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A good vampire with a dark past, Angel is one of the most memorable characters in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Whether he's falling in love with Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) or fighting his impulses, Angel's storylines make up some of the most well-crafted episodes of the popular TV series. His knowledge of the Hellmouth and the vampire world make him a valuable part of Buffy's slayer journey.
While Buffy dates a few people throughout Buffy The Vampire Slayer, including James Masters's character Spike who becomes good later on, her relationship with Angel is the saddest and most significant. Angel is one of the strongest vampires in Buffy and is one of the most intriguing characters because he has such an interesting backstory.
What Happens To Angel In Buffy The Vampire Slayer?
Angel decides to move away from Sunnydale at the end of season 3 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. He returns to the series finale and wants Buffy to battle the First Evil with an amulet. Besides seeing Buffy a few times, including in the season 4 episode "Pangs," the two go their separate ways.
Angel's character arc continues in the spin-off series Angel as he begins living in Los Angeles. Since Angel wants to help others and make sure that he doesn't lean into his past as the evil vampire Angelus, he starts Angel Investigations, an agency where he solves paranormal problems. He also fights with Wolfram & Hart, lawyers who help evil clients who rival the strongest Buffy The Vampire Slayer villains. Even though there are many serious moments in Angel, the character maintains his sense of humor, like when he says:
"There are three things I don't do: tan, date and sing in public."
Throughout the darkest episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel wrestles with himself and wonders if he should stay in Sunnydale. His decision to move is a logical one, even if it breaks Buffy's heart. In the spin-off Angel, he fights evil and even gets a job as the Wolfhart & Hart CEO. He also takes care of Connor (Connor, Jake and Trenton Tupen), the child he has with Darla (Julie Benz). At the end of Angel, it's unclear if he and his staff members have lived or died in a fight against the Senior Partners.
Angel's Character Arc, Explained
Angel is first introduced in the pilot "Welcome to the Hellmouth," which is one of the best Buffy The Vampire Slayer episodes. Angel has a fascinating and important character arc as he is constantly torn between the vampire he used to be and the one he wants to become. While he fights his evil nature, it's hard for him to let go of this side completely. Angel and Buffy quickly fall in love. While Angel hides his past as the dark vampire Angelus, he can't stop himself from starting a relationship with Buffy. However, after Buffy and Angel sleep together in the season 2 episode "Surprise," his soul is taken away and he becomes Angelus once again.
Throughout his arc, Angel cares about Buffy and tries to protect her. He knows that they can't actually be together and tells her:
"I'm trying to do what's right here, okay? I'm trying to think with my head instead of my heart."
At the end of Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 2, Buffy fights Angel, who has become a major threat to Sunnydale. Buffy sends him to hell, which devastates her and proves that any romance between them is too dark and dangerous. All along, he is aware that he and Buffy have no hopes of committing to each other and tells her that she might want a family one day. Angel also tells Buffy that she should be in a healthier relationship:
"You deserve more. You deserve something outside of demons and darkness. I mean... you should be with someone who can take you into the light..."
Who Played Angel On Buffy The Vampire Slayer?
David Boreanaz played Angel on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. He also reprised this role on the Buffy spin-off Angel, which aired from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Around the same time that he starred in Buffy and Angel, Boreanez played Jeremy Melton/Adam Carr in the cheesy horror movie Valentine. He also voiced Green Lantern/Hal Jordan in the 2008 animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier and played Luc "Death" Crash / Lucifer in the 2005 horror movie The Crow: Wicked Prayer. Besides playing Buffy's love interest Angel, the actor is best known for portraying Seeley Booth on Bones.
Angel's Creators | Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt |
|---|---|
Airdates | 1999-2004 |
Cast Members | David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, Glenn Quinn, Charisma Carpenter |
Seasons And Episodes | 5 seasons and 110 episodes |
Network | The WB |
Where To Watch | Hulu |
In 2003, David Boreanaz was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly and asked about portraying his evil character Angelus. He said that he enjoyed it. Boreanaz said:
"We’re in an arc of my playing four or five episodes of me being evil, so I enjoy it. You ask any actor, and every one of them loves playing evil. Angel’s just a big misfit, man. And Angelus is so extravagant and boisterous and sarcastic. There’s an episode coming up where I’ll be playing Angel and Angelus side by side, and they battle each other. It’s cool, like 'Adaptation.' Plus we see Angel in the 1970s. I looked like David Cassidy with the wig. It was trippy!"
