Nova isn’t becoming a vulture

The current theory
OK so the latest trend/theory I have seen everywhere is that people are predicting Nova is going to sprout vulture wings where he was stabbed by Nico or take on the form of a vulture. And while I think that’s the vultures are important to lore and the weight of their symbolism is valuable, him growing wings or becoming a vulture and escaping Dema is a bit of a stretch.
Lore has always been about psychological depth, the psychokinesis/seizing power, and heavily loaded with spiritual metaphors, not high-fantasy superhero transformations (which is what the whole vulture thing feels like to me).
More importantly Nova flying away doesn't and wouldn’t solve anything. If escaping Dema was the solution, then Trench would’ve been the ending of the story, not the middle. By escaping over the wall he would just be restarting the cycle, which we saw happen in Trench.
The whole point of the final arc, and what I think will be the third album in this cycle, isn't running away. It's standing up to the system of Dema and dismantling the system and breaking the cycle from the inside out.

The symbolism of sparrows vs. vultures
Think about the sparrows in the Goner circle, they’re symbols of vulnerability, humility, and a desperate soul screaming out for help ("I wanna be known by you"). Goner is the last circle on the album cover and closes out the Blurryface album screaming about hope and defeating Blurryface but knowing he can’t do it alone. In Blurryface, the bird imagery centers on sparrows. Again, they’re a small, vulnerable creature that reflects someone crying out for help. But by Trench, Tyler shifts to vultures, not because Clancy has become stronger in a superhero sense, but because his role has changed. He’s no longer just trying to survive. He’s learning how to face death itself and bring life out of it. The vultures in Trench aren’t a physical upgrade or a magic escape either. They’re a shift in perspective and purpose. I think that swapping raw emotional vulnerability for literal superhero wings would completely undercut the emotional weight that Tyler has built up.

What I think the vultures actually mean
Two views:
Dema’s view:
To the Bishops, vultures are symbols of fear, death, and surveillance. They use them to watch over the walls as spies.
The Bandito view:
The Bandito letters say "We are vultures. The vulture sees both worlds, devouring death. A symbol of our responsibility to turn death into life. May we learn from what we’ve lost, and commit to living.”
Also, the Banditos don’t use vulture symbolism because they can fly. They recognize what they can do. Vultures often willingly go into places every other animal avoids. They don’t fear death and they transform death into something that helps sustains life. I really think THAT parallels Clancy/Nova much more closely than flying away ever could.

The vultures have the ability to move freely between Dema and the outside world. The Banditos often have to hide and wait and sneak.
The vultures were never about growing feathers to fly away but were about possessing the vision to be able to see both worlds. The physical captivity and the spiritual reality underneath it.
It's about being able to walk directly into places of death, dark spaces, and grave-like situations, and having the ability to turn death into life.

Breaking the cycle for EVERYONE
Just like the 3-day resurrection arc I’ve talked about before, true liberation doesn't happen by abandoning the captives to save yourself.
If Nova just sprouts wings and flies away, Dema stays intact and everyone else remains trapped under the Bishops and the oppressive system.
By using the vultures ability to see both sides, and seeing through the propaganda, navigating the darkness that terrifies everyone else, and stepping into the dead spaces, Nova can bring life out of death, defeat the system from within, and break the cycle for the entire city.** **
As I’ve said before, I don’t believe the final victory is Clancy escaping Dema. I truly think it’s Nova becoming the first person who can truly see both worlds. He is seeing through the lies of Dema while refusing to abandon the people still trapped inside. I think thats why he can still see Torchbearer and I think that’s what vultures have represented all along. Not escape, but the ability to walk into places marked by death and somehow bring life back out.