On Angel's Wings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “On Angel's Wings” | |
|---|---|
| 'X-Men: Evolution' episode | |
 Angel takes flight. |
|
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 20 |
| Written by | Boyd Kirkland |
| Directed by | Frank Paur |
| Production no. | 20 |
| Original airdate | December 15, 2001 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Adrift" | "African Storm" |
| List of X-Men: Evolution episodes | |
On Angel's Wings is episode 20 of the animated series X-Men: Evolution. It originally aired on December 15, 2001.
[edit] Plot
It’s winter in New York City. Snow falls on Worthington Tower, and in one of the upper penthouses a young man sits in the shadows as his mother leaves a message on the answering machine, saying she’s worried about him. Warren Worthington’s attention is on the news, however, and a report about a woman trapped in a burning building. He stands on the balcony and listens to the sirens. He removes his coat to reveal a pair of beautiful wings, and takes to the skies.
At the burning building, a girl struggles with firefighters, crying that her mother can’t walk and someone needs to save her. Warren appears in her window to carry her to safety. She wakes in his arms and gasps. He sets her down on a bench and flies off before anyone else can see him. The woman cries for her daughter, who runs to her side; they embrace, and the woman says she was saved by a real angel.
There’s a Christmas party at the Xavier Institute, with everyone gathered in front of the tree. The girls are exchanging gifts when Kurt dangles mistletoe over Kitty’s head, puckering up for a kiss. Kitty says no way, and playfully runs off with Kurt in pursuit. Xavier tells Logan that he’s welcome to stay at the mansion over the holidays, but he declines, on account of some important things he needs to take care of.
Rogue tells Scott that it’ll be kind of lonely when all the others go home for the holidays, but they should be able to have some fun. Shyly flirting with him, she gives him his present early, even though Scott hasn’t gotten anything for her yet. He opens it up, revealing a sweater. Jean sees this and scowls. Meanwhile, Kurt corners Kitty on the couch, and he closes his eyes and leans in for a kiss. Kitty ducks, and Bobby is kissed instead. Both boys gag.
The next day all of the students with the exception of Rogue and Scott are on their way out. Scott is wearing the sweater Rogue gave him, and Jean looks troubled when she sees them standing close together.
Back in New York City, Warren walks through Central Park. He stares at a fountain of an angel when he hears shouts. A thief has stolen a man’s briefcase. Warren goes after him, taking the criminal into the air and leaving him to roost atop a flagpole. The victim tells a police officer that an angel carried off his assailant, but the officer doesn't believe him. The briefcase suddenly drops from the sky at the man’s feet, and both look up, astonished at the sight of Warren flying through the sky. He lands at the other end of the park to retrieve his coat and hide his identity, unaware that he is being watched.
News reports on the various angel sightings have spread around the city. Xavier reads an article about it and believes this "angel" could reveal mutants to the public. Rogue jumps at the opportunity of going out with Scott to recruit the angel. Later the two go about the city, talking with the family from the fire and the mugged businessman. They’re even chased by a crazed fellow holding a sign reading “Angels are among us.” That evening they take shelter in a café, and make plans to go to a CD store so Scott can get Rogue a gift. Scott asks if she believes that the angel could be the real deal, and she laughs before quickly realizing he’s serious. Scott reveals that when he was younger, he used to believe that an angel was watching over his little brother Alex, since he refused to believe he was killed in the plane crash. Eventually he grew up, but after Alex was found he began to wonder if something really was watching over them.
A man stands atop the Brooklyn Bridge. Warren, in costume as Angel, soars nearby. The man raises a hand, manipulating the metal of a car to cause an accident. It’s Magneto, back and in action. As the car teeters over the edge of the bridge Angel arrives on the scene to help the family inside. He pulls out a little girl and her parents. People gather around the scene to get a good look at him, but Magneto magnetically trips Angel with a wire, causing him to stumble and accidentily knock the little girl over the edge. He flies after her, but both fall in the water. Angel struggles to fly up with wet wings, but gets her to safety. Magneto accuses Angel of hurting her deliberately. The crowd quickly turns on him and he takes off just as the police arrive.
In a CD store, Scott and Rogue overhear talk of the press getting pictures of the angel during the Brooklyn Bridge accident. At the county hospital doctors look over the little girl, who’s unconscious. Angel visits her. He sneaks out wearing a doctor’s coat, and passes by Scott and Rogue, who are asking about the girl’s parents. They’ve left, and are praying at their church. Rogue spots the feathers under Warren’s coat and they chase after him, but he flies out a window before they can talk to him.
At the church, Angel watches over the praying parents, hanging his head. Suddenly he senses someone behind him, and faces Magneto. He reaches out to Angel, saying that once he felt the same confusion, and was unsure of whether he was cursed or gifted. There are “others” like him, whom Magneto wants him to meet. Angel tries to fly away, but Magneto prevents his escape by wrapping him in the chain of a chandelier. An optic beam strikes Magneto, blasting him through a stained glass window. The parents flee. Cyclops and Rogue help Angel up. Magneto returns, attacking them with magnetically thrown objects. The two X-Men take cover while Angel flies out of a window, only to soar through the broken stained glass behind Magneto and tackle him. Magneto falls, and Rogue touches him with a bare hand. He kicks her away and takes to the air. Rogue flies after him. Rogue and Magneto soar past the skyscrapers of New York, but he ends the battle by hitting her with a strong magnetic force that sends her crashing against a building. She falls, but Angel deftly catches her. Regaining her composure, Rogue wraps her arms around him and says that he must be a real angel.
Later at the hospital, Warren tells Scott and Rogue that he didn’t mean to hurt the girl. Scott says he doesn’t to explain; he’s saved a lot of lives, including Rogue’s. Warren wants to know what makes the Xavier Institute different than the group Magneto wanted him to meet. Rogue tells him that the Institute is about understanding their abilities and finding their place in the world, while Magneto wants to dominate the world. Just then, a doctor informs the parents that their daughter is awake. Warren follows them. Scott doesn't think that Warren will join the X-Men. They look inside the hospital room, and the little girl says that her angel came to see her. Rogue wipes away a tear.
Next, there is a montage of what the other X-Men do for the holidays. Jean picks out a Christmas tree with her family. Kitty lights a menorah with her mother and father. At an airport in Germany, Kurt waves to his foster parents and runs to give them a hug. Evan and his father are having a snowball fight, and Ororo joins in. At a bar, Logan plays a solitary game of pool. At the mansion, Xavier and Hank toast each other with warm cups of cocoa.
[edit] Trivia
- The newspaper Angel reads is the Daily Bugle, famous in regular Marvel continuity for having Spider-Man as one of its photographers.
- Scott discovered that his brother Alex survived their family's plane crash in the first season finale, "The Cauldron."
- The "others" mentioned by Magneto are the Acolytes, a team that will fully appear in the second season finale, "Day of Reckoning."
