One-Winged Angel



The One-Winged Angel is the TV Tropes-popularized term about a villain's (usually Big Bads) surprising capability to assume one or more monstrous forms as means to defeat the heroes with full force, normally in desperate situation.

The means to acquire one's monstrous form would be vary, such as the use of certain dangerous forms of dark magic or certain mutagenic drugs/chemical substances or via technological/magitek means.

Either way, the resulted transformation endows the villain greater power against heroes, though certain flaws would always occurred in their new, stronger forms, ranging from unable to return to their pre-transformed state or worse, degenerated intelligence.

This term is named after theme music and alias of Sephiroth, the main villain and final Boss of the videogame Final Fantasy VII (even he has in fact 7 wings, but just one in place of an arm), who subsequently popularized this trend among villains in fiction. In fact, the popularity of this trend allowed this term become one of the well-known TV Tropes, thought heroic examples of this phenomenon also exist. As a plot device, One-Winged Angel typically provides a challenge for heroes and other good guys who sought to defeat the villain, which more prevalent in case of video game villains: Depending on the writers, some villains showcase multiple One-Winged Angel forms in their disposal each with their own strengths and weaknesses as well as stronger than the last as seen in case of Frieza of DragonBall Z in 1991.

As stated previously, this popular theme is not exclusive to villains alone, as some heroes also have his/her own One Winged Angel forms, but still share same risks and limitations.

Scientific/Technological Examples

 * Las Plagas: Anyone who have infected themselves with the Master Plaga variant of this parasite would be guaranteed to accessed more monstrous form. Lord Osmund Saddler and the Los Illuminados are the examples of this.
 * Professor Dick Hardly: As result of drinking Chemical X, Dick Hardly turned into a humanoid abomination.
 * Mojo Jojo: With the help of Chemical X that gave him his powers, he can turned into more powerful being.
 * Kevin Levin: In the original Ben 10 continuity, Kevin 11 can turn into a monstrous hybrid alien should he absorb a portion of the Omnitrix's powers at the cost of his sanity. But in the reboot, he wears a replica Omnitrix called the AntiTrix, giving him the ability to instead transform into twisted-looking mutant versions of Ben's aliens.
 * Albedo: Because he created the Ultimatrix, Albedo is capable of turning into any of Ben Tennyson's alien forms and can also access their Ultimate forms.
 * El Macho: El Macho can turned into a purple-furred beast with PX-41.
 * King Candy/Turbo: Turbo/King Candy gained all of Cy-Bugs' powers due to devoured by a Cy-Bug that released by Ralph, but the cost was he cannot resist his Cy-Bug instinct to approach extremely bright light.
 * Hun: In Turtles Forever, Hun gets himself exposed to Mutagen and turns himself into a mutant turtle, the one thing he hates most in the world, due to "mutant turtle filth" being the last thing he touched.
 * Mohawk: Mohawk drinks the Spider serum and transforms into a hybrid form of a Gremlin and a spider.
 * Judge Doom: reveals himself as a Toon with burning cartoonish red eyes and a high pitched squeaky voice who killed Eddie Valiant's brother, Teddy five years ago.
 * Venom: After bonding with a Symbiote, Eddie Brock becomes a monstrous formidable alien known as Venom.
 * Riot: After bonding with a Symbiote like Eddie, Carlton Drake becomes Riot, a sadistic deadlier version of Venom.
 * Abomination: After being given a second dosage combined with Bruce Banner's blood, Emil Blonsky becomes a formidable monster known as the Abomination.
 * Lizard: After attempting to grow a new limb with a special serum, it instead transformed Dr. Curtis Connors into a monstrous human-reptile hybrid known as the Lizard.
 * Queen Grimhilde: Drinks a magic potion she made to transform herself into a witch.

Mythical/Magical/Supernatural Examples

 * Maleficent: Maleficent's One-Winged Angel form is an enormous black and purple dragon that can spew forth green flame. She used this as a desperate attempt to defeat Prince Phillip after the latter got through the forest of thorns.
 * Jafar: Jafar has 2 versions of his One-Winged Angel form: one is a giant cobra and the other is a red genie.
 * Rothbart: Rothbart's One-Winged Angel form of choice is the "Great Animal", a monstrous large animal hybrid with the head of a wolf, the body of a bat, the talons of an eagle and the tail of a lizard, giving a vaguely dragon/wyvern-like appearance.
 * Lord Shinnok: After stepping into the Earthrealm's Jinsei and corrupts it, Shinnok becomes a demonic monstrous version known as Corrupted Shinnok.
 * Mad Madam Mim: Mad Madam Mim's One-Winged Angel form is an enormous purple dragon that retained her human hair.
 * Alecto: Alecto's One-Winged Angel form is a huge sea monster.
 * Simone, Lena and Jacques: Their One-Winged Angel forms are a trio of werecats.
 * Raiden the Moon King: Raiden the Moon King's One-Winged Angel form is the Moon Beast, a monstrous dragon-like creature.
 * Vilgax: Vilgax's One-Winged Angel form is a gigantic, octopus-like monster when exposed to water. He later undergoes a similar, yet floating said form when he stole the power of Diagon.
 * Sunset Shimmer: The result of using Twilight Sparkle's element of magic crown turned Shimmer into succubus-like fiery demon.
 * Ursula: Due to the magical power of King Triton's Trident, "Queen" Ursula gained the access to become a colossal version of herself.
 * Queen Narissa: Queen Narissa's One-Winged Angel form is an enormous blue dragon.
 * Ludmilla: After stealing Baba Yaga's potion from Bartok, she drinks it and transforms into an obese pinkish dragon.
 * Dorian Tyrell: After he steals the magic Mask of Loki from Stanley Ipkiss, Dorian Tyrell puts it on his face and transforms into a Beast like version of The Mask.
 * Prince Aragon: When he gets angry, his Amulet of Aragon glows and he transforms into a black and purple dragon.
 * Valtor: Valtor's One-Winged Angel form is a maroon demon.
 * Acnologia: Originally a human and a Dragon Slayer, after bathing in the blood of so many dragons as well as the overuse of his magic power, he transformed into a dragon himself.
 * Scrappy-Doo: After absorbing all the protoplasmic souls using the Daemon Ritus, Scrappy-Doo transforms into a colossal monster known as Scrappy Rex.
 * Charmcaster: Charmcaster is able to use magic to transform herself into a dragon.
 * Emperor Han: Emperor Han has 2 versions of his One-Winged Angel form: one is a three-headed dragon and the other is a Fu dog.
 * Rowan North: Due to already being a ghost at this point, he can transform into a cute ghost form based off the Ghostbusters' logo but can turn into a giant monster ghost.
 * Mathayus the Scorpion King: Mathayus the Scorpion King's One-Winged Angel form is a corrupted human/scorpion hybrid-like creature after Anubis claimed his soul.

Others

 * Chirin: Due to rigorous training by a wolf, Chirin has become a monstrous being that can never return to his community.
 * Ratigan: Upon being exposed by Basil, Ratigan was furious so much that he reverted to his feral self.
 * Hexxus: Hexxus's monstrous form is a fiery skeleton shrouded by pollution.
 * Combiner team Decepticons: Multiple incarnations of the Decepticons have displayed the ability to merge with the various members of their group into a single large 'bot. For example,
 * The Constructicons (Scavenger, Long Haul, Mixmaster, Scrapper, Bonecrusher, and Hook) can form Devastator. Other Constructcons such as Rampage, Demolishor, Hightower, Overload, Quickmix, Buckethead, Wideload, Steamhammer, Bonecrusher's younger brother Gravedigger, and even the Autobots Scoop and Hauler are sometimes involved in various incarnations of the team.
 * The Combaticons (Onslaught, Swindle, Brawl, Vortex, and Blast Off) can form Bruticus. Shockwave can also form a weapon for Bruticus to use in combat.
 * The Stunticons (Motormaster, Drag Strip, Breakdown, Dead End, and Wildrider) can form Menasor. Heatseeker, Wildbreak, Slashmark, Offroad, and Blackjack are sometimes involved in various incarnations of the team.
 * The Predacons (Razorclaw, Rampage, Divebomb, Headstrong and Tantrum) can form Predaking.
 * The Terrorcons (Hun-Gurr, Blot, Sinnertwin, Rippersnapper, and Cuthroat) can form Abominus.
 * The Infernocons (Skulk, Rupture, Thrash, Gorge, and Glug) can form Infernocus, as shown in the toyline for Trasnformers: The Last Knight. However, the film itself depicts a total of six Infernocons forming Infernocus. While fans claim that the toyline Infernocons are indeed present in the film, albeit with identical robot modes, the name of the sixth member currently remains unknown.