Collin

Collin redirects here, if you're looking for the other vampire with a similar name, see Colin

"Don't underestimate the Anointed One just because he looks a child. He has power over the rest of them. Its source is deep, and old. They'll do anything for him."

- Angel

The Anointed One, whose real name was Collin, was a vampire member of the Order of Aurelius and a key servant of the Master. Even though he was a child, it was foretold he would lead Buffy to hell.

Biography
"'And there will be a time of crisis, of worlds hanging in the balance. And in this time shall come the Anointed, the Master's great warrior. And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him, and he will lead her into Hell.' As it is written, so shall it be. Five will die, and from their ashes the Anointed shall rise. The Brethren of Aurelius shall greet him and usher him to his immortal destiny.' As it is written, so shall it be."

- The Master, reading from the Writings of Aurelius

Collin, the young boy who would become the Anointed, traveled to Sunnydale via airplane and then on bus. However, the bus was stopped by a vampire, who let himself be hit by the vehicle, causing the driver to stop. While most of the bus passengers were killed, including Collin's mother, two of them were turned into a vampire. One was Collin, and the other was Andrew Borba, an insane murderer who was sired and left behind to serve as a decoy to distract Buffy Summers. As planned by the Brethren of Aurelius, the Slayer defeated Borba and believed she had averted the prophecy. Meanwhile, the real Anointed was brought to the Master. As foretold by Aurelius, the Slayer had not known the Anointed.

For several months, the Anointed was personally taught by the Master about the rules and traditions of the vampire world and the Order of Aurelius. He witnessed how the Master apparently spared the lives of the Three, as he was "weary" and "their deaths [would bring him] little joy", only to allow Darla to execute them, as "sometimes a little is enough". Collin was also taught how family works together for the common good when Darla told the Master of her plan to have Angel and Buffy kill each other. That same night, however, Darla's plan backfired and Angel slew her instead. Collin did his best to console the elder vampire who was grieving for his favourite of 4 centuries, promising him the two would exact revenge on Angel and Buffy. Another teaching of the Master was to face and control his fears, which the elder vampire demonstrated by touching a crucifix despite his hand burning. The pair also sensed the coming "change" in reality brought about by Billy Palmer.



A few weeks later, the Master's rise, prophesied in the Pergamum Codex, approached, as well as the fulfillment of the Anointed One's role foretold in the Writings of Aurelius. As portents grew in number, the Master sent Collin to the surface to find Buffy, meeting her on the entrance of Sunnydale High. Having learned that the Anointed would be a child, Buffy let the vampire boy take her hand and lead her to the entrance of the Master's lair. His role in prophecy had been fulfilled, though not in the literal sense. As the Master hoped, he defeated Buffy, left her to drown and broke free of his mystical prison "inside" the Hellmouth. However, Buffy would be revived by Xander Harris and would go on to slay the Master.

"I hate that girl."

- Collin

Several months later, the Anointed One had assumed leadership of the Order of Aurelius with the support of the vampire Absalom and moved the Order to an abandoned factory. He planned to resurrect the Master through a Revivification Ritual, which required the Master's bones, left behind after his death, and the sacrifice of the humans that had been around him when he died - Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, Cordelia Chase and Jenny Calendar. The Anointed personally oversaw how the Master's remains were exhumed from his grave and was present during the ritual, but escaped when Buffy, Angel and Xander showed up in order to rescue their kidnapped friends.

Weeks afterward, the Anointed One was present at a meeting of the Order's numbers. With all hope for the Master's return gone, new leadership was required. The vampires agreed that whoever killed the Slayer during the Night of Saint Vigeous would be the Master's successor. That same night, the vampires Spike and Drusilla, who were also descendants of the Master via Darla and Angelus though unaffiliated with the Order, appeared before the Anointed. Spike offered to kill the Slayer in exchange for safety from the Order's members and a place to stay. However, Spike was not patient enough to wait for the Night of Saint Vigeous, and took the brethren of Aurelius for a raid on Sunnydale High. The attack was a failure; while Spike escaped, several of the Brethren were slain, much to the Anointed's anger. One of the survivors roared that Spike had to offer his life in penance. However, when asked by the Anointed if he should be forgiven, Spike responded that he recognized his mistake but that given the chance he would've done the exact same thing, though he would've killed the Anointed first. With that, he grabbed the vampire child, locked him inside a cage, which he attached to a hook hanging from a chain. Afterward, Spike pulled the chain, making it rise into the sunlight. Exposed, the Anointed burned to death, and Spike took leadership over the shattered remnants of the Order of Aurelius.

Powers and abilities
"This one has power. I could feel it from outside."

- Drusilla

The Anointed One was slain before he could demonstrate the full scope of his powers. Besides the common abilities of vampires, the Anointed One, like the Master, was capable of sensing great psychic powers. According to Angel and Drusilla, he had great and ancient power, though they didn't elaborate any further. His power was big enough to command the numbers of the Order of Aurelius without any of its members ever challenging him.

Behind the scenes
Joss Whedon said that early on that the plan was to use the Anointed One as the principal "Big Bad" for Season Two. However, these plans were changed because actor Andrew J. Ferchland was still growing and would not be believable as a perpetual child for very long.

"The anointed one", is the literal meaning of the Greek word Χριστός (Christós, or Christ in English form). This word was originally used to translate the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ), which means "Messiah".

Alongside Jay-Don, the Anointed One is the only vampire in the Buffyverse whose 'Vamp Face' has never been seen.

The Anointed One was often referred to by fans of the show as "the Annoying One" -- a nickname that Spike had also used.

Appearances

 * "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"
 * "Angel"
 * Nightmares"
 * "Prophecy Girl"
 * "When She Was Bad"
 * "School Hard"