Gwen Raiden

Gwen Raiden is a minor recurring fictional character Angel and was played by Alexa Davalos.

Gwen Raiden was first introduced in season four's "Ground State". Gwen is a mutant with the ability to funnel electricity. At this point, she has little control over her abilities.

Gwen is a mutant with the ability to generate and manipulate electricity. This power can be used in a number of ways, from creating powerful and damaging electric blasts to manipulating and controlling electronic devices. The latter proves especially useful in her role as a high-tech, professional thief, a career at which she seems especially skilled and adept, making herself quite wealthy in the process. Her powers initially came with dangerous, uncontrollable elements. She was rendered unable to touch anyone without her power harming them and she would tend to attract lightning. These drawbacks appear to have been rectified using a device she appropriated in the episode "Players" which allowed her to touch other people without causing harm.

Trivia
Her origins are perhaps a tribute to many comic book characters, particurly those of Marvel Comics characters such as Rogue, another mutant character who dealt with similar issues concerning her inability to touch people. Her name is likely a reference to Raiden the mythological Japanese god of thunder and lightning and/or the Mortal Kombat character Raiden.