Angela

Angela is a character in Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic book series. She was created for the series by writer Neil Gaiman, which led to a legal battle between McFarlane and Gaiman over the rights to the character.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the comics, Angela is an angel who acts opposite Spawn as a bounty hunter working under the auspices of Heaven. She attempted to kill Spawn upon their first meeting, but he managed to defeat her despite her significantly greater experience. When he later came to her aid during her trial in Heaven- ironically, he was there to testify that she had permission to attempt to kill him- they started a relationship. Angela was killed during the battle with Malebolgia in Spawn #100, but in Marvel Comics' Age of Ultron #10, she is revealed to be alive and sucked into the Marvel Universe.

The spoilers end here.

Publication history

Angela is a reoccurring adversary and ally of Spawn, and so is featured often in the series. Her debut was in issue Spawn #9, but she has since appeared in issues #62, #89, and #96 through #100.

In 1994 and 1995, a three-issue Angela limited series was published, written by Gaiman and illustrated by Greg Capullo. The series was later reprinted in a trade paperback (ISBN 1-887279-09-1), which, as of 2005, is out-of-print. There was also an Angela stand-alone comic (1995).

Angela has also been 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 Aria/Angela, featuring Angela in the Aria comic series.

Currently, Angela has been transplanted into the Marvel Comics' mainstream universe, since she is no longer a part of Image Comics (see "Legal rights" below). There, her origin was retconned as an estranged daughter of Odin, who wound up on Earth during the fluctuations in space and time resulting from Wolverine's time-traveling during the Age of Ultron event.

Legal rights

In 1993 McFarlane contracted Neil Gaiman (as well as other recognized authors like Frank Miller and Dave Sim) to write one issue of Spawn. While doing so, Gaiman introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn. All three characters continued to be featured prominently in the series after Gaiman's involvement, and had many tie-ins with McFarlane's toy company. Cogliostro had a prominent role in the live-action movie in 1997. McFarlane had initially agreed that Gaiman retained creator rights on the characters, but later claimed that Gaiman's work had been work-for-hire and that McFarlane owned all of Gaiman's creations entirely, pointing to the legal indicial in Spawn #9 and the lack of legal contract stating otherwise. (Some argued that this change of heart was motivated by his desire to gain full ownership to the characters by using Miracleman as a bargaining tool.) McFarlane had also refused to pay Gaiman for the volumes of Gaiman's work he republished and kept in print. In 2002, Gaiman filed suit and won a sizeable judgement against McFarlane and Image Comics for the rights due any creator. All three characters are currently co-owned 50/50 by both men.

Other Hellspawn slayers

Angela is only one of many Hellspawn slayers. There have also been others revealed in the series and within subsequent spin-offs:

Alexander - The first male Hellspawn slayer
Alicia - The next top Hellspawn Slayer
Angela - Top Hellspawn slayer, helped spawn in some battles
April - Hellspawn Slayer of space
Bobby - Male Hellspawn slayer
Bowser - Male Hellspawn slayer
Biker Chick - An angel who poses as a biker chick, uses guns and blades to kill Hellspawn
Csheriece - Hellspawn slayer of Darkness
Dawnn - The destroyer of angelic Angels, works for Malebolgia
Domina - A leader of a sisterhood of angels which includes Lilith, etc.
Gail - A Hellspawn slayer that poses as a prostitute
Immaculata - the assassin angel, killed by Cogliostro
Ivy - Hellspawn slayer
Jakie - Retired Hellspawn slayer
Javon - Male Hellspawn slayer
Keith - Male Hellspawn slayer
Lilith - Grand Duchess of the 8th plane
Lotus - A mystical samurai angel sent during the samurai wars
Mai - A Witch Hellspawn slayer
Majestic - Male Hellspawn slayer
Nuria - A Hellspawn slayer from Egypt
Redeemer - The Anti-Spawn, wielders of Angelic Fire
Scarlet - Amazon Hellspawn slayer
Shanae - Hellspawn slayer of water
Tiffany - Rookie Hellspawn slayer (battles Spawn in issues #44 and #45)
Tyronica - Hellspawn slayer / The Forgotten One
Valkerie - Assembler of the battlefield of souls, sent during Spawn's Viking age (toy only)
Venus - Angel of Death Hellspawn slayer
Vernita - Hellspawn slayer
Waneda - The first Hellsapwn slayer
Wesley - Angelic Minister
Zaria - Hellspawn slayer
Zelda - Hellspawn Angel from the future
Zera - Queen of the Seraphim, contracted Hellspawn slayer

Character Powers and Equipment

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

Powers

Indefinite lifespan, trained warrior and bounty hunter

Appearances, Images, and Quotes Edit

Curated Character Gallery: Angela

Quotations by or about Angela

Notes Edit

In 1995 and 1996, Angela was nominated for, but did not win, a number of Wizard Fan Awards: 1995 Favorite Villainess, 1995 Character Most Deserving of Own Ongoing Title, 1995 Favorite One-shot or Limited Series/Miniseries, and 1996 Favorite Heroine.

Appearances in Other Media Edit

The character had a minor cameo appearance in the 1997 live action film Spawn; a tall, beautiful red-haired woman with the typical Spawn symbol on her earrings appeared in one scene, and it is hinted, although not specifically stated, that this is meant to be Angela. She also appeared in the animated HBO series Todd McFarlane's Spawn.

Angela

Contents

HistoryEdit