Origin
Like most angels, Angela is unaware of how she was created. However, Angela first sees her past lives after a battle with the arachnid beast known as Argus. During the battle she becomes distracted by the face of the mysterious Deurges long enough to become entangled in Argus’ web. After being captured, Angela sees that she was created from the lives of women whose souls had been sacrificed. All of these souls were then blended together to create Angela. However, the last thing each of her past lives saw was the dispassionate face of Deurges. Angela eventually escapes, killing Argus after swearing to find and kill Deurges as well.
Creation
Angela was created by Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane and first appeared in Spawn #9.
In 2013, Angela was acquired and retooled by Marvel and first appeared as a Marvel character in Age of Ultron issue 10.
Major Story Arcs
Spawn
When Angela first met Spawn, she immediately attempts to kill him, as it is her duty to rid the world of Hell’s servants. Even though she had more experience in battle than Spawn, he was still able to defeat her with the aide of his cloak. With Angela out of sight, Spawn examines her lance and upon touching a button on it, he is sent to a strange dreamworld. However, when he awoke, both the lance and Angela were gone. Spawn later came to Angela’s aide in Heaven when she was falsely accused of hunting without a permit and put on trial.
During the trial, Spawn attempted to testify that Angela did indeed have a hunting permit when she came to kill him, however, his efforts were futile as the Angels in the court refused to listen and insisted on killing him instead. It was revealed to readers earlier that Angela had indeed obtained a hunter’s permit from an angel named Gabrielle. However, Gabrielle held a long standing grudge against Angela and used her defeat against Spawn as an opportunity to frame her.
Unfortunately, upon the trial’s end, the Angels in the courtroom begin to attack Spawn and Angela is forced to help him, although Spawn barely escapes with his life. The two of them end up in a corner of hell where they attempt a brief romantic relationship before fighting their way out. The two bicker back and forth on the subject of who was the better fighter before finally escaping. Angela, however, does not return with Spawn to Earth, and instead makes her way back to her home in Heaven where she informs her friends, Anahita and Kuan Yin, that she will be working as a free lance Angel from here on out.
Aria/Angela Crossover
At some point in her past, Angela is knocked unconscious in battle and falls to Earth where she is kidnapped and a portion of her energy is stolen by a nightmare who has taken human form. This nightmare puts Angela on display in a sideshow like act, although most do not think her to be a real Angel.
Angela threatens her captor every chance she gets and is not fed, as the nightmare is aware that she does not need to eat. Angela is forced to sulk in a dark dungeon, which only allows her desire for vengeance to grow. She was eventually recognized for what she truly was by the Faerie known as Kildare.
Kildare quickly attempts to rescue the captive angel from her prison and although confronted by the nightmare, the two immortals manage to escape. At this point, Angela begins to grow much weaker and Kildare helps to restore Angela’s Heavenly abilities. Angela immediately engages in a futile battle with the nightmare, as her powers seem to have no effect.
Kildare, however, knows that he is only the nightmare of humans and upon taking him to her realm the nightmare turns to dust, as the faerie people are not frightened by the same fears as mortals. Kildare and Angela soon part ways and the two of them never come into contact with each other again.
Urizen
Later, the Dark God known as Urizen was released by two demons named Ab and Zab, and while Spawn attempted to stop the God on his own, he unfortunately was unsuccessful. Upon his defeat the Greenworld gave him new powers and Angela soon came to help him in order to inform him of Heaven’s plan to stop Urizen.
The two of them quickly set off to find the two demons, Ab and Zab, who had initially opened the gate, and found out about the purpose of Urizen’s release. Angela quickly rushed back to Heaven in order to stop Tiffany and the group she commanded from going to Earth.
If Tiffany were to reach Earth, it would usher the start of the Apocalypse since they would technically be invading, and thus giving Hell a proper chance to attack as well. Unfortunately, they did not believe her and Angela single-handedly fought the group to keep them from entering. Angela and Spawn soon teamed up again in order to capture Urizen and seal him back within his earthly prison. Later, it was revealed that Malebolgia had originally given the orders to release Urizen, knowing full well what would happen.
Death
Soon after Angela and Spawn re-sealed Urizen within the Earth, they entered hell for a final confrontation with Malebolgia. In this epic fight, Angela cuts the open Malebolgia’s stomach and pierces his throat with her lance, mortally wounding him. Angela then moves to aid Spawn who had been injured early in the battle and and the two of them attempt to escape only to be attacked from behind. Angela is ultimately killed when Malebolgia stabs her with her own lance. In a blind fury Spawn beheaded the demon with Angela’s sword and took Angela’s body to her fellow angels.
The Marvel Universe
Origin
Angela is the first born child of Odin Borson and Freyja. During the war between Asgard and Heven, the Queen of Angels kidnapped Angela in order to use her to blackmail Odin in surrendering Asgard, but Odin refused and the Queen seemingly killed Angela in front of her parents.
After this tragic incident Odin in his great anger used his power and and tear the realm of Heven from Yggdrasil and sealed it off from the other nine realms.
Guardians of the Galaxy
In the wake of Ultron‘s defeat, the time-space continuum was broken permanently, as a result tears in the fabric of reality opened up across the Multiverse.
One of these tears managed to pull Angela into the Marvel Universe along with the decapitated head of a gigantic humanoid she had just killed and then cut her off from the path to Heven, leaving her stranded in a reality not her own.
Enraged, Angela began heading towards Earth in search of answers to her dilemma but was intercepted by the Guardians of the Galaxy. Gamora, wanting to ensure that Angela did not reach Earth, engaged her in battle while the other Guardians scrambled to figure out who she was, where she had come from and how she could be stopped. Angela was about to deal the final blow to Gamora when but Peter, Rocket, and Groot joined the fray to save her. Groot goes for the attack, but Angela dispatches him in one strike. Drax soon enters the battle and Angela continues giving the team trouble. It isn’t until Peter eventually shows up with an attack from behind that Angela finally falls. The team peers over her, wondering who she is, but they only get a name when Uatu appears and tells them her presence is most concerning. Angela is held captive, but talks with the Guardians. She explains her origins and what happened to her. She is let go but followed by the Guardians to Earth. Quill gives her a com for her to talk to them whenever she needs to.
The Tenth Realm
Angela senses the reopening of the boundary that has blocked her from returning to her homeworld. She travels to Heven and finds that Thor and Loki are responsible. Thor had been battling the Angels. Upon her return, Angela duels Thor and bests him. Meanwhile, Loki is spared because he is a Jotuun, not an Asgardian. Taking his female form, Loki makes a deal with the Queen of Heven, and assumes the mantle of Mistress of Strategies. In this position, he leads a fleet of warships from Heven, pretending to be leading them to victory over Asgardia, when in reality, his plan is to have the fleet crash into the invisible force field surrounding Asgardia. The fleet was destroyed all at once, and Loki, Mistress of Strategies, returned to Heven with Odin. When he sees Angela, Odin recognizes her as his long-lost daughter, and reveals that her true name is Aldrif Odinsdottir. Her Asgardian lineage explains her lack of wings. Disgusted with her heritage, the Angels renounce Angela, but let her live out of respect for her expert abilities and service to Heven as a huntress. Unwilling to accept Odin’s offer to return to Asgardia with him, Angela strikes out on her own to explore other realms.
Angela: Asgard’s Assassin
Angela has been spending time visiting other realms. She once visited Asgardia when she received news that Odin and Freyja were going to have another child. Thor, Loki and the Asgardian hosts were all present. After the child was born, Angela stole her away, and left Asgardia. As soon as Odin discovered this treachery, he sent Thor, the Warriors Three, and a host of Asgardian warriors to retrieve the child and punish Angela. Always several steps ahead of the Asgardians, Angela used magical totems to teleport from one realm to the next with the girl. She arrived in Limbo, the dimension ruled by the Illyana Rasputina. She sought out her close friend and fellow warrior of Heven, Sera, who Angela had left to prepare another magical teleportation totem. The Asgardians arrived shortly thereafter, hot on Angela’s trail. The False Angel battled all the Asgardians at once, and held them off for a few minutes, giving Sera the time she needed. Once the preparations were made, Sera, Angela, and the newborn Odinsdottir teleported to another realm… Midgard. On Earth, they spent time eating ice cream, and discussing plans for the future. They are interrupted by the arrival of Thor and the Asgardians. Almost immediately after their arrival, Sera, Angela, and the baby teleport away once again, leaving Thor wondering who cursed him to a life with two trickster siblings. The pursuit continues.
Queen of Hel
When Sera is killed, Angela travels to Hel and petitions Hela for her release. When Hela refuses, Angela embarks on a campaign of all-out war against her. A fierce struggle ensues, during which Angela enlists the services of Leah, Hela’s handmaiden. After a climactic final battle, Angela emerges victorious and dons Hela’s crown as her own. However, she quickly abdicates the throne, saying she never really desired power. She leaves Hel under the rule of Balder, her half-brother, and returns to the land of the living with Sera and Leah.
Powers & Abilities
Angela, as an Asgardian and Angel, has the following powers and abilities:
Superhuman Strength
Being the firstborn child of Odin and Freya, Angela is much stronger than the average Asgardian. She is strong enough to almost match Thor (both Jane and Odinson) in strength.
Superhuman Stamina
Due to her divine nature, Angela has a much higher level of endurance than that of humans and most meta-humans. Angela’s physiology grants her the ability to perform at his physical peak without tiring for very long periods of time.
Superhuman Durability
Being the firstborn child of Odin and Freya, Angela’s durability far surpasses average Asgardians. She can withstand attacks from from Thor without sustaining much damage. She does, however, suffers a lot of damage from lightning attacks due to her weakness to lightning.
Healing Factor
It’s possible to injure Angela but due to her divine nature, Angela heals much faster than a human being.
Immortality
Unlike the rest of Asgardian Gods, Angela is immortal and doesn’t age beyond her prime. This might be due to her being raised by the Angels in Tenth realm which most likely altered her biology. This is further confirmed by the fact that Tony Stark and the Guardians of the Galaxy couldn’t analyze what she is despite the fact that they know about Asgardian Gods. Another trait that she got from Angels is that she is weak to lightning, something that all Angels possess. This means her biology was somewhat altered. She never consumed Apples of Iddun like the Gods of Asgard do to prolong their lifespan. She is also immune to all earthly diseases.
Flight
Angela has the ability to fly.
Self-Sustenance
She is able to survive unaided in the vacuum of space.
Weapons Master
She is able to efficiently wield special axes and swords with deadly expertise.
Weakness
Angela is weak to lightning. As stated before, this might be due to her being raised by the Angels which somewhat changed her biology.
Other Media
Film
Spawn
Angela has a brief, non-speaking cameo in the film, portrayed by Laura Stepp. Presumably, she would have had a bigger role in the sequel had one been made.
Television
Todd Macfarlane’s Spawn
Angela makes a small appearance in the HBO miniseries, she was voiced by Denise Porier. She only appeared in one episode, titled “Dominoes”, She is a longtime hunter of Hellspawn, Angela has taken out hundreds of Hellâs soldiers over the years and earned herself quite the reputation for it along the way. Despite having taken out the last two Hellspawn, she was not given the job of hunting the newest Hellspawn, Al Simmons. Gabrielle, the head Angel on Earth, ended up giving that job to another one of Heavenâs hunters, Jade.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Angela appears alongside Thor in the episode “We Are the World Tree,” as well as the two-part “Asgard War” story arc. The cartoon incorporates Marvel’s retcon of her origin, with her being the long-lost daughter of Odin and Frigga. She is voiced by Nika Futterman.
Games
Marvel Avengers Alliance
Angela is a playable character in the game, recruitable as a reward in the PVP tournament Season 19. Becoming available for general recruitment some time after the tournament is over (She can be purchased using Commander Points).
Her Bio Says: A long time ago, Asgard was at war with the Tenth Realm, Heven. In an attempt to blackmail Odin to surrender, the Queen of the Angels kidnapped Aldrif, Odin’s first-born and heir to Asgard. Odin refused and witnessed the death of his infant daughter. Enraged, the All-Father banished all the Angels and sealed off Heven from the other Nine Realms. Unbeknownst to Odin and the Queen of the Angels, Aldrif survived and was raised, in secret, as a Huntress of Heven known as Angela the Wingless One, but recent events have revealed Angela’s true parentage. Now shunned by the Angels and filled with an Angel’s hate for Asgard, Angela seeks out a place for herself in the galaxy.
Marvel Avengers Alliance 2
Angela is a playable character in the game. She is a scrapper class.
Her bio in the game says: Aldrif, the long-lost daughter of Odin, was thought to have been slain in her infancy during a war between Asgard and the tenth realm, Heven. Raised in secret by the Angels of Heven, and trained from youth to be a fearsome Huntress, Angela the “Wingless One” now knows the truth of her lineage. No longer loyal to either realm, Angela now roams the Midgardian galaxy, seeking a cause to believe in
Marvel: War of Heroes
Angela appears in several cards in the mobile card game Marvel: War of Heroes. Her cards are:
- [Daughter of Odin] Angela
- [Thor’s Sister] Angela
Marvel Future Fight
Angela is a playable character in the game. She is a universal type, and her description in the game says: Angela is a fierce warrior raised by Angels in Heven. After being taken from her home, she discovers that her true parents are Odin and Frigga, and that her disappearance was a result of Asgard’s war with Heven. The Queen of Angels pardoned, but exiled Angela, who has now dedicated herself to exploring other realms.
She was released with alternate uniforms.
- Angela – Modern
- Angela – Secret Wars: 1602 Witch Hunter Angela
- Angela – All-New, All-Different
Marvel Heroes
Angela is a playable character in the game.
Her bio in the game says: When the Angels of the Tenth RealmâHevenâwaged war on Asgard, Odinâs daughter and heir to Asgardâs throne was kidnapped by the Queen of Angels. But Odin would not be extorted by the Angels, and his daughter, Aldrif, was seemingly slain. Odin retaliated by severing Heven from Yggdrasil and closed it off from the other Nine Realms. While sealed away, Aldrif was discovered to have survived and was then raisedâ hidden from her true heritageâ as Angela, Huntress of Heven.
As all secrets eventually come to light, Angela uncovered the truth of her upbringing. Now, shunned from Heven and branded a traitor to Asgard, Angela roams across the realms to find her place within itâcontinuing her hunt wherever it takes her.
Marvel Avengers Academy
Angela is a playable character in the game, released during de “A-Force” event. Her recruitment quest is “Get Angela!”. She is voiced by Natalie Van Sistine.
Marvel Contest of Champions
Angela is a playable character, a cosmic champion, in the game.
Her bio says: Leader of the Hunt, Guardian of the Galaxy, Queen of Hel, Angel, Goddess. Angela is a woman of many titles. Born Aldrif Odinsdottir, the first child of Freyja and Odin, but raised as Angela by Loriel, handmaiden to the Queen of Angels, she has battled her way across the Galaxy. Now Angela has come to the Contest, perhaps the greatest challenge of martial skill and strength to be found in the Nine Realms, and beyond.
An alternate version called Punishing Angel is a non-playable character.
Merchandise
- McFarlane Toys produced a number of Angela figures back before they lost the license.
- Angela was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
- Hasbro produced an Angela figure in the Marvel Legends line as part of the Titus Build-a-Figure wave.