WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 45 of Digimon Adventure 2020, "Activate, MetalGarurumon!," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Digimon reboot series hasn't been all too precious with its secrets during its 40 odd episode run -- something fans of legacy media everywhere are perhaps more accustomed to these days. "Activate, MetalGarurumon!" is, of course, Gabumon's Mega evolutionary stage to own, which he and his human partner Matt do in excellent fashion -- saving a wayward Digimon driven to death from a very real cliff edge. But no sooner has another Chosen One joined Tai and Agumon's level of power potential, Digimon Adventure 2020 teases another upgrade in its closing minutes.
As was the case with BlitzGreymon's arrival, the anime's ending analytical segment -- the Digimon Encyclopedia, hosted by Izzy and occasionally a surprise guest -- closes out its breakdown of MetalGarurumon with a sneak peek at which Digimon will be featured next. Often, these silhouetted characters are recognizable as ones viewers have already met in past episodes. But Episode 45's tease is a brand new figure, one which fans may recognize to be MagnaAngemon, Angemon's Ultimate form. This eight-winged being comes with two modes: "Battle" and "Priest," both of which promote the Holy Digimon's status from that of a mere angel to archangel.
According to the Digimon Reference Book, as a Priest, MagnaAngemon has a more supervisory role among angels, speaking on behalf of Light in the Digital World to lessen the effects of its natural enemy, Darkness. As a warrior, the Ultimate Digimon comes with all the offensive and defensive bells and whistles you'd expect: a Beam Shield, with which it can "bury" its enemies, and a version of the mythical sword, Excalibur, equipped to a wrist strap -- meaning the archangel can slice, dice and punch. Its signature move, meanwhile, is "Heaven's Gate," (also known as "Great Golden Gate" or "The Gate of Destiny"), which condemns its foe to an inescapable dimension. The shift between the two modes is not only visually signified in a change in appearance but also in personality, with MagnaAngemon having a much more down-to-business attitude in Battle garb than as a more gentle-minded Priest.
Episode 46's preview confirms that the next episode will be focused on Angemon's development, but that's not the only interesting giveaway. In the English language promo, during one shot of the Champion Digimon's face, he suddenly switches from Angemon to Devimon. The extended Japanese one reveals Angemon and Devimon grappling with one another as T.K watches on in anguish. Devimon was the main villain of the series' first half, nearly killing Tai and pushing a grief-stricken MetalGreymon to go into a berserker rage that almost consumed him for good. Devimon was defeated during that emotionally fraught battle, but remnants of his malevolent species remain, such as the MarineDevimon Angewomon fought while some of the gang journeyed under the sea.
As Devimon is part of Angemon's evolutionary line -- the classic fallen angel in Digimon's borrowed Judeo-Christian influences -- this doesn't necessarily mean that the Devimon has found a way to return; rather, a Devimon could rise to take his place. The Holy Digimon are in constant danger of succumbing to the very evil forces they fight, forces that exist within themselves and can be brought out by Angemon falling into the "dark areas" that distort the Digital World's space. Though we know from the Digimon Encyclopedia's preview that Angemon is on the right path to becoming a Celestial Digimon (Seraphimon), it's clearly a transformation that will put him through the wringer, nonetheless.
