By Chris Snellgrove | Published
On Buffy the Vampire SlayerThe main character has faced many difficult decisions over the years, but perhaps the hardest was choosing who his heart belonged to: Angel, the haunted vampire with a soul, or Spike, the evil vampire who reluctantly joined the Scooby Gang and even got a soul of his own.
Debates over which choice is the right one still rage in the community, with fans favoring Bangel (Buffy/Angel) or Spuffy (Spike/Buffy). Although fans will never arrive at a definitive answer, Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar did it. In an old Reddit Ask Me Anything thread, she chose Angel over Spike.
Buffy, Angel and Spike
If you’ve never watched a Buffy episode or have just caught the occasional rerun, you may need some insight into how Angel and Spike became romantic leads for Gellar’s character in the first place. In short, Angel was his love interest from the very first season, and the series unabashedly delved into the depths of romantic melodrama with the intertwined story of a vampire and a vampire slayer falling in love. Meanwhile, Spike was introduced as an enemy and former associate of Angel in season 2, and he began developing feelings for Buffy in season 5, two seasons after Angel left Sunnydale for his own spin -off.
Buffy didn’t see much of Angel (apart from occasional cameos) after its spin-off began, and it was through this spin-off that Spike became a mainstay of the cast. Cordelia, the resident villain, was also gone. Buffy and joined Angel as another familiar face in Los Angeles, the setting of Angel. For this reason, showrunner Joss Whedon brought in Marsters as a regular in BuffyThe fourth season of to fill the hilarious and antagonistic role that Cordelia once played, although the vicious vampire eventually developed feelings for Buffy which resulted in their destructive relationship (literally and metaphorically) in season 6.
Ironically, BuffyThe latest episode did nothing to quell speculation about whether Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character should end up with Angel or Spike. Earlier in the episode, she has a heartfelt conversation with Angel about her future, confirming that Spike is not a “boyfriend” but that “he’s in my heart.” She admits that she’s not ready for a relationship yet and wasn’t “thinking that far ahead,” but she hints that she and Angel could still have a future together.
This scene could suggest that Buffy will ultimately choose Angel over Spike, but things become complicated when Spike sacrifices himself to save the world. Just before she dies, Buffy tells Spike “I love you”, to which he responds “no, but thanks for saying that”. And there you have it, friends: in the same Buffy episode, our Slayer implied a romantic future with Angel And promised her love to Spike, leaving fans forever wondering who she should have ended up with.
Sarah Michelle Gellar chooses Angel
However, Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Gellar thinks Angel is the only logical choice over Spike. On her Reddit AMA, a fan asked “Spike or Angel” and she elaborated with an all caps “ANGEL”. Later, another Redditor asked the same question and she reaffirmed her answer: “always Angel.”
Hearing that the woman who brought Buffy Summers to life prefers Angel over Spike might be enough to put an end to fans’ incessant arguments about it. In all likelihood, however, most fans will continue to choose their battle lines based on everything from which actor has the best performance to who has the best hair. That last one’s a little unfair, though… as any Spuffy fan knows, Captain Peroxide has the best of it, and we’ll always bet on this bleached blonde bear to win Buffy’s heart against the brooding leech bore of Boreanaz.
Source: E! News
