5. Winifred "Fred" Burkle
Fred (Amy Acker) was a physics student who became a librarian. Whilst stacking a demon language book on to its shelf, she recited a line from it and ended up being sucked through a portal to the dimension of Pylea, where she would be enslaved as a 'cow' and then go on the run as a fugitive for five years, before being rescued by Angel (during which time she witnesses Angel's full demon side, which doesn't scare her at all and she actually acts as a calming influence on it). She would return to Los Angeles with Angel and his team and become a useful member of the group. Shy and retiring at first, she comes out of her shell, becoming able to defend herself in combat while her scientific knowledge is invaluable to the group. In fact, he knowledge of science is so great that, when team Angel are invited to work for Wolfram and Hart, she becomes the head of their Science Division and gets her own laboratory and team of scientists to oversee. When she inhales something from an ancient sarcophagus in the final season, Fred's body is infected with the presence of the ancient god Illyria. Fred dies, with no trace of her existing, as Illyria walks around in her body (albeit with superpowers and a blue tint). However, Fred's powerful personality somehow forces its way out on occasion, proving that she still lived on despite the impossible odds.