Angela | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Image Comics (1993–2000) Marvel Comics (2013–present) |
First appearance | Image Comics: Spawn #9 (March 1993) Marvel Comics: Age of Ultron #10 (June 2013) |
Created by | Neil Gaiman Todd McFarlane |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Aldrif Odinsdottir |
Species | Asgardian |
Place of origin | Asgard |
Team affiliations | Guardians of the Galaxy Asgardians of the Galaxy Strikeforce A-Force |
Notable aliases | The Hunter Queen of Hel |
Abilities |
|
Angela is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Image Comics and Marvel Comics. Created by author Neil Gaiman and artist Todd McFarlane, the character first appeared in Spawn #9 (March 1993), in McFarlane's creator-owned series Spawn, and later starring in her own self-titled miniseries (launched in December 1994). She is an angel and a bounty hunter, working under the auspices of Heaven to oppose Spawn.
The character was later the subject of a legal battle between McFarlane and Gaiman over the rights to the character, which Gaiman won. Gaiman later sold the rights to the character to Marvel Comics; she was integrated into the Marvel Universe in the 2013 story "Age of Ultron", [1] and her character was expanded upon in the 2014 storyline "Original Sin," where she was established to be Aldrif Odinsdottir, the Asgardian lost sister of Thor. [2] [3]
In 1993, Todd McFarlane contracted Neil Gaiman, along with three other recognized authors, Alan Moore, Dave Sim, and Frank Miller, to write one issue of his creator-owned comics series Spawn , which was published by Image Comics. While doing so, Gaiman introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn. All three characters were co-created and designed by McFarlane. Angela first appeared in issue #9, as an adversary. In 1994 and 1995, a three-issue Angela limited series was published, written by Gaiman and illustrated by Greg Capullo, in which Angela and Spawn were forced by circumstance to temporarily work together as allies. The series was later reprinted as a trade paperback titled Angela Trade Paperback, retitled as Spawn: Angela's Hunt in later printings and given a new cover design ( ISBN 1-887279-09-1).
The monthly Spawn series continued to feature all of the characters Gaiman had created long after his direct involvement had ended. Angela would appear in several Spawn issues such as #96 through #100, and in the 1994–95 limited series Angela. She was also featured in several crossovers. The Rage of Angels miniseries saw Angela meeting Glory in Angela and Glory (1996), and was continued in Youngblood #6 (1996) and Team Youngblood #21. There was also a crossover called Aria/Angela, in which she featured in the series Aria .
McFarlane had agreed that Gaiman retained creator rights to the characters, but later claimed that Gaiman's work had been work-for-hire and that McFarlane owned all of Gaiman's co-creations entirely, pointing to the legal indicia of Spawn #9 and the lack of legal contract stating otherwise. McFarlane had also refused to pay Gaiman for the volumes of Gaiman's work that McFarlane republished and kept in print. In 2002, Gaiman filed suit and won a sizable judgment against McFarlane and Image Comics for the rights due any creator. [4] [5] All three characters were then equally co-owned by both men. In 2012, McFarlane and Gaiman settled their dispute, [6] and Gaiman was given full ownership of Angela. [7]
Comic Book Resources confirmed on March 21, 2013, that Neil Gaiman was returning to Marvel Comics and would bring Angela with him. Joe Quesada was quoted as saying her first appearance as a proper Marvel character would happen at the finale of the "Age of Ultron" storyline. [8]
In 2013, it was later confirmed that Marvel Comics bought the rights to Angela from Gaiman. [9] [10]
On May 9, 2013, Entertainment Weekly published the first image of Angela as redesigned by Joe Quesada for her appearances in books published by Marvel Comics. [11]
Angela is an angel and a bounty hunter, working under the auspices of Heaven to oppose Spawn. She attempts to kill Spawn upon their first meeting, but is defeated despite her significantly greater experience. [12] Later, he comes to her aid during her trial in Heaven, where he testifies that she had permission to kill him. They are temporarily trapped in a pocket dimension when Spawn's cloak acts to protect him from her weapons. Spawn's restructuring of reality allows them to return from the pocket dimension, and also erases Angela's 'permit' to use her weapons against him. [13] While returning to Earth they start a romantic relationship. However, Angela is killed during the battle with Malebolgia. Spawn returns her body to the angels, who presumably bring her back to life. [14]
During the 2013 "Age of Ultron" storyline, Angela is revealed to be alive and has been pulled from Heaven as a result of Wolverine's damage to the Omniverse. [15] In a combination of rage and confusion, she charges towards Earth from outer space, only to be intercepted by the Guardians of the Galaxy, leading to her joining the team. [16]
During the Original Sin storyline, it is revealed that she is Aldrif, the daughter of Odin and Freyja, making her sister to Thor and Loki. She was "killed" as an infant during Asgard's war with the Angels of the Tenth Realm called "Heven." This crime resulted in Odin severing the Tenth Realm from the other nine as punishment for their attack. Thor learns of his sister's existence when he is exposed to the secrets of Uatu, the Watcher's eye, by the Orb. He returns to Asgard to confront his mother about Angela's existence, and subsequently travels to the Tenth Realm with Loki to learn more about his sister. [17]
The Guardians of the Galaxy and Angela are attacked in warp space by a band of pirates, called Warpjackers. During the battle, Angela abandons the Guardians when the adult Loki telepathically tells her that the portal to Heven is open and that she can return home. As Thor battles Heven's guards, Angela appears having been guided to the doorway to Heven by Loki, and prepares to battle Thor. [18] Angela fights an exhausted Thor who had just fought off the army of Heven, and is then told by the Queen of Angels to bring Thor to her. The now-female Loki has aligned with the Angels, telling Thor that "being on the winning side seems just perfect." [19]
While Loki leads an Angel fleet to Asgard, under the false pretence to help them destroy it, Thor escapes captivity and engages Angela in combat once again. [20] The fight between Thor and Angela is interrupted when Odin (who Loki freed from his self-exile) arrives and recognizes Angela as his daughter, revealing Angela's true lineage as the long thought dead Aldrif. A long time ago, the Angel tasked to dispose of Aldrif's body found out the baby was alive and raised her as one of the Angels under the name of Angela. In light of this revelation, the Queen of Angels grants Angela her life, pardoning her for her service to the Angels, but exiles her from Heven due to her lineage. After leaving Heven, Odin tells Thor, Loki, and Angela that he still loves his children. Angela then decides to leave in order to explore the other realms. [21]
Later, Angela and her lover Sera abduct the newborn daughter of Odin and Freyja. Unbeknownst to Odin, the baby is possessed by the spirit of Surtur and Odin orders Thor to hunt down the pair. Angela and Sera with help from the Guardians of the Galaxy, stay ahead of Thor and take the baby to Heven to be cleansed of Surtur's spirit. There, Angela throws the baby into the stalled engines of Heven. Surtur's fire is expelled from the baby and reignites the engines of Heven. For this action, Angela's debt to Heven is repaid and thus closes her last remaining connection to the realm. [22]
After Angela returns the baby to Odin, she discovers that Sera is actually Malekith the Accursed and the real Sera, who was previously killed in battle, remains in Hel. Angela travels to Hel and petitions Hela to restore her love to life. When Hela refuses, Angela launches a campaign of conquest with the help of Sera and Hela's handmaiden, Leah, completing several trials to become the new Queen of Hel. When she succeeds, she frees the souls of the dead Angels enslaved by Hel, and restores Sera to life, only to abdicate and return to Earth with Sera and Leah, having no need for power. [23]
Angela later joins Strikeforce, an Avengers-adjacent black ops team as the co-leader alongside Blade. [24]
In her current Marvel incarnation, Angela is a born god and heir to the Asgardian throne. [17] She has enormous amounts of super strength which enables her to fight opponents like Jane Foster (Thor), [25] super speed where she moves faster than lightning and super durability where she can withstand attacks from the likes of Gamora, Drax and Thor. She also has the ability to fly. Angela can also heal faster than an average human being. [26]
Unlike the rest of Asgardian Gods, Angela is immortal and does not require Golden Apples to sustain her youth. She lived for eons without any sustenance. [19] [27]
Screen Rant included Angela in their "10 Best Thor Characters In Marvel Comics But Not In The MCU" list, [28] in their "10 Most Powerful Asgardian Gods In Marvel Comics" list, [29] and in their "10 Best Asgardians Not Yet In The MCU" list, [30] and ranked her 13th in their "15 Most Powerful Asgardians In The Marvel Universe" list. [31] Autostraddle ranked Angela 2nd in their "7 LGBT Women Who Need to Appear in the MCU Immediately" list. [32] Marc Buxton of Den of Geek ranked Angela 22nd in their "Guardians of the Galaxy 3: 50 Marvel Characters We Want to See" list. [33] CBR.com ranked Angela 4th in their "Marvel: The 10 Strongest Female Heroes" list, [34] 5th in their "10 Strongest Asgardians In The Comics" list, [35] and 7th in their "20 Strongest Female Superheroes" list. [36]
In 1995, Wizard Fan Awards nominated Angela for Favorite Villainess, Character Most Deserving of Own Ongoing Title, and Favorite One-shot or Limited Series/Miniseries. [37] In 1996, Wizard Fan Awards nominated Angela for Favorite Heroine. [38]
According to Diamond Comic Distributors, Angela: Asgard's Assassin #1 was the 15th best selling comic book in December 2014. [39] [40] [41] Angela: Asgard's Assassin #1 was the 217th best selling comic book in 2014. [42] [43]
Doug Zawisza of CBR.com called Angela: Asgard's Assassin #1 "one of the most technically stunning debut issues from Marvel," writing, "Stephanie Hans' work is atmospheric and painterly, providing a distinct visual difference from Jimenez's but maintaining the same level of detail and dedication to addressing Angela as a figure flowing through the panels rather than a sex symbol posing in those panels. Hans adds rugged torn edges to the panels, giving them the appearance of being ripped from Sera's or Angela's memories. Just as subtly as "Angela: Asgard's Assassin" #1 shifts from main story to substory, it shifts back out, bringing readers to a conclusion fraught with anticipation. Any comic with "Asgard" in the title is destined to bring in the God of Thunder, but with Thor now being a different Thor than the one Angela is familiar with, Gillen elects to leave readers awaiting the confrontation between Angela and Odinson. To sweeten the pot, the writer teases a surprising reason for the visit, leaving readers with a cliffhanger in the process. It's a solid cap to a solid comic book, as "Angela: Asgard's Assassin" #1 gives readers yet another excellent female-led series in the Marvel Universe." [44] Petra Halbur of The Mary Sue described Angela: Asgard's Assassin #1 as potentially "the best new series in recent memory," asserting, "There’s plenty to appreciate about Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #1aside from the heroine’s principles, of course. Awesomely, Stephanie Hans’ illustrations provide little to no fodder for The Hawkeye Initiative. Despite her ridiculously skimpy armor, Angela remains generally un-sexualized by the artist, striking no poses that draw especial attention to her breasts, legs or butt. I also love Sera’s design, a woman, er, angel of color who rocks her celestial armor with a short, plump frame (by comic book standards, anyways). Still, it’s this code of justice that really sets Angela apart from other seemingly morally complex antiheroes and opens her up to some interesting possibilities. I can’t imagine Thor and Angela will remain adversaries for very long and I dearly look forward to a team up between the honorable God of Thunder, his “balance” obsessed sister and the newly-minted Agent of Axis, Loki: three siblings with fundamentally clashing codes of conduct." [45]
In 1602: Witchhunter Angela, Faustina aka Angela appears as a hunter of WitchBreed (mutants) in the 1602 universe.
In MODOK: Assassin , an Angela appears as a member of the Thors, Battleworld's peacekeeping force, wielding a hammer called "Demonslayer".
A third appears as a resident of the domain Arcadia, home of the all women superhero team, A-Force. [46]
Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Spawn: Angela | Angela #1–3 and Angela Special | January 1998 | 978-1852868352 |
Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Angela: Asgard's Assassin - Priceless | Angela: Asgard's Assassin #1–6 | August 2015 | 978-0785193562 |
1602 Witch Hunter Angela | 1602 Witch Hunter Angela #1–4 and 1602 #1 | March 2016 | 978-0785198604 |
Angela: Queen of Hel - Journey to the Funderworld | Angela: Queen of Hel #1–7 | July 2016 | 978-1302900014 |
Asgard is a fictional realm and its capital city appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the realm first appeared in Journey into Mystery #85. Based on the realm of the same name from Germanic mythology, Asgard is home to the Asgardians and other beings adapted from Norse mythology. It features prominently in stories that follow the Marvel Comics superhero Thor.
Balder the Brave is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the deity Baldr from Norse mythology.
Odin Borson, the All-Father is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. First mentioned in Journey into Mystery #85, the character first appears in Journey into Mystery #86, and was adapted from the Odin of Norse mythology by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character is depicted as the father of Thor and, traditionally, as the king of Asgard.
The Executioner is the name of different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Loki Laufeyson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby, he is based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name. Although a version of Loki debuted in Venus #6, his characterization as the adoptive brother and nemesis of the superhero Thor was introduced with the version that debuted in Journey into Mystery #85, which has persisted to the modern age.
Enchantress is the common primary alias of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first of these is a powerful sorceress with the real name of Amora, one of Thor's greatest enemies. The second Enchantress is the young Sylvie Lushton, who was given great mystic powers by Loki when he created her as a tool for chaos. She models herself after the original Enchantress, Amora.
Heimdall is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Norse deity Heimdall. Heimdall is described as all-seeing and all-hearing and is the sole protector of the Bifröst in Asgard.
Fandral the Dashing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardian adventurers consisting of Fandral, Hogun the Grim, and Volstagg the Valiant. They are members of the supporting cast in Thor comics and usually provide comic relief and side-adventures.
Valkyrie is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in Defenders #4. She is based on the Norse mythological figure Brynhildr. Valkyrie became a mainstay of the superhero team known as the Defenders and a close ally and one-time love interest of the god Thor.
Sif is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #102. She is based on the Norse goddess Sif. As an Asgardian warrior and lover of Thor, Sif often accompanies him into battle. She has also battled alongside Balder, who has developed an unrequited attraction to her, as she never shows affection for anyone but Thor and certain individuals who have proved worthy to wield his hammer, Mjolnir, such as the noble alien warrior Beta Ray Bill, and the mortal Eric Masterson.
Surtur is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an enemy of Thor. Based on the fire giant Surtr from Norse mythology, he was adapted by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Journey into Mystery #97. The character was once described as one of "The Ten Most Heinous Enemies of the Mighty Thor".
Frigga is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appears in particular in those featuring the superhero Thor, who is Frigga's son. Based on both Frigg and Freyja of Norse mythology, she was created by writers Stan Lee and Robert Bernstein and artist Joe Sinnott, and first appeared in Journey into Mystery #92.
Hela is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is based on the goddess Hel from Norse mythology, and was first adapted by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Journey into Mystery #102. Hela is the Asgardian Goddess of Death who serves as the ruler of Hel and Niflheim. The character is usually depicted as an adversary of the superhero Thor.
Tyr is a fictional character, an Asgardian god appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Norse god of the same name. Along with Thor and Balder, he is one of Odin's biological sons.
Thor Odinson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, based on the god from Old Norse religion and mythology, Thor (Þórr). Created by artist Jack Kirby, writer Stan Lee, and scripter Larry Lieber, the character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 (1962) and first received his own title with Thor #126 (1966). Thor is an adaptation of the deity of the same name from Norse mythology, and many aspects of Thor's character are based on his mythological counterpart. Comic books featuring Thor have been published across several volumes since the character's introduction.
"Original Sin" is a 2014 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. The story features Nick Fury and the Avengers investigating the murder of Uatu the Watcher, only to suffer trauma from what they see in his eyes. They also come into conflict with a group of misled self-appointed investigators led by Black Panther and Punisher.
The Serpent is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Known as the Norse God of Fear, he is the brother of Odin and the uncle of Thor and Loki as well as a foe of both relatives, as well as the Avengers.
Eitri is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Eitri is a Dwarf who lives on Svartalfheim and is the King of the Dwarves. He is a weapons forger and is notable for being the creator of Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Eitri has also occasionally aided the New Mutants.
The Asgardians of the Galaxy are a team of superheroes that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team made their first appearance in Asgardians of the Galaxy #1 by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Matteo Lolli. The series lasted 10 issues.
"The War of the Realms" is a 2019 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Russell Dauterman. The storyline has been met with positive reviews, with critics praising the storyline and the art.
Later this year, writer Neil Gaiman makes his return to Marvel Comics...Perhaps even more intriguing is the announcement that Gaiman plans to introduce Angela to the Marvel U.