On Wings of Eagles
November 18th, 2005
I’ve never liked characters with bird-like wings sprouting from their backs.
First, they’re never used well. “While the rest of the X-Men attack the Brotherhood, Angel. You, um, fly around.” And exactly how many issues of the Legion of Super-Heroes was Dawnstar flying around exploring the universe instead of actually contributing to the team? This leads to aloof characters the readers can’t relate to who are quickly written out of the series.
Second, The anatomy and physics just don’t work:
- Birds (and bats) have four limbs: two legs and two wings. Winged characters (with the exception of Man-Bat) have six limbs: two legs, two arms and two wings. Having wings in addition to the normal limb count is more insect-like than anything else.
- Bird chests are more barrel-like than the relative flat human chest. This allows birds a greater reach for a more efficient flapping. It also provides a better structure for their flight muscles to attach to.
- Bird bones are extremely light. They are generally hollow or have air cells in them. If winged characters were built like this, one strong punch would shatter bones.
- There are bones in bird wings (as any connoisseur of hot wings knows all too well). Has it ever been shown that flying characters have bones in their wings? On one hand, that would be weird — like having an extra pair of arms growing out of the shoulder blades. It would also make it hard for the wings to tuck tightly in against the back, as Warren Worthington likes to do. However, if these wings don’t have bones, then what are the flight muscles attached to? And how do their wings have the necessary rigidity for flight?
- Characters are inevitably drawn with what is known as “the high-speed wing” or the “long wing.” In nature, this style of wings is found in swallows, swifts, terns and some birds of prey. It is best for a fast level flight. It is not particularly well suited for tight maneuvering or quick take-offs and landings — which is what most winged heroes use it for.
- An average human would need a wingspan of 48 feet to fly. If you add in the increased muscle mass needed to use these wings then that number jumps to 60 feet.
November 20th, 2005 at 1:31 pm
I always thought they explained away that stuff by saying winged characters
had muscles and bones made of much lighter material than average humans.
Also, the muscles, although lighter, posses some degree of super strength
(at least in the wings), enabling them to carry other people as they fly.
November 20th, 2005 at 2:37 pm
How big should Dawnstar’s wings be if they can help her fly in space and hyperspace?
November 20th, 2005 at 3:46 pm
Dosent the strength of muscles also factor in? The stronger muscles, the smaller wings would be needed to keep person in air. Remembering that Beast also has some superstrength, it would be not that far off to give Angel also some.
My biggest problem with winged characters is the fact that their ability is to FLY. I mean. Angel can fly. Northstar can fly and do it faster. Nearly all telekinetics can also fly (and X-men has way too many of them), as well as Rogue, Storm…. And thanks to the wings Angel is easier target than the rest (also lacking any offensive capabilities or ability to take hits).
He is, however, great PR-material. I find it wierd that X-Men dont put Warren more to the front. Mutants are from devil, eh? Here we have some angels…
November 21st, 2005 at 5:24 am
Scott, did you ever notice that punching birds does NOT break their bones?
The hollow bones of birds, scarily enough, are actually part of their respiratory systems. Yes, air flows through the bones. Freaky to us mammals.
Of course your whole argument is based on the idea that these characters use their wings to fly, but in general they don’t. For instance, neither Angel nor Dawnstar flies by flapping of wings.
November 21st, 2005 at 7:21 am
My own theory about Dawnstar is that the “wings” are really sensory organs, basically antennae or whiskers. They’re for the tracking-power, not the flying-power.
But for Angel, I think it’s harder, since if I recall correctly in-story there were references that indicated his flying was intended to be physical effort. Even though this never worked even if he was somewhat super-strong, because that would mean that being around him would be something like standing next to a helicopter (lots of air moving, noisy).
November 21st, 2005 at 9:14 am
Official Comment
I’ll but the “super-strength” and “lighter-than-normal” theories. Almost every flying character is a mutant or altered human of some sort, so that makes sense.
Dawnstar was always a bit of an abnormality, so maybe she wasn’t the best example to use. (Flying through space? How long is that going to take?)
I’m pretty sure that Angel did fly by flapping his wings. I don’t have access to my full collection, but here’s a scan from Uncanny X-Men #137, courtesy Claremont and Byrne, where Angel learns that flying in the Blue Area of the Moon may not be the best idea. Besides Angel, there are other winged characters who do fly using their wings including Northwind and the forgettable Hawk and Dove from the 1997 re-laucnch.
November 21st, 2005 at 9:18 am
I’ve always liked winged characters, but the physics has bugged me for a long time. Hawkman is no problem (Nth metal, artifical wings, b but Angel and that sort just bothered me (and then they lift and carry other characters!). I finally adopted the “Namor” explanation: The wings don’t provide lift — the character is actually levitation. The wings offer a mental “focus” (that’s why the character can’t fly if they are removed)and, for Angel, provide steering.
November 21st, 2005 at 9:21 am
Oops. I meant “the character is actually levitating.” The text box was behind the links on the right.
The other nice part of my explanation is that it allows hovering, which winged characters are ALWAYS doing.
November 21st, 2005 at 11:32 am
The ‘wings are primarily cosmetic, flight is actually achieved by psychokinetic levitation’ explanation was used for the winged character Peregrine in the Wild Cards books and comics, and made sense. After all, even if a mutant like Angel had really strong muscles and bones in the wings and chest for a wonderful power-to-weight ratio, he’d still need a while to take off and the area would be in a windstorm, as already noted.
Of course, a character where this stuff was acknowledged and used would be kind of interesting. For one thing, the wings would be really powerful weapons when grounded or on close approach, given that a wing buffet from a 30-lb swan’s wing has been known to break a man’s neck…
November 21st, 2005 at 11:41 pm
I recall reading about one flying character who’s name I do not recall who’s bone starting going all hollow, barely able to support his weight. I think it was Vulture, but I’m pretty sure that is wrong. Anyone know who that is?
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:37 am
Yeah, biologically - six limbs and how’re they attached. And Physically - lift, thrust, take off and manuvering, how do they fold etc.. Their problematic to put it mildly, but what really gets me is the point iJusten raises:
That’s it? You can fly? What a gyp, not invulnerable, not particularly superstrong or fast. And you’re gonna fight Magneto, the Blob, or Dark Phoenix? Don’t you think Toad or Flatman might be more your speed?
November 22nd, 2005 at 12:22 pm
FYI: In the original six issue series, we are told that Longshot has hollow bones, like a birds, which helps to explain his astonishing jumping and acrobatic ability. There’s a neat scene where, I think it is She Hulk, punches him, and because of the lighter bones, he just goes sailing. She’s surprised, since she didn’t really hit him that hard.
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:59 pm
Here’s the powers section from the old deluxe edition of the Marvel Handbook. It mentions his hollow bones, low body fat etc.
(http://chrisnolan.ca/img/blog/AngelDeluxeEditionPowers.jpg)
November 22nd, 2005 at 2:20 pm
Official Comment
“He posses a special membrane in his respiratory system enabling him to extract oxygen from the air at high velocities or at high altitudes.”
The writers at Marvel were just making that up as they went along, that’s the only explanation.
November 23rd, 2005 at 9:58 am
Yes, but does the psuedo-science work?
November 23rd, 2005 at 10:04 am
While I’m here I’ll point that the Official Handbooks are never canonical in and of themselves. The speculation involved in them works as well as fan-fiction. At best they summarize and orient the events of the comcs which are canonical.
I would, however, like to submit a petition that would forever more regard the “paraphenelia” issue of Official Handbook as canonical.
November 23rd, 2005 at 3:25 pm
You have no problem with Superman flying — despite his lack of any means of suspension or propulsion reconcilable with the laws of physics — yet you have trouble with Hawkman, Dawnstar, etc.?
Maybe I’m a little biased. One of my favorite fantasies is that I’ll go to sleep (possibly in the throes of a mysterious illness involving a fever) and wake up with fully functional wings. Please don’t take that away from me!
P.S. to Carl: “Scott, did you ever notice that punching birds does NOT break their bones?” Apparently not only do you punch birds, you assume others do, too. You’re scaring me, dude! You know what animal abuse can lead to . . .
November 23rd, 2005 at 3:54 pm
Post-Crisis, I think Superman’s ability to fly is partly based on gravitational control, and partly latent telekinetics (remember; he has forcefield that protects his costume). Also, the lack of gravitational control is the reason why Superboy is so much slower than the Man himself.
Yes, I have no life.
July 10th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Well, who said it’s supposed to be realistic. Honestly, lets think about Scott Summers and those optic beams. The ruby quarts is the only thing that can hold them at bay, right? So he closes his eyes very tightly every time he tooks them off but how come they dont disintegrate his eyelids? It’s meant to be enjoyed, not to be taken seriously.
July 15th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
I am very biased in favor of wings. Very. And unapologetically, too. I even love that flight alone is not a very high-level power. See, sicko that I am, I love underpowered heroes such as Green Arrow, Wildcat, Captain America, Oracle, and Disney’s Gargoyles. They fight/shoot/smash things, and that is easy for my puny human brain to understand. Green Lantern’s powers are so high-level he shouldn’t even get to have adventures longer than 30 seconds tops, and they only take longer because they invariably make him stupid.
I want to marry JLU’s animated Sheyera and have her babies.
I wouldn’t mind seeing more four-limbed wingy-folk, though. At the moment the only one I can think of is Lexington the Gargoyle. And that Nightwing design.
Yes, I will admit it; I totally want my own wings. I rationalize away the wingspan issue by saying we don’t know how much they actually WEIGH, just what they look like, and their bones could be hollow and full of air sacs. Warren might be a svelte 70 lbs.
December 1st, 2006 at 10:59 am
I feel like making a little comment. It’s a widely held belief that birds’ bones are “hollow” and therefore “lighter.” This is actually not quite accurate. Birds’ bones are more like suspension bridges wrapped into cylindrical shapes. They have web-like cross-branching trusses and supports that form their bones. This is not to make the bones lighter–in fact, it actually makes them *heavier*. The purpose of the design actually is to prevent the bones from shattering due to the huge forces exerted on them when a bird flaps its wings or even holds its wings steady on a lift-producing air current. Bird skeletons come under huge stresses and pressures. Many bird skeletal modifications occurred to keep a bird from breaking bones when it flies. For example, without their web-like reinforced bones, unicate processes on its ribs and the addition of coracoid bones, when a bird flapped hard enough to fly it would break apart its own rib cage.
I agree that the flying superheroes I have seen do not appear at all biologically accurate, but I try to enjoy them anyway. I have actually tried to design the skeletal system for a winged horse. It is really hard! Some creatures were not meant to fly.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
While it is true that angel has hollow bones to account for his wings, I think that it means that he has rock solid muscle, which could be gained by flying and accounting for how he can land, fly, and take-off without having a curved breast. I mean, his costume reveals all. His wingspan…well I’ve got nothing about that except aesthetics. Also, to even walk on the ground, Angel would have to walk around with his wings folded or he’d topple over everywhere. I think his wings are a cross between an insects (small and having six apendages), a bird’s “(wings with feathers, duh!) and a bat’s (which have the ability to fold.)
October 12th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Scott Summer’s eyeblasts don’t rip his eyes because his eyes is his skin. His skin emits a telepathic field which makes himself immune to his own powers, much like his brothers is also immune! Oh right, this isn’t about Scott…
March 17th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The wiki says Angel weighs 150 pounds… at six feet tall, that’s a bit light, yes. I don’t blame the artists for leaving out the respiratory function of avian skeletal structures, mind you…
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
One idea I’ve heard is that Angel’s wings are ridiculously strong (like, “they can break metal” strong) and that’s why his wings can provide lift for hundreds of pounds.
It’s really a wonder he doesn’t just thwack people with his wings like an angry swan.
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