The sexiest vampire of them all! Spike, also known as William the Bloody, got his nickname due to his fondness for torturing victims with railroad spikes. However, his William the Bloody nickname has much less glamorous origins – he had the name before his vampire days, as a result of his “bloody awful poetry.”
William wasn’t always the sexy bad boy – prior to being vamped, he was a shy, sensitive, wannabe poet. After getting shot down by the lady who inspired his poetry, he was killed and then sired by Drusilla. The very insane Drusilla was the love of his un-life, until she left him…twice: first for a Chaos demon and then for a Fungus demon.
Only around 120-years-old, Spike had already killed two Slayers. He tried many many times to kill Buffy, but to no avail. After being gone for all but one episode of season three, Spike became a regular in season four, and didn’t have better luck in Sunnydale the second time around. Thanks to the Initiative, he got a chip implanted in his head which rendered him unable to kill or hurt anything other than other demons.
Much to his horror, Spike realized that he had developed a major crush on the Slayer herself. This crush led him to reject both Drusilla and Harmony in favor of Buffy, who had no interest in him. But thanks to the chip and his love for Buffy, he became a more active participant in the Scooby Gang, jumping into several of Buffy’s fights to help out. Buffy continued to reject his advances though and eventually un-invites him from her house, alienating him from the group.
Spike then has Warren make a robot in Buffy’s likeness, programmed to love and obey him. Appalled, particularly after witnessing the full extent of Spike’s obsession, Buffy rejects Spike yet again, but her hostility towards him fades greatly when she learns that Spike, even under intense torture, refused to reveal the identity of The Key to Glory, almost laying down his life to protect Buffy’s sister Dawn. Buffy is so moved by this unexpected loyalty that she kisses him, saying she will not forget what he has done. In the days leading up to the final showdown with Glory, Spike continues to aid Buffy, earning her trust and a re-invitation to her house
During Season 6, after Buffy came back from the dead emotionally scarred, she began a secretive sexual (and violent) relationship with Spike. After she ended it, Spike attempted to rape her. So horrified by what he tried to do, he went to Africa to get his soul back.
With his soul back, the insane Spike tries to cope with the guilt of his past actions, including the pain he caused Buffy. When Buffy asks him why he had fought for his soul, he explains it was done in an effort to become the kind of man she deserves.
Under influence of the First Evil’s hypnotic trigger, Spike unknowingly starts to kill again. After he discovers what he has done, he begs Buffy to stake him, but she refuses and instead takes him into her house to take care of him. When Spike’s chip begins to malfunction, causing him incredible pain and threatening to kill him, Buffy trusts him enough to order the Initiative operatives to remove it.
In the final battle inside the Hellmouth, Spike sacrifices himself to destroy the Turok-Han and close the Hellmouth. He is slowly incinerated in the process, but not before Buffy tells him “I love you.” Spike replies, “No, you don’t — but thanks for saying it”. Spike slowly turns to dust, and in dying to save the world, he becomes a Champion.
Spike is then brought back to life in the Angel spin-off show, where he gives Angel hell all while helping him fight evil.
Favorite Spike Quotes!
“You’re not friends. You’ll never be friends. You’ll be in love ’til it kills you both. You’ll fight, and you’ll shag, and you’ll hate each other ’til it makes you quiver, but you’ll never be friends. Real love isn’t brains, children. It’s blood. It’s blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love’s bitch, but at least I’m man enough to admit it.”
“If every vampire who said he was at the Crucifixion was actually there it would’ve been like Woodstock. I was at Woodstock. I fed off a flower person and I spent six hours watching my hand move.”
“You were my sire, man! You were my… Yoda.”
“I’m really glad I came here, you know? I’ve been all wrongheaded about this. Weeping, crawling, blamin’ everybody else. I want Dru back, I just gotta be the man I was. The man she loved. I’m gonna do what I should have done in the first place. I’ll find her, wherever she is, tie her up, torture her till she likes me again. Love’s a funny thing.”
Dawn: “Lurk much?”
Spike: “I wasn’t lurkin’. I was standin’ about. It’s a whole different vibe.”
[in response to being asked to fight a troll] “Yeah, I could do that, but I’m paralyzed with not caring very much.”
– Moonlight
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