv show where every one is happy in the end after becoming an xmen....

 

[JP]

But why would be he grey?????????

He was normal white skin colour in the comics, and only became blue as the metal-winged Archangel.

He should be a white-skinned. Blue is already well-covered. Grey would be odd, and yet more make-up to be applied as well as the wings. No need to complicate things. Beast is blue, Leech is green, that's enough skin changes for X3!!!!

Im just saying.. if it were to happen, I'd rather grey then blue.

 

[X-Maniac]

Let's talk about that for a moment:

Although he's not part of this current production, Singer made a point to sew in themes of acceptance of discriminated groupings of people (i.e. blacks, minorities, gay and lesbian individuals, et al) into X1 and X2.

For example, when I did a google search for the pics above I learned that Angelic wings are also used as a symbolic metaphor for Gay Life.

Do you think that Ratner has the vision to tie in this "coming out" as a metaphor through Angel's ability to fly?

I don't think there were any obvious gay references in X1 or X2. Mutants were always a symbol for all minorities or repressed individuals, including gay people, but not exclusively.

Angel's flight would no doubt be interpreted as a flight of freedom, an escape from parental control and an overbearing father into a life of individuality, adulthood, and freedom of choice and expression, but not necessarily a gay thing. It's a coming out in a general sense, not a sexuality reference, unless Angel is made a gay character.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

I don't think there were any obvious gay references in X1 or X2. Mutants were always a symbol for all minorities or repressed individuals, including gay people, but not exclusively.

Angel's flight would no doubt be interpreted as a flight of freedom, an escape from parental control and an overbearing father into a life of individuality, adulthood, and freedom of choice and expression, but not necessarily a gay thing. It's a coming out in a general sense, not a sexuality reference, unless Angel is made a gay character.

No I understand what you're saying but that's not exactly what I was asking for.
Since Avi and others have said this is going to be the most 'controversial' X-film, this character could be developed in ways that touch on themes that other comic book films haven't go into.

I edited my original post to flesh out my points a bit more clearly.