After Rita Vrataski proved herself a war hero in the battle of Verdun prior to the events of Edge of Tomorrow she became known and advertized as the "Angel of Verdun", a symbol of hope and a possible victory over the Mimics and a figurehead for the United Defense Force. Now seeing that the movie doesn't seem to hesitate with military historical references, this whole image reminded me very much of Joan of Arc, the "Maid of Orléans" and her activities during the Hundred Years War.
Both suddenly shine out of the ordinary by causing a turning point victory which turns them into figureheads of their respective campaigns therefore, becoming a prominent image in their signature armors. Likewise is their victory to some degree to blame on (supposedly) help from higher powers (be it the support by saints or magical alien blood). And the whole structure of their respective nicknames seems pretty similar to me, a French city and the location of their victory paired with a rather peaceful and feminine noun (they surely wouldn't have called Tom Cruise an "Angel", I guess). And while Joan of Arc's history takes a rather tragic end, the darker sides of claiming to have supernatural powers are mentioned in the movie, too.
Now I might as well be totally making stuff up here. But seeing that her more informal and meaty nickname of "Full Metal Bitch" seems to be taken right out of the source material the movie was based on, I wonder if this is also the case for her propaganda name (though, I guess in a non-French context then). Furthemore I'd like to know if there is any more substantial (or even official) evidence or at least further hints pointing at this whole "Angel of Verdun" myth having been influenced by the "Maid of Orléans", no matter if done by the book-authors or the film-makers.
