History:
DARK ANGEL
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human (possibly Russian)
Occupation: Spy, assassin
Group Membership: Formerly the KGB
Affiliations: Freelance Restorations (Clive Reston, Shang-Chi, Sir Denis Nayland Smith, Black Jack Tarr, Leiko Wu), MI6 (Fah Lo Suee, Melissa Greville, Talon), Dr. Petrie
Enemies: Dark Angel imposter, Death-Dealer, Ghost Maker, KGB, Winston Markham, Sata, Shang-Chi clone, Si-Fan, Zaran
Known Relatives: unidentified father, unidentified mother (see comments)
Aliases: Mia Lessing (British alias)
Base of Operations: Stormhaven, Scotland, UK; formerly Russia
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu I#107 (December, 1981)
Powers/Abilities: Dark Angel is an expert hand-to-hand combatant. She was trained as an assassin and has demonstrated skill with firearms and bladed weapons. She was also one of the KGB's prime cryptographers.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 5'9")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 132 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
History:
(Master of Kung Fu I#107) - Seeking to defect from the KGB, Dark Angel reached out to Sir Denis Nayland Smith of Freelance Restorations. Smith sent his agent Shang-Chi to locate her in Rome, Italy but Dark Angel's father attempted to sell her out to the assassin Sata for money. However, Sata murdered her father. After Sata died in battle with Shang-Chi, Dark Angel introduced herself to Shang and invited him to breakfast.
(Master of Kung Fu I#108) - Nayland Smith set up Dark Angel with a safehouse at his home in Mayfair, London, England and issued the false identity of "Mia Lessing." Although Shang-Chi continued to serve as her bodyguard when she went to a pet shop to obtain a chameleon she was ambushed by KGB agents who replaced her with a double. The KGB agent proceeded to assist Freelance Restorations in exposing Winston Markham as a Russian spy in the hopes that she would gain the trust of British intelligence but Shang ultimately realized she wasn't a defector and led Clive Reston back to the pet shop where Shang defeated the imposter and set the real Dark Angel free. As the imposter had been romantically interested in him Clive immediately made a pass at Dark Angel; she pretended to not be interested in him.
(Master of Kung Fu I#109) - Clive ended his relationship with Melissa Greville and formally began dating Dark Angel. She still found it strange to be called "Mia" so Clive offered to call her "Angel." Clive admitted that he was somewhat sad at breaking up with Melissa but didn't think he and Dark Angel should feel guilty for being in love. The next day Dark Angel joined the staff of Freelance Restorations as they went on a fox hunt. During the hunt Zaran attempted to kill her on behalf of the Russians but Shang and the rest of Freelance Restorations helped against them.
(Master of Kung Fu I#110) - Dark Angel briefed Freelance Restorations on the renegade KGB operative Ghost Maker and his intent to assault a military base in Sussex. After the briefing she went to put on Clive's favorite perfume and challenged him to chase her, promising to let him catch her.
(Master of Kung Fu I#112 (fb)) - In Mayfair, Mia brought a package to Nayland Smith which proved to contain a dead mole, a warning to him. Smith was being visited by Talon of MI6, who recognized Mia as a former Soviet agent. Nayland Smith was convinced Talon was a lead in finding whoever sent the message and sent Shang, Leiko and Reston to follow Talon to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, while Tarr and Dark Angel remained in Mayfair to guard Smith.
(Master of Kung Fu I#112) - Tarr and Mia were present with Smith as Shang reported in, having learned Smith had been targeted by Yung Sing, the Red Reaper, a Chinese agent. Smith began to inform Mia and Tarr about his involvement in MI6's Operation: White Heat.
(Master of Kung Fu I#113) - As Smith had destroyed his dossier on Operation: White Heat he had to rely upon his memory but Mia offered to use her skills as a cryptographer to aid him in the process. Just as they started an assassin outside the office took a shot at Smith. Smith and Mia dropped to the floor while Tarr investigated; Mia insisted they continue decoding what Smith still remembered whether Tarr was successful or not; indeed, Tarr soon returned having slain the assassin. Putting together what Smith knew, Mia determined Operation: White Heat referred to a project to develop a high concentration laser system for military, industrial, medical and computer uses. Smith believed the project had involved uranium but Mia determined that was a cover for the actual target - blue diamonds. Mia advised Smith to send Shang and the others after the blue diamonds; the other agents successfully destroyed the blue diamond project in Africa.
(Master of Kung Fu I#115) - Mia attended a meeting at Stormhaven as Nayland Smith's lawyer informed him the castle was being foreclosed on. Mia and Clive went to Stormhaven's swimming pool for a romantic swim, deciding to enjoy the facility while it was available to them. Smith soon convened another meeting, informing them he had saved Stormhaven by accepting an assignment from MI6 to find Li Ching-Lin. Mia recognized his name as he proved to be the assassin Death-Dealer, himself an agent of Fu Manchu.
(Master of Kung Fu I#116) - Mia went to MI6 for another bebriefing and encountered Melissa Greville, who was not enthused at seeing her.
(Master of Kung Fu I#117) - Now employed as Fah Lou Suee's bodyguard, Dark Angel and Fah Lou Suee attempted to warn via telephone Freelance Restorations that Si-Fan agents were after Nayland Smith but Stormhaven just been declared an evicted property. Dark Angel was attacked by a clone of Shang-Chi whom Fu Manchu had created and mistook him for the real Shang. The clone kidnapped Fah Lo Suee and brought her to Fu Manchu. When the real Shang arrived Dark Angel attacked him but Leiko Wu stopped their fight, noting that the clone had a scar on his face. Realizing her mistake Dark Angel apologized for attacking Shang.
(Master of Kung Fu I#118) - Dark Angel and Leiko Wu went to Limehouse to rescue Nayland Smith from the Si-Fan while Reston and Shang were in Honan for a final confrontation with Fu Manchu. En route, Leiko asked if Dark Angel really loved Clive. She confessed that she did, noting that at one time so did Leiko. Working together they defeated the Si-Fan and rescued Smith, who was nearly delirious. Seeing them he declared, "Thank you... y-you're angels... both of you..." Some time later Stormhaven was reopened and Mia escorted Smith from the hospital back to his home, where all of his friends were assembled. Mia joined the others in toasting Smith, rendering him speechless with joy.
Comments: Created by Doug Moench, Gene Day and Armando Gil.
In Master of Kung Fu I#108 Clive mentioned "I believe my father knew your mother -- love from Russia and all that." As the running gag is that Clive Reston's father is supposed to be James Bond, that would mean Dark Angel's mother would be Tatiana Ramonova, Bond's love interest in the 1957 novel and 1963 film From Russia, with Love.
This profile was completed on 11/24/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Dark Angel should not be confused with:
Dark Angel's father was an assassin like her. He accompanied Dark Angel when she chose to defect but he was extremely paranoid because of his time as an intelligence agent. Wishing only to die a quiet, painless death without being murdered he sold out Dark Angel to the assassin Sata. When Shang-Chi arrived in Rome to aid Dark Angel the father started to lead him to her, hoping that they might stop for food to quiet his stomach but Sata assaulted him in the darkened streets and threw three daggers at him, pinning him to a wall. Dying from the stab wounds he realized instead of the quiet death he sought he would perish in agony. Sata mocked his death, saying that as he was hungry he had fed "cold steel straight into his belly." Dark Angel showed little remorse for his death, aware that he had sold her out to Sata.
--Master of Kung Fu I#107
Soon after arriving in London Dark Angel was captured by the KGB in a pet shop and replaced with an imposter. The Dark Angel imposter pretended to be interested in assisting British intelligence in uncovering KGB moles but only so that she could attain an ever greater position than any of the moles; she was also receptive to Clive Reston's romantic promptings. She led Freelance Restorations to capture Winston Markham from the Ministry of Defence at a cathedral where he was meeting KGB agents. However Shang became suspicious of Dark Angel's behavior especially when she claimed their next target would be the pet shop she had visited earlier. Shang found the imposter going through files in Nayland Smith's office at night and fought her. She fled Shang for the pet shop but Shang and Reston pursued her. Shang defeated the imposter and the real Dark Angel was rescued.
--Master of Kung Fu I#108
images: (without ads)
Master of Kung Fu I#108, page 21, panel 6 (main)
Master of Kung Fu I#107, page 21, panel 4 (face)
Master of Kung Fu I#107, page 13, panel 4 (father)
Master of Kung Fu I#108, page 17, panel 5 (imposter)
Appearances:
Master of Kung Fu I#107 (December, 1981) - Doug Moench (writer), Gene
Day (breakdowns), Armando Gil (finishes), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Master of Kung Fu I#108 (January, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Gene Day
(artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Master of Kung Fu I#109 (January, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Gene Day
(penciler), Jack Abel (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor), Ralph Macchio
(editor)
Master of Kung Fu I#110 (March, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Gene Day
(co-plot, penciler), Jack Abel (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Master of Kung Fu I#112 (May, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Rick Magyar
(penciler), Ricardo Villamonte (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Master of Kung Fu I#113 (June, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Rick Magyar
(breakdowns), Alan Kupperberg (finishes), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Master of Kung Fu I#115-118 (August-November, 1982) - Doug Moench
(writer), Gene Day (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
First posted: 09/03/2026
Last updated:
11/24/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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