Though Angela is just one of many comic characters with an infamously complicated background, she's somewhat unique in how her complications affected the real-life comic industry.

Originally appearing in the Image Comics Spawn series, Angela creator Neil Gaiman and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane infamously fought for the legal rights to Angela and two other Spawn characters Gaiman created. After Gaiman won the feud nearly a decade later, he sold Angela's rights to Marvel,and she made her debut apppearance at the very end of 2013's Age of Ultron event.

The drama didn't end there. Angela was a popular character heavily embedded in the mythos of Spawn and in order to fit into the established Marvel Universe, some major changes were needed -- including a shiny new backstory. These changes had big consequences for several long-established Marvel characters and shocked many fans.

However, she has ultimately enriched Marvel's canon and the publisher has managed to preserve many important aspects of Angela's original character.

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Angela In Spawn

Angela first appeared in Gaiman and McFarlane's Spawn #9 (1993) as a Hunter Angel. Angels were created from multiple human souls and live in the celestial realm of Heaven in a matriarchal society. One of their most important jobs is tracking and hunting Hellspawn.

Initially, Angela tried to hunt and kill Spawn, but after a fellow Angel accused her of trumped-up charges, she was forced to turn to him for legal help and sanctuary. She managed to clear her name soon after, but left Heaven anyways, becoming a bounty hunter.

Angela appeared in several other issues of Spawn and even had a brief miniseries (written by Gaiman and illustrated by Greg Capullo) chronicling her adventures. She last appeared in Spawn #100 by McFarlane, Capullo, Brian Holguin and Steve Niles, where she died helping Spawn fight the demon Malebolgia.

Related: Body Image: The 5 Weirdest Things About Spawn's Body, Explained

Angela In Marvel

Though she appeared in Age of Ultron and briefly joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's Angela remained a mystery for nearly a year until the Original Sin event revealed her identity: She was the long-lost daughter and heir of Odin and Freyja, and the sister of Thor and Loki.

As an infant, the Asgardian princess (originally named Aldrif) was captured and seemingly killed by the Queen of Heven during its war against Asgard. Enraged, Odin used the power of his Odinforce to rip Heven from Yggdrasil's roots. Little Aldrif miraculously survived the wound inflicted by the Queen and was raised by the low-caste servant who been ordered to dispose of the 'corpse.'

She was renamed Angela and though she was mocked for not having wings, her incredible strength and ferocity helped her rise through the warrior and Hunter ranks. Like other Angels, she hated Asgardians with a deadly passion. Once her true identity and family were revealed, it took a very long time for her to even begin to accept it.

Angela's skills as a Hunter eventually led her to meet Sera, her beloved. She tracked down a monster to one of the temples where the few wingless male Angels (Anchorites) were cloistered away from the rest of society. Sera, a trans woman, had been forced to live among the rest of the Anchorites until the monster attacked and Angela arrived.

Sera helped Angela fight and kill the beast and begged the Hunter to take her from the temple. Angela, impressed by her bravery and recognizing that she didn't belong with the Anchorites, agreed and led Sera back to the Angels. They went on many adventures together and fell deeply in love. When Sera was killed, Angela refused to accept it and temporarily became the Queen of Hel just to bring her back to life.

Many aspects of Angela's character and background are the same: She's still a Hunter, still an Angel, still a devoted friend and fierce enemy. Thanks to writers like Margeurite Bennet and Keiron Gillen and her addition to the Asgardian royal family, she's become one of Marvel's most powerful and intriguing female characters, with a fascinating new backstory and a heartbreakingly beautiful romance.

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