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I'm a freak.
―Gwen[src]

Gwen Raiden was a mutant human born with the power to manipulate electricity. She worked as a thief and became an ally of the Angel Investigations team.[1]

Biography[]

Early life[]

YoungGwen

Gwen in 1985.

In 1985, when Gwen was a young girl, her parents had her bundled up in heavy winter clothing and took her to a boarding school in Gills Rock, Wisconsin, named Thorpe's Academy.[1] She would describe her parents' decision as coming after "the second gardener and the fourth nanny."[2]

While attending Thorpe's Academy, she was isolated from the other children. One day, while outside in the playground during recess, a boy asked Gwen if she was a "freak" and told her that she did not look like one. Gwen smiled, and the boy offered to share one of his toy cars with her. As she reached out to take it, an electrical shock traveled from Gwen to the classmate, knocking him unconscious.[1]

Thief[]

In 2002, the 25-year-old Gwen was using her powers to facilitate her career as a successful and wealthy professional thief. She met Angel when she was hired to steal a valuable artifact called the Axis of Pythia, which he needed in order to find Cordelia Chase on her higher plane.[1]

After finding the artifact, Gwen and Angel fought over its possession. During the course of the battle, Gwen tried to kill Angel with an electric shock. However, much to her surprise, he was undead and her attack actually served to make Angel's heart beat again for a few seconds. Caught in the moment, Angel kissed Gwen. Afterward, the man who had hired Gwen attempted to kill her with poisonous gas. Angel, however, managed to save Gwen from Elliot. In gratitude, Gwen allowed Angel to use the artifact.[1] He returned it to her afterwards.[2]

Weeks later, Gwen was hired by the mysterious Ashet to obtain protection amulets to ward off the Beast. He had been her client for six years, but he never had wanted to meet her before. After revealing to him that she did not want to take part in the job, she witnessed Ashet's death at the hands of the powerful demon. Afterward, Gwen joined Angel Investigations in their fight against the Beast. However, she escaped town after the sun was blotted out.[2]

Days after the sun was restored she asked Charles Gunn to help her with a mission under the pretense of saving a kidnapped girl. In fact, she was trying to steal L.I.S.A., an experimental device which would allow her to touch others without killing them. After the two stole the device, the two had sex and Gwen's lost her virginity to him.[3]

After the Fall[]

Gwen was at the beach with Nate in Santa Monica when Los Angeles was suddenly sent to Hell by the Senior Partners. The Fall of Los Angeles caused L.I.S.A. to malfunction, and Gwen accidentally fried her boyfriend. Angry, she walked off to find out what happened.[4]

Gwen eventually joined Nina and Connor in rescuing[5] and providing both humans and good demons with sanctuary in an abandoned hotel[6] in Santa Monica.[7] With Angel's aid,[8] the group moved to the Hyperion Hotel.[9] At this time, she also became romantically involved with Connor.[9][10]

Gwen betrayed Team Angel to Gunn, who was then a vampire. He had already enlisted her before she started working with Connor.[10] However, Gwen soon sacrificed herself to destroy some of the legions of dragons sent by Wolfram & Hart so Connor could escape.[11]

Gwen was eventually restored[12] due to the temporal fold Wolfram & Hart had created to undo the Fall of Los Angeles.[13]

Powers and abilities[]

GwenRevive

Gwen revives Gunn with her electricity.

Gwen was born with the ability to generate and manipulate electricity. Her power could be used in a number of ways, from creating powerful and damaging electric blasts to manipulating and controlling electronic devices. The latter proved especially useful in her role as a high-tech, professional thief, a career at which she seemed especially skilled and adept, making herself quite wealthy in the process.[1][2] She could also draw her electricity within her own body to improve her strength and speed, allowing her to hold her own against Angel in hand-to-hand combat.[1]

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 appeared to have been rectified using a device she appropriated which allowed her to touch other people without causing harm;[3] however, the device was rendered useless during the Fall of Los Angeles.[4]

Relationships[]

  • Angel — Gwen and Angel shared a spontaneous kiss during a heated duel, with Gwen's usually-lethal powers temporarily causing the vampire's heart to beat.[1]
GwenGunn

Gwen makes love for the first time after finally suppressing her ability.

  • Charles Gunn — Gwen lost her virginity to Gunn after he helped her suppress her abilities.[3] She later worked as a double agent for vampire Gunn in Hell A, believing that his plan to save everyone would work.[10] When Los Angeles was restored with a time reversal, Gwen visited Gunn while he was human again and in a coma.[12]
  • Nate — Gwen was on an awkward date with Nate when Los Angeles was sent to hell by Wolfram & Hart. Unaware that her powers had been reactivated, Gwen accidentally electrocuted him, killing Nate.[4]
  • Connor — Gwen and Connor began dating while protecting others in the fall of Los Angeles.[9] Once Gwen betrayed Team Angel to the vampire Gunn, their relationship was officially ended.[10] Although she had betrayed him, Gwen gave her life to protect Connor.[11]

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • She was portrayed by Alexa Davalos and Megan Corletto in a flashback.
  • Her origins are perhaps a tribute to many comic book characters, such as Rogue, a mutant who dealt with similar issues concerning her inability to touch people. Her surname is a likely reference to Raiden-sama, the mythological Japanese god of thunder and lightning, and its representation as the Mortal Kombat character Raiden, who could shoot lightning from his hands. Her function as professional swindler with an extravagant lifestyle is possibly a nod to the comic characters Catwoman or the Black Cat.

Appearances[]

Canonical[]

Other[]

Angel (IDW series)
Spike: The Devil You Know

References[]

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