Team Four: Eternal characters who have a hard time dying.
Duncan MacLeod (Highlander: The Series)
Vandal Savage (DC Comics, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow)
Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who, Torchwood)
Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Fictional heroes, villains, and everyone in between have formed unlikely alliances to answer a common calling: which group of kindred characters is the mightiest of them all? United by a shared theme, troops of four fabulous fictional characters will figuratively compete in a tournament of television, movie, and literature’s finest where only one foursome can be crowned kings and queens of popular entertainment. Join in on the roll call to learn more about these similar characters and delve into their individual histories. It's time to assemble the analogous all-stars and find out who is the best, one team at a time.
There are pop culture icons that seem to have existed since time immemorial, and this nigh-invulnerable squad consists of some of fiction’s most interesting immortals. Their individual histories span centuries, each possessing their own signature skills and abilities. Let’s explore the legacies of these ageless wonders and determine if their combined longevity can carry them to victory.
Immortals, assemble!
4. Spike
First appearance: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (“School Hard” episode 3, season 2, 1997)
Popular entertainment of 1997:
Titanic - film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet
Oz - television series starring Ernie Hudson and J.K. Simmons
Cold Mountain - novel written by Charles Frazier
The vampire known as Spike (played by James Marsters) has lived a nefarious—-and complicated—-life. His global travels have left behind heaps of bodies while he has escaped the certainty of death. Audiences first witnessed the bleach-blonde baddie in the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a television adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name. With his disturbed partner (and fellow vamp) Drusilla (played by Juliet Landau), Spike assembled a horde of fanged foot soldiers and set out to terrorize young Buffy and her compatriots. Spike’s origins, however, began long before in a violent fashion.
Born William Pratt, he struggled in 1880s England to earn recognition for his poetry. Dubbed “William the Bloody” by his mocking peers, Pratt would not find success from his poems, but he would encounter Drusilla. In his despondent state, Pratt was easily lured in by Dru’s mysterious allure, leading him to be sired by her and transformed into a vampire.
Pratt fell in with Drusilla’s bloodthirsty cohorts and developed his own unique style of ferocity. Nicknamed “Spike” for his penchant for torturing his victims with railroad spikes, William the Bloody thrived while running with his new pack. Their leader, the vampire known as Angelus (played by David Boreanaz), who originally sired Drusilla, would eventually break away from their group after a chance meeting with a Romani tribe. As revenge for Angelus violating their family, the tribe’s elder patriarch placed a curse on the vicious vampire. Burdened with a soul and now referred to as Angel, he abandoned Spike and company. Spike and Dru would gradually split off onto their own as a deadly duo. They traversed the world, rampaging through everywhere they went.
While terrorizing a village, rebelling locals captured and tortured Drusilla, worsening her already fragile mental stability. Spike rescued her but the experience left Dru on the brink of insanity. Spike would care for her the best he could throughout the decades, all while further establishing his vile legacy of mayhem. His crowning achievement was murdering two Slayers: generational young women who possess the supernatural ability to defend humanity against the creatures of the night.
In the modern age, his attempt at killing the current Slayer, Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), ultimately resulted in his failure, but the events cemented Spike’s destiny as a tragic hero. After Drusilla leaves him, a distraught Spike eventually finds himself joining forces with Buffy and her friends. The association was complex, and made even messier when Spike and Buffy eventually develop a romantic relationship. His affiliation with Buffy even sees Spike receive his soul again.
After years of tumultuous relationships and emotional breakthroughs, Spike fights alongside Buffy and her crew against an ancient powerful entity. After a climactic battle, Spike sacrifices himself to save the others, dying a champion. He is resurrected, however, by mystical means and ends up in Los Angeles with none other than Angel. Once more in the throes of an apocalyptic crisis, Spike joins Angel’s team to ward off the ultimate evil.
Spike is a resourceful vampire with a mind for malevolence but in his core he desires affection and acceptance. Maybe he will find common ground with the likes of other immortal beings—if they don’t try to kill each other (in vain…).
Immortality can be a blessing as well as a curse, but in a combat arena, it can definitely be an advantage. That being said, this unorthodox tournament will put more than just physicality on the line.
These perpetual participants are an intriguing foursome, but they’ll need more than longevity if they want to advance over the Spin-Off Superstars in what could be any kind of challenge—they’ll all need to keep their heads on a swivel, and just plain keep their heads.
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