Spike

⤷ Note: This article is about the vampire. For other uses, see Spike.

Spike
Name	William Pratt
Aliases	Spike William the Bloody Willy Hostile 17 Big Bad Bleach Boy (by Xander) Blondie Bear (by Harmony) Captain Peroxide (by Xander and Angel) Randy Giles The Doctor
Status	Undead
Born	1853, London
Died	1880, London (sired) 2003, Sunnydale (resurrected) 2004, L.A. (reversed) 2005, L.A. (reversed)
Classif.	Vampire Ghost (formerly) Demon Lord (formerly)
Affiliation	Whirlwind Order of Aurelius (ally) Scooby Gang Angel Investigations Wolfram & Hart Mosaic Wellness Center Team Spike Slayer Organization (ally) S.F.P.D.
Relatives	Anne Pratt (mother) Unknown cousin
Appearances
Debut	"School Hard"
Last seen	Finale
Portrayed by	James Marsters Steve Tartalia (stunts) Victor Raider-Wexler

“Love isn't brains, children, it's blood — blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it.”

―Spike

Spike (born William Pratt) was a famous and widely feared vampire turned in 1880. He was well-known among both humans and demons for having faced and killed two Slayers during his unlife, as well as his history of torturing his victims with railroad spikes. His reputation for evil and bloodshed was second only to that of his grandsire, Angelus. In his human life, William was an unappreciated romantic poet known as William the Bloody for his "bloody awful" poetry; though, after he became a vampire, that moniker was repurposed to imply his violence. After being sired by Drusilla, he reinvented himself and terrorized Europe alongside Drusilla, Angel, and Darla throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Spike first traveled to Sunnydale in 1997, accompanied by Drusilla, where he quickly established himself as one of Buffy Summers' most dangerous enemies. However, Spike was forced into a series of uneasy alliances with her and her team, the Scooby Gang, after being captured by the Initiative and implanted with a cerebral microchip that rendered him unable to harm humans. Eventually, Spike realized he had fallen for Buffy and officially joined the Scoobies as a devoted protector of Buffy's sister, Dawn. After recognizing he could be neither monster nor man, Spike's love for Buffy motivated him to fight successfully to regain his soul.

Spike sacrificed himself in battle against the First Evil, defeating its horde of Turok-Han, permanently closing the Hellmouth, and destroying the town of Sunnydale. However, bound to an amulet, Spike became an incorporeal entity haunting the halls of the Wolfram & Hart Los Angeles branch, then under the management of Angel and his team. After becoming corporeal again, Spike struggled to find a place in the world and his status as a Champion, only to join Angel in his battle against the Senior Partners. With Illyria by his side, Spike acted as co-Lord of Beverly Hills during the Fall of Los Angeles.

After rescuing a ship and a bug crew of his own from Wolfram & Hart, Spike reunited with Buffy and the Scoobies in the battle against Twilight. He went to San Francisco to continue supporting Buffy during the end of magic but left in the hopes of "finding himself" before returning to San Francisco when he heard that Dawn was sick. He then established himself in the city alongside the Scooby Gang, sharing an apartment with Xander Harris and working as a supernatural consultant for S.F.P.D. With this new life, he and the Slayer gave a chance for a serious relationship, staying by her side even during their breakup to fight in the Reckoning as a member of the Scooby Gang.

Biography

Early history

Human life and siring

“They call him 'William the Bloody' because of his bloody awful poetry.”

―Unidentified maiden

William Pratt, 1880.

William Pratt was born in 1853 in London, England to Anne Pratt. His mother often sang him the English folk song "Early One Morning" throughout his infancy and childhood. By 1880, William had grown into a sentimental gentleman who lived alone with his ill mother. He was a poet who struggled to make a place for himself in London's society, being nicknamed "William the Bloody" because his poetry was so "bloody awful." This moniker, with far deadlier connotations, followed him into his future as a vampire.

After Cecily Addams rejected William's romantic advances at a party, a despondent William fled into the night and literally collided with Angelus, Darla, and Drusilla, who had been terrorizing the streets of London. Drusilla followed him into an alley, where she found him in tears. She desired a playmate — a "knight" — whom she could make hers forever. After a brief conversation with the young poet, Drusilla seduced him and turned him into a vampire.

William the Bloody

“I'm not talking about the cellar. The people in the cellar got off easy. I'm talking about me. Buffy, you have never met the real me.”

―Spike

After Drusilla sired William, she buried him and allowed him to be reborn as a vampire; he crawled from the depths of his own makeshift grave. The pair spent several days partying — draining human victims and indulging in alcohol — before eventually deciding to return to William's mother's residence.

William dusts his mother.

William's devotion to his mother remained with him even after he became a vampire. Anne Pratt suffered from tuberculosis; unwilling to watch his mother die while he was granted eternal life, William sired her so she could join him in the afterlife. Soulless and cruel, she mocked William — revealing she had always despised him and accusing him of having a sexual fascination with her. In the end, he could not bear to see his mother transformed into such a monster, and he was forced to stake her. The entire experience remained traumatic for William, as he was haunted by the memory over a century later when the First Evil used it to trigger him.

After staking his mother, William began a new life alongside Drusilla. Euphoric with his newfound vampiric powers, he abandoned the genteel hypocrisy and strict morals of Victorian life, yet he remained emotionally sensitive. Eventually, he was introduced to Drusilla's sire, Angelus, who initially welcomed him by expressing an interest in killing alongside another man. At first, William idolized Angelus but did not hesitate to defend Drusilla whenever Angelus insulted her in his presence — preferring to see her as childlike rather than insane and treated her with undying loyalty.

Spike attempts to fight Angelus for Drusilla.

After walking in on Angelus and Drusilla having sex, William was once again denied the idealized romance he longed for. Aware that Angelus had slept with Drusilla solely to hurt and desensitize him after realizing the depth of his infatuation, William told his grandsire that Drusilla was his "destiny." Angelus openly mocked William's romantic outlook on life, explaining that in a vampire's world, concepts like "deserving" and "belonging" no longer mattered. As a vampire, William could take whatever he desired, but he could never truly have anything. This encounter marked the beginning of a rivalry that would persist throughout both of their unlives.

William was encouraged to become a rebel, adopting a working-class North London accent and embracing impulsiveness and violence. He took on the nom de guerre "Spike," likely inspired by a critic from his human life who once declared he would rather "have a railroad spike driven through his head" than listen to William's poetry. It was even indicated that he was involved in criminal activities, as Spike later remarked that he spent "the better part of a century" in delinquency. Alongside Drusilla, Darla, and Angelus, he terrorized Europe and Asia for nearly two decades as part of the infamous group known as the "Whirlwind."

William first adopts the name "Spike."

Over time, Spike remained fiercely devoted to Drusilla but grew to despise and envy Angelus. Though Angelus enjoyed the company of another male vampire in their travels, he found Spike's eagerness for battle unnecessary. To Angelus, killing was an art form, not a sport. He brutalized for the sheer pleasure of committing evil, taking delight in torturing his victims both mentally and physically. In contrast, Spike killed for amusement and the adrenaline-fueled rush it gave him. While Angelus avoided fights that posed a real threat to his survival, Spike believed danger only heightened the thrill. Despite their rivalry, they proved to be a team that bested many opponents. Spike would describe Angel as his sire, likening Angelus to a mentor; though Drusilla made him a vampire, Spike recognized that it was Angelus's influence over him that had made him a monster.

Spike soon developed an obsession with Slayers. He reveled in dangerous battles — nothing excited him more than a life-and-death struggle with his kind's greatest adversary, the Chosen One. He first learned about the Slayer from Angelus, who used the term to frighten him. However, it had quite the opposite effect on the young vampire, who from that moment actively sought out Slayers to battle.

1894: Spike, Drusilla, Angelus, and Darla encountered the Immortal in Rome, Italy. He locked up Angelus and Spike while simultaneously sleeping with Darla and Drusilla. This sparked a bitter rivalry, making the Immortal a sworn enemy of Spike and Angel.

October 1898: Spike and Drusilla were in Borșa, Romania, accompanied by Angelus and Darla. Unaware that Angelus had been cursed and regained his soul, Spike actively participated in the massacre of the Kalderash people.

Spike kills his first Slayer, in China in 1900.

1900: In China, Spike killed the Slayer Xin Rong amid the Boxer Rebellion. During the fight, Xin Rong slashed Spike's face with her sword, leaving a scar above his left eyebrow that would remain for over a century. Eventually, she lost control of her weapons, allowing Spike to bite her and kill his first Slayer. Drusilla arrived at the temple, and together they enjoyed the supposed aphrodisiac effects of Slayer's blood. Later that evening, when they reunited with Darla and Angelus, Spike and Drusilla proudly recounted his recent victory.

September 1943: Spike, Nostroyev, and the Prince of Lies were captured by Nazi agents at a virgin blood party in Madrid and taken aboard a submarine, which was later seized by the Americans. However, Spike and the two other imprisoned vampires broke free and killed most of the crew. Their massacre was halted by Angel — who pretended to be soulless — arriving with orders to deliver the submarine and records of Nazi vampire experiments to the United States military. With the help of the newly sired Sam Lawson, the submarine was successfully delivered. However, after Spike burned the notes from the experiments, Angel forced him to leave the submarine and swim back to shore.

Spike and Drusilla in Italy in the 1950s.

1953: While in Rome with Drusilla, Spike tracked down a black widower demon who owed him a gambling debt. The demon had just slept with Pearl, a teenage half-demon, and was preparing to eat her while her brother Nash lay unconscious nearby. In an attempt to collect on the debt, Spike beheaded the demon — unintentionally rescuing Pearl in the process. She became fascinated by Spike, viewing the vampire as her hero.

1963: Spike and Drusilla were in the midst of slaughtering an orphanage in Vienna when they were interrupted by members of the Watchers Council. During the encounter, Spike killed two Watchers, though Roger Wyndam-Pryce managed to escape with his life.

At some point, Spike employed Fyarl demons as muscle and even learned to speak their language. Spike also spent time in prison for tax evasion because of the Immortal.

1969: Spike attended Woodstock, where he drank blood from a flower child and spent the next several hours watching his hand move, a side effect from the psychoactive drugs in their bloodstream.

Spike confronts Nikki Wood, 1977.

1977: Spike fought Nikki Wood, a Slayer in New York City, on at least two occasions. During their first encounter, he ultimately backed down — but not before admiring her coat. Another battle took place aboard a subway train, where Spike killed Nikki by breaking her neck. On that occasion, he also took her black leather duster, which he continued to wear decades later.

At some point, Spike met British punk rocker Billy Idol, who was inspired by Spike's look and copied it.

1997: Spike and Dru were attacked by an angry mob in Prague. Drusilla was kidnapped and severely tortured as a warning sign for other vampires to stay away from the city. Spike killed her captor and rescued a weakened Drusilla.

Sunnydale Big Bad

Conflict with the Scoobies

“Once he starts something he doesn't stop, until everything in his path is dead. Stay away.”

―Angel warns about Spike

Spike begins to hunt Buffy Summers.

Spike first arrived in Sunnydale alongside his longtime lover, Drusilla, who remained weakened from the attack they had suffered in Prague. He was a devoted caretaker to Drusilla in her fragile condition, hoping the Hellmouth's powerful energy would help restore her strength. The presence of a Slayer made Sunnydale even more appealing to him. He tracked Buffy Summers to the Bronze and watched her from a distance.

Spike was quick to boast that he had killed two Slayers and intended to make Buffy his third. However, his plans were disrupted by an unexpected reunion with his grandsire, Angelus. Spike initially greeted him as an old friend but soon accused him of being cursed with a soul and allied with the new Slayer. Spike observed that it was highly unusual for a Slayer to have family and friends so devoted to her well-being. Buffy's way of life was a direct challenge to the traditions upheld by past Slayers. After Spike's impatience to fight Buffy disrupted the Order of Aurelius' plans for the Night of Saint Vigeous, he killed the Anointed One and seized control of their hideout in an abandoned factory, intending to make things "a little less ritual and a little more fun."

Eventually, Spike discovered that Drusilla could only be healed by the blood of her sire in a vampire restoration ritual. More than happy to kill Angel to restore her, Spike kidnapped him with the help of Willy, a bartender and unwilling snitch. Spike subsequently hired the Order of Taraka to assassinate Buffy, though he ultimately canceled the bounty when she defeated three of the assassins. With the help of Kendra — a second Slayer activated after Buffy drowned the previous year — Buffy tracked down Spike and Drusilla to a church where they planned to perform the ritual to heal Drusilla. The ensuing fight ended when a pipe organ collapsed on Spike. Although Angel was saved, the ritual succeeded — Drusilla was fully restored, and she rescued Spike from the church's debris.

Spike, Drusilla, and Angel, together once more.

The incident left Spike paralyzed from the waist down for several months. While still incapacitated in a wheelchair, Spike prepared a party for Drusilla at the factory, where he gifted her with the collected pieces of the Judge. Meanwhile, Angel's curse was broken when he achieved a moment of happiness after sleeping with Buffy, reverting to his soulless self. Angel rejoined Spike and Drusilla and plotted to destroy humanity. Spike initially celebrated their reunion with Angel, showing affection toward his grandsire, but their long-standing rivalry quickly reignited over how to attack Buffy. Angel preferred playing mind games with her, while Spike warned that such actions would only anger her. Angel further taunted the temporarily helpless Spike by taking Drusilla as a lover, accusing Spike of being unable to fulfill her needs as a result of his paralysis.

Spike continued to use his wheelchair even after he had recovered, feigning weakness to avoid suspicion while he plotted against Angel. When Angel decided to use the demon Acathla to suck the world into hell, Spike approached Buffy to propose an alliance — aside from wanting Drusilla back, he also wanted to "save the world." Although Buffy was initially reluctant — especially since Drusilla had recently killed Kendra — she agreed after learning her Watcher, Rupert Giles, was being held captive by Angel. In return, Spike promised that he and Drusilla would leave Sunnydale for good once the battle was over. He assisted Buffy by immobilizing Angel long enough for her to defeat his minions and rescue Giles. Spike briefly fought Drusilla, who refused to leave Angel, ultimately knocking her out. With Drusilla in tow, Spike left Sunnydale, leaving Buffy to face Angel alone.

Depression

Spike and Drusilla end their centennial relationship.

Spike and Drusilla traveled to Brazil, where she was still disturbed by his alliance with the Slayer. Drusilla's psychic powers enabled her to foresee that Spike would develop romantic feelings for Buffy. She rejected him and cheated with a chaos demon, which sent the lovelorn Spike into a long, drunken depression.

He returned to Sunnydale and kidnapped the Scoobies Willow Rosenberg and Alexander "Xander" Harris, attempting to force the young witch into casting a love spell on Drusilla. He also visited Buffy's mother, Joyce Summers, who listened sympathetically to his heartache as they drank hot cocoa together. After agreeing to reveal Willow and Xander's whereabouts, Spike enlisted Buffy and Angel to help him gather the necessary ingredients for the spell. While watching them interact, he remarked that they would never truly be friends despite their efforts — love was "blood screaming inside you to work its will," and at least he was man enough to admit he was "love's bitch." Meanwhile, Mayor Richard Wilkins, aware that Spike's presence in Sunnydale threatened his plans, sent a "welcoming committee" of Spike's former minions to eliminate him. After fighting them off with Buffy and Angel's help, Spike became cheerful and abandoned the idea of enchanting Drusilla, resolving instead to win her back by torturing her until she loved him again. He told the Slayer where to find her two missing friends and left town.

The Gem of Amara

Spike fights Angel for the ring.

The following year, Spike once again became estranged from Drusilla, who had recently left him for a fungus demon. This prompted him to return to Sunnydale without her in search of the Gem of Amara, a talisman that rendered vampires immune to all of the conventional vampiric weaknesses. He had recently become involved with Harmony Kendall, a shallow young vampire who had been a classmate of the Scoobies at Sunnydale High School. He enlisted a crew of vampires to mine for the treasure; when he acquired it, he left Harmony and sought to fight Buffy during the day. However, the Slayer snatched the ring from him mid-fight, and Spike narrowly escaped from the sun. Buffy then gave the ring to Oz, asking him to deliver it to Angel.

Spike eventually traveled to Los Angeles to retrieve it. There, he confronted Angel and his new team, hiring the vampiric torturer Marcus to extract the ring's location from Angel by force. After arranging a trade with Cordelia and Doyle, Marcus betrayed Spike and took the ring for himself. Spike left Los Angeles empty-handed, while Angel later recovered and destroyed the ring.

Reluctant ally

The Initiative chip

“Hate to break it to you, O Impotent One, but you're not the Big Bad anymore. You're not even the Kinda Naughty! You're nothing but a waste of space. My space! And as much as I always got a big laugh watching Buffy kick your shiny, white bum, and as much as I know I can give you a little bum-kicking myself right now, I'm here to tell you something: you're not even worth it.”

―Xander

Following his defeat in Los Angeles, Spike returned to Sunnydale eager to get revenge against Buffy. However, he never got the chance, as he was swiftly captured by the Initiative, a secret demon-fighting government organization. This marked a pivotal turning point in Spike's life — the Initiative implanted a cerebral microchip in his brain, which caused him intense neurological pain whenever he attempted to harm a human. Unable to feed and still being pursued by the Initiative, Spike reluctantly turned to the Scooby Gang for help.

Spike becomes a reluctant ally of the Scooby Gang.

He was initially kept in Giles's apartment, where he bartered his knowledge of the Initiative for shelter and blood. During his captivity, Spike and Buffy briefly became engaged due to Willow's accidental "I will it so" spell, openly expressing love and affection for one another despite being enemies in reality.

Spike was later moved to the basement of the Harris residence, where Xander was living at the time. Sinking into a depression, he nearly staked himself — an act narrowly interrupted by Willow and Xander — but perked up at the prospect of the world ending after they warned him of an impending apocalypse. Spike nonetheless managed to distract himself by tearing down Willow and Xander emotionally, remarking that they were both useless to Buffy, who as a Slayer would be better off if she didn't have to constantly watch out for both of them.

After his discovery, Spike makes a new calling.

Spike finally lifted his spirits when, while helping the Scoobies, he discovered that his chip didn't prevent him from fighting demons. This gave him both an outlet for his violent impulses and a renewed sense of independence.

Spike moved to the Hawley mausoleum in the Restfield Cemetery and took to mugging people by frightening them with his vamp face. He soon became a reluctant ally of the Scooby Gang, offering assistance in exchange for cash or the chance to fight. Despite frequently reminding the group that he was still evil, Spike's actions made him an outcast among demons, considered a traitor for hunting his own kind, and he was attacked and threatened with death if he ever entered Willy's Place again.

Spike later accepted an alliance with Adam, a bio-mechanical demonoid created by the Initiative as part of their 314 Project. In exchange for having his chip removed so he could return to his "Big Bad" self, Spike helped Adam in his quest to destroy both the Initiative and the Scoobies once and for all. In accordance with Adam's plan, Spike managed to turn the Scoobies against each other by manipulating existing tensions within the group. However, Buffy discovered the scheme and reconciled with the gang when Spike revealed too much information about his plot during an encounter in Adam's former lair.

Adam attempted to kill Spike after learning that he had failed to break up the Scoobies, but Spike managed to escape. Following Adam's defeat at the hands of Buffy, Spike saved Willow, Giles, and Xander from an attacking demon — hoping the gesture might earn their forgiveness. Out of both exhaustion and gratitude, they agreed to spare him. Spike then joined the Scoobies and Riley Finn in fighting off rampaging demon hordes within the Initiative facilities. The organization was then shut down by the U.S. government, as it had proved an unsuccessful operation.

Falling in love with Buffy

“Oh God, no. Please, no.”

―Spike realizes his feelings for Buffy.

Spike dreams about his love for Buffy.

Following the fall of the Initiative, Spike continued to reluctantly assist Buffy and the Scoobies. He told Riley about his old rivalry with Dracula, gave away the location of Harmony's lair when her gang kidnapped Buffy's sister Dawn, helped Buffy fight demons that were invisible to her, and proved that Tara Maclay was not a demon despite her father's claims.

After a failed attempt to force a doctor to remove his chip, Spike grew increasingly frustrated with Buffy's constant presence in his unlife. After having a dream in which they kissed and he confessed his love, Spike was forced to confront a truth that both shocked and confused him: he had fallen in love with the Slayer. Unable to share his feelings with anyone, he began keeping a nightly vigil outside her home and occasionally breaking in to collect items for his shrine to her beneath his crypt.

Spike became a much more active member of the Scooby Gang, jumping into several fights to assist Buffy — whether she wanted his help or not. Although Buffy sometimes took her anger and frustration out on Spike, he tolerated it since it allowed him to spend time with her. After Buffy was badly wounded by a vampire, she grew eager to learn about the deaths of past Slayers. Spike, having been responsible for two of them, possessed the information she desired.

His story revealed his obsession with Slayers — Buffy made him replay the two battles in great detail, fights he described as "dances." After pushing him to the ground, Buffy told Spike he was beneath her and denied that she would ever "dance" with him. Humiliated, Spike armed himself with a shotgun, determined to kill her. However, upon arriving at her house, Spike found Buffy on her back porch, crying over her mother's illness. His anger faded, and he sat beside her in silence, offering what little comfort he could in her moment of vulnerability.

Spike attempts to get closer to Buffy.

Riley realized that Spike had fallen in love with his girlfriend after catching him sniffing Buffy's clothes in her bedroom. Spike took great pleasure in revealing Joyce's illness to Riley — something Buffy had chosen not to share. Spike then dismissed him as "white bread," claiming that Buffy had a type and Riley lacked the darkness she was drawn to. During his nightly vigil outside Buffy's house, Spike noticed Riley sneaking out and decided to follow him to an abandoned building. There, he discovered Riley had been visiting a vampire den where humans paid to have their blood sucked by vampires. Eager to expose Riley's secret, Spike eventually led Buffy to the den, where she was horrified to see Riley allowing a female vampire to feed on him. Shortly afterward, Riley confronted Spike at his crypt and stabbed him with a plastic stake. In response, Spike insisted that Riley had no future with Buffy, asserting that she needed "some monster in her man." Despite the tension between them, they shared a drink and discussed their respective relationships with Buffy. Spike reflected on whether his position was better than Riley's, who was close to Buffy but never truly had her. When Riley asked if Spike believed he had any real chance with Buffy, Spike admitted he did not — but said he had to try anyway. Riley left Buffy and Sunnydale soon after.

After practicing his lines with a "Buffy" mannequin, Spike stood vigil outside Buffy's house on her birthday, holding a box of chocolates he had smashed earlier in frustration. He caught Dawn sneaking out to the Magic Box, and after admitting she planned to steal some items, he decided to join her. After helping her break into the shop, the two discovered her true identity as the Key by reading Giles' diary. Upon learning of Spike's involvement, Buffy confronted him in his crypt. Spike explained that he had only gone with Dawn to keep her safe and added that they should have told her the truth sooner, as she was bound to find out eventually. After Dawn ran away again, Spike joined Buffy in searching for her. Buffy admitted that he had been right, and Spike tried to comfort her, noting that Dawn, being a "fourteen-year-old hormone bomb," would have snuck out sooner or later anyway. He reassured Buffy that they would find her — which they ultimately did.

Spike reunites with Drusilla.

Soon after, Drusilla returned to Sunnydale, hoping to rekindle her relationship with Spike and reunite their "family." She convinced Spike that he was still a killer despite his chip and let him feed on the blood of a woman she had killed. Around this time, Dawn had developed a crush on Spike and sensed his romantic feelings for Buffy. This surprised the Slayer, who then went to Spike's crypt to confront him. However, Drusilla ambushed Buffy with a cattle prod, knocking her unconscious. Spike then turned on Drusilla, attacking her with the same prod. When they regained consciousness, Spike declared his love to Buffy, whom he had chained up in his basement. After she rejected him, he offered to kill Drusilla to prove his love. However, his plan failed when a jealous Harmony intervened, and a fight ensued between the four. In the end, Harmony and Drusilla abandoned Spike, Buffy destroyed the shrine he had dedicated to her, and Spike discovered the Slayer had his invitation revoked from her house.

Following Joyce's sudden death, Spike attempted to pay his respects by leaving flowers at Buffy's house, as he regarded her as the only person in Buffy's life who had ever treated him decently. Xander suspected it was an attempt to "score points" with Buffy, but Willow discovered that Spike had left no card crediting the flowers as his. Spike later found Dawn attempting to resurrect Joyce and decided to help her. He assured her he didn't want any credit, warning that Buffy would "drive a redwood through his chest" if she found out he was involved. Spike took Dawn to the warlock Doc to find a spell, but during their search for an ingredient, Spike was badly injured by a Ghora demon. In the end, Dawn chose to break the spell without seeing if her mother had been raised as a zombie.

Buffy kisses Spike on her own will for the first time.

In the midst of his obsession, Spike had Warren create the "Buffybot," a robot modeled after Buffy and programmed to love and obey him. He briefly used the robot as a substitute for the real Buffy but was soon captured by Glory's minions, who mistakenly believed Spike was the Key because of Buffybot's attention to him. Though still disgusted by the robot, Buffy was surprised to learn Spike had refused to reveal the true identity of the Key to Glorificus, even under torture. Buffy realized he had risked his life to protect Dawn, and she kissed him until Spike noticed she wasn't his robot. Before leaving, Buffy told him that what he did was real and would not be forgotten.

Buffy's trust in Spike grew, and she often left Dawn in his care. One evening, while he was watching over her, Dawn tearfully blamed herself for Glory's attacks on their friends — including Tara being "brain-sucked" and Spike's torture. Spike comforted her, saying that as a vampire, he knew a thing or two about evil, and she wasn't it. When Buffy joined them later, she mentioned she had talked Willow out of seeking revenge on Glory. Spike quickly pointed out that Willow would risk her life to protect someone she loved — just as he would. Buffy rushed to Willow's rescue.

After Glory discovered that Dawn was the Key, Buffy allowed Spike to accompany the Scoobies as they fled Sunnydale — much to the dismay of Giles and Xander. Buffy knew that Spike was the only person besides herself who stood any chance at protecting Dawn against Glory. In the final days leading up to the showdown, Spike earned Buffy's trust and was once again welcomed into her home. Though he accepted that Buffy would never love him, he settled for her trust — although he was a monster, she treated him like a man.

Spike tries to protect Dawn, having promised Buffy.

During the final battle, Spike desperately tried to save Dawn from Doc, who was attempting to use her blood to complete the ritual. However, Spike was overpowered and thrown from the thirty-foot tower. After Buffy sacrificed herself to save her sister, Spike collapsed in grief and openly wept at the sight of her lifeless body. Failing to protect Dawn became one of his deepest regrets following Buffy's death. Honoring his promise to protect Dawn, Spike remained by her side in the months that followed, acting as both her guardian and caretaker while helping Willow and Tara raise her in Buffy's absence. During this time, he officially became part of the Scooby Gang, regularly fighting alongside them, and keeping track of the number of days since Buffy's death.

Affair with Buffy

“You know what I am. You've always known. You come to me all the same.”

―Spike to Buffy

Spike discovers Buffy alive 148 days after her death.

Spike was unaware of the Scoobies' plan to resurrect Buffy until after it had already happened. He returned to the Summers residence looking for Dawn, only to discover Buffy alive — 148 days after her death. Although he considered the possible consequences of such a drastic spell, he admitted that if the resurrection had gone wrong, he would not have allowed them to destroy the result, provided it retained even the slightest part of the real Buffy. Unable to confide in her friends about being torn from Heaven due to guilt, Buffy began to seek comfort in Spike, confiding in him more frequently.

Their relationship turned physical after the demon Sweet cast a spell that compelled everyone to express their true emotions through song. Buffy, yearning to "feel" again following her resurrection, sang about wanting "the fire back." Meanwhile, Spike accused her of using him in the form of a serenade and reiterated his desire for her to let him "rest in peace," while simultaneously begging her to stay by his side. Their mutual desires ignited in the alley behind the Bronze, where they kissed.

After Willow cast a memory-erasing spell that accidentally wiped the minds of the Scooby Gang, the group struggled to piece together their identities. Spike, unaware that he was a vampire, concluded that he was Giles' son. Buffy assumed a natural leadership role, and she and Spike instinctively teamed up when vampires attacked. Despite their amnesia, they joined forces and fought side-by-side with ease. When the spell broke and their memories returned, everyone was left shaken by the experience. Buffy initially avoided Spike at the Bronze, but the two soon kissed beneath the stairs.

Spike and Buffy begin a (literally) destructive sexual relationship.

Though Buffy initially downplayed their kisses, the tension between her and Spike finally erupted when he discovered his chip no longer stopped him from hurting Buffy. Believing the chip had failed, Spike attempted to feed on a woman but was met with a painful shock. He forced the Trio — a group of nerds scheming to take over Sunnydale — into testing the chip, and they confirmed it was fully functioning. Spike came to the conclusion that it was Buffy who had changed, not the chip. He later confronted her outside the Magic Box, claiming she had come back from heaven "wrong." Their argument escalated into a fight, and Buffy shoved him into an abandoned house. Amid flying insults and blows inside the crumbling structure, Buffy suddenly kissed Spike. They shared their first sexual encounter. and remained oblivious to the building collapsing around them until the next morning.

Buffy began their relationship as both a form of self-punishment and a desperate attempt to feel something after her resurrection, once admitting that Spike was the only one she could tolerate being around. Buffy warned him to keep their relationship a secret, threatening to kill him if he ever told anyone. While Buffy was ashamed of her dark desires, Spike longed for the love and trust she refused to give. When Buffy believed she had accidentally killed a human, Katrina Silber, Spike tried to fix the problem by dumping the body into a river before Buffy could confess. When he admitted what he'd done and tried to stop her from going to the police, a guilt-ridden Buffy took her frustration out on Spike and beat him viciously.

Buffy ends her relationship with Spike.

Shortly after Riley returned to Sunnydale on a mission to track down a Suvolte demon egg smuggler, he found Buffy and a naked Spike asleep together in Spike's crypt. Spike took the opportunity to boast about their relationship, but Riley ignored him and instead accused Spike of being the smuggler known as "the Doctor." When Riley and Buffy discovered the demon eggs hidden in the crypt, Spike claimed he was holding them for a friend. As the eggs began to hatch, Buffy killed them with explosives, destroying Spike's crypt in the process. After Riley left Sunnydale, Buffy ended her relationship with Spike, confessing that although she wanted him, she could not love him. She admitted using him out of weakness and selfishness — something that was "killing her." Buffy apologized, calling him by his given name, William, before walking out of his crypt and leaving him visibly upset.

At Xander and Anya Jenkins' wedding, Spike and Buffy shared a heartfelt exchange after Spike attempted to make Buffy jealous by bringing a date. Buffy admitted it hurt to see him with someone else, but it didn't change her feelings. Spike quietly acknowledged how good it was to see Buffy happy and glowing. After their conversation, he rejoined his date and chose to leave the wedding early.

Xander confronts Spike.

After discovering a hidden camera in her yard, Buffy confronted Spike at his crypt. Offended by the accusation, Spike insisted he would never hurt her. The two discussed their past relationship — Spike maintained what they had was real, while Buffy admitted it was, but only for him. When she urged him to move on, Spike demanded she leave. Later, Spike visited the Magic Box in search of a spell to ease his heartache. Anya offered him whiskey, and the two began drinking and bonding over their respective breakups. Anya confessed her guilt over Xander leaving her at the altar, and Spike comforted her. This led to a kiss, which quickly escalated into sex — unaware that the Trio was secretly watching through a hidden camera placed in the shop. Meanwhile, at the Summers' house, Willow accidentally came across the live feed. Buffy, Dawn, and Xander were shocked to see Spike and Anya having sex on a table. When Spike exited the shop, Xander attacked him with an axe. Just as Xander was about to stake Spike, Buffy arrived and stopped him. When Xander expressed disgust toward Anya for sleeping with a vampire, Spike revealed that he had been "good enough for Buffy," exposing their secret relationship. Both Xander and Anya were stunned by the revelation. After witnessing Buffy's jealousy over his encounter with Anya, Spike believed he still had a chance to win her back.

After being lectured by Dawn, Spike went to Buffy's house, interrupting her as she prepared to take a bath. Noticing she was injured, he tried to apologize for sleeping with Anya. When Buffy refused to admit that she loved him, Spike attempted to rape her. After a tense struggle, Buffy managed to kick him across the room. Taken aback, Spike tried to apologize, but Buffy insisted he only stopped because she forced him to. In tears, she dared him to ask her why she could never love him, prompting Spike to quickly flee her house. He returned to his crypt in shame before riding out of Sunnydale on his motorcycle, vowing that things would be different upon his return.

Spike receives his soul back.

Buffy and Dawn arrived at Spike's crypt but found his friend, Clem, instead. He explained that Spike had left town in a hurry late the night before. After asking Clem if he could look after Dawn, Buffy inquired about Spike's whereabouts. When she asked if he planned on returning, Clem could only say that he might be gone for some time. Meanwhile, in a remote location in Africa, Spike entered a cave despite warnings from a local. Inside, he confronted Lloyd, a legendary demon who waited silently in the shadows. The demon knew that Spike wanted to become what he once was but doubted his strength, expressing disgust that a "legendary dark warrior" would fall in love with a Slayer. Undeterred, Spike insisted on facing the Demon Trials — a series of challenges that tested both his physical endurance and mental strength, pushing him to his limits through life-threatening obstacles and intense challenges.

Severely bruised and bloodied, Spike lay on the cave floor as the demon approached and declared that he had successfully endured all the required trials. Spike rose to his knees and again asked the demon to give him what he wanted so he could "give Buffy what she deserves." In response, the demon placed a clawed hand on Spike's chest and restored his soul.

Becoming a Champion

Ensoulment

“The spark. The missing... the piece... that fit. That would make me fit.”

―Spike reveals to Buffy that he has regained his soul

Spike wracked with guilt in the Sunnydale High School basement.

With the return of Spike's soul came a conscience filled with guilt — for the sins he had committed throughout his existence and his recent attack on Buffy. Unable to face her, he took shelter in the basement of the newly constructed Sunnydale High School. There, he was tormented by both the First Evil and his own soul, appearing to be losing his sanity. When Buffy discovered him, he forced her to leave but allowed her to see that he had attempted to scratch out his soul in an act of self-contempt.

During a moment of clarity, Spike helped Buffy track down a Sluggoth demon created by Anya. It was during this encounter that Buffy came to realize Spike had regained his soul during his recent absence. A tearful Buffy asked why he had fought to reclaim his soul. In fragmented but heartfelt words, Spike replied, "For her. To be hers. To be the kind of man who would never... To be a kind of man. And she shall look on him with forgiveness, and everybody will forgive and love, and he will be loved." As his flesh burned while he lay upon a cross, he asked Buffy, "Can we rest now?" After relying on his help during several encounters, Buffy brought Spike out of the school basement and welcomed him back into her circle of close companions.

Spike frenzies under the First's influence.

At Buffy's insistence, Spike once again became a reluctant roommate of Xander. Although Spike's mental and physical condition began to improve, the arrangement took a dark turn when, under the influence of the First Evil, he unknowingly began killing humans. Initially unaware of his actions, Spike was horrified when he discovered the truth and expected Buffy to kill him. However, she refused and instead took him to her home. There, Spike struggled with withdrawal from human blood and remained vulnerable to the First's control. He willingly submitted to being restrained, recognizing the danger he posed. Meanwhile, Buffy cared for and protected Spike throughout his recovery. She told him she believed in him because he had faced the darkness within himself and fought to become a better man. Her faith in him would later sustain him during his imprisonment and torture at the hands of the First and its minions.

After Buffy rescued him from the First, Spike helped her to train Potential Slayers by sparring with them. Meanwhile, his chip began to malfunction, causing him severe pain and threatening his life. Despite the concerns of Giles and her friends, Buffy demonstrated her continued trust in Spike by ordering the Initiative operatives to remove the chip permanently, expressing her belief that he had the potential to be a good man.

Buffy sided with Spike when Robin Wood attempted to kill Spike in revenge for the death of his mother, Nikki, the Slayer whom Spike had killed years earlier. However, during the attack, Wood inadvertently triggered Spike's hypnotic programming by using the song "Early One Morning," which Spike's mother used to sing to him. This forced Spike to confront traumatic memories, leading to the realization that his mother had always loved him — a revelation that ultimately freed him from the First Evil's control for good. Spike left Wood seriously injured but spared his life out of respect for Nikki. He warned Buffy that he would not hesitate to kill Wood if provoked again, and Buffy supported him, acknowledging she would allow it, as they both recognized there was no time for unnecessary vendettas.

Spike shows his love and admiration for Buffy by restoring her confidence in herself.

Spike remained loyal to Buffy when the other Scoobies and Potentials removed her from leadership and forced her out of her home. He confronted them for showing Buffy little respect after all she had done for them, briefly engaging in a physical fight with Slayer Faith Lehane before setting out to find Buffy. He eventually located her in an abandoned house left behind when its owner fled Sunnydale. There, Spike offered her emotional support and unconditional love, helping to restore her confidence and will to fight. Buffy asked Spike to hold her as they slept — a night he would later describe as the best of his life. His words helped Buffy trust her instincts, act on her hunch about the secret weapon at a vineyard, and ultimately reclaim her role as leader after Faith accidentally led the Potentials into a near-fatal trap.

When Angel returned to Sunnydale to help with the battle against the First, Buffy greeted him with a kiss. Spike witnessed this from a distance and overheard Angel tell Buffy about the magical properties of a mystical amulet that was to be worn by a Champion during the final fight. Later, in Buffy's basement, Spike vented his frustration by hitting a punching bag with an unflattering picture he had drawn of Angel. When Buffy arrived, he confronted her about the kiss, but she dismissed it as a simple hello and explained that Angel had already left town. Spike told her he wanted to wear the amulet, as it was meant for a being who possessed a soul but was more than human. Buffy explained that the amulet was meant only to be worn by a true Champion, then handed it to Spike. Buffy asked to stay in the basement with him that night, and the two once again fell asleep in each other's arms.

Buffy and Spike's hands on fire when Buffy tells him: "I love you."

The following day, Spike, wearing the amulet, fought alongside Buffy, Faith, and the newly awakened Slayers against the First Evil's horde of Turok-Han. In the midst of battle, the amulet suddenly activated and began emitting a channel of mystical sunlight through his body. The sunlight destroyed all of the Turok-Han and began to collapse the cavern containing the Hellmouth.

Buffy ran to Spike and pleaded with him to escape with her, insisting he had done enough. However, Spike chose to stay behind to ensure the Hellmouth was sealed. He told her he could feel his soul for the first time. Buffy interlocked her fingers with his and told him she loved him. Spike responded, "No, you don't. But thanks for saying it." As the amulet's light intensified and began to incinerate him, he urged Buffy to leave. Laughing as he burned, Spike met his end watching the destruction of the Hellmouth, sacrificing himself to save the world.

Los Angeles

“You are, you ponce! You're my problem. You got it too good! You're king of a thirty-floor castle, with all the cars, comfort, power, and glory you could ever want. Here I save the world, throw myself onto the proverbial hand grenade for love, honor, and all the right reasons, and what do I get? Bloody well toasted and ghosted is what I get, isn't it? It's not fair!”

―Spike to Angel

Spike finds himself in Los Angeles 19 days after his sacrifice.

Spike appeared in Los Angeles nineteen days after his apparent death in Sunnydale. The amulet he had worn during the battle against the First was mysteriously delivered to Wolfram & Hart in an unmarked package. When Angel opened it, the amulet fell to the ground, and Spike materialized from a cloud of dust. Disoriented and afraid, he attempted to attack Angel, only to realize he had become incorporeal and could no longer interact with the physical world. Initially, Spike expressed frustration over his resurrection, exclaiming, "Can't a man die in peace without some high almighty deciding it's not his time?" He intended to leave Los Angeles and travel to Europe to reunite with Buffy. However, he soon discovered that he was mystically bound to the city and unable to leave. He opted to remain at Wolfram & Hart both to regain his corporeal form and haunt Angel, whom he still resented.

Spike's connection to the human world was unstable, causing him to dematerialize at increasingly frequent intervals. As his disappearances became more regular, Spike confided in Winifred Burkle that each time he vanished, he was being transported to Hell. Despite his status as a Champion, he feared he would be damned for eternity due to his past sins. He asked Fred to save him, and she promised to find a way to restore his corporeal form.

Spike fights the Reaper.

It was later discovered that Spike's disappearances were caused by Matthias Pavayne, the ghost of a sadistic killer who tormented the souls trapped within Wolfram & Hart to delay his own descent into Hell. Although Fred created a machine to restore Spike's corporeal form, he was forced to choose between regaining his body and saving Fred's life. He chose to sacrifice his chance at a body to save her. Despite Angel's distrust of Spike, Fred expressed her belief that he was "worth saving." Spike confided in Fred that, despite remaining incorporeal, his encounter with Pavayne taught him he could physically touch objects through concentration. This ability enabled him to assist in fights even without a physical body.

Just as Spike began to grow accustomed to his ghostly existence, a mysterious package arrived for him in the mail. Upon opening it, a flash of light restored his corporeal form. Eve soon appeared with an addition to the Shanshu Prophecy, explaining that the existence of two corporeal, ensouled vampires would complicate the prophecy's outcome, potentially threatening the fabric of reality. She informed Angel and Spike that an extended translation of the text revealed they must compete to drink from the Cup of Perpetual Torment. The winner would be granted great responsibilities and suffering before having his past washed clean, allowing him to live as a human once more.

Now corporeal, Spike battles for the Shanshu Prophecy.

Desperate to defeat Angel, Spike traveled to an abandoned Nevada opera house where the Cup was kept. Upon arrival, the two vampires engaged in a brutal duel for the prize. In anger, Spike threw Angel against a pile of crosses and declared he was still a monster. When Angel claimed Spike was no different, Spike rejected the comparison, emphasizing that unlike Angel — who had his soul forced upon him as a curse — he fought hard to earn his soul through the demon trials, viewing it as his destiny. Spike also argued that, while Drusilla had sired him, it was Angelus' influence that turned him into the monster he had become. At one point, Spike came close to staking Angel but hesitated, explaining that killing him would provoke Buffy. Spike then drank from the Cup, only to discover the prophecy was a lie — the liquid inside was nothing more than Mountain Dew. Angel later admitted to Gunn that Spike had defeated him, demonstrating greater strength and determination. This led Angel to question whether he was truly the one destined by the Shanshu Prophecy.

Although Spike had regained his corporeal form and was no longer bound to Los Angeles, he chose not to travel to Europe to find Buffy. He revealed that he preferred she remember him as a hero who died saving the world. Later, he told Andrew Wells that it would be foolish to contact her so soon, sarcastically simulating a phone call: "Hello, Buffy, it's Spike. I didn't burn up like you thought I did. How are things?"

Spike's past comes back to him when he meets a psychotic slayer.

Angel's old enemy Lindsey McDonald later exploited Spike's desire to do good by posing as the late Doyle, claiming Spike was destined — like Angel once was — to "help the helpless." Disillusioned by Angel's bureaucratic approach to fighting evil, Spike embraced the role of a Champion for the people. During this time, he encountered Dana, a mentally unstable Slayer who had escaped from a mental institution. Confused by the memories inherited from past Slayers, Dana mistakenly believed Spike had killed her family. She captured and drugged Spike before severing his hands.

After having his hands reattached at Wolfram & Hart, Spike recovered in a hospital bed where Angel visited him. Spike reflected on Dana's mistake, admitting he couldn't complain because he had killed hundreds of other families. He confessed that he had never truly considered the nature of evil, instead simply enjoying the violence. Spike saw little hope for Dana, believing she had become a monster like them. Angel insisted she was an innocent victim, to which Spike replied that they had been innocent victims too, "once upon a time." Spike began to play video games to help regain motor skills as part of his physical therapy.

Spike and the team eventually discovered that "Doyle" was actually Lindsey, who was working with Eve to take down Angel and the Senior Partners. They were likely responsible for returning the amulet to Wolfram & Hart and restoring Spike to corporeal form. Following their confrontation with Lindsey, Spike's relationship with Angel grew increasingly hostile, culminating in an argument over whether cavemen or astronauts would win in a fight. This led Angel to consider the possibility of Spike leaving Los Angeles.

At Wolfram & Hart, Spike tests Illyria's powers.

When Fred became infected with the essence of the Old One, Illyria, Spike joined Angel's team in their efforts to find a cure. After their failure, he mourned Fred's death and chose to remain in Los Angeles, believing it was what she would have wanted. In her honor, Spike officially joined Team Angel. He was then tasked with testing Illyria's newly awakened abilities, which mainly involved sparring with her and recording his observations. The two developed a unique bond, with Illyria deciding to keep Spike as her "pet."

Around this time, Spike was tricked into admitting himself to the Mosaic Wellness Center, a rehabilitation clinic designed to cure supernatural beings of their demonic nature, by the parents of one of his victims. In reality, Mosaic was a maximum-security prison from which inmates could not escape. Spike quickly gained a reputation as a "boogeyman" among the inmates, who told stories about him to frighten one another. During his time there, he befriended Beck, a pyrokinetic teenager, and Betta George, a Splenden beast. This friendship nearly cost Beck her life when the vampire Wiseau stabbed her with a stake as a warning to Spike. Eventually, Spike led a rebellion against Mosaic's oppressive regime and, alongside Beck and George, helped transform Mosaic into an actual sanctuary for supernatural beings.

Spike about to face the fall of Los Angeles.

Spike was the first to support Angel's plan to strike the Senior Partners by eliminating the Circle of the Black Thorn, fully aware it could mean going out in a blaze of glory. Before the team prepared for what could be their final battle, Angel granted them a day off to do as they wished. Spike chose to attend an open mic poetry slam at McTarnan's bar, where he drank to steady his nerves and recited the completed version of "My soul is wrapped in harsh repose," the last poem he had written before his siring. His performance was met with thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.

The following day, Spike single-handedly rescued an infant and destroyed the Fell Brethren before reuniting with Angel, Illyria, and a gravely wounded Charles Gunn in the alley behind the Hyperion Hotel. There, the four survivors stood together, preparing to face the apocalyptic wrath from the Senior Partners — determined to go out in a blaze of glory.

Fall of Los Angeles

The Lord of Beverly Hills

“I packed my primordial god and tried to find safe haven. A few humans clung to us for safety. A few slowly but surely turned into many. Many slowly but surely turned into too many. The demons began their rule. I couldn't find them all, I had to choose my battles. Or clean up after Illyria after she chose her battle.”

―Spike

After the fall of Los Angeles into a hell dimension, Spike and Illyria were separated from Angel and began watching over a group of rescued humans and demons at Happytime Studios amusement park. One civilian, Jeremy Johns, became Spike's right-hand man and friend despite his initial resistance. Illyria frequently reverted to her Fred form, leaving her confused and physically vulnerable, prompting Spike to urge her to remain as Illyria to ensure her safety.

While wandering the city, Spike encountered a dragon and initially considered killing it, but realized it was not hostile. The dragon allowed Spike to mount it and carried him to the ruins of Wolfram & Hart, where he discovered a figure suspended in a field of energy and writhing in pain — unbeknownst to him, this figure was Angel. Meanwhile, during Spike's absence, the civilians were kidnapped by a group of warrior women. After leaving the law firm, Spike encountered one of the women and stole her truck to rescue the hostages.

With Illyria on his side, Spike fights Non.

Together, Spike and Illyria fought the army of demon women, but their leader, Non, used life-draining magic on the hostages to turn them into zombies and knocked both Spike and Illyria unconscious. Spike awoke in chains in a dark room, where Non explained she could not absorb a vampire's powers but was keeping him alive for his connections. To torment him further, she left him imprisoned with the zombified humans he had failed to protect.

Enslaved, tortured, and forced to work by the group of demons, Spike was approached by Maria "Spider" Harley, one of Non's soldiers whose life he had previously spared after stealing her truck. While he was restrained, Spider kissed him and admitted her attraction to him. When she attempted to kiss him again, Spike proposed a deal: he would do whatever she asked if she helped rally her demon army against Non.

Non attempted to bargain with Charles Gunn, then a master vampire, to have Spike returned in exchange for a partnership. Gunn instead defeated her, prompting Non to plan the execution of Spike, Illyria, and Jeremy. The following day, she brought Illyria and Spike to be executed, but the axe shattered when she tried to behead Illyria. Illyria broke free, began killing members of Non's army, and accused Spike of sleeping with Spider before forcefully kissing him, reaffirming that she was once again his priority.

Spike as the Lord of Beverly Hills.

Non then prepared to kill Jeremy, but Connor, Angel's son, appeared and stopped her. During the fight, Spike discovered that Non's Sadecki demon, Noelle, was controlling her army of female warriors, and he instructed Illyria to kill her. During the confrontation, Illyria briefly reverted to Fred, but with Spike's encouragement, she regained control and killed Noelle, freeing the women from mind control. After taking a beating from Spike, Non began to drain Jeremy, the last human hostage, to regain some of her power. Illyria realized this and killed Jeremy, horrifying Spike. Despite his shock, Spike used the opportunity to kill Non.

After burying Jeremy's body, Spike dusted the vampire Hugh Hefner, claimed the Playboy Mansion as his base, and declared himself co-Lord of Beverly Hills to drive out the other Demon Lords. Ruling alongside Illyria, Spike kept the female demons nearby to ensure Illyria remained on guard and maintained her demonic form. Spike and Connor soon reunited and began their crusade to save the remaining humans in Los Angeles.

Reuniting with Angel

“Lords Spike and Illyria. Rulers of Beverly Hills. Destroyers of Non. Leaving a trail of blood behind them. Demon and human alike. And Non was right about one thing. I'm not going to be in the final chapters of the history books. I'm officially retired. Unofficially, however...”

―Spike

Spike and Illyria served together as co-Lords of Beverly Hills, during which time it appeared to outsiders as though both of them had returned to their evil roots. Their position, however, was a facade; Spike and Illyria were secretly rescuing humans and benevolent demons and evacuating them into the care of Connor, Nina Ash, Kate Lockley, and Gwen Raiden. Spike also struggled to control Illyria's increasingly unstable powers in the hell dimension; she had continued to periodically revert to Fred's form and gentle personality, leaving Spike with the duty of protecting her.

Angel eventually found Spike and had his help bringing down the other Lords' champions in a challenge for control of L.A. Spike rallied with the rest of the gang against the machinations of Gunn, who had become a deluded vampire unknowingly working under visions from the Senior Partners. Spike infiltrated Gunn's hideout, where he fought three of enslaved Slayers, but he was unable to defeat them all at once and was staked. However, the fact that they were imprisoned in a time loop saved Spike, and he apparently managed to talk them round to fighting by his side.

Spike, Connor, Angel, and Wesley fight in the Fall of Los Angeles.

After Gunn managed to unleash Illyria's truest form by killing Illyria's mental connections to Fred's personality, the only surviving members of the team were Spike, Connor, and a gravely-wounded, then-human Angel.

George filled her mind with Wesley and Spike's memories of Fred so she could understand the person Fred really was, and the Senior Partners' army seized the opportunity to take Illyria down. After Gunn killed Connor, Angel went on a rampage and began killing everything in sight. Spike prevented the others from interfering in his grief, stating that they had to let him get it out of his system. As Angel realized what needed to be done for them to return Los Angeles to Earth, Wesley asked Spike to watch over Illyria, whose shell still contained the essences of Fred. Angel's plan worked, forcing the Senior Partners to undo L.A.'s trip to hell by resetting time to before the Fall.

Spike sought vengeance against Kr'ph, the former Demon Lord who had enslaved Betta George, but learned that the Demon Lords planned to seek vengeance against Angel. Spike and Angel pieced they would attack a hospitalized Gunn, but Illyria was already guarding him and killed the attackers. Before parting ways, Angel thanked Spike for helping him and taking care of Connor during the Fall.

Back to Earth

Las Vegas

“Oh year, whatever Big Bad is out threre, planning its next act of supernatural dickery, your days are numbered. There's a new sheriff in town, Las Vegas. And he's a great deal cooler than— Hell.”

―Spike

Spike and his team in Las Vegas.

Spike relocated to Las Vegas with his associates, the telepathic fish Betta George and the pyrokinetic 22-year-old Beck, where he attempted to create Team Spike. While there, Spike learned about Wolfram & Hart's presence in the city, but his attempts to stop them were hampered by a confrontation with the then resurrected Jeremy Johns, who had been possessed by the liaison to the Senior Partners in Las Vegas, and a man called John. John had become sexually involved with Spike's sire and ex-lover Drusilla, and was convinced that Spike had "stolen" his soul. He was thrown from a window, and rescued by Groosalugg and his dragon, subsequently contacting Willow for additional assistance, reasoning that his enemies would be expecting him to contact one of Angel's team. Much to Spike's surprise, Willow was thrilled to see him and proud of his personal growth.

After John took Beck and George hostage, he managed to extract Spike's soul with a ritual, but Spike remained good even without his soul due to his strength of character, and the fact that he had partly overcome his "evil" nature during his time with Buffy and the Scoobies in Sunnydale. Willow informed Spike that with the ritual John had used only he could choose who got a soul in return, and Spike chose to give it to Drusilla, saving the then free from control Jeremy who she was biting and in the hopes of redeeming her.

Willow assists Spike in Las Vegas.

Drusilla killed John and Spike resolved that she was too unstable: her fragile mind could never handle the weight of the evil she had committed throughout her life. He chose to take his soul back. Willow also informed Spike that Buffy knew of his continued existence, as she had apparently gone in search of information about the amulet and him to be sure about what had happened after the collapse of Sunnydale. Though Willow offered to tell Buffy about Spike's heroics, he declined, and told her that he would rather their meeting remain strictly between them. Willow then takes Drusilla to Mosaic for treatment.

Returning to the Hart Las Vegas branch, Spike discovered that Wolfram & Hart was about to experience an elaborate upheaval and that the Senior Partners were trying to escape this dimension. While defending from the a crew of insect-like beings that crashed on the Vegas strip, Spike was dubbed the new leader of an interdimensional ship that Wolfram & Hart had been attempting to steal for their escape. Accepting the mission of giving meaning to his new crew, Spike decided to follow the Senior Partners to figure out why they were running.

Twilight crisis

“You wanna put these demons down and end this 'Twilight' crap once and for all? You talk to me.”

―Spike.

Upon his return to earth's dimension on his ship, Spike took to a coffee shop in London, where he got up to speed on the new anti-Slayer, pro-vampire world system that had come about as a result of Harmony revealing vampires to the world. Spike quickly learned more about the rumors of "Twilight," the leader of an anti-Slayer cabal, and was quick to ascertain that Twilight was, in fact, Angel. During this time, he chased leads and pulled together a cogent theory of the prophecy involving both Angel and Buffy, and later sought Buffy and her friends out. He arrived at the climax of their confrontation with Twilight, appearing to the Scooby Gang as they and Angel fought off a mass of extra-dimensional demons. He claimed that he alone could stop the current crisis as reality's "evolution" was thwarted by Buffy rejecting her role.

Buffy and Spike fight together against hordes of demons.

Reunited, Buffy finally thanked Spike for destroying the Turok-Han and closing the Hellmouth and also revealed that she had known he was still alive for a time, but merely could not find the time to get in contact with him. Spike explained the nature of the prophecy she was party to, and informed her that the Seed of Wonder — the source of magic and "heart of the world" — currently resided in Sunnydale and had the power to end all of the chaos of Twilight. Though Buffy revealed through thoughts that she still harbored romantic feelings for Spike, she did not give in to them. Together, they delved into the heart of the Hellmouth where they found the Seed and its protector, the Master.

When Angel returned, possessed once more by the Twilight entity, he attempted to kill Spike, forcing Spike to retreat to his ship and recover from the sunlight. From there, he watched as Willow — in full connection to the Earth through the Seed — led a charge against the military and placenturian demons that had been pouring into the then expendable dimension. As the magic suddenly being cut from the world as a result of Buffy destroying the Seed, Spike witnessed demons disappearing back into the sky, and immediately gave chase to one that escaped. Although successfully defeating the demon while in space, Spike spent 62 days with his crew stuck in the ship while wandering back to Earth, finding Buffy in San Francisco.

End of magic

San Francisco

“I believe in you, Buffy. And I know you'll do right. That's how I have your back.”

―Spike

Four months after Buffy shattered the Seed of Wonder, Spike visited Buffy on the fire escape of Xander and Dawn's apartment. He tried to warn her that he had heard rumors about a new evil tracking her, but their conversation quickly turned to the destruction of the Seed. Spike expressed that he supported her decision and reminded her that she had done right by her companions in the end. As he tried to cheer her up, she started to cry, and quickly went back inside the apartment, where he didn't have an invitation.

In San Francisco, Spike and Koh act together to help Buffy.

As the gang settled down in San Francisco, Spike chose to remain there to give Buffy whatever support he could. As always, he followed Buffy on her nightly patrols and continued to warn her about the reports of approaching danger. When the San Francisco Police Department mistakenly held her responsible for a string of dead bodies — mystically-drained vampires — Spike promised that he would find out who was looking for her.

Following a lead, Spike took a boat to Alcatraz Island. There, he encountered Eldre Koh, a demon whose mystical prison was deactivated with the destruction of the Seed, and he desired to serve Buffy in gratitude for his freedom. Koh also revealed the actual threat: the mysterious "Siphon," a prophesied being with the power to drain mystical energy from anything he touched.

Joined by Koh, Spike returned to the mainland to save Buffy, who was under attack by Severin, the Siphon. Koh asked him why a vampire would have such a strong desire to help a Slayer, and deduced that he was still in love with Buffy. Spike admitted that, after everything she had been through, he believed she deserved to be with someone "normal." As soon as they reached the harbor, Spike and Koh ran ashore to an abandoned warehouse surrounded by police cruisers. Inside, they found Robert Dowling, a S.F.P.D. detective, and quickly realized they were on the same team to help Buffy. After Dowling shot Severin and prevented him from draining all the magic from Buffy and Spike, Koh told Spike that the Slayer would want to talk to him for risking his life for her; Spike, however, chose to keep his distance.

A few nights later, Detective Dowling met with Spike to learn the basics of demon hunting. As they searched the streets for zompires, Spike encouraged Dowling to pursue Buffy romantically if he was interested, reiterating that he would like to see her with someone normal like Dowling. The detective, however, saw through Spike and encouraged him to tell Buffy how he felt before it was too late.

Spike extends a hand to Buffy after she tells him she's pregnant.

Buffy sent Spike a text asking him to meet her at her apartment, where he announced that he had something to tell her. Buffy interrupted Spike by telling him she was pregnant; she admitted that she had considered running away with him, but she had since come to accept that she wasn't ready to have a baby. Spike was supportive of her decision to have an abortion and agreed to accompany her to the procedure.

Spike made arrangements for Buffy, who moved into his ship in the meantime. He asked her if she had meant what she'd said about running away with him and the baby. She confirmed but told him that it would never have worked because he epitomized a part of the world she would be trying to escape. Spike stormed out and complained about how she only came to him when she was in a bind.

Dowling called Spike for help; when Buffy tried to accompany him, he told her that she couldn't play Slayer in such a fragile state. He brought his ship to the park and joined Dowling's fight against a horde of zompires. Buffy went to save Dowling and, after helping Spike to defeat the last of the zompires, asked Spike if he was still in love with her. He admitted that he was, but also expressed his reluctance to continue acting as her "dark place," and assured her that he could give her the normal life she deserved. Just as Spike leaned forward, a zompire tore off Buffy's arm, revealing it was a robot.

Spike and Buffy went to confront Andrew, who had swapped Buffy's mind from her real body into another Buffybot in an attempt to protect her from impending danger. The robot's constitution had also given a false positive on the pregnancy test. Buffy, Spike, and Andrew traveled to the suburban house where Buffy's real body had been living without knowing she was the Slayer, only to find that the rogue Slayer Simone Doffler had kidnapped her.

They tracked the robot to Simone's hideout and stormed in to reclaim Buffy's body. While Buffy fought the misled Buffybot, Spike confronted Simone with the help of his bug crew. Though Simone shot him repeatedly and killed several of his bugs, Spike deterred her long enough for Buffy to convince her robot-minded body to abandon Simone and her illogical plot. Simone fled during the commotion.

Spike departs on his ship in the hopes of "finding himself."

Afterward, Spike told Buffy that he needed to take a break from San Francisco. He confessed that he didn't want to return to lurking around the edge of her life as he always had in the past. Though Buffy tried to convince him to stay and fight alongside her, he assured her that he loved her but was never sure where her heart was. He told her that he believed in her and that he would always have her back, and then left the city on his ship.

Finding himself

“I thought a soul would free a fellow. It doesn't. It ties you to a place, to people, in a way chains never could.”

―Spike

Wanting to come to terms with himself, Spike left San Francisco and the Slayer residing there behind. In his ship, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol and sat alone in the dark for prolonged periods of time, having traveled to the literal "dark side" of the moon. His bug crew worried that, in such a state, Spike was unfit to be their master, and they tried to cheer him up by bringing him into the solarium he had built to be Buffy's "light place," where they had set up an artificial beach inspired by the pictures from a magazine. They also replaced the solarium skylights with necrotempered glass that blocked the rays dangerous to vampires, allowing Spike to sit in the sunlight without being harmed.

A frog demon suddenly attacked the ship from outside; Spike went after it, but a group of stranded sturgeon demons ambushed and captured him. The demons threatened Spike to take them back to the crater in search of shards of the Seed of Wonder, and Spike managed to convince them that he would be a valuable asset, considering he knew the location of the Seed chamber. Once there, they discovered the shards were gone, and Spike killed the Sturgeon demons with the help of Morgan, a succubus who had come to the crater in search of a shard to return to her home dimension. The half-demon siblings Pearl and Nash also attacked them, searching for the remaining shards of the Seed; Pearl remembered her previous encounter with Spike but told him that her infatuation was over.

Morgan charms Spike to have him as her project.

Spike and Morgan escaped Pearl and Nash on his ship, where Morgan asked to go to a different Hellmouth. One of the bugs, Sebastian, was suspicious of her, and Spike went to check her clothes for the Seed shards; Morgan allowed it and asked that they talk. She explained she was a type of succubus known as a courtesan demon, who helped great men achieve great things. Spike admitted that he felt like nobody's expectation of a hero, and that he wasn't as confident as he had been in the past.

As they reached Easter Island, Morgan told Spike that she wanted to leave Earth because she had no purpose, but she would stay for him. Spike rejected her, saying that he didn't want to be an empty vessel for her, and suddenly realized that Buffy turned him down because she felt the same. Morgan told him not to make the same mistake, and they kissed until Spike pulled away, explaining that their relationship would be painless but fake. Morgan slapped him for rejecting her, and Spike realized she had the shard with her the whole time. Spike fought her, and the bugs attempted to capture her, but she managed to escape and vomited her shard.

By the time Spike managed to catch up with Morgan, she was already beginning the ritual to open the Hellmouth. The moai statues awoke and attacked the invaders. The bugs attempted to fight the moai but were knocked out of the sky; in no time, the ship caught on fire. Morgan saved Spike, and Sebastian died, having stayed behind to allow the other to escape. The remaining members of Spike's bug crew decided to remain on Easter Island, and Morgan departed after claiming that her offer to Spike had been genuine, but she couldn't compete with his memory of Buffy. Alone, Spike uncertainly wondered what he would do next until he received a phone call from Angel.

London

Spike and Angel fight together in London.

Spike met Angel, Faith, and a group of Slayers at Alasdair Coames' residence in London to discuss a strategy to defeat Eyghon and recover the body of Giles in the demon's possession. Spike was vital to the operation because, as a vampire, he would be more likely to resist the control of Eyghon. Eyghon and his zombies attacked the place, and Angel and Spike fought together against the demon, whose power was greater for being in this dimension, and Eyghon managed to possess Spike. While the demon failed to corrupt Angel due to the three identities inside him (Giles, his demon, and himself), Giles briefly dominated and managed to kill Eyghon, releasing his control over the zombies. Spike regained his composure, but Angel had become erratic with multiple beings within him.

Spike, Faith, and Alasdair needed to remove Giles's soul from Angel to restore his sanity. Spike and Faith headed to find the magic item called the Essuary in a local cemetery, where they fought soul-devouring demons called Enders. As they trekked into the Enders' lair, Faith rejected Spike's offer of a hook-up, saying she was no one's rebound. She compared him to Angel for falling in love with Buffy and leaving her despite their continuing feelings, which annoyed Spike to the extent that he made short work of the remaining Enders. Spike told Faith that he would be lying to himself if he said he had managed to move on from Buffy, and Faith advised him he wouldn't get laid until he got over her.

Back at the apartment with the Essuary, Spike watched over Angel in the basement while the others performed the ritual. Spike ranted about his insecurities regarding his relationship with Buffy, wondering if Buffy didn't prefer him without a soul, and that he was never much good on his own. He also admitted that he envied Angel for being able to move on from Buffy, and a lucid Angel responded that he hadn't. In gratitude for helping him, Angel sent Spike a text message with a phone number. The following day, Angel and Faith discovered Spike exiting the bathroom shower with Harmony.

Spike decided to stay around in London with Angel a while longer. However, Faith received a call from Buffy about Dawn being in trouble, but neither Angel nor Faith remembered Buffy's sister. Realizing something was wrong, Spike immediately left them to help save her.

Return to San Francisco

Spike returned to San Francisco in no time, only just missing Buffy and the other's departure to the Deeper Well. He noted to himself that he could've helped them get in there, but nonchalantly shrugged it off. His main motivation was to protect and take care of Dawn, not "play puppy dog to the Slayer." Fully informed of everything that was going on from Andrew, he patiently stayed and watched over the ailing Dawn even though she had lost her memory of who he was.

Spike told Dawn stories of her life and relationship with him, trying to make her trust him enough to be comfortable. Eventually, his efforts paid off as Dawn claimed she believed what he said, even if she didn't necessarily remember any of it. The two of them hugged each other. Spike continued to tell more stories about both himself and her, only for his memory to begin to fail him in some areas. Realizing he was starting to forget her, Spike immediately took out a tape recorder he had prepared so it would refresh some of his memories.

Spike continued to struggle with his memories of Dawn fading away, eventually reaching the point where he was even forgetting her name. When the tape recorder failed to work to the same extent it had before, Spike got angry and blamed Andrew for giving him a faulty tape recorder. Instead of calling Buffy (as Billy had told him to deliver a message to her about Simone), he called up Xander. Going through their usual snark with each other, Spike told him that Simone had a secret agenda about creating an army of Slayers-turned-zompires against Buffy, and that Dawn's condition was worse, as she was starting to become transparent. After Dawn suddenly went missing, Spike was greatly distressed and told Andrew he hoped she hadn't disappeared already.

Buffy, Willow, and Xander subsequently returned, having restored magic to Earth via a new Seed of Wonder. Though their initial attempts to restore Dawn failed, an offhand remark made by Spike enabled Willow to realize that Buffy's blood was the key, and their second attempt succeeded to bring Dawn back. In their reunions, Buffy and Dawn thanked Spike for being there to watch out for her.

New magic

“William Pratt. You know better than that. As long as I'm here, you're never alone.”

―Buffy Summers

After the return of magic, Spike then established himself in San Francisco alongside the Scooby Gang. He shared an apartment with Xander and rescued cats, who quickly became his close friend and advisor. Spike also worked as a supernatural consultant for San Francisco Police Department thanks to Dowling.

Both in a better place than their previous encounters, Buffy and Spike began a relationship. While investigating a case, Buffy revisited Spike' attempt rape, and the couple finally talked and came to terms about their turbulent past. They also found themselves in conflict when Dawn volunteered to use her Key powers and be left behind; despite Spike's protests, Buffy agreed with her sister. Afterward, in their attempts to rescue Dawn, Buffy ended up taking her frustration on her friends, in special on Spike, and he suggested them to break up. However, Buffy declared that they together was something she didn't want to lose without a fight, and she wanted to give it a try.

Buffy accompanies Spike in the Safe Zone.

In the following year, the Supernatural Crisis Act established the Safe Zone imprisonment for supernatural beings, where Spike and Willow were taken. Spike suggested they run away together, but Buffy volunteered to accompany them and shared a trailer with him. To compensate for the scarce blood ration available, Buffy first convinced Spike to feed from her but later accepted the offer of becoming a trustee in exchange for extra blood rations for him. Her new position allowed them to investigate the project, and the government revealed a machine capable of removing the mystical energy from supernatural beings, offered to those who were capable of surviving without magic in exchange for freedom. Spike noted that Buffy couldn't do anything while inside, but she was powerful enough to act without her mystical powers. Buffy accepted leaving the Safe Zone; just as Spike said he loved her, he interrupted her response, asking Buffy to tell him when they'd see each other again.

The Scoobies organized a break into the Safe Zone, where Buffy and Willow absorbed their powers back and freed all prisoners, Spike included. They hid in motels and investigated further the Pandora Project, a conspiracy involving members of the government to absorb all magic in the country to empower themselves. Spike was heavily burned in the fight with their leader, Joanna Wise, who Buffy eventually defeated. After Pandora Project was publicly exposed and all policies regarding the supernatural were reviewed, Buffy told Spike she didn't forget to tell him: she loved him too.

After a quiet year, Spike and Buffy had a mutual breakup. He stayed by her side and fought in the decisive battle of the Reckoning as a member of the Scooby Gang. Weeks later, Buffy told Spike, "As awful as the Reckoning was, seeing you all fighting so hard... caring so much, willing to give up everything... It filled my heart. And it could happen again, any time. So while we're here, it's so important we're happy... and together. I just don't want anything to get in the way of that."

Slayers

“Death is your art. You make it with your hands day after day. That final gasp, that look of peace. And part of you is desperate to know: What's it like? Where does it lead you? And now you see, that's the secret. Not the punch you didn't throw or the kicks you didn't land. She really wanted it. Every Slayer has a death Wish. Even you.”

―Spike to Buffy

Spike killing his two Slayers.

Spike's reputation was largely defined by his history of killing two Slayers. He was once proud of these conquests, admitting to Buffy that he overcame them by perceiving their desire to be free of their burden. He believed all Slayers possessed an obsession with death, Buffy included. Unlike other vampires, Spike did not fear Slayers and actively sought them out to fight them to the death.

He first learned about Slayers from Angelus, who mentioned them to frighten Spike. Intrigued and haunted by the thought of battling them, Spike pursued Slayers relentlessly. His first victim was Xin Rong, a Slayer active in China during the Boxer Rebellion. She managed to cut him above his left eye with her sword, giving him his trademark scar, but Spike overpowered her and fed on her blood, which was believed to act as an aphrodisiac for vampires.

In the 1970s, he tracked down Nikki Wood in New York. After two fights, Spike killed her by snapping her neck and stripped her of her leather duster, which he wore regularly from then on.

Spike repeatedly attempted to make Buffy his third Slayer kill. His fixation on Slayers eventually evolved into an unhealthy obsession with Buffy and later into genuine love. After joining Buffy and her friends in Sunnydale, his devotion to her became a driving motivation for his actions.

Spike's perspective changed dramatically after he fought for his soul. He no longer sought to kill Slayers, as demonstrated by his encounter with Dana, a Slayer he met while working with Angel Investigations. He also encountered the estranged son of the second Slayer he had killed. When confronted by a grown Robin Wood during preparations to fight the First Evil in Sunnydale, Spike did not apologize for killing Robin's mother but instead threatened him for pursuing a pointless vendetta. The monster responsible for the deaths of Xin Rong and Nikki Wood ceased to exist once Spike regained his soul.

Following these events, Spike no longer wore Nikki's leather duster after it was destroyed by a bomb in Rome. After he complained that it was irreplaceable, the CEO of the Wolfram & Hart Rome branch arranged for an identical duster and ten copies to be sent to Los Angeles. Although not the original, Spike continued to wear the coats regularly, maintaining his trademark look.

Personality

Lover

Spike could be seen as a paradox among vampires. Even before regaining his soul, he displayed traits that set him apart from others of his kind, often challenging their supposed emotional and physical limitations. He embraced certain aspects of humanity, most notably love, and was exceptionally loyal — qualities considered too "human" and offensive to other vampires. His capacity for love and humanity was sensed and ridiculed by the Judge after he was resurrected to kill Buffy.

While Spike could be seen as selfish, he demonstrated a capacity for extreme acts of selflessness and loyalty to those he cared for, even while soulless. With or without a soul, he displayed a strong sense of honor and devotion. He remained devoted to Drusilla for over a century and briefly kept his promise to Buffy to leave Sunnydale with Drusilla after helping her defeat Angel before ultimately breaking it, left an anonymous bouquet of flowers for Joyce Summers after her death, endured intense torture by Glorificus to protect Dawn for Buffy's sake, continued helping the Scooby Gang after Buffy's death to honor her memory, helped Willow and Tara in raising Dawn after promising Buffy he would protect her, chose to remain in Los Angeles with Angel's crew after Fred Burkle's death because he knew she would have wanted him to, agreed to accompany Buffy to an abortion clinic when she believed she was pregnant, and refused to leave Dawn's side when she began fading due to the end of magic, despite Buffy venturing into the Deeper Well.

Spike held strong romantic beliefs and appeared to believe deeply in monogamy, often becoming devastated whenever Drusilla was unfaithful, whether with Angelus, the Immortal or other various demons. These betrayals sometimes drove him into periods of drunken depression. He once declared himself "love's bitch" and his actions, whether good or evil, were often driven by his deep affections for Drusilla or Buffy. His loyalties aligned closely with his passions, and unlike Angel, he did not philosophize about "good" and "evil." Spike recognized himself as an ambiguous hero at best, and made no attempt to justify his actions as a vampire, while recognizing that his love was a motivating force for wanting to be better.

Fighter

“But, uh, for a demon I never did think that much about the nature of evil. No. I just threw myself in. Thought it was a party. I liked the rush, I liked the crunch. Never did look back at the victims.”

―Spike

One of Spike's most notable traits was his lust for violence and his love of brawling. Shortly after his siring, he became a thrill-seeker, but unlike Angelus, he actively sought out dangerous, life-threatening battles and developed an obsession with fighting Slayers. He often found violence therapeutic; on one occasion, he snapped the neck of a hostage he considered "too old to eat" after a lackey’s incompetence, noting that it made him feel better afterward. Similarly, while pining for Drusilla, he remarked that channeling his aggression by staking vampires "put things into perspective" for him. After a prolonged period under the influence of the chip, Spike was delighted to discover he could fight demons without triggering it, and he eagerly joined the Scoobies on their patrols. This demonstrated that he valued the act of fighting itself, regardless of his opponent.

Even while protecting Dawn after Buffy's death, Spike observed Hellions wreaking havoc on the town and remarked that it looked like fun. However, unlike Angelus, Spike claimed he never enjoyed causing pain to others; he simply reveled in the "rush," often disregarding the victims left behind. Spike was also characterized as impatient and emotional, frequently screaming in rage and throwing nearby objects when things did not go his way. Under significant stress or setbacks, he was prone to long-winded emotional rants, blaming others until he calmed down. After regaining his soul, Spike retained his short temper and impulsiveness, but his angry overreactions became less frequent.

Since he was never motivated by a desire to be evil, Spike displayed considerable flexibility compared to most vampires regarding moral choices. Even after being chipped by the Initiative, he continued to revel in destruction and spoke of killing people either fondly or casually, yet he showed little hesitation in performing good acts after falling in love with Buffy. Although he still had evil or questionable intentions, Spike would disregard them if it meant earning Buffy's acceptance and proving he had changed. He was capable of extreme evil, as he had shown with Drusilla, or extreme good, as he demonstrated with Buffy. This suggested that his actions were often guided by the desires of the woman he loved and whether she would approve of him.

Intellect

Although Spike's love for mindless destruction might suggest otherwise, he was highly intelligent and well-educated. He displayed strong skills in insight and analysis, particularly regarding relationships and the emotions of others. For example, he noticed when Willow was emotionally struggling after her breakup with Oz, recognized the romantic undertones in her relationship with Tara before the other Scoobies did, and used his understanding of Riley's insecurities about Buffy to manipulate him. He also demonstrated knowledge of demonology and magic, performing rituals when necessary.

As a human, Spike had been a poet and demonstrated a broad knowledge of literature. When Giles quoted a line from Shakespeare's Henry V, "We few, we happy few...", Spike humorously continued it with, "...we band of buggered." When the avenging spirits of Chumash warriors attacked the Scooby Gang and Buffy suggested apologizing to them, Spike expressed his perspective on the conquest of nations throughout history, referencing and quoting Julius Caesar. He also read the novel Of Human Bondage in his crypt.

Development

Unlike Angel, Spike had the ability to distinguish between his human, soulless, and ensouled selves. As a human, he was a romantic yet ineffectual gentleman who was mocked by his peers. After being sired, he became a direct affront to his former nature, rebelling against Victorian London society as a member of the Whirlwind. He retained the romantic aspects of his personality, even after Angelus attempted to desensitize him emotionally by sleeping with Drusilla. William adopted a new persona to maintain Drusilla's affections and to provoke Angelus, yet remained a romantic at heart. He later told Angel that while Drusilla had sired him, it was Angelus' influence that made him into a "monster." Despite this, Spike did not appear to blame Angel for his past actions, instead observing that Angelus often projected his own "disgusting" traits onto others through emotional manipulation and cruelty.

While Spike changed over the years, both with and without Angelus, he remained as true to himself as possible despite lacking a soul. He eventually developed his trademark swagger, a love of punk and rock music, and continued to live by his own unique moral code. After earning back his soul, he was initially confused and overwhelmed under the First's influence but eventually began to examine the nature of "good" and "evil" from a new perspective.

After Spike initially declared his love for Buffy, she believed him incapable of loving her due to his lack of a soul, a belief she maintained despite the good he had done for her, Dawn, and the Scoobies. Her repeated dismissals eventually drove Spike to attempt to attack a woman on the street when he thought his chip had stopped working, hesitating only briefly before trying to bite her.

One of Spike's most defining traits was his intense emotional sensitivity, a characteristic he retained from his human life as William. After Drusilla cheated on him, he became depressed and even mentioned suicide. After Buffy pushed him to the ground and told him he was "beneath" her, he stifled a sob and later went to her home with a shotgun, though he quickly abandoned his plan to kill her upon seeing her crying on the back porch.

Despite Spike's outward displays of confidence and arrogance, these often masked his insecurities about himself and his relationships. He admitted, while "finding himself," that he lacked the same confidence or sense of direction after regaining his soul, and at times he even missed aspects of being soulless, despite his genuine desire to be a good man. Given his self-proclaimed reputation as "love's bitch" and his repeated rejections as both a human and vampire, Spike maintained a cynical outlook on the likelihood of his romantic affections being reciprocated. This perspective was particularly evident in his interactions with Buffy, as he stated on multiple occasions that she would never be able to love him after he realized his feelings, and even after the strong connection they developed once he regained his soul, he remained somewhat fixed in this belief. Spike's hidden insecurities were also most apparent in his long-standing rivalry with Angel, who frequently posed an obstacle to his personal goals, whether in being with Buffy or proving himself to be a worthy Champion.

It was often Buffy's disapproval that motivated Spike to strive toward becoming a better person. Before regaining his soul, he struggled with his identity, torn between seeing himself as a monster or a man. After Buffy invited him back into her home to help prepare for the battle against Glory, he told her, "I know that I'm a monster, but you treat me like a man." While under Sweet's influence, he expressed his inner conflict through song, alternating between wanting to harm and protect Buffy: "First he'll kill her, then I'll save her," and "No, I'll save her, then I'll kill her." After they shared a kiss, he later insisted that "a man can change," but Buffy rejected him, calling him "an evil, disgusting thing." Following his attempted sexual assault on Buffy, he fled her house and experienced a moment of self-loathing, asking, "What have I done? Why didn't I do it? What has she done to me?" In a conversation with Clem, he described the chip's control over him: "It won't let me be a monster. And I can't be a man. I'm nothing." This event, combined with his desire to become a "man," drove Spike to leave Sunnydale to reclaim both his soul and Buffy's trust.

Over time, Spike evolved into a genuine — though at times jaded — hero, rather than an evildoer acting out of devotion to Buffy. He remained loyal to human friends such as Fred, Beck, and Dowling, respected human life to the extent that he was unwilling to sacrifice thousands to save Fred, and was horrified when Illyria killed Jeremy Johns to assist him in defeating Non. Like Angel, he subsisted solely on animal blood and continued to help the Scooby Gang in their efforts to save the world.

Habits

Spike spoke with a lower-class English accent and frequently used British slang. While suffering from amnesia, he once referred to Giles as a "nancy boy" for being English before realizing, "Bloody hell! Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God! I'm English!" A failed poet in life, Spike frequently demonstrated a poetic understanding of love and life, viewing both as driven by blood, which he considered more powerful than any supernatural force because it separated the living from the dead. Spike also used "dancing" as a metaphor for both fighting and love, telling Buffy that he could have "danced all night" with the Slayer Nikki and suggesting that his confrontations with Buffy had always been like a dance, claiming that she herself had wanted it. Additionally, he often exclaimed "bloody hell" when surprised or exasperated.

Spike often nicknamed the people in his life, both as insults and as terms of endearment. He referred to Dawn, for instance, as "Little Bit," "Nibblet," and "Platelet." He called Drusilla and Buffy "Pet" and "Love" and often referred to Buffy as "Slayer." He also nicknamed Willow as "Red"; Angel as "Captain Forehead"; Gunn as "Charlie Boy"; Illyria as "Little Shiva," "Blue Bird," and "Blue Meanie"; Jeremy as "Jerry"; and Maria as "Spider." He also called Buffy "Slutty the Vampire Slayer" on one occasion and "Goldilocks" twice. He had referred to himself as the "Big Bad."

Spike often treated his vampiric vulnerabilities as minor inconveniences rather than actual limitations. He drove in broad daylight using vehicles with blacked-out windows, regularly traveled outside during the day using a blanket for cover, and even picked up a cross while fighting Angel, enduring the pain to strike him.

Spike retained a taste for regular food and drink, noting that as a vampire most food "didn't really taste like much," though he sometimes ate out of habit, favoring stronger flavors like hot and spicy to offset the blandness. He enjoyed beer, bourbon whiskey, hot chocolate with "little marshmallows," cookies, peanut butter and crackers, peanuts, chocolates, spicy Buffalo wings, onion blossoms, and potato chips. He sometimes added ingredients to his blood, including Weetabix for texture and burba weed for flavor. Spike also smoked cigarettes, often from the brand Morley.

Interests

Spike appeared to be a fan of pop culture. While held captive by the Scooby Gang, his biggest concern was missing Passions, his favorite soap opera. He frequently referenced movies and television shows, including Star Trek, Star Wars, Dawson's Creek, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Ghostbusters, Knight Rider, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. After his hands were cut off by Dana and later reattached at Wolfram & Hart, he played video games for physical therapy including Donkey Kong and Crash Bandicoot, and a Game Boy Advance.

Spike was a fan of punk rock music, singing along to Sid Vicious' version of "My Way" and the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated." He once referenced the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana and noted that he loved "Brain Damage" by Pink Floyd. In Sunnydale, he had a CD collection that included the Sex Pistols and a vynil collection in his crypt.

Spike was indifferent to Halloween, similar to most vampires and demons, who generally avoid hunting on the holiday. He took personal offense when a group of self-proclaimed vampire rebels hunted on Halloween and criticized the Wolfram & Hart Halloween Bash.

Appearance

“I'm looking for this guy. Bleach-blonde hair, leather jacket, British accent? Kinda sallow, but in a hot way?”

―Buffy Summers

Spike had a punk look that resembled that of English punk musician Billy Idol (or rather Idol resembled Spike). His hair was platinum blonde and combed back, although previously it had been a natural medium brown (unstyled) as well as dyed black in the 1940s. Spike received a scar on his eyebrow from the sword of the Slayer he killed in 1900. Angel once sarcastically asked him, "What color is your hair? Radioactive?" and he had been called "Captain Peroxide" by both Xander and Angel. His nails were often painted black.

Spike usually wore a long black leather duster. He had briefly worn a duster he took from a Nazi officer he killed. His signature leather duster was the one he had taken as a trophy from Nikki Wood, the second Slayer he killed. He wore the Slayer's black duster for over twenty-five years. When the coat was destroyed by a bomb, Spike declared it to be irreplaceable. However, the Italy branch of Wolfram & Hart quickly supplied him with a whole wardrobe of new, nearly identical ones which he began wearing.

Spike's look in 1999.

His outfit during his first stay in Sunnydale included grey jeans, dark brown or black t-shirt, red silk button shirt, and his black leather duster. His trademark look during his second stay included the leather duster, a black t-shirt or v-neck shirt and black denim or leather pants, usually with heavy boots. Spike also occasionally wore black or blue button-up shirts, black wife beaters, and a black long-sleeved shirt which was torn apart during the demon trials that won Spike his soul.^{[citation needed]}

On rare occasions, Spike deviated from his trademark look, most notably during his fling with Buffy, in which he would often wear grey, blue, brown, green, and other colored button shirts and t-shirts, a set of silver rings, bracelets, and a medium-thick necklace but the duster remained. Twice he deviated from his look to look good for Buffy, wearing baggy khaki pants, an oversized brown leather bomber jacket, pale and green button shirts, and a grey t-shirt. He had also worn a stolen tweed suit while on the run from the demonic loan shark Bro'os and a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts belonging to Xander after he accidentally shrunk his normal clothes in the wash. Once he got his soul back, Spike briefly ditched his duster and wore various other shirts and a denim jacket, but eventually returned to his trademark look. As a captain of his bug crew, he wore blue jeans inside long brown buckle boots, a double belt, and an open-neck t-shirt in beige, red, or gray.^{[citation needed]}

Upon reuniting with Buffy and the Scoobies in San Francisco, Spike's wardrobe undergone a visible change, often wearing olive green, mustard, grey, navy, red, beige, brown, white, and black t-shirts, long sleeves, or button-up shirts, blue, black, brown, grey, olive, and red denim jeans, a medley of silver necklaces sometimes with pendants, rings, and wooden or leather bracelets paired with his duster and boots. During this time, he returned to painting his nails black again.^{[citation needed]}

Powers and abilities

“Spike is the strongest warrior we have. We are gonna need him if we're gonna come out of this thing alive.”

―Buffy Summers

Spike shows his raw strength when he flips over a car.

Vampirism: Spike had the standard powers and vulnerabilities of a vampire; he was immortal, regenerated damage, possessed superhuman physical attributes, and had heightened senses, able to track people by scent alone. He was also vulnerable to holy items and sunlight, could be killed by a stake to the heart, needed to regularly ingest mammal blood to maintain his vitality, and could not enter the residence of a living human without being invited by a resident. Due to his advanced age, however, he was considerably more powerful than an average vampire; he could flip over a car when angered, drain and hide the bodies of two men in a few seconds without alerting the girl they were walking with, and survive a bomb explosion. He also regenerated from spinal damage in less than two months. Spike could resist sunlight and holy items longer than most vampires, once using a large cross as a bludgeoning weapon against Angel and withstanding the pain despite it burning his hands. Spike's vampire constitution also provided him with a high tolerance for alcohol, which he regularly consumed in copious quantities.

Combat: Spike was famous for having killed two Slayers. Lloyd referred to him as "a legendary dark warrior," and Buffy once went as far as referring to him as the strongest fighter the Scoobies had. Spike was a highly skilled and versatile fighter in both armed and unarmed combat. For example, he was able to briefly overcome Illyria during a test of her abilities when she was at the height of her powers, doing so after he trained with her for months and adapted to her abilities. Illyria criticized his (and others') ability to adapt, calling it "compromise."

Much like Angel, Spike was proficient in various forms of martial arts, and his typical fighting style blends Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Kung-Fu, street-fighting, and boxing.^{[citation needed]} He was also able to discern Taekwondo and Brazilian jujitsu as the fighting styles that Illyria had proficiency in.

Intelligence: Spike's intelligence was understimated, but he often displayed insight and skills in perception and observation, especially with regard to relationships and personalities. This ability allowed him to wield powerful psychological weapons as easily and effectively as physical ones. For example, when he wanted to create disharmony among the Scoobies, Spike divides-and-conquers by exploiting tensions that exist under the surface to turn Buffy and her friends against each other. He explained to Buffy that he was able to defeat two Slayers because he sensed and exploited their secret desires to be free of their burden. Spike's skills of analysis allowed him to be the only one to see Willow's fragile state after Oz left her, be the first to see through Tara's controlling family, force Buffy and Angel to admit that they were more than "just friends," and to identify when and why some relationships, such as that between Buffy and Riley, were not meant to last, feeding Riley's insecurities in an effort to sabotage his relationship with Buffy so that Spike could pursue her. His analytical skills also help him in battle from time to time; for example, he identified Illyria's fighting style as a Tae Kwon Do and Brazilian Ninjitsu hybrid. Spike also quickly realized that Angel and Twilight were one and the same when no one else did.

Although capable of developing sound battle strategies, Spike often lost patience with anything more complicated than outright attack, particularly in the days before receiving his chip and being ensouled. He was also impatient to fight the Slayer upon his initial arrival in Sunnydale; the attack was supposed to coincide with the Night of Saint Vigeous, but he "couldn't wait" to go after the Slayer and attacks the night before, which results in the deaths of many vampires of the Order of Aurelius. However, Spike did exercise patience when he was confined to a wheelchair after a battle with the Scoobies left him paraplegic for several months. Feigning weakness, he endured tortuous weeks watching Angel sexually pursue Drusilla as he waited for the right time to strike against his rival.

Spike often displayed in-depth knowledge of different demon species and other supernatural beings, being aware of Rack and surprised at Willow's trips to his place, and also knowing that Wolfram & Hart represented "the worst evil in the universe."

Technical skills: Spike was significantly more competent and comfortable with modern technology than Angel; his knowledge allowed him to turn a mausoleum into a comfortable home with electricity and cable television. He would also use video game systems and a computer.

Criminal and motorist skills: Due to his experience in criminal activities, he was skilled at picking locks, hotwiring cars, and pick-pocketing. He was also capable of easily operating various vehicles, such as various cars (although having crashed both a DeSoto and a Citröen), a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and a Winnebago.

Multilingualism: In addition to his native English, Spike was proficient in Latin, Luganda, and Fyarl.

Former powers

Intangibility: Spike was temporally in a ghost-like intangible state following his death in the destruction of Sunnydale and his subsequent reappearance at Wolfram & Hart. At the time, he was capable of walking through solid objects. He was initially unable to make contact with objects around him until he learned how to focus his abilities through desire, allowing him to make brief contact with people and things if he concentrated enough. However, this ability was relatively useless in a fight, as he was unable to pick up a wooden bar to hit the demon Tezcatcatl, and required a few moments to properly punch a cyborg that was strangling Gunn.

Kill count

Spike's first known kill was when he sired his own mother in 1880, but he became a renowned killer after defeating two Slayers. Overall, Spike was responsible for at least 121 deaths, including over 45 demons, 39 vampires, 35 humans, 1 zombie, and 1 cyborg.

Gallery

The Spike article has a Photo Gallery.

Behind the scenes

• He was portrayed by James Marsters and the stuntman Steve Tartalia. He was exceptionally played by Victor Raider-Wexler when Spike possessed Magnus Hainsley in the episode "Just Rewards."

• Spike's birth name William Pratt is also the birth name of iconic horror actor Boris Karloff.

• Creator Joss Whedon has described his inspiration for having Spike in platinum blond hair: "There's a little Billy Idol, a little Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys, and every guy in a black coat. I really thought the peroxide would define his face better, though James does curse my name for the burning scalp." Whedon also intended Spike to be "the Sid Vicious of the vampire set." James Marsters reportedly wanted to inspire himself on Johnny Rotten instead, since he considers Vicious to be an "idiot."

• Marsters' scar on his left eyebrow, which he received during a mugging, was worked into the show; make-up artist Todd McIntosh decided to shave out his eyebrow in order to make it more prominent. He also included the scar on Spike's "vamp face" prosthetic, albeit slightly altered as though the skin has stretched.

• While Whedon already wanted Spike as "an English punk rock vampire," Marsters also auditioned for the role with a Southern Louisiana accent. According to Marsters, the old black T-shirt he wore for the audition was also used for many episodes of season 2.

• Spike was originally supposed to die in season 2. The plan was to Angel kill him off after turning evil and team up with Drusilla against Buffy. Marsters explains that he was imperiling the theme of Buffy, in which Angel was supposed to be the only "sexy" vampire while evil ones were metaphors for problems to overcome. He describes that, due to the audience's positive reaction to the character in season 2, Whedon "backed [him] up against a wall" one day and told him: "I don't care how popular you are, kid, you're dead."

• While Drusilla has been shown as Spike's sire, in "School Hard," Spike's first appearance on the show, he says that Angel was his sire. The apparent contradiction was solved by Whedon in an interview in which he states that the term sire refers to anyone prior to them in their line.

• Marsters says bleaching his hair for his role as Spike was "extremely painful": "There's a warning on the box of bleach: 'Don't do that more often than every six weeks.' It's very unhealthy to do that more often. And we did it once every eight days for six years. They would tell me: 'We don't know if you're going to have hair after this show.' My hair was fine, but my scalp was the problem. I would have open sores from the previous bleach, and they would pour bleach on top of those wounds. And it got pretty interesting. That wasn't my favorite day."

• In 2017, Marsters was asked whether he believed Spike should have ended up with Buffy and if he personally wished he could have gotten to play that arc out. He responded that, yes of course he would have loved to, but the series would have required many more seasons to get to that point. He went on to reveal that he "got to write a comic book where [he] began Spike along that journey, the journey that would end with him being mature enough to go to Buffy and say: "I'm ready now."

• Whedon has described that he felt Spike "ultimately became the most fully developed character in the Whedonverse."

• Spike has a total of seventeen licensed action figures: eleven variants in the Buffy collection, two in the Angel collection, and four Deluxe action figures. As a statuette, he has two variants in the Tooned Up series, one edition of the Buffy and Angel Figurine Collection Magazine, and four variants in the Funko Pop! series.

• Spike appeared in a total of 120 episodes of the Buffyverse. The only characters to appear in more episodes are Angel (168), Willow (147), Buffy (150), Xander (143), Cordelia (143), and Giles (121). He is the only character to appear in the 100th episodes of both Buffy and Angel: "The Gift" and "You're Welcome." Along with Angel, he is one of only two characters to appear in the series finales of both Buffy and Angel: "Chosen" and "Not Fade Away."

Appearances

Canonical

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2
"When She Was Bad" Absent	"Some Assembly Required" Absent	"School Hard" Appears	"Inca Mummy Girl" Absent	"Reptile Boy" Absent	"Halloween" Appears	"Lie to Me" Appears	"The Dark Age" Absent	"What's My Line? Part One" Appears	"What's My Line? Part Two" Appears	"Ted" Mention
"Bad Eggs" Absent	"Surprise" Appears	"Innocence" Appears	"Phases" Absent	"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" Appears	"Passion" Appears	"Killed by Death" Absent	"I Only Have Eyes for You" Appears	"Go Fish" Absent	"Becoming, Part One" Appears	"Becoming, Part Two" Appears

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3
"Anne" Absent	"Dead Man's Party" Absent	"Faith, Hope & Trick" Mention	"Beauty and the Beasts" Absent	"Homecoming" Absent	"Band Candy" Absent	"Revelations" Absent	"Lovers Walk" Appears	"The Wish" Absent	"Amends" Absent	"Gingerbread" Absent
"Helpless" Absent	"The Zeppo" Absent	"Bad Girls" Absent	"Consequences" Absent	"Doppelgängland" Absent	"Enemies" Absent	"Earshot" Absent	"Choices" Absent	"The Prom" Absent	"Graduation Day, Part One" Absent	"Graduation Day, Part Two" Absent

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4
"The Freshman" Absent	"Living Conditions" Absent	"The Harsh Light of Day" Appears	"Fear, Itself" Absent	"Beer Bad" Absent	"Wild at Heart" Appears	"The Initiative" Appears	"Pangs" Appears	"Something Blue" Appears	"Hush" Appears	"Doomed" Appears
"A New Man" Appears	"The I in Team" Appears	"Goodbye Iowa" Appears	"This Year's Girl" Appears	"Who Are You?" Appears	"Superstar" Appears	"Where the Wild Things Are" Appears	"New Moon Rising" Appears	"The Yoko Factor" Appears	"Primeval" Appears	"Restless" Vision

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 5
"Buffy vs. Dracula" Appears	"Real Me" Appears	"The Replacement" Appears	"Out of My Mind" Appears	"No Place Like Home" Appears	"Family" Appears	"Fool for Love" Appears	"Shadow" Appears	"Listening to Fear" Appears	"Into the Woods" Appears	"Triangle" Appears
"Checkpoint" Appears	"Blood Ties" Appears	"Crush" Appears	"I Was Made to Love You" Appears	"The Body" Absent	"Forever" Appears	"Intervention" Appears	"Tough Love" Appears	"Spiral" Appears	"The Weight of the World" Appears	"The Gift" Appears

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 6
"Bargaining, Part One" Appears	"Bargaining, Part Two" Appears	"After Life" Appears	"Flooded" Appears	"Life Serial" Appears	"All the Way" Appears	"Once More, with Feeling" Appears	"Tabula Rasa" Appears	"Smashed" Appears	"Wrecked" Appears	"Gone" Appears
"Doublemeat Palace" Appears	"Dead Things" Appears	"Older and Far Away" Appears	"As You Were" Appears	"Hell's Bells" Appears	"Normal Again" Appears	"Entropy" Appears	"Seeing Red" Appears	"Villains" Appears	"Two to Go" Appears	"Grave" Appears

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 7
"Lessons" Appears	"Beneath You" Appears	"Same Time, Same Place" Appears	"Help" Appears	"Selfless" Appears	"Him" Appears	"Conversations with Dead People" Appears	"Sleeper" Appears	"Never Leave Me" Appears	"Bring on the Night" Appears	"Showtime" Appears
"Potential" Appears	"The Killer in Me" Appears	"First Date" Appears	"Get It Done" Appears	"Storyteller" Appears	"Lies My Parents Told Me" Appears	"Dirty Girls" Appears	"Empty Places" Appears	"Touched" Appears	"End of Days" Appears	"Chosen" Appears

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8
The Long Way Home, Part 1 Absent	The Long Way Home, Part 2 Absent	The Long Way Home, Part 3 Vision	The Long Way Home, Part 4 Absent	The Chain Absent	No Future for You, Part 1 Absent	No Future for You, Part 2 Absent	No Future for You, Part 3 Absent	No Future for You, Part 4 Absent	Anywhere but Here Absent
A Beautiful Sunset Mention	Wolves at the Gate, Part 1 Absent	Wolves at the Gate, Part 2 Absent	Wolves at the Gate, Part 3 Absent	Wolves at the Gate, Part 4 Absent	Time of Your Life, Part 1 Absent	Time of Your Life, Part 2 Absent	Time of Your Life, Part 3 Absent	Time of Your Life, Part 4 Absent	After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back! Absent
Harmonic Divergence Absent	Swell Absent	Predators and Prey Mention	Safe Absent	Living Doll Absent	Retreat, Part 1 Absent	Retreat, Part 2 Absent	Retreat, Part 3 Absent	Retreat, Part 4 Absent	Retreat, Part 5 Absent
Turbulence Absent	Twilight, Part 1 Absent	Twilight, Part 2 Absent	Twilight, Part 3 Vision	Twilight, Part 4 Appears	Last Gleaming, Part 1 Appears	Last Gleaming, Part 2 Appears	Last Gleaming, Part 3 Appears	Last Gleaming, Part 4 Appears	Last Gleaming, Part 5 Appears
"HARM" Absent	"Harmony Bites" Absent	"Vampy Cat Play Friend" Absent	"Always Darkest" Vision	"Harmony Comes to the Nation" Absent		Willow: Goddesses and Monsters Absent		Riley: Commitment Through Distance, Virtue Through Sin Absent

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9
"Magical Mystery Tour, Featuring the Beetles" Appears	Freefall, Part 1 Appears	Freefall, Part 2 Appears	Freefall, Part 3 Appears	Freefall, Part 4 Appears	Slayer, Interrupted Absent	On Your Own, Part 1 Appears	On Your Own, Part 2 Appears	Apart (of Me), Part 1 Appears	Apart (of Me), Part 2 Appears	Apart (of Me), Part 3 Appears
"In Space No One Can Hear You Slay" Appears	Guarded, Part 1 Mention	Guarded, Part 2 Mention	Guarded, Part 3 Absent	Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 1 Absent	Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 2 Absent	Wonderland, Part 1 Absent	Wonderland, Part 2 Absent	Wonderland, Part 3 Absent	Wonderland, Part 4 Vision	Wonderland, Part 5 Absent
Welcome to the Team, Part 1 Mention	Welcome to the Team, Part 2 Mention	Welcome to the Team, Part 3 Absent	Welcome to the Team, Part 4 Absent	The Watcher Mention	The Core, Part 1 Appears	The Core, Part 2 Appears	The Core, Part 3 Appears	The Core, Part 4 Appears	The Core, Part 5 Appears	Love vs. Life Absent

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10
New Rules, Part 1 Appears	New Rules, Part 2 Appears	New Rules, Part 3 Appears	New Rules, Part 4 Appears	New Rules, Part 5 Appears	I Wish, Part 1 Appears	I Wish, Part 2 Appears	Return to Sunnydale, Part 1 Appears	Return to Sunnydale, Part 2 Appears	Day Off (or Harmony in My Head) Appears
Love Dares You, Part 1 Appears	Love Dares You, Part 2 Appears	Love Dares You, Part 3 Appears	Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 1 Appears	Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 2 Appears	Old Demons, Part 1 Appears	Old Demons, Part 2 Appears	Old Demons, Part 3 Appears	Freaky Giles Day Absent	Triggers Appears
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 1 Appears	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 2 Appears	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 3 Appears	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 4 Appears	In Pieces on the Ground, Part 5 Appears	Own It, Part 1 Appears	Own It, Part 2 Appears	Own It, Part 3 Appears	Own It, Part 4 Appears	Own It, Part 5 Appears
"Where Are They Now?" Appears

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 11
The Spread of Their Evil Appears	In Time of Crisis Appears	A House Divided Appears	Desperate Times Appears	Desperate Measures Appears	Back to the Wall Appears	Disempowered Appears	Ordinary People Mention
The Great Escape Appears	Crimes Against Nature Appears	Revelations Appears	One Girl in All the World Appears	Girl Blue, Part 1 Absent	Girl Blue, Part 2 Absent	Girl Blue, Part 3 Mention	Girl Blue, Part 4 Absent

Angel

Angel: Season 1
"City Of" Absent	"Lonely Heart" Absent	"In the Dark" Appears	"I Fall to Pieces" Absent	"Rm w/a Vu" Absent	"Sense & Sensitivity" Absent	"The Bachelor Party" Absent	"I Will Remember You" Absent	"Hero" Absent	"Parting Gifts" Absent	"Somnambulist" Absent
"Expecting" Absent	"She" Absent	"I've Got You Under My Skin" Absent	"The Prodigal" Absent	"The Ring" Absent	"Eternity" Absent	"Five by Five" Absent	"Sanctuary" Absent	"War Zone" Absent	"Blind Date" Absent	"To Shanshu in L.A." Absent

Angel: Season 2
"Judgment" Absent	"Are You Now or Have You Ever Been" Absent	"First Impressions" Absent	"Untouched" Absent	"Dear Boy" Absent	"Guise Will Be Guise" Absent	"Darla" Flashback	"The Shroud of Rahmon" Absent	"The Trial" Absent	"Reunion" Absent	"Redefinition" Absent
"Blood Money" Mention	"Happy Anniversary" Absent	"The Thin Dead Line" Absent	"Reprise" Absent	"Epiphany" Absent	"Disharmony" Mention	"Dead End" Absent	"Belonging" Absent	"Over the Rainbow" Absent	"Through the Looking Glass" Absent	"There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" Absent

Angel: Season 5
"Conviction" Appears	"Just Rewards" Appears	"Unleashed" Appears	"Hell Bound" Appears	"Life of the Party" Appears	"The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" Appears	"Lineage" Appears	"Destiny" Appears	"Harm's Way" Appears	"Soul Purpose" Appears	"Damage" Appears
"You're Welcome" Appears	"Why We Fight" Appears	"Smile Time" Appears	"A Hole in the World" Appears	"Shells" Appears	"Underneath" Appears	"Origin" Appears	"Time Bomb" Appears	"The Girl in Question" Appears	"Power Play" Appears	"Not Fade Away" Appears

Spike
Asylum, Part 1 Appears	Asylum, Part 2 Appears	Asylum, Part 3 Appears	Asylum, Part 4 Appears	Asylum, Part 5 Appears	Spike: After the Fall, Part 1 Appears	Spike: After the Fall, Part 2 Appears	Spike: After the Fall, Part 3 Appears	Spike: After the Fall, Part 4 Appears
Alone Together Now Appears	What Happens in Vegas, Slays in Vegas Appears	Everybody Loves Spike Appears	You Haven't Changed a Bit Appears	Bedknobs and Boomsticks Appears	Something Borrowed Appears	Give and Take Appears	Stranger Things Appears	Spike: Into the Light Appears

Tales

Tales
"Prologue" Absent	"Righteous" Absent	"The Innocent" Absent	"Presumption" Absent	"The Glittering World" Absent	"Sonnenblume" Absent	"Nikki Goes Down!" Absent	"Tales" Absent
Broken Bottle of Djinn Absent	Tales of the Vampires Absent		"Father" Absent	"Spot the Vampire" Absent	"Dust Bowl" Absent	"Jack" Absent	"Stacy" Absent
"Some Like It Hot" Absent	"The Problem with Vampires" Appears	"Taking Care of Business" Absent	"Dames" Absent	"Antique" Absent	"Numb" Absent	The Thrill Absent	"Carpe Noctem" Absent

Other

Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics White Christmas (Only mentioned) Spike and Dru: Paint the Town Red Angel: The Hollower (Only in flashbacks) Hey, Good Lookin', Part Two (Only mentioned) Spike and Dru: The Queen of Hearts Love Sick Blues, Part Two Spike and Dru: All's Fair Ring of Fire The Blood of Carthage, Part Three The Blood of Carthage, Part Four "Spike and Dru: Who Made Who?" Cemetery of Lost Love Jonathan: Codename: Comrades Invasion Hive Mentality Out of the Fire, Into the Hive Remember the Lies Remember the Truth Remember the End Ugly Little Monsters, Part One Ugly Little Monsters, Part Two Ugly Little Monsters, Part Three Lost and Found The Death of Buffy, Part One The Death of Buffy, Part Two The Death of Buffy, Part Three Withdrawal "Spike in 'Rock 'n' Roll All Night (and Sleep Every Day)'" Note from the Underground, Part Three (Only in flashbacks) Note from the Underground, Part Four (Only in visions) Chaos Bleeds The Ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Gift Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32 The Lost Summer Angel comics The Curse, Part Three (Only in flashbacks) The Curse, Part Four (Only in flashbacks) Smile Time A Hole in the World Not Fade Away Old Friends "Unacceptable Losses" Spotlight: Wesley Auld Lang Syne Aftermath, Part One Drusilla, Part One (Only mentioned) Drusilla, Part One (Only in visions) Boys and Their Toys, Part One Boys and Their Toys, Part Two Last Angel in Hell (Only mentioned) The Crown Prince Syndrome Immortality for Dummies The Trouble with Felicia The Big Dustup Lorne: The Music of the Spheres Roman a Clef Letters Home: A Jamesian Interlude Bedroom Follies Prophet for Profit, Part One Prophet for Profit, Part Two Prophet for Profit, Part Three Cats in the Cradle Illyria: Haunted, Part One The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart, Part One (Only mentioned) The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart, Part Two (Only mentioned) Illyria: Haunted, Part Two Illyria: Haunted, Part Four The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart, Part Five (Only mentioned) "OMG Unicorns!" (Only mentioned) "My Only Friend" "Fight for the Remote!" "This One Time" Spike comics Spike: Old Times Spike: Lost and Found Spike: Old Wounds Spike vs. Dracula Spike: Shadow Puppets Spike: The Devil You Know Novels The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 1 Out of the Madhouse The Xander Years, Vol. 1 The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 2 Ghost Roads The Angel Chronicles, Vol. 3 Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row Door to Alternity Long Way Home King of the Dead Original Sins The Journals of Rupert Giles Crossings The Wisdom of War Little Things These Our Actors "Again" (Only mentioned) Monster Island Blood and Fog Chosen: The One Cursed Apocalypse Memories Wicked Willow Heat Queen of the Slayers Spark and Burn Blackout Bad Bargain One Thing or Your Mother Demons of the Hellmouth (Only in picture) Slayer (Only mentioned) In Every Generation Bloody Fool for Love Games The Board Game (2000) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Game Boy Color) (Only mentioned) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xbox) Chaos Bleeds Sacrifice The Board Game (2016) Legendary: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Slayers: A Buffyverse Story "Slayers, Episode 1" "Slayers, Episode 2" "Slayers, Episode 3" "Slayers, Episode 4" "Slayers, Episode 5" "Slayers, Episode 6" "Slayers, Episode 7" "Slayers, Episode 8" "Slayers, Episode 9"