That machine was much more than a transporter. It didn’t have to destroy the matter to duplicate it.

Angier was stupid to keep killing the other versions of himself. He could have created a much better trick, being in several places at once.

And they each would have felt they were the original Angier. Who could say they were wrong? They all were, and are still, the original. Just different versions of him, with different experiences. No different than you, being the same person who was different yesterday than you are today.