Buffy the Vampire Slayer has no shortage of great characters. Buffy, Willow, Anya, and the rest of the Scoobies offer something for every kind of viewer, whether you’re here for the jokes, the crushes, or a character arc that unfolds over several seasons. But Spike (James Marsters) is in a league of his own.
He’s beloved as both a villain and a love interest, and over the course of the series, he becomes one of its most complicated characters. Buffy’s writers gave Spike some of the show’s sharpest one-liners — who could forget “Out. But his best line comes in the series finale, “Chosen.” It’s the natural culmination of a character pulled between heroism and selfishness for most of his life, and it captures the complicated truth of his relationship with Buffy.
As Buffy and her allies battle the demons pouring out of the Hellmouth, the cavern starts to collapse. The others flee, trying to escape Sunnydale before the town is swallowed by the earth. Spike stays behind, using a magical amulet to keep the demons from getting out.
Buffy asks him to leave with her, but he’s already made his choice. She reaches for his hand and tells him, “I love you.” It’s a moment Spike has been hoping for over the past two seasons, perhaps longer. But he understands what Buffy means — and what she doesn’t.
But thanks for saying it,” he replies. His sacrifice closes the Hellmouth and saves the world, making it the finale’s most emotional and consequential moment. But thanks for saying it.
Spike’s sacrifice is the culmination of a long road toward redemption. He first appeared in season 2 as a fun, punkish villain, caught up in a doomed romance with the vampire Drusilla. He eventually became a series regular and a reluctant ally to Buffy.
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