At the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s third season, David Boreanaz moved to the spin-off series Angel. His character had a dramatic arc in Season 2 and 3, briefly becoming evil, then dying and coming back to life. After the season finale, “Graduation Day,” he decided to leave Buffy behind and start fresh in Los Angeles. Instead of secretly protecting her from afar, he established his own detective agency, Angel Investigations, and dedicated himself to helping others. This created opportunities for characters to appear in both shows, and many of them developed into more compelling figures on Angel than they had been on Buffy.
Six characters experienced significant growth and became more compelling when they moved from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to its spin-off, Angel. They were ultimately better developed and more interesting on Angel than they had been on the original series.
6) Harmony
In the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harmony Kendall was part of Cordelia’s popular group of friends, but she was even more unkind than Cordelia. She became a vampire in the episode “Graduation Day,” turned by one of the Mayor’s vampires. Even after becoming a vampire, Harmony remained shallow and focused on herself.
On Buffy, Harmony was mostly played for laughs – she was a clumsy, awkward vampire with an unreturned crush on Spike, who didn’t take her seriously. But when she moved to Angel, Harmony started to develop as a character. She matured significantly and eventually became Angel’s receptionist, despite still being a vampire. Harmony’s journey proved that even vampires are capable of growth and change, transforming her from a comedic figure into someone more complex.
5) Faith
Faith was a standout character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Many viewers found her more compelling than Buffy, as she was a defiant slayer who felt unappreciated and wasn’t afraid to take extreme measures. She briefly became a villain while working with the Mayor, but ultimately fell into a coma when Buffy made the difficult decision to prioritize Angel’s life over hers.
After waking up from her coma, Faith became determined to get revenge on Buffy, which led her to leave Sunnydale and move to Los Angeles. There, she was hired by Lindsey McDonald and Lilah Morgan to kill Angel. However, when she tried to attack him, she actually wanted to die, believing she was fundamentally evil. This unexpected desire allowed Angel to intervene and help her heal, ultimately enabling her to become the hero she was always meant to be.
4) Darla
Darla was a villain on the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She had a history with Angel, having turned him into a vampire, and initially worked for the main villain, The Master, in the first season. Though a significant threat, Darla ultimately failed to kill Buffy. Angel, her former lover, staked her, saving Buffy and ending Darla’s role on the show.
However, Darla played a significantly larger and more crucial part in the series Angel. After Wolfram & Hart brought her back to life, they tasked her with trying to defeat Angel. Interestingly, she was resurrected as a human, and the firm also enlisted Drusilla to help her. Darla unexpectedly became pregnant with Angel’s child – something extremely uncommon for vampires – and ultimately sacrificed herself to protect their son, Connor. This was a major change for her, considering she had previously been a follower in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
3) Cordelia
Cordelia was a significant character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer who underwent a lot of growth throughout the show. Initially portrayed as a popular and often unkind girl who bullied Buffy, she changed as she discovered the supernatural world and Buffy’s role in protecting the town. She even had a relationship with Xander, but ultimately moved away after finishing school.
Cordelia Chase was a significant character in both Buffy and Angel, but she truly blossomed on Angel. She evolved from a supporting role into a trusted advisor and vital member of Angel Investigations, becoming a skilled fighter alongside her teammates. Her death on Angel was particularly upsetting for many fans because she had become such a beloved and integral part of the show.
2) Angel
Throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel often played the role of a romantic interest and helper, but his potential was largely unrealized, except when he became the villain Angelus in season two. When Angel got his own show, he finally had the opportunity to shine and demonstrated a depth and strength that Buffy hadn’t fully allowed him to explore.
Angel truly came into his own when he got his own show, proving immediately how dangerous he could be. While he was a strong character in Buffy, Angel allowed him to become one of the most compelling urban fantasy heroes ever seen on TV, and arguably, made the spin-off even better than the original series.
1) Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
As a huge fan of both Buffy and Angel, I always thought Wesley Wyndam-Pryce had the most amazing character arc. He started out as this joke on Buffy – seriously, remember him trying to watch over Faith? He was constantly being made fun of by Buffy and Giles, couldn’t handle Faith, and just kept losing fights. He eventually left Sunnydale totally defeated. But then, over on Angel, he really came into his own and became a total hero. It’s an incredible transformation, and I love seeing it play out!
Wesley joined the cast of Angel and quickly became a fan favorite. He initially appeared as a somewhat theatrical hero, arriving on a motorcycle in leather. However, he soon grew into a skilled fighter and a genuinely heroic figure. By the end of the series, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce was considered one of Angel’s strongest and most beloved characters, ultimately sacrificing himself in the finale.
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2026-02-26 02:41