The 7 Best Villains in Buffy’s Angel Spinoff, Ranked by Power

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Following the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the character Angel spun off into his own series. Angel originally appeared on Buffy as a romantic interest – a vampire with a soul dedicated to protecting her. He even became a villain for a time after temporarily losing his soul. Ultimately, he decided to move to Los Angeles and establish an agency focused on helping people, which quickly led to conflicts with dangerous adversaries.

From heroes helping the most vulnerable to a team of villains aiming for total destruction, here’s a ranking of Angel’s seven most dangerous enemies, based on their power.

7) Lindsey McDonald

Lindsey McDonald, played by Christian Kane, wasn’t the strongest villain Angel ever faced, but he was definitely a fan favorite. He was a promising young lawyer at Wolfram & Hart who earned Angel’s animosity by defending the very demons and creatures Angel was dedicated to destroying. Their conflict began when Angel killed a vampire Lindsey was representing, leading the lawyer to seek personal revenge.

Things took a turn in the second season when Lindsey switched sides, helping Angel fight a demon and then leaving Los Angeles. He reappeared in the final season with the intention of killing Angel, but ultimately joined the forces of good for one last stand against the apocalypse. Unfortunately, Lindsey’s redemption was cut short. Lorne, distrustful of his past actions, shot and killed him during the final battle, knowing Angel wouldn’t be able to rely on him.

6) Darla

Darla is usually considered one of the strongest villains in the Buffy universe, but her role was different on Angel. She originally appeared in the very first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a major antagonist, working alongside The Master. Importantly, she was the vampire who originally turned Angel, creating a deep connection between them that Buffy didn’t share. However, Angel ultimately killed Darla on Buffy to protect Buffy herself.

Wolfram & Hart brought Darla back to life as part of a plan to destroy Angel. Surprisingly, she returned with a soul, and then unexpectedly became pregnant with his child. This created a dangerous situation because Darla believed the baby held the key to ultimate happiness, but also understood that this could lead to her own destruction. Ultimately, she sacrificed herself to ensure the baby’s survival.

6) Daniel Holtz

Daniel Holtz served as the main villain in Angel’s third season, but he was a surprisingly relatable one, especially when his story began. He was originally a vampire hunter from the 1700s, determined to destroy Angelus and Darla. They tragically killed his family, which understandably fueled his desire for revenge.

Wolfram & Hart brought Holtz back to life and tasked him with destroying Angel. He focused his efforts on Angel Investigations, committing truly unforgivable acts. He kidnapped Angel’s son, Connor, and raised him in a hellish dimension, filling him with hatred for his father. Eventually, he sent Connor back to Earth with the mission of killing Angel. What truly sets Holtz apart is that he orchestrated his own death – he had Justine kill him and stage it as a vampire attack, hoping to push Connor past the point of no return.

4) Lilah Morgan

Lilah Morgan was a prominent recurring character on the TV show Angel, appearing throughout its first four seasons. She started as a lawyer at Wolfram & Hart and quickly rose through the ranks to become a key figure representing the firm. This made her a significant and challenging opponent for Angel, and she was particularly good at manipulating him.

A loyal agent of the Senior Partners, she resurrected Darla and Drusilla to plague Angel and proved more enduring than Lindsey at Wolfram & Hart. She began a relationship with Wesley, cleverly infiltrating Angel’s inner circle. A resourceful character, she was ultimately defeated when Jasmine impersonated Cordelia and killed her, but even death couldn’t stop her service to the Senior Partners – she continued working for them in Hell.

3) Circle of the Black Thorn

You’d expect a centuries-old secret society of demons to be incredibly formidable villains, and the Circle of the Black Thorn certainly seemed that way. They were the big bad guys in the final season of Angel, and they were the ones who initiated the events leading to the apocalypse, which ultimately happened in the series finale. Surprisingly, they didn’t actually play a significant role in causing the apocalypse itself.

The group, made up of humans, demons, and vampires, aimed to rule Earth, but they were actually pawns of the powerful firm Wolfram & Hart. They were surprisingly gullible, falling for Angel’s pretense of wanting to join their ranks. Angel then systematically eliminated them, with Illyria, Lindsey, Lorne, Gunn, and Wesley finishing the job. Though the apocalypse began during the events surrounding Angel, the entire group – known as the Circle of the Black Thorn – was already destroyed.

2) Jasmine

Okay, so as a huge Angel fan, I always thought Jasmine was one of his toughest opponents. She really stood out in Season 4. The backstory they gave her was fascinating – she was one of the original Powers That Be, basically an ancient being meant to guide humanity. But instead of being a benevolent helper, she became this controlling, iron-fisted leader. It was tragic, really, because her attempts to ‘help’ actually caused a lot more harm than good. She was a complex villain, for sure.

Jasmine arrived on Earth by taking over Cordelia’s body and using her to carry out her plans. She even used Cordelia to kill the villain Lilah. Jasmine then orchestrated a plan for Cordelia to conceive a child with Connor – a child who would become Jasmine’s new physical form. This left Cordelia in a coma, ultimately leading to her death, for which Jasmine was responsible. For seven years, Jasmine was the hidden force behind everything Angel endured, demonstrating her incredible power until her son, Connor, finally defeated her.

1) Wolfram & Hart

On the TV show Angel, the firm of Wolfram & Hart was the true source of all the trouble Angel faced – they were more powerful than any individual villain, including Jasmine. Characters like Lindsey and Lilah were Wolfram & Hart employees and directly responsible for bringing back enemies like Darla and Drusilla, and even for resurrecting Daniel. The Circle of the Black Thorn also answered to them. Jasmine was the only major threat who wasn’t connected to the firm’s highest-ranking demons – the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart.

Wolfram & Hart is a law firm with a truly unique clientele: the worst monsters and criminals you can imagine, including demons and crooked politicians. They’re not just defenders of evil, though – they’re actively working to bring about the apocalypse, which ultimately happens in Los Angeles during the final episode of Angel. Angel never managed to defeat them, and because they hold power across multiple dimensions, including Hell, they remain a practically unstoppable force.

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2026-02-23 21:12