Buffy The Vampire Slayer: How Spike Had The Best Character Arc On 2000s TV

Spike dies in Buffy's series finale, having gone from big bad to comic relief, and reluctant ally to his sworn enemies to world-saving hero. But his journey wasn't done yet. In Angel's final season, he's brought back to life at Wolfram & Hart, and is forced to come face-to-face with several big changes.

On the one hand, it's revealed that he may the champion everyone has long thought Angel to be - the vampire with a soul who will fight for the good of mankind and one day be rewarded with humanity - a development that causes the pair to come to blows and face their shared past. On the other, he's finally given a true purpose.

From the moment he beats Angel for the first time in their lives to the moment he decides to stay in LA to join Angel in his fight against the world's evil, Spike's final moments in the franchise bring his metamorphosis full circle.

If you remember where he started in Buffy's second season and see where he ends up in Angel's final chapter, there can be no denying the power of Spike's development. He was the franchise's most tragic, fully-formed figure, a character with more layers than any of his foes or allies, and one that no matter what the show needed him to be, he did it without fault.

There have been countless great character arcs throughout the history of the small screen, but Spike's growth from soulless evil to world-saving hero has to be the best of them all. It's simply flawless.