Daniel Holtz was a vampire hunter during the 18th century and an enemy of the vampires Angelus and Darla. He was portrayed by Keith Szarabajka.
Biography
Holtz was an 18th century English vampire hunter who chased Angelus and Darla through much of Europe and North Africa. He had connections to an elite order of Inquisitors within the Roman Catholic Church and an army at his command. Angelus and Darla retaliated by attacking Holtz's family, raping his wife and killing her and their infant son. As a finishing touch, they turned his remaining daughter, Sarah, into a vampire. Upon returning home, Holtz had little choice but to throw his sired daughter into direct sunlight and watch her burn to ashes.
Holtz relentlessly chased Angelus and Darla across two continents, even capturing Angelus twice (only to lose him both times). Desiring more than just a quick death for his nemesis, Holtz repeatedly squandered his chances to kill Angelus. Holtz finally managed to trap him in the sewers beneath Rome, and tortured him for hours; but eventually Darla arrived and broke Angelus free. Following this incident, Holtz gave up his hunt and became a hermit.
After a time, the demon Sahjhan came to him and offered him a chance for revenge. Holtz is placed in a state of mystical suspended animation, and reawakened in Los Angeles in the year 2001. There he is briefed by Sahjhan on navigating the city, and is also given a new army, this time a cadre of demons. A lot has changed in those 200 years: Darla is pregnant and Angelus now has a soul. Since his motives are not in the interest of justice but rather vengeance, Holtz once more spares Angel's life--unsatisfied with merely killing him--and instead devises a more elaborate plan to use Angel's newborn son Connor to cause the vampire as much pain as Angelus caused him.
Before long, Holtz poisons his demon soldiers; His reasoning being that they are just mercenaries, and therefore useless. Holtz claims to need real warriors who are invested in what they are fighting. He recruits a brash young vampire hunter, Justine Cooper, who lost her sister to a vampire's bite and has since wandered through her own life, seething with rage. Holtz manipulates her thirst for vengeance, as well as that of many others, and builds a new army.
Shortly after Connor's birth, Holtz arranges for Wesley Wyndam-Pryce to kidnap Connor. Out of devotion to Holtz, Justine helps abduct the baby and slits Wesley's throat. Holtz and Justine plan to keep Connor for themselves and raise him as their own. When Lilah Morgan's men and Angel ambush Holtz's truck, they are forced to pull over and are surrounded by Lilah's armed gunmen. A tense four-way confrontation between Angel, Wolfram & Hart, Holtz, and Sahjhan ensues beneath the bridge at the edge of town. Sahjhan threatens to swallow all of them into portal leading to Quor'Toth, "the darkest of the dark worlds", but at the last minute Holtz defies expectations and shoves Justine to the ground, leaping into the hellish portal with Connor clutched in his arms.
For years Connor grows up in Quor'Toth, where time moves faster than on Earth. During his childhood and teenage years, Holtz acts as Connor's adoptive father and instills a deep hatred of Angel within him. Connor finds a way to return to Earth, and an elderly Holtz soon follows. Holtz gives the impression that he wants Connor to live a healthy life with his biological father, but this is simply the final phase of his scheme. Holtz reunites with Justine and asks her to kill him. Together, they simulate a vampire attack by stabbing Holtz twice in the neck, in a manner resembling a vampire's fangs. Holtz himself seems to realize how far he has fallen, even telling Justine, "I'm not asking you to follow me into Hell, just send me there." Once he discovers his "father's" corpse, a heartbroken and furious Connor blames Angel.
Trivia
- The song Holtz can be heard quietly singing to himself throughout the series was first sung by him to comfort his daughter, Sarah, after finding his wife and son murdered. The song is Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night), a Welsh song that later became widely used as a lullaby in England.
- Holtz is first mentioned in Season Two's "The Trial", though doesn't appear until the first episode of Season Three, "Heartthrob".
- Holtz is very similar to the German word for wood, linking his vampire hunter status with the famous wooden stake, and putting him opposite to the vampire Angel.
- In a way, Holtz resembles Robin Wood from Buffy Season Seven. Both have had family members who have been murdered by notorious vampires (ironically, the vampires in question -Angel and Spike- are, in a way, related), and both seek revenge for the killings. Like Holtz, Robin found no solace in Spike's remorse or his ensoulment, only caring about getting his revenge. The major difference between the two is that Holtz was the Big Bad of Angel Season Three, while Robin is, for the most part, an ally of the Scooby Gang.
- Like many villains in Angel, Holtz did not start out evil; in fact, he was a force for good in the 18th century. However, Holtz's life was completely destroyed by Angel, and he never recovered. He found no solace in Angel's remorse, or his ensoulment, and instead exploited his soul as an instrument of torture. Even in death, he thought of nothing but his own revenge against the vampire. One could argue that he finally gave Angel what he deserved.