Guardian Angel is a gripping episode that delves into the complex emotions and struggles of Warren Worthington III, also known as Angel. The story begins with Warren’s wings being severely damaged during a confrontation with the Mutant Response Division (MRD). Desperate and heartbroken, Warren turns to the sinister Mr. Sinister for help, hoping to restore his wings at any cost.

This plot is similar to other adaptions of Warren’s transformation to Archangel, rich with themes of desperation, identity, and the lengths one will go to reclaim what they’ve lost. Warren’s journey is a poignant exploration of his internal conflict and the moral dilemmas he faces. Mr. Sinister’s offer to heal Warren’s wings comes with a dark twist, forcing Warren to confront the possibility of losing his humanity in exchange for his physical restoration.

The X-Men, led by Wolverine, discover Warren’s plight and attempt to rescue him from Sinister’s clutches. The tension between Warren’s desire to be whole again and the X-Men’s mission to protect their friend from making a grave mistake adds a layer of emotional depth to the episode and Warren’s struggle with his mutation and the societal pressures he faces resonate deeply, making this episode a standout in the series. It’s a powerful reminder of the personal battles that each mutant faces and the strength it takes to embrace one’s true self.

Saving innocent mutants from MRD soldiers commanded by Colonel Moss, Angel flies to Worthington Pharmaceuticals and angrily confronts his father about using their family wealth to fund not only the MRD, but Kelly‘s hate campaign and Trask‘s Sentinel Program. Arriving back at the Xavier Institute, Warren partakes in a tender flying session with Storm.

News leaks of a new Worthington initiative: a cure to eradicate the mutant x-gene from anyone who presents with one. Warren is fuming and confronts his father against Wolverine‘s orders. After leaving his father’s side and outing himself as a mutant to the general public, Warren takes to the skies for retreat, only to be tracked and down by Colonel Moss’ MRD choppers.

Warren awakens, horrified to learn that his father has told doctors to amputate his damaged wings. Seething in anger that night, Warren is approached by Mr. Sinister, who offers him a way to restore his wings. Warren considers the idea and issues it to the X-Men. They try to persuade him that Sinister is manipulating him for his own ends, and Warren reluctantly agrees.

When Warren disappears, it’s revealed that he’s now in Sinister’s care, receiving new techno-organic wings and blue skin colouring. Suiting in a new uniform, Sinister christens this creation ‘Archangel‘.

Archangel storms into Worthington Pharmaceuticals and destroys the cure. The Sentinel factories are next, he proclaims. Storm and Wolverine arrive to stop him and, reluctantly when Sinister’s brainwashing takes over, Storm zaps Warren with lightening. However, in a moment, Archangel is gone.

Worthington Senior renounces Kelly’s plan to eradicate the mutants, claiming it will be the end for them all. He now stands alone, dejected, missing his son – as is Ororo, to whom Logan makes a promise: they will bring Warren home safe, somehow.

Unlike any other version of the franchise, a romance between Angel and Storm starts to form in this episode.

The plot that Warren Pharmaceuticals comes up with, a cure for mutation, is the same thing they did in X-Men: The Last Stand, which also featured an angry confrontation between Angel and his father.

It’s revealed later in the series that Sinister is working for Apocalypse, retroactively placing Apocalypse behind the scenes in this episode. In the comics, it is Apocalypse directly that transforms Warren into Death, aka Archangel. The scene was also adapted in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Sinister’s red diamond appearing on the people he controls is directly from the comics, most recently the Krakoan era story Sins of Sinister.

The cure is named the Legacy Cure, presumably after the Legacy Virus that targets mutants in the X-Men titles in the 90’s. It also could have been a plot point hint for the season 2 that never materialised..?

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