It took a while, but, in the end, the inside caught up with the outside.
Like the rest of America, New York was undergoing a period of major change. And the city was full of people who were experiencing the same thing on a personal level-the Daily Bugle called them "teen-agers." Their lives were transforming right along with the world around them. For them, the future was up in the air: the promise of the Space Race, the threat of the Cold War. Civil Rights and equality between the sexes. The prospect of living in a world that was once again filled with gods, knights, monsters, and vigilantes. Figures like that had been around during the War, but this was peacetime, and no one had any idea what to expect. A new generation was about to hit the scene, and they were in new territory.
One of these young people was different than the rest. He'd already changed, and while he didn't know exactly what the future held for him, he had a pretty good idea.
On the surface, he looked like many of the others. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he could usually be seen wearing a stiff private school uniform, or an expensive suit with a skinny tie. This young man was careful not to bump into anyone, but he had a quiet confidence to him. If you knew who he was, you might have attributed it to the fact that he was a child of privilege, but you'd be wrong. He was getting his strength from a new source, now.
His body had experienced a radical transformation...but, on the inside, there'd still been a lot of the old Warren Worthington III. His new situation had been forcing him to grow up, but it was slow. Halo Knight and Daredevil had changed that. He'd already had the body of a superhero, and now he had the mindset to match.
(Warren wanted to get some better weapons, though: he didn't know if it'd be possible, but he was hoping that he could get his hands on a bazooka.)
Even more change would be coming. In some ways, Warren felt lucky-he'd gotten a sneak preview, so he was more prepared than everyone else. The world would eventually find out about mutants, and if Halo Knight was any indication, there would be more people with crazy ideas. Some of them would be bad, but he also thought that some of them would be good. Warren's past would be America's future. They'd find themselves in new, unprecedented situations, but they'd be forced to become better people. Those situations wouldn't be plots by the Russians; they'd come about because of truths that had been hidden for far too long. Warren had survived finding out his true nature, and Halo Knight had survived the truth, as well. Now it was everyone else's turn. The sixties were gaining speed, and there was no going back.
From that point on, whenever adults tried to convince him that he was naïve, he'd just smile. Warren had seen what was coming, and they hadn't. But they'd find out soon enough.
He kept living his civilian life, but it didn't feel as significant. The school just felt...small. He'd nearly died, and helped to save the city, and the other boys were complaining about math tests and radios that didn't work. Warren had perspective, now. But it was fun to hear them talk about what had happened. Later that day, during classes, the front section of the Daily Bugle was furtively passed around. The headline read "NEW YORK'S 'ALPHA AND OMEGA' BATTLE MYSTERIOUS SPACEMAN". Warren didn't know why Daredevil was the Omega, but Warren definitely felt like the Alpha-he was at the beginning of his life, and he couldn't wait to see where it went.
From the moment that his wings first started to appear, he'd been bracing for a life of isolation. He was a mutant, a freak, and he couldn't possibly risk telling anyone. Even when he'd decided to become Angel, he'd still assumed that he'd be on his own. But working with Daredevil had changed his thinking. Daredevil hadn't cared that he was a mutant...and they'd made a good team, too. Warren was confident enough to do this solo, but he now knew that he could do it with someone else, as well.
Growing up, he'd always thought that the Worthingtons were the biggest thing around. He now knew better. There were bigger things, more important things. Wars that were just waiting to be fought. Warren was ready to be part of something greater than himself...part of a cause.
Later in the sixties, he'd be onboard the Blackbird with Scott, Hank, Bobby, Alex, Lorna-and, most importantly, Jean. They'd be using the craft's high-powered radio gear to listen to some new Rolling Stones songs. One of those songs would mention having sympathy for the devil, and another one would talk about heaven being just a scream away. Warren would think back to this part of his life and smile.