The Million Dollar Angel--The Origins of the Uncanny X-Men from Uncanny X-Men #54
Telling the origin of the X-Men’s Angel...
Our story begins some years ago when a young Warren Worthington III exasperates his parents
Kathryn and Warren Jr. by climbing up in a tree to get a closer look at some eggs in a nest.
When Warren is scared out of the tree by the owner of the nest, Warren just
barely manages to avoid a nasty fall by landing in the Worthington swimming pool.
Sequestered to his room to recover, Warren's parents lament over their young son's fascinations
with heights of late, the tree being only the most recent of many attempts to climb up on things.
As a teenager, Warren is enlisted in a private boy’s school where he becomes a star athlete.
One day while in the change room the other boys make jokes at Warren's expense when they notice his abnormally large shoulder blades.
One night Warren wakes up in the middle of the night to find a large feather in his bed.
Going to the bathroom to look at his back, Warren finds that a pair of bird-like wings are starting to grow out.
Getting bigger each day, Warren at first is impressed by his new wings,
but he then realizes that they will mark him as a freak and wonders what he will do.
Detecting smoke, Warren realizes that a fire has started and leaves his room to investigate.
Trapped on his floor by flames, Warren takes a risk and jumps out of a window to realize his wings actually allow him to fly.
Hearing cries for help, Warren decides to do something to save his fellow students.
Rushing to the Drama room, he finds a night shirt and a wig to conceal his identity.
Looking like a Biblical angel, Warren rescues the boys by using a rope to pull them out of the building to safety.
When all of the boys are safe, Warren sneaks away and offs his disguise (concealing his wings in the process)
and meets up with his classmate’s their tales of how a guardian angel saved their lives.
Script by Arnold Drake,
pencils by Werner Roth,
inks by Vince Colletta