- “I can't take it easy. I can never take it easy. Not for one second, alright? The minute I forget that, someone like Alonna pays the price.”
- ―Gunn[src]
Charles Gunn was a vampire hunter, member of Angel Investigations and, for several months, head of the legal department at Wolfram & Hart, until the rebellion of Team Angel. He was portrayed by J. August Richards.
Biography
Early life
Gunn was born in the Badlands, a section of inner-city Los Angeles where the police would not go, and looked after his sister, Alonna, from a very young age. Although he had a few brushes with the law, he acted as a kind of urban Robin Hood to keep the streets in his neighborhood safe. In his teens, Gunn rose through the ranks to become the leader of a gang of street-fighters who protect their turf from vampires using guerrilla tactics. Possessing the mind of a military strategist and the strength of a back-alley brawler, life in the ghetto hardened Gunn to the extent that his life became less important than the cause, resulting in him trading his soul for a truck in a deal with a demon named Jenoff when he was only seventeen, because he believed he had no future.[1]
Gunn spent his youth battling vampires on the streets of Los Angeles.
In 2000, Gunn witnessed the vampire Angel roughing up a blackmailer and tried unsuccessfully to dust him. Eventually, Angel won Gunn's trust, but unfortunately not in time to save Alonna from being turned into a vampire. Gunn has no choice but to stake his own sister, a decision which continues to haunt him for the rest of his life. It is this loss that forces Gunn to question his own motives and become more receptive to Angel's help, realizing he cannot do everything alone.
Angel Investigations
Angel recognizes Gunn's strength and often calls on him if he needs back up in battle or if he needs protection for the people he cares about when he cannot protect them himself. Although he initially regards his time with Angel Investigations as a "paying side-gig," Gunn eventually becomes a full-time member of the gang, gaining mutual respect for those he fights side-by-side with while finding his place in the world. However, his work with his new 'family' often leads to conflicted loyalties; in the episode "Belonging." Cordelia is accidentally sucked into a portal to Pylea while a member of Gunn's old street crew, George, succumbs to the bite of a vampire. Gunn feels responsible for his friend's death, believing that it would not have happened if he had still been around to help in the fight. Yet even in his grief, he realizes that he could not commit the same crime twice and allow Cordelia to suffer the same fate, so he joins Angel, Wesley, and Lorne to rescue her.
A short time after their return from Pylea, demons across the city are being massacred- regardless of whether or not they actually did anything to deserve being killed in the first place- and Gunn comes to the conclusion that his old gang is responsible for the deaths, currently being led by a man named Gio who has a serious grudge against supernatural entities due to an unrevealed event in his past ("That Old Gang of Mine"). He realizes that his ties with his old life are gone and that his loyalty now lies with the vampire with a soul. In a showdown with one of his lifelong friends, Gunn finally chooses the mission of the Angel Investigations team. Without realizing it, Gunn finds the future he thought he would never have. He has friends, loyalty, respect, and a mission to pursue. He even finds love in the arms of the new girl Fred Burkle, but his past still comes back to haunt him in the episode "Double or Nothing," when the demon Jenoff decides it is time to cash in on the deal Gunn had made years earlier by claiming Gunn's soul. Luckily, Angel and the others at Angel Investigations are able to aid Gunn and defeat Jenoff, allowing Gunn the luxury of living his life to the fullest.
Fred becomes the most important person in Gunn's world, but Gunn's devotion suffers the ultimate test in the episode "Supersymmetry" when he kills Professor Seidel, the person responsible for deliberately sending Fred to Pylea, in order to save Fred from having to carry the burden of doing it herself. The guilt of what he had done for her plagues Fred and instead of bringing them closer together, it begins the rut that leads to the end of their relationship. Although no longer romantically linked, Gunn and Fred continue to fight side-by-side, and Gunn has a fling with the electric Gwen Raiden in the episode "Players." When Wolfram & Hart want to cut a deal to have Angel take over the LA branch, Gunn is led into the mysterious White Room where he is exposed to the mysterious conduit to the Senior Partners, who impresses Gunn with his immense power. Soon, he undergoes a remarkable transformation at Wolfram & Hart.
Wolfram & Hart
Feeling undervalued by his friends, Gunn submits to a procedure at the hands of Wolfram & Hart's Medical Department that enhances his mind with a comprehensive understanding of the law (and Gilbert & Sullivan, to help improve his voice and diction), making him the only member of Angel's team who can work inside the system seamlessly (cf. "Conviction"). When his mental abilities begin to diminish, Gunn, fearful of losing his new talents and respect, makes a pact with Dr Sparrow and gets a permanent upgrade in exchange for signing to release an ancient curio stuck in customs. When this curio results in the death of Fred and the resurrection of Illyria (cf. "A Hole in the World"), a guilt-ridden Gunn re-dons his old street attire and willingly offers himself to take Lindsey McDonald's place in a hell dimension in order to get information on how to stop the Senior Partners (cf. "Underneath"). While the team have no clue how to free him, Illyria saves Gunn with ease. He then returns to the fold, changed and seeking redemption for his sins. In the show's finale "Not Fade Away", he slays Senator Helen Brucker, one of the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn, but is seriously injured in the process. While prepearing for one last fight against the army of the Senior Partners, Illyria states that he has only minutes to live with Gunn quoting, "Then let's make them memorable."
Vampire
Gunn was badly wounded in the alley. Angel left him to slay the dragon and while he was gone, Gunn was taken by a group of vampires and sired. The vampires had been following the visions of a demon. After rising into unlife, Gunn killed his sire and took over the vampire pack.
In issue one of the Angel: After the Fall comic series, Gunn and his followers storm a stadium and kill Kr'ph, Demon Lord of Westwood, who has taken up residence there. The group frees the humans the demon was forcing to fight each other for its enjoyment. Gunn then makes a suggestive comment to the demon's female captives. At the end of the issue, Gunn is revealed to be a vampire, who feeds on the women and turns the "rescued" men into vampires as part of "Team Gunn".
Gunn struggles to cope with his vampiric nature.
In the second issue, Gunn insists that he is still a good guy. He resents being a vampire, though is prone to murderous impulses due to his lack of a soul. He reveals that he blames Angel for allowing him to be turned, and that he intends to save L.A. to prove that one doesn't need a soul to be a champion. He kidnapped Betta George and is using him to complete his plans, forcing George to tap into his psychic ability to freeze Slayers in their tracks and contact people outside of Hell/Los Angeles.
Gunn and his vamp crew
In a later issue, he is seen making mystical plans; the intent is to have Angel come to the conclusion he sent Gunn to die, then Angel himself will die moments later.
As part of his revenge against Angel, Gunn destroys the Wolfram & Hart building, Angel's headquarters in the war with the Demon Lords, which also forces Wesley back to the Senior Partners for the time being. Gunn later bears witness to Angel's defeat of the Lords, hanging back to ensure that not all of the people are slaughtered should Angel fail. Shortly after the team moves back into the Hyperion Hotel, Gunn confronts them and reveals his vampire nature.
Upon seeing what has become of Gunn, Angel tells him he is sorry. Gunn says he figured he would say that, and tells him to table that for now. Gunn takes Angel around his base of operations and explains what happened to him. When Angel sees that Gunn thinks he is doing the right thing, Angel cautions him that the beast is the one in control, not him. Gunn attacks him, angered that Angel thinks that Gunn isn't himself. Gunn proceeds to remove all of the magic that had kept Angel alive, and realizes that Angel is now a human. Gunn decides to let Angel lie there and die slowly, only to be confronted by Wesley's ghost" who reveals to him that the visions he has been receiving are from the Senior Partners rather than the Powers That Be. Ignoring this revelation, Gunn continues to attack his former friends, his team of Slayers apparently staking Spike- although Spike is later seen alive thanks to Illyria's timeslips- before he is kicked out of a window by Connor (in a manner similar to how Angel kicked Russell Winters out of a window in the pilot episode of the television series) while trying to kill Angel again, though he survived thanks to his vampire constitution. Confronting Illyria, he tricks her into transforming into Fred so that he can shoot her, reverting her to her true form in the hope that he can convince her to use her powers to rewind time so that the Fall never occurs, only for Illyria to vow to unmake time itself.
Nonetheless, Gunn decides to allow Illyria to carry out her plan, and mortally wounds Connor, who dies in Angel's arms. Angel defeats Gunn, but doesn't kill him, and Betta George successfully implants Fred's memories back into Illyria's mind.
After Gunn kills Angel's son, Angel attacks Gunn in rage. Despite repeated warning by Wolfram & Hart Gunn takes a sword and decapitates Angel forcing Wolfram & Hart to revert time. Back in the alley as Gunn lays wounded, Angel rescues Gunn from his sire and takes him to the hospital where the doctors say they'll do what they can for him. Afterwards Angel returns to Gunn who is in a coma, Angel then reassures Gunn that he was not himself when he commited those acts.
- “A man isn't measured by the mistakes he's made. He's measured by what he does about them.”
- ―Angel forgives Gunn.[src]
Path to redemption
Gunn has survived his coma and injuries to leave Los Angeles alongside Illyria to find himself.
Personality and traits
Gunn initially maintained a black-and-white outlook on life, with a particular prejudice toward vampires and demons. This attitude softened considerably during his time with Angel Investigations. Although he liked to give the impression of a gruff loner, Gunn valued his friendships and showed a sensitive side in his relationship with Fred. However, he was also plagued with insecurities regarding his role in the team, and began to resent being considered "the muscle".
Gunn shaved his head and dressed casually, usually in hoodies. Following his mental upgrade, Gunn shed his street look for the sleek, professional suits of a legal powerhouse. He also let his hair grow slightly, which came as a surprise to Cordelia, who had always assumed he was prematurely bald. Following Fred's demise, Gunn came full circle, returning to his roots, taking back his street clothes, and reawakening his purpose as a soldier in the fight against evil. As a vampire and leader of his own crew, he took credit for co-ordinating the team's outfits.
Powers and abilities
In the television series, Gunn is a normal human with no supernatural abilities, but he has strength and martial arts expertise due to his years as a vampire hunter, often being described as "the muscle" of Angel Investigations. He is an expert at using weapons, his favorite being a large battle axe used through the series. However, episodes like "Darla" and "Reunion" have proven that Gunn is also a talented and intelligent investigator. Gunn is also a fan of pop culture and often displays a detailed knowledge regarding comic books. Due to Wolfram & Hart's legal upgrade in Season Five, Gunn also has knowledge of all legal codes, both human and demon, as well as fluency in some demonic languages, knowledge of golf techniques and knows all Gilbert & Sullivan light operas.
In the canonical Angel: After the Fall comic series, set after Angel's fifth season, Gunn is revealed to have become a vampire. As such he has the standard powers and vulnerabilities of a vampire: superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and durability, along with virtual immortality and accelerated healing. He is vulnerable to holy items and sunlight, and must regularly feed on mammal blood to maintain his vitality. Gunn cannot enter the home of a living human without being invited by someone who lives there first. In a conversation with his sire, it is suggested that his Wolfram & Hart upgrade partially affects the control the inner demon has over Gunn's actions; he considers himself "good". He also tells Angel that he has added to his powers by devouring a prophetic demon and since acquiring its power to receive visions, which he believes to be the same visions which come from the Powers That Be, but in fact from the Senior Partners.
After time was reverted by Wolfram & Hart, Gunn lost the vampire abilities and possibly the visions but this has yet to be seen.
Relationships
Romantic interests and sexual liaisons
- Veronica — Gunn had a romance with this girl prior to becoming a full-time member of Angel Investigations. She appears briefly in the Season Two episode "First Impressions", in which her non-fatal injury at the hands of a vampire brings back painful memories and feeling of guilt about Alonna.
- Fred Burkle — Gunn and Fred fall in love and continued a strong relationship throughout much of Seasons Three and Four. However, an incident in which he murdered a human being in order to protect Fred's innocence led to the end of their close relationship. Nevertheless, he retains strong feelings of friendship for her and is devastated by her death, for which he is partially responsible. Unlike the other characters, who usually referred to Gunn by his surname, Fred always called him Charles and continued to do so following their break-up.
- Gwen Raiden — Gunn and Gwen flirt and have sex in the episode "Players" in which Gwen gains the ability to touch people without harming them.
Gallery
Appearances
Canonical appearances
- Angel
- Gunn was a series regular from seasons 2 - 5. He appeared in 91 episodes in total, including guest appearances in the episodes:
- Season 1 (1999-2000) - "War Zone", "Blind Date", and "To Shanshu in L.A."
- Angel: After the Fall
- Gunn has appeared in most issues of A:AtF as its main villain, and also in Spike: After the Fall. After not appearing in Angel: Aftermath, Gunn returns in After the Fall Epilogue (#23) leading into his own four-issue spin-off series, Angel: Only Human.
Expanded universe
Gunn has also appeared in Angel expanded universe material such as comics and novels, most notable his own one-shot comic Gunn: Spotlight in 2006.