History Main / GoodWingsEvilWings

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': The Balrog has demonic wings wreathed in smoke and flame.

** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]": Princess Luna arrives in a sinister carriage pulled by pegasi with accordingly sinister bat wings. Despite this, [[DarkIsNotEvil they don't show any signs of being evil]]. However, the point of the episode is that since Luna ''was'' evil, she has to ''tone down'' some things like that (and the VoiceOfTheLegion that can cause gale-force winds) if she wants people to [[ReformedButRejected accept her change]] instead of screaming "Aaah! Nightmare Moon is going to kill us!" and running for the hills.

* ''Fanfic/{{Depravare}}'': The Shinigami Righteous has black feathered wings and the Shinigami [[spoiler: Kira]] has bone wings.

* ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean'': Kalas has [[OneWingedAngel one angelic wing]] and one metallic wing. [[spoiler:Sure enough, he does a FaceHeelTurn, though he later returns to the good guys. Interestingly, when he's off being evil, his wings are stereotypical 'good' white angel wings; upon HeelFaceTurn-ing, his wing reverts to a light shade of gray.]] More generally, ''everyone'' has wings in this series. In fact, the [[spoiler:false]] BigBad of the first game is the ruler of the only country where people ''don't'' use their wings in combat (they have a cultural preference for their technology, which includes SteamPunk jet boots).

* In ''VideoGame/JadeCocoon 2'', TheChosenOne of Light, [[spoiler:Kahu]], is given a pair of angel wings that mark him as Elrihm's champion. The Chosen One of Darkness, [[spoiler:Levant]] gets a pair of purple demon/bat wings once his true form is revealed.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': [[ArchEnemy Ridley]] is an example of a dragon whose demon wings do indicate his evilness. In the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'', the cybernetic Meta Ridley is upgraded with partial-Energy Wings. The latter is subverted partway through the Meta Ridley boss fight in the original ''Metroid Prime'', where Ridley becomes [[ThatOneBoss far more dangerous]] after his wings burn away from all the damage he's taken.

* In ''VideoGame/JadeCocoon2'', TheChosenOne of Light, [[spoiler:Kahu]], is given a pair of angel wings that mark him as Elrihm's champion. The Chosen One of Darkness, [[spoiler:Levant]] gets a pair of purple demon/bat wings once his true form is revealed.

* ''Series/Lucifer2016'': In a bit of a subversion, the titular character has white feathered wings, despite being the actual devil, while his unfallen brother Amenadiel has black feathered wings (which start rotting when he falls, and recover when he finds himself again). [[spoiler: In season 4 it turns out that Lucifer's wings have turned red and scaly as a result of his killing Pierce.]] Lucifer's twin brother [[ArchangelMichael Michael]] has black wings, one of which is visibly injured and weaker.

* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'': The wings are never visible, but UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga and Akechi Mitsuhide still keep shedding pitch black and pure white feathers all over the place anyway. Played straight at first, but DarkIsNotEvil and LightIsNotGood has started to creep in.

** Once a devil angel [[spoiler: was given to Belldandy to make her evil, but it ended getting "angelificated" by her. Its wings stayed demon-like, but changed color from black to white.]]

* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' has a very rare example of portraying butterfly wings as the evil counterpart to angel wings, [[spoiler: until it turns out the characters with these wings weren't evil after all.]]

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': All of the Sky People from the various sky islands have white angelic wings, purely to signify that they're a different race from the humans of the Blue Seas. (The wings are too small to actually fly with, and the ancient Shandorans had them even before they lived in the sky.)[[note]]The only exception is Eneru, who appears to have removed his wings and replaced them with ceremonial drums as part of his AGodAmI image. [[/note]] This is contrasted against the [[spoiler:Lunarians, who have large black wings that they can light on fire, complemented by other details such as MysticalWhiteHair. They're implied to be distantly related to the Sky People, but are ''much'' more powerful.]]

** [[spoiler:Madoka has aethereal wings in the form of abstract angel wings, to symbolize her ascension.]] Homura gets what might just be the most awesome pair of Energy Wings to ever exist after [[spoiler:Madoka's ascension]]. [[http://guuchan.alexlmlo.net/guuchan/Saihomu.jpg See for yourself]].

** ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' doesn't fulfill this trope, but he [[InvokedTrope invokes it]] for all it's worth--half the point of the cape is [[TerrorHero to make him scary]].

** ''ComicBook/XMen'': Angel has white feathery wings during his early incarnation. Later, he is grabbed by ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} and experimented upon, and his wings become metallic and retractable and capable of shooting poison-tipped feather-blades as well.

* ''Literature/GoodOmens'': Most FanFics in the FanDumb tend to play this painfully straight, regardless of the fact that it's explicitly said that angel wings and demon wings are the same, save for the fact that demon wings are better groomed.

* Creator/EtgarKeret: In a short story, there's a lonely man who believes a superstition about a local hole in a wall that grants wishes screamed into it. He wishes for an angel to become his friend, and later he meets a winged man with typical bird-like angel wings who befriends him. The man is somewhat of an arsehole, and at the end of the story, when he asks him to fly around, [[spoiler:the angel refuses, so he pushes him off the roof they're on only to find out he can't fly and just crashes on the curb. He realises that the alleged angel was no angel, just a liar with wings.]]

*** [[spoiler:Jack Noir]] gains crow wings once he dons the Black Queen's ring. He is not a good guy ''at all''. When he gets a NextTierPowerUp that makes him exponentially more dangerous, his wings change: they remain black and feathery but take a shape that is more angelic than avian. This [[AntiChrist dark angel]] appearance is a reference to the author's [[Webcomic/ProblemSleuth previous comic]] (he dubs [[spoiler:Jack]] "the Anti-Sepulchritude").

* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'': Tina [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/deal-me-in/ with black wings]]. Then, she is a collection of demons inhabiting a body where the soul took off.
* ''Webcomic/TheGreenhouse'': The demon called Red falls into the Broken Wings category, with enormous scars on her back where an angel's wings would traditionally go. In addition to the FallenAngel connotations, it's appropriate for a being that is [[spoiler:quite literally a fraction of her former self]].

** The characters Sweet Bee and Flutterina have stylized insect wings based off a bee and a butterfly respectively. Unlike [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse Buzz-Off]], Sweet Bee is also much more humanoid.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse'': The Heroic Warrior Buzz-Off is a primary colored humanoid bee with two giant insect wings he can fly around with.

* ''Literature/GoodOmens'': Both angel and demon wings are the same, despite [[CoversAlwaysLie what some of the cover art suggests]], though angel wings are described as being less groomed (because [[EvilIsSexy demons are more stylish]]). The BrokenBase rages to a ridiculous degree over the colour of the wings; the division is between those who portray angels with white wings and demons with black wings and those who interpret "the same" to mean they all have white wings (who usually take it as SeriousBusiness). Which is silly, given that the colour is never specified on ''either'' side in the book, and the characters are all shapeshifters anyway, so they could have [[Literature/{{Discworld}} octarine]] wings for all we know. The one exception is [[TheGrimReaper Azrael/"Death"]], whose wings are described as being more like wing-shaped holes in space.

** [[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e Glouras]] (Underdark fairies) has moth-like wings. It's just a part of "cave life" theme, though. They're nice little sprites... ''usually''.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Anathema}}'': All shrouds have wings. What they look like is entirely up to the player.

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'':

** Her predecessor, the ''[[PersonOfMassDestruction much]]'' more powerful [[YouAreNumberSix Mu-12]], [[RageAgainstTheHeavens Sword of the Godslayer:]] [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Kusanagi]], has nigh-identical magically levitated sword-wings, but hers can also transform into a [[{{BFS}} Big Fucking]] LaserBlade when she swings them in unison. In case you haven't been clued in yet: Mu-12 is world-destroyingly evil, has the power to pull it off, ''and'' fully intends to go through with it.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', when Kerrigan gets turned into the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Queen Of Blades]] she gains exoskeletal wings. Which are all bladed and can move faster than the eye can follow. Her title isn't for nothing. Once she is [[spoiler:transformed into a Xel-Naga]], she gains "light tendrils" similar to angels from Diablo.

* '''Broken or tattered wings''' imply a broken or disillusioned individual, likely a defector or an exile, or bestial and savage being.

** Franchise/SpiderMan, as originally designed by Creator/SteveDitko, had web wings between his arms and torso. They were only there to look cool and he couldn't actually fly with them. Once Ditko stopped drawing Spider-Man, the wings stopped appearing. They've made a return as of late, notably in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'', where they do allow Spider-Man the ability to glide through the air after a jump.
** ComicBook/SpiderWoman as originally designed by Marie Severin also had web wings between her arms and torso. They don't technically allow flight, but give her such amazing gliding that as long as the air currents are cooperative she's effectively flying. The wings are iconic to the original Spider-Woman, but haven't shown up on any other.

* ''Series/GoodOmens2019'' gives Aziraphale white feathered wings and Crowley black feathered wings.
* ''Series/Lucifer2016'': In a bit of a subversion, the titular character has white feathered wings, despite being the actual devil, while his unfallen brother Amenadiel has black feathered wings (which start rotting when he falls, and recover when he finds himself again). [[spoiler: In season 4 it turns out that Lucifer's wings have turned red and scaly as a result of his killing Pierce.]]

* ''Webcomic/TheGreenhouse'': The demon called Red falls into the Broken Wings category, with enormous scars on her back where an angel's wings would traditionally go. In addition to the Fallen Angel connotations, it's appropriate for a being that is [[spoiler:quite literally a fraction of her former self]].

* ''Webcomic/TheGreenhouse'': The demon called Red falls into the Broken Wings category, with enormous scars on her back where an angel's wings would traditionally go, suggesting that she was originally a FallenAngel.

** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]", Princess Luna arrives in a sinister carriage pulled by pegasi with accordingly sinister bat wings. Despite this, [[DarkIsNotEvil they don't show any signs of being evil]]. However, the point of the episode is that since Luna ''was'' evil, she has to ''tone down'' some things like that (and the VoiceOfTheLegion that can cause gale-force winds) if she wants people to [[ReformedButRejected accept her change]] instead of screaming "Aaah! Nightmare Moon is going to kill us!" and running for the hills.

* '''Broken or tattered wings''' imply a similarly broken or disillusioned individual, likely a defector or an exile.
* '''CapeWings''' tend to belong to Anti-Heroes or villains.

For further reading, see PowerGivesYouWings and WingedHumanoid.

* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'': The faeries are elementally classified by six types (and then there are some individual faeries that don't seem to fit a classification): [[FourElementEnsemble Air, Earth, Fire, Water,]] [[LightDarknessJuxtaposition Dark, and Light]]. [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent Water faeries are mermaids]], but the rest have wings. Dark faeries have demon wings and are with anviliciously rare exception evil. One queenly-looking dark faerie, Drakara, has feathered demon wings. Any faerie classification other than dark consists of mostly good individuals. Air, fire, and light faeries have color-themed wings, although the fire faerie Nuria's wings are composed of fire. Earth faeries have leaves as wings, with the morally ambiguous Ilere having dried leaf wings and the island faerie Jhuidah having petal wings (though she's never identified as an earth faerie). The tooth faerie and the negg faerie have insect wings, while the snow faerie has fuzzy angel wings. Grey faeries are essentially fallen angels and thus have broken wings.

** The franchise uses this trope in games with the Divine Dragons, like ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe''. The friendly Divine Dragons have feathery angel wings, while the enemy manakete tribes tend to have leathery dragon wings or [[HotWings fire wings]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTq8MfJrUngyo Here's a good example in video form]].

* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'', [[BigBad Tabuu]] has Energy Wings and certainly lives up to them. For some reason, they look like butterfly wings too. Palutena and her Light Wings and Pit and Dark Pit (with there respectively white and black Angel Wings) are the most obvious examples, but the rest of the winged cast is less straightforward: Meta-Knight has Devil Wings, but this is mostly a relic of his LawfulEvil past as he is always with the good guys in the Subaspatial Emissary storyline (but the trope was played at first in the debut trailer against Pit or when he encounters Marth for the first time), and Bayonetta and her Butterfly Wings are certainly not fairy-like, but definitively deadly. Charizard and Ridley both have Dragon Wings (of course), but are in opposite teams. Finally, [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate Galeem]] has four sets of Angel Wings swirling around his core, but he is a ''very'' evil entity who causes TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* WebComic/MSPaintAdventures: