Connor

"You gotta do what you can to protect your family. I learned that from my father."

- Connor

Connor, also known as Connor Angel, Steven Franklin Thomas Holtz, The Destroyer, and Connor Reilly, is the super-being son of the vampires Angel and Darla. He was portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser and earlier by Connor, Jake and Trenton Tupen.

Infancy


Connor is born in November 2001 in Los Angeles, California. He is a "miracle" child, a superhuman born of two powerful vampires, Angel and Darla. Darla, unable to physically give birth, kills herself to save Connor (as a vampire, Darla drives a wooden stake through her own heart, so as to leave the newborn Connor more or less unscathed). For the first few months of his life, Connor becomes a part of the Angel Investigations family, jointly raised by the entire group at the Hyperion Hotel.

Connor is prophesied to destroy the time-shifting demon lord known as Sahjhan. In an effort to negate the prophecy and save his own life, Sahjhan travels back and forth through time and rewrites the prophecy to read "The father will kill the son," in reference to Angel and Connor. Shocked and worried for the baby's safety, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce kidnaps the baby and plans on taking him away from Angel permanently in order to save his life. However, before Wesley has the chance to leave Los Angeles, Daniel Holtz orders his follower Justine Cooper to slit Wesley's throat and take Connor as vengeance for Angel's murder of his own family centuries ago. It was Holtz's intent to raise Connor as his own son, renaming him Steven Franklin Thomas Holtz. However, there were several factions that wanted baby Connor for different reasons, ultimately resulting in no one getting what they really wanted. The lawyers at Wolfram & Hart wanted the miracle baby to dissect and analyze it, Sahjhan wanted the baby killed, Holtz wanted to escape and raise the baby as his own, and Angel just wanted his son returned. In an intense power play, Holtz runs into a portal to a hell dimension, opened by Sahjhan, called Quor Toth, with baby Connor in his arms.

Quor-Toth and Holtz
"Couple of weeks ago he was wearing diapers. Now he's a teenager?"

- Gunn



Since time runs more quickly in Quor'Toth, Connor ages at an accelerated rate in relation to the time on Earth. He is forced to constantly fight for his life in this violent, demonic dimension. Holtz raises Connor as his son Steven and tells him tales about Angelus, Angel's soulless vampiric persona - especially what Angelus did to Holtz's family, as well as a slightly biased version of what Angel has become since regaining his soul. This effectively turns Connor against his true father and Connor grows to despise him. Mere days have passed since his disappearance in Los Angeles when Connor (called "The Destroyer" by beings in Quor'Toth) suddenly returns, now nearly eighteen years old. He punched a rift out of the dimension and is transported into the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel with one goal: to kill Angel. Conflict and confusion are abundant as Connor adjusts to life in L.A. and is further manipulated by Holtz, who had followed him back into this reality. Eventually, under his own plan, Holtz is killed by his loyal follower Justine in a manner that frames the vampire Angel for the action. Enraged, Connor (with help from Justine) seals Angel in a metal box and sinks him to the bottom of the ocean, where he can survive indefinitely due to his vampiric nature.

Angel Investigations
Afterward, Connor seemingly joins Angel Investigations, who, at this point, consists of Gunn and Fred, who act as his guardians. During this time, their primary mission is searching for clues around the disappearance of both Angel and Cordelia, though Connor goes out of his way to ensure that Angel's whereabouts remain hidden from them, even going so far as to kill the only witness to his deed. When the truth is revealed, Gunn and Fred attack him, and Fred goes so far as to torture him with a stun gun and accuse him of disposing of Cordelia as well, though Angel deduces that Connor was not responsible for Cordelia's disappearance. Proceeding this, relations between Angel and Connor are quite shaky, yet slowly improve, Connor even starting to call Angel "Dad". Due to his difficult upbringing, Connor finds it difficult to develop emotional attachments to people, yet, once she returns, he forms a close bond with Cordelia Chase.

When a seemingly all-powerful demon lord known as The Beast rises from the ground in the very same place that he had been born, Connor feels responsible. As fire rains from the sky, he seeks solace in Cordelia's arms. Later, when they are forced to break Angel's curse in order to destroy the Beast, Connor openly supported killing Angelus rather than attempting to re-ensoul him, and even attempted to stake an unconscious Angelus while Willow Rosenberg was attempting to curse him once more, though he is stopped by Faith Lehane. Unknown to him, and to everyone else, is the fact that Cordelia is under the control of a powerful cosmic entity who seeks dominion over the human race, and who has been orchestrating events for years in order to be fully brought forth into the world. Connor's night of passion with Cordelia has serious repercussions as it allows the arrival of this very being, later named "Jasmine." It is revealed that Connor's existence was orchestrated in order for this event to occur.

"I know she's a lie. Jasmine. My whole life's been built on them. I just... I guess I thought this one was better than the others."

- Connor

Unfortunately, while everyone basks in the glory of Jasmine, who causes immense joy and peace for whomever is in her presence, Connor does not feel the same inner peace and is left with untold loneliness and isolation, going along with the 'lie' of Jasmine simply because he doesn't know what else to do, feeling as though his entire life has been based on lies and merely hoping that the lie of Jasmine was better than the others. Struggling with his inner demons and weary from the constant fighting, both for and against Angel, all he wants is to rest. This ultimately leads him into a desperate situation where he is willing to hurt not only himself, but others as well. When Angel breaks Jasmine's hold over Los Angeles by revealing her true name to them in a live broadcast, Connor kills her himself and, now an emotional wreck, attempts to kill the comatose Cordelia and then himself by wiring them and a shop full of innocents to explosives. In a final act of love, Angel agrees to take over the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart in exchange for his son's life. As per the agreement, Connor is to have a whole new existence as an ordinary boy raised in a happy family, with no memory of his kidnapping, his childhood in Quor-Toth with Holtz, and the subsequent year since his return. Connor dies at Angel's own hand so that he can be "reborn" into his new life, technically fulfilling the prophecy that "the father will kill the son". Other than Angel (and some special cases like Cordelia and Eve), everyone's memories are rewritten to accommodate this new reality, although it is never specified just how much of the events involving Sahjhan, Holtz, and Jasmine that Angel's associates remember differently or at all.

New life
Part of his new reality, Connor becomes Connor Reilly, the son of Laurence Reilly and Colleen Reilly, now with new, normal memories of a traditional life, with his most traumatic memory being getting lost in a store when he was five. However, he is destined to cross Angel's path again. A few months after Angel takes over Wolfram & Hart, Laurence and Colleen bring Connor to the office in order to get some answers about their son. Apparently, Connor was hit by a van and suffered no injuries. Angel sends the family away, saying that there is nothing that he can do for their situation. Soon after, Connor's family is attacked by demons, and in the struggle, Connor displays an amazing feat of strength, much to everyone's surprise. Having no other choice, Angel informs Connor of his special abilities, but leaves out the fact that he is his father or the source of his powers. However, the attacks were not random occurrences. Cyvus Vail, an elderly demonic sorcerer and the architect of Connor's new life, drew Connor out on purpose. Vail demands that Connor fulfill his destiny and kill Sahjhan, who Vail considers an enemy. When Angel resists, the demon Vail threatens to return Connor's memories. Connor agrees to the fight, but is outmatched (due to having forgotten his formidable fighting skills). Meanwhile, Wesley discovers Angel's deception thanks to Illyria's revelation that Fred's memories had been altered, and confronts him at Vail's. No longer trusting Angel, and wondering if 'restoring' reality would bring Fred back, he shatters the Orlon Window, a magical artifact holding the memories of Connor's original existence, which upon breaking restores the memories of those present when the window broke- thus allowing Wesley and Illyria to remember the original course of events, although subsequent evidence is ambiguous about whether Gunn and Lorne are still ignorant of Connor's true heritage- and enables Connor to kill Sahjhan. Even though his memory is restored, Connor says goodbye and returns to the Reilly family, not mentioning the truth about his restored memory to his father, although a brief comment he made about his father teaching him to do what you have to in order to protect others hinted at his awareness and acceptance of what Angel had done to him.

"Come on. You drop by for a cup of coffee, and the world's not ending? Please."

- Connor to Angel

On the eve of his final battle with the Circle of the Black Thorn, Angel visits Connor for coffee. Connor reveals that he knows Angel is his father and is grateful for all he has done for him, but prefers to leave it at that. Later, when Angel fights Marcus Hamilton, Connor shows up to fight by his father's side, saving Angel from being staked by Hamilton. The two fight together, but even with Connor's help Angel is no match for Hamilton and Connor is knocked out. However, shortly afterwards Angel finally defeats Hamilton due to him accidentaly exposing his weakness. As the Senior Partners begin to exact their vengeance, Angel tells Connor to go home and that as long as Connor is safe, the Partners can never destroy him.

Fall of Los Angeles


Connor appears in the comic book series Angel: After the Fall, providing humans and good demons sanctuary with the help of the benevolent werewolf Nina Ash and the mutant Gwen Raiden after Los Angeles was sent to hell by the Senior Partners, and is in a partnership with Spike and Illyria, who are posing as the Demon Lords of Beverly Hills. He also actively kills multiple demons, sometimes alongside his father, the now-human Angel. After the team moves back into the Hyperion Hotel, Illyria reveals to the others that Angel is no longer a vampire. Angry with his father for being lied to, Connor leaves, and is forced to pit Angel's dragon against Gwen when he realises that she is loyal to Gunn. Gwen subsequently gives her life to hold off W&H's army. Subsequently, Connor returns after Angel has been mortally wounded in a fight with the now-vampiric Gunn, and kicks Gunn out a window before convincing a dying Angel to trust in himself and keep fighting to live. After Gunn causes Illyria to revert to her true form, Connor, the wounded Angel and Spike are the only champions left standing. Connor is mortally wounded by Gunn when Gunn tries to prevent Connor, Angel, and Spike from stopping Illyria. He dies in his father's arms, but not before reassuring Angel that he is a good person regardless of whether or not he is a human or a vampire.



"I need you to promise me something. And you gotta do it, because it's like, a last request. No matter what happens, Angel, don't let them win. You're a good man.  Vampire or not - you're a good man."

- Connor's final words.

After Angel dies and time is restored, Connor is seen again at the hospital and reunites with a tearful Angel. Connor remarks how cool it is that Angel is a celebrity, despite Angel's hesitation.

Back on Earth
Connor is currently a full-time member of Angel Investigations, even assuming unofficial leadership of the group during Angel's recent abduction with Illyria's support (Illyria comparing the team to a 'kingdom' with Connor as the 'heir' to Angel's 'throne'). during that time a group of female warrior demons clim to be his army, for he is the chosen one. After Illyria discovers Angel- currently being held captive by a corporation seeking to duplicate his status as an immortal with a soul-, she reveals that she is approaching a once-in-a-millennial breeding stage, and asks his permission to 'court' Connor to be the father of her offspring. Unfortunately, Gunn quits the team during Angel's captivity by Innovation Labs after an argument with Connor, Connor expressing dissatisfaction with Gunn's occasional rebellions- such as undermining his authority during the interrogation of recently-turned vampire Felicia Valentine while searching for information about Angel- and his actions in Hell, while Gunn objects to Connor's resentment of his actions as a vampire while Connor's own actions while in control of himself have never come up after his return to the fold. Leaving the Hyperion, Gunn states that he'll return when Angel does, but in the meantime he prefers to try and form a new crew and do things his way. Although Illyria attempts to seduce Connor, the moment of conception passes without anything taking place due to Connor's uncertainty about the situation.

While out on patrol, Connor was captured by the Sisterhood of Juro, a group of demonic women who regard him as an unspecified 'saviour', who cut him open and drink some of his blood, the ritual apparently granting them greater strength. Although they claim that Connor had yet to achieve his 'full potential', after their departure the apparently-deceased Connor is healed of his injuries, suggesting that his powers go beyond the obvious details of his strength and speed. With the demons defeated- apparently falling into dust simply when Connor was cut in the arm-, Connor admitted that he felt a need to find his own way, Angel agreeing with Connor's need to find his own purpose and leaving him in charge of Angel Investigations while Angel takes a brief vacation... only for Connor to be contacted by a representative of Wolfram & Hart looking for Angel the day after his father leaves. Despite his doubts, Connor and Laura visit W&H for information about James, learning that he is a god-level entity seeking to unleash a wave of demons on Earth for an unspecified purpose... unaware that Gunn, based on information from Polyemphus, is planning to kill Connor before he can 'evolve' into a James-level entity and threat.

Powers and abilities
Connor possesses the typical abilities of a vampire: superhuman strength, speed, durability, recuperation, and heightened senses; without their typical weaknesses (sunlight, crosses, holy water). He has been bested in battle by both Faith and Angel- although he once defeated Angel in a fight, it should be noted that he was using a taser and had the advantage that Angel wasn't expecting him to attack-; however, he is stronger than most vampires and some forms of demons. Despite his great power, Connor lacks the vampires' undead nature; thus, there is a limit to just how much damage his living body can endure and heal, though he is still incredibly resilient:


 * After his first encounter with the Beast, the Jasmine-possessed Cordelia discovered a large bruise on his upper torso and assumed it to be broken ribs, to which Connor remarked that he had never broken a bone in his life, and didn't even know he could.


 * Later, when the Beast threw him out of a sixth-story window while the sun was being blocked out by the Ra-Tet eclipse spell, Connor asked Cordelia if things were supposed to go dark when someone loses consciousness, implying that he had never done so before.

In addition to his innate powers, Connor was trained by his foster father, Daniel Holtz, in hunting and in both unarmed and armed combat.

Recently, he was abducted by the Sisterhood of Juro, a demonic group who appear to believe that Connor's powers go beyond those seen so far. Although the precise nature of these claims is unrevealed, Connor demonstrated a previously-unforseen ability to heal rapidly after the Sisterhood apparently bled him to death to drink his blood, his body being covered by a white light after the Sisterhood's departure before returning to normal.

Romantic relationships

 * Sunny — A teen runaway and a heroin addict, she is the first female Connor had ever met since being taken to Quor-Toth and with whom he shared his first kiss after protecting her from a drug dealer named Tyke, although she subsequently died of an overdose after providing him with new clothes.


 * Cordelia Chase — Connor developed an affection for Cordelia when they lived together after Cordelia returned from the higher planes with total amnesia. After she regained her memories, a possessed Cordelia seduced Connor and he loses his virginity to her; the pair became the "parents" of the being known as Jasmine.
 * Faith Lehane — Connor was instantly attracted by Faith's toughness and fighting skills.


 * Tracy - During the episode "Home", Connor's new dad made reference to a girl named Tracy and asked if they were going to the same college, suggesting the two were romantically involved. One of his siblings commented (by way of an insult) that she was a vegan.


 * Illyria — When the two met, Illyria sensed that Connor was lusting after her, prompting Connor to claim he'd always had a thing for older women, to which Angel mumbled "they were supposed to fix that" under his breath. Recently, Illyria revealed to Angel that she is interested in mating with Connor as she approaches a once-in-a-millennium breeding phase, having selected Connor to be the father of her potential offspring.


 * Gwen Raiden - In After the Fall, it is revealed that Connor is dating Gwen, although with problems because of Gwen's electric nature; this relationship came to an end after Los Angeles returned to Earth due to her betrayal of the team for Gunn.

Appearances
Connor was a series regular for the show's fourth season (2002-2003). {{Scroll box
 * width = 100%
 * content = === Angel Season 3 ===
 * "Lullaby" (As an infant)
 * "Dad" (As an infant)
 * "Birthday" (As an infant)
 * "Provider" (As an infant)
 * "Waiting In The Wings" (As an infant)
 * "Couplet" (As an infant)
 * "Loyalty" (As an infant)
 * "Sleep Tight" (As an infant)
 * "The Price"
 * "A New World"
 * "Benediction"
 * "Tomorrow"

Angel Season 4

 * "Deep Down"
 * "Ground State"
 * "The House Always Wins"
 * "Slouching Toward Bethlehem"
 * "Supersymmetry"
 * "Spin the Bottle"
 * "Apocalypse, Nowish"
 * "Habeas Corpses"
 * "Long Day's Journey"
 * "Awakening"
 * "Soulless"
 * "Calvary"
 * "Salvage"
 * "Release"
 * "Orpheus"
 * "Players"
 * "Inside Out"
 * "Shiny Happy People"
 * "The Magic Bullet"
 * "Sacrifice"
 * "Peace Out"
 * "Home"

Angel Season 5

 * "Origin"
 * "Not Fade Away"

Angel: After the Fall
}}
 * After the Fall #1
 * After the Fall #2
 * After the Fall #3
 * After the Fall #5
 * After the Fall #6: First Night Part I
 * After the Fall #7: First Night Part II
 * After the Fall #9
 * After the Fall #10