Angelina Jolie's 'Maleficent': 'I had wings ... once'

She’s not a witch. She’s not a queen. She’s not strictly a sorceress.

Those who know the background of the character Maleficent from 1959’s Sleeping Beauty know that the pale-skinned, black-horned villainess is actually a dark fairy. But the question has never been answered (or really asked): why doesn’t she have wings like the animated Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the three bumbling good fairies who look after Princess Aurora in the Disney film?

It turns out, she does.

Or did.

In this new clip from Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie in a revisionist take on the folk tale, we see that part of her new origin story is that she did have the power of flight, thanks to two very large, angelic black wings.

They have long, billowy feathers, but also hooks on the ends, like a bat (those are actually a bat’s thumbs). Pretty intimidating, although not quite gargoyle-like.

This short clip only teases the longer trailer to come, but in EW’s recent Q&A with the actress she hinted at a crushing betrayal that leads Maleficent toward a vengeful path.

It’s pretty clear that the loss of those wings is going to be a big part of that.

For more film news:

Follow @breznican