Tempest, in her original incarnation as Angel Salvadore, first appeared in New X-Men #118, published in November 2001. She was a pivotal creation of the visionary writer Grant Morrison and artist Ethan Van Sciver. Her introduction was a cornerstone of Morrison's paradigm-shifting tenure on the X-Men titles, which aimed to deconstruct and modernize the mutant metaphor for the 21st century. Morrison's approach was to move away from the traditional “superhero school” concept and portray the Xavier Institute as a genuine, sprawling educational institution teeming with students whose mutations were often bizarre, inconvenient, or physically “unaesthetic.” Angel Salvadore perfectly embodied this philosophy. She was not a conventionally attractive hero-in-training; her powers were based on a common housefly, and her personality was abrasive, defensive, and deeply insecure. This verisimilitude made her instantly compelling and a stark contrast to the more idealized mutants of previous eras. Her creation served to explore the social and psychological ramifications of being a mutant from a ground-level, deeply personal perspective. Her subsequent evolution, from losing her powers during the Decimation event to joining the New Warriors and ultimately being re-powered as Tempest by the High Evolutionary, reflects the tumultuous and unpredictable state of mutantkind in the post-Morrison era of Marvel Comics.
A critical distinction must be made: Angel Salvadore's story exists entirely within the comic book continuities. She has not appeared, nor has she been referenced, in the primary Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999).
Angel Salvadore's life began in turmoil. Born in Wyoming, she endured an abusive home life at the hands of her stepfather, leading her to run away at a young age. Her mutant gene activated in her early teens, manifesting a shocking and isolating new physiology: insect-like wings sprouted from her back, her digestive system changed to allow her to vomit acidic bile, and she developed compound, fly-like eyes. Scared and alone, she was discovered by Wolverine (Logan) and Jean Grey, who brought her to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Her initial time at the school was marked by rebellion and a sharp, defensive attitude. She clashed with teachers, particularly Emma Frost, who saw potential beneath Angel's hardened exterior. It was during this period that she met another outcast student, Barnell Bohusk (Beak), whose own avian mutation made him a target of ridicule. The two found solace in each other's company, developing a deep and powerful romance that would become the emotional anchor of their lives. Angel's trajectory took a dark turn when she was manipulated into joining the “Special Class,” a group of troubled students taught by the charismatic teacher Xorn. Believing they were being trained as a new team of X-Men, Angel and her classmates were instead molded into a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. During this time, Angel discovered she could create and lay dormant, cocooned eggs through a process of hyperegg oviposition. Under Xorn's influence—who was secretly a vengeful Magneto in disguise (a fact later retconned to Xorn being an imposter of Magneto)—Angel participated in his devastating attack on Manhattan. Following Xorn's defeat, Angel and Beak tried to live a normal life. They were found living in a shack in the woods, where Angel had given birth to a half-dozen hybrid children, each with a unique combination of their parents' insectoid and avian traits. For a time, they were brought to Xavier's as non-combatant residents. The single most defining event of Angel's life was M-Day, or the Decimation. When the Scarlet Witch uttered the words “No more mutants,” Angel was one of the millions whose X-gene was erased. She became fully human, losing her wings, her acidic spit, and her unique physiology. She and Beak, also depowered, were left powerless to protect their unique children. They joined the re-formed New Warriors as baseline humans, using advanced technology provided by their leader, Night Thrasher (Donyell Taylor), to fight crime. Angel adopted the codename “Tempest” for the first time, using tech that could generate fire and ice. Their quest to regain their powers and secure a future for their family eventually led them to the clutches of the High Evolutionary. The amoral geneticist captured Angel and subjected her to his excruciating experiments. While he cruelly executed Beak for trying to protect her, he successfully reactivated a latent power within Angel's DNA. She was reborn with immense new abilities: the power to generate and control intense heat and cold, and the ability to fly on super-heated air currents. Using her newfound power, she viciously attacked the High Evolutionary, who then resurrected Beak and restored his powers as well. Reunited and re-powered—albeit with entirely different abilities—Angel permanently embraced the codename Tempest, marking the final stage of her incredible evolution.
To date, the character of Angel Salvadore / Tempest does not exist within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999). The events of the X-Men comics, including the establishment of the Xavier Institute as depicted in her origin, are not part of the MCU's established history. While the MCU has begun to introduce the concept of mutants with characters like Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Namor, there has been no mention or appearance of Angel Salvadore. It is possible a version of the character could be introduced in the future as the MCU continues to integrate the X-Men mythos, but any such appearance would be a new adaptation and not a continuation of her comic book storyline. Fans asking “Is Angel Salvadore in the MCU?” or “Who is Tempest in the Avengers movies?” should know that, as of now, she is exclusive to the comics and other media.
Angel Salvadore's capabilities have undergone some of the most drastic changes of any character associated with the X-Men. She has possessed three distinct power and equipment sets over her lifetime.
As a mutant, Angel's entire anatomy was a synthesis of human and dipteran (fly) DNA. Her powers were biological, innate, and deeply integrated into her physical form.
After being depowered on M-Day and subsequently experimented on by the High Evolutionary, Angel was imbued with a completely new, energy-based power set. These abilities are thermodynamic in nature and are significantly more powerful than her original mutation.
During the period where she was a depowered human, Angel operated with technology provided by Night Thrasher as part of the New Warriors.
As Angel Salvadore / Tempest does not exist in the MCU, there is no corresponding power set to analyze. Her abilities remain exclusive to the comics and her alternate versions in other media.
Angel's personal connections are the bedrock of her character, defining her motivations and her evolution from a lost girl to a fierce protector.
Angel's life has been punctuated by several universe-altering events that have reshaped her existence.
This storyline in New X-Men served as Angel's introduction. It centered on the death of mutant fashion designer Jumbo Carnation and the subsequent rise of a mutant-supremacist student faction led by Quentin Quire. Angel was not a direct participant in the riot itself, but the story established the tense, factionalized atmosphere of the school that would later allow a figure like Xorn to gain influence. It was during this period that her relationships with Beak and the other “Special Class” members were forged.
This was the climax of Grant Morrison's run. Angel, fully under the sway of her teacher, Xorn, served as a key member of his new Brotherhood. She proudly fought alongside him as he destroyed the Xavier Institute, took over Manhattan, and enslaved its human population. The arc forced Angel to confront the consequences of her misplaced loyalty. Her eventual horror at Xorn's genocidal plans, and her role in helping the X-Men defeat him, was a crucial turning point, moving her away from teenage rebellion and toward maturity.
No event had a more profound or devastating impact on Angel than the Decimation. The loss of her mutant powers was not a relief; it was a disfigurement. She saw her identity, her very being, stripped away. More terrifyingly, as a normal human, she felt utterly incapable of protecting her uniquely-mutated children from a world that now hated and feared them more than ever. This single event set her and Beak on a desperate new path, leading them to the New Warriors and, ultimately, the High Evolutionary, in a frantic search to reclaim what they had lost.
While Angel has no MCU counterpart, she has a significant appearance in the Fox X-Men film series and has influenced a key future timeline.
The most prominent adaptation of Angel Salvadore appeared in the 2011 film X-Men: First Class, portrayed by Zoë Kravitz. This version is drastically different from her comic book origin:
In this apocalyptic future timeline set 150 years after the prime continuity, a descendant of Angel and Beak, Tito Bohusk, is a member of the X-Men. Tito is a bird-like humanoid with phoenix-like abilities, showcasing how the unique genetic lineage started by Angel and Beak could evolve over generations.
It is worth noting that Angel Salvadore is not the only character in the Marvel Universe to use the codename “Tempest.”
Angel Salvadore remains the most prominent and developed character to hold the title.