History Main / WingedHumanoid

** ''GURPS Bio-Tech'' has the Camazotz, a bat-winged biomorph designed for colonising a world with low gravity but a thick atmosphere.

* In ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'', there are multiple species of fae with wings. In the sequels, a handful of the main characters are Illyrian, a Fae race with large bat-like wings e.g. Cassian.

* In ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'', there are multiple species of fae with wings. In the sequels, a handful of the main characters have bat-like wings.

* The High Entia race in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' are an odd version of this, the wings in question being on their heads instead of their backs. While they can be used for flight, one of them states that it takes too much effort for most of them to want to bother learning how.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Warren a.k.a. Archangel, with his current canon metal-wings-but-human-appearance. He had classic fluffy wings as a child, but his father tried to 'cure' him with Hank [=McCoy=]'s personal mutation suppression serum. Emergency treatment stabilised him into the current metallic wings - and a museum exhibit in the sequel implies that he's not unique. The wings themselves are more like the StationaryWings of a plane than a bird, primarily used for aerodynamic purposes. They're also [[RazorWings extremely sharp]] and very dexterous. On top of that, he's got his canon counterpart's hawklike vision, a HealingFactor, and the sort of enhanced physiology which means that being hit by a car would be a passing inconvenience and 'bench press a troll'. However, he's got a lot of trauma related to ''how'' they became metal and he's terrified that if he loses control for one moment, he'll slice and dice someone he loves with a single reflexive twitch (which is why [[spoiler: slaughtering HYDRA's flying attack team]] innitally leaves him utterly traumatised).

* The Master in ''VideoGame/ActRaiser 2''. [[NotQuiteFlight Can't truly fly]], though (that would be a GameBreaker). And in the first game, you got a flying angel armed with a bow in the simulation stages.

* David, the {{mutant|s}} protagonist of Edmond Hamilton's [[spoiler:TearJerker]] short story "He That Hath Wings", is explicitly stated to have both hollow bones and a skeleton adapted for flight. He's the basis for the cover image of both the [[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vaKFXjE7L.jpg American]] and [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/518GWEeJ2ML._SX310_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg British]] editions of Creator/IsaacAsimov's anthology ''Mutants'', which includes the story.

* The title character in the book ''Literature/{{Skellig}}'' is noted to have a number of physical properties, aside from wings, that would have once allowed him to fly, such as having hollow bones like a bird's.

* The sequence "Flying Start" from ''[[Animation/TheMindsEye Odyssey Into the Mind's Eye]]'' features people sprouting wings [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext because the bridge they are walking on isn't building itself fast enough]].

* Rouge the Bat from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog''.
* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'''s Kerrigan has wings but they are useless for flight; instead they're just wing bones with [[AbsurdlySharpBlade armor-piercing claws]] on the ends.

* Jak gains wings in ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', as a Light-based power. It's also the only power that doesn't force you out of the mode when the gauge runs out -- they'll wait until you land.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' features the Rito, BirdFolk who gain wings after receiving the scale of a dragon. In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', [[spoiler:Marin grows wings and flies away after the credits if you [[NoDamageRun didn't die any time]].]]
** Note that the Rito are a special case since their wings are on their arms, rather than the back. The wings of male Rito turn into sleeve-like wrappings around their arms when not in use. The wings of [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the one female Rito]], Medli, however, seem to [[{{Hammerspace}} just disappear]] when she doesn't need them, as she never has sleeves.

* ''[[VideoGame/MarioStrikers Super Mario Strikers]]'' -- Peach's Mega Strike has her leap into the sky, grow a pair of HardLight wings and then kick the ball.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', the organization Cruxis, which runs the [[CrystalDragonJesus Church of Martel]], is made up mostly of angels, which are believed to be the Goddess' messengers. [[spoiler:They're actually half-elves (most of them) with extra powers, most of whom have no souls, and their leader Yggdrasill is the game's BigBad. The whole thing is his EvilPlan dedicated to getting his sister Martel a new body.]]

* ''VideoGame/HeroAndDaughter'': Holly, an [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]] is a girl with wings.
* ''VideoGame/APrimerOnTheCaptureAndIdentificationOfTheLittleFolk Of Myth And Legend'': Asking whether the "tiny humanoid" has wings, is the second question, if the tiny humanoid is about a hand span in size, and it's a trait of FAIRIES and PIXIES.

* ''Franchise/DragonBall'': Cell has large, insectoid wings in [[BishonenLine his first and perfect forms]], seemingly from a separate source than his main [[LegoGenetics genetic donors.]] While they tend to move when he is travelling quickly, [[WingsDoNothing he doesn't actually need them to fly.]]

* Subverted (and possibly lampshaded) in the ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' manga. Legend has it that a white-winged humanoid, clad in blue, would rise to lead the people to their salvation, as shown in an elaborate tapestry. Believers in this prophecy revere this savior as an angel, and when Nausicaa fulfills every one of their expectations, they wonder where her wings are. In response, Chikuku (a young acolyte) strongly insists that such a hybrid creature would be a monster; instead, he says, Nausicaa's "wings" are represented by her pure-white glider.

* The Sekirei from [[Manga/{{Sekirei}} the titular manga]] sprout wings upon "mucas membrane" contact with their Ashikabi.

* Sigil, from the short-lived ''ComicBook/BarSinister'' comic, is a humanoid artificially evolved from a vampire bat who has, of course, bat wings.

* The Franchise/MarvelUniverse also has the Bird-People, a technologically advanced race of winged humanoids who live on their floating Sky-Island. The [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] hero Red Raven is a regular human adopted into their civilization.

* Among the "wonders" encountered by the ComicBook/{{Runaways}} during their visit to the early 20th century was Tristan, a giant with mechanical wings that were apparently affixed to his back with some heavy-duty screws.

* Subverted during the Creator/BobOksner run on ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' in the mid-1970s. Linda encountered a young man who had assisted a MadScientist on a faraway island (before making off with a [[Literature/TheEyeOfArgon huge diamond from the head of an idol]] -- there always is at least one). The professor had an idea on how to create winged humans and experimented on the locals by [[ArtisticLicenseBiology injecting them with DNA]] [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong and other essentials from birds]]. Instead, he ended up with half-bird, half-human people who were very annoyed with what had been done to them.

* The reimagined Film/{{Maleficent}} features the title character sporting wings, because, as Aurora asks later, "All the other fairies fly. Why don't you?" Though unlike the other fairies, hers are eagle-like, rather than insectoid, illustrating her strength as compared to the rather inept fairies surrounding her. She also falls under [[spoiler:"BrokenAngel"]] when [[spoiler:Stefan cuts off her wings, and she decides to take on the 'Mistress of all Evil' persona]].
* The Creator/JohnTravolta movie ''Film/{{Michael}}'' is about an actual angel (albeit a JerkAss angel), complete with wings.

* Israeli writer Etgar Keret[[note]]That’s the guy who wrote the novella that ''Film/WristcuttersALoveStory'' was based on[[/note]] wrote a short story entitled "a hole in the wall" about a man making a wish to [[IJustWantToHaveFriends have a friend]]. He gets a winged human who claims he’s an angel but refuses to show the man how he can fly. After repeated {{Jerkass}} behaviour, [[spoiler:the man gets angry and pushes him off from a great height to force him to show his ability. [[DisneyVillainDeath He can’t.]] That’s when the man realises he wasn’t an angel or anything; [[TearJerker he was just a liar with wings.]]]] The film ''9.99'', is based on this story and two others, also by Keret.
* Laurie J. Marks' Aeyries ({{hermaphrodit|e}}ic, furry, bat-winged [[WhaleEgg monotremes]]) are both a {{justifi|edTrope}}cation and a {{deconstruction}} of the concept: Their wings are ''huge'', they have very high metabolisms, they depend a lot on air currents to stay aloft for any length of time, and—aside from strong shoulder muscles to power those wings—they're quite a weak and fragile species. (One Aeyrie [[ThisLoserIsYou self-deprecatingly]] describes the race as "[[AwesomeButImpractical ineffectual]]" and "too heavy to fly easily, yet too light to do anything else.")

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/GoingPostal'', Creator/TerryPratchett made an attempt at depicting a Winged Humanoid while also managing a nod towards real-life physics: a flying banshee character has a slender light-weight frame, enormous flight muscles across his chest, and leathery wings that attach to his very long arms, rather than sprouting out of his back.

* Gaea, the ring-like artificial world of Creator/JohnVarley's ''Literature/GaeaTrilogy'', has the angels: winged humanoids designed by the satellite's decidedly off-kilter "god". Since they had to obey the laws of aerodynamics, they come out looking a lot less human-looking (their wings have been moved to their center of gravity, for instance) than the angel-like creatures she desired, and they can only fly in low gravity (they live in the spokes, and most of them '''hate''' going down anywhere near the rim because it's very hard for them to get back up to where they can fly comfortably). There's an angel who saves humans who fall from the top of the spoke (he can't halt the fall, but he can slow it and steer them towards a lake, allowing them to survive impact). He does this because a lot of the human women he saves are rather grateful, and he's a chubby-chaser -- ''all'' human women are "fat" compared to angels.

* Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies, from William Joyce's ''Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood'' series. She's actually half-human, with her mother being one of the Sisters of Flight, an entire race of winged women. Toothiana herself only grew her wings after losing her last baby tooth. And then everything went pear-shaped.

* David, protagonist of Edmond Hamilton's [[spoiler:TearJerker]] short story "He That Hath Wings", is explicitly stated to have both hollow bones and a skeleton adapted for flight. He's the basis for the cover image of both the [[http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vaKFXjE7L.jpg American]] and [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/518GWEeJ2ML._SX310_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg British]] editions of Creator/IsaacAsimov's anthology ''Mutants'', which includes the story.

* Creator/ChinaMieville's ''Literature/PerdidoStreetStation'':

* The extinct natives of Resurgam in Creator/AlastairReynolds' ''Literature/RevelationSpace'' were originally descended from birds, but a group of them did re-engineer themselves for flight and were found to have structural changes like a larger sternum for the wing muscles to anchor to.

* The Angels, [[FallenAngel Fallen Angels]] and [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Devils]] from ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' all have these ''some'' of the time (mostly in certain combat scenes). Angels and Fallen Angels have the standard feathered kind (white for Angels, black for Fallen Angels), while Devils have bat-like [[spoiler:or, perhaps, draconic]] wings instead.

* The Crusniks in ''Literature/TrinityBlood'' have wings when the nanomachines in their bodies are at eighty and one hundred percent, although we don't get to see them use them until the last episode of the anime. In an inversion of the traditional color coding of wings, good guy Abel has [[DarkIsNotEvil black wings]] while his psycho twin Cain has [[LightIsNotGood white ones]]. This may be related to the fact that [[spoiler:before Crusniks and Methuselah were sent to Mars, Cain was the prim and proper good brother while Abel was a rascal that engaged in borderline terrorism in order to exert vengeance for their very existence, with Cain secretly losing his mind during the exile and Abel choosing the redemption path at the end of the invasion after seeing Cain murder his love before his eyes.]]

** Interestingly, the Creator/KeanuReeves-starring remake of ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'', ''Film/{{Constantine}}'' -- which is basically the [[MirrorUniverse bearded]] [[TheSpock Spock]] version of Dogma -- uses pretty much the same system, right down to their removal rendering the (former) owner mortal.
*** That was in ''Hellblazer'' too, long before the movie, where he used a ''chainsaw''. Film or comic, John Constantine does ''not'' like angels.

The type of wing is usually indicative of the character's morality -- see GoodWingsEvilWings.

If there's something even slightly resembling feathers, expect a PerpetualMolt. Don't [[StationaryWings expect flapping]], however there will be [[PowerFloats plenty of floating]].

* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Roam's Dark World form gives him a pair of wings on his back. This allows him to both fly and fight at the same time.

* In addition to her [[{{Animorphism}} fly transformation]], Beelzebub in ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'' can perform a PartialTransformation that grants her human-sized fly wings to fly around even in demon form.

* ''ComicBook/TheAdventuresOfPeterWheat'': All of the hornets in the Hornet Kingdom have humanoid bodies and hornet wings on their backs. This is especially true of Queen Dragonel, who has a humanoid face.

Generally seen as [[FreakinessShame highly attractive]], even if the WingsDoNothing. If you're looking for the flying partner of an AcePilot, try WingMan.

[[folder:Films — Animation]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* ''Manga/Overlord2012'': Albedo has a pair of black bird's wings attached behind her waist. They only make her look clearly inhuman to the natives of the new world.

* ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'': Filorial Kings and Queens can assume humanoid forms which sprout a pair of angelic wings from their backs.

* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'':

* The Jimmy Natale version of the Vulture from ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' (the previous Vultures all relied on [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman high-tech flight suits]]).

* The latest volume of ''ComicBook/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Mirage}}'' introduces Raptarr, a winged super-hero in the mold of the X-Men's Angel.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

** Archangel is a mutant with white feathered wings. He was later {{Retcon}}ned into having super-strength and unbreakable, ultra-light bones, to [[HandWave explain away]] the biological improbabilities (he also has eagle-keen vision, though no-one seems to remember this). When transformed into the Horseman Death by ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}, his previously amputated feathered wings were replaced by razor-sharp mechanical ones that shot poison-tipped feathers. His white-feathered wings returned eventually, having grown back underneath the metal ones. He can now switch between normal Angel and blue-skinned, metal-winged Archangel forms.
** The younger Angel introduced during Creator/GrantMorrison's run on ''New X-Men'' has fly-like wings sprouting from her back, though she was de-powered after ''ComicBook/HouseOfM''. Her husband Beak, who resembles a sort of human-chicken hybrid, also has bird-like wings on his arms, but he also lost them after M-Day.

** The Shi'ar, being a race of humanoids descended from avians, usually have only a small tuft of feathers at most on their forearms at most. Deathbird, a recurring foe of the X-Men who is considered a genetic throwback among the Shi'ar, has fully functional wing-arms that allow her natural flight.

* The Simurgh is a unconventional {{Kaiju}} from Literature/{{Worm}} and Literature/{{Ward}} is just humanoid enough to count for this trope though {{Exagerated}} and PlayedForHorror. She is '''absolutely covered''' in wings, that sprout asymmetrically from everywhere on her almost five meter tall body. There are hints in fact that her body is nothing but wings in the rough shape of a giant woman.

* In ''Literature/AmaranthineSaga'' Ash is one, due to being a [[HalfHumanHybrid crosser]] from the Crow clans. He typically uses copious illusions to hide the fact, although he also has to be careful with his clothing and his movements, as the illusions don't change the feel of his wings. His love interest finds his wings extremely attractive when she finally sees them.

* The "bird kids" in the ''Literature/MaximumRide'' series, including the title character, Max, are said to be the results of what happens when [[LegoGenetics one splices hawk [=DNA=] into orphaned human children.]] It's worth mentioning that the kids are based on characters in an earlier novel, "When The Wind Blows" and its sequel "The Lake House". The kids there, however, have been extremely reformed to allow flight as well, creating a disturbing winged human-looking thing instead of a Winged Humanoid. Among these changes, as Max proudly declares, is that the bird-kids are oviparous. (They lay eggs.)

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Nefertari of ''Literature/BlackLegion'' is Dark Eldar Scourge and thus has a giant, leathery wings. She wasn't born with them but underwent severe surgical operations to have them fitted on her back.
* The Dark Elf Sorceror of ''Literature/SiegeOfSardath'' has several winged Dark Elves as his personal guards, which he sends to patrol the borders of Sardath to spot intruders. The story's protagonist also obtains a tunic that grows wings on him in an infiltration process.
%%* The Icarii in Sara Douglass's ''Literature/TheWayfarerRedemption'''' universe.

* ''Literature/ArcanaMagi'' and ''Literature/ArcanaMagiZero'' feature naturally winged humanoids. Alysia Morales in ''Arcana Magi'' sprouts a pair of misty magical wings after becoming a Sentinel.
* Three characters in ''Literature/TheQuestportChronicles'' have these; apparently natural for two of them. The third was given wings through a spell.
* Angels and demons in the ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'' series. They're rationalized, however, as using hydrogen-filled sacs within their bodies to fly and wings for maneuvering and thrust.
* Aloisius, the eponymous angel in ''Literature/DerMuenchnerImHimmel'', has a pair of wings, of course. How else would he be able to reach his [[SolidClouds cloud]] where his harp stands or return to his former hometown, UsefulNotes/{{Munich}}?

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "The Origin of Species", Hope and the six students find the skeleton of a winged human, created using genetic engineering, on Earth in the future.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Ignoring the [[OurAngelsAreDifferent actual angels]], both Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku, the two most powerful espers, have the ability to manifest wings. If they do, ''run'', because it means their StoryBreakerPower just got amplified. Kakine's six white wings appear to be made of Dark Matter, the same exotic material he's able to produce ''en masse'', while Accelerator's black, somewhat gaseous wings are made of... no one's really sure, but anything that touches them gets annihilated near-instantly.
** In one of the SS novels, ''Railgun'' Misaka Mikoto goes under a temporary faux-awakening due to perfect conditions for it to happen where she sprouts four purple plasma wings that allow her to fly like propellers.

* ''LightNovel/DragonCrisis'' features almost half a dozen [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], all of which have retractable wings of various colors from the moment they hatch. Although identical to humans save for the wings and a small mark on their hands, they can turn into full-on dragons if they need to.

* The Angels, [[FallenAngel Fallen Angels]] and [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Devils]] from ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'' all have these ''some'' of the time (mostly in certain combat scenes). Angels and Fallen Angels have the standard feathered kind (white for Angels, black for Fallen Angels), while Devils have bat-like [[spoiler:or, perhaps, draconic]] wings instead.

* In ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', there would be a few shots of trainers that appeared to be winged; it's really just a Pokemon behind them. Pure RuleOfCool. Red once looked like he had Aerodactyl wings before it grabbed his shoulders and flew off with him, and another featured Cyrus with his Honchcrow, making him looking like some evil angel. Of course, the most iconic is Yellow and her Butterfree, which actually does clutch onto her back while flying making as look as if she really does have her own wings.

* Shana in ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'', who grows flame wings during her second fight with Margery Daw.

* The Crusniks in ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' have wings when the nanomachines in their bodies are at eighty and one hundred percent, although we don't get to see them use them until the last episode of the anime. In an inversion of the traditional color coding of wings, good guy Abel has [[DarkIsNotEvil black wings]] while his psycho twin Cain has [[LightIsNotGood white ones.]]
** This may be related to the fact that [[spoiler:before Crusniks and Methuselah were sent to Mars, Cain was the prim and proper good brother while Abel was a rascal that engaged in borderline terrorism in order to exert vengeance for their very existence, with Cain secretly losing his mind during the exile and Abel choosing the redemption path at the end of the invasion after seeing Cain murder his love before his eyes.]]

* ''Anime/WeissKreuz Glühen'': the OP features the main characters with wings on their backs. Black ones, to boot. But feathered, not bat-like.

* Franchise/{{Batman}} often squares off against or teams up with Man-Bat, a who looks like human-bat hybrid but can transform -- with varying levels of control and success -- back into a human form.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': Eros usually has feathered wings but can manifest without them.

[[folder:Films — Animation]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'' is a subverter. The Angel-Maker rips out the lungs of his victims, flipping them to resemble wings in pure gornery.
* Lyria from ''[[Series/TheHauntingHour The Haunting Hour's]]'' third season episode "Intruders" is a member of TheFairFolk who has butterfly wings that vanish when she no longer needs them. Due to the show having a small budget, Lyria never flies onscreen, but simply teleports through the forest.

* In Creator/WilliamAdolpheBouguereau's Psyche and Cupid paintings like ''Art/TheRaptureOfPsyche'' and ''Art/CupidAndPsycheAsChildren'', Cupid is often portrayed as having white angel wings while Psyche has moth wings, [[ButterflyOfTransformation representing her metamorphosing into a goddess, as though emerging from a chrysalis]].

* In ''[[Art/TheBirthOfVenusBotticelli The Birth of Venus]]'', Zephyrus and Chloris are portrayed as having wings.
* In William-Adolphe Bouguereau's Psyche and Cupid paintings like ''Art/TheRaptureOfPsyche'' and ''Art/CupidAndPsycheAsChildren'', Cupid is often portrayed as having white angel wings while Psyche has moth wings, [[ButterflyOfTransformation representing her metamorphosing into a goddess, as though emerging from a chrysalis]].

* ''Manga/MonsterMusume'':
** Harpies have feathery wings for forelimbs, but the digits of their wings are more human finger-like, allowing them to hold objects. Vampires have the same sort of wing, but their wings are bat-like rather than bird-like